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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
AQUA ASSEMBLY V
POSTED ON Sept 22, 2024 7:06:34 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]"Nobody should ever forget."[break][break]

Perhaps would be surprised to hear someone he directly called out agreeing him. Yet, nonetheless, here he was.[break][break]

"Forgiveness is a gift, not an entitlement. People can choose if they give it or not. And if they don't? It doesn't change a damn thing. Anyone that's joining the Amnesty program to smother their own guilt's doing it for the wrong reasons." It sure as shit didn't smother Isaac's any. Everything he'd done, and everything he hadn't, hung over him like death's shroud. "The Amnesty program isn't a get out of jail free card. It's a chance to make this region a better place. That, too, can be our reparations."[break][break]

"For some, that's enough. For others, nothing will be. But if we take a firm, strong stance against active Rockets, then we can show them our mercy isn't just some blind eye. It's a step towards fixing this whole mess, which is just as much a civil war as it is Kanto throwing its weight around."[break][break]

The thought troubled Isaac nonetheless. How did Hoenn, after the war, heal from its own people wanting its destruction?[break][break]

"But whether we forgive or not, we must never, ever forget. Not the ones who've been hurt. And especially not those of us who hurt them. It's the only way we as a region can ever learn."[break][break]

He didn't have a ton to say about the Elite 4 recommendations. Despite that, he couldn't help but bristle at the dismissal of a certain name. " just needs some time," he protested, as if nervous what warned of lurked right around the corner. "She's been through a lot. But she always bounces back stronger than she was before. Compared to where she was after Galar, she's come so far."[break][break]

"At the very least, I think she'd make an incredible gym leader. And we'll need to be on the lookout for those as well, if we're already looking at the current set to fill out the Elite Four."

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
AQUA ASSEMBLY V
POSTED ON Sept 19, 2024 2:21:21 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]And just like that, Isaac was thrust into the spotlight.[break][break]

His heart caught in his chest as started to speak. Damning former Rockets to their fate? Turning Hoenn into a surveillance state? Isaac's pulse pounded, those old feels of distrust toward the Hoenn council festering in his gut. Were they really that misguided? Or were they just hellbent on taking advantage of this chance to pursue their own goals?[break][break]

He didn't trust a word out of Penny's mouth.[break][break]

Some, like and , argued on the side of hope. To them, Hoenn's people were Hoenn's people, whether they'd been lead astray or not. To others, like and , the program needed to go. Some suggested alternative means of asylum. Others . . . left Isaac worried. Yet he listened to their arguments, feeling the weight of the sword of Damocles that hovered atop his head.[break][break]

A part of him wanted to cut through the debate with a roar of "BULLSHIT!" Another part wanted to hide in his chair until it swallowed him up, letting the arguments of gods and monsters wash over him like a tidal wave. Then spoke, and with it there was no more chance to hide. In the light of Remiel's rebuttal eyes were on Isaac, Hoenn's undeserving hope.[break][break]

"I . . ."[break][break]

He hated to admit it, but Remiel was right. The Amnesty Program was a risk. It was a risk that, mercifully, Rocket had yet to take. But it was a risk nonetheless. If they ever decided that infiltrating the League was their top priority, they'd be able to do so without much issue. In the past, Reshiram could easily sort out that little issue. Nowadays, things were much more complicated.[break][break]

Yet hadn't they always been?[break][break]

"Remy, you and I were part of Rocket. You know damn well how easily Rocket can already slip into our ranks. Hell, you know how many of them- of us, already did!" Remiel was literal nobility. Isaac had won contests, gym badges, and even the inaugural Silph Cup. "They don't need to Trojan Horse through the Amnesty Program if they never reveal themselves in the first place. And all the public names are either diehards or big shots. Not the type we'd just let in without any questions."[break][break]

"You're right. You all are. We need to be harder on Rocket. But shouldn't we be focusing that effort on the Rockets that are staying, and not the ones that want to leave their life behind and help us out?"[break][break]

Indignation bled into his voice. It wasn't on his own behalf. It was on the behalf of everyone else trapped in the bowels of the system. The winds swirled around him as he continued to speak, visions of his harrowing escape dancing in the back of his mind.[break][break]

"I wanted to leave since the day of Meteno, you know. I'd made the biggest mistakes of my life, all so Rocket could out the whole fucking planet and get Walsh some space rocks. But I stayed. You wanna know why? Because Rocket says if you so much as think about leaving, they'll kill you. Because they say even if you do escape, nobody on the other side'll accept you, and you'll be throwing your life away for nothing. Because Rocket are your only friends, your only family, and to betray Rocket is to betray them."[break][break]

