MARCH UPDATE

949 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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4,329 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 1, 2022 5:11:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Okay. Isaac didn't go here often, but he was 99% sure the water wasn't supposed to be that color.[break][break]

Hoenn was almost famous for its clear, crisp seas. Not even the apocalypse could change that fact. Yet this time, something was a little bit off. Most of the water was still that beautiful sparkling blue. However, as Isaac patrolled the seas of Route 126, he noticed what appeared to be a cloud billowing beneath the surface of the water. Flecks of green, brown, and purple drifted within the cloud, and a noxious odor left Isaac's nose wrinkling.[break][break]

One of the Wishiwashi in Shiver's swarm drifted towards the cloud, sniffing at it curiously. The second it strayed too close, it flipped belly up, laying fainted at the water's surface. "Yeah, no. Nobody else do that," Isaac said. Whatever this cloud was, it looked fresh. Whoever left it back here must have been nearby. "C'mon, Shiver. Seems like we've got a mystery on our hands."[break][break]

The Wishiwashi swarm parted, making room for Isaac to hide among them. Once he was nestled within, they dove beneath the waves, now little more than a shadow lurking beneath the water's surface. They had their plan, they had their approach. Now all they needed was their culprit.[break][break]

Little did Isaac know, he wasn't the only one hunting this culprit down. As he prowled the other side of the route, sitting atop a Tentacruel, an all too familiar Ranger would be in hot pursuit . . .

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

612 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Oct 3, 2022 21:08:10 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Not long after Isaac's descent, a Lapras swam toward the cloud, carrying a Ranger on her back. She came to a stop when she caught a whiff of something noxious and crooned out her discomfort. Julia wrinkled her nose, then used two fingers to plug it. "Ugh, is it supposed to smell like this?" Probably not, but Julia didn't have much experience in this particular part of Hoenn. Honestly, being this close to the Rocket-controlled Sootopolis made her a bit nervous, but with reports of a lone poacher in these parts, it was Julia's job as a Ranger to check things out.

[break][break]Cautiously, Lazuli swam forward, letting Julia get a better view of the source of the stench. There was a dark cloud flecked with green, brown, and purple billowing beneath the waves. Shapes floated up inside and around it and breached the surface. Julia's eyes widened when she realized they were fainted—hopefully just fainted—Pokémon, then narrowed with her anger. This must have been the work of that poacher.

[break][break]"Come on, Lazuli," Julia whispered. "Whoever did this has gotta be nearby."

[break][break]Lazuli let out a quiet, plaintive hum at the plight of these poor Pokémon. Despite her trainer's orders, she summoned a few droplets of Life Dew to aid them. They stirred and tried to swim away from the cloud, but they were too weak to make it far before they fainted again. Julia frowned and patted Lazuli's neck, and the Lapras finally turned away and began to swim.

[break][break]On the other side of the route, they spotted someone riding a Tentacruel in the distance. It was hard to tell from here, but it looked like he was fiddling with... something. Julia being Julia, she didn't want to immediately assume that this man was the culprit, so she swam a bit closer before calling out: "Excuse me! Have you seen—?"

[break][break]The man jerked his head around at her call. That was suspicious-looking enough, but then he looked downright panicked when he saw Julia's Ranger uniform. "Shit! Book it, Tentacruel!"

[break][break]Either this was her culprit or Julia was about to nab a two-for-one criminal special. Lazuli wasn't the fastest swimmer, but she did have a few tricks up her shell. "This way!" she called, commanding Lazuli to swim at an angle to the retreating man. "Cut him off with Ice Beam!"

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 1:20:59 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Lazuli's Ice Beam arced across the surface of the water, turning the Tentacruel's only exit into an iceberg-riddled mess. It lacked the physical strength to just push through the surface ice, and trying to squeeze past any of these miniature glaciers would just end up tearing its cap to shreds. This was not a good predicament to be in.[break][break]

Desperation shining in his eyes, the culprit had an idea. "Up and at 'em, Tentacruel!" he ordered, the Tentacruel gripping onto one of the frozen patches and hoisting itself onto it. Its tentacles wobbled unstably underneath it, not even their suction cupped surfaces able to stand up to the ice. But it was able to take a few shaky steps down the ocean, hoping to gain as much ground as possible before the Lapras cornered him.[break][break]

