[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo not me looking up the anatomy of a lighthouse for this

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Heave-ho! Floor number three, cleared! And still nobody the wiser. Heave . . . ho! Floor number four, cleared! And Isaac was feeling the burn. But it was slow, steady, and surprisingly subtle progress. So long as things continued the way they were going, he'd be in great shape for tonight's mission.[break][break]

Unfortunately, Isaac wasn't the only one scoping this lighthouse out. And his competition for the night was just flying up to the top of the lighthouse on the back of an Altaria. Hey, no fair! This was a total mismatch! If he had a Pokemon that could fly, he could've totally skipped out on all of this junk in the first place. But sadly, the most he could do was hover on Kiryu's back.[break][break]

Wait. Kiryu. That's it![break][break]

"Okay, guys. I really need you to trust me on this one," Isaac said. It was a lot easier said than done, considering Kiryu was currently being held aloft by Dhelmise's Power Whips and Anchor Shop like a marionette on strings. The expression on her face was unreadable. Nevertheless, as Isaac hit her with the big, sad eyes, she knew she had to give his idea just this one shot.[break][break]

"Step 1, get yourself supercharged with Magnet Rise!" Kiryu started to pulse a soft yellow color, static electricity crackling from her magnetic plates. "Step 2, I'm gonna need you to pull back as hard as possible, Dhelmise." The ball of seaweed that was barely recognizable as Dhelmise began to retract its anchors and vines alike, hefting Kiryu into the air like a slingshot. It wasn't the strongest pull, considering the weight difference between the two, but it was something.[break][break]

"Step 3! Kiryu, Autotomize! Dhelmise, let 'er rip!"[break][break]

Isaac pointed to the roof of the lighthouse, calling his shot. Dhelmise slung Kiryu into the air, and as it let go Kiryu shed many of her metallic plates. The net result was about a quarter to a third of Kiryu's weight being shed off, simultaneously pushing back against her with an equally-polarized magnetic charge. It was like a rocket ship shedding its afterburners; the Autotomized plates careened down to earth at great speeds as Kiryu and Isaac were flung high, high, high into the air.[break][break]

Isaac already regretted his decision. Now he knew how a Pyukumuku felt, because it felt like he'd left all of his organs at the bottom of the lighthouse. He clutched Kiryu's horns for dear life, both of them screaming from a mix of adrenaline and pure, unadulterated terror. Not that he could even hear his own screams; the deafening roar of the wind around him was swallowing up any and all sounds, at least from his perspective. It was a nightmare.[break][break]

And it was already over. Mere seconds after getting the hangtime they sought, Isaac and Kiryu were plummeting back to Earth. They hadn't quite made the roof, but they were close. So close that now Kiryu was the one with the idea.[break][break]

Isaac let out a surprised squeak as he felt a pair of strong claws around his back. And then, before he knew it, he was hurtling through the air once more.[break][break]

Part of him wanted to yell at Kiryu for risking herself so recklessly. Part of him was thrilled that his goal was finally in sight. Part of him just wanted to stop the ride so he could get off. But the last part of him, and the part that prevailed in the end, remembered that he had a Pokeball. He fumbled for it in midair, aiming it at Kiryu and returning her to the safety of the ball before she could fall. Ha! Victory was thei-[break][break]

Ow. Okay, so the part where he landed at the top of the lighthouse and tumbled around like a sack of potatoes wasn't ideal. But he still made it. "Fuck you, gravityyyy!" he wheezed, somewhat deliriously, as Dhelmise appeared in a puff of shadows next to him. "Hey buddy, welcome back from the shadow realm. Find the Ampharos' room on the way up?" As always, the answer was nothing more than ominous hovering. "That's the spirit. C'mon, let's go!" He pressed himself up to his feet, making a mental note to buy new ribs when this was over, and started making his way over to where the Ampharos dwelled.

[break]

[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo isaac better post UP!!!

