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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Keeping his head down was surprisingly easy for Isaac. After all, when the mask was off, he was as unassuming as they came. Short, slender, and with fairly youthful features, he didn't really stick out as a big threat. Contrary to what those who were close to him might think, he was also quite used to shutting up and moving along when the moment called for it. Those made him naturally quite stealthy; his belief that nothing good ever came of looking for trouble was just the icing on the cake.[break][break]

And yet, trouble just loved looking for him.[break][break]

The hustlers in Slateport were like Sharpedo on the prowl. They could smell your fear like blood in the water, and if they got a whiff shaking them was impossible. That must've been what got them surrounding a wall like a Swalot engulfing its meal, forming a literal barrier of flesh and tacky outfits. Only the occasional flash of bright orange provided a hint of who their prey might be.[break][break]

This wasn't his problem.[break][break]

He could just keep walking.[break][break]

He probably should.[break][break]

And yet.[break][break]

Isaac let his Pokeball drop behind his shoulder, letting his nonchalant walk change from his shield to his sword. After all, the strongest weapon was one nobody saw coming. The ball rolled behind him, one second, two seconds, three, before coming to rest at the back of a hustler's heel.[break][break]

Soon, the wall of bodies had a new member; an Aggron, who loomed over the rest and cast them in shadow.[break][break]

She didn't call much attention to herself at first. Instead, she gave the lost girl that they were surrounding a gentle, craggy smile. There was a warmth to her eyes, despite her imposing size, that she hoped would at least stop the girl from having yet another fright. Maybe, just this once, she'd know that someone was on her side.[break][break]

That was Kiryu being nice. The grifters and lowlives? They wouldn't get such kindness.[break][break]

With a stomp of her massive foot, Kiryu practically demanded the group's attention. If she didn't get it, she would take it by force, grabbing for the most important looking member of the group so that they'd have to turn around and face her. Once their attention was hers, she would simply glower down at them. Her eyes that had looked so warm before were now burning with a hateful intensity.[break][break]

Maybe the grifters had Pokemon. Maybe they didn't. But their Pokemon would be in their balls, and the furious Aggron was already in arms reach. Not good odds.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Kiryu simply folded her arms as the dregs scattered, watching closely to make sure that they all left. Yep. There was nothing but shadows stretching away from the street now. Content that her job was done, she turned to face the poor girl, who . . . still looked terrified. Oops.[break][break]

Looking down at her frankly massive body, Kiryu coughed awkwardly. Then, inspiration lit up her eyes. She shifted in place, the plates lining her hide grinding against each other as she shifted into a sitting position. With her comparatively small leg to body mass ratio, she was still a good bit taller than the poor girl, even with this attempt at shrinking herself down. But it was the thought that counted.[break][break]

Her human had tried to walk off, but conscience left him lingering just enough to make sure that the lost girl was okay. That meant he was the next target of her fearful eyes. She shook and pushed herself against the wall, nervously stammering that she didn't have any money.[break][break]

Hearing this, Isaac rooted around in his bag as if looking for something. Unfortunately, no luck; an empty chocolate bar wrapper, an empty package of cookies, an apple core, an empty bag of chips, a very full, contented, and sleepy Watson. "Of course," Isaac muttered as he returned the mischievous Totodile back into its Pokeball. A sheepish smile spread across his face as he turned back to the girl. "I was going to try and offer you a snack to help with that, but I think I just ran out."

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Well, yeah," Isaac said, a bit of confusion in his voice. "You just said you didn't have any money, right? So I figured that'd at least help you out a bit. Especially cause I've usually got plenty to spare. Usually." Oh, Watson.[break][break]

That begged the question of what Isaac wanted here. And, well, it was certainly a good one. "Huh? That's a weird question," Isaac said. "Why would I want anything from you? Not like I know you or anything." Was Isaac playing dumb here? Between this question and the last one, maybe a little. But if he could at least convince this poor girl that he wasn't a threat . . .[break][break]

Why was he even doing that, again? The plan was to just spook off some creeps and walk away. What the girl thought of him didn't matter in the slightest. But when he saw the fear in those big ol' eyes, and the way she was shaking against that wall . . .[break][break]

Isaac needed to stop looking at people. It gave them too much power.[break][break]

". . . Any of those creeps hurt you?" he found himself asking.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]True cirme, eh? Honestly, if it hadn't been for the fact that the poor girl had just been accosted by a mob of creeps, Isaac would've rolled his eyes. However, he'd be lying if he said she didn't have good reason to be shaken up. Trying to convince someone there wasn't anything to fear was a lot harder when their fears were just proven.[break][break]

He waved off her apology, a good natured grin on his face. "Nah, I get it. You just had a rough scare. And I probably didn't help much by having a giant monster for s first impression. No offense," he said, glancing over to Kiryu. The Aggron huffed at him, putting her hands on her hips in semi-exaggerated frustration. "It'd be a real dick move to blame you for having your guard up after all that."[break][break]

Besides, now his guard was up, too. If he saw a Rocket who tried that shit in the Sub, he made a mental note to break their legs.[break][break]