Wait. Was that a shadow beneath the ice?[break][break]

A massive, blue and white fist shot up from beneath the waves, breaking through the ice and sending both the Tentacruel and its rider sprawling back. Its tentacles flailed in a panic as it tried not to fall off of the ice. The mysterious blue fist had no mercy for its plight. Instead, Wishiwashi proceeded to launch themselves out from the fist, their razor-tipped scales slicing at the jellyfish Pokemon's hide in a perfectly executed Scale Shot.[break][break]

The Tentacruel's footing was far too unstable for it to handle such a barrage. It fell back into the water, barely managing to hold onto its trainer before he drifted away. Tentacruel glowered at its mysterious new foe, but its trainer seemed much more concerned with the Ranger that was rapidly gaining on them. "We don't got time to gawk, ya mook!" he protested. Make a break for it before that chick sinks this operation!"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

612 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Oct 9, 2022 22:26:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Yes!" Julia whispered to herself when the Tentacruel hesitated at the icy barrier. But then it hoisted itself onto the icy patch and shakily began to walk across it with its tentacles. "Not yes! Hurry, Lazuli!" Lazuli let out a cry and pedaled her fins as fast as she could.

[break][break]Okay, so her plan to cut off his escape route hadn't quite worked out. Maybe if she just kept freezing the path, she could slow him down enough to catch up? No, that probably wouldn't work with the angles she'd need. Would Lazuli's Sing be loud enough to lull the poacher and his mount to sleep? Maybe a Confuse Ray would work? Or—

[break][break]CRASH!

[break][break]... Or a giant fist could break through the ice?

[break][break]"Wha—?!" Julia exclaimed. Lazuli startled to a stop at the sight. Small shapes launched out of the hand; they were Wishiwashi! Maybe they were defending their home. What a heck of a way to do it!

[break][break]"Let's go, Lazuli!" Thanks to the friendly fist toppling the dastardly duo, Julia had an opening. With a more upbeat cry, Lazuli charged forward, spraying surf behind her. The combination of the ice and the fish punch got Julia just close enough for another order: "Use Confuse Ray!"

[break][break]Lazuli sang out a warbling note, and several colorful orbs of light danced out of her mouth toward the Tentacruel. The poacher tried to get the Pokémon to move out of the way, but it couldn't tear its glare away from the Wishiwashi in time. The lights bobbed up and down in circles around its head, all but forcing its eyes to follow until they were spinning.

[break][break]"Dammit, snap out of it!" the poacher growled. "Oh, for the love of—Sludge Wave 'em!"

[break][break]The Tentacruel gurgled, trying to summon enough poison in its beak, but the confusion was making that difficult. If the Wishiwashi wanted to go in for another strike, their foe was wide open.

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 15, 2022 21:36:22 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Now, let's Beat 'em Up!"[break][break]

Was that a muffled voice coming from inside the Wishiwashi colony? It was hard to tell, especially as the Tentacruel's distressed gurgling grew louder by the moment. Yet one thing was clear; the Wishiwashi colony was starting to shift, fingers peeling off of its fist-shaped body one by one.[break][break]

Colonies launched from the water in every direction, each forming the shape of a different Water type Pokemon. A Dracovish shaped colony gnashed down on the Tentacruel from behind, holding it back so a Blastoise shaped colony could knock it silly with a shoulder bash. A Totodile shaped colony burst from the Blastoise, smashing it back down to the water with a claw swipe. Mantine and Dhelmise shaped colonies emerged from each side, an anchor swing and a heavy flap catching the Tentacruel on each side to leave its head ringing.[break][break]

The other Wishiwashi returned to the main colony, which began to part like the Venus de Milo's seashell. However, Julia wouldn't see a beautiful a goddess standing atop the platform of fish. Instead, she'd see a dear old foe of hers, the masked-up Isaac grinning cockily as he surveyed the battlefield. "Nice moves," he said, glancing down to their flustered target as he tried to hang onto his Tentacruel. "We got this creep right where we want him."[break][break]

