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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Akira gazed into the abyss, and the abyss gazed back. Specifically, the abyss was the sorrowful eye of a Garchomp, who hadn't expected to suddenly be both trod upon and yelled at in the span of about thirty seconds.[break][break]

Sighing softly, the landshark dove out of the land like a watershark through water. It dragged its tail a little as it slunk out of the way, its gentle heart bruised.[break][break]

Then it froze up, remembering why it was here. It turned around to face Akira, giving its head a curious tilt. It pointed a single, sickle-shaped claw forwards, trying to identify just who this strange girl was and just what she was doing here.[break][break]

From the floor in front of him, a Dunsparce poked its head out to see just who had shown up. From behind Kira, an Alolan Dugtrio emrrged, bobbing up and down curiously to get a better look. From the ceiling came a Vikavolt, its wings buzzing pensively as it tried to gauge whether the girl was friend or foe.[break][break]

Akira was surrounded, but none of the strange Pokemon seemed to be attacking. If anything, they were all looking towards her. It was if they were waiting for her cue to figure out what to do next.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The girl seemed shocked and alarmed by the emergence of several subterranean Pokemon. Considering what she'd been through, it was the only sane reaction. She fell flat on her ass, scrambling back and ranting towards the Pokemon surrounding her.[break][break]

They looked between one another, as if trying to come to a consensus. The Dunsparce nodded, using her Hyper Drill to push her way back into the tunnel network they'd connected. That left the other three remaining by the girl's side, wondering just what they were going to do with her.[break][break]

It was the Garchomp that stepped up first, softly setting a fin on her shoulder. A soft, gentle rumble came from his throat, sounding like an alligator trying its best to copy the purr of a cat. His anatomy wasn't built to comfort, but that wouldn't stop him from trying his best in the face of her fear.[break][break]

Next came the Vikavolt, descending to the safeguard the space in front of her. His mandibles clicked together a few times, kicking up a few sparks to help light the tunnel so that the girl could see. Were anything hostile to come out of the blue to pick a fight, he would be her first line of defense.[break][break]

Finally, the Dugtrio remained in place. One by one, they began to bob in and out of the ground. Their movements were slow and soothing, providing a steady rhythm for the girl to ease her breaths with. It was as if they had turned into a living metronome.[break][break]

For the time being, the trio simply waited here like this. Their fourth would be back with their trainer soon. For the time being, the least they could do was show this strange girl that they meant no harm.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Pretend what didn't happen?"[break][break]

Just Akira's luck. Of course the mysterious hallway voice had to wait until she said something mildly embarrassing to reveal itself.

Perhaps the other Rocket would be someone that Akira recognized as he headed down the tunnel. Perhaps he'd be a total mystery for her. Whatever the case may have been, he seemed to come in peace. The only Pokemon that he had with him was the Dunsparce from earlier, the tsuchinoko hot on his heels as they approached.[break][break]

The Garchomp, sensing that Akira wanted to stand, took his fin off of her shoulder. He took a step in front of her and offered his arm, as if helping her stand after her spill from earlier. At this point, he'd gone from helpful to downright gentlemanly![break][break]

"Sidon, you didn't give her a scare, did you?" Isaac chided as he approached. Flabbergasted, the Garchomp shook his head, only for the Vikavolt to glance over to the Dugtrio instead. Its two lower heads bobbed up and down in unison, in an approximation of shrugging. "Dudes? Seriously? I'm . . . not even gonna ask how you guys did that, honestly."[break][break]

"Still, don't mind the mob. They can get a little quirky sometimes, but trust me. They mean well." He looked the girl up and down, as if trying to gauge what she was going on her ass in a tunnel in the middle of a warzone. "You doing alright?"