He couldn't help but snicker at the idea of him as a Rocket thug, though. Partly because it was true! But also partly because the mental image of him as some big, buff street tough was hilarious. "Good to know my face isn't that scary," he joked, waving away the mental image of himself with some thuggish hamburger face.[break][break]

So this was Priscilla, huh? A self identified moderately nice looking woman and moneyless true crime . . . fan? With how shaken up she was,istening to those couldn't be good for her. "And I'm Isaac," he said in return. "Nice to meet you. And to see that you're doing okay, at least."[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullbody"]It didn't seem like the whole no money thing was an excuse. The girl's clothes were worn down in ways that suggested they were the best options she had. Between that and the perpetual sense of anxious urgency in her voice . . .[break][break]

She was suggesting he leave now. Get back on with his busy, busy life. Frankly, Isaac'd be lying if he said he wasn't busy. After one to two months of more lowkey onboarding, Rocket and fate conspired to make June a mess of a month for him. He barely had a chance to breathe most days. And now here he was, on his day off, skulking around town intimidating unaffiliated creeps. Yes, getting back to some rest would do him some good.[break][break]

But what good would it do this girl? The creeps weren't stopped. They were spooked. For all he knew, they were just waiting for Kiryu to leave so they could get even, and-[break][break]

Ugh. Now he was the one who sounded like a true crime podcast.[break][break]

Damnit. This was why he never stuck around when the job was done. The dangerous missions were bad enough. Everyone had a sob story, even the worst of the worst. Hell, half the people over in Rocket did. Busting up some unsanctioned drug deal was a lot more fun before they started talking about how they needed that money to pay for their kids' colleges or their Pokemon's medicine or their Almian butt lift this year.[break][break]

But worse than that were the thankful ones. Most wouldn't admit it to the League's face, but when Rocket cracked some heads to keep citizens safe? They were thankful. Some looked at them like they were heroes. And that, to Isaac, was a thousand times worse.[break][break]

Yet here he was. He made the mistake of lingering around, and now he couldn't just walk away. "It's fine," he said, shrugging a little. "Not like I'm really in a hurry. 'Sides, maybe I can help you get to wherever you're heading. Safety in numbers."[break][break]

Ugh. Idiot. She just got cornered by a bunch of strange men. Sure, she seemed at least semi-comfortable, but probably not let a stranger guide her home comfortable. "Or at least, you could borrow Kiryu for a bit. She's good at getting trouble running for the hills." Slowly, cautiously, he slipped a hand into his pocket, then pulled out Kiryu's Pokeball and offered it to the girl. It'd probably be less intimidating for her than having an unattended kaiju shadowing her.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]It was clear that the girl was more fearful than Isaac thought. Even the mobbing she'd been rescued from didn't quite seem to explain this level of lingering shock. Just what had happened to her in the past?[break][break]

Whatever the case, having a stranger lingering around wouldn't be much help. He did a wellness check. He offered to keep an eye out for her. That was really all he could do. Just went to show what he always knew, deep in the back of his mind. You couldn't help everyone every time. Better not to get twisted up in knots over it.[break][break]

Okay, sure. So Isaac was slipping a hand back into his pocket, shuffling most of his money and identifying info from his wallet into his pocket on the down-lo. But sleight of hand totally didn't count as overt attempts at helping, dangit. It was completely different![break][break]

"If you're sure," Isaac said, offering a slight smile. "You keep safe, okay? C'mon, Kiryu." With that, Isaac turned to leave, Kiryu rising back onto her feet and following after.[break][break]

One step.[break][break]

Two step.[break][break]

Three![break][break]

Right on cue, Isaac twisted his pocketed hand, knocking his wallet right out of his pocket. With his IDs, personal info, and most of the money already taken out, it would just be a little bit of spare cash. Depending on Priscilla's tastes, it'd be enough for a meal or two.[break][break]

Maybe she'd take it. Maybe she wouldn't. But this time, Isaac wasn't going to peek and overstay his welcome.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]It was the perfect plan. Being out of the public eye meant there was no pressure not to take the wallet. Even if the girl was a total goody-two-shoes, she seemed way too anxious to actually approach again. And if it was a trap, all he'd lose was some money he could make back next job. Not like he had any more motorcycles he needed to buy, after all. It was foolproof! He'd considered every angle![break][break]

Wait, what was that sound?[break][break]

A flash of flailing green arms and a shock of orange hair rushed towards Isaac. Instinctively, he reached out to catch the blur, oy to do a double take when he realized who had just faceplanted into him.[break][break]

He couldn't believe his luck. Not only had Priscilla actually went this way, but she also caught up to him. And now she, too, was paying the price for a deed well done; she'd tripped over Kiryu's tail, which sent her running into Isaac's arms. Literally. If it wasn't for the fact that she was so tiny, she probably would've body slammed right into him.[break][break]

What else could Isaac do upon seeing this but laugh in disbelief. "Okay, we have to stop meeting like this," he said, lighthearted humor covering up his genuine confusion at the whole situation. Was the whole damn region plagued with Absols? When did Hoenn becomes such a hotbed of dramatic irony?[break][break]

Nevertheless, he made sure not to keep her caught for too long, setting her back on her feet right after. "You do know you weren't actually supposed to return that, right?" he asked.

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