[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]”i’m not positive,” she begins, voice gaining both confidence and traction. her mind has been chipping away at the puzzle day and night, working it with bloody fingers until something begins to make sense. ”i’m starting to wonder if the crystal’s connection to primal energy is drawing the attention of palkia.” calling upon the primordial beast like a beacon, resulting in the summoning of the crystal to palkia’s domain.

what she knows of the legend is simple: palkia controls alternate dimmensions and makes a home in the spaces between.

pieces click into place and she’s sifting through them with little care for things she shouldn’t meddle with. ”there’s no obvious reason palkia should be concerned with this crystal unless it wants the primal energy, right? she turns to him fully, then. expectant, as if he’s going to add more fuel to the concept.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]using him as a soundboard for her own hypotheses works in a way she expects. he provides welcome perspectives, shifting thinking in different directions. it allows her to sort further, to pry back pieces on the board and survey the possibilities. one move here, one move there until a path for victory reveals itself.

she's silent for a moment. pensive, eyes darting between handsome features and metallic carvings.

"creation comes before the primal age so perhaps not the power itself?" everything has to start somewhere, even legendary beasts. her memory churns out bits and pieces of sinnoh lore but they're jagged pieces, unable to fit together in a way that satisfies her. hunger bleeds into her system without hesitation. hunger for knowledge, power, pleasure. in him, she finds all of it.

she steps closer and with the closed distance comes a breakthrough.

"it is said palkia is the creator of parallel dimensions. ultra space could be one of those creations," her head tilts, shifting with the thought. a new angle, a new perspective. one step closer. "and if it rules over dimensions, no king wants to relinquish that control."

she'll brush her hand against his, mild affection for him to continue if he so desires.

"or, palkia could feel threatened. legend tells of clashes similar to those of hoenn lore between palkia and its counterpart, dialga. territorial spats powerful enough to level cities," she pauses, finally noting a mild connection. "perhaps there are ties to groudon's patterns after all."

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]"control, territory," she weighs each option, as if torn between which one could pair with the power it already possesses. "if wormholes are unstable tears in spatial dimensions, there's a possibility it could be both." a threat to the megalopolans, a means to force them back into submission. power and control do go hand in hand, however. each concept is food for thought, keeping her mind working over and over until something sticks.

"some believe there are many parallel dimensions," she doesn't pay his indifference much mind. it'll change later, of that she is certain. "but there is no way to know for sure. based on what we have seen with the wormholes and the invasion, we can only guess there are other worlds besides ultra space." each wormhole has led somewhere different, providing a glimpse into another life or another world. it'd be foolish to assume they all lead to ultra space, even with the appearance of palkia's form over meteor falls.

first palkia and then dialga... another piece she places on the board, mind tossing around possible ideas. eventually, she settles on one and sinks her teeth in.

"both of them exhibiting their powers can't be a coincidence," she murmurs. not as far as she can tell, not with their mutual hatred for each other. "palkia's appearance in the war could have lured dialga? the timeline being altered could, theoretically, be what's causing palkia to resurface." where one goes, the other might follow. such is the rivalry, such is the feud... but why? where does the crystal fit in all of this?

she has yet to piece more together.

"i wonder..." it comes as half a mumble, half to herself. the train of thought comes with a theory at the end, brought into existence by his pokemon's move. "if your smeargle were to use roar of time, would it be enough to draw out the god of space?" could a single smeargle really summon a god? perhaps they'd find out one day.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]she hums in thought. not enough power, perhaps? or something connected to presence? she can't be sure, not without testing it for herself anyway.

"something more demanding might work," she offers. it sounds solid in theory but would it hold up against a god? uncertainty keeps her from fully agreeing, as if she needs to jot down a list of pros and cons before succumbing to her own greed. knowledge and power are worth nothing if you're dead, a concept she unfortunately knows all too well.

a smile rises to her lips, spreading and spreading until it's a baring of teeth.

"can we handle the wrath of a god?" if she had more than a fragment of power in her body, perhaps. "is it worth the answers we could find?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]"absolutely," she meets the challenge with a playful smile. intent is not lost on her, bleeding into her next choice of words. "i thought i had proved that already." half a tease, half a joke, all certainty. despite her lost power, she is no longer weak. no longer a lamb for slaughter but now the lion beginning the hunt. indifference keeps her from acting in the moment but between them, a promise of later could be shared.

"more information would be necessary beforehand, anyway," unless they want to rush in blind but she knows him better than that to assume he'd go into anything without a plan. and whatever he plans, she will execute. such is the role she has greedily taken. "file it away as a last resort for now. maybe we could figure out a way to summon palkia with the crystals alone?" assuming they managed to find more than the one in league possession.

the funny thing about time is it always seems to run out when you least expect it.

"would you like to continue?" she'll turn to face him, expectant. "or is there something else you had in mind?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]"as many as possible," she leaves no room for questioning. they will acquire the crystals. there is no room for failure, not with the possibility they offer. restored avatar powers, heightened past their limit and propelled into the next stage.

illeana reyes might almost be too greedy or selfish now but it's no surprise that she wears power well. taught by the very best and left to push past those lessons into reality. such is the story of her journey, such is her purpose.

"i expect you'll summon me when the time comes," she flashes a mildly saucy smile, dipping her toes into something a little more flirtatious. "unless you need me before." there's an expectation there, laced between words that almost knows he will. their bond tells her such, intimate and hungry.

even if it's muted, his smile brings a mild warmth to her skin. it's an expression she likes on him, an opinion settled between a fondness for his aggression and a need for his affection.

"where to?"

FERNANDO SILPH