[attr="class","icon"]

helped to his feet, noah eventually brings kyle and himself closer to the others.[break][break]

in the distance, more bridges lurch and groan. their phantasmal frameworks stretch, old bricks pulling apart and floating in space like separating scales.[break][break]

noah can't find the humor in penelope's vision. remnants of fear still constrict his chest. legendaries slain and strewn about as trellises for the apocalypse.[break][break]

"she's not jok-"[break][break]

noah winces from matias' wail of pain. he flashes a concerned look at kyle before watching the elite four grasp painfully at his glowing red scales.[break][break]

"ah shit," noah recalls his annihilape and in return, summons his machamp. a younger one than his last. "this place just doesn't give us a break, man!"[break][break]

the machamp positions itself defensively against the incoming marshadow. all arms posture themselves like trained missiles.[break][break]

"groudon dying won't matter if you die first!"

[attr="class","bottom"]MATIAS SILPH kyle lopez PENELOPE LIVY[break][break]

Really?
[break][break]
"I'm not fucking joking."
[break][break]
The fact that she even had to explain herself was ridiculous on its own. After everything, you'd think he'd have enough sense to believe in her. Or, at the very least, take her seriously. But no.
[break][break]
Platforms dissipate and reappear around them. The phantasmal force that bound them withered with each step taken.
[break][break]
Keeping her eyes fixed forward, she continued, voice tinted with frustration. "You don't have to believe me. But that's what I saw. Groundon o--Matias?!"
[break][break]
Twisted groans forced her attention back onto him just in time to witness his fall to his knees. Immediately, Penelope followed suit, kneeling next to him with her hand lightly resting on his shoulder.
[break][break]
With her free hand, she slammed a fist at her hip, forcing out her Alakazam to the mix.
[break][break]
"AL, CALM MIND!"
[break][break]
The psychic type did as it was told. Reaching its hand forward, he used its mind to mend. To rebuild and fortify. Whether it amounted to anything was up in the air, though, as new distractions manifested before a result could be pulled.
[break][break]
The marshadows. noah faber and kyle lopez worked well against their efforts, acting both defensively and offensively to their approach. It allowed Penelope to watch without interference.
[break][break]
But...rather than scurry off and hide within the comfort of their shadows, even while imprisoned, they remained. Lifeless manifestations of darkness glowering back at them. Their beady red eyes stared back, unfazed by any efforts to dissuade, nor the rumble that emerged behind.
[break][break]
"Melly!"
[break][break]
Still knelt beside Matias, Penelope urged her Milotic to stand between them. To act as a guardian against ill-willed spirits.
[break][break]

But even that failed to faze them. They simply kept where they were, staring back at MATIAS SILPH and PENELOPE LIVY , eerie eyes acting as glow lights through the smog. Behind them, the flicker of shadows and sepia smoke lunged upward. It vibrated with movement, fidgeting in the air until images were born from its scrambling.
[break][break]
At first, it looked like nothing. Just smoke blowing with the wind. But the longer Penelope stared up at it, the more she could notice the shapes that formed.
[break][break]
"Is that..."
[break][break]
Nightmares manifested into reality. Bareboned and without the sharp detail of experience, the haze of smoke took form. It started off small, with the deep reds of the sepia carving out the peak of Mt chimney. Details filled the gaps soon after and a warning was born.
[break][break]
There, where Groudon once touched the molten crust of the volcanic mountain, the smoke sung of two familiar faces sewn together by their poisonous hubris. Together they lay, slain down by bloodied hands belonging to none other than themselves. In their hands, a spark of green could be found.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez MATIAS SILPH noah faber [break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

this situation is foreign to matias. unknown. it is an anomaly that should not exist as it goes against every fiber of his being. to be in a position of vulnerability, unable to resist the searing hot pain that surges through his body.[break][break]

the presence in the back of his mind grows louder and stronger until it is all he hears.[break][break]

WEAK

[break][break]

red pulses along the embedded PRIMAL SHARDS.[break][break]

I CHOSE YOU FOR A REASON

[break][break]

this time, he sees the same thing PENELOPE LIVY does. nightmares manifested into reality.[break][break]

DO NOT LET ME DOWN

[break][break]

"TCH."[break][break]

his hand slams into the ground, summoning EARTH SPIKES that shoot up at the marshadow. the moment they make contact, the ghost-types fade away, disappearing back into their familiar realms with nothing more than fleeting giggles.[break][break]

virizion offers her help but he shrugs her away.[break][break]

"i'm fine."

