[attr="class","text"]

Though his bruised and weary body ached from his recent fight with Zev Harcourt, Caleb did not immediately retreat from the Ultra Deep Sea after angelo vestri had roused him from the chokehold of the dream mist. Instead, after parting (reluctantly) from Angelo, he decided to ignore the dark thoughts threatening to overwhelm his mind, pulled himself onto Lyra's back, and went looking for somebody to help. He had heard reports of civilians getting trapped amidst the faction conflict, potential victims of crossfire from both sides, as well as attacks from wild Ultra Beasts and other dangerous Pokémon. He might also stumble upon some League wounded in need of care; Lyra could provide healing and hopefully get them out safely.[break][break]
The first person he stumbled upon, however, wasn't a civilian. He also wasn't League.[break][break]
"Isaac," Caleb breathed. The last person he wanted to encounter after...what happened with Zev. And yet, he had also been worried about the younger man. Would he get himself killed for Rocket? A small part of Caleb had hoped - futilely - that Isaac had chosen to sit this one out. Maybe Caleb's words (pleading) during their conversation in Sootopolis had made a difference.[break][break]
It had been a foolish hope.[break][break]
"I don't want to fight you," He immediately held up his hands as Lyra lowered to the cavern floor. Caleb stepped off her back, walked up to the blond. Caleb knew he looked a mess - jacket torn, the backs of his hands bloody and scratched, a cut across his cheek. Isaac looked to be in one piece, at least. Caleb eyed their surroundings, realizing that a pair of frightened-looking people were retreating ahead of them, scrambling up some rocks into...[break][break]
A rift.[break][break]
"A way out..." He murmured, awed. One that had not been on his League-issued map.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The second he saw he wasn't alone, Isaac jumped up in surprise. He turned to the pair of frightened civilians that were scrambling up the rocks, ushering them to hustle along. "Hurry, dangit! We're not alone," Isaac whispered.[break][break]

As if on cue, Echo and Reverb teleported onto the scene. The two Ralts began focusing their Psychic power together, their nubby hands forming a set of psychic tethers for the couple to grab onto. From within the cave wall, a blue claw emerged, the wingtip of a Garchomp helping usher and shield them as they scrambled onward. Then, just in case anyone got any funny ideas, a pink slime rose from the top of one of the rocks. Its gooey flesh turned cold, cracked, and rough, forming into a boulder to roughly cover the site of where the rift formed.[break][break]

Just how much of this operation had Isaac cobbled together?[break][break]

Luckily, Isaac didn't remain in shock for long. He quickly put together that A) this was Caleb, B) Caleb did not want to fight him, and C) Caleb was actually impressed with Isaac's serendipitous find.[break][break]

Normally, this would be all Isaac had to hear. In his encounters with Caleb thus far, he had quickly become fond of the other man. He was like the older brother figure that Isaac never had but always needed. Had this been any other circumstance, even earlier in the day, Isaac would have greeted Caleb with open arms and a wide smile.[break][break]

Instead, he shrunk back ever so slightly, a flash of caution flickering across his face.[break][break]

"Was that what you told Zev, too?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","text"]

Caleb's heart sank.[break][break]
Of all the people Zev's Hatterene could have found to help him, of course it had been Isaac. Deep down, Caleb had known that to be the truth the moment he'd realized Isaac was in the Ultra Deep Sea too. It was the only way for this to go.[break][break]
All the same, he had not been prepared for how badly those words would sting. Tragedy seemed to follow him like a hungry animal, feeding off his hopeless attempts at redemption.[break][break]
"No," Caleb said, truthfully. "It was Zev who told me that."[break][break]
The way Isaac flinched away from him, as if the Ranger were some sort of Ultra Beast monster of the Deep Sea come to devour the younger man... it caused white hot shame to fill Caleb, gripping his chest in a burning fist and squeezing. Hard.[break][break]
Cautiously, carefully, he approached until he was right in front of Isaac. He held out his hands in a gesture of peace, only to realize too late that they were still stained with Zev's blood.[break][break]
"Isaac, I am a trained assassin, a former member of the Kanto secret police," Caleb murmured softly. "If I want to kill someone, I can do it easily. You have always known this about me." He paused, letting the reminder sink it. "But I don't kill people anymore. I don't."[break][break]
He emphasized that last word. He'd wanted to hurt Zev, yes, but not kill him. Isaac needed to understand that before they could have an actual conversation about this.[break][break]
He needed Isaac to remember just how much Caleb hated his past.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Maybe it was Zev Harcourt who said it. Maybe it was Caleb. Isaac had the sneaking suspicion that the sentiment was shared between the two. As complicated as their relationship was, neither seemed to want a war. Either had the opportunity to win it in a single stroke, and yet had elected not to in favor of keeping the peace between them.[break][break]

