"yep. deserved."[break][break]

he reiterates, unwavering in his stance.[break][break]

"because i fought for it. i did what no one else could do and found it. brought it back from another world."[break][break]

no one else could have done that.[break][break]

no one else did that.[break][break]

a thought is shared, brought forth by resentment so deep-rooted that it traces back years.[break][break]

"i find it funny how some people expect everything to be given to them. served up on a fucking silver platter."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-groudon"]

What a callous perspective on the matter. All it did was avoid the reality of what happened, and the reason why no one else could do what he did. And, normally, Penelope would only swallow that thought. Allow the elite four member to spew whatever nonsense he desires, and nod along, all to further win some semblance of approval to utilize in the next conflict of ideas between herself and anyone else.
[break][break]

But something about the bubble of the lava, the hissing of the heat, and the flush of her cheeks, lulled her into continuing. Probing further into a man who was ready to bite.
[break][break]

"What do you mean," She returned, finally glancing back over to him, eyebrow slightly lifted.

If y
ou mean me, she thought to herself, just fucking say it.
[break][break]

Pausing, she continued, only after allowing him a second to answer.
[break][break]

"It is funny how others think something is automatically deserved based on effort and effort alone, without considering the consequences of said effort."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"i mean you."[break][break]

there's no point skirting around the lines of things left unsaid. where she internalized her thoughts, he has no qualms with voicing his, already assuming that she means him.[break][break]

"what consequences? the death of a fish?"

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-groudon"]

MATIAS SILPH and FERNANDO SILPH shared more than just a last name, they shared the same bitter personality that left her tongue twisted and her chest tightened. One would think, out of everyone, she wouldn't have to fight so damn hard just to not be discounted as another face breezing through The League's rotating roster.
[break][break]

"Enlighten me. How am I expecting everything to be served on a silver platter? What haven't I done right in your eyes?"

[break][break]

Maybe the successes blinded him.
[break][break]

Maybe Matias was just the type of guy to close the door behind them, rather than leave it open for the next person to walk through.
[break][break]

"It's not just the fish," She sighed, "Yes, you got groundon -- a net positive, in your mind, I'm guessing. But to gain what you did, you had to take from someone else. And, as a result, that trust is lost and we're weaker for it."


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"oh so, so much."[break][break]

but before he could elaborate, her words cut him short, anger quickly rising and falling with a controlled breath.[break][break]

"in my mind? it's a net positive for fucking hoenn, livy."[break][break]

he barks out a laugh, condescension dripping with every word.[break][break]

"you think littleroot would've survived without me? do you know who else was at littleroot? a bunch of rangers and one gym leader. you tell me how that battle plays out."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-groudon"]

"You're so full of yourself."
[break][break]
The unfiltered words spewed out before she could bite them back down. They just kept going, over and over, flowing from her mind to her lips, slipping past every barrier her tenure as a journalist had carefully crafted for cases like these.
[break][break]
"We had double their numbers and intel stating when they'll attack. And, besides that, all known rocket leadership was at Mt Pyre or the meteor, not Littleroot. You were dealt with literal scraps, Matias. The distraction."
[break][break]
That didn't dismiss the good in his actions -- the lives he saved, but admitting that would be a concession. Defeat. And Penelope was growing tired of conceding to pricks like him. Assholes who were given the world, and now expect everyone to bow at their very feet.
[break][break]
"So stop with this savior-complex bullshit."


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"how can you be in charge of intel yet be so fucking stupid?"[break][break]

no attempts are made to bite back his words. they flow as freely as the lava before them, scorching hot and ready to melt through the walls they both position themselves behind.[break][break]

"oh, i know. it's because you were given the position. had to fill up the seat somehow, right? and who better than a political figure such as yourself? it sure silenced hbs' criticisms after. oops, i mean your criticisms."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-groudon"]

A loud, short bark of laughter came flying out.
[break][break]

"And how can you be avatar to Groudon, and yet be so fucking undeserving of it?"
[break][break]

