[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

the only one capable of stopping him is absent, having been sent away on a mission fit only for the champion. he's glad that kyle lopez isn't here, feelings of a life spent together still lingering, perhaps never to fade or dull.[break][break]

he strolls along the long hallways of the league headquarters; a faction he had once sworn his allegiance to only to turn his back on them. in his defense, they had done so first.[break][break]

the door slides open, revealing Eva Morales's lab.[break][break]

"eva."[break][break]

his hand moves before his mind has a chance to catch up. there can be no doubts now, no second-guessing, and so the EARTH SPIKE that finds her chest is precise.[break][break]

quick and painless, as she deserves.[break][break]

she drops to the ground even before the door slides shut behind him.[break][break]

"i'm sorry."[break][break]

in the silence of a place that houses her brilliance, enabling her to do extraordinary work for the betterment of mankind, he stands, staring at her. time seems to pass differently then; it crawls instead of leaps, weighed down by what remains of his conscience.[break][break]

when he finally approaches, he drops to the ground beside her, weeping for a LOVE lost.[break][break]

but his tears have long dried when he eventually finds what he's looking for—RED SHARDS that were discovered but kept from him for reasons unknown. why would the league hide this from him? why would they not want to empower their greatest weapon?[break][break]

it is out of fear, he decides, that the cowards have reasoned to hide this from him. but now, with the RED SHARDS searing into his flesh once again, he begins to feel whole.[break][break]

sometime in the evening, the alarms sound for the death of their commissioner, calling for an emergency meeting.[break][break]

---

MATIAS SILPH // 294

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

as the league's upper echelon gathers in his elite four chamber—an irony they will only come to realize a little too late—matias stands outside the league compound, gaze affixed to the darkening skies that herald the arrival of a particular deity.[break][break]

the presence in his mind grows stronger and stronger, heavier and heavier.[break][break]

"i know."[break][break]

as GROUDON emerges from its pokeball, the clouds above break to a DROUGHT only to be negated completely by AIR LOCK.[break][break]

thunder cracks, rain pours.[break][break]

"it's here."[break][break]

DRAGON ASCENT cuts through the skies, aimed directly at groudon only for it to be recalled back into its pokeball. the RAYQUAZA whizzes past its dematerializing frame and hits the only tangible thing it can find: the league headquarters.[break][break]

[break]

the EXPLOSION that follows is seismic. those within it are reduced to ash if not crushed by the rubble. and even before the dust settles, GROUDON emerges once again, this time empowered by DESOLATE LAND that stretches far and wide, affecting all of ever grande.[break][break]

RAYQUAZA may be immune to PRECIPICE BLADES but a different kind of attack erupts from the ground—STONE EDGES sharp enough to impale even the thickest of scales, each one infused by matias' own to set up the following EXPLOSIONS as they all detonate one after the other.[break][break]

back and forth the deities battle, wreaking havoc to the environment with no care for it as they have nothing to lose. it's no longer win or lose. it's do or die.[break][break]

the scales tip in RAYQUAZA's favor but not for long. empowered by the RED SHARDS, close to becoming whole, matias channels the PRIMAL ENERGY into his patron, feeding it an energy so ancient and primal that the only outcome possible is POWER.[break][break]

GROUDON undergoes PRIMAL REVERSION.[break][break]

[break]

the end comes with a tight hold, a twist, and a rip. RAYQUAZA's body is torn in two, separated by its head only to be melted by a following ERUPTION that drowns the rest of ever grande.[break][break]

with RAYQUAZA dead, what else is there to stop the land titan?[break][break]

---

MATIAS SILPH // 329

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

"elisabeth."[break][break]

pride shows in the way he walks, heavy and drenched as it almost drips off his shoulders. it shows in his grin, in his gaze that meets Elisabeth Fiorelli in the hallowed halls of mount chimney.[break][break]

"you must have heard the news by now. i told you i'd do it, didn't i? i told you you could trust me."[break][break]

but his dedication is not solely to their agreement struck underneath the moonlight. it never was and it never will be.[break][break]

"are you proud of me?"[break][break]

her response changes little. with the upper echelon of the league dismantled and dead, the path has been made clear for another to seize.[break][break]

"set up the meeting."[break][break]

---

[break]

the darkness that surrounds him, even if expected, feels suffocating. they warp and wrap around him to fill up the entire cavern, allowing them much-needed privacy as a figure emerges from the ground.[break][break]

"declan walsh."[break][break]

he eyes the rocket boss curiously.[break][break]

"did you bring it?"[break][break]

his grin only grows at the presented RED SHARDS; the last pieces he needs to fulfill the first of groudon's many needs.[break][break]

the moment they touch his hand, they dissolve like acid, searing into his flesh to travel up his arms to connect with the rest of his markings.[break][break]

"with the commissioner gone and the majority of their avatars dead, hoenn is yours to take. i won't stand in your way, no, as tempting as it may be, so i hope you won't stand in mine either."[break][break]

the shadows shift once more, fading away to reveal the exit where his ASPIRATIONS will take him.[break][break]

