[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]truthfully, the automaton is nothing more than an oversized clay child.

it drags her, drops her hand, and begins the grabby hand gesture one sees so often in toddlers. and illeana, despite her pride, simply doesn't have it in her to chastise the golurk. no, it's too cute and she's a little too motherly to her pokemon.

matias offers up a berry and deus lets out a mechanical squeal at the sight. it's a lower sort of sound but not as easy on the ears as one would wish. the noise proceeds to scare off scolipede that trots into their vicinity. sorry, poison horse.

the automaton happily takes the berry and pops it into its mouth without hesitation. somehow, to illeana's surprise, juice doesn't spray everywhere.

"uh?" comes softly, blurted despite her best efforts to keep whatever composure she had been reaching for. where she wanted steel, it is porcelain, shattering at the offer. cheeks radiate heat and she's tilting her head at the gesture.

"are you trying to feed me?" like an animal wants to come next but it clogs in her throat, left to be swallowed back down. gingerly, she steps forward to take the berry, fingers brushing his own.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

"i mean, if you want me to."

but simply taking the offered berry works as well. he smiles, appreciating the moment for as short as it lasts.

in the background, his heatran engages in a battle with a wild granbull whose QUICK FEET gives it the speed advantage. but what is speed to a defensive tank such as heatran?

its FIRE FANG bounces off, unable to pierce through heatran's IRON HEAD that easily slams into granbull. it knocks it off its feet, hitting the ground just in time for a pokeball to smack against it.

illeana reyes // catching granbull!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]despite herself, cheeks radiate warmth until she can't hide from it anymore.

she doesn't quite say anything yet. no, instead she raises the berry to her mouth and takes a small bite. it leaves lips stained by juice, a rosy red matching the colors of petals blending in her hair.

eventually, she responds. only after her head has turned, has swiveled to watch her golurk finish munching on its berry.

"maybe," she offers. it's lofty, as if she can't decide if that's actually what she wants. maybe it is and maybe it's something more than that. thoughts keep her preoccupied and she finishes the berry with two more bites. a hand rises to wipe a small dribble of juice from the corner of her mouth.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

what she offers isn't much of an answer. it teeters on the edge, playing it safe. but when has matias ever played it safe? he ventures into danger, practically leaps for it, and this time is no different even if it should be.

so, he pulls out another berry, this one smaller, consumable in just a single bite, and takes a step towards her, closing the distance between them. he raises his hand towards her lips.

illeana reyes // catching granbull!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]when her eyes return, they're wide.

nothing more than a deerling caught in headlights, waiting for collision, for the end.

and maybe it could be the end for her. it's hard to tell here and now, with him so close and his hand reaching forward.

she stares at him, the berry, and back at him. an eyebrow raising curiously, as if she didn't expect him to actually feed her.

and without much more hesitation, she meets him half way. lips part to be fed the berry, careful of his fingers.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

and so, he feeds her the berry, smiling as her lips part. he pulls out another, plopping it into his mouth before looking away to the approaching zubat.

its SUPERSONIC is loud, annoying, and it bothers heatran as much as it bothers matias. with her EARTH POWER, she lifts up a bit of dirt and flings it over at the zubat, knocking it down towards the ground.

matias throws a pokeball at it before it meets the earth.

illeana reyes // catching zubat!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she flushes at the smile and pulls away, chewing the berry before swallowing. it's perhaps an intimate moment and that unnerves her enough to stay quiet for a moment.

"thank you," she murmurs softly after a period of silence. it's genuine, albeit awkward.

supersonic emits, then, and she's startling at the sound. it's loud, grating, rattling in her ears down to her bones. she steps closer if only out of confusion, head turning to find the source.

by the time she finds it, the zubat is knocked out and captured before it hits the ground. and she's lingering, her automaton slowly approaching once more to take her hand.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

intimate, awkward, but also oddly warm. he shrugs the feeling away, choosing to dip his head in a nod instead after the brief moment of silence.

"anytime."

and then, he's turning so they can start walking down the route again.

"i keep a handful of berries with me. virizion really likes them."

a single MAGICAL LEAF floats up ahead.

"would you like to meet her?"

illeana reyes // catching zubat!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]they ignore the warmth between them in favor of continuing on. this time, he leads and she follows.

her head whips at the mention, eyes widening.

it's a name of myths. one she's, admittedly, not as familiar with but it strikes a chord all the same.

"virizion," she echoes softly. perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise, given what she's seen. the tapus, moltres, mew, even his heatran. and yet, there's an awe that looks to overwhelm when a single magical leaf floats along the breeze further up.

and when he asks the question, she's like a kid in a candy store: excited and overly energetic.

"yes, please," she blurts out in a single go. the syllables jumble together a bit but the point is the same: she's thrilled about this. her cheeks ache a little beneath the wide spread of her smile.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

it's endearing to see her excitement over virizion. warm, even. he returns the smile with one of his own as he reaches into his pocket for another berry.

"here. toss it up in the air whenever you're ready."

he stops walking, extending it over to her before gesturing up.

illeana reyes // catching zubat!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she stares at the extended berry for a moment, confusion etching into her features.

"toss it up?" she crinkles her nose but takes the berry anyway. heat radiates between the brushing of fingers and she shoves the sensation down.

one last look is spared toward him before she's tilting her head to the sky.

a pause follows and finally, she tosses the berry up as high as she can. does height even matter in this case? probably not but fuck it, we're tryna impress virizion over here.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!