He also had the sinking feeling that none of what they wanted mattered. A fight came for them, and so fight they did.[break][break]

He didn't back up any further as Caleb approached, but the tension in his posture remained until the man was right beside him. His soft voice was as imposing as it was soothing. It reminded him of Zev during his rare softer moments, a powerful contrast to his usual harshness that seemed lab-designed to spur feelings of loyalty.[break][break]

Everything he was saying was true, as far as Isaac knew. And yet . . .[break][break]

"Could you do it?" The question pierced the stagnant air between them like a gunshot. "I remember you. At the Howling. You were all ready for a fight, and then the second you saw him you just . . . folded. Told him what he wanted to hear. Or maybe, what you wanted."[break][break]

"Did you want to spare him? Or did you feel like you had to?"[break][break]

He turned, looking out towards the rift. Something about staring into two dimensions as they swirled into an unrecognizable blur was soothing. Either that, or he just wanted to take his eyes off of Caleb's bloodied hands.[break][break]

"It's okay. It's not like I could, either," Isaac admitted. "I patched him back up. I . . . I know he's done things. Horrible, horrible things. But I can't just look someone in the eye and let them die. Not even someone like him."[break][break]

"Does that mean when he comes back, madder and deadlier than ever, we're the ones to blame?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","text"]

Could he do it? Kill his brother?[break][break]
The ghost of the anger he had felt while fighting Zev began to resurface. This time, though, it wasn't directed at Zev. The resentment, the frustration, the rage, the grief...it was his fault. He'd dropped out of college due to poor grades, unable to believe that he had a chance at doing something meaningful, unable to ask for the help he'd needed to succeed. He'd followed his friends on what had, at first, been a handful of risky, though ultimately inconsequential, smuggling operations for extra cash. He'd gambled with them, drank with them. Drugs took away the pain of failure. He'd been seduced into crime because he'd just wanted to be good at something, loved by somebody. And because the person who's love he'd wanted most had been his coldhearted older brother, he'd invited him to join his gang.[break][break]
How quickly that gang became Rocket, absorbed into the nightmare that was Kanto's fall.[break][break]
How quickly his poor decisions led him to become a killer.[break][break]
"Could I do it? That's the wrong question," he snapped at Isaac, harsher than he'd intended. An agonized look crossed his face. "Should I do it? Zev has never been held accountable for all the people he's hurt and manipulated for his own selfish gain, including you. Including me." He paused, sucking in a breath. Then his whole body seemed to collapse, and he sank to the ground, kneeling before Isaac like a supplicant before a statue of their God.[break][break]
"But unless it were a mercy, I would not kill him." He whispered, the anger all burned up, leaving only ash in its wake.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The second Caleb fell to his knees, Isaac made up his mind. He surged forward, catching Caleb in his arms before he could collapse. He held him tightly, almost protectively, the swirling dimensions illuminating them against the darkness of the Ultra Deep Sea.[break][break]

He'd never know who was lying. He'd never know who was telling the truth. Caleb wasn't some perfect angel, descended from the heavens to be the Zev Harcourt he always wanted. He was flawed. He had sins crawling on his back and traumas weighing on his heart. He had his moments of weakness, and his moments of strength had come at great harm to others.[break][break]

But unlike Zev, he was trying.[break][break]

Maybe he did join Rocket because he was bored. Maybe he helped contribute to the fall of Kanto. Maybe if the people knew who he truly was, they'd want to see him torn limb from limb. But that was worlds apart from the man Isaac saw before him today. There were a million and one ways to escape his sins, but Caleb chose to go to the second biggest hotbed of Rocket activity and work as a Ranger. Was this not the most direct form his redemption could take?[break][break]

