renovations are still within progress. the chilling atmosphere meant to be center of the gym now reaches into the lounge. lathering every object into a large chunk of ice; concealed beneath the glimmer of its element.

alex — out of breath and awkwardly treading over the slippery floors does not yet notice the girl.

weighty boxes shield his frontal few and teeter towards the brink of falling. thankfully he collapses into the nearest desk with an appeased sigh. everything still intact. turning over to continue the cycle is stopped immediately in unfamiliar company.

a challenger?

his eventual smile seems tense, "hello!" the act of a usually respectable figure seems to waver in the mess, "don't mind the mess. the pokemon like to get a little rowdy around here." which was odd — considering aurorus' was timid by nature. then again the pair that he'd had since the start were quite the opposite. clingy, curious and ambitious.

"are you here for a battle?" this would've been his first. although the approach has him restless, the mess has still left the gym leader struck by the jade of heavy lifting. this was just what he needed to rouse his spirit. "i hope you don't mind the cold." partially concerned the tone is laced by the slightest of tease. just how would the girl fare?

persephone amavi

the cold washes over persephone, forcing her to inhale sharply. like a true hoenn native, she's not accustomed to the temperature, but fortunately had the the foresight to dress in layers.

the chill in the air is overshadowed by the gym leader. he's nothing like fernando, that much she can tell immediately. not in appearance, not in movement or gesture, not even in the hint of expression.

when he speaks, her expression is contemplative as she watches him closely, the distant smile dawning slowly. to think fernando kept his siblings such closely-guarded secrets over years and years. she can't imagine why.

announcing her intentions plainly — to see what fernando tried to keep hidden — is disingenuous. and in truth, perhaps a battle is the quickest way of measuring alexander's mettle. they didn't look alike, they didn't carry themselves the same way, but pretensions are shed in a battle.

"my apologies, i didn't realise you were still in the process of setting up here. it can't be easy to make your own gym your own, most people are content to take over the element of their predecessor." she pauses to send an appreciative gaze around the hall and its glimmering cover of ice before turning back to alexander with a flash of a smile.

perhaps it is a loaded statement; a commentary on alexander's apparent independence from his family.

"provided it doesn't disturb your renovations, yes... i was hoping i could challenge your gym. any format of you choosing works for me."

alexander silph

for a moment he considers the pensive silence as afterthought for the battle. just as the possibility dawns on him like a steady blunder to his excitement, her velvety voice reaches akin to the gentle current. there is a softhearted formality to the way she speaks. still; the reflection is recalled in those deep red eyes.

"oh?" poise for the way it went has a more genuine smile present, "i'm not sure about that. you might think i'm playing an unfair game here." rules were rules after all. no matter how much the challengers may have thought otherwise, every gym was different for a reason. hands shuffle opposite to the small rise of the front desk till a small glass jar becomes visible. there seems to be a series of small dice.

rattling against the surface in the momentary shake.

only one is brought out. the unfortunate turn may not be on the side of the trainer however, there is something interesting about her. the expectancy that this might've been more of a trial for him than it should've been for the other.

maybe that was the case.

"this way," he says, gesturing nonchalantly for the follow. close by are a pair of doors leading directly into the main stretch of the gym. he pushes against them with a still bound smile, only, they don't budge. confusion encroaches before it is overlapped by realization. having the aurorus do as they pleased meant the inside was more than likely to be a bit rigid. this time he slams into the door with a bit more force, bursting forward in an unsteady slide.

unlike the many other times — he catches balance. relieved that it had not ended in an embarrassing tumble. "r-right," laughter trails behind the words, turning to face the girl, "this is where the battle will take place." before them is a rocky yet icy terrain. jagged rises across the distance make for a difficult time not slipping over.

"i'm alexander, but you can call me alex. mind if i get your name before we get this started?" it was a necessity to how the event would unfold. a civility expected of a gym leader.

persephone amavi

persephone grins at the forewarning, flitting and brief because the expression feels almost unnatural compared to her usual pensive contemplation. "i wouldn't expect anything less than a challenge. i don't know the details, but i'm sure your specific mechanic will be like nothing else in hoenn."

she inclines her head side-ways to observe the dice roll, and raises one shoulder in a half-shrug at the result. for now, it means little to her. the polite smile falters only for a moment, curious more than anything. it's not that she's over-confident, it's just that whatever outcome awaits her is incidental to the primary purpose of the visit.

persephone studies his features intently and tries to place them alongside fernando's familiar ones. whatever similarities there are seem to be incidental; the touch of kanto accent to their voices, light-hair but the tones totally different.

she follows him onward idly, alexander's struggle with the doors not registering until they flung open, sending him sliding forward.

when he loses his balance momentarily, persephone finds herself surging forward unthinking and as though on instinct to steady him. fortunately, he regains his balance as quickly, but in hindsight it's a wonder that she didn't follow suit given how unsteady her own footing feels.

persephone turns to offer a small smile, biting back a peal of laughter. of course, he's charming — but in a way entirely different from fernando, almost opposite from fernando. they share a quiet intensity, but even that doesn't match.

lost in thought, she doesn't immediately reply, needing a moment to blink rapidly to bring herself into the present.

