[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Ugh. C'mon, Knux, don't look at me like that."[break][break]

Of course the Lucario was looking at him like that. He was fresh off of a grievous injury, and how was he trying to ring in new year, new him? By running himself ragged in the middle of Hoenn's brand-new tundra! Sure, he was all confident smiles on the surface. But Knuckles could feel his aura flickering every now and again, as if he was holding back little winces of pain.[break][break]

"It's just a little tension headache, that's all," Isaac said, giving his eyepatch a microadjustment. Okay, so the tension headaches weren't so "little", especially egged on by the cold like this. And he was feeling kind of worn out from picking one of Hoenn's harsher environments for his return to form. And keeping his eye locked on the path before him to look out for icy patches or bumps in the road was taking a lot of his focus. But it was fine! He was fine! " 'Sides, how are you supposed to train if you keep waiting up for me?"[break][break]

It was easier to justify his decision by turning it into a group training session, and today he'd let all his Fighting types out to play. The Colonel and Baconator lead the pack, the Combusken and Pignite shouldering each other as they fought for the lead. Hustle the Primeape chased in their wake, taking advantage of their blazing trail to have a snow-free run. Aubrey pulled up her shed hood as she walked past, shuddering a little to keep the cold out of her system. Even Crash and the Boys toddled ahead of Isaac and Knuckles, the Falinks formation humming out a "one-two, one-two" marching song to keep their pace.[break][break]

It was a surprisingly fair race. Well, except for Buffaloman, the Paldean Tauros blasting past the entire pack to lap them for the fifth time today.[break][break]

"See? Look at 'em go," Isaac said, giving Knuckles a gentle nudge with his elbow. "But, hey. It's fine. Not like you can catch Buffaloman, anyway." Knuckles' eyes narrowed some. A teasing smirk spread across his face. They both knew exactly what he was doing here.[break][break]

Her pride on the line, Knuckles shook her head, then tore away in a burst of Extremespeed. Crash and the Boys, who had just recovered from diving out of Buffaloman's way, were sent spinning out as the Lucario blitzed past them. The Colonel and Baconator, passed for the first time today, looked at each other, nodded, and picked up the pace. It was time to kick this training up a notch![break][break]

Isaac, finally escaping his own team's notice, finally let his guard down. The exhausted panting he'd been holding back all this time flowed freely as he walked over to a nearby tree. Poor thing probably wouldn't survive the winter, especially if these frosts didn't melt, but for now Isaac was content to rest against its trunk. He'd be back in action soon. He just had to catch his breath, that's all.[break][break]

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Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- Mission: ROCKY STEPS

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]New challengers! To Buffaloman's left, it was the ever-persistent Knuckles. To his right, it was a strange Pokemon he'd never seen before. With a slicked-back head similar to a motorcycle's helmet, a wheel-like air sac proudly puffed from its chest, and a lean, mean, aerodynamic build, it looked born and bred to race.[break][break]

Today was getting a whole lot more interesting. Letting out a proud bellow, Buffaloman puffed out his thick fur and kicked things up a gear. It was time to show these two why he was the Silph Cup Champion![break][break]

Of course, what was great fun for Buffaloman and Gia was a little bit less so for everyone else. Startled and alarmed by the sudden procession of enemy joggers, Andrea assumed the worst and went right on the attack. The Colonel and Baconator's eyes widened in shock as they found a kanji written in flame soaring right towards them. The Colonel Bounced high above. Baconator tucked in to Rollout underneath.[break][break]

And Hustle took it right to the face, the Fire Blast staining her fur black with soot. She blinked a few times, then collapsed.[break][break]

Curious, Baconator walked over to her, poking her a few times to make sure she wasn't dead. Wrong answer. The pig-monkey threw a clumsy uppercut and sprang to her feet, hooting and hollering as she tried to rush her attackers in a blind rage. It took all of Baconator's strength to hold her back, a spectacle the Colonel found hilarious until a stray hook almost took his beak off. After that, the two rivals were forced to team up, each taking an arm to hold their thrashing teammate back.[break][break]

All the commotion got Isaac's attention real quick. Sighing and shaking his head, he jogged over to Aubrey to try and catch up aith her. "Aubs, I think the hotheads started shit on us again," Isaac said. "I nedd you and Crash and the Boys to-" Wait. Something was wrong with the Falinks formation. Isaac pointed to make a quick roundup; one, two, three, four, five. "Where's Crash?"[break][break]

Crash, bless his heart, was currently holding onto Buffaloman's mane for dear life. The poor orb dangled in the breeze, kicking his legs all the while.[break][break]

"Whatever. He can't be far. Guess you're Aubrey and the Boys for today, instead." Aubrey lifted one of the Boys up by the foot, eyeing it curiously. So this was what passed for good help nowadays, huh? Her stare was deadpan as she turned back to Isaac. "C'mon! Let's get going!"[break][break]

If the whole situation wasn't strange enough to Andrea, perhaps it'd be even stranger when a Scrafty came up leading a Falinks line. They arranged into their signature No Escape formation, standing protectively between her Hustle. Aubrey may have looked bored out of her mind, but the Falinks behind her sure looked fired up![break][break]

Still out of eyeshot, Isaac did his best to pick up the pace. Stupid headaches. At least it sounded like the whole debacle was at a standstill now. Maybe now he'd finally be able to catch up and see just what was going on.