"I'm proof none of that's true. And it isn't even because I'm special. I'm not. I just took that chance. And it's a chance Rocket does everything in their power to smother, because they fear it. They need that hierarchy; the grunts, the chains holding them down, all of it. And if enough links fall out of those chains, the whole damn machine goes down with it."[break][break]

Even then, he knew it wasn't enough. He was too soft, too weak, too fallible. Time and time again, he'd try to bring himself to fight. Time and time again, he'd buckle under the pressure of facing those he loved. He let himself be suckered in by their siren's songs, their promises to make things right and their sob stories of their woes. Yet they always took advantage, and he always paid the price. Amnesty wouldn't just protect Rocket. It would protect those who mourned Hoenn's lost sons from the worries that haunted them so.[break][break]

"We need to give these people, Hoenn's people, a way out. And then we can give Rocket hell without any regrets."

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
AQUA ASSEMBLY V
POSTED ON Sept 15, 2024 5:45:34 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]He had to keep trying.[break][break]

A long time ago, Isaac thought that Suicune had chosen him to serve as a beacon. He had faced the worst Rocket had to offer and lived to tell the tale. He was proof that Rocket wasn't a dead end, that there was hope of coming back from the brink that it promised. He was a child of two worlds, equal parts scorned and loved for it, uniquely poised to fight for this world and everyone who called it home.[break][break]

Then those he'd hoped to serve as an example for cast his world into fire. Those who had promised him they'd fight together to save Hoenn allowed Rocket's ravenous hordes to keep tearing it apart. Those who claimed they still loved him showed how much that love meant when it came time to pay the piper.[break][break]

Jack and shit.[break][break]

So if he hadn't been chosen to light the way, what had he been chosen for? That was the question Isaac sought to answer as he tore himself across the region like a hurricane. What right did he have to sit on his ass while the people of his town had to deal with losing their homes? They had to start from nothing. He had something. That meant he had to put it to use through the harrowing days and sleepless nights. It was the least he could do to make up for his mistakes, his failures, and his losses all coming home to roost.[break][break]

Barring a select few, the region knew nothing of Isaac's whereabouts. It was as if he were a ghost powered by survivor's guilt.[break][break]

There was just one problem. So caught up was Isaac in his obligations to the people of Hoenn that he'd lost track of the obligations to its region. His own Pokemon needed to conspire to do the impossible and catch the wind itself, lest he keep blowing between Dewford's rebuilding efforts and Oldale's refugee population. A tap on the back from his Gardevoir finally ensured he'd be sent on his way.[break][break]

"Damnit, Reverb, there's no time! I still gotta-" Isaac blinked as he processed the harsh lighting of Greyson's chambers. He blinked further as he realized that he was on the periphery of a very much started AQUA meeting. "Shit. Right. That was today. Sorry." At least he wasn't the only one late, though had been smart enough to bring a second to fill his empty seat. Perhaps fittingly, Isaac's was filled only by the wind.[break][break]

He piled in wherever was available, wincing a little as the topic turned to the subject at hand. Petalburg. Right.[break][break]

The town itself was barely even mentioned before moved things along, a decision that would frustrate Isaac if it weren't so important. Rocket wasn't just going to settle for one city. All you had to do was talk to a true Rocket believer for five seconds and they'd start crowing about how they'd own the entire region and the entire planet and the entire universe and yadda fucking yadda.[break][break]

"They might. But they might not. Being stuck on Sootopolis didn't stop them from coming to Petalburg with a fully loaded arsenal." Enough Genesect to make Isaac's head spin. Literal legions of Grunts. Kanto's presence changed the game. "Now that Kanto's going all in, anywhere close to the coast is in danger. And that's pretty much every major city."[break][break]

"That's just the sea, too. Back while I was there-" Another wince, a painful admission even as it proved tactically useful. "-Rocket was working on snatching up all the Secret Bases they could. Project Lockbox, they called it. If they connected those into outposts and tunnel systems, they might slip attacks right under our noses while we're focused on the routes."[break][break]

It was but one of many endeavors Isaac could call to memory. MAGMA, SPECTRA, even their efforts to try and beat the League at their own game in appealing to Hoenn's population. For all Petalburg marked a renewed start to this war, Rocket had been planning to fight it for a long, long while.[break][break]

How had he been so blind?

