[attr="class","matias"]it feels almost like a wake-up slap. it catches him off guard — her glance, her words, and after heavy blinks to adjust to the brightness of the flames, he realizes that his job's not done either.

so he doesn't sit down.

how can he when the rest of his team's still out there?

and to think that he was relieved.

more pokeballs pop open, and his team spreads out.

"find them."

matias continues to stumble along.

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

Eva looks back at him with some sort of bewilderment as the situation at hand seems to settle in. The fact that he thought he was coming in with her was laughable, “Did you not hear me?” he probably did, he’s just being stubborn, “I said sit down,” a firm finger points towards the ground, “You’re in no state to come in there with us, you’ll only slow us down,” not an answer he probably wants to hear, but it’s true. Her and the pokemon couldn’t carry him and whoever they find. She reaches up to pull the bandana from her hair to cover her face.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]matias did hear her; he just didn't listen.

"i'll be fine."

and in his mind, it isn't a lie, because he truly believes that he will be.

but to appease her, he calls out his blissey, and a LIFE DEW soon spreads out across the vicinity. it helps dwindle the fires just slightly.

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

Fine? Her brows furrow. He’s going to not only get himself hurt but having to watch him in there might compromise saving others, something she wouldn’t tolerate. Now they were just wasting time. Perhaps he requires a different approach.

Eva turns back around, pulling the bandana back down to show her face, “Matias,” she steps back towards him, reaching for him as the LIFE DEW begins to fall. Blade joins the Blissey with his own LIFE DEW to quell the flames more. Anger brushed aside, her tone turns from stern to soft, “Matais, please, I can’t have you following me in there,” her hands find his arms, squeezing gently, “I need someone out here for the ones we can find,” she purposefully stands between him and the building until he concedes.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]this time, he concedes.

"okay."

with an exhale, he reaches for her arm, returning the squeeze.

"just...be safe. and find them, please."

and with that, he takes a step back, separating only to lean his weight against blissey.

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

She exhales, relieved.

“Thank you,” her smile offers a promise to be safe and do her best to recover those she could. It disappears behind the bandana as she pulls it back up then turns to trot off towards the building with Blade and Syah in tow.

It takes a considerable amount of time before there’s any sign she’s been successful. A flash of light brings Blade back to Matias with a young man, followed by a Nidorino, a Kadabra, and finally, a young woman. There’s another length of time with nothing to show for it. She’s being thorough, as she should be.

Eventually, the three emerge with Syah carrying Eva in her four arms while she threatens to cough up a lung, “That’s it,” she’s sure of it, “I couldn’t find him,” she’s sure she checked the right spot but there was a considerable amount of rubble. She takes a moment before moving to examine the survivors, buckled over with her hands resting on her knees. She breathes deeply, it burns, but that will fade.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]dread looms as he watches her disappear back into the burning warehouse. blissey does her best to calm him — she chirps every now and then, activating her HEAL PULSE to slow the swelling of his bruises. it's not much, but it helps.

the intensity of the flames helps keep him awake and in the moment. he clings to it, holding on with all he has.

and it pays off.

matias stumbles over to the young man, the woman, and breathes a small sigh of relief. but his eyes drift back over, watching for more.

it's only eva that comes out.

his head hangs low as she approaches. he slumps against blissey, silent for moments before nodding. there's no smile this time.

"thank you."

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

“Just doing my job,” her voice is hoarse, quiet. There’s a moment of silence, only the crackling flames behind them and groan of their injured comrades that break it. She takes a moment to collect herself. A deep breath ends with a cough before a slow exhale as she moves over towards the people and their pokemon.

Only two. It hurts. She kneels beside them. There’s not much she can do here for them. Smoke inhalation and burns aren’t something she can fix in the field. A hand motions for Balde to come sooth their wound with LIFE DEW. The calming rain sprinkles over them.

Her eyes drift back over to what’s left to the warehouse, the light of the fire accentuates the crease of her brows that mirrors the anger that bubbles inside. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]LIFE DEW washes over them, helping just a little, but perhaps enough.

the burning warehouse holds most of his attention. he blinks, heavy, and slides onto the ground with a resigned sigh.

"it wasn't supposed to be like this."

but like matias, his pokemon are equally as stubborn and proud. they hold grudges, and it's clear magmortar's had festered far beyond what's healthy.

"i was going to bring him in."

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

Eva doesn’t look at him, she can’t. She’s angry, tired, hurt. Even as he speaks she keeps her eyes on the wounded, focusing on her job rather than her feelings. Doubt still cuts deep with the sharp edge of betrayal and she can’t help it, “Were you really? Really going to bring him in?” there’s a sternness to her voice he’s probably never heard, “This went too far. I came to help you find justice not watch a man burn alive,” She chokes on her words at the end, remembering Matias’s smile and her stomach twists into a knot. Disgusting.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"i..."

doubt starts to bloom, causing him to hesitate.

"i was."

he shakes his head as though it'd help clear his head.

"i was."

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

He hesitates, and she finally looks over towards him. Studies him. Perhaps he isn’t the man she thought he was; Just another stubborn soldier with a bloodlust for revenge. Except this time, she let herself be fooled, whisked away on a mission with false promises. Regardless, what has happened has happened. There’s no changing the past. Just more lives she couldn’t save to rest heavy on her shoulders. She wants to believe him, so she says she does with a simple, “Ok,” but does she?

The woman beside her stirs as the LIFE DEW dissipates, “Blade, go get the medical corps we need to transport these people,” Teleportation isn’t ideal for unstable bodies and Eva tried to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. The Gallade TELEPORTS to relay their location and needs to The League.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]it's only then that matias turns to notice his magmortar stood off in the near distance. the fire-type's gaze is glued to the burning warehouse, perhaps finding some sort of twisted retribution at what had just transpired.

and it's in that moment that he realizes he could not fault his magmortar. it had done what it thought was right, what was just, which it undoutedbly adopted from its trainer.

so the blame, unfortunately, is entirely on matias.

too bad he's stubborn.

"do you believe me?"

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