[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]at least he knows her well enough to guess her trajectory, right?

she's not necessarily surprised. it even elicits a soft chuckle, pained by still mending bones in the rib cage.

"is it that obvious?"

better that he doesn't answer that, probably...

her stare is curious as it sticks to him instead of the ball he continues to bounce. she wonders, briefly, when it will end up hitting her.

"are you counting on it working for the next step?"

she shifts in her seat.

"although, i do think attacking the rifts is not a good idea."

surprising, i know!

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]ah... this again.

she lets an exasperated sigh escape.

"enough."

the tone is gently prodding, as if she's exhausted of the dramatic mockery.

"would you prefer team rocket finds it instead?"

it's, perhaps, simple fact: she's easier to manipulate to his whims than a criminal organization that despises him is.

"regardless, the rifts and roaming legends don't solve the sea hoenn problem. who knows what else is out there that we don't know about either."

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]"fernando."

she utters his name in an attempt to stop his monologue. at this point, he's on a tangent and she's already exhausted.

"i don't want to destroy the fabric of reality nor do i want to focus on finding palkia right now."

sure, the spatial deity could probably help fix what has been broken but it won't stop what's already here. sealing the universes has to come after threats have been neutralized, that much she understands. somehow, it feels like slight growth.

"while i would like to say palkia is the only solution to hoenn's current problems, it is not. the rifts and sea hoenn are not going to be solved that way."

perhaps it's a recent revelation. and mostly, it's a simple understanding: she cannot expect a legendary to help protect hoenn when she has not even done anything to protect the region itself.

the call had come from inside the house and finally, painstakingly, she might be listening.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]nothing she says will deter him.

it's as frustrating as it is tiring.

"i am telling you that after mt pyre, i understand i cannot afford for my sight to be narrow any longer."

is he even listening?

"regardless, sea hoenn is an immediate threat and i believe we should consider preparing for invasion."

the warning from palkia had been a gift and she isn't going to let it go to waste.

"or, what about organizing a task force with willing members of the league to investigate the rifts with the sole purpose of collecting data to know what we're really up against with these things?"

something, anything...

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her lips settle in a firm line.

”then i will earn your trust back.”

it sounds so simple when she says it. and yet, it’s such a complicated thing to even begin, let alone accomplish.

”i’ll do what’s right for hoenn.”

and will she, in the end? or will it be wasted effort spent trying to right a wrong she would still commit again and again?

perhaps it’s up to fate to decide.

”what do you plan to do to stop destruction? do you have a contingency plan in place?”

she asks as if he’ll tell her, as if he’ll give her inspiration for her own plan.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she takes it as a cue to fill in gaps with her own lofty thinking.

where he does not know, she has an inkling. tampering with dimensional variances might’ve put her on the league’s shit list but it did teach her a thing or two about what works.

”to prevent further destruction, we should start with trying to close the rifts.”

is it possible without palkia? without an ultra beast?

”if we combine the power of unowns and bronzongs for testing, it’s possible we could create a way to close them. whether it’s technology or the pokemon themselves, we can figure it out.”

but… can it actually be done?

this is the part where she expects him to laugh in her face, to tell her she’s still the same woman that fucked up a lot in the past five months. and maybe she is… but this isn’t for selfish desires. not anymore.

this is for righting the wrongs she has committed.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]a hum escapes.

"all, half, or perhaps double. it's hard to speak on what's not been done before."

well... that's not entirely accurate.

"unown have shown the capacity to close dimensional portals, haven't they? during the events of the star soiree, they were instrumental in everyone's survival."

she believes it can be done if handled correctly. at the very least, by his hands and not her own.

"did kyurem disappear in a rift? i haven't received the full meteno report yet."

on her agenda, however, is knocking on Eva Morales's door to find out more.

FERNANDO SILPH