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
endure || c
POSTED ON Sept 14, 2024 1:27:36 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]Theirs was a world that was born damned and only got worse. Three years ago, in a cyberspace tucked within the fabric of reality, a scientist told the people of the Hoenn region that they would bring about the end of all realities. Isaac had called him mad. He knew, as his wits returned to him in the aftermath of his sure demise, that he would devote his days to proving Maldacena wrong.[break][break]

Where had that gotten him? The League slaughtered their own civilians, using the rampage of a great fish as a convenient excuse. Rocket, in spite of atrocity after atrocity, only seemed to grow stronger, more supported. Legends twisted humans into pawns, those humans lording demigodhood over their lessers as if they meant nothing. Every few months, a new source of forbidden energy tore the land apart. Hoenn had enemies within, without, beyond dimensions, between dimensions, and even in the form of god itself.[break][break]

There were days where Isaac wondered if, in spite of all his hatred for them, the Triad was right.[break][break]

He dreamed of fighting for a world where Eris could finally know peace. He knew all too well that he'd be dead before such a world could take root. If he was lucky, he would die helping to bring it about. If he wasn't, a fact he grew increasingly convinced of, the only peace they would all know would be the stillness of the grave.[break][break]

Compared to all that, an angry rock meant nothing to him.[break][break]

Knuckles and Reverb, two of Isaac's moth faithful Pokemon, stood side by side. What rocks Reverb's telekinetic prowess couldn't hold at bay were to be smashed beneath Knuckles' spiked fists. Together, the two of them carved a path through the storm, hoping to create an opening through which Isaac and Eris could proceed.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
endure || c
POSTED ON Sept 12, 2024 3:23:12 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]"Oh."[break][break]

Regirock alone hadn't flattened Petalburg. The boots on the ground from Team Rocket, a mix of names and faces he'd once adored and total strangers to him, had done the city far more harm. Despite that, the visual of a Dynamaxed Regirock casting the ruins of Petalburg in its shadow was a hard one to shake.[break][break]

It was a people, not a city. Objectively, he and had ensured countless people would live on even as their homes fell to ruins. That didn't make Isaac feel any less helpless about where he'd failed.[break][break]

"This isn't gon-" It wouldn't. Nothing would. What was done was done. The die had been cast, and its face came up with skulls emblazoned. Not even petitioning time itself could change it; Celebi had made sure to teach him that. Nevertheless, if the chance were to ever arise, Isaac would be sorely tempted. "You're right. We really should prepare."[break][break]

"We know better, now."[break][break]

Isaac didn't know if he could give up on . But by now, it had become clear just how one sided that feeling was.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
endure || c
POSTED ON Sept 10, 2024 17:35:22 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]"Nowhere I'd rather be." Because when push came to shove, she was and always would be his precious little sister.[break][break]

It wasn't like he had room to judge. Rest had been the last thing on his mind. Survivors' guilt drove him to the towns hosting Petalburg's refugees. If he could just heal a few more wounded, grow a bit more food, comfort the weary and the broken and lost and the damned, maybe he could make up for it all. Petalburg wasn't a place. It was a people. Even as its buildings burned, he'd be their light.[break][break]

A fresh infusion of waters of life made up his mask each morning. Few saw him without it anymore. Few had seen him in general. He'd become the mirage he'd bonded with, blowing across the region to perform works he'd insisted only he could do. Only when he returned to his anchor's side did he let the winds fall still and the cracks show through the facade.[break][break]

He wasn't at his best. But who was, anymore? Instead, he was what he had to be.[break][break]

"And what would 'it' be?" he asked, trying to piece together the plan that Eris had spared him only fleeting bits and pieces of. She was always a puzzle box to try and figure out, but when the pieces pointed to the Ultra Wilds it was hard not to find himself a little concerned.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
endure || c
POSTED ON Sept 8, 2024 17:40:33 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]"This is an awful idea, y'know."[break][break]

And yet, here he was, by her side as always.[break][break]

A part of Isaac hated himself for not being able to properly keep Eris' worst impulses in check. But he knew her. He knew that she'd sneak out on her own the second he'd turned his watchful eye away for one but one second. If it wasn't business with @navy in Dewford, it would be when AQUA inevitably came knocking. He'd have to go, and she'd disappear. She always did.[break][break]

He knew in her shoes, he would, too.[break][break]

It was a frustrating paradox. The safest way to handle Eris was to enable her. She could put herself in risk, and he could at least be somewhat content knowing he could spare her the worst of it. He could tend to her wounds, even as she denied them the long-term rest they truly needed. He could fight by her side, even as he wished she'd never fight at all.[break][break]

