The boat rocks gently with the rhythm of the sea. The threatening storm hasn’t yet made the seas too rough for them. Eva had already scanned through her equipment, tested her valves and connections, and made sure everything was in order. She is quite excited. The last time she got to dive was months ago when she first arrived in Hoenn. It was quick but fun.

“Nah, I’m all good,” Matias would glance back to find Eva, in a very lady-like manner, spitting into her mask and rubbing it around to defog it, “Thanks for the invite, by the way. It’s been nice to get out of the lab,” leaning over the edge she swished the mask around in the water to clean it off.

This is somewhere Blade can’t follow, so Eva’s Kabutops is already swimming around the boat casually, waiting for the divers to make their entrance.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]matias could never imagine having an office job, or rather, a job that requires him to sit indoors for most of it. he thinks he'd feel suffocated, possibly isolated from the outside world, which he assumes is what she feels. they are fairly similar, after all.

"pretty much came to your rescue, didn't i?"

he jests, chuckling, before shrugging his oxygen tank over his shoulders. he pulls the straps and tightens them around him, securing it in place.

"don't mention it."

he stretches a leg over the side of the boat and sits, waiting for her.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

She laughs along with him, shrugging her shoulders, “Yea, I guess you did,” she muses, “My knight in shining armor,” the tease is dripping with sarcasm.

Looping her arms through the BCD, she pulls it onto her shoulders, oxygen tank and all. A few snaps and pulls later, the equipment is secure and ready to go. She sits on the side of the boat, ready to fall in backwards. She secures her mask, pulls on her fins, and gives Matias two ‘okay’ signs, “Ready when you are!” she smiles before popping the regulator in her mouth. Without really waiting for an okay back, she tilts backwards, splashing into the cool water where Azul zips over to her side.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]eva is a natural, that much is evident by how swiftly she prepares her gear and in the way she approaches the edge of the boat. his inexperience leaks through in the way he approaches the dive using a seated water entry.

"read—"

she plunges in, leaving him to his own. he smiles, then pops the regular in his mouth before pushing off. he plunges in after, weight sinking as he descends.

for moments, he contemplates calling out a water-type to guide him, but decides against it as he sees her shape in the near distance. he follows after.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Cool water washes over her and the sound of the world is drowned out by the silence of the water surrounding them. She holds her breath, savoring it for a moment before its broken by the bubbling when she exhales and the hiss of the regulator when she inhales. Eva lets herself casually sink deeper, laying out in the water on her back as if she is lounging in a beach chair. The doctor keeps a close eye on her dive computer, making sure they aren’t sinking too fast. She presses a few buttons, inflating a BCD a bit to compensate. Her head turns towards the shadow of Matias as he moves closer. Straightening out, she throws up an “okay” sign with her fingers to ask how he’s doing. He seems to be doing ok.

Eva watches Azul shoot off into the darkness towards the base of one of Pacificlodge Town’s many wooden bridges. As far as Eva understood it, they were making sure the bridge’s foundation was stable and not compromised by pokemon or its own integrity. Eva twists and kicks forward, following the Kabutops.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]matias has never quite liked the ocean. it's too unpredictable, too strong for its own good, and being in it makes him feel like he's giving up control, which goes against his very nature. so there's a another reason why he invited her out here: because she's comfortable in the waters where he is not.

she's here to guide him.

he throws a hand up, mirroring her sign, then trails after her as they follow after her kabutops.

they soon come close to a string of wooden bridges that stretch out across the vast surface. it casts shadows underneath the water, and it feels cool as he slips underneath one. he reaches up and grabs a part of it, gives it a little shake, then turns to her before throwing up the same sign, showing that it's stable.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

The ocean is not her home. She’s a stranger, a visitor, a friend. She respects its power. Like Matias, Eva finds yielding control to it to be uncomfortable. It’s in the discomfort that she finds her own unique peace. It comes as a heart pounding rush of adrenaline, knowing at any moment that it can label her victim rather than visitor. There’s nothing she can do about it, and that’s exciting.

It’s a problem.

A group of Krabby scurry away from their menacing presence. Eva watches Matias grab a hold of the structure and shake. She laughs behind her regulator in a pulse of bubbles. Matias is strong, that’s easy to see, but it’s cute he thinks shaking it himself adequately tests the structure’s integrity.

