[attr="class","rosepost"]She rolled her eyes affectionately. Right, they could take on any storm, huh? She would need a pretty powerful team to handle environmental threats, but that wasn't her skillset. Travelling in spite of those threats? That was where she succeeded. [break][break]

As she watched him prepare the Tatsugiri, she felt... something. Like a sixth sense, maybe. [break][break]

"I would make sure there's sunscreen," she answered flatly, eyes on his reddened skin. The feeling was impossible to ignore, now. She turned and looked for whatever it was that was setting her off - but it was in the sky. A blur, a shadow. "What's that?" She hadn't seen anything fly over the island since they'd landed. It appeared to be coming closer, perhaps drawn by the fire's smoke.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]So much faith in his pokemon, but so little faith in the divine. She couldn't imagine that kind of philosophy for herself. Pokemon were fallible. [break][break]

"Right, well, maybe you can do that part and I can be moral support." She beamed at him, clasping her hands behind her back to really sell how much her positive spirit could contribute the operation he'd be solely responsible for. "I do think I'll never leave the house again without carrying an extensive kit with me. Knives, first-aid, flare. Gotta deck that thing out to the nines."[break][break]

She didn't want to be caught relying on her Pelipper again. On any one pokemon again. She didn't like the helplessness or the lack of control that resulted from such a scenario.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]What an interesting theory. "Lived long enough..." She scrutinized it closer. "Pokemon that get super old and like constructing little artifacts..." Nope, nothing came to mind. She didn't think anything would want this little shape beside the creepy little elgyem, but those guys didn't seem to be the creating type to her. [break][break]

Then, a chill wafted over her just as it did Silverio. "Cold in the desert?" It wasn't nighttime - this shouldn't be happening. [break][break]

Then, a Confagrigus appeared behind them, it's ghastly hands outstretched towards them. "ALMIGHTY SINNOH!" She faced the sudden visitor and tried to scurry at the same time, tripping over herself and falling into the warm sand. Slowking growled but the Confagrigus didn't seem to care as it loomed over the Leaguers.

[break][break]silverio delfino | 10 involve confagrigus or runerigus in some way.[break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Keiko isn't sure what to make of it - having a child comfort her while she's losing her grip on reality. It's a secondary concern, stuffed underneath the headline: HOENN IS DESTROYING EVERYTHING. [break][break]

Eris takes her hand, and something appears before them. Distinctly, Keiko knows this must be a special pokemon, one that operates in some sort of domain like the other legendary pokemon. She is speechless even as the animal panic in her chest is forcefully calmed by it. How, she doesn't know, but it works. Her breathing slows. Still, her mind turns over it isn't a lie, it isn't a lie, it isn't a lie.[break][break]

The real saving grace is that Eris offers a sapling of optimism. Time to change things, yes, Keiko can cling to that readily. She's captivated by the sprite's gaze, mesmerized by the way it seems to see her in a way nothing else has. She maintains eye contact with it as she asks, "how can we change things?" Her new mission is unfolding before her very eyes. Her purpose is greater than being a wartime courier, than transporting intel and medicine and ammunition: she's going to help correct the path of destruction their entire reality is barreling towards.

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]The adventure into a place that seemed holy and sacred to Almighty Sinnoh was turning from a temple into a tomb. She couldn't make heads or tails of the new reality painted before her. How could Hoenn be this monstrosity? [break][break]

Our world is apparently destined to be the end of all other worlds.[break][break]

"What does that mean? What does it mean?" She was closer to hysterics now. And could it be the decision of anyone to make that true, god or human or legendary? Who would pick that fate for their world if it was even possible? "That doesn't make any sense. Why would you lie about that?" Panic. Panic. Panic. She knew Hoenn was capital S Strange but there's no way the explanation for it was that this was a path of destruction the entire world was set on. She didn't sign up to be a part of it.

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]"Considered good for the world," she echoed breathlessly. Like, Hoenn's existence was endangering the rest of the world? All power could be used for evil in the wrong hands. But what would they do? Destroy capture capsules and make it impossible to catch pokemon since Rocket members could hurt people with them? Power could be used for good. Pokemon were restoring Sootopolis. [break][break]

(Pokemon had destroyed Sootopolis.)[break][break]

She didn't agree with deifying legendary pokemon, even if she also referred to them as gods at times - that was for the benefit of others' understanding, but she only praised the One. "All pokemon die," she refuted quietly. "There is no way to remove those powers - the mega stones and the sygna suits and the dynamax." She shrugged. "What can we do besides work towards understanding the phenomena and preventing people from getting hurt?" Almighty Sinnoh had a plan for this region. That they didn't know what it was didn't make it less purposeful.

