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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Take a wild guess," Isaac said, shooting Ash a weak smile. The bags under the guy's eyes were plainly visible without his signature skull mask, and the Dragonair coiled by his side had his ear fins pinned back in worry. The fact that Isaac looked as put together as he did was a testament to his skill at fast-talking. The fact that he looked as bad as he did was a testament to just how shaken he was.[break][break]

Yet, with how worried Ashley was, Isaac tried his best to pull himself together. He shot Ashley's Pokemon a gentle wave, then headed over to put a soft hand on his brother in arms' shoulder. "Hey. I get it," he said. "Last time around, you were stuck doing this on your own. And now that you've got people in your corner, you don't want to worry them. Trust me. Been there. Done that. Still getting used to the whole 'it's not a problem if someone gives a damn' thing."[break][break]

"So how about we strike a deal? You let it all out. Get all this shit off your chest. Talk like it's your last shot at talking, because with that big bad boy from outer space getting closer and closer it might be our last shot. And no matter how absurd or worrying or trivial it is, I'm gonna listen. Because you're my bro. And I'm in your corner til the bitter end. And then, shock and horror, I'm actually gonna have to open up about my problems for once."[break][break]

He patted the back of his Dragonair. "We could even take a ride on Zeph's back, too. Make it so the only people that gotta hear it all are you, me, and the clouds," Isaac offered. "No eavesdroppers. No botherers. Nobody else that's gotta give a damn. Just you and me. Safe." For maybe the last time they could be safe together.[break][break]

"So. What do you say? Do we got a deal?"

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Ash had let Isaac make his sales pitch in peace. Now Isaac was going to return the favor as his brother in arms vented the night away. And, hoo boy, was there a Lot. It was almost like the systematic dehumanization of Team Rocket causes intense, long-standing issues, scars that ran deep even out of "getting out", that forced a sense of belonging and purpose built on an incredibly unstable and detrimental foundation![break][break]

No. Isaac couldn't bring himself to interrupt, even when Ash said things about himself that hurt him to the core. Instead, he just waited for Ash to finish before pulling him into another tight, firm hug. However, if the last one was born of grief and uncertainty, this one was born of resolve. He wanted to be Ash's rock, Ash's strength, Ash's support and backup.[break][break]

"Well, I'm not letting you perish," Isaac said, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. "And that means the rest of it ain't going anywhere, either. Cause I know if I was marching on to the inevitable, you'd be doing the same thing for me."[break][break]

His Pokemon. Kepler. And most importantly, each other. Because like hell he was gonna let himself die on Ash.[break][break]

He sighed, letting the enormity of the Everything that he just heard wash over him. "Y'know, it's funny. We really are two of a kind, aren't we?" Isaac asked. " 'Cause you're not the only one here that was never supposed to be born. Don't get me wrong. I was loved enough. At first. 'Til he realized I wasn't his. Then I became an obligation, a burden, a distraction from his real kid. At best, I was just some thing off in the corner to be ignored. At worst . . ."[break][break]

"But too bad for him, and too bad for anyone that's got a problem with you. We're here. We're hanging on best we can. And anyone that's got a problem with it can kiss my ass, 'cause we've got as much right to be here as anyone else. And if anything, it makes me wanna live it up even more, just to see the looks on their faces."[break][break]

He wanted to say he was living his best life. But could this really be considered that? He was part of a criminal organization - no, he needed to call it what it was. A terrorist cell. He was about to partake in regionwide destabilization efforts. He'd never have a chance to live his normal life after tomorrow. And his guilt tore what little comfort he had left to shreds.[break][break]

What was his alternative, though? Before Rocket, he had nothing. He was nothing. He was a shell of a man, wandering the region like a ghost and doing enough odd jobs to avoid dying in a hole somewhere. With Rocket, he was well-respected, even loved by some. He had gone from a trainer of two wimps and a stolen Aggron to having fifty world-breakers behind his every word. He laughed again, smiled again, made his presence known instead of drifting by in the background.[break][break]

And all it cost him was his immortal soul.[break][break]

"I get it. This isn't how you imagined your life turning out. Sure as shit isn't how I imagined mine, either," Isaac said. "There's . . . a lot you could probably say about Rocket. How it hurts us. How it helps us. How, in some fucked up way, we kinda need it. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't kinda scare me a little. It's a big topic. Bigger than any of us."[break][break]