[attr="class","bottom"]kyle lopez PENELOPE LIVY noah faber[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

the ever present malaise is explained away by kyle. still, it does not make it any less easy. envy crawls alongside fear, joining their spindly legs together in twisted courtship. they travel up his spine. prowl across his ribs.[break][break]

"kai, mega evolve." [break][break]

in the border, it does not hurt to be extra cautious. after the machamp's forearms fill with orange veins, it leaps from earth spike to earth spike in hopes of deterring the imprisoned MARSHADOW.[break][break]

"maybe we should get moving?" noah says. "we're getting surrounded... we're seeing weird crap," he turns to track his machamp—[break][break]

but instead, he sees a ruined verdanturf home.

🗺️ utilize mega evolution in an advantageous way.

[attr="class","bottom"]MATIAS SILPH kyle lopez PENELOPE LIVY[break][break]

"Are you su--woah, take it easy."
[break][break]
But before Penelope's words of worry could offer their assistance, the battered man was already struggling back to his feet.
[break][break]
Still, despite this, she wasn't about to let him forget his injuries without a second thought. Not when they just sent him to the ground, howling in pain.
[break][break]
"Noah, go on ahead. We'll be there in a second."
[break][break]
If Matias tried to combat her, she'd stand firm, using her arms, body, or words to prevent further movement. Worse comes to worst, the hattrene that quickly flashed out from her utility belt would offer its aid in the form of a PSYCHIC grasp.
[break][break]
"Don't be such a dick. I'm trying to make sure you don't fucking kill yourself."
[break][break]
Penelope gestured back to her pokemon, who nodded and waved her arms for a second. From her fingertips a pink ring sprung, enveloping the man in its HEALING PULSE. There was no telling how effective it'd be, though, something was better than nothing.
[break][break]
She gave the man one last look. From the outside, at least, everything appeared fine. But to get that kind of reaction from him...
[break][break]
Penelope clicked her tongue, frustrated.
[break][break]
"Good enough. C'mon, let's go."
[break][break]
Together the two would follow noah faber and kyle lopez back toward the seal. It wasn't too far out -- just another minute or two worth of walking. When they got there, the seal was already destroyed. Damaged by a man frustrated by the world.
[break][break]
"Shit."
[break][break]
Her eyes flicked over to noah faber , then MATIAS SILPH . Either one of them knew the man better than her. If there was someone who should talk sense into him, it'd be them.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez MATIAS SILPH noah faber [break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

virizion does not bother checking in on matias twice, understanding the man's ego and pride would only get in the way. as frustrating as it is, the sword of justice steps away.[break][break]

he is arguably more vocal with PENELOPE LIVY when she tries to help.[break][break]

"what the fuck are you doing?"[break][break]

the surging pain he feels is misinterpreted as the PSYCHIC hold keeps him still. he thrashes about, frustrated, angry, and full of HATRED.[break][break]

it takes a great effort not to lash out when he's freed. it takes an even greater effort when the pain subsides as well, further contributing to his skewed perception.[break][break]

by the time he catches up, kyle lopez's already slashed through most of the seal, and though he does feel for the champion, he cannot get over his own emotions.[break][break]

so he steps up to PENELOPE LIVY and calmly places a hand on her shoulder. the squeeze that follows isn't nearly as calm.[break][break]

"don't you ever use a move on me again."[break][break]

he pauses.[break][break]

"are we clear?"[break][break]

1HtXc9NC

[attr="class","bottom"]kyle lopez PENELOPE LIVY noah faber[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

"you sure?" noah asks penelope, but he doesn't wait for an answer.[break][break]

he picks up on the hint that perhaps, penelope wants to be alone with matias a little while. quickly, he scrambles for kyle.[break][break]

as he runs, noah's sneakers cut through the purgatorial plume; the mist swirls back in the vacuum. an endless cycle. he's still shaken by what he's seen. one may notice the paling of his skin, the distraught lines on his face.[break][break]

kai, the machamp, follows close. its bulky size causes it to run slower, each step like an old circhester pillar descending from the mount.[break][break]

noah hastens his pace when he sees kyle striking the seal relentlessly by smeargle. it is at an alarming speed. the carnation violence: relentless and constant.[break][break]

the gym leader is quick to notice something wrong. he wraps his arms around kyle. stands on his tiptoes so that he can comfortably hold him around the shoulders. noah recognizes that the champion is reliving a dire memory, and as he whispers quiet comforts he attempts to ground the other.[break][break]

and in the process, struggles to keep his sneaker vamps uncreased.

[attr="class","bottom"]MATIAS SILPH kyle lopez PENELOPE LIVY[break][break]

AQfwElsK

[break][break]