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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]And now Isaac was quite glad that he'd come without his game face on. A bunch of rare, valuable Pokemon swarming around an area while a Rocket grunt lurked on the fringes . . . there was no way someone as kind and caring and all around Good as Sawyer would understand.[break][break]

Besides, it would've sucked if he didn't get to say hi.[break][break]

"In the flesh," Isaac said, all smiles as he nudged Flapjack forward. Not too close. Just close enough to get into fistbump range, a target confirmed by Isaac's own outstretched hand. "Fancy seeing you here, now of all times. I don't think you're gonna be able to belly rub your way out of this mess!"[break][break]

When asked what he was doing here, Isaac simply leaned back and rested against Flapjack. "Well, when you're drifting on by, and you hear the next town you're stopping in is going to get turned into a chew toy, you tend to step up to the plate," Isaac said. "Not my usual. But I didn't train these guys just to be a bunch of loveable weirdos."[break][break]

Okay, so with all the risky business he'd tossed himself into, that was at least half a lie. But Ash didn't need to know the details and danger of his double life. "So! How are we doing this?" Isaac asked. "Two heads are better than one, after all.."[break][break]



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[attr="class","skullbody"]"That's what makes them precious," Isaac agreed, nodding sagely. "And it means when someone does try to mess with them, they're in for a hell of a surprise." Isaac was proof that great things could be hidden in small packages. Was it any surprise that his team was so similar? After all, Pokemon did so often resemble their trainers.[break][break]

Isaac was quick to shed his shirt as well, tossing it haphazardly onto the dock. He couldn't help but smile a little as Sushi's black cap was gingerly placed by them. "Seems my team's not the only quirky bunch, either," Isaac teased. "I've always wanted to spoil my Pokemon with a bunch of accessories. Maybe if I hit a big break on one of these jobs, I'll treat the team to a shopping spree. Though with how many I keep bumping into, that could take a while!" Seriously! He had a sword now! How the heck did you play dressup with a sword?[break][break]

Diving and pulling, eh? "Not a bad idea. Though, uh. Maybe we should try and grab some gloves before giving that a shot," Isaac suggested. Contrary to popular believe, sharks were not smooth. Neither were their previous evolutions. "We might stand a chance at not needing to deal with that if we can spook them away," he suggested. "But that might tricky if they're in such a big school. Numbers are power, and power is confidence. Man, I wish any of my Pokemon could kick up some ink . . ."[break][break]

Neither of them were the most versed in underwater combat. But, oh well. That just meant they'd figure it out as they went. Isaac released one more Pokemon, taking ahold of the Dhelmise that appeared by its anchor chain. "At the very least, I've got some insurance if this gets messy," Isaac said. Who needed to worry about rough skin when the only thing making combat was a big, unfeeling anchor?[break][break]

Ash brought insurance of his own to the table, and it was a rather smart plan. As he formed the Shaka sign, Isaac mimicked the gesture, giving it a little wave for emphasis. "Great plan. Beats trying to scream bubbles at each other," Isaac said. "So we've got some strategies, we've got some signals. Seems like we've got everything we need now. You ready?"[break][break]

As soon as Ash gave the signal, Isaac would give Flapjack a gentle pat on the back. On that cue the Mantine would dive down, down, down into the depths below.[break][break]



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[attr="class","skullbody"]They were well equipped, well protected, and had far more of a plan than Isaac had initially envisioned. Things were looking good here in Pacifidlog. Now all they had to do was not botch the execution and they'd be golden. How hard could it be, really? After all, they hadn't hit any snags so far![break][break]

It would seem at first that Ash and Isaac had beaten the swarm to the punch. The waters were cool, clear, and Sharpedo free on their end. For a second, Isaac wondered if he should just resurface to save his breath.[break][break]

Then he noticed a small, triangular stone drifting through the currents. He caught it, only to flinch a little when he felt the tip dig into his gloved hand. That wasn't a stone at all! That was a tooth. Were he fortunate, it would be the first of many found today. He pointed in the direction of the current, swimming towards it but keeping in Ash's eyesight.[break][break]

There were all the Sharpedo. They seemed to have followed a cold current down to the north side of town, a journey they celebrated the completion of with an all-you-can-eat lumber buffet. There were about ten of them already stacked up onto the wood, letting out happy grunts with each oversized bite.[break][break]

Extraction time indeed. Isaac, Dhelmise, and Watson each hung behind a Sharpedo, their strongest grabbing appendages at the ready. In but a moment, it would be time to start. Isaac waited for Ash to get into position, then held up three fingers for the countdown. Three, two, one . . .[break][break]

Oh, boy. For young Sharpedo, these guys had some bite force! Isaac's arms quivered as he tried to pry the Sharpedo's jaws off of ghe logs as if it was a vice. Watson, who grabbed with his fangs and pulled with his back, was having similarly poor luck. The only Pokemon to even dislodge one of the sharks was Dhelmise, who had to use an Anchor Shot on the ocean floor to basically fish the Sharpedo off of the side of the boat.[break][break]

Would Ash and his be any better suited to this uphill battle?



