he recent changes to league personnel comes at a surprise to many, but to some it is all but long overdue. slateport shook the foundations of the league right down to its core -- its biggest triumph so far was how quickly it recovered under such circumstances. the council deserve credit there; fernando deserves credit. under a new and reformed council, the league has started to rebuild from top to bottom.

[break][break]

a recent addition to the league comes in the form of dewford's new gym leader: alexander silph. a familiar face at that, but it's a face he hasn't seen in years. despite the isolationism he protects rustboro with, alexander has found it appropriate to welcome the new addition partly because trust is needed for them to function as a unit but trust cannot be given that easily. silph will have to earn it.

[break][break]

"feeling tired already?"

[break][break]

standing by the rounded couch, alexander begins his greetings in surprise as a smile graces his features. "i like what you've done to the place." a quick sweep around the building tells him that it's freshly renovated. the slightest scent of paint still lingers.

[break][break]

"sorry for interrupting your rest, mister silph. i can come back later, if you want."

[break][break]
party: who knows
[break]
tag: alexander silph
[break]
notes: contemplated stabbing him in the face tbh

so swept up by the daze is enough for him to forget the approach. company isn't truly perceived till the voice slips outwards. wedging sharply into his mind like a jolt of electricity. alex leans up with a singular strand pressed backwards. the poise that faces the ceiling is prominent to having bed—head.

although startled, his recognition for the other doesn't dawn on him till he looks up. "ah, thank you," features piece together through the broken fragments of his memories. the other alex, he thinks, droning in on the relapse of these images till he remembers the necessity of a response.

"no, please stay." he insists. there is something oddly different from their past encounters. the cold nature of the silph is overlapped by a much friendlier persona. of course — unaware of the cause — what could've been subject to the change is simply time.

"you don't have to address me that way." standing up, alex lets an over exaggerated stretch take place, tossing the book back onto the couch. "we're friends after all...right mister stone?" grinning playfully towards the guest, there is no ounce of bitterness in the way that he speaks. alex has truly changed.

ALEXANDER STONE

riends: an odd term to affiliate with the man who sits before him because in the past, stone would have never considered alex a friend. perhaps it can be attributed to how different the dewford gym leader is – before, he was a troubled kid who often sought trouble, even if trouble meant hurting other people; and now, he seems to be a changed man.

[break][break]

“i find it strange calling you alex because, well, that’s my name.” he chuckles. “it’s about time someone brought life to this gym, or rather, this town. dewford needed that.” what was once a popular tourist destination was slowly becoming a relic, mostly because its old gym leader had no interest in tourism; much like alexander is, the old leader preferred isolation.

[break][break]

not wanting to waste either of their time, stone doesn’t linger on pleasantries for much longer before starting on what he came here to do. “have you met with your sister recently?” he asks, turning. “stormy. not the other one.”

[break][break]

he pauses for a moment.

[break][break]

“she misses you.”


[break][break]
party: who knows
[break]
tag: alexander silph
[break]
notes: pepehandsup

how long that change would last? none would ever know. it was a question without an answer. time was the true influence and even then time could bring nothing. the weight of what was more in his scattered memories is concealed by his brother.

even then he cannot find it in himself to say anything. maybe, he just doesn't want to believe it.

that everything is a lie.

"of course," alex says, amused by the jest. there was always a complication to having the same name but the humor behind it was never short of making pace. dewford was always a quiet little town underlined by important history. it was the perfect place to hide and think before the elderly decided to pester you.

he liked the people. more than that it was them that encouraged him to move forward. there was something more than serving others in the forgotten rustic bar. his previous and adventurous lifestyle before the accident kept him trapped by the shame of running away. this was exactly what he needed.

this was what he was made for.

"storm?" his expression softens at her name. for a moment he sees evelynn but recalls his most recent encounter. the youngest of the silph family is the one that has him thinking. "a few days ago. she came to dewford and we talked for awhile." not pressing upon the subject, he continues,

"i didn't know you two were close." then again, many things had changed in the last four years.

ALEXANDER STONE

abashed by the remark he blinks onward; owlishly eyeing stone as though he couldn't quite believe it. the smile may still be there but it is laced by the slightest of complexity.

for a moment he cannot comprehend how on earth stormy could get along with someone like this. then again; the opposite does seem rather established in the words of the wise. the answer is already there.

"really?" excited for his sister, the subject is just as quickly diverted, "so that's what you came here for." alex says with an obvious jest. "i hope you have enough pokemon with you." he begins to approach the single door in the back.

it is the one and only entrance into the true placing of the gym. "we'll be doing a double battle!" forcing the structure forth with a sturdiness of ice lathered on the other end, the cool rush shifts momentarily into the lounge.

few strands are misplaced and he turns back to push elsewhere. the eagerness in his eyes showing clearly.

"this way." he gestures for the other to follow.

ALEXANDER STONE

within the field of battle, paints a completely different world. the jagged rises of earth, dusted by the unstable ice is meant as one of many large obstacles. alex gestures to their left. 

furthest from the opposing end is a platform, well guarded and scarce of the element. "just head over there," he says, moving towards the other rise, "i'll let you have the first move!" surprisingly the voice resonates well in the space. 

two capsules release two very large pokemon. the beauty of once forgotten creatures, portrayed in opposite shades stand side by side. this is very clearly their home and very clearly this is their work. 

this is the place they thrive in.

ALEXANDER STONE

there is some distance to cover. 

in their vast and icy terrain, holly positions herself between the glimmering variant. her large stature emits a faint yet prominent light screen. given the nature of the move it does not negate the capability of hammer arm. she shifts against the floors, grimacing clearly at the advance. 

thankfully toxic just misses the earlier shuffle to the front of vale; her large neck craning towards the ceiling of the gym. she cries out, emitting a sudden storm that shudders against those below. hail will last long enough to deter with their opponents. 

but how long will they hold out?

with diggersby closer to the slightly ragged holly, the intensity of the challenge twinkles in her deep blue eyes. once the large mouth parts it emits a powerful blizzard. streaming gusts that appear similar to a waterfall cascading outwards, violently and without mercy. it may give them the chance to prepare in the eventual distance but they are not certain. 

as if to support holly; vale releases freeze-dry towards the also advocating pyukumuku. the intensity of the cold dangerously afflicting. 

ALEXANDER STONE

little pyukumuku dives through the mass of jagged hail like an unforeseen pellet. although so small and adorable, what is festered beneath the surface is impending doom. alex knows it — and so does holly.

her eyes narrow and her mouth parts once again. the chilly breath may erupt but it is not the same violent gust as before. when pyukumuku is close enough, ice beam spews outwards in order to appease the close impending counter. what she does not notice is the toxic obscured in the veil of this stormy battle.




vale never anticipates the advance. being so large has its disadvantage, leaving her with no room for reaction in the hammer arm which collides. she stumbles backwards, gritting through the effective clash but, still determined no matter the pain.

the force is what rouses her spirit.

blinding light creeps by her broad mouth. just as the majority of every onslaught, the essence explodes outwards in a devastating hyper beam. the stretch of the beam so immense that it tears through few jagged slopes and hopefully into the diggersby.

ALEXANDER STONE