[attr="class","illie i"]the ever present flush of her cheeks deepens with the compliment, a hand rising to run through her hair. nervous ticks upon nervous ticks, never quite leaving for long enough. it's obvious she's not confident about this decision, this match, but it feels like a rite of passage. she has to do this, even if it results in failure.

"i am," comes out quietly, hesitant and unsure. as if she's questioning her very presence on this battlefield. does she deserve to be here? does she deserve to challenge him and hope to win? the answer lies somewhere within the actions to follow, she supposes.

a brief nod follows before she's inhaling, eyes shutting for a moment. and as the breath is released slowly, her eyes flutter back open. a shift of features follows as she calls out her own pokemon. a toxapex and a grotle settle before her and the expression she wears is different, more collected and composed than before. and like a mantra, the words of her mother echo in her head as she readies herself for the first move. contain yourself, daughter. you are a reyes and you better act like it.

while a good defense is the best offense, she doesn't have such a luxury right now. both his tentacruel and pyu-pyu are within the water where they'll have the advantage. does she bring them out? or see how much she can do from the position she's in now? options are laid out like cards spread across a table and she glosses over each hand, plucking a decision from the deck. "toxic," she murmurs. the toxapex has been waiting for this opportunity, waiting to seep poison into the waters. and she does so with a ferocity illeana has come to appreciate. TOXIC seeps and spreads from the sea urchin, solely intended for pyu-pyu.

"razor leaf," she whispers to the grotle, who has been merely observing his counterpart's actions. the bushes at his back rustle a moment later, leaves shifting until they're rising and leaving his body. RAZOR LEAF comes rapidly, quick and almost intended to cut skin into ribbons. where toxapex aims carefully, grotle doesn't and it's more like a barrage of sharp leaves raining down on both opponents.

[attr="class","illie i"]a frown settles onto her lips as scenes unfold like action sequences in a movie. there comes a time where speed and mobility is necessary for survival and perhaps this is one of those times. there's nothing to be done about the TOXIC that seeps into her grotle's bloodstream. but... if she stops to think about it, perhaps she had considered that downfall already when making her selections.

and maybe her grotle is nothing more than a sacrifice for a god. or, perhaps, she's counting on the specialty of grass types: health restoration.

grotle takes the blow, wincing at the increased pain that spreads from one little jab. he stands his ground but his legs falter beneath pressure brought on by poison. it'll be inevitable to fall, to crumble, but not yet. not now.

"get it back," she murmurs. and the grotle understands more than just the words. retaliation, restoration, all of the above. he stomps forward and forward until the leaves on his back are beginning to shimmer with the telltale sign of offense. GIGA DRAIN happens a moment later, a rough blow aimed for a half submerged enemy. and perhaps it's a mistake to drift so far into the lion's den but there's more than one member of this team and he's providing enough distraction for the other to do her part.

while grotle handles the tentacruel, toxapex begins to slink forward. with pyu-pyu now poisoned, the match up is slowly shifting into the sea urchin's favor. she had always known going into this with her toxapex that it was necessary to poison the enemy within the first few rounds. if not, the ability MERCILESS would never come into play. and instead of a sitting duck, alex now has to handle a cruel tank. her frown shifts into indifference as she watches the dual type move, shifting closer and closer to where pyu-pyu is. "give them hell," she supplies. her arms cross over her chest as nimh goes on the offensive.

VENOSHOCK launches and spreads to drench pyu-pyu in purple, coating and covering and burning with the poison it's already so familiar with. and while it normally wouldn't be as effective as it currently is, with both the opponent already poisoned and MERCILESS added into the equation... this is exactly what she hoped for. a critical hit with double damage, a spear sharpened until it's deadly. if only it'll actually work... a girl can hope.

[attr="class","illie i"]guilt flutters over her features briefly as attacks land. it's necessary, she tells herself. the pain they're feeling right now was agreed upon the moment he ushered them into battle. the concept does little to quell whatever emotions stir but she swallows them down in favor of concentration. don't get distracted, achieve your goals. failure isn't an option anymore.

grotle isn't fairing as well as she had hoped. another POISON JAB deals more damage and the grassy beast lets out a grunt of pain. GIGA DRAIN hadn't been enough to restore what has been lost and eventually, poison will take its toll. a frown further cements itself onto her face and she has to take a moment to pause, to gather what intel she has at the moment. calculate the next move, take in all pieces on the board. then, retaliate.

and maybe frustration is slowly beginning to get the better of her because it seeps into her next orders, her next assault.

the toxapex continues to advance toward the water, enough to watch as pyu-pyu sinks further. bubbles follow and the sea urchin is a hungry dog, salivating at the mouth for more. "after it," illeana barks and the poison tank needs nothing else. she launches into the water, poison barbed limbs already rushing to POISON JAB pyu-pyu. perhaps the ability she holds matches her personality as this attack is ruthless, unyielding, aimed for victory.