He could selfishly feel less like such a fucking failure.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
ANTITHESIS [S]
POSTED ON Aug 28, 2024 3:21:13 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]In the gravitational pull of a collapsing star, even the northern wind couldn't escape. Nevertheless, the trapped Suicune wheeled around to defiantly face their foe. The Surf currents, endlessly forming from the air around Suicune and rushing out in a high-power stream, wouldn't stop Necrozma, but they would at least send a message. Even the invincible would face defiance.[break][break]

Up close and personal, Necrozma detonated. Despite Zev's gravitational pull, the eruption was with such force that it sent the legend flying. They righted themselves in the air, the motion launched a spurt of blood from their side, before skidding to a halt by their charge's side. They glared daggers toward Necrozma, head lowed and mane thrashing, but as they took a shaky step forward they flinched.[break][break]

They couldn't finish the fight. Not like this. Not when Zev was about to send the forest crashing down on them. All they could do was brace themselves. It was more than Isaac could do. Zev's gravitational pull had already sent him straight through his log perch, splintering it clear in half. Side by side, the two could only look towards each other as the forest's shadow loomed.[break][break]

All was silent. All was still. And then Zev was gone.[break][break]

In a forest devoid of all life, ash and timber began to tremble. With each shake, more and more detritus fell away, revealing the heavily-cracked glacier that dwelled beneath. Inside lay Suicune, knee buckled and face frozen into a hateful snarl. It was not until the glacier splintered into a cloud of frost that the legend could finally stumble free.[break][break]

There was no triumph written on their features. There was no grim resignation, either. Instead, there was almost a sense of shock as they got a sense of their bearings. It was as if they hadn't even been sure of their own survival. They looked around, the Pressure in the air mounting as they tried to figure out what had happened.[break][break]

As the frozen vapors flowed back into Isaac's outstretched hand, the answer became all too clear.[break][break]

"Guess that makes us even, huh, buddy?" Isaac's tone was light, but his face was solemn. It was clear that this day, and all other days spent with Zev, were going to stick with him for a long, long while. "A few more logs and we would've been goners. But like hell if I'm gonna let you get hurt for my recklessness."[break][break]

Recklessness, indeed. To channel that much of Suicune's own hydrokinesis took a lot out of Isaac. Practically the moment he reassured Suicune, sheer fatigue cost him his footing. He fell against Suicune's side, the legend's smile soft and grateful as it supported him. "C'mon. Let's go home."[break][break]

Worn down, banged up, and more acutely aware of the enormity that was Zev than ever before, the two limped away from this blighted land.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
ANTITHESIS [S]
POSTED ON Aug 28, 2024 2:10:49 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]In Zev's strategic reassessment, he forgot something. You didn't need to restrict your opponent's movement when they saw no reason to move.[break][break]

Instead of running from tactic to tactic, Isaac walked over to a fallen log. The last few laughs escaped him as he sat down, its ashen surface crinkling ever so slightly under his weight. "Man," he said, sighing as he turned to keep Zev in his vision. "I always kinda knew. But there's knowing, and there's knowing."[break][break]

How could he not? He was one of the few men alive who had gotten a glimpse of the void within. When they sparred in the sub's battle arenas, helping Zev practice for his gym run, he got to see the man contort himself into a new shape in real time. It was a jarring process, less a smooth transition and more him literally snapping himself into the shape of an honorable sportsman. It was an acute reminder of what Zev had to do each and every time he wanted to don a new face.[break][break]

It was such a stark contrast from the Howling. There, Zev ran the roost. He knew everyone's name, even if he could barely care who walked into that door. He crafted a rich, homey environment, every bit as stately as his own (feigned?) apartment. The food, drink, chatter, and memories flowed with abundance, lock-step in orbit around the black hole at the center of it all. It was a place invaluable, even irreplaceable, to so many, to Isaac chief among them.[break][break]

Had it only been one way in which Zev had made himself invaluable to Isaac, it would have been one too many. Yet it was only scratching the surface. He had been a mentor, teaching Isaac damn near everything he knew about unarmed combat. He had been a confidant, advising Isaac on the cusp of the Meteno operation that finally forced his eyes open. He had been, in many ways, a companion, the two accompanying one another to sword schools and Splashfest tents and even fancy, high-society functions.[break][break]

How could somebody who meant so much to Isaac have so little substance? It was as if his life had been shaped by the hands of a ghost.[break][break]

"Maybe that's why I always kept digging. Couldn't believe it 'til I knew for sure. And, well, here we are."[break][break]

"Here we are." The shoreline of an uncharted isle, where Zev loomed in the darkness of the battlefield's fading light. Isaac had wormed his way out of his pursuit, turning the tables on him for the first and only time through a lasso of Z-Powered water. This "grand victory" was little more than slowing him down until he could escape, and yet he felt a sting of pride remembering it.[break][break]