"My best friend killed his own father recently." Braced against Caleb, the one man in the world who might understand, the weights began flying off of Isaac's conscience. "Absolute bastard of a man. Did unspeakable things to his family. If there's anyone deserving cold blooded murder, it was him."[break][break]

"There was a whole Rocket council with him. The top two underbosses, sure. But . . . there was also Zev." He remembered when Zev mentioned SPECTRA, how he made a remark about already working with Ash. How deep did that go? "He's a lot like you. A good man who did some terrible things. A lot better at both of those than I am. I think Zev's given up on making me his mini-me and is trying to sink his claws in him instead."[break][break]

Isaac was still a lot to Zev. He was a confidant. He was an assistant. He was competent at most any task thrown his way. He was likely a fun chew toy to play around with, too. But when it came to that actual title of protege, Ashley Shepard seemed far more ripe to be his successor. Last night had been his coronation.[break][break]

"It's burning him up inside. It's how I know he's not gone. But . . . he's still here, and so am I." He wasn't the only one. His beloved ana fell, who for all of her brilliance seemed convinced her only merit was committing brutality for his sake. Cillian Quinn, whose deep-seated traumas did nothing to stop him from inflicting them on others in service of the organization who caused them. Remiel Calcifet, who had both Galarian and League aid to make it out and was disgusted at him for lingering nonetheless.[break][break]

Poor, sweet Eris, dragged out into a warzone to serve people that hated her because she had nowhere else to turn.[break][break]

"I don't think my plan's been working . . ."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","text"]

Isaac's embrace was wholly unexpected...but not unwelcome. It was the second time the younger man had held Caleb like this, but it seemed to have a greater impact on Caleb this time. Isaac was offering him comfort even after witnessing the violence that Caleb was clearly capable of. He shuddered under the weight of that revelation. He didn't deserve this, but he also needed this.[break][break]
Caleb listened as Isaac described his friend's descent into darkness, tone sorrowful, anther tragedy to add to Isaac's already long list. Caleb didn't know what to say. The story was all too familiar. Zev being involved didn't shock him, either. Zev had forced Caleb back into a state of primal brutality, one that Caleb was anything but proud of. His older brother had a talent for bringing out the worst in people, it seemed.[break][break]
"My plan isn't working, either," Caleb muttered. "I wanted to start over. I wanted to be better." He glanced up at Isaac; when they'd spoken in Sootopolis, Isaac had been the desperate one. Now, Caleb's blue eyes begged for forgiveness, for any scrap of salvation Isaac was willing to offer him.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"I . . . I saw things in that Dream Mist, Caleb."[break][break]

The rocky dynamic Caleb and Zev Harcourt held, the scapegoat who tried his hardest and the golden child formed less from want and more from need. Caleb's desire for something greater, be it to chase greater purpose or simply to fend off boredom. The way in some regards, Zev was Caleb's salvation, yet in other regards, he had become his damnation.[break][break]

There was no such thing as pure evil. Even Zev, a monster wearing human skin, had been failed by society and derailed onto his current path. There was no such thing as pure good. Even Caleb, who had escaped the darkest days of his life, had once been a burned-out addict who made ends meet through atrocity.[break][break]

This was all the more reason why the League needed to be held accountable. Every bright spark smothered by their negligence was a tragedy that they brushed off as a statistic.[break][break]

And yet, where the light fell, shadows gathered en masse. How much of this negligence was caused by the pressures of an immeasurable enemy? How many of the League's indulgences did they justify because of a genuine need to stay afloat? How much of the darkness surrounding Isaac's loved ones would be gone if they hadn't been dragged deeper and deeper by forces outside of their control?[break][break]

The League needed to be held accountable. But Rocket needed to be destroyed.[break][break]

"But I don't want to hear it from Zev and his self-serving memory. I don't want to see it from some nightmare gas that bubbled up from the middle of a nightmare realm." He'd already gotten their sides of the story. He'd already endured their torments. Now he wanted to relieve the torment of the pained, desperate man that knelt before him. "I . . . I just . . ."[break][break]

"Can you stay with me, Caleb?" The sound of blood dripping from Caleb's hands echoed through his head, but Isaac squeezed his eye shut and pushed the sound away. "I'm trying to get people out of here. Make sure they make it to the other side, no matter who they are or where they're from or how hurt they are. This rift goes right to the Dewford outskirts; long as they're quick, it should get them out of the fight."[break][break]