"You wish! C'mon, Tentacruel. Dive on outta here!" the man said. He gave his Tentacruel a gently slap on the side, sending the jellyfish launching out of the ocean. Its mushroom-like head angled downwards, sharpening out like a torpedo to try and jackknife through the water.[break][break]

Just one problem with that plan. The big lug missed, slamming down onto a patch of ice in its confusion. Tumbling tentacle-over-teakettle, the Tentacruel dipped between the waves, then bobbed motionless up to the surface. Isaac's smirk only widened as the man clung to his Pokemon, now helpless before him and Julia.[break][break]

Of course, a proper interrogation required both parties to be on the same page.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

612 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Oct 18, 2022 17:44:25 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Huh?" Did Julia hear a voice just now? It wasn't the poacher; he was still groaning in frustration. Either way, the Wishiwashi that made up the fingers peeled away from the rest of the colony. They converged into the shapes of different Water-type Pokémon that all smacked the Tentacruel silly. Julia couldn't help but grin. "Cool."

[break][break]But when the school parted, the person she saw inside made her eyes widen with shock. "You?!"

[break][break]The poacher commanded his Tentacruel to Dive. "Oh no, you don't!" Julia called. She reached for a certain Poké Ball on her belt, ready to Dive right after him... only for the Tentacruel to bob, motionless, back to the surface with his rider still clinging to him.

[break][break]The poacher looked between the two. "Uh-oh."

[break][break]But Julia's attention was back on the masked interloper. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 18, 2022 22:04:52 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Me," Isaac repeated, a smirk spreading across his face.[break][break]

It was becoming abundantly clear to the Tentacruel's owner that he'd stumbled into the middle of something. As Julia stared Isaac down, he tried to sneak away from the situation, using his passed-out Pokemon as a flotation raft. His movements were subtle. His splashing was quiet. His captors were distracted. This was his time![break][break]

Wait. Who just blotted out the sun? The man blinked a few times as he was cast into the darkness, wondering if he even wanted to risk looking over his shoulder. Before he could, something grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. A Blastoise had emerged from the waves, and was now holding up the runaway crook like yesterday's garbage. So much for that plan.[break][break]

At Julia's question, Isaac just shrugged. "Ain't it obvious?" he asked. "Patrolling the seas. They're in need of some cleaning up, wouldn't you say? After all, we've got a big piece of trash on our hands right here." Ouch. Now that was just harsh. But considering the man was ass-blasting pollution into the waters of Route 126 for . . . reasons? The assessment was warranted overall.[break][break]

"But I'm sure you're not working alone. That right, buddy?" Isaac asked, Shiver carrying him towards the Blastoise-carried crook. The crook responded by simply glaring at Isaac. "Really doing the whole quiet type shtick, huh? Ugh. Shoulda figured."[break][break]

He looked over his shoulder, calling towards Julia. "Shit, which one of us is the bad cop here?" Isaac asked. "I mean, I'm sure I'm the bad guy in your books. But you're the one that can actually throw the book at him. Feels like kind of a toss-up to me."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

612 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Oct 20, 2022 21:47:33 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Even though saying "Me" in response to "You?" was totally something Julia would do (albeit with a lot more pep and playful smiling), seeing this masked man do it with a smirk just made Julia grumpy.

[break][break]It took way too long for her brain to catch up with what was happening. Blackjack, a Rocket, was saying the seas needed to be cleaned up. And he wasn't even talking about ejecting someone like Julia from the outskirts of Rocket territory but, rather, someone putting some kind of Pokémon-fainting pollutant in the water. And now, he was interrogating the poacher while his Blastoise (at least, Julia hoped it was his and not some kind of backup's) held the would-be runaway by the back of his shirt. She reflexively felt offended at Blackjack's use of "trash" until she remembered, oh yeah, this guy literally poisoned the water, so he kinda sucked!

[break][break]"There's no good cop or bad cop here!" Julia said when she mostly had the situation sorted in her brain. "And not just 'cause you're basically the opposite of a cop! Heck, I'm surprised you're not helping this guy with his gross poison cloud." She crossed her arms and gave the poacher an unamused look. "Lemme guess, you're doing some 'fishing' for rare Pokémon?" If she was trying to be the good cop, she wasn't doing a very good job of it.