"Here we are." The central tower of the Lesser Megalopolis, where Zev hunted for answers. Judging by his current form, he'd found them. Even then, in the infancy of his ascent, Isaac could do little more than run away, putting everything the tower had to offer between the two. Why did he even bother picking this fight? Why was it so damn important that he had to live this futility out firsthand?[break][break]

"Here we are." The RKS Machine, where the chains that bound the two had broken in full. Isaac had outlived his usefulness and was sacrificed to the raging hand of god. Did Zev realize that it had been his loose lips that let Isaac find Caleb, that set Isaac against , that lead to Suicune being stirred to come to his unworthy aid? Did he even care?[break][break]

"Here we are." The underside of a shack in Oldale, where Zev saved Isaac's life, grabbed him by the throat, and never let go.[break][break]

"Fuck, man. I miss when you at least had to pretend."[break][break]

A basket of freshly made baked goods. A magnificent performance incognito in a sweeping ballroom. A proposal that had came and went in the blink of an eye, before Isaac even had the chance to realize. A name that put the slightest sparkle in eyes that had never known a moment of genuine warmth.[break][break]

"I bet 's gonna miss it, too."

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
BATTLE OF PETALBURG: MAIN EVENT
POSTED ON Aug 26, 2024 5:37:37 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]"Hate to see you like this, but. Hell if you didn't put up a good fight. Rest up, alright?"[break][break]

It felt surreal, speaking so casually to so many Rockets in the aftermath of the tragedy that had unfolded. Yet, was this not just the flow of things on Hoenn? A greater threat resurfaced, and both saints and sinners arose to beat it into the ground. When the chips were down, in spite of everything, and both had his back. It was a surreal, almost bittersweet feeling.[break][break]

The time would come for them to settle their own scores. Until then, he honored them as they honored him.[break][break]

Maybe that was why Isaac didn't slip away during all of this. He owed it to them to stand by them until the bitter end. He also owed it to the people of Petalburg; each moment the great titans were stalled was another moment 's rescue efforts could continue, another life saved. Even then, Bibidi would surely tire before long, and all of their best efforts were but one ranger's plan and one renegade's distraction. It was more than they could have hoped for, yet far from what Petalburg deserved.[break][break]

Yet there were two more reasons. One stood before him, his own beast roaring back to life as it tried to reduce Isaac to the ash and dust that carpeted Petalburg's once verdant landscape. The other stood by his side, finally making herself known after an agonizing separation. Her red chain shone brighter than ever, hardened by conviction as it ensnared not one but two great titans.[break][break]

As one chain set in, Regice's grip faltered. Knuckles, both the Infinity Energy and the consciousness long stripped from her, fell from the heavens. It was then that a telltale flash of azure leaped from the edge of the sandstorm. Whether the northern winds blew here or not, Suicune had heard Mesprit's plea. Now the two legends could stand as one.[break][break]

Knuckles landed on Suicune's back, wreathed in their aurora as if it were a blanket. As contact was made, Suicune prepared themselves. Their eyes flashed purple as they turned toward Regirok's crumbling form. Extrasensory power surrounded them, grabbing stone after stone from the recombinant golem and throwing them into any battle damage it could find on Regice. The two injured titans would bear the wrath of two fresh and fit legends, last-ditch efforts to stop their hellish rampage.[break][break]

After their intervention, before any reprisal, they would fade once more into the winds.[break][break]

No more legends. No more interruptions. No more distractions. For the first time, and Isaac stood, face to face. Between them, , a protective buffer. Was she there to protect Isaac from Howard? Or was she there to protect Howard from Isaac? Perhaps, wreathed in sands and illuminated in auroras, the truth would never be truly known.[break][break]

"Wish I could say the same for you, buddy. But you're an overcranked cog that just broke down half your machine. Shame, really. The more power you get, the harder you waste it." He pulled his hand back, balled up into a fist, only to drop his punch at the last minute. Instead, he set a hand on Howard's shoulder. "You're becoming what you hate in ways you didn't even think were possible."[break][break]

"And none of it's gonna change the fact that you can't win."[break][break]

Maybe it'd be the wakeup call Howard needed. Maybe it'd send him even deeper into his mania. Isaac didn't know. Isaac couldn't afford to care. All he could do was show up wherever Howard reared his head and keep him in check, words, fists, and the powers of capricious gods flying with reckless abandon.[break][break]

He'd found time to buy for his people. He'd found his beloved sister. And, through the trials of beloved enemies old and new alike, he'd even found himself. Maybe, just this once, he could be satisfied.[break][break]

