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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Literally the second Elvira Truesdale left, a Dhelmise emerged from the void between worlds. Dragged along behind it was a red faced and breathless Isaac, who was clearly a lot less adept at breathing ghost oxygen than his Pokemon was. Dear Arceus, how long had the poor guy been waiting within the Phantom Force for?

"Your man's come on," he affirmed as he got his oxygen back in a few quick, delicious gulps. Once he'd regained his bearings, he flashed his best friend a confident grin. "What? You didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you? Shit, soon as you told me about the job, I Teleported right over."[break][break]

"Then I realized you weren't there yet. And that the home's owners still were. So Sanford did me a solid and kept me in the Phantom Plane until you showed. Turns out, kinda hard to breathe that way. But here we are."[break][break]

Oh, Isaac and hijinks. Was there a more iconic duo that existed? But where Isaac's shenanigans began, others were rarely far behind. "I can see why this place'll pay your whole rent. Sheesh," Isaac said, taking a quick glance around the house. "These guys have, like. Money for their money. It's crazy."[break][break]

"Now, the heck kinda job's so big for them that you need two Pokemon teams and another set of hands? Don't tell me you just press ganged me into janitor duty!"[break][break]

Oh, Isaac. If only you knew the truth.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]There was something different about Ash, and it wasn't just his hair color going from white to black. Everything about him, from his body language, to his tone of voice, to the very light in his eyes seemed . . . duller. And that mention of Rocket sources didn't escape Isaac either. Sure, maybe Kepler could've shown Ash those sources, but . . . no, no. Kepler was great, but he wasn't exactly enough of a social butterfly to have a ton of sources to share in the first place. And he sure didn't get them from Isaac.[break][break]

"Ashley," Isaac said. The whole full name came out here, Isaac's voice and eyes each heavy with concern. No. Goddamnit, he was out! He was one of the lucky enough bastards to get out with his ass intact! Every part of Isaac hoped that he was mistaken. And yet . . . "What the hell did you get yourself into? What did you do, man?"[break][break]

It was rich, wasn't it? Isaac of all people worrying about someone else's relationship with Rocket.[break][break]

He tried to shake it. He tried to return Ash's smirk, even if his own was but a shaky mirror of Ash's own. He tried to respond to the mission brief, to the idea of rampant kids and even more rampant ghosts. He tried to be happier for his friend at finally scoring a date, after so many woes about his poor lukc. But, fuck. What else was he supposed to say? How could he even think about anything else before the air was cleared over this?[break][break]

He took a breath. He steadied himself. And then he waited. From the focus pulling at his brow, it was clear he wasn't going anywhere until he had answers.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Of course. There really was no leaving this life, was there? They were in every region, tucked into every shady corner. They'd get under your skin. They'd antagonize you. You'd lash out, do something stupid. And then when you exposed yourself, you'd end up at their mercy; dead or worse. Ash picked worse.[break][break]

Isaac listened. He heard about how people he liked committed such cruel acts. He heard about how people he feared behave as expected. He heard the mix of resignation and pain in Ash's voice; how he hated everyone that dragged him into this situation, but first and foremost hated himself. He heard how quickly a man that wanted to get away from it all already re-bloodied his hands. He heard Ash apologize.[break][break]

And then Isaac pulled him in close. He hugged Ash tight, as if afraid the other man would fade away if he didn't.[break][break]

"Don't you dare fucking apologize," he muttered, voice half-muffled by the hug and half-muffled by the tears he was doing his damndest to hold back. "You're my best friend. And nothing's going to change that, you hear me? Especially not joining a team you've already forgiven me for joining."[break][break]

It wasn't the fact that Ash was a member of Rocket that Isaac hated. Frankly, he'd trust your average Rocket more than your average League official. At least with Rocket, you knew where you stood. And it was pretty easy to stay away from the total psychos and stick to the cool, down on their luck types. No, being part of Team Rocket was fine to Isaac. It was the fact that he didn't have to be. He got out. He had prospects. He had hopes. And now he was being dragged back to the darkest time of his life.[break][break]

"Besides. Things'll be different this time," Isaac said. He pulled back from the hug some, looking his bro in the eye. "I'm here. And I'm not letting this life break you. I'd tear the whole damn sub apart before letting anyone try." This wasn't Kanto. It didn't have to be. Maybe, just maybe, they could make things better.[break][break]

At least for each other.[break][break]

"Compared to that whole mess, handling some brats and boogeymen should be a piece of cake." He gave Ash a gentle clap on the shoulder, a smile spreading across his face. "So, c'mon. Lead me the way and show me the ropes. We got this!"

