He understands, of course he does. For the first time since she left Kanto, something inside her stirs. It’s the healing of a fissure she didn’t even know was there. Despite being surrounded by her colleagues, letting men fill the emptiness of her bed, and consuming herself in work, she still felt alone since she arrived in Hoenn. The Gallade, being the empath he is, recognized it. That’s why he constantly encouraged her to do things, meet people, stay distracted. If he was watching her now, he’d smile and rest comfortably.

Matias is right, there is comfort in knowing you’re not the only one to crave such things. She feels shameful for even thinking it, but she smiles in agreement, meeting his gaze that turns towards her, “I’m really glad you’re in Hoenn, Matias.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"me too."

hoenn had always loomed over him. he remembers contemplating the move for months on end, unsure if the best course of action was to stay in kanto and continue fighting a lost battle, or to move to hoenn where there is still a battle to be fought. a battle worth fighting for. a battle they could win.

it took him took too long to come to the conclusion. but he's sure now. there's no hesitation in his words when he says:

"i'm here to stay."

to fight.

the thought settles, and though only a little remains of his drink, he doesn't feel ready to leave just yet.

"one more?"

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

“Yeah, me too,” she’s resolute in her decision to prevent a reoccurrence of Kanto in Hoenn. She learned a lot of what not to do there. Hopefully Hoenn would listen, and the fight would be swift and in the region’s favor. She does miss home, though. Perhaps someday she’ll make it back there when it’s safe for her family.

Eva has been keeping pace. Only a small amount of the pink concoction remains swirling around in ice. She’s not used to drinking things like this. The sugar rush makes her heart pound, and the hidden booze dulls a normally logical and practical mind. A quick glance at the raging storm is met with another flash of lightning and crack of thunder, “Yeah, another,” Lips curl around the bendy straw to suck up the last of the pink liquid before she pushes it forward for the barkeep to take. Eva can't handle another one of those, though. It's dulled her sense enough to tolerate the bad whiskey so she points towards the bottle when the barkeep asks what she would like.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]he finishes what little remains of the fruity drink before sliding the tall glass away. he can't handle another, not when there's that much sugar in it. it makes him feel light, unhindered, and loose.

he points to the same bottle eva does, then holds up two fingers for the barkeep. it doesn't take long for their drinks to be laid out in front of them, each served in a rocks glass.

reaching for his, he holds it up towards her, offering a toast.

"to fighting."

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

Whiskey in addition to the watermelon margarita is probably not the best idea either, but she’s invested in remaining a little while longer now. If anything, it’s for the company. She could just TELEPORT home at any given time but she doesn’t want to. Not yet.

Emerald eyes slip over to glance at Matias as he points towards the same bottle. It seems they had both had enough of the margaritas. If they were going down, at least they were going down together.

Eva lifts her glass to meet his with a half-smile, “To fighting . . . Together,” she adds on with a wink before sealing the toast with a drink. It burns less this time around. Goosebumps rise over her skin from the sharpness but it’s tolerable. Still terrible, but tolerable.

A crack of thunder shifts her attention outside as she set the glass back down on the bar, “Do you like to fly, Matias?” there’s a dangerous sparkle in her eyes when she shifts her gaze back towards him.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the wink causes him to pause. he's caught off guard by her words but what he reponds with feels most natural.

"together."

he downs it in one. again, it tastes like shit, but at least it's more tolerable. his throat stings, warming, and he coughs right as she asks a question. he glances over his shoulder at the nearing storm.

"that's a bad idea."

despite that, he still stands and extends a hand over to her, inviting.

"yes, i do."

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

Eva knows it’s a bad idea. That’s why it excites her. She simply shrugs her shoulders casually in response to the obvious statement. It demonstrates how little mettle she puts in the recklessness of her actions.

Her grin widens when he stands, excitement consumes her wild eyes. Eva reaches into her bag and slaps a sum of money down on the bar. She doesn’t bother to check how much it is – it’ll be plenty and include a nice tip. The invitation is accepted as she slides a hand into his and leaps out of her seat. Without a word she leads him back out into the rain.

The rain has gotten heavier as the storm approaches. There’s a constant roar as it strikes the tin roofs of the few buildings that line the open space of a small courtyard. Eva presents a Salamence. Mehira’s growl in greeting challenges the thunder. The dragon looks at her suspiciously, having been with Eva long enough to read her mind, “This is Mehira, we race together.”