[break][break]"I don't gotta tell you nothin'," the poacher said. "'Sides, looks like you've got beef with this guy. I don't wanna get between you two."

[break][break]"Hey, I can totally have beef with you and this guy!" It was a bit of a relief that Blackjack wasn't working together with this man, because then Julia would be in a 2-on-1. At least with a battle royale situation, she had more of a fighting chance if things got ugly. But why weren't they on the same side? Poisoning the water totally seemed like a Rocket thing to do.

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 20, 2022 22:29:33 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]No good cop or bad cop here? Isaac gave Julia a soulful look. "Hey, don't be so down on yourself," he said. "I, for one, think you're a very good cop." The best part was that Isaac genuinely meant it. What could he say? He had a bit of a soft spot for Julia.[break][break]

Though she sure seemed out to test that theory! Isaac's smile dropped at the suggestion that he would ever try something like that. "People drink out of this water. Pokemon live in it. And an overdose poison like this could ruin that for a long, long time," he said, his voice taking a turn for the sober. "Think what you will about Rocket. But me? This is where I draw the line."[break][break]

It wasn't like this was all altruism. To a degree, it was just plain logic. Rockets needed to drink too. And while they were all too happy to exploit natural resources, salting the earth like this fucked it up for everyone. But frankly, Isaac didn't give a damn what Rocket thought about this. In his books this was inexcusable, and for that reason he took this mission with relish.[break][break]

At the mention of beef, Isaac snorted a little. "No beef for me, thanks. Loaded up on the way here, couldn't eat another bite," he teased. "Unlike a certain crook, who clearly bit off more than he could chew." Toto hoisted the man up so Isaac could lean in and get a good look at him. The guy was putting up a tough facade, but having Isaac's skull masked face right up to his own got his eyes milling away. Once Isaac had the response he wanted, Shiver pulled him back away.[break][break]

"How cute. You think you have a choice."[break][break]

This guy was going to be between him and Julia whether he wanted to be or not. And while Julia wasn't so keen on being good cop or bad cop, Isaac knew their interrogation styles would be very different anyway. "I'll be real with you, buddy. I couldn't care less why you did this. No, no. Give the nice lady over there your sob story when she's hauling you to . . . fuck, I dunno. Ranger Jail?"[break][break]

"Nah. What I care about's results. This wasn't the only spot of pollution in the water. And with how slowly you've been farting around on that Tentacruel, something tells me you're not a lone op. You the ringleader? Or are you just patsy #7?"[break][break]

"Nope. Ain't saying shi-" the man started, only to be cut off by the snap of Isaac's fingers. Toto's cannons started to fizz and froth, the droplets dribbling from them a perfect match for the droplets of sweat that started dripping down the man's brow. [break][break]

It was a tense standoff, broken only when a little dab of seafoam landed on the man's face. Nervously, he recoiled away from the cannons, looking less at Julia and Isaac and more at Toto. "Alright, alright, alright! There's three of us, okay? And if you keep wasting time on me, the other two'll be done in no time! So just put me down, okay? C'mon!"[break][break]

Isaac shot Julia the look. He already knew what she was going to say. But he kinda wanted her to be the one to say it. He had a reputation to keep.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

close tab

played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

612 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Oct 25, 2022 22:17:03 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

... Did the Rocket guy just give Julia a compliment? He sounded weirdly sincere about it, too. But no, that couldn't be. There was no reason for him to be genuine about something like that. "Ha ha, very funny," Julia said dryly, though she wasn't even sure what the joke was meant to be.

[break][break]Her brows pressed closer to her eyes at Blackjack's explanation. "Are you trying to say you're a good Rocket or something? Or do you just not want the water around 'your' city to get poisoned?" The air quotes practically drew themselves; Rocket had unjustly taken over Sootopolis and was using it as their base of operations. Actually, it made sense that Blackjack wouldn't be part of a plan to dirty the waters around it. That didn't magically make him a good person, though.

[break][break]Rather childishly, she poked her tongue out at Blackjack's joke about filling up before the mission, but that animosity faded when he continued. Dang, that was actually a good metaphor. It looked like he was going for something like a "bad cop" routine with the way he had his face right up in the poacher's.