"I can't do it alone. And there's nobody I'd rather have backing me up." He started to rise, fully prepared to drag Caleb back up to his feet with him. "And while we're working, you can tell me everything. The way you experienced it."[break][break]

Maybe then, he'd finally know how to help.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","text"]

Caleb allowed Isaac to haul him back to his feet, just like he'd allowed angelo vestri to drag him out of the dream mist-induced nightmare he'd been trapped in after his fight with Zev. He wiped his bloody hands on his pants, brushed himself off, and let out a long, deep breath.[break][break]
There's nobody I'd rather have backing me up. Did Isaac really feel that way, even after what he'd witnessed? Caleb eyed the younger man with weary eyes. Was Isaac knowing what Caleb was truly capable of a good thing or a bad thing? Caleb's mind felt fuzzy with fatigue and grief. He would just have to trust Isaac.[break][break]
"I'll stay," he agreed. He turned to Lyra, the Lapras looking down at him with a concerned expression. For a moment, his voice took on a commanding tone, befitting of an experienced Ranger. "Sweep the perimeter of this area and look for civilians - or really, anyone in need of a way out. Injured folks especially." He paused. "League or Rocket, it doesn't matter. Get them out." She let out a determined trill, then sped off, her mission accepted.[break][break]
Caleb faced Isaac, feeling a bit like he was on the stand at his own trial, and considered his words.[break][break]
"My story isn't all that special, or remarkable, or tragic. At least, it didn't start out that way. I was just an average kid growing up in Lavender Town, Kanto. I had doting parents and a big brother I looked up to. Met Lyra when I was 10."[break][break]
His body wanted to move, so he moved. He motioned for Isaac to follow him.[break][break]
"Man, I really thought Zev was the shit." He barked out a laugh. Now that he was talking, words started pouring out. "When he got into martial arts, I got into martial arts. When he'd finish a book, I'd decide to read it too - even though his books were usually boring. When he got picked on at school - " Caleb paused. Isaac probably didn't know about that. "Zev got bullied when we were young, at school. The other kids thought he was creepy and weird. And...he was, in retrospect. But at the time, it just made me mad. He was my brother, my favorite person. I defended him, of course, and because I was popular, I thought maybe I could do something about it."

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Zev Harcourt was an extraordinary man who did everything in his power to seem ordinary. Caleb, in contrast, was a man of no particular note who found himself on an incredible path. It was fascinating to see how shared gravity pulled them in vastly opposite directions.[break][break]

He followed in Caleb's footsteps, his own gravity changing with each brother's pull.[break][break]

"I know that feeling," Isaac admitted. "Been on the other end of it myself." Memories of El Sunderland flowed through his head. Would their encounters have played out different, had El known who they were fighting against and fighting beside? Would he have seen how far El had come? Or would their old, undeserved dynamic immediately resurface?[break][break]

"My little sib was always the smart one. And the talented one. And the kind one. Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't taken the world by storm yet. But . . . despite all of that, and despite always being treated like the golden child, they always thought I was just the coolest. Sometimes, it felt like they were the only person in the world that could see past them and actually notice me."[break][break]

"It's funny. I always thought they were crazy. But these days, I'm starting to realize they were onto something."[break][break]

Isaac didn't have Caleb's popularity. However, he did have that shared protective drive. He knew what it was like to launch himself into the fray when somebody was picking on his beloved sibling. Even know that feeling persisted, that some big brother instinct kicking in whenever anyone in his inner circle came under threat.[break][break]

"I believe you. I can tell how hard you tried," Isaac said. "But there were times where it was too much for you, weren't there?"

