[attr="class","illie i"]she wants to bristle at the command he gives but instead, her lips merely settle into a frown. close the distance. obviously, right? she wouldn't just allow them to use distance again. not with those tentacles...

"after it," the barking tone is back and maybe she shouldn't be ignoring him but it's difficult to focus on much else. allowing him to distract her will end poorly, that much she has already decided.

the toxapex rushes after the tentacruel, allowing SURF to soak her. she turns the water to her advantage, using another LIQUIDATION to retaliate. and only when the toxapex is close enough to attempt a strike does illeana shift her gaze to alexander. the look in her eyes is hardened, perhaps a little too reflective of her past in this moment. despite everything, she's still a reyes. her parents teachings are still etched into her mind through painful methods and failure is not an option. not unless she wants to face a blade again.

[attr="class","illie i"]instead of cowering or defending, she offers no commands to block the blows. the toxapex understands in a sense and simply floats within the water, allowing the barbed tentacle to strike her. it hurts, sure, but she's quick to shift forward.

illeana's command follows the moving form of toxapex. "again," she's losing her cool now, frustration bleeding through a single word. it's half growled, enough to show a hint of a beast. failure is not a damn option. not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

distance is not allowed in the water. toxapex rushes to close whatever distance might lay between the two bodies. and as she nears, the sheer force of LIQUIDATION comes knocking on the door once more. illeana's hands clench into fists at her sides as she observes. will it be enough? will it ever be enough?

[attr="class","illie i"]a blow for a blow, a counter for a counter. which side will emerge as a winner? she's no longer certain if the repetition is in her favor. and yet, she doesn't back down. where she wants to defend, she doesn't believe she has the opportunity. not when victory feels like it's so close she could practically taste it.

"end it," she almost wants to wince at how cold it comes out.

and where there's pain, there's retaliation. while her toxapex is struggling to fight through the pain, the sea urchin shares a similar mindset with her trainer. hit it until it breaks. and hit it she will. another LIQUIDATION follows, another rush of water out of sheer force and willpower.

illeana's gaze narrows as she tries to see the outcome as it comes. she can't see past the moving water, however, but maybe high hopes will be enough for a win.

[attr="class","illie i"]eventually, repetition comes to an end and it's only victory. she supposes she should feel satisfied, proud even, but there's an inkling of doubt that lingers too long for her to appreciate. her toxapex is recalled without a word, an appreciative nod the only thanks for now. she'll shower both of her pokemon with love and praise later when they're home. for now, this isn't the time.

how should one feel when faced with a surprised expression? his words don't exactly match the way his face reads. part of her wants to smile and nod and the other? the other wants to make him regret underestimating her. it seems she still is the daughter her parents created.

"thank you," she murmurs, gaze dropping to the badge in his hands. there's hesitation before she takes it, as if it's going to burn when it comes into contact with her fingers. in the end she obliges and wraps her hand around it anyway. the metal is cool and lacking any fire she expected. her eyes return to his and the expression she wears is almost a little uneasy, as if the anxiety is returning now that the hard part is over. "she is. i'm proud of her."

[attr="class","illie i"]ah, that double edged sword of a question.

she fidgets slightly in place, unsure on if she really wants to open the whole can of worms or just put on a brave face. in the end, she'll settle for truth but it's difficult to disclose and too much to tread lightly with.

"i -- i suppose," she murmurs and the smile falls into a flat line on her lips. "i just don't know if i earned this." there it is.

her expression shifts into something torn, as if she's existing between two thoughts and it's painful. "is that normal?" she's uncertain and looking to the strongest person in the room as she has always done, time and time again. looking to him for answers that she should supply herself. it's a nasty habit etched into skin. "like, i don't know. i know i won it fair and square but your face when you gave it to me," she has to pause to catch her breath, to drag her eyes away from him. "you seemed surprised i even did it."

[attr="class","illie i"]she flushes and casts her eyes down toward her feet like a child being scolded. doubts should not be given in to. a little easier said than done, she supposes but he means well regardless. "i'll try not to," she murmurs and offers nothing further. there's no refusal, no arguing. simply acceptance of a fact.

her eyes return to his face as he explains, as he provides reasoning behind the surprise he wore. and she's not sure which bothers her more: the surprise or the notion that softness would be a downfall for her. her eyes harden just a little, just enough to show the comment succeeds in getting beneath her skin.

"i reacted that way because it's not easy to see my pokemon in pain," she counters. there's only a small bit of bite to her words, not enough to be antagonistic but the point she's trying to make shows through. she cares about her pokemon, cares about their wellbeing. if that's a downfall then so be it but she'll never change it. not when the examples of what can become of a person when that view changes have already caused her so much pain.

"why did you try to push me?" she murmurs, an eyebrow raising. "did you think i couldn't do it? that i'm too soft or not strong enough to handle this?"

[attr="class","illie i"]oh. oh no.

her features morph into something halfway between shock and anger as if she doesn't know which one she should be more of. he pushed her to find out if she's... like her parents? the more the processes it, the angrier she becomes and it shows. the way her jaw tightens, the way her lips settle into a scowl. and while she's normally quite reasonable, that particular state just knocks all sense of reason out of her system.

"excuse me?" she has to ask because really, is she certain she heard him right? except, she definitely did and he was being truthful. part of her almost wants to yell but she's already dissolving into angry tears. illeana reyes is many things but most importantly: an angry crier. and the urge to lash out has never been stronger. she's giving into the anger without warning, without hesitation and it reminds her of them, of how brutal their anger truly had been.

another thing that makes her a reyes, through and through.

"how dare you," it comes out as a hiss, like a threatened cat before a brawl.