[break][break]"It'd just be regular jail," she said. "Which, uh, maybe you won't go to if you cooperate!" If Blackjack was gonna be the bad cop, then Julia was gonna be the best good cop she could be!

[break][break]Neither of their interrogations seemed to be getting anything out of him, but at the threat of the Blastoise's cannons, the poacher confessed that there were two others out here poisoning the water. Blackjack gave Julia a look, but she didn't quite understand what it meant; she didn't have this whole routine down pat, unfortunately. Instead, she asked, "Where are they?"

[break][break]"P-Probably south of here," the poacher stammered.

[break][break]That didn't give them a ton to go off of, but at least it was something. "Thanks! Now tell your Blastoise not to blast him," she added to Blackjack. That was more like it!

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

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Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 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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POSTED ON Oct 26, 2022 3:34:41 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]A good Rocket. Ha. That was a good one. Isaac was lucky that the mask he wore made it harder to see the way his brow knit, but even it may have failed to shade the pain in his eyes. "C'mon, kid," Isaac said, putting a little bit of menace in his voice to try and hide the anguish that lurked in its shadow. "We both know there's no such thing."[break][break]

Getting that out of his system seemed to ease Isaac some. His posture and voice alike seemed less strained. "But like hell I'm gonna let that define me, y'know? Needless harm like this ain't what I'm about, and I'd find a way to mess with this creep either way. These being Rocket waters just means I've got the jurisdiction to actually do something about it."[break][break]

He let Julia drink in his expertly-executed metaphor, noticing the impressed look in her eyes. And then he returned that stuck out tongue.[break][break]

Still, the poacher was handled. His Pokemon was fainted, he'd ratted out his buds' location, and now he sat there at Isaac's mercy. Julia asked him not to shoot, like the good little good cop she was. And in return, Isaac flashed her a wicked grin. "Too bad! Doing it anyway," he said. "Toto, you know what to do!"[break][break]

The crook's eyes went wide as he started stammering, not even able to form words anymore. The froth at Toto's cannons bubbled to a fever pitch. And then he fired-![break][break]

A refreshing stream of Life Dew, leading to Isaac's captive blinking rapidly as he was showered in a harmless mist. As he finally processed what was going on, Isaac exploded into laughter. "Holy shit, you should've seen the look on your face," he said, snickering as he shifted from Shiver's back to Toto's. "Alright, we scared him straight enough. Throw him in the slammer, Toto."[break][break]

"The Slammer", in this case, was Shiver, who had shifted herself into a cage made of fish. Wishiwashi were weird.[break][break]

With that, Isaac directed the posse south, flashing Julia a grin as he turned. "See? Didn't I tell you we'd make a pretty good team?" Isaac said. "And if there's two more of 'em up ahead, maybe we can test that little theory out on the battlefield. Ready to throw down?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2022 21:15:55 GMT

Orion Lykos likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Well, at least he admitted it: There was no such thing as a good Rocket. Yet there was a shadow cast over his eyes as he said it. That... had to be the sun, yeah. The way he continued couldn't be attributed to sunlight, though. "I dunno about 'jurisdiction,' but..." But what? She thought back to when they'd first met, when his Pokémon had nearly run her over with his motorcycle. Didn't wanna cause needless harm, Julia's right foot... but he'd also explained that Kurze had acted on his own and even helped calm Julia down. Heck, he tossed her a firework from his stolen stash, which still shouldn't have been stolen in the first place, but it hadn't been to hurt anybody, so...

[break][break]Argh, why couldn't he just act like an evil Rocket? That would make this whole thing so much easier! For now, she focused on the returned stuck-out tongue. Oh, it was so on now!

[break][break]"Wait, no!" Julia shouted at Blackjack's command. But all that came from Toto's cannons was a sparkling stream of Life Dew that harmlessly showered his captive. Julia sighed in relief as Blackjack laughed at the poacher's response. "You scared me, too," she grumbled.

[break][break]Huh. Julia had planned on tying this guy up and making him ride along with her, but a cage made of Wishiwashi worked, too!

[break][break]Julia actually took a moment to think about Blackjack's offer to team up. Though the Rocket had done most—okay, basically all—of the interrogation work that actually got them somewhere, they had worked together to actually corner this guy. And if there were two more out there, then having someone else along with her would even the odds.