He sighed. This felt like awful advice. And yet it felt like the only advice. "That's why I'm focusing on the here and now. The people close to me. The day by day. What I can do for my right heres right now. I can't just change the world in some big, dramatic swoop. I can't tear this place down brick by brick until the League, Rocket, and this whole damn war are distant memories."[break][break]

"But I can be there for the people that need me. The people I love. And maybe that way, I can make things better around here. At least for them. At least a tiny bit. And then the next day, another tiny bit. And another. And another. 'Cause what's my other option? Let them drown in it? We're better than that, damnit. People like you and me . . ."[break][break]

"Maybe one day, we can build a better Rocket."

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]It hurt to hear that. Especially with everything that Rocket had put Ash through. Part of him hated that the Ash that stood before him today was inextricably linked to his pain. Another part of him was glad that, whether in spite of everything or because of it, Ash was still Ash. A part of him wished he got to know Ash before he was even put through everything. Another part of him would have never even dreamed of changing his bro.[break][break]

And yet, scarier still, was the fact that Ash wasn't alone.

"I'm not even gonna insult you and pretend we're same," Isaac started. "But . . . I get it. You know what I did as soon as I was old enough to ditch home without getting dragged back legally? Second midnight hit on my 18th birthday, I bailed. No plans. No resources. No connections. No goals. No prospects. Nothing. Just this desperate urge to get out already."[break][break]

"Turns out, not so easy to turn nothing into something. Spent four years of my life just . . . wandering the region. Too prideful to go back to that mess. Too untrained to find my footing elsewhere. And too stupid to realize the mess I put myself in. Days were taking odd jobs to stay afloat. Nights were camping out on routes. And there was a whole lotta travel in between."[break][break]

"Think you can take a wild guess what'd happen if I kept going like that," Isaac said. "I guess I took what that shitbag said to heart. I was nothing, so I shouldn't bother doing anything. And each year, it got easier to sink into than the last. Just me, a small handful of Pokemon, and the open road, until I withered away like I should've."[break][break]

"Rocket forced that to change. Turns out, when you have to do stuff, you realize there's stuff you might be good at. Stuff you would've been great at, if you actually gave it a chance back then. And, well. You know me. I'm stubborn as they come. So I went all in on making up for lost time. Same with people, too. When you're surrounded by dozens of them on the sub, you start to realize some might like you. And then you remember how it feels to be cared about, and how it feels to care about them. And you fight for that feeling, because you realize the void without them is a hell you were lucky to stumble out of."[break][break]

A tail slinked around Isaac's shoulders. Worry shined through Zephyrus' soulful eyes. He leaned into the tail, not even fighting his Pokemon's caring touch. He was tired of denying himself. He was tired of being alone. And even as Rocket peeled back its facade to reveal the monsters that had never left, he knew he would be returning to an even worse hell without them.[break][break]

"And all it cost was my immortal soul. Ain't that great?"

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Sometimes, Isaac wished he carried himself like the truly hellbound. Still, cares and morals clouded his eyes and filled his heart. For some Rockets, it seemed so easy. They did what they pleased, took what they wanted, fought with the intent of ending the life of any in their way. That wasn't Isaac. That may have never been Isaac. But what else could he do?[break][break]

It was death or Rocket. And if he hesitated, death may have been his future.[break][break]

Yet he understood it, too. What he had done was already haunting him in his very dreams. What he needed to do already hung at the edge of his perception, as terrible in mind as it was in action. His soul was already stained far too much for anything better, even as his heart made sure that the worse well and truly felt worse.[break][break]

At least he wasn't alone. He had someone there to watch out for his soul. He had many souls he wanted to watch out for. If they could support each other, then maybe, just maybe, they'd come out of this alright. And if he couldn't? Then he needed to fake it until everyone that he depended on could make it.[break][break]

There were things he'd have to lose. There were things he'd have to sacrifice. There were things he'd have to do. But above all, he had to keep his life intact. His soul was a secondary concern, and one he'd have to put into another's hands. "Yeah," Isaac said, forcing a smile onto his face. Ash was smiling. He had to follow suit.[break][break]

And in a weird way, doing so helped.[break][break]

"You're damn right we do," Isaac said. "And for them, for you, for me, for everyone, I'm not letting myself give up, either. Whatever happens, happens. But at least I can know that whatever is gonna be with you at my side." He sighed, letting the tension roll out of his shoulders. "Guess that only leaves one question, huh?"[break][break]

"Now what?"

