[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]they weren't her scales. they weren't, they weren't, they weren't. and yet, they're connected to her. tapu lele is a part of her now and she's protective of it. the willingness he showed to attack the deity isn't lost on her. not yet, not so soon. the intention of the guardian isn't known but she doesn't recognize evil in it. perhaps it's because the bad prey on the weak or whatever that brought them together but she's certain of one thing: tapu lele is her other half now. there's no changing that, no rewriting it.

so why does she still feel so torn? so sick and nauseous over the events that transpired in this living room? his arm is a reminder that she won't forget. it'll keep her up, keep her focused on finding out just what happened and how to prevent it. perhaps with time she'll come to understand but the concept that she needs help to sort through everything isn't lost on her. she'll make a call within a week, summoning a man to a field of flowers to have a conversation that might bring insight or something else.

"you can't possibly mean there's more," she murmurs, stopping herself from asking too much, from going too far. he holds her closer, comforting and warm and soothing. and yet, she feels ripped in two directions. the presence of tapu lele so close to her back doesn't fade. in fact, it only increases until alex's hold on her feels like it's fading and there's only the deity remaining. the animosity between him, his gallade, and the legendary comes back in flashes and she's pushing away slightly to stare at him. her eyes are bloodshot, tinged red and glassy, but halfway between confused and curious.

"why would you want to study it if you tried to attack it?" the intentions in this room aren't known. not to her, not to him, not to tapu lele. and god, it's a fucking mess.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"fernando has one similar to that." he makes a motion to the pokemon that floats behind her. how quick illeana was to put herself in between them left a sour taste in his mouth. to think she'd sacrifice herself for this...thing. and though he knows her intentions may be good, they mean nothing if tapu lele's are anything but. "i battled it during his gym challenge. it was...powerful."

she pushes away slightly. he meets her stare, unwilling to cower. "i want to study it because i don't know anything about it. i attacked it because it has dark intentions, and i think you know it. you must have felt it." surely his arm is proof enough for her to realize.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]an eyebrow raises at the mention of fernando, of the pokemon he possesses similar to hers. are they the same or different? and does he understand it more than she ever could? questions are tucked away to be asked later, that much she knows. "he does?" she can't remember if she's ever seen it. maybe once, in the chaotic shitshow that was littleroot. the memory escapes her now, however.

she glances over her shoulder to look at tapu lele. the smile it flashes her is almost warm and friendly, a stark contrast to when it had been placing scales on his arm with skilled hands and a wicked grin. she returns the smile naturally, perhaps too easily for alex to be comfortable with. "i can imagine how powerful it was but i don't know if this one is as powerful." there's too many unknown variables for her to compare them. at least, for now.

illeana meets him head on, two ideologies clashing between them. where he is on one side, she is on the other. it's difficult to feel such a space between them but there's no changing it now. not anymore. "i didn't feel any dark intentions," she holds firm, strong against his statements. where he had seen the darkness, she had seen something else. it's difficult to describe but it settles into the category of innocent enjoyment. there's cruelty that comes with the scales, however, that neither of them understand. nature incarnate, it would seem, is what tapu lele actually is. guilelessly cruel yet innocent all at once. a mess of intentions and emotions just as illeana. perhaps that's why she stares him down now, defending the deity against his claims. "i'm sorry but i just didn't feel what you did. maybe it's the connection or something." she tries to justify it but she only manages to place a bit more distance between them.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]alexander notices the way she reacts to the mention of the man. they've never spoken about it but it has become clear that, for whatever reason, she trusts him. she fails to see past the facade of a brutal yet capable man, and that worries him.

is she messing with him? he considers it for a moment only because it's the only way he can see her words being justifiable. illeana reyes is smart. illeana reyes is capable. so why is she so blind to this? this is enough to upset him.

"how could you not feel it?" his arm tenses, pain ringing but he ignores it. "it knew what it was doing, knew what would happen, and it laughed. it laughed." it's not innocent, not in the slightest.

the distance between them becomes substantial. he doesn't bother to close it.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]if there is one thing that will never change about illeana reyes, it is her willingness to see the best in people. tapu lele is no exception. and where he sees danger in the unknown, in the uncertain, illeana sees hope. there's similarities laced between her and the deity that tie them together, more than just their newly forged connection. more than the avatarship and more than the shared abilities. it's the innocence that keeps them, the naive nature that happens to guide them. except, where illeana is kind, tapu lele is not. and maybe that's the foreshadowing of a future paved by different circumstances but for now, the only thing it happens to be is upsetting to alex.

she can see the hurt etched into his features, can practically taste the emotions. and choking on her own emotions, her own feelings, is a hell of a lot easier than choking on his. despite that notion, she still doesn't back down. and maybe she should but she won't. not on this, not about tapu lele.

