He could be charming sometimes, though she'd never admit it. His ego was inflated enough, she suspected, but battling brought out an easy air of confidence in him that she envied. It made him seem younger, cocky in a boyish sort of way.[break][break]

A hand dragged across her arm, self-conscious despite herself. He couldn't read minds, but part of her felt afraid he'd notice all the same.[break][break]

"Go on, then," she said, her emerald eyes shimmering with gentle curiosity. "Teach me."[break][break]

Without warning, the Mr. Mime struck her Centiskorch with PSYCHIC, and as the Bug-type mashed his mandibles in frustration, he turned into a sharp COIL to blunt the impact. Glowing eyes flared as his senses heightened, seeming at once stronger and more formidable than before as he snarled warningly at the Mr. Mime.[break][break]

A defensive move, as to be expected from her.

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

[attr="class","pkmn"]

That Matias's Pokemon would be as arrogant and tactless as their trainer was to be expected.[break][break]

Elisabeth's gaze turned from his Pokemon, then back to him, wondering at his silent assessment of her. Already she felt she could sense judgment, but perhaps that was because she struggled to imagine him ever thinking otherwise.[break][break]

With sudden, frightening agility, the Centriskorch LUNGED upwards with a snarl: jaw unhinging to sink its mandibles into the Mr. Mime where it laid prone and coiled on the ground.[break][break]

She, too, said nothing. The battle seemed to be a silent reflection of who they both were as trainers.

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

[attr="class","pkmn"]

All at once the ILLUSION shattered, and Elisabeth flinched, betraying her surprise at the reveal of an all-too-familiar Zoroark.[break][break]

"You never mentioned you received my gift," she managed to say, tilting her head towards him. "I take it this means you liked it?"[break][break]

Her Pokemon lost a second to its own surprise, the retaliating NIGHT SLASH earning a window for the TAUNT to incense and anger its opponent further. An enraged INFERNO lashed out towards the Zoroark, its flames burning brighter and hotter with indignation at the deception.

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

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Being careless and headstrong were faults that could likewise apply to him, but something told her that his experience made up for both. Admittedly, she'd expected him to have wielded one of his more powerful Pokemon against her, but choosing the Zoroark hinted at a lowering of difficulty for her sake. It could be taken as condescending, she supposed.[break][break]

But given what she knew about Matias now, she didn't think so. This was how he expressed consideration, in his own way.[break][break]

He wouldn't waste his time on her here if he didn't think she had potential, too.[break][break]

"You have your strengths, and I have mine," she said, watching as her Centiskorch zig-zagged around the NIGHT SLASHES to try and sink its jaws into his Zoroark's violet fur in a vicious BITE. For all the brutality of the scene, she'd become numb to witnessing violence. That much, life and Rocket both had taught her. "You can see my weakness clearly here. But the Zoroark is meant to help temper yours."[break][break]

This time, her smile was faint, light teasing audible in her voice.[break][break]

"There's a usefulness to being underestimated, you know. Not every difficulty needs to be faced head-on. Some things are better achieved in the shadows."

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

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"Yes," she agreed, "it is a harder won victory. But some wars can only be won that way."[break][break]

Idly, she wondered if he'd ever known what it was to be powerless. He seemed so comfortable wielding his strength, she doubted it. The thought still lingered longer than it should have as she studied him, curious at what faults he believed he possessed, if any.[break][break]

She assessed him thoughtfully before she finally decided upon her answer.[break][break]

"Your weakness is that you always display your strength." His hubris had invited her into this position. The fact that declan walsh could even utilize her in this way at all stemmed from his own perceived power over her, and his own foolish belief he was invincible. "You believe you can burn any bridge, because your strength means you don't have to rely upon others."[break][break]

She didn't have that luxury. Already she'd begun to adjust herself, bending and molding back into the dutiful tool that Rocket desired her to be. She remained eternally attuned to the scales of power and hyper-aware of where she herself stood in that hierarchy. She understood precisely how disposable she was.[break][break]

"You instigate unnecessary fights, simply because you believe you can win them."[break][break]

The Zoroark's GRASS KNOTS lashed up towards the Centiskorch from the ground, but in that instance, she activated the DYNAMAX band on her wrist. Her Centiskorch's whip-like silhouette began to expand in size, taking in the residual energy outside of Lilycove to become a colossal centipede of slithering flame that sought to break through the knotted plants.[break][break]

"And that's your true weakness, Matias," she finished, dwarfed in her own Pokemon's shadow as she turned to face him. "You don't believe you can lose."

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

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"Sometimes the possibility of winning is taken from you," she countered.[break][break]

She watched as her DYNAMAXED Centiskorch coiled itself in a wide swathe around the Zoroark's direction of escape. The Fire-type's G-MAX CENTINFERNO spun and bound the illusionary Pokemon in place, flaring with a vengeance even as the SHADOW BALL struck its armored hide firmly.[break][break]

A furrow worked itself into her brow as she lost herself to thought, his question evoking a complicated emotion she couldn't quite explain in herself.[break][break]

Elisabeth had been chosen by a powerful family once, too, for reasons she didn't care to relive now.[break][break]

"No, I don't," she admitted, an unexpected softness in her reply. "Why?"

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

[attr="class","pkmn"]