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Sitting back and smelling the roses, eh? If he and Ash were committing to the harsh life he had just outlined, it may have been the only winning move. They couldn't climb a ladder with sore, tired arms; when their hands bliatered and burned against the bars, they needed to count on their ability to hold on. They couldn't see the horizon with bleary eyes; the strain would muddle the path and have them running in circles.[break][break]

They couldn't survive if they failed to live a life worth surviving for.[break][break]

The calming music helped. The gentle support of their Pokemon helped. The smile of someone who meant the world to him, who if push came to shove he would fight, bleed, die, and maybe even kill for helped. This was Hoenn. Nothing around here was ever going to be okay. But together, maybe they could cobble together the next best thing.[break][break]

"Not like that'll be hard when you're here," Isaac quipped. For as dour as their recent chats had been, having them with Ash made them that little bit less scary. And somehow, they always ended up ending the day with a smile. Maybe they didn't have a ghost army to take their frustrations out on this time. But maybe they didn't need one.[break][break]

Seeing Zephyrus' antics helped. The great serpent twisted and coiled around himself, laughing softly as he struck a variety of poses for the Rotom. He was in the process of swimming through the air in great loops, a small twister forming between his coils, that he realized Ash and Isaac were watching. His fins perked up in surprise, the shy dragon bashfully freezing up.[break][break]

"Ah, c'mon. Don't worry about us," Isaac said, grinning as he waved the shyness off. "Have fun with your new friend, Zeph. You work hard. You deserve it."[break][break]

The irony of the statement was palpable.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Zephyrus chuckled warmly at the little impromptu photoshoot. Even as the excitement lead to him moving faster and faster, he took great care not to knock the little Rotom out of the sky. How such a powerful beast could also be so gentle seemed like a contradiction, yet it was also what Kanto's native dragon was famous for.[break][break]

Such a stark contrast to where the region's reputation lied nowadays.[break][break]

Ash mentioned everything that he had ever wanted, everything that Rocket had given him the moment he walked into the door. Friends. Love. More Pokemon than he had ever considered owning before. Even family. How strange it must have been for him. How exciting it must have been for him. He was a former traitor, someone who may have expected to be shot on sight. Instead, he was welcomed with open arms.[break][break]

It must have felt so right. Maybe even a little too right. He had faced such strife in his day to day life. Now, the moment he changed his mind, he was given the world on a silver platter. Isaac understood the feeling. He, too, had nothing. He, too, had been given a chance at everything. Yet there was one key difference between the two that left an unsettling nausea in Isaac's gut.[break][break]

Rocket had been the cause of Ash's pain in the first place.[break][break]

Part of him wanted to say something. He could feel the words burning in his throat, the dissonance gnawing away at his mind. With how often Ash was saying everything was better in Rocket, he had to realize it too, right? There was a reason they kept propping each other up. There had to be. If they didn't, they'd fall. But if they did, they could stand, even as the haze of confusion morphed into the fog of war.[break][break]

He needed to stop circling around to this. His mind was like a labyrinth, and this ever-present thought was its central chamber. Each time he walked along, hand grazing the walls, he saw this thought from a new facet, a new angle. Sometimes it seemed more right than anything else. At other times it seemed like a mistake waiting to happen. Why couldn't he pick one? Why did this have to be so hard?[break][break]

Sensing their distress, Zephyrus stopped his photoshoot to slide between the two. His shadow stretched behind them, a pair of black wings stretching out from behind it. As a white glow overtook his body, the shadow began to widen, his serpentine shape giving way to something more robust. His body followed suit, a pair of arms bursting from its new physique to sling around each man's shoulder. No more was his face an elegant, featureless snout. Instead, warm eyes and a trusting smile spread across his face.[break][break]

Even if Isaac didn't know where he stood, his Dragonite would stand by his side.[break][break]

At Ash's somber words, Isaac looked up, giving him a soft smile. "I will," he said. "Not just with them, either. But everyone. I know I can't bring all of them with me, but that doesn't mean they haven't played their role in getting me here, too. I want to see them all one more time, too. Just so they know I'm okay."[break][break]

If they all believed he'd be okay, then maybe, just maybe, he would be too.

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