[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"] Mon down! Mon down! The "gym leader" may have pulled this match back up to a 1-1 tie with a perfectly placed Bonemerang. Maybe a little too perfectly placed. "I think you choked up on that toss a bit too much, bud," Isaac whispered, Duster shooting him a look in response. So sorry, Isaac! Next time he'll try not being literally blinded![break][break]

Still, Charmeleon was down, but it might not have been out. Fully fainted Pokemon tended to be a lot more limp. Charmeleon here sure looked to be Feeling It, but it could go either way.[break][break]

"Thise one's a close one," Isaac said. "Our challenger could be seeing her first faint of the night. But what do you think, everyone? Do you think they're gonna get through this? Do you believe in Charmeleon?" A clap came from the audience. It was most certainly one of the kids, and not Vivi the Eevee using her Helping Hand to try and guide them in the right direction.[break][break]

One clap would hopefully be the first of many. But the audience could only do so muchm. As Duster took advantage of the downtime to Focus his Energy, Isaac looked to Anna. "If you do, then make sure he hears you!" he said, half to the spectators but half to the trainer herself.[break][break]

It was time for a "miracle." And he knew just how it'd go.

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Charmeleon shuddered to its feet, and the crowd went wild. Hell, even Isaac had to stop himself from grinning ear to ear. "Now that's what I like to see!" Isaac said. "Things are heating up in here. Maybe a little too much. Duster, show 'em your secret technique! Cool things down and take your chance to strike!"[break][break]

Duster started swirling his bone again, but this time it wasn't just for show. Little flecks of ice danced around the edge of Duster's bone with each spin, leaving teal gusts of wind trailing in its wake. With each passing second, the spins grew faster, the winds grew chillier, and the flecks of snow grew heavier. If Charmeleon's half of the garden was a garden of flames, than now Duster's was a garden of frost. This had sure stepped up a lot from Watson's big goofy stage fall, but none of the audience seemed to be complaining![break][break]

As Charmeleon charged forward, Duster thrust his bone forward. The icy winds rushed out to meet Charmeleon, slamming against his flames at full force. An ice type move against a fire type Pokemon wasn't going to be causing any massive damage, but there was more to the situation than just raw power. The winds pushed against Charmeleon's approach, blunting the impact of his charge, while the cold sapped away at the heat of its flames.[break][break]

Once the Blizzard was out of steam, and the Flare Blitz was reduced to a portion of its former strength, Duster went on the counter-offensive. He sheathed his bone like a samurai's blade, then charged forward towards Charmeleon. The two passed one another, flaming tackles and swiping bones colliding like a clash from an old movie.[break][break]

A heavy pause hung in the air as the two slid to a halt. And then Duster fell to one knee, catching himself on his bone.[break][break]

The secret was, no matter how perfect Duster's Focused Energy was, or how much oomph the Blizzard took out of Charmeleon's strike, there was only one way this clash would end. Duster's False Swipe couldn't KO Charmeleon even if he wanted to. But boy, did it do an amazing job at getting the audience wondering![break][break]

"Two KOs for the challenger! You're on a hot streak today, aren't you?" Isaac said. "But we'll see how your luck lasts against my strongest Pokemon, the leader of the bunch, the perfect defense unit herself. Give it up for . . . KIRYU!"[break][break]

No longer was she just the party chaperone. Now, Isaac's Aggron had entered the battlefield. She stomped the ground as she approached, pointed stones bursting from the ground with each step. They weren't aimed at Charmeleon, of course, but each was just close enough to get it working up a sweat.[break][break]

But how long could it dodge for like this?