"good."[break][break]

---

MATIAS SILPH // 249

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

he doesn't even have to turn to know who's standing at the door. a life lived together has allowed him more than enough familiarity with the way they walk and also to know the words they have yet to say.[break][break]

or the disappointment they feel. the hurt and betrayal.[break][break]

"you weren't supposed to be back this quickly."[break][break]

kyle lopez's voice breaks the silence of the room.[break][break]

"i didn't want to have to say goodbye."[break][break]

his subtle attempt to manipulate the earth is blocked by the SOLGALEO that he assumes to be in the general vicinity.[break][break]

finally, after a moment, he turns, meeting their hurt gaze with one of resolve.[break][break]

"come with me, kyle. let's leave all of this and never look back. we can start fresh...live the life we were meant to."[break][break]

the life they once had. the FAMILY they once were.[break][break]

"please."[break][break]

he stills as kyle approaches, not daring to move even as they reach out for him. he feels their hand run over the scar on his side; a recent memory of their encounter in the INTERDREAM MIST.[break][break]

"not going to kill me again, are you?"[break][break]

the kiss is almost as unexpected as the stab. he returns it easily, as though this is natural and logical and needed.[break][break]

when he pulls away, he keeps kyle's hand in his.[break][break]

"i love you, too."[break][break]

---

MATIAS SILPH // 224

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

danger finds them with ease, coming in various forms of SHADOW POKEMON that flood toward them looking to overwhelm. his first instinct is to flick his wrist to manipulate the earth only nothing comes from it. just an absence of his connection to his patron.[break][break]

"tch."[break][break]

he relies on his experience, using it to his advantage to know the best possible route forward while avoiding danger; for once, he avoids it.[break][break]

a bark! calls for his attention, the familiarity of it has his heart spiking as he looks over expecting to see kyle lopez only to find a poochyena that could very well be the champion's.[break][break]

"dog?"[break][break]

the poochyena barks again and leads them down a path, away from danger and through the forest, before eventually coming to a clearing with a singular log fallen over on the ground ahead.[break][break]

"what is this?"[break][break]

before a step can be taken, the poochyena is wrapped in a PSYCHIC and lifted up in the air. the culprit reveals itself to be a MR. MIME, one he recognizes due to the odd birthmark on its tummy.[break][break]

"it's you."[break][break]

the DREAM BALL is thrown without hesitation as he prioritizes the safety of the poochyena above all else. prompts appear after, and he chooses the option that makes the most sense.[break][break]

[break]

[break]

---

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

"looks like you're my only hope, mime."[break][break]

well, that isn't entirely true. they also have the poochyena but it does not do much beyond barking in a particular direction which in its defense has proven quite useful. they've not gotten lost yet, after all.[break][break]

but to their surprise, they do not venture into the dungeon that is the league headquarters in ever grande alone. this makeshift party of high-ranking officials look as though their only goal is to survive—a goal they immediately fail as two of them get wiped even before they reach the final boss. he does not turn back to look at who they were, though if he had to garner a guess, likely Greyson Connors and freya morningstar.[break][break]

this leaves him with one other, and who else would it be with if not kyle lopez? it's just the two of them against the world as intended. nothing else would change that.[break][break]

"ready?"[break][break]

with his items in hand and his world beside him, they take on the final boss only to be rewarded with a small token. not that he minds. it's the company that matters.[break][break]

[break]

---

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

it's as though this system caters exactly to his needs and what he seeks as he escapes back into the dream world. if it calls for blatant destruction, then who is he to deny such a fun request?[break][break]

the only obstacle is the cost he needs to pay to fulfill it. to destroy his little pocket of dreams means to let go of a future he so desperately seeks.[break][break]

it does not take him long to realize that dreams should stay as they are—an alternate reality where only good happens, and nothing bad.[break][break]

so, joined by his SHADOW MR. MIME, he seeks to destroy this place as he channels what he believes is his worst nightmare: an unhinged Eva Morales that shows no mercy nor desire for peace.[break][break]

---

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

it is not a joyous memory.[break][break]

"matias!"[break][break]

Eva Morales calls out to him and he can hear the desperation in her voice, how it invites dread and fear which cannot be allowed to happen. not here, not now, not while they have to stand their ground.[break][break]

"hold on, eva! just a little longer!"[break][break]

but as he looks over, he realizes why she had called out in the first place. her venusaur, swarmed by too many to count, begins to fall.[break][break]

"fuck—" he can't make it over in time. none of his pokemon can either—charizard is occupied in the air, blissey has to maintain its LIFE DEW, and mr. mime is surrounded as well.[break][break]

they are out of options.[break][break]

this is the first instance where he realizes his aggression and prowess cannot overcome everything. eventually, control will slip away from him, and the result will be dire.[break][break]

in this memory, it is Eva Morales that feels it the most.[break][break]

---

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