her eyes shift back toward the grass type as he tries to regain his footing. pain still surges through every inch of his body but they don't have time for recollection. not yet, anyway. "keep going," she urges. it dawns on her as the grotle lumbers forward that she's not so different from the ideals instilled into her as a child. tools, she muses. tools for victory. it's a little sad, a little ironic, and plenty painful when she really stops to dwell on it. unfortunately, she doesn't have the luxury of reflection right now. grotle shifts enough to plant all four feet firmly onto the battlefield. leaves begin to rustle once more and then, they're whipping up into a frenzy. LEAF STORM rushes away from his body and toward the tentacruel. perhaps it will be enough to give them some sort of advantage. if not, this could be the first of many mistakes to come.

[attr="class","illie i"]a shaky breath escapes her and part of her despises it. the way she allows her emotions to once again get the better of her. instead of being steel, she's putty. instead of being a reyes, she's less. if her parents were here, perhaps they'd even punish her. the thought is chilling but effective in settling something in her. and where alex wonders if she'll hold on, she forces herself into the ideology that she has to.

her eyes narrow as the attack meant for pyu-pyu is absorbed by tentacruel. it won't be easy to knock one out, let alone both. does she even have what it takes to do that?

and then, the opposing POISON JAB is rushing toward her grotle and she knows it won't end well if something doesn't intervene. perhaps that's why she shifts a hand, raising it and forcing it to the side. the toxapex follows the pattern of her hand, rushing in to defend the grass type before this two on two becomes one on two. BANEFUL BUNKER takes the brunt of the blow, just as his tentacruel did. and while she's out of one offensive attack, it's better than the alternative.

"retaliate," she barks out once more. the tone of her voice is harsher now, almost hardened. part of it is painful, part necessary. which is the lesser of two evils? grotle grunts through the poison but doesn't move around his shield. instead, he'll stand his ground and return the assault with another round of LEAF STORM.

and from her point on the battlefield, illeana isn't confident that it'll be enough.

[attr="class","illie i"]delaying the inevitable barely allows her to gain any sort of an upper hand. the baneful bunker persists, sure, but at what cost? her grotle is still poisoned, living on fading time. the fumes of adrenaline are beginning to wear out and with them, the toxic seeps in further. fuck.

there's little she can do to prevent the grass type from tasting defeat. and yet, everything in her wants to fight it. if they're going to go down, they'll go down fighting. unfortunately, however, her grotle's time is all but up.

POISON JAB strikes the final blow, knocking the grass type onto its knees with a pained grunt. a look of irritation crosses her features, then, and the command to keep going is on the tip of her tongue. instead, however, she'll offer nothing more than a set jaw and the flourish of a pokeball. grotle is recalled before more damage can be done.

"you did well," she whispers before tucking the now occupied device away. well but how many mistakes were made on her part? how many of those caused her pokemon pain? she has to cover any hesitation with a counter strike for he will not wait for her to be ready for this. no one will.

toxapex glances between the two opponents. they're worn down compared to her body, damage dealt by both herself and her teammate. would it be easy to finish them off? or more difficult given there's two against one now? illeana's weighing the options while toxapex shifts closer. and while there's a clear advantage, the scientist isn't sure if it's in her favor. perhaps that's what prompts her to narrow her eyes, to raise her chin a little higher in the face of possible defeat. "make it even," she murmurs. toxapex snarls and releases another VENOSHOCK, the poisonous liquid solely intended for pyu-pyu. there's a chance the tentacruel will take the brunt of the blow but it's a chance she'll have to take.

[attr="class","illie i"]the battle shifts away from a clear advantage on his end until it's an even match. one versus one, both pokemon similar in typing. how are they supposed to gain the upper hand when each move does little? her jaw sets in irritation, as if she should have decided on a different path. and yet, there's no redos, no refunds. there's only going forward and trying to emerge on top.

she doesn't give a reaction this time when pyu-pyu finally succumbs to defeat. instead, her face is almost blank, concentration on the next step, the next play overtaking anything else.

and yet, what he says to her as SURF rises like a tidal wave worms its way beneath her skin. you're close. it almost feels like a slap in the face in a way she can't quite place. maybe it's that she feels as though she's still so far from the finish line or that he's surprised she even made it this far. her eyes narrow as toxapex doesn't bother to shift out of the way of SURF. instead, she'll take the hit, tank her way through it. and then, she'll use it against him.

"use their water against them," she barks. there's no hesitation now, no fear, and her toxapex doesn't need anything else. the sea urchin is submerged beneath the water and it provides the perfect cover for the next strike. LIQUIDATION comes quickly with a strong current propelling the toxapex forward. she tries to slam into tentacruel, barbed limbs out for blood. sure, she might be playing into his hand but rushing them might prove to work in her favor. there's only one way to find out, however, and she's falling into silence as the battle continues to play out.