Eva climbs onto the pokemon’s back. She’s already wearing a saddle fit for one, but Eva is small. Her and Blade fit on it together frequently. She gives Matias the option to ride with her or choose a pokemon of his own to fly with.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]rain pours down all around them, thunder cracking as storm clouds roll over them. he's shrugging his wetsuit back on when she calls her salamence out; he regards it with a nod and nothing else as he reaches for his own pokeball.

"this is...noivern. i'm sure we'll keep up."

they won't have the luxury of a saddle. he simply climbs onto the dragon's back and holds on to its white tufts of fur that's quickly being drenched by the rain. it makes it more difficult, but he somehow manages.

"see you up there!"

and with that, they take off, noivern's ears roaring in a proud BOOMBURST.

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

Eva follows suit and shrugs her arms back into the neoprene but doesn’t bother to zip it up. She acknowledges the Noivern with a nod and grin. Matias was teetering on the edge of coaxing out her competitive side with that comment, “We’ll see,” she grins, snapping on a pair of goggles from the saddle bag. The rain was hurt like hell with how fast she was planning on going.

The BOOMBURST shakes the ground and air surrounding them as they take off. A deep, guttural roar from the dragon sounds in defiance. The racer prances in place, snorting, eager to follow the Noivern into the skies.

Eva grips the saddle with thighs and one hand. The other rests on Mehira’s neck to give commands. A hard pat gives her the ok to take off. She shoots into the sky with a powerful push, rushing to catch up to the Noivern when Eva steers her in another direction. A jolt of lightning threatens to strike, but Mehira leans left, avoiding it. The duo angles downward until the bright green dragon is shooting dangerously close to the surface of the water. They tear through waves in an emerald blur as they head further out to sea, towards the storm.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]where eva takes a low approach, soaring just above the surface of the ocean, matias ascends and flies right below the clouds. pellets of rain start slapping against him, forcing him to shift low and close to the noivern to use it as cover. it becomes difficult to look straight ahead, so he dips his head and peers down, noticing eva catching up to them.

"faster!"

his voice roars over the howling wind. another BOOMBURST relays confirmation, noivern speeding up right as they near the storm. it's there that matias tugs up, redirecting them through dark clouds. his gaze remains low as he searches for signs of eva and her salamence.

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

The pair tear through the rough waves of the sea like a jet plane. Water bursts around them into mist. Another BOOMBURST cuts through the thunder. Eva turns her gaze up, seeing the dark figure of the Noivern pull ahead then disappear into the clouds. She’s lost sight of them, and they were ahead. Unacceptable.

Fingers silently press against rough scales to steer Mehira up. Eva holds tight, fighting gravity, and the dragon shoot nearly vertical into the sky, trained on a trajectory that would allow them to intercept Matias and the Noivern as long as they didn’t veer off course. The closer they get, the easier it is to make out the other dragon’s shadow. Eva presses harder, encouraging the Salamence to climb higher, faster, until the two shoot by Matias in the blur of color against a dark background and higher into the storm clouds.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]adrenaline pumps through his veins. he feels alive, energy electrifying as he sees the rough shape rapidly rising towards them. he doesn't veer off course, nor does he make any attempts to stop them from overtaking him. he simply watches as eventually the salamence shoots past him in a blur of color, disappearing into the storm clouds above.

a grin breaks.

"FOLLOW."

they give chase, unwilling to lose. noivern's wings beat through the air, scattering water as it soars straight after the salamence, slipping into little pockets of its slipstream. they enter a heavy cloud that immediately disperses after a strong BOOMBURST echoes through the air. but it pales in comparison to two loud THUNDERS that crack overhead.

shit.

this is dangerous. and yet, he's never felt more alive in recent weeks.

they continue their chase, hot on salamence's tail.

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

The wind tears around them in all directions. Powerful. It threatens to tar her right off the Salamence’s back. She holds tighter. The adrenaline that surges through her adds to the alcohol’s high. Any inhibition is released even as thunder shakes the air around them. It’s so close she can feel the electricity tickling her skin. The raw power of nature that surrounds them is overwhelming. She’s at its whim. Eva is used to holding a position of power, giving orders, maintaining control. Here, she has none. It’s exciting, arousing even, to be dominated by a force she could never dream of controlling.

A glance back catches a glimpse of them right on their tail. Eva urges Mehira forward, faster. The dragon roars, pushing herself and her strength to the limit like she has done countless times before. The power swells, and the dragon’s pendent begins to glow. A similar jewel beneath Eva’s wetsuit matches the exchange of energy, feeding off Eva’s excitement as well. A flash of light consumes them. From it emerges a shiny Mega Salamence and the smile of a satisfied rider as they pull ahead in a burst of speed.

MATIAS SILPH