Isaac stepped back, stooping down ever so slightly to take Eris' hand. And in one step, two steps, three, they were gone.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Isaac honors his fallen enemies. In spite of everything, he is strangely proud.[break]
Knuckles is hilariously mcfucking KO'd, but it's okay. Thanks to Mes, Suicune swoops in to catch her.[break]
Suicune tells Regice a joke. Knock knock. Who's there? ROCKS. Then they bounce.[break]
Isaac gives Howard some parting words, takes his sister's hand, and fades into the night.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
BATTLE OF PETALBURG: MAIN EVENT
POSTED ON Aug 26, 2024 3:29:51 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]"I know."[break][break]

His vote of confidence was backed up by naught but a single knife of ice, floating over Kouji's good arm.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
BATTLE OF PETALBURG: MAIN EVENT
POSTED ON Aug 26, 2024 2:33:25 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]When booted Isaac square in the chest, he figured the mercenary had the same idea he did. He could already feel Knuckles' aura spiking as Regice withheld its beam, instead opting to squeeze the life out of her. As Regirock roared to life, Isaac knew he was left. He squeezed his eyes shut and threw up his guard, prepared to meet a good death.[break][break]

But nothing came.[break][break]

The battlefield for some was a place of nightmares, yet for others was a place of brotherhood. Tangaroa rewarded Isaac for putting up such a fight by knocking him out of harm's way, taking the brunt of the blow. Isaac skid to a halt, his fingers drawing tails in the ashen dirt as he practically forced him to land. The faster he could move, the faster he could see what just happened.[break][break]

He was breathing. Tangaroa had escaped 's fate. Isaac released a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding, smiling as he looked down at his foe. The permafrost that had once settled upon his own wounds melted, his skin lightening back to its normal tone as it flowed to his fingertips. He wasn't going to hoard the waters of life for himself. Not while the man's head was cracked open. Isaac let them flow, trailing behind the boulder and toward the man's head injury. The infirmary'd have to finish the job, but it was a start.[break][break]

"We will."[break][break]

All the while, ranted and raved. He asked why Isaac couldn't let him win, why he seemed so insistent on dying, why he was so willing to put it all on the line just to oppose his dream. Before Isaac could even answer, another voice rang out. . He saw a man turn on his own, once as collateral and once through intent. Where would the line be drawn? Where would this madness end?[break][break]

To Kouji, it ended today. Mr. Survival of the Fittest himself had finally put something above himself, and Isaac knew not whether it was something to celebrate or to fear.[break][break]

What he did know was that this wouldn't be answered alone. He took a heavy, staggering footstep - fuck, when did he hurt so much? Now that he wasn't plugged into his own healing supply, his war wounds and his freshly-fought brawl were hitting him like a hangover on a Monday. Still, he refused to let that stop him, standing beside Kouji with his head held high.[break][break]

"Buddy, I believed in your dream since day one. And I believe in it enough to know this ain't it." He sung a different tune to Kouji, yet in the same tenor. Both the unwilling hero and the unwilling villain had made their judgment; Howard's might was tested and found wanting. "So high on your own supply that you lost it worse than she did."[break][break]

"One of these days, you're gonna figure it out. And til you do, I'm gonna fight you to the ends of the earth."[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Tangaroa is a fucking badass. Isaac heals him, promising that they will face this fight.[break]
Howard speaks, Kouji answers. Isaac stands by his side, backing up his frequent foe.[break]
Respect era is so back?[break]
Knuckles is most likely having an awful time but at least the Red Chain is going to knock the poor Lucario free before she explodes probably. That's for later though so don't worry about it.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
BATTLE OF PETALBURG: MAIN EVENT
POSTED ON Aug 25, 2024 15:59:52 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]Underboss Fiorelli and Admin Fox gave in to their shared mania, decimating each other under to pursue their selfish agendas. Eventually, one had to give, and the junior usurped his senior in grisly, devastating fashion. Perhaps Rocket would hear his judgment and agree. Perhaps they would see a legend and an Underboss missing and hang him from the gallows.[break][break]

In either case, what they had done lay illuminated in the light of the golden aurora.[break][break]

Finished as 's business may have been, Isaac's was still not. He pushed off of 's shoulder, narrowly avoiding a headbutt right to the nose. As he drifted back, he turned Tangaroa's trick against him, popping up a little to try and knee him right in said nose. "Trust me. We wouldn't be fighting if I did," he said, as much a barb as it was an acknowledgment of the other man's power.[break][break]