From everything he's said, from everything she's read, it was now horrifyingly clear that the titan had made a mistake. There were thousands of other candidates, far better, far more qualified, than this man before her, regardless of his prowess on the battlefield.
[break][break]

"oh, i know," The cut of her words was sharpened by the venom leaking out from every word, "Because you're a selfish bastard with no regard for anyone but himself. Because, for some fucking reason, these bonds are being made with some of the worst people this fucking region has to offer -- just like bryan delarosa, and Cillian Quinn, and every other rocket who managed to convince a god to their side."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"does it eat away at you, livy? to know that the worst people have done what you couldn't. that we have what you and others could only dream of even if you all deny it."[break][break]

conversations with a particular head scientist come to mind, only continuing to aggravate him. he can almost feel the slap across his face again.[break][break]

"you, illeana reyes, you're all no different. you spew good intentions about how you want to help the region but in reality you only want the fucking legendary. you want to be avatars because you think it's a shortcut to power. to finally being useful."[break][break]

he scoffs.[break][break]

"it's not. so fucking wake up."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-groudon"]

Ever since Mt Pyre, Penelope's own weakness made her sick.
[break][break]


No, even before then, back on mirage island, where she'd nearly gotten choked out by her own clone and all she could do was plead out for Greyson Connors to save her.
[break][break]


Or, back when she met face to face with bryan delarosa 's xernas -- was it fear she felt back then? Or frustration toward the fact that, despite the clear contradiction in his words, there was no fighting it. No talking back. All she could do was swallow down the bile she was being fed and accept it as fact.
[break][break]


Just like before, just like when those cops told her to quiet down and forget about her friend, just like her parents who policed her every movement, just like everyone else who fougt tooth and nail to bring her down.
[break][break]


"hnn will continue to dominate and soon you'll be left with nothing."
[break][break]


She could still hear THEO BECKETT 's voice echo, slicing through the static.
[break][break]


soon you'll be left with nothing
[break][break]


"Is that so fucking wrong," she snapped, "I'm so fucking tired of feeling weak. I'm tired of feeling helpless and at the mercy of people like you, who think they know absolutely everything, but don't know shit. For Arceus sake, for once in my goddamn life, I want to do something for myself."
[break][break]


Hoenn's benefit, Rocket's downfall, The League's survival -- they are all byproducts of its results.
[break][break]


"You of all people should understand that."




[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"listen to yourself. tired of this, tired of that. grow the fuck up, stop with the self-pity, and actually do something about it instead of looking for shortcuts. you haven't even reached out to me after i offered to help train you. and don't tell me you were too busy with meteno. we all were."[break][break]

even the likes of annalise henderson and Elinor Anderson found the time to train. to work on their weaknesses. to refine their strengths. what has penelope done but whine?[break][break]

"but i guess nothing will change. we'll find whatever is lurking here and it'll bestow you with the powers you so dream of. yet another thing handed to you. must be nice."[break][break]

deep beneath the pool of lava, fully submerged, groudon detects three presences. it waits for a while in an attempt to better understand them and also to see if there are any differences.[break][break]

eventually, it drifts towards the strongest of the three, seeking it out with the intention of dragging it back up to the surface.

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-groudon"]

"You don't get it," She laughed again, shaking her head, "How am I still surprised?"
[break][break]
Turning back toward the pool of magma, her gaze returned to its bubbling surface. Each pop of fire cast a flickering shadow across her face. Her hands hung limp at her sides and with one slow breath, she looked to regain the scraps of her composure, piling them all together to form the image of the councilwoman who first arrived at the volcano's peak. The woman she needed to be.
[break][break]
"Fine. I don't need your approval. Think whatever you want of me."
[break][break]
Valor, Sapphire, Home -- it didn't matter the amount of good her proposals brought forth, or the strain her years of work had placed on, for some people it would never be enough.
[break][break]
They would rather point and laugh from where they stand than look to understand.
[break][break]
"It's funny, though. You're exactly like your brother."
[break][break]
The glow of the lava offered just enough light to illuminate the crack of her smile.
[break][break]
"Unbearably self-righteous."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]