[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]since the icelands, she's been forced to adjust at a rate that feels impossible for the human body to endure. her mind, alone, has already seen existing cracks begin to spread into wider fissures...

for the expanses of space, of creation and divinity are not something designed for mortals to come into contact with. the ichor in her veins, golden and gilded, tells a different story but what is the price she'll pay?

"thank you."

she flashes a small, pleasant smile at the congratulations and the following compliments of her efforts in recent events. it's nice, perhaps, to hear something good to outweigh the bad.

"well, i've never been much of a battler. i had been in a support role with my previous avatarship."

the healer, the lifeline... she no longer has a healing mist - only capabilities of destruction hum through her body now. does that make her a weapon? or a god?

"i'm not really sure what my weaknesses are now, though."

does she still possess some semblance of an achilles' heel? some part of her doubts it, but perhaps it's a mental affliction instead of purely physical... the mind can only handle so much in the end.

and even with the spatial dragon lingering by her side here and now, tail swishing idly in the sand, its presence could be nothing more than a mere bonus for this training.

Navy

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]a nod follows his explanation and after a moment, her head turns slightly to regard the spatial dragon beside her. she has yet to actually attempt to battle with it...

would it accept commands? would it act of its own accord?

she feels a slight trepidation creep into her bones, exasperated by the constant pulses of space somewhere beyond their current location.

"okay, let's give it a shot."

palkia steps forward, then, and the pressure fluctuates slightly with each step it takes. despite the legendary pokemon's imposing status, its avatar still flashes a fond smile toward the greninja as it bows and smiles as much as it can.

and it takes a moment for the alchemist to decide on which approach she'd prefer for she feels anxiety's flutter in her chest like little butterfree wings begging to be freed of their cage.

"start with dragon breath, please."

her voice trembles a little, uncertainty plaguing every syllable, but she manages to get it out and the dragon grumbles low in recognition. a second later, dragon breath fires out from its maw toward the greninja and a brief flicker of relief dawns on her face for it had listened... for she had not been brushed aside for demanding it bend to her mortal whims.

Navy

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]despite the urge, she tries to exercise restraint in her next command for this is a test of merit and she does not wish to see harm cleave through either party.

his greninja moves quickly, evading the spatial dragon as best it can and for all the effort, it does seem to work at first.

at least, she believes it does.

utilizing smoke as a cover is impressive thinking from the man and his greninja. she is taking mental notes as palkia flicks its tail irritably, its red eyes searching through spatial matter and clinging smoke to find the frog once more.

in its distraction, the ice beam strikes hard and true. the dragon snarls, undeterred, and its pearls spark slightly with newfound light. they glow a little brighter, but the signature move does not come yet. instead, the voice of the alchemist etches itself into existence and a command bubbles through air.

"aura sphere."

the pink pearls on palkia's shoulder begin to glow stronger until a pink ball of energy is crafted from the dragon. aura sphere is fired off in the general direction of the greninja, but the spatial dragon does not need a clear line of sight for the move to find it all the same.

Navy

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]while palkia is, perhaps, the bigger fish to fry compared to her... it does not mean she is to be considered weak and vulnerable.

the greninja disappears into its own shadow - a trick she has come to be familiar with from her own collection of ghost types. the shift is seamless, with no rhyme or reason to its next appearance.

and yet, she can feel the ripples of it moving through shadows. spatial matter tracks all, from tiny little particles to mortal bodies of flesh and blood. the greninja, despite its shinobi training, is not above the laws of her domains or her spatial awareness.

palkia's tail flicks irritably, wings unfurling from its back as if it means to protectively reposition itself closer to its avatar...

but she is the alchemist and she can protect herself.

the greninja reveals itself in her shadow - a mistake, perhaps. she turns, expectant, with a pink spatial energy blast firing off from her hand at the sight of the greninja slinking out of her shadow to grab her.

"nice try."

palkia snarls low, but does not move an inch from its position.

Navy

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]once his greninja returns to his side, out of her shadow and into plain sight, her shoulders release tension. palkia rejoins her too, tail curling protectively in a large circle around her ankles.

"do i?"

she could see the evidence, sure, but there's still a lack of control brewing beneath the surface like an unruly storm barely kept at bay. she feels it with each usage of newfound power. each coalescence of pink energy holds the possibility of destruction, of violence. does he notice the white knuckles? the strain as she tries to keep a grip on slipping restraint?

he adds another layer into their training - dragonslayer, he calls it, but she recognizes the pokemon as something wholly familiar yet different from those she has in her own collection.

"okay."

a nod follows and both halves of the spatial coin ready themselves. pink rises from their side of the battlefield, dragon and ichor-infused mortal calling for their own versions of the same power...

"ready."

is he?

Navy

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]the firm nod follows and she can't help but feel the inkling of dread rising in her body. it's a nail prepped for his coffin, her mind whispers. she twitches slightly beneath the foreboding weight.

and while they focus palkia, as expected, she simmers in waning control.

the power coalesced in her hands is a rubber band pulled too far. it begins to burn the longer it persists, but she can't bring herself to drop it. something in her screams to be uncaged, to feel the taste of released freedom...

with a soft hiss, the alchemist lets her spatial energy blasts fire. they collide with stray water shurikens, the resulting sizzling of evaporating water singing through the air.

"shit," she mumbles low, barely audible. palkia snarls as sacred sword cuts up with dragonslayer's body and a small spatial rend greets the sword's metal edge. the sound is agonizing on her ears, she realizes, when space meets metal and the spatial matter around them revolts in ripples of barely there screams. she feels her hands creeping up, clutching at her ears, and restraint dwindles until it's nothing more than cellophane holding back the inevitable.

Navy