Whether he'd hit or miss, Tangaroa's hands groped for his shoulders. Isaac would be seized, his attempt at a fading strike leaving him at the mercy of his foe's superior wingspan. That wasn't the only pull he felt on him. Regirock's burning light had also settled back on him, Isaac practically feeling invisible crosshairs surrounding him. "Psh. You're looking at the least special man in Hoenn," he admitted, even as he looked past Tangaroa and towards the master of the Regi duo.[break][break]

"Though it seems like your boss disagrees."[break][break]

He wouldn't try to escape Tangaroa's grapple. Not yet. He'd throw up a hand to block the palm swing to the ear because he wasn't suicidal, even as Tangaroa's might drove his own wrist into the side of his head. But he wouldn't escape. Not while Regirock stayed locked on. Not while a golden opportunity presented itself. Not while the unspoken promise of mano e mano combat threatened to be broken.[break][break]

When Regirok fired, Isaac would apply every lesson of leverage taught him, trying to sweep Tangaroa into its path at the last minute.[break][break]

Yet there were two Regis. Isaac couldn't cover himself from both. More importantly, he couldn't cover the city of Petalburg from both. How much more time could he buy this thrice-damned city? It would take a miracle, but Isaac was never one for relying on those. He was more the ace in the hole type, and he still had one more of those smuggled away.[break][break]

Knuckles' final teleport would be spent not in helping with 's evacuation plan. The Mega Lucario had been using her borrowed power to alternate between saving the townsfolk and checking on her trainer from afar. He'd had it all under control, for a given definition of under control, up until this point. But now was when she'd truly need to intervene.[break][break]

She'd wait until the Regice was just about to fire. Then she would teleport right in front of its face, matching its technique with an Aura Sphere born of her love, her rage, and all of her sorrow. Its reprisal would surely devastate her, even as she pushed against it with a blast of her own. But if it could buy this city, buy her trainer, just one more moment . . .[break][break]

They each sat, tensed and ready, prepared to enact their final gambits.[break][break]

Like trainer, like Pokemon.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
The golden light of Isaac's aurora ensures Howard and Lis' struggle plays out in full, highlighted view.[break]
Isaac narrowly avoids a headbutt, countering with a knee to the face. Sticking around for the counter leaves him grappled as Tangaroa planned, and even his attempt at blocking drives his own wrist hard into the side of his head. They're going blow for blow now.[break]
As Howard seeks to intervene, Isaac returns to Plan A: shift Tangaroa into the path of Regirock's attack.[break]
NOTE: The aim is still on Isaac, not Tangaroa. If Tanga breaks the grapple, whips Isaac back into the path of the attack, or isn't shifted in the first place, he's all good and Isaac's toast. So up to you how this plays out![break]
Knuckles the Lucario, after having helped El with the evacuation plan, returns to interrupt Regice for a beam struggle. As her last seen attack is no longer Bibidi's Teleport, she can't warp her way out of this one.[break]
Both Isaac and his most trusted Pokemon prepare these insanely risky gambits just to buy Petalburg one more moment.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
BATTLE OF PETALBURG: MAIN EVENT
POSTED ON Aug 25, 2024 3:01:20 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]Shit, this guy had moves. In such close quarters there wasn't room to bring the full force of such a kick to bear, but 's sheer might was enough to still leave Isaac stumbling back. The wheeze of air knocked out of him quickly gave way to a laugh as both men reset their stances, this little engagement returning to neutral ground.[break][break]

"Nice try. But there's never gonna be anyone else like me."[break][break]

's words echoed in his head all the while. This was the true Rocket. Hoenn had been but a shadow of the true war until this day. Even as someone who thought he understood, he hadn't until it had been brought right to his doorstep. No slapfights over side dimensions could compare to the carnage, the bloodshed, the loss. Yet even then, it had always been there. He'd just been too much of a damn coward to accept it.[break][break]

This, Tangaroa said, just as had said time and time again, was the true nature of things. This, Tangaroa said, just as had implored Isaac when he touched down, wasn't to be taken personally. This, Tangaroa said, just as tried to decipher in his lab, was a glorious evolution. All of the Rockets that loomed behind Isaac, whether they joined the fight or not, were present in this war of ideology.[break][break]

The Liberator wasn't here to destroy the Rocket in some divine flood. He was here to break the chains of such beliefs before they choked the region to death.[break][break]

A right. A left. A dip. Another opportunity. As Isaac blocked the second straight, he shot in again, practically skimming Tangaroa's other shoulder as he pushed down on it for leverage. He only had one shot, so he needed to make it quick. This time, rather than trying to take the fight to the ground, he tried to sink in a sleeper. It was always one of his go-tos before Suicune's magic had bulked him up. Now that he was the underdog in strength and size once more, it was time to break Ol' Reliable back out.[break][break]