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Sure, Hoenn has more natural energy and phenomena than any other region, and that made it inherently volatile just in terms of natural disasters, but...

"Hoenn is a region that should not exist."[break][break]

"How can you say that?" The kneejerk offense surprises Keiko herself, but she doubles down on it. "Is - do you think -?" She sputters around the concern she feels. No one should be able to say that, but she says it so easily. Keiko tends to yield to others' understanding of Hoenn because she's so new, but someone so young should not have the conviction to share such a nihilistic thought like talking about the weather. [break][break]

Keiko feels more out of depth in this conversation than in the spatial rift they're walking through. "It does exist. It's - it's part of the world! It's natural. It just, um, has a high concentration of unusual... activity. It could be the fault of the legendary beasts."

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]With Victreebel felled, the mirage faded. "Geez, who knew all of these space rifts were filled with things trying to hurt you... I see why this isn't a tourist destination." Her heart was pounding. But as the area cleared from the mirage's blurry images, she realized something small and stone was sticking out of the sand ahead of them. [break][break]

"Maybe that illusion was protecting this thing?" She hurried over as if they hadn't just been met with hostile environment. The stone looked hand-carved given that it was a perfect pyramid shape. "An artifact, maybe." She ducked down and brushed some sand off of its sides, and then the earth shook. [break][break]

She backed up instinctively. The stone rose into the air, but the stone was long, long, long. It was an obelisk... [break][break]

It rose above them about twenty feet, floating ominously. Its seals glowed, but there were also notable holes where seals were missing. "What could have made this?" It reminded her of Elgyem.

[break][break]silverio delfino | 07 involve the discovery of ancient obelisks that possess holes for missing seals.[break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]An interdimensional group... How could anyone control a god? Her understanding of the strange phenomenon where people had close relationships with legendary pokemon was more of a mutualism approach. The very concept of controlling something divine sent a chill down her spine. Why would Almighty Sinnoh allow someone to use Her hand like a tool? [break][break]

She didn't ask further questions. She felt sick to her stomach already. [break][break]

She could understand the approach Eris took to the divine. Many people favored the pantheon since these legendary pokemon had earned their status as legends; many were favored by different civilizations and reigned over different domains (or at least, seemed to), but she was not easily moved from her own faith. "I admit it's strange to think about these pokemon having human-level intelligence, or greater than. I feel uncomfortable thinking about, like, Zapdos being able to comprehend human politics."[break][break]

Worse, it being able to comprehend human politics and form an opinion on them. To act on them. "Hoenn is so different from Sinnoh. But I chose to be here to help with the war effort, so I'm in it for the long haul. We can't... the world can't survive another Kanto."

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]He knew how to build anticipation, she'd give him that. She wasn't sure what kind of solution she expected him to propose, but the camera wasn't it. [break][break]

"Oh. Oh, that's a good idea!" She patted her hands excitedly against his back and shoulder where they lied. "I can totally do that." She loved all forms of record keeping since archivism was such a reverent task in Celestic Town. A photo journal or album or, hell, blog would be helpful. And if he used to keep track of new memories, it would be a good way to see how much growth he'd had and how much he had to look forward to. [break][break]

She knew he had to give himself permission to move on, but neither of them were at a point to make that happen. The camera was a good step forward. Then, they had the other matter to attend to. "Now... food? Food now?" Being held was cute and all, but that Tatsugiri wasn't going to eat itself.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]She had reached for the proffered water until Silverio's utter of pain. She flinched and looked to him with alarm, but it was his sandslash at work. [break][break]

"Whatcha doing to your trainer, little buddy?" Did he need a timeout? Was he thirsty? [break][break]

She looked back to the Maractus to see that it was no Maractus at all but rather a Victreebel. It loomed over them, angry and - [break][break]

It looked kind of hungry? Oh geez, were they Victreebel food? [break][break]

It used leaf storm, whipping up sharp bladed leaves to slice at them. "Knock him back!" Slowking charged into action, giving the Victreebel a headbutt to push it back.

[break][break]silverio delfino [break]