Eva waves a hand and points it towards the bridge. Azul the Kabutops responds by disappearing down the length of the bridge. Eva grabs Matias by the tank and kicks back to pull him out from underneath the structure. She looks off in Azul’s direction with excitement, as if expecting something, as the underwater world around them grows quiet.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the silence is deafening. all he can hear is the subtle swoosh of water as he watches her kabutops swim off into the distance, soon disappearing. without much resistance, he's pulled back by his tank, and he drifts away from the bridge.

as silence overwhelms them, he's left waiting for something to happen. his eyes dart left and right, then to eva, then back to the bridge. patience has never been his strong suit.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

He’s anxious, she can tell. It’s strange to see him like this. He normally exudes confidence. She tries to give a reassuring smile through the regulator, but it is probably lost in bubbles.

The silence is broken with a thunderous boom. A stream of bubbles suddenly tears beneath the bridge trailing the Kabutops’ AQUA JET. It’s the wake of the attack that rattles and shakes the bridge’s foundation like a turbulent storm. The bridge holds true, barely shuddering beneath the powerful vibrations.

It’s what comes next that’s Eva’s favorite part. She hooks her arm with Matias, so she doesn’t lose her dive buddy, and she relaxes. Hopefully, he would do the same. Energy in the form of a powerful current rippled out from the epicenter of the Aqua Jet. It struck them with a force that would push them back and send them tumbling through the water column. With nothing for them to hit, it is perfectly safe. Kind of feels like being on a roller coaster.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]an AQUA JET thunders and he sees her kabutops jetting across through the rippling of bubbles, shaking the foundiation of the bridge. he laughs at the sight, amused and in awe, and though he initially tenses when he feels her arm hook around his, her presence does enough to relax him.

they're sent back by the force of the AQUA JET, spiraling through the water column, and he watches as the residual energy from the attack slowly dissipates above them, soon disappearing the further they go.

it's thrilling.

it's beautiful.

he's left smiling when they eventually slow, genuine. turning to face her, he raises a flat hand to his chin, then pulls it forward to sign a thank you.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Ugh! So much fun. As they came to a stop, Eva’s regulator popped right out of her mouth she was smiling so big. If Matias thought that was fun, he should try going for a ride on the Kabutops. That is an adventure. Eva pops the device back into her mouth as she glances over to Matias. He doesn’t look as anxious anymore. She even thinks she can spot the corners of a smile behind his regulator. Excellent.

She recognizes the sign for thank you but has no idea how to sign you’re welcome. Instead, she unhooks herself from him and shoots him two finger guns, the universal sign for you got it, dude.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]two finger guns. cool, cool. he resists the urge to flick them back in return and instead laughs, regular sliding out of his mouth. he reaches for it, pops it back in, and nods.

an idea flutters into his mind. he reaches into the small pocket of his wetsuit and pulls out a pokeball. a dragonair bubbles out of it, its slender body immediately curling around matias in greeting. he offers it a gentle pat before gesturing his head over to eva.

sparks of colorful energies start to glow around its body, forming around its scales as a SAFEGUARD shimmers. it shines against the darkness of the ocean, providing them with vibrant lights before it enlarges, like a bubble expanding, and surrounds them within it.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

What the fuck is she doing? Finger guns? Really? At least he laughed. That was a good sign that it wasn’t too awkward. Her fingers awkwardly curl back into her fists and her arms float idly by her side.

Her interest peaks at the release of the Dragonair. A beautiful, slender pokemon that moves gracefully through the water. She gives a nod in greeting before Matias motions towards her. A brow raises in curiosity.

The rather bland dark blue surrounding them is broken with the shimmer of the Dragonair’s SAFEGUARD. It is beautiful just to see the shimmering dragon gracefully slip through the water like a sparkling ribbon. Eva isn’t expecting the safeguard to expand and completely surround them. When it does, she’s caught off guard. There’s a moment of pause and awe before her eyes grow wide. She slowly spins to appreciate the kaleidoscope of colors glimmering against the darkness around them. It’s stunning.

She turns back towards Matias and purposefully pops the regulator out of her mouth. She doesn’t know how to sign what she wants to say so she just mouths it. Hopefully he can lip read, Beautiful, she repeats the sign for thank you with a bright smile.

MATIAS SILPH