his heart drops with a near unbearable weight. confusion swallows it whole and leaves him dumbfounded by the words that ooze past her lips.

what is she talking about? rather — how did she not know? the whole incident was kept relatively quiet besides the importance left for family.

obviously that had not been the case.

"wait storm, hold on," he has to stop her before she endures such tormenting curiosities, "i was at their funeral...wasn't i?" certainty dwindles in the query directed mostly to himself. the pause has a hand tracing the temple of a throbbing head.

"—and eve...i didn't know." he isn't quite sure of the betrayal. alex can only assume it is closely tied to their enemy. since the start of it all.

"i almost died. they said i was caught up in a bad storm and i slipped off the edge of a steep cliff—side." furrowing brows don't express what should've been discontent. instead there is an underlined hopelessness in the memory. "fern was there at the hospital...i know he was but...i can't remember anything before that." the horrid result of amnesia.

that alone should be unmistakable.

"i don't get why he wouldn't say anything." — and it is just in the ache straining at his mind. he imagines his siblings well aware of the accident.

yet now, it seems a secret. was there more to this tale than what alex had been led on? fernando; a respectable older brother in his eyes now wavers in the hassle. instead he closes them.

Stormy Silph

the riolu seems the perfect choice in face of such bitter brutes. he finds himself envious of such company if only for a moment. jasp — still hovering close by makes a merry noise. persistent on also helping out, alex can't find any reason to deny his friend. a gentle smile forms.

"i'd appreciate it, jasp." twinkling blue eyes are obvious of bliss in the response. it floats a bit closer to the other, communicating some form of a plan. one to brawl the other — one to get its attention. there was much simplicity to their idea. what mattered was whether it would work or not.

once riolu would begin combat with the other, raichu, stealthy in approach charged up a small bolt. the rounded tail flickers outwards, releasing the fragment of energy in order to zap the still stubborn beast. a heavy growl resounded in startle jumps forward. pangoro would look around confused before noticing the innocent battle.

obscured by greenery — jasp lets out a sigh of relief. thankful it had not been noticed and the furrowing expression was now poised intently. although it seemed mildly irritated by the other pangoro, there was a hint of fascination in its dark eyes. meanwhile alex watches alongside the other. waiting for some form of an answer in this odd pair.

Alexei Ivanov

raichu plummets towards the other in the flurry of a vigorous and electrifying punch. however — beneath such an immense attempt the metallic beast hardly flinches. golden traces flicker against its slate—colored form and the bright—eyed jasp blinks in surprise.

even alex is left startled. although neither truly had an advantage over the other, the battle was not meant to be that easy. metang's jagged fist — enveloped by the beautiful blue hits the smaller pokemon directly.

flung backwards the sidelines become its sudden stop. dust is forced by the contact, establishing a momentary cover. the same brilliant light oozes through crevasses of the fading cloud. calm mind has been assembled yet, the hovering silver would not know of it. sudden lightning is all that is evident.

jasp thrusts upwards and back into view. the statue of its small frame is managing, doused by the intensity of a thunderbolt. it pushes forwards at an profound speed. unsurprising of its element. "keep your distance!" he shouts. the reminder there but the friend already knowing.

FERNANDO SILPH

did he? the obvious had him pondering seriously for some form of recognition. disruptive waves against the broken bed of stone have his backward reach stopped. every chance he pauses to think of the past — sharp unrelenting pain carves into his head like knives.

"i'll visit you next time then." the softness remains in his voice. it is so mellow that it presses like a whisper within the salty air. "come," leisure rather than their loitering against the cement path incites his gesture. alex invites his sister to join him against the bench still overlooking the blue.

"i'm sorry for worrying you," once the figure settles aside the tender yet, uncertain tone continues onward, "my accident put me in quite a bad place. i've had trouble remembering things though, i guess that's no excuse for staying quiet for four years." alex speaks lightheartedly as always or maybe opposite to how she remembered.

"besides that," curious as he is, he resists the temptation to blabber, "what do you wanna talk about? we've got all day so don't feel rushed." stormy may present a forthright bitterness in her expression but, alex decides that he is ready to take the full force of the heat. no matter how blazing it is.

Stormy Silph

the immediate notion is just as quickly regarded. silver hovers against the glacial stretch with no burden for what it would bring. his gaze follows the charge but, it is lost in the haste. jasp is the one that must consider it more seriously. there is something off—putting.

"protect!" the looming shadow is near inches from collision. golden envelops the smaller and shields it from the attack. with such overwhelming force; it is enough to propel jasp a few feet backwards. bound by the still shelter of its radiant orb.

"calm mind!" with the barrier breaking piece by piece, the brief glow is blinding, "thunder punch!" he says yet, how the raichu handles these demands is a completely different story. the variant is airborne. contrast to the one so familiar with the earth beneath its feet — it rises further.

the singular small limb is coated by a wave of electricity. although measly in size with metang as its opponent; the two are if not on even grounds. the psychic roots and the clash of metal upon a stirring zap! raichu descends at an equally fast pace. hoping to make contact or at least paralyze the giant beast.

FERNANDO SILPH