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[attr="class","skullbody"]Ha! That was the spirit! Isaac pumped a fist victoriously, then fired a thumbs up Ash's way. Those were some solid outside the box thinking skills, and now they were giving Isaac some ideas of his own. Sure, he didn't have anything as convenient as a sleep-inducing move, but . . .[break][break]

Watson paddled up to the side of his Sharpedo, dazing it with a loud, proud Screech. Its eyes went wide as the overwhelming sensation hit right in its ear. One it was done, Watson began prying with all of his might, taking advantage of its dazed, confused state to dislodge it from the it was posted on.[break][break]

Flapjack did similar, using a powerful sweep of its Wing Attack to displace some of the water in front of it. The attack was harmless, but it did get that little part of the floating town to start bobbing up and down a little. The bobbing motions tired the Sharpedo out the more intense they got, and soon Isaac had enough leverage to actually gain some ground with his prying.[break][break]

At this rate, they'd be cleaning this town up in no time! Screech, pull. Yawn, pull. Disorient, pull. Who needed a battle when you could just daze the enemy into giving up without a fight? And that meant so many Sharpedo baby teeth to collect. The hard, bony nubs drifted through the sea, Isaac scooping them into a waterproof bag every time one drifted his way. This was going perfectly. Maybe a little too perfectly, but he wasn't going to look the gift Mudsdale in the mouth.[break][break

A shame he was so awed by this well oiled machine that he didn't even notice the swarm gathering in the distance . . .

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[attr="class","skullbody"]It was just too easy. Isaac was already dual fisting little bags of Sharpedo teeth. The sleepy ones settled to the bottom of the sea floor, dozing off peacefully. The agitated ones instead swam off in a huff, clearly not interested in starting a fight. It made sense. Sharpedo tended to be surprisingly passive, and freshly evolved ones had spent way too much energy to want to tussle. Especially with them being handled one by one, any lingering swarm instinct couldn't be tapped into.[break][break]

Now, Carvanha? Those had an aggressive swarming instinct and a constant urge to prove themselves. Be a real shame if some of those showed up. Hey, wait, why was Ash shaka-ing so aggressively?[break][break]

Oh.[break][break]

Isaac immediately swam up to Watson and Dhelmise, tapping them rapidly to try and get their attention. Watson didn't even need to be told twice. Poor thing's eyes practically boggled out of his head as he bolted toward the surface. His legs and arms were a flailing mess, but against all odds he managed to hit a real quick stride and start tearing through the water.[break][break]

Dhelmise went to follow, but Isaac held out a hand to stop them. Instead he snapped his fingers, pointing right towards the Carvanha. The Dhelmise nodded, then started spinning around rapidly in a circle. At first, they didn't seem to be accomplishing anything. However, the currents around Ash and Isaac started speeding up in all sorts of different directions. Even Dhelmise's anchor appeared to be swiveling around in a circle.[break][break]

Soon, the currents intensified into a powerful whirlpool. Would it be enough to give them cover from the Carvanha? Isaac could only hope. He and Flapjack ascended, trying their damndest to catch up to Ash and Watson.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Watson let out a cheer as he and Sushi breached the surface, doing a little hoppy victory dance to really rub it in. Ha! Take that, water! Their trainers would be right behind them, too. Any minute now![break][break]

Any minute now.[break][break]

Oh no.[break][break]

Watson immediately broke into a panic, running around like a chicken with his head cut off at the thought of something happening to Isaac or Bongo's Isaac. A few seconds later, however, and panic turned into action. If they were in trouble down there, then they needed to be saved. But . . . by who? Or what?[break][break]

Two of Isaac's landlubber Pokeballs were still in his backpack. The one that smelled most like a friend would be his target for the day. Sure enough, out popped Duster. He went to bark a greeting Watson's way, only for Watson to snatch the thick bone club out of his paws and make a dive for the water.[break][break]

Not that Isaac wasn't already fighting the good fight. He saw red as the Carvanha latched onto Ash. But what could he even do? More were coming. And fast. With few other ideas in mind, Isaac flung himself in front of the other man. His arms were spread wide. His eyes blazed with fury. And he was fully ready to hold the line to prevent his friend from being eaten alive.[break][break]

Luckily, he didn't need to. Watson dove down just in time, smashing one of the incoming Carvanha on the snout with a whack of Duater's club. Then another. Then another. He rasped over to Dhelmise for the assist, who obliged by latching onto him with a Ppwer Whip. Fresh off of the currents of the Whirlpool, the duo basically turned into a blender, Watson using Dhelmise's whips like bungee cords to swing in and out of the fray in a flurry of flails and smashes.[break][break]

That just left one problem. The Carvanha on Ash's arm. If it kept pulling him down like this, it would be over. Isaac refused to let that happen. He patted Flapjack on the back, the Mantine nodding and swimming underneath Ash's feet. With its powerful flaps and sturdy skull, it would be more than capable of supporting Ash on his way out of the water. For extra assurance, Isaac left a Pokeball on the Mantine's back, pressing its release button before making his own way up.[break][break]

One they breached to the surface, the Carvanha would have a far harder time moving or even breathing. In addition, there would be another Pokemon looming behind Ash. A Pokemon who greatly enjoyed meeting him. A Pokemon who was a true apex predator of the seas, no longer denied his due by evolution or extinction.[break][break]

Letting out a gurgling war cry, Grimace sank his teeth into the Carvanha without a shred of pity or remorse.

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