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[break]

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- Mission: ROCKY STEPS

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]By now, Buffaloman and the Cyclizar were neck and neck. This competition was just getting too quadrupedal for Knuckles to keep up with, even with extreme speeds on her side. Nevertheless, she fought stubbornly to remain alongside them, even dropping to all fours herself to try and pick up the pace. Buffaloman bellowed proudly, as if encouraging the Cyclizar and Lucario's efforts. Together, they rode![break][break]

Crash just let out a distressed meebling sound in the face of the boop. It was adorable.[break][break]

If only Andrea and Jalapeno knew how surprisingly peaceful this gathering actually was. Instead, they parsed Aubrey and the Boys' arrival as yet more aggressors. She prepared to break out the big guns to even the odds, but brave Jalapeno wasn't going to just take these threats lying down. Instead, he let out a determined Hyper Voice, so big that it could shake the snow right off of the treeline.[break][break]

Aubrey pulled up her hood as tightly around her head as possible. The Boys clung to her baggy pants, trying not to be blown away by the intensity of the move. The Colonel and Baconator clasped hands around their ears, trying their hardest to blot out the noise.[break][break]

That meant there were no hands on Hustle. Hurt by two powerful attacks in a row, the Primeape was worked way up and about to unleash her rage. She charged towards Jalapeno, letting out a squealing war cry as she drew both fists high above her head-[break][break]

And then, in a flash of red light, she disappeared.[break][break]

"I can't leave you guys alone for five minutes!" Now that was the annoyed protest of the wild Isaac Merlo! He'd arrived just in time for Hustle to break free from her restraints, and in a desperate hail mary move hurled her Pokeball with all his might. It had just barely grazed her knuckles, contact enough to activate the recall mechanism. With the state his depth perception was in lately, that could've been a disaster.[break][break]

The Colonel squawked in protest, pointing towards the Fuecoco. Baconator backed her long-standing rival up. The intention was as clear as it was childish; the other guys started it! "I swear, the one time you two agree on something," Isaac said, shaking his head. He then turned to Andrea, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry if these two knuckleheads gave you trouble. But is it true you started it?"

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Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- Mission: ROCKY STEPS

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]They tried to run her over? Lies! Slander! Scandal! The Colonel squawked in protest, pointing at the Fuecoco that had blasted fire on them from further up the road. Baconator nodded, quickly running to Andrea's side. Her eyes went vacant as she attempted her best Fuecoco impression. As the Colonel mimed jogging toward the group, Baconator blasted the Combusken with a quick burst of Flamethrower.[break][break]

Aubrey facepalmed as a very offended Colonel zoomed up to Baconator, the two now squabbling over their own performance. Isaac, thoroughly nonplussed by this point, could only watch.[break][break]

"I'm sorry. They're dumbasses." A little grin spread across Isaac's face as Baconator pulled the Colonel into a headlock, giving him a noogie. "But they're my dumbasses."[break][break]

Buffaloman skidded to a halt as his new friend did, shooting Isaac an inpatient look. Crash dropped off of his mane, the Boys gathering around as he stared up at the clouds in a daze. Knuckles, winding down from her Extremespeed, walked up to her fighting type juniors to separate them. They shot her pitiful looks as she crossed her arms, looking down at them sternly.[break][break]

"It's fine, Knux. Just some big misunderstanding that got a little out of hand," Isaac said, shrugging it off. "You guys stop hogging the road so much, eh? Clearly we're not the only ones going for a jog around here."[break][break]

See? No hard feelings! The girl even offered to let them tag along on a run. "Sounds great to me," Isaac said, sticking his hand out for a shake. "I'm Isaac. Nice to meet ya."

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[break]

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- Mission: ROCKY STEPS

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Then this is gonna be the start of a beautiful friendship." As a certified dumbass himself, and a man whose first Pokemon was very much the same way, Isaac was always a little partial to them.[break][break]

He might as well introduce the rest, huh? "The Lucario over here's Knuckles. From how she carries herself, you wouldn't believe she used to be the baby of the bunch." Knuckles let out a shocked gasp, before crossing her arms and looking away in a huff. "She's looking after the Colonel and Baconator. Should be pretty obvious which is which." They tore thenselves away from their squabbling long enough to shoot Andrea a pair of matching grins. Then they were head to head again.[break][break]

"Buffaloman's over there, grazing while he waits. Don't be fooled by that new black fur. He's still the same Mauville Cup champion." He nodded once in acknowledgment of the fact, letting out a smug bellow before going back to chewing his cud. "Crash and the Boys are gathered around him. Beats me how they're considered one Pokemon. But the more, the merrier!" Currently, they were trying to wake their fallen leader up, Crash's #2 guiding traffic as two Falinks to each side fanned him with oversized branches.[break][break]

"Aubrey's the chill one back here helping me keep order." The Scrafty shot a quick, casual wave, the same look of perpetual disinterest on her face as always. "Aaaand Hustle's in time out." He held up the Primeape's ball for emphasis, patting it once before tucking it into his belt.[break][break]

"Now, c'mon! Lets work up a good sweat to fight this cold front back!"

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