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","text"]

Caleb chewed on that. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. No, this couldn't be rushed. And Isaac deserved the truth.[break][break]
"Yes," he murmured. "Sometimes it was hard. Being Zev's brother, I mean. I wanted to be my own person too, you know?" His smile was sad. "You have a sibling too, maybe you can understand."[break][break]
He stopped, looked around. They were right next to the portal now, the way out. Anyone deposited there by Lyra - or on their own - would find Caleb and Isaac standing there, ready to help them through. Around them, the Ultra Deep Sea was as quietly oppressive as ever.[break][break]
"I went to college in Saffron City. I wanted to study archeology, find artifacts and stuff...you know, like they do in Raiders of the Lost Archeops." He grinned sheepishly at that. His expression sobered, however, as he remembered his failures. "I sucked at academics, though. Writing papers, memorizing facts, taking tests...I wasn't any good at it. Turns out you don't get to dig up anything cool if you can't pass the exams."[break][break]
The memory of his inadequacy was a sharp pain in his gut. "I dropped out, ashamed of myself. Got into drugs and drinking...had a group of friends who thought petty crimes were cool, and I just...latched onto them. And they liked me, thought I was funny and clever...after so much failure, I was finally good at something: being their gang leader." He looked away, unable to meet Isaac's eyes. There was no good reason for any of this, not really. Plenty of college dropouts did just fine, found jobs, contributed to society...and didn't become criminals.[break][break]
"I hated myself," Caleb murmured. "Probably should have gone to therapy." A simple solution, but one that he had never considered back then. Coward.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Believe me," Isaac said, letting out a weary laugh. "I get that."[break][break]

"My dad's not my dad, you see." Might as well tear the hardest bandaid off first, right? "Was obvious the day he figured it out. One day, he was all warmth and smiles. The next, it was like I was a stranger to him. Nine months later, I had a little replacement."[break][break]

There was a far-off look in Isaac's eyes as he turned to face the rift. "It isn't fair to call them that. Even if that's what the asshole intended for them, El's ended up so much more than that. I mean, I wasn't lying about all the stuff I had to say about 'em. They're . . . good. Really, really good. Deserved better than what they were born into. Deserved better than me, that's for shit sure."[break][break]

"But being that good, and being the one they wanted, that gave them a one-way ticket to being the golden child. And me? Getting more irritated by the day at getting tossed aside? I didn't stand a chance; I was a scapegoat from the start."[break][break]

"My life'd be so much easier if I could just hate 'em for it." Isaac sighed softly, kicking a pebble straight through. "But I couldn't. I can't. I loved 'em growing up. I loved 'em when I ran away. And even now, finding them in this rift, wishing they'd just listen to me and turn their back on all this . . . I still can't help but care."[break][break]

With his piece said, he focused on Caleb's story. He didn't have the brains for his dreams, and that meant he clung onto a group that accepted him for who he was. They got him into drugs. They got him into crime. They got him into even darker territory. And in the face of all of this, they got him into something resembling belonging.[break][break]

"Best time to plant a tree's when you get the seed. Second best time's today," Isaac said, tone wistful. Arceus knew he could use therapy. Arceus knew they probably didn't make therapy sessions for active terrorists. "Same goes for therapy, right? Especially now that today's dumped a shitload more to process on your lap."[break][break]

"But, fuck. I get what you mean here, too. Rocket's the first time I've had a group of people I've felt close to. First time I've let myself care for people. First time I've let people care for me. And, Arceus, I forgot how much I needed those. Such a shame it came with all those strings attached, huh?"[break][break]

He laughed a little, in a state of sheer disbelief over how much they had in common. "Imagine how much better our lives'd be if we just joined a fucking board game club or some shit. Ain't that just great?"

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","text"]

Caleb stared flatly at Isaac, then laughed. "Fuck, it's true. I should have just stuck with sports. I wasn't half bad at soccer."[break][break]
He shook his head. Isaac's story was more similar to his own than Caleb had initially thought; not just how the younger man had come to join Rocket, but his family dynamic was...equally nuanced, it seemed. The relationship with his sibling El sounded just as emotionally complex as Caleb's was with Zev. He wondered what El was up to now, and whether or not Isaac would ever know the horrible feeling of being forced to stab a sibling he thought he loved out of self defense...but also out of anger.[break][break]
He desperately hoped he never would.[break][break]
"The truth isn't easy to accept," Caleb murmured, staring ahead into the vastness of the Ultra Deep Sea. "I could have done a million other things with my life, but I joined Team Rocket instead. I made some shit choices, Isaac," he eyed the blond. "I own that. I'm not some martyr for the League, an example of what Kanto does to a person. I had agency, and I'm not proud of it."[break][break]
A blue speck in the distance. Lyra? Yes, it was her. Three figures were clutching tight to one another, huddled up on the back of her shell, looking as ragged and weary as Caleb felt.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]