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The Flare Blitz was fearsome indeed. As pointed stones criss-crossed around Charmeleon (just close enough to give the audience a thrill, just far enough to always be a step behind), Charmeleon just kept running. Unlike the Blizzard from earlier, nothing was there to stop Charmeleon's blaze. In fact, it burned brighter than before, outshining the campfire that was previously highlighting this battle.[break][break]

Unfortunately for Charmeleon, Kiryu was not as small as the other two. Rather than brace herself for the Flare Blitz, she let out a laugh and leaned right into it. She didn't even flinch, even as Charmeleon smashed into her at full force. It was as if she was daring him to do his worst.[break][break]

"You might be strong, champ in the making. But Kiryu's built different!" Isaac declared.[break][break]

Kiryu didn't even look to be breaking a sweat as she took the blow fill force, daring Charmeleon to see which of the two would back down first. Yet the more force Charmeleon put in, the more risk his own attack posed. With each passing moment, Kiryu started to glow whiter and whiter.[break][break]

It seemed no matter what, Charmeleon just couldn't put out enough oomph to topple this mountain. And if he didn't soon, the Metal Burst would be inevitable.

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Isaac's jaw dropped a little in shock as this goofy mock battle ended in a real-ass evolution. "Holy sh-" Children. "-mokes," Isaac said as Charmeleon turned into a full-fledged Charizard. The battle was white hot now! Maybe a little too white hot. Isaac quickly released Watson from his Pokeball, spraying to croc with a potion so that he could join Salamence and Aurorus' line of defense. A little bit of extra water never hurt anyone![break][break]

Kiryu pushed back best as she could, but the physical and metaphorical momentums were both on Charizard's side. Even as she made a big show of digging her heels in and leaning into the flow, he managed to overpower her and bring an end to this kaiju-sized sumo match.[break][break]

Had this been a real fight, Kiryu might have gotten back up. But this was slumber party dinner theater, and her role as monster heel had come to an end. Smiling peacefully, she splayed out on the ground, defeated.[break][break]

Silence fell. And then an eruption of cheers followed.[break][break]

"See? You called it from the start," Isaac said, all smiles as he approached Gerald and Anna. "You had this fight in the bag. And you even managed to get your Charizard to fully evolve! The heck's even next for you? Mega?" Oh god, Isaac, don't put ideas in her head![break][break]

He took the License to Party pin, offering it to Anna. "Here's your Party Badge. Make sure it's the first of many, okay? 'Cause I'm not losing to a quitter!" he joked.

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The kids were getting tired. Everyone's spirits were lifted. And there was even a surprise evolution on an up and coming young trainer's starter-to-be. This slumber party was a bigger success than Isaac could've hoped, and all it took was his most of energy and all of his dignity.[break][break]

He took advantage of everyone's fatigue to start cleaning up. A potioned up Kiryu and Duster helped Dhelmise do most of the heavy lifting, while Watson and Vivi followed in their footsteps and scattered water to tend to the poor lawn. Better late than never, right? "Phew! That was a heck of a night. Bet you're all just as tired as I am, huh?" Isaac asked. "Let's turn in, eh? Otherwise, you're all gonna miss the morning!"[break][break]

If there was anyone with pent up energy remaining, he'd guide them through making a little blanket fort to get the rest of it out of their system. But otherwise? It seemed like he and Gerald were finally at the light at the end of the tunnel. Once the lights were finally out and the show was finally over, he turned to the other Rocket. It was like all of the lights had gone out in Isaac's head. His posture went from bright and energetic to exhausted and about to flop over. Bags seemed to sprout from under his eyes. The smile on his face took a turn for the weary. Even his hair seemed to droop![break][break]

"We did it, huh?"

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Hey, no sweat," Isaac said, his attempt at a confident grin instead looking absolutely weary. "The kids were delights. And nothing even got too out of hand! Mostly."[break][break]

Isaac glanced towards the outside lawn, cringing a bit. "Oof. Sorry, bud. I've got a Combee that'll help patch that up for you?" he offered, his grin sheepish.[break][break]

That said, lawns were tomorrow's problem. Today's problem was the fact that both he and Gerald looked like death warmed over. At least Isaac's was disguised under, well, everything. But it still wasn't the ideal situation to be in! "Anyway," he said, his words getting swallowed up by a big yawn. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up. See you later." He turned, stepping away from his rocket companion and shooting a wave over his shoulder.[break][break]

Unfortunately, he made it a grand total of three steps before collapsing to the ground like a sack of potatoes. D'awwww. He's all tuckered out.

[break]