"because i just couldn't," she snips back and bits of her parents, herself, and even the deity mold into one irritated expression on her face. her arms cross over her chest, holding her resolve close. the distance between them is too great for her to cross now and even though she wants to, she won't. he doesn't either. a stalemate, it would seem.

tapu lele stays quiet, observing the two. illeana doesn't miss the increased pressure of its hand against her back or the tense air around it. the emotions are growing and eventually, they'll be too much for both her and the deity. for now, however, she continues to snap at him as if she'll crumble if she doesn't. "it laughed because it was enjoying decorating your arm. you really think it'd be so amused by hurting you?" disbelief bleeds into her tone and she's scoffing at the thought. "just because you don't know anything about it doesn't mean it's bad."

scales slowly begin to shift into existence at her ankles, swirling and pooling in the mist. some drift up toward her crossed arms but for the most part, they're idle creations lying in wait, appearances fluctuating with her shifting emotions.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"and what do you know about it, illeana? do you even know its name? its powers? why it chose you?" her bite is weak but his is anything but. alexander has refrained from showing this side of him in the past but the emotions stirred up from tapu lele is more than enough to push him over the edge. "you know nothing."

scales start to appear again and they swirl into the mist around her. it's subconscious but he's moving away from her, pushing against the ground to create distance as if worried to get hurt again. the wounds on his arm will always act as a reminder.

"it knew what it was doing, knew its scales would hurt me, and it still laughed. that thing is far from innocent."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]there's no going back now, no changing the tension between them. it grows into something akin to a monster and where she'd normally cower, she finds strength. the side of him he puts on display is something she thought she'd never see but it's familiar in a way she despises. not quite touching on that of her parents but enough to make her skin crawl. tapu lele can see the animosity rising in its avatar's body, can practically taste the emotions that rise as a result. and where it might be concerned for her, it isn't. instead, it's curious to see how far she'll push this. how far would illeana reyes go for the deity? that, in itself, lays the groundwork for the choice made in a flower field.

she would go to great lengths. sacrificial lengths for tapu lele, for alex, for anyone but herself. and maybe that makes her easy prey but there's no changing it. this is who she is, who she's always been.

"i can learn about it," she supplies. her arms tighten over her chest, knuckles slowly bleeding into white. "and if i can't, then fernando can show me." the mention is with purpose now, as if a button being pushed will make her feel better. it doesn't, it never will. "you say i know nothing but i know that it picked me, that it believes in me which is more i can say about it than you right now."

he backs away and she lets him. the scales pick up in velocity, once idle things now beginning to rotate and swirl in the mist. it's pretty but dangerous, like playing with a flame. the higher her emotions rise, the more they swirl. and eventually, a small gust picks up in the confines of his living room, rustling her hair and sending it billowing. the scales linger by her side for now.

"i think you're scared of what you don't know," she comments, falling silent moments later. there's nothing else for her to add, no further input. his opinion is his own and she can't change it. and damn, does she wish she could. if she could change what happened to his arm, what happened with the scales, maybe this wouldn't hurt so much.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]alexander is forced to hold back a scoff. "you're making a mistake trusting him." there is more to say but her next few words stop him right in his tracks. he tenses, expression steeling. "i have always believed in you."

a gust is summoned and it sends his hair billowing. he's up to his feet by now, no longer safe on the ground. galahad looks to take a step forward again but is immediately stopped by his trainer's hand. the two of them have been through so much that the connection they share is more than enough to tell galahad of the hurt alexander is feeling. there's even a tinge of betrayal.

"i would be stupid not to be."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]"how am i making a mistake?" she doesn't understand it, doesn't see the good intentions past her own stubbornness. she wants to believe that fernando is exactly who he has been to her: kind. and yet, the very person she cares about most is presenting a different case. she's torn and what does she do when she's torn? dissolve.

it starts slow, first with the scales picking up in their movement. and then, tears begin once more. they streak down her face but where there should be sadness, there isn't. there's anger, pain, discomfort. and it hurts to hear him say any of this but not nearly as much as the tensing of his body, of the steeling of his face. she tries to steel her own, tries to mirror the movement, but it's crumbling and fast.

and all that's left is a scared, hurt girl with powers she doesn't understand, with powers she can't control.