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]It was okay. Isaac didn't need words. He just needed Ash to be here, and okay. That was enough.[break][break]

He returned Ash's nod, making his way towards the manor. Echo and Sanford followed hot on his heels, an unorthodox pair of Pokemon for a very unorthodox trainer. The second floor was a good distance away, so they'd have plenty of time to talk shop and whip up a strategy. Each plan, right?[break][break]

Wrong! Every door in the mansion slammed open at once, creating enough of a thunderclap to shake the entire house. "The hell do these kids even sleep?" Isaac asked as a menagerie of menaces took center stage. There was cruelty in their smirks and hunger in their eyes. And there was eight of them, to two of Isaac and Ash.[break][break]

Good. Isaac liked those odds.[break][break]

Ash got the party started, but the ghosts weren't about to take his attack lying down. The Haunter that hadn't gotten hit pointed towards the plush chair beneath him, ordering the Poltergeist item to fly towards Ash. "Oh no you don't! Echo, on it!" Isaac ordered. Echo put a hand to his temple, catching the chair with a surge of Psychic power. He tossed it back to the Haunter, who sent it back at Echo with another barked command. The two went back and forth, practically playing tennis with one another.[break][break]

Isaac slipped a Pokeball to Sanford, giving him a gentle tap on the anchor. In response, Sanford flashed, and where he was once carrying a Pokeball he was now holding the chair in a tangle of seaweed. His Switcheroo had disarmed Haunter of its weapon, and in its place was a freshly-opened Pokeball. Kurze, Isaac's trusty Bisharp, bashed the Haunter right into the ground with a Throat Chop. He landed in front of it, spreading his arms wide and challenging the other ghosts to do their worst.[break][break]

Taking advantage of her tug-of-war partner being gone, Echo flung the chair towards the other Haunter. The two big ghosts seemed like the biggest threats, and a one-two punch like this would hopefully intimidate the rest of the bunch. Would their alpha strike go according to plan? Or was the inevitable counterattack going to suck?

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Huh! Shit, you're right," Isaac said. How had he and Ash been through so much without getting into any real fights? So far, surviving New Mauville's strangely agitated Pokemon population was the closest the two had actually come to fighting together.[break][break]

No time to change that like the present.[break][break]

Kurze's dramatic entry had gotten him a lot of attention. Good. That was just the way he liked it. The Haunters held his legs down as the Misdreavus charged a trio of Shadow Balls, execution style. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, they would hit without any problems. Perhaps Ashley would notice something different about Kurze; a tattered mantle that he wore around his shoulders.[break][break]

As soon as the Haunters released their grip, Kurze swept his cloak like a matador. What once looked like a sure kill technique was now absorbed by his Disguise, leaving Kurze mostly unharmed as he leaped into the air. From there, he twisted his body into an elbow drop, the tricky Feint Attack aimed right into the back of his previous target.[break][break]

Echo, following up on the momentum, directly grabbed the other Haunter with a squeeze of Psychic energy. The Haunter wouldn't be disappearing on him this time! If he was able to hold the Haunter back from escaping, he'd begin smashing him into the floor as many times as he possibly could. Bad ghost! No hurting his friends![break][break]

Sanford, on the other hand, was a good ghost. A very good ghost indeed. The Dhelmise took advantage of remaining undetected to lurk beneath the Shuppet trio. As they fired off their attacks, the Dhelmise began to spin. With each spin, moisture began to spill forth from its body, turning Sanford into the whirling nexus of a Whirlpool. If the Shuppet were inattentive or unlucky, they'd end up getting sucked right into the maelstrom![break][break]