[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo [break]anna does something schtewpid too [break]slowking uses psychic[break]
altaria is just being a big magpie and diving at them to distracc

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"You sure the party's ruined?" Isaac asked, the smirk on his face turning up a little. " 'Cause I'm pretty sure you just kicked off the dance."[break][break]

Now, Isaac expected a lot of things from this situation. But he sure didn't expect Annalise to try and kick Duster! Clearly, Duster didn't either, because her foot clonked him right on the helmet. He glared, rubbing his head, and shot Isaac That Look. A shake of Isaac's head was the only response, Duster got. Shame.[break][break]

But Isaac had more important things to worry about than Duster's bruised ego. Another Pokeball had hit the ground, and that was the real focus for the night. He whistled and nudged his head towards it, giving Dhelmise all the signal it needed to practically dive on top of the ball before it opened. It was good intuition on Isaac's part; the resulting Slowking, rather than being able to freely aim at Duster, would instead have most of its psionic blast soaked up by a pile of angry seaweed.[break][break]

The Dhelmise returned the favor by spinning in place, lashing at the Slowking with one vicious Power Whip after the other. However, this wasn't just meant as offense. The angry Duster shouldered past Annalise, running right towards its rapidly spinning compatriot. It clasped one of the Power Whips on the way down, taking advantage of the following upswing to sail through the skies right towards Altaria.[break][break]

Maybe Annalise thought she had an idea of what to expect from this encounter. But did she expect rapid spins of the Cubone's club to kick up a storm of icy winds, intensifying into a Blizzard aimed point blank at the dive bombing Altaria?[break][break]

Such was Isaac's trust in his team that he didn't even turn to face the Altaria as it descended. Instead, he simply kept his conversation with Annalise up. "I think you had it wrong, though. These are much more fun partners," he said, continuing this increasingly tortured metaphor.[break][break]

Perhaps he could have closed the gap towards Annalise and join the fight himself. However, he instead kept standing there, occasionally glancing at the fights going on around him. "Had a feeling this was going to be some kind of wellness check," he admitted. "Believe it or not, that's just another way we're doing the same thing. Only difference is, you're just here to help with the here and now. But me?"[break][break]

The Rocket's voice sobered up. "If things go my way, I'm making sure it'll never have these problems ever again."

[break]

[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo [break]slowking uses amnesia, then disable[break]
altaria uses sky attack

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]It turns out that a Dhelmise without its algal whips isn't really much of a Dhelmise at all. With the inability to stretch its vines out, it had become little more than a ball of seaweed dangling off of an anchor. As if scandalized by its appearance, its ominous hovering picked up a little speed. Then, right before everyone's eyes, it slowly started to fade away.[break][break]

The bad news was that it turned the battle into a 2v1 for a bit. The good news was that Dhelmise didn't intend on taking an overly long detour into the shadow realm. From the safety of the next dimension, it spun in circles around the Slowking, as if trying to pick the most unpredictable angle of attack. Then, as soon as it could re-manifest, it burst from the shadows to slam into Slowking while covered in a menacing aura of Phantom Force.[break][break]

Duster wasn't having a much easier time. The ineffectual dive proved to be anything but; it was simply a Sky Attack building up momentum. The Cubone let out a pained shot as it was driven into the hard, metal floors of the observation deck, buried under a mass of frozen fluff and feathers. Still gritting his teeth, he grabbed fistfuls of splintered metal from the impact and Flung them at the Altaria. Damnit, he couldn't fight proper with this thing sitting on him like that![break][break]

They weren't the only ones feeling the impact. Isaac and Annalise each buckled some as the observation deck let out a weary groan. Isaac tried to plant his stance, but he too gave way and grabbed onto the railing. "You're one to talk! Are you trying to get us both killed?" Isaac asked. "I knew you rangers were the diehard type, but this is ridiculous."[break][break]

The girl had taken Isaac's statement in the worst possible way. Already annoyed at her as he was, it was easy for him to glower and bristle under his mask. "I'm not the one keeping Ampharoses in cages here," he said, slowly righting himself against the railing. "We're already standing on it's cage. I'm here to set it free. Send it back to the wild, where these fat cats can't keep taking advantage of it."[break][break]

He averted his eyes a little, staring down at his belt of Pokeballs. "I'd do more, if I could. But on a mission this high-profile . . ."