"Me?" The more his experiences with Rocket and the League left him waxing lyrical, the less patience he had for it all. He couldn't solve the war. He couldn't stop these two factions from slaughtering millions to sustain themselves. He could barely unpack the Megalopians, the Ultra Beasts, SEA Hoenn, to say nothing of the Triad. "To give Hoenn the chance to fight for another day. No matter who or what's gonna try and stop us."[break][break]

He hated dwelling on the past. He hated fixating on the future. All he had was the present, and all he could fight for was tomorrow. If the weak and the frightened couldn't stand for themselves, he'd give them a reason to stand tall. If gods and monsters bore down upon the world, they'd be faced with the human spirit. And if the end times truly rang their calling card, he'd stand with Hoenn, all of Hoenn, to stare it down.[break][break]

If that was all an unworthy coward could do for this world, then he'd face that challenge with his head held high.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
First blood goes to the big guy! Isaac eats a counter-kick, his plans to bring this to the ground stymied at the start.[break]
He heeds Dorian's words, realizing both what's new and what's been there all along.[break]
In this fight, he sees shadows of several others. It's all different, yet all the same: his ambition will always be to buy the world just one more day.[break]
What better way than to reconnect with his roots via a sleeper hold?

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — @ [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
BATTLE OF PETALBURG: MAIN EVENT
POSTED ON Aug 24, 2024 16:54:32 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]


[attr="class","textbox"]", buddy, you didn't tell our new friend who I am? I'm hurt." A part of Isaac was thankful that a new crop of Rockets either didn't no or didn't care who he was. It was preferable to having new attempts on his life every Tuesday. At the same time, it felt odd. They almost held it against him less than the League did. "Been there. Done that. Got the scars to prove it."[break][break]

An icy knuckle traced up the length of Isaac's shirt, slicing it clean in half. He was half trying to make a point to , half getting sucked into this pre-fight ritual. As he tossed the remnants aside a story of betrayal climbed up and down his chest, no matter how hard Suicune's healing magic had tried to clean his conscience. With a part to the fringe of his hair, even the echo of 's bullet wound was clear against his flesh.[break][break]

There it was. This was what he needed. Large-scale, institutionalized violence? He didn't have the slightest clue how to undo that. Not when the League always waited until it was too late. Not when Rocket had no bounds to their cruelty and hatred. Not when there was always something Else, something more Important. But a big, tough guy, throwing banter and punches in equal measure? This was where he thrived.[break][break]

In another world, he could've, should've, just been some vigilante street punk. He never asked for more than this.[break][break]

Two of Rocket's strongest, a pair of legends to each's name, fought. They justified their selfish clash with the fig leaf of an organization that couldn't care less if they lived or died. All the while, a dying star stood in the shadow of the colossus, standing defiant even as walls of Rockets fenced him in. An aurora, rippling brilliant golden courage, cut through the blighted skies, as if to highlight the two battles that were ensuing.[break][break]

Let the people of Hoenn draw the conclusions they may.[break][break]

Tangaroa was no mere bruiser. Isaac could tell just from the collected, focused way he spoke. It was for that reason that, as he threw his punch, Isaac kept one hand on guard and the other on standby. Watch for the roll of the shoulders and the twist of the hips . . . there! Classic stuff. Raise a guard high, bring it low. Isaac couldn't help but smile in recognition, one warrior to another.[break][break]

He brought his leg away from the knee kick and stepped through. He could have left the ground beneath his feet slick with water and ice, forcing Tangaroa to widen his stance and open himself up. But this wasn't a fight for the Liberator. This was a fight for Isaac Merlo. Instead, he did things the old fashioned way, trying to get a hand on Tangaroa's shoulder and a leg hooked behind his other ankle. If he could sweep the leg before Tangaroa could set his stance, he could bring this fight right where he wanted it.[break][break]

And if he couldn't? Then this was going to get fun.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Isaac inwardly waxes lyrical about how so much has changed and so much has stayed the same.[break]
He outwardly lets Tangaroa know he's given the Rocket life a try and shows off the scars to prove it (RIP Isaac's shirt).[break]
An aurora hovers over the sky; golden courage, highlighting both his fight and and 's teamfighting struggle.[break]
Now it's fight night! Isaac dodges the knee kick, then shoots in to punish, trying for a sweeping takedown.[break]
Is he enjoying this? I think he's enjoying this.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG [break]
NOTES — notes go here




[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
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