There were three more Pokemon on his belt, but for the time being Isaac kept those cards close to his chest. With his three, and Ash's four, they should be able to handle this first wave of ghosts just fine. And if this was who was greeting them at the front door, Isaac knew there was no chance in hell a second wave wouldn't show.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Sanford's ominous hovering sped up as one of the Shuppet dropped out from the whirlpool. It was as if it was miming a little chortle. The remaining duo seemed a little too dazed to fight back, but Sanford knew they'd end up being more trouble if they weren't handled quickly. It snaked a Power Whip into the whirlpool, using the predictable flow of the water to make up for the move's typical inaccuracy. Once the Shuppets drifted by, it smashed the Power Whip forward, hoping to rack up a two for one clothesline special.[break][break]

That left the Misdreavus as the big, active threats on the battlefield. A Gengar emerged from the shadows, ordering the Misdreavus to target Echo before he could tap into its Poison-type weakness. Much like with Kurze, they surrounded him, preparing another round of execution style Shadow Balls.[break][break]

Pop! Echo disappeared, Teleporting away from the Shadow Balls before they could connect. He landed on the head of the most wounded of the Misdreavus, giggling merrily and giving him a peck on the forehead. Was this a taunt? Or was this danger waiting to happen? After all, a full-power Wood Hammer from Bongo hurt like hell, and a Draining Kiss from Echo might have been enough to push it over the edge.[break][break]

That left Kurze to have a grudge match with the Gengar, who demanded his attention by flooring him with a Night Shade. Kurze staggered back to his feet, gritting his teeth as he shook the dark energy from his body. This ghost wanted to see what he had? Oh, he'd show him, alright. Kurze sharpened his blades against each other, a laugh akin to gears grinding spilling out from his throat.[break][break]

He charged Gengar, as if preparing for another melee strike, but stopped short. Rather than getting into close quarters, he sliced at the air, firing a Psycho Cut right towards Gengar. On most ghosts this would've been less efficient than his usual malicious strikes, but Gengar wasn't like most ghosts. He was full of natural toxins just waiting to be ruptured by a good psychic blow to the vitals.[break][break]

Ash's offer got Isaac grinning as widely as the Gengar did. "Yours are doing a damn good job, too," Isaac said. "When all's said and done? Oh yeah, you better watch yourself. 'Cause you're up next, man."

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]They were too up close and personal, and the Gengar's presence was too overwhelming. Kurze found his knees starting to buckle as the Gengar stared deep into his soul. He caught himself on a single bladed wrist, trying his hardest to avoid falling. But his head was getting heavier by the moment . . .[break][break]

Bongo flung his branch at Kurze's head, putting enough pepper behind it to get the Bisharp's helmet ringing. However, the Bisharp didn't move a muscle. Was he already out like a light? Isaac clenched a fist, wondering if he should do something to intervene. Then the Gengar turned its back, prepared to focus on another foe, and Kurze's eye snapped open.[break][break]

It turned out Bongo's plan had worked after all. Kurze had been woken up in a single, precise blow, and the canny dark type had waited for a lapse in Gengar's attention to tuck and roll behind him. If the Gengar braced for a strike from the rear, it wouldn't happen; the Bisharp had already sliced at the Gengar with a Feint Attack on the roll past.[break][break]

No, the point of the roll was to get Gengar's attention off of its front. That would stop it from noticing as Echo reached for it, the little Ralts putting a tight Psychic squeeze on the Gengar with as much force as he could muster. He may have been two evolutionary rungs behind the Gengar, but he had the element of surprise and the power of Pokerus on his side; would it be enough to win this little game of tug-of-war?[break][break]

As the battle's climax played out with Isaac and Ash's all-stars, the pinch hitter waited for his opportunity. He slipped away to lurk within the Phantom Plane, watching as the opportunistic Misdreavus tried to get the jump on the team. It had already succeeded on one front, catapulting poor Sunny into the railing with surprising force. That wouldn't do.[break][break]

Before it could ready another Night Shade, the Dhelmise rocketed down from the 'bove. Its vicious Phantom Force would hopefully be the last thing the Misdreavus saw before welcoming the sweet, sweet release of fainting. If it wasn't, the Dhelmise would seek to pin the Misdreavus down, its Growth preventing it from slipping out and rejoining the fray.[break][break]

"Heh. Believe it or not, I'm no natural either. What you're seeing's blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of letting these guys take the wheel." It turns out, when you catch 50 Pokemon, they all start rubbing off on each other. A lot! "But even if we're both fresh out of the training oven, that doesn't mean I'm gonna be an easy fight. You're on!"

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