[break]

[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo [break]slowking uses heal pulse on altaria, then faints![break]
altaria uses sing

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]With Slowking fallen, Dhelmise allowed itself a little bit of ominous floating to savor the moment. It then slowly, surely swiveled towards the Altaria, its anchor swishing back and forth with curiosity.[break][break]

Perhaps it was a good thing that the sturdy ghost was pondering joining the fray. Altaria's lullaby hit Duster right in the heart, the Flings growing increasingly weak and inaccurate before finally coming to a stop. Soon, the Cubone was out like a light, his bone slipping from his slack hand and rolling to his side.[break][break]

Isaac turned, preparing to try and whistle the Cubone awake, but after taking such a heavy hit from the Altaria, Isaac knew he'd be low on steam. Something in his gaze softened; was it the lullaby at work? "That's okay. We've got it from here. Rest up, buddy," Isaac said. His voice was so tender and quiet that it almost didn't sound like the same grunt Annalise was fighting.[break][break]

He raised an arm - softly, with little strain, because the lullaby was already making him feel like he'd been hit with a light dose of muscle relaxant - and recalled the Cubone back into its Pokeball. With that, he turned to Annalise, ready to fend off her latest string of accusations.[break][break]

"If I thought you'd just believe me, do you really think we'd be fighting right now?" Isaac asked. "And I wouldn't have slipped another Pokeball behind you as extra insurance, either." There wasn't one. But Isaac had to see if she'd check. Not only was it useful intel, but it also would've been funny.[break][break]

"Look. Believe me. If the roles were flipped, I wouldn't trust me, either," Isaac admitted. "hell. I'd be lying if I said I trusted you all the way. Yeah, sure, you're a Ranger. That's you guys' thing. But that means you're working within the League's system, playing by the League's rules. And that doesn't work when someone's keeping their bad behavior on the right side of the law."[break][break]

It was time to meet the fat cats. "Haven't you noticed how much activity this lighthouse has been getting lately? It's on night after night, no signs of stopping, no signs of rest, no signs of even a moment's break," Isaac said. "Harune Azuma. Current owner of the lighthouse. Inherited it from his grandparents a few months ago. They were a kindly old couple. Harune? Far from it. Since he's taken over, more and more shipments coming to the lighthouse. More than it can handle, I'd argue. And it's only gotten worse since the barrier. Far as I can tell, he'd work that damn Ampharos to death if it meant squeezing the last profits out of a region in fear."[break][break]

As he spoke, his speaking slowed, and he had to keep pausing to find off yawns. It was to the point where he visibly bit his cheek to force himself to keep going. Damnit, he had to hang in there![break][break]

"Since he took over, he's been bringing tons of money into the region. Lines most of it into his own damn pockets, of course, but the League always takes what it can skim off these mogul types. You really think they're gonna pass all that up, risk Harune taking his money and refusing to play ball, just for a Pokemon in pain?"[break][break]

The more Isaac spoke, the more the anger in his voice gave way to bitterness. This was never the fight he wanted to pick; the actual one was far bigger than he was, but at least he could try and bloody it's nose. Compared to that, what was this Pokemon battle going to accomplish? Just tiring the two of them out? Because it was sure succeeding![break][break]

With how his lullaby-worn body slumped against the light house's guard railing, it was clear he'd chosen talking over battling. At least, as much as he was able. "But if you still don't believe me? Ask Dhelmise."

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[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo[break]we do a little looking away from a potential murder as a treat

[attr="class","annalooc"] + lights out Isaac Merlo