War. It was familiar. She found some sort of sick comfort in that though she would never admit it. It was a dream and a nightmare all at once. A dream that could promise real change if they proved victorious, but a nightmare of past traumas resurfaced, and another home stolen from her if they lost.

This one they wouldn’t lose; Eva wouldn’t allow it.

Her emerald gaze lingers on the pink mist idly floating along the fissures of Dewford Town. She had experienced its toxic entrapment too many times. It was a dangerous world to venture into and it was part of their duty to ensure the safety of the Hoenn people. That required understanding.

The Interdream Zone was ripe with data and mystery. Reports of strange, violent pokemon and disturbing visions. Knowledge and curiosity greedily bit at her gut, and no doubt the brilliant mind of her colleague and science sister, illeana reyes beside her.

When met with opposition, she frowns, giving Illeana a knowing glance. She had discarded the Sygna Suit, knowing it didn’t help much in the mist, “You will be the one retreating,” she responds, mustering up a confident tone to lace into her voice to confront the masked stranger, “Surrender now, and you will be treated fairly,” an attempt at peace.

---

illeana reyes & priam conrad

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]pink mist mingles with her own and she feels a volatile sensation spread from head to toe.

the interdream zone is uncomfortable, unruly, unpredictable. she loathes it.

and yet, it feels as familiar as the ghosts it brings.

this is war, she reasons. it's bound to come with things one cannot willingly face.

her footsteps still as Eva Morales glances her way. a knowing look is shared between two science sisters. the concept of getting their hands dirty is upon them. there is no running, no retreating. not for them.

and where eva plays good cop, illeana does not. they are two halves of the same coin: one good and one terrible.

"this is your last warning."

her eyes narrow. a hand itches for pokeballs at the side of her belt. faintly, healing mist begins to permeate from the body. it spreads into its comfortable five foot radius until it envelopes their feet.

"surrender before this gets bad."

she knows, in hindsight, there is no other option than to fight... but eva seeks peace and she cannot deny the attempts.

Eva Morales & priam conrad

Two halves of a whole, perhaps that’s why they work so well together. Where Illeana takes the more direct route, Eva maintains her place on the edge of reason and drives again for peace. She stays close to Illeana, staying within the confines of her healing mist.

“No, you will be arrested and tried for your crimes against the people of Hoenn,” the thought beating anyone to pulp didn’t sit well in her stomach.

A Musharna materializes from a cracked open pokeball opposite them. Eva immediately recognizes the threat of the Drowsing pokemon. She snaps a pokeball of her waist From the beam of crimson that arches towards the ground, a Gardevoir emerges, “Adele,” she greets, but it’s also a command to prepare for the worst.

More pink mist floods the battlefield, mingling with the INTERDREAM ZONE’S and illeana reyes’s. This MISTY TERRAIN extends further, protecting them from any SLEEP the Musharna might try to force them into.

---

illeana reyes & priam conrad

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]where the concept of beating someone to a pulp does not sit right with Eva Morales, illeana reyes is of a different variety.

call it creeping paranoia or a sense of duty, it doesn't matter. the end result is the same: an itch for war.

"just surrender."

it's a sighed sort of statement, as if she's losing patience she didn't have to begin with.

the heartbeat around them sounds more and more like the drums of a battlefield and she's falling victim to their spell. no amount of healing mist or peacekeeping on Eva Morales's part will save her now.

a pokeball is gripped in her hand until knuckles are white, straining to keep control.

regardless of the person in front of her, this realm feels wrong around her. sinister, concealing a bigger threat than just rocket. her eyes wander, seeking primal marks and a watery blade.

she never finds them. only a masked man and his hesitation.

"we will have to use force if you do not submit."

it is not a fear tactic. it is fact.

the pokeball in her hand opens, then, and a shiny venusaur takes full form. it growls low, a warning.

Eva Morales & priam conrad

Every now and then her hesitant gaze wanders towards the creeping mist. The INTERDREAM ZONE had proven too much for her delicate psyche a few too many times. She couldn’t afford to be broken again, no in the face of an enemy.

It’s not her mind it toys with this time. They’re sucked into chaotic city she doesn’t immediately recognize. The change I enough for her to lose sight of the Rocket operative, “Shit, Adele, find him!” Eva casts a wide arc forward with her arm. The Gardevoir’s TELEPATHY kicks in as the hunt begins. She melts into the mist, using SHADOW SNEAK to avoid distractions and try to cut them off before they can get too far.

---

illeana reyes & priam conrad

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]a string of profanity escapes beneath her breath as the scenery morphs into chaos.

civilians run around in a panic, too frenzied to discern who's who in their path of escape.

"damn it."

clever, she'll give him that.

her venusaur growls and she gestures for the beast to move forward, eyes narrowing as they scan for the man once more. in this sea of people, it's like a sick game of where's waldo. she despises it.

"ingrain. see if you can trip them up with some roots."

the venusaur grumbles but does as it is told. ingrain spreads out into the ground, roots taking hold in the soil beneath their feet. they spread quickly, peeking out from beneath dirt at odd angles as they continue to grow. with any hope, the man will trip on one of them and Eva Morales's adele will find him sooner rather than later.

Eva Morales & priam conrad

The gentle pull of the Gardevoir’s TELEPATHY guids her like a homing beacon, “This way,” she reaches out to take Illeana’s hand and lead her through the crowd. The ground erupts with the Venusaur’s INGRAIN which forces them to dodge and weave through roots as well.

Eva catches the pink mist burst into the air, watching her Gardevoir reel back with their own protective burst of MISTY TERRAIN. Without a clear line of sight on her opponent, she relies on the innate ability of her MAGICAL LEAVES to week them out amongst the cloud of pink.

“Oh boy,” she skids to a halt as the Litteroot Contest Hall materializes before them, a familiar white tree sprouting from it. Eva turns a hesitant glance towards Illeana. They should probably just burn it to the ground.

---

illeana reyes & priam conrad

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]Eva Morales's hand in hers feels like a tether of warmth, a lifeline anchoring her into a sense of calmness.

without it, she fears the destabilization would be imminent... like clockwork chiming into existence with a loud rumble.

the thrum of violence hums through veins until it drowns out her heartbeat, until she can't think or see clearly.

and as eva leads them through the crowd, weaving between bodies, she feels the slipping of composure.

it slams into her in full force as the world around them shifts into something familiar, something stolen right from a memory.

the littleroot incident. the tree of life. poison. near death.

her heart lurches into her throat and her grip around eva's hand is almost crushing.

"fuck."

not good.

"terrain pulse."

her venusaur snarls and gathers the misty terrain around them before sending it out in a pulsing wave of psychic assault. terrain pulse looks to batter, to bruise, to draw rats out of woodwork. some dream mist naturally finds itself in the crossfire, imbedding into the attack until it's not only a psychic assault but also an attack on the mind.

"running away won't save you."

Eva Morales & priam conrad

Eva can eels Illeana’s conflict rise within her. Quite literally, actually, as her hand shot a sharp pain signal up her arm. Eva winces, but doesn't pull her hand away. It is clear, now more than ever, that Illeana needs the strong support she once gave her, not that long ago, when her emotions ran wild after Matias left her.

The stranger words give him some more personality, narrowing down suspects that could be behind the mask, “You won’t need to deal with us,” she scowls, a quick motion expands and collapses a series of pokeballs, trading the Gardevoir out for a Gallade, “It’ll all be over soon,” and he would be in their custody.

The familiar dual-type extended a palm, erecting a shimmering barrier of PROTECT to block the MIRROR COAT’s blast.

---

illeana reyes & priam conrad