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The poor, frightened girl immediately jumped in to defend Isaac's own team from his chiding. It was kind of adorable.[break][break]

"Y'hear that, guys? You're off the hook on this one," he teased. He walked up, giving Sidon a teasing punch on the arm. The Garchomp didn't hesitate in returning the favor for a second.[break][break]

With his light teasing out of the way, he cast a glance down the length of the cavern that Akira had navigated. From what he could see, there was no trace of venom slathered along the walls. There was no sickly-sweet dream mist drifting away, or Arceus forbid, toward the duo. There was none of the damage of an active warzone chipping away at the walls. For as rattled as the girl was, she'd fought her way back to a spot of relative safety.[break][break]

She seemed like a survivor. A fighter, even.[break][break]

"Man, do I know that," he said, the slightest bit of weariness blending into his voice as he commiserated. "I've never spent this long in an Ultra Wild before, and after this? I think I've had my fill for a long, long while."[break][break]

A touch of worry gnawed at the back of Isaac's brain. The realm's machinations could be anything from a bit of paranoia gnawing at the brain to fifty lashes from a Nihilego. He wouldn't be able to help this girl until he knew just quite was up with her. "So. What's this place thrown at you so far?" he asked, cocking a single curious brow.[break][break]

He could only hope against hope that she'd been spared the worst of what it had to offer.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The girl said little, but her tone spoke volumes. A curt acknowledgment coiled around a weary attempt at a joke like a vine around a branch, cutting it off before it blossomed into something more real and dangerous. Despite holding back like this, she was also all too open about how this day was making her clear.[break][break]

"It's too much for anyone, if you ask me." With most of Rocket's finest pushing deeper and deeper into the heart of the Deep Sea, Isaac felt bolder about letting his true thoughts fly. This battle was a stupid idea on every level, and anyone left behind to pick up the pieces knew it. "And it sure as hell isn't getting any easier."[break][break]

Was it the cave that Isaac meant? Or was it Rocket itself?[break][break]

That said, it seemed seriously too much for this girl. When she was flat out admitting she was a step away from a breakdown, Isaac knew things were getting ugly. "Just hold it together a little longer," he requested, sympathy bleeding into his voice even as he tried to hold it firm. "I've been keeping an eye on one of the side rifts here. Follow me, and I should be able to get you out without much trouble."[break][break]

Maybe she was League. Maybe she was Rocket. Maybe she was one of the poor fucks caught in the middle. Far as Isaac cared, if you were as done as her, he'd give you a hand either way. But just in case, he figured it wouldn't hurt to dig a little deeper.[break][break]

"So who are you, anyway? And what's got you here?"

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"It's war. Misery's a package deal."[break][break]

While his words were blunt, there was an underlying concern beneath them. Did Akira know what she was getting into when she joined Rocket? It was one thing to be in his position, when Walsh had to make his new direction for the organization known and the propaganda painted the picture of a better world. But now that they were in a post-Meteno world, where the record showed that Rocket had invaded in the face of the literal apocalypse, their presence here was harder to justify.[break][break]

"Mm. I could do that," Isaac said, mulling over Akira's request. For the time being, he said nothing else, letting the girl finish talking before he stepped up again.[break][break]

Her name was Akira. Was that her real name, or her callsign? Shit, did she even have a callsign? For all Isaac knew, she was just a lost, wayward civilian, press-ganged by one of the two sides into doing some communication work. In either case, she slipped in, did what she had to, and ended up lost in the endless branches of the Ultra Deep Sea. It was all too common of a fate around here.[break][break]

The situation continued to feel all too familiar with Isaac. He, too, had been lost during a warfront, pinned down by the weight of expectations, the misery of his work, and the pain that his loved ones had undergone. He, too, had only been bailed out by a member of the League taking mercy on him, stopping him before he charged off on a mad, suicidal rush.[break][break]

She was even missing an eye. Was this just the living incarnation of his mistakes?[break][break]

"I'm glad you made your way out," he said, the relief in his tone genuine even as he held back the floodgates. She mentioned a League member. That meant she had to be Rocket, because Arceus, these parallels weren't strong enough yet. If his time in Rocket convinced him of anything, it was that dramatic irony was real and strong, and it was his enemy. "This place is pretty dangerous, so we're not out of the woods yet. But we're almost there."[break][break]

The tension gnawed at the back of his brainstem. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he hated to revisit, so much he couldn't forget no matter how much he tried. It had been half a year, and yet he'd never quite left that day on Mt. Pyre behind.[break][break]

A new Pokeball burned brightly in his pocket. Maybe it was about time he gave it a shot.[break][break]

"You know," Isaac mused, looking down the tunnel. "All our higher ups are probably deep in the trenches right now, huh? Arceus knows they live for this kind of thing." Was there a single admin, Beast, or Underboss who shied away from combat left? The least bloodthirsty of the bunch had all defected by now.[break][break]

"Bet it's nice not having any eyes on you for a change."

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