[break][break]"One condition," she finally said. "I want these three to face justice, not Rocket's torture." The memory of what Orion Lykos had said during the Ranger meeting a few months ago laced that last word with spite.

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 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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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2022 22:29:20 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Rocket turf is Rocket turf." Isaac's voice was stoic and matter of fact. "Whether it should be or not doesn't matter. The only thing that matters are the facts that they and the League have come to. And that means, yes, I've got just as much jurisdiction as you do here. Hell, it means I've got more."[break][break]

Some Rockets may have tried to rub Julia's face in the matter. Yet Isaac's voice never deviated from its tone. Uncertainty, bitterness, fear, even sympathy; so many emotions swelled under the surface of his even toned explanation, but he forced himself to swallow it down. This wasn't a mess that Julia deserved to get sucked into.[break][break]

Regardless, if Isaac intended on flexing that jurisdiction, he showed no signs of it. Instead, he was quiet as he surfed down the route, only the sound of crashing waves, rushing winds, and Wingull crying overhead punctuation the silence.[break][break]

Julia broke the silence with the terms of her agreement. She'd work with Isaac only if their captives would be League detainees, not Rocket playthings. Even after that hit of reality, she was still trying to throw around authority she didn't have, huh? Such a League mindset. He had the hostage, he was in Rocket waters, and if he was being honest, he was fairly certain his team was stronger.[break][break]

"Alright."[break][break]

And yet, he agreed. "It's less headache than having to deal with you along with them. And it isn't like they're needed for anything." There are some people that Rocket would literally kill to get their hands on. Some random punks shitting up the water supply didn't rate. "Besides. It's kinda nice having you around."[break][break]

Before that all too genuine statement could baffle Julia, two figures sat up ahead. One rode the hunched back of a Dragalge, its blood red plumage visible from quite the distance. The other was having a hell of a time trying to fit around the massive spikes of an Overqwil. More clouds of miasma spread in their wake as they chattered among themselves.[break][break]

Isaac didn't move to engage, but Toto seemed to noticeably shift. He did . . . something, only a change in position and the quiet rush of bubbles a hint as to what had just happened. Nevertheless, it was clearly significant, because Isaac shifted in his seat to turn to Julia. "There's our men. Shameless, too. They're not even trying to hide what they've done."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Julia Davis

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Nov 2, 2022 17:43:31 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia's eyes rounded at Blackjack's declaration of jurisdiction. "What?" That... That couldn't be right. The League wouldn't just give up legal control, would they? Yet his tone was so stoic and matter-of-fact that Julia doubted herself.

[break][break]She had some serious questions for the higher-ups when she got back to the mainland.

[break][break]She couldn't stomach the thought of letting Rocket get away with torture again, even if their victims were poachers. So even though the question of jurisdiction was a lot murkier now, she still had to try. Honestly, she didn't expect him to agree after what he'd told her, but she refused to help seal these poachers' cruel fates. Blackjack was strangely silent as they surfed across the waters. It kind of made Julia nervous. This was usually the part where the bad guy laughed at her foolish demands or something. But no; instead, he surprised her with his simple "Alright."

[break][break]She whipped her head toward him. Wait, seriously? Had she heard that right? He explained that it would be simpler that way, that the poachers weren't "needed for anything," whatever the heck that meant. His last reason surprised her the most, though. "Wha—?"

[break][break]But her bewilderment would have to wait. Ahead, their other two targets sat on their Pokémon, spreading more of that dangerous miasma into the waters around them. "Ugh. So gross." At least they could agree on that much. She wasn't sure just what Blackjack and his Blastoise were doing, but there was a quiet rush of bubbles that indicated that something was happening.

[break][break]Okay, time for some quick planning. Calling out to them would probably just make them run like the first guy had, so a direct engagement before they were spotted was her best bet. She whispered to Lazuli, "Ice Beam the water's surface. Try to freeze at least one of them in place."

[break][break]Lazuli nodded and lowered her head toward the water. She took aim at the Dragalge and blew out her Ice Beam over the water's surface toward it.

[attr="class","juliatag"]Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","juliapokes"] LAZULI ♀ shell armor / sing, life dew, confuse ray, water pulse, ice beam, rain dance

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo