[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]ugh… nothing irritates her scalp more like wearing a wig over a heap of white hair. it feels wrong in a way she can’t fully describe, as if it’s throwing her off balance.

and why the hell did Felix Gallagher tell her they needed disguises anyway? is this not an old, thrown out of time sort of kingdom anyway?

the head scientist emerges from the rift into the kingdom first, already geared up in what looks more like a going out outfit than an explorer’s getup. oh well… she’s technically not herself for this anyway.

she brightens when the group becomes whole, red eyes lighting up beneath fake black bangs.

”ready?”

behind them, a clock tower clicks away. somehow… its hands are still and unmoving despite the ticking sound.

bryan delarosa Eva Morales Felix Gallagher

Eva didn’t know who this Felix Gallagher person was, but she was immediately sus in the fact that they were told to wear a disguise. Really, it was quite difficult for the Professor to hide anything about her. Just the emerald green eyes and toxic positivity would give her away. Still, she tried her best with a dark brown wig that barely covered her mess of blonde hair. With the hair, she looked a lot like ollie morales.

Regardless, she is anxious to get this expedition started. The promise of discovery shot through every nerve in her body, producing an steady glow of excitement across her features, “Absolutely! Let’s get going!” Eva doesn’t hesitate to start leading the way deeper into this strange, mechanical kingdom.

---

illeana reyes & Felix Gallagher & bryan delarosa

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her mouth opens as if to ask who the fuck declan walsh and tuesday are as bryan delarosa lurches forward to take the lead out from their greedy, scientific fingers. and yet, the dull agreeance from Felix Gallagher is quick to shut her mouth.

her eyes dart back toward felix as bryan takes the lead, narrowed slightly in annoyance.

are Eva Morales and herself supposed to just… act as transported cargo between them? how is that going to lead to discovery?

she follows quietly behind bryan, a few pages lagging behind eva with every intention of whispering to felix as they begin the journey.

”who is this guy?”

she turns, then, and angles her body more toward felix. it makes her less cautious, less alert.

”is he a friend of yours?”

as she murmurs, she manages to kick something. it’s hard, sending a sharp pain shooting up the leg and effectively halting her as she hisses. fuck, that hurt.

a louder ticking echoes around them and then, the loud, ominous sound of rushing steam. a fog begins to rise a moment later.

”oh…”

that isn’t good.

bryan delarosa Eva Morales Felix Gallagher

The (now) brunette furrowed her brows in speculation. She found it particularly strange as to why the man would be so careless with his own life for people he didn’t know. He seemed so nonchalant, as if he couldn’t get hurt. The first spark of suspicion tickled at her gut.

“Ok, sure,” Eva reluctantly let the stranger take the lead and stayed close to Illeana’s side. Science sisters gotta stick together.

Illeana’s friend decided he’d cover them from the back, another idea that didn’t sit well with Eva. Now the two were sandwiched between strangers that Eva didn’t know. Eva moved cautiously not only through this strange, mechanized world, but between Bryan and Felix.

With Illeana drawing back towards Felix, Eva takes a few quick steps that let her creep closer to Bryan, “Sorry, I don;’t think I caught your name!” she smiled cheerfully, “I’m Evelyn,” she almost said Eva, but the quick adjustment seemed natural. Arceus, she hated this sneaking around.

A loud hiss nearly made her jump out of her skin. She spun around to make sure Illeana was alright, but it was difficult to see her through the steam, “Are you ok?”

Eva shifted as the ground beneath her feet seemed to shift – that can’t be a good sign. The groan of aching mechanical parts echoed through the steam as a darker silhouette seemed to rise right out of the ground.

What the heck was that thing?!

Of course, Eva crept closer to take a peek, only to be greeted by the soulless gaze of a Volcanion, “Um, run?!’ she offered as a suggestion, reaching for one of the pokeballs clinging to her belt.

---

illeana reyes & bryan delarosa & Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]well, this isn’t very merry.

if she didn’t manage to kick a volcanion into high gear, perhaps it might have been. instead, they’re startled into action.

steam makes it difficult to see, lowering visibility to a slim percentage. she acts quickly, releasing a familiar discolored automaton to her side. the golurk rumbles out a low warning and steps up to help bryan delarosa and Felix Gallagher as the latter’s gallade rushes forward toward herself and Eva Morales.

the push from Felix Gallagher sends her stumbling, half of her body crashing into Eva Morales before righting itself with the gallade’s assistance.

”we gotta go!”

faintly, she notices the beginning of a soft pink healing mist beginning to pool out from her pores. and almost instantly, she tries to snuff it out with the understanding that it’d blow any attempt of a disguise out of the way. it lingers in the steam for a moment before dissipating.

the ticking sound begins to grow louder as they rush further down the path. and with each tick, it increases a sense of dread in the pit of the stomach. she ignores it as the rumbling of soulless volcanion begin to awaken. fuck, are they all just right here?

her head turns to shout at Felix Gallagher and bryan delarosa over her shoulder.

”more incoming!”

she counts… at least four more large bodies shrouded in the mist by now.

bryan delarosa Eva Morales Felix Gallagher

Volcanion?! She had never seen one in person, but she knew that is not what they were supposed to look like.

Naturally, the doctor worries for it and her mind wanders to places it shouldn’t like ‘what’s wrong with it?’, ‘can I fix it?’, ‘is it some sort of infectious disease?’

“Oof!” she’s pulled from her thoughts quite quickly by the weight of illeana reyes as she stumbled into her. Eva braces, catching her science sister alongside the help of the Gallade, “Right! Let’s get outta here!” did that guy, bryan delarosa, just punch it?! Fearless or stupid, Eva couldn’t decide.

“Dolly, go!” the pokeball she was reaching for cracks open to release a Pidgeot. The pokemon’s shrill call echoes over the hiss of the steam. Eva grabs Illeana’s hand and starts running.

The mechanical groan of more Volcanion makes her stomach curl. Their dark silhouettes are barely visible through the white steam, “Clear this out!” they need to be able to see where they’re going so they don’t run face first into more of there monsters.

A WHIRLWIND picks up at the behest of the flying-type. The winds shift and curl the steam, before blowing it up and away. It gives them a brief view of the four incoming Volcanion, “Stall ‘em!” The Pidgeot’s WHIRLWIND grows and Eva tugs Illeana towards what appears to be some sort of . . . puzzle?

Eva’s panic sparks a survival instinct. Mega-energy shimmers between trainer and pokemon despite the fact that there doesn't appear to be an accessory or stone with either of them. The Pidgeot mega-evolves and the WHIRLWIND power doubles. The strong winds slow down their advance, buying them a little more time to prepare.

---

illeana reyes & bryan delarosa & Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her golurk rumbles out a warning, half to bryan delarosa , Felix Gallagher , and Eva Morales and mostly for illeana herself: run.

the automaton launches into an attack, earthquake beginning to rip the earth beneath their feet apart to stall out the volcanion. as it provides an obstacle, it notices something in the midst of its attack: the volcanion seem hollow, as if they’re nothing more than shells of former glory.

it doesn’t linger for long, however. the golurk rushes to push the group out of harms way and propel them further toward where the scientists have uncovered a puzzle.

”what is this?”

it looks… almost like some sort of mechanism but it’s wrong. there’s pieces missing, unaligned properly. somewhere overhead, the ticking noise grows louder, faster… as if they’re racing against it somehow.

and in the center, a pink and blue object lays. the heart shaped center seems hollow.

”do you think this powers those things somehow?”

or is it’s purpose different?

in the distance, the sound of metal feet rumbling against the ground echoes. it grows closer with each tick of the clock. faintly, in another direction, a soft metal tapping is slow to follow suit.

another bout steam rushes in, then, and it's too hot to bear. she yelps, quickly withdrawing one arm to cradle it closer to the body as it hisses with pain. a jagged burn overtakes pale skin, looking angry and irritated with red splotches of burned skin. the rush of steam also succeeds in a simple endeavor: pushing the black wig off her head to reveal long white hair.

bryan delarosa Eva Morales Felix Gallagher