"alexander... alex, a pleasure. persephone amavi." the answer is almost mechanical because she's had to much practice introducing herself following the promotion within league ranks. only then does she have the opportunity to take in the arena; rocky crags and ice like dusting sugar.

"the work you've done here looks amazing. i can see the love for the gym," she says warmly, glancing over to catch his eye. "i'll let you lead the way and give you the first move."

alexander silph

"persephone..." the calling passes through his lips slowly, registering the unfamiliarity with a twinkle of fascination, "what a pretty name! it's a pleasure to meet you too!" alex smiles at the equALLY GIVEN FORMALITY, GLANCING TOWARDS THE glacial dominion in regards to her comment. 

"how nice of you." subtle as a whole is mistaken as a poise for a concealed truth. there is nothing obviously vile of the challenger. her demeanor holds a particular modest impression. one that he can immediately emphasize with. 

it was the sentiment of a silent potential. 

"well then persephone, here is how the battle will go," before separating to opposite ends of the field, he continued the explanation, "one of your pokemon, against three of my own." alex doesn't bother stating fairness in the type, but, that is the point of this placing's difficulty. 

"battle types are usually determined by the dice as you saw earlier." he keeps it brief, gesturing to the visible platform to his right, "you can head over there, lets get this started, yeah?" excitement is apparent in the bright smile. 

moving to the opposing rise, thankfully empty of the slippery material, he'd bring out one pokemon. the brilliance of the bright light takes formation of a lycanroc. shifted by the beauty of daylight. blue shades glare into the opponent with a scary face.

"alright iz," it had now begun, "accelerock!"

persephone amavi

if anything the unexpected challenge brightens her features, if only for a split second. fighting against the odds is what makes it worth it, after all. adversity is what truly shows a trainer's prowess.

"alright, that's simple enough. i'm eager to begin." persephone flashes one final smile.

her movement to the challenger's platform is slow and purposeful as she mentally recounts her current team and which candidate to put up against the gym leader's challenge. the idea of using her favoured pokemon flew out the window the moment the limitation was announced, but if anything it's an opportunity to trial her lesser-used party members.

retrieving one capsule, persephone regards it fondly, whispers a hushed good luck before releasing the beast within. the swampert announces his presence with an earth-shattering landing on the field, the ice cracking underneath his weight as he makes contact with the earth.

barely a second later does the lycanroc come to him, darting forward and cutting at swampert's hide with rocks. the swampert takes the hit as though he is expecting it; the bulky pokemon braces for the impact, shoulders hunched up and then straightens with a shake.

maybe it's fat or muscle, maybe it's the way his body is adapted to handle rock, but the swampert barely registers the ACCELEROCK.

with the lycanroc so close there's no need to play catch-up. partially a mockery, partially a tactical response, the swampert heaves a YAWN directly into the lycanroc's face.

alexander silph

swampert — he thinks, surprised but not utterly confounded by the choice. just as quickly in the fluttering eyes; he grins in the frenzy. those on the present of this clash may think otherwise. 

she blinks owlishly in the wide and unavoidable yawn. it is not registered immediately till her vision staggers before the broad pokemon. jagged brilliant fangs are revealed in a grit of determination. 

swords dance twirl around her frame momentarily, using the momentum of rock climb to bound from each jagged rise in their large spacing. when the beast returns, two gleaming limbs come crashing down upon the other in crush claw.

rapidly repetitive and tearing into the tough muscle of swampert. it was a both desperate and powerful attack before the eventual descent into slumber. inevitably tormented till woken on the brink of defeat. at least all she could hope for was otherwise.

at least alex had some certainty in her capability. 

persephone amavi

the moment the swampert recognises the lycanroc buffing herself up for a powerful attack with SWORDS DANCE, it knows it will have to defend itself from a strong hit. the swampert remains immobile, tensing its muscles and waiting for the lycanroc to return into melee range.

no flesh will be torn, even though it visually meets its mark. when the razor-sharp CRUSH CLAW seeks to maim the swampert, it will be deflected entirely by the pale green shimmer of a last-second PROTECT.

as the lycanroc succumbs to sleep the last image it will see is swampert throwing back his head, emitting a low-pitched gurgling noise as a MUDDY WATER deluge crashes over her. the incoming burst of water is relentless, but the lycanroc's body won't be blasted back because the swampert keeps it pinned down just to be sure the rock-type has to withstand the attack head-on — quite literally.

alexander silph

1-33: sleep for 1 post
34-66: sleep for 2 posts
67-100: sleep for 3 posts

WxWvfKbr

the protection releases an immense gust. alongside her eyes once widened by the challenge start to feel unbearably heavy. some distance is granted but it does not truly matter given her current state.


contact with the earth is met by the brutality of her dreary fall. darkness is swept up around her in the reminder of a muddy water. leaving iz drenched and vulnerable but (most of all) festering animosity.

once well kept and greatly content with the beauty of the mane, she can only begin to imagine what the murky spit has done in tainting it. perhaps it is fuel to the potential or maybe it is simply useless struggle.

persephone amavi