"you don't now," she supplies. her body bristles at the movement between him and galahad. the scales shift, as if waiting for a moment to strike. and yet, it never comes. instead, tapu lele steps forward as a united front with its avatar. the hand placed on her shoulder by the deity is intentional, both comforting and threatening in once single blow. mess with one, you mess with both. and while illeana knows alex wouldn't do anything, tapu lele does not.

tensions reach a boiling point and she's staring at him, face shifting through emotions too quickly to settle on just one yet. eventually, all that remains is pain.

"there's brilliance in the unknown," she murmurs, head rising a little in a foolish act of saving face. there's nothing to save her in this situation. nothing to prevent her from becoming a ruin. "and i'm surprised you, of all people, would call it foolish to not believe in that."

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]there's an intensity in the way galahad presents himself that has alexander worried. the mega stone is not on his person right now but he has a feeling galahad is calling for it. it shows in how the psychic-type glances at his wrist that would normally house the accessory.

alexander, despite the state he is in, understands the situation well enough to know that he has to intervene. he shifts on his feet and positions himself in between galahad and tapu lele.

"calm down."

ripples of psychic energies have long surrounded galahad's body, emanating in a threatening aura that even alexander feels uncomfortable standing that close to him. a hand reaches out for galahad's, urging him to snap out of it. but the psychic-type's eyes stay fixed on the deity.

"don't make me do it."

having once promised he would never recall galahad back into his pokeball without consent, alexander is forced to break that promise, as the psychic energy curls into a PSYCHO CUT. a beam of red stops it from advancing. galahad fades back into his pokeball.

the mask cracks, no longer able to withstand the rush of emotions he feels. tears roll down his face as he lowers onto the couch, defeated, as his head hangs low. tonight, two promises have been broken.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]the united front falters on illeana's end, enough to show cracks in her resolve. it crumbles easily, without much pressure applied. and maybe it's because of the looming threat in front of them, in the growing psychic glow along galahad's arms. psycho cut. she remembers it well, perhaps too well to know what it can do.

the flinch is involuntary when the gallade readies itself, as if her body is already preparing for a strike before it happens. a reaction embedded into her by now. it shows in small increments, small fragments to reveal a disdainful past of cruelty. and while she doesn't want to believe galahad would hurt her, the intention is there. she can practically taste it.

perhaps that's why alex reacts in the way he does.

the gallade is recalled before anything can happen but tapu lele doesn't back down. it holds strong, perhaps for both of them. there's a tense atmosphere to the deity now. almost irritated, as if it's appalled galahad could even think of harming it or her. and maybe that makes two of them because illeana's thoughts are spinning out of control rapidly. scales shift until they're like weapons at the ready, lying in wait for a single moment, a single movement.

it's funny, they dissipate a moment later. the sight of alex, broken and defeated, is enough to disarm her entirely. that and the tears streaking down his face compel her to move forward. and yet, her mind keeps her feet rooted in place. her heart wants to fight it, wants all of this to end but the painful revelation that he's like this because of her is enough to keep her at a distance. and it's painful, too painful to fully put into words.

she settles on one single word, instead. "alex," as if saying his name in a pleading tone will change any of this. it won't change the damage done to his arm or the promises broken or the way a heart always seems to sound like porcelain when it shatters on the floor.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]tears fall, staining the wool carpet beneath him. alexander of all people understands the immense pain galahad feels when their mental connection snaps like that. he's felt it. he's feeling it right now. it rings in his mind, sharp yet silent at the same time, like never-ending tinnitus.

his eyes shut but tears continue to leak through. they fall to his arm now, coating pink wounds and fresh scars. his name is called but he doesn't hear it. not really. with a heavy breath, he sighs: "i'm sorry."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she can't do anything else besides stare at him. there's a glassy look in her eyes, as if it's painful to look at him right now. and maybe it is, if only because his arm is still on full display, still in her line of sight. she has to drag her eyes away. away from him, away from the damage she caused.

a sharp inhale follows his words and she doesn't understand why he's apologizing. shouldn't she be the one apologizing? for the actions of the deity, for her own actions?

"why?" is all she manages to get out. tapu lele lingers by her side, confused and curious about what's to happen. it doesn't understand the relationship between them, not fully. it feels the emotions she does, sure, but not the extent of them. and maybe that's why the pain she feels doesn't phase the deity because it doesn't know what it is. tapu lele doesn't know any better and that's what makes it so dangerous, so cruel. it does things on whims, like decorating his arm full of scales until the flesh beneath is mauled. just because it can, just because it wants to with no other intention besides satisfying itself.

illeana wants to step closer but seeing his tears, the extent of his pain? she can't bring herself to move. instead, she is a statue of marble, frozen in time.

ALEXANDER STONE