Finn heard the crunching of grass and the unsheathing of swords, and his sake-addled mind concluded that he was being attacked again. But “again” misses the issue; repetition implies that Finn caught a break. Truth is, Finn never left. In his mind, he was still trapped there in Ultra Deep Sea with Gerald.

Out of reflex, Finn jolted upright and threw out a Pokeball. His Decidueye emerged from her Pokeball and shook the confusion off her feathered cape, not knowing why she was being summoned. Then, she saw Isaac, peered down at her trainer, and understood. She, and the rest of Finn’s team, had seen this replay nightly ever since Finn came back. Yesterday, beer in a cave. Tonight, sake in the woods. She met Isaac’s gaze with a woeful expression, quietly bemoaning the sight in front of them.

Ceruledge’s violet flames roused Finn out of his stupor. He looked up, his soul returning to his eyes, and his face blanched with shame when he realised Isaac was looking down at him like this. Self-consciousness brimmed over his skin like cold water. He was normally proud of his body – and often even showed it off in Flying Sword – but his nakedness now reminded him of his weakness. Of how his muscles and skill dissolved in the face of an opponent he was trained to take down, even trained others to take down.

Finn pulled his knees up to his chest. He tried to crawl towards his crumpled kimono but settled for shielding himself with his hands.

“Go away. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

Finn slurred. He hated that Isaac, of all his students, was the one to discover him like this. But maybe it was good that Isaac saw him like this, for who he really was. He deserved to find out the truth, that he deserved a better teacher.

Finn felt cold.

“Please, just go.”

He turned away. Moonlight carved out his body amidst the trees’ shadows like a sculpture of sorrow.

Isaac Merlo

Anything but looking up at a student right now, and anyone but Isaac - not just a student but almost a younger brother, some kind of blood-sworn son. Finn knew Isaac didn't judge him, and that almost made it worse. Isaac saw him at his worst. Costume stripped off, blabbering like a fool. He saw that behind his sharp appearance, Finn was just a boy playing dress-up - and recognised him.

Finn sank his face into the grass.

Everything faded into silence. Finn thought he'd willed Isaac away. But then, he felt Isaac's approaching footsteps and his kimono's edge flicker across his shoulders.

He had seen Finn at his worst, and did not turn away.

"You don't get it, Isaac," Finn muttered. He kept his eyes low, his lips still speaking into the grass. "I can't teach you anymore." Isaac might have fond memories of their first match, but those were different times. Neither of them had yet realised the limited scope of Finn's experience and competence. Finn trembled, and that shake deepened into a fissure that struck at the root of his soul. He tried to hold himself together, but the cold revulsive shock rose inside him like a wave.

That old ghost's daggers flashed in Finn's memory again, and the man broke down in tears.

"He was so strong! I tried to fight back, but he got so close to me, and I couldn't do anything! All I could do was run!"

Finn pulled his kimono off Isaac's hands and buried his face in its silk. Each sob got stronger and worse, hollowing out his guts with snot and tears. He cried and cried not just in pity of himself but in release. He finally put a finger on how he felt - he felt scared.

Covered in sweat, liquor, tears and spit, at the foot of someone he was supposed to protect. Finn could smell how pathetic he was. He cried not just because of the attack but because he knew Isaac would leave him now. Finn was a fraud with no claim to Isaac's loyalty and respect. The jig was up.

Isaac Merlo

Shame worked like a vicious whirlpool; the more you gave in to it, the more its bitterness intensified. Still, it also felt so good to let it out. Finn cried and cried, hollowing out the black lump in his chest. His kimono was drenched with tears and spit. But as his muscles shook, all the way down to his gut, they released so much tension that he had been guarding for so long. Everything melted away into his kimono and into the grass.

Finn really didn't want Isaac to see him like this, but he also really didn't want to be alone.

It was the irony of shame; you feel the humiliation of being seen, but in being seen you feel the comfort of being witnessed. As if to say, I understand. That was why Finn took a liking to Isaac from the start. Yet, he knew he couldn't fault Isaac if he wanted to find a teacher more worthy than himself. Someone who could actually teach him to defend himself and win. But Finn still reached out like a sleeping Bellsprout turns to the rising sun.

"Please don't leave me."

And Isaac stayed. He sat down by Finn's side and offered a gentle hand, and Finn sobbed even more into his shoulder. He curled up like a child, aware of how weak and inappropriate it looked to find solace in his student, but Finn could accept it now. He was weak. But just because he was weak doesn't mean he was worthless.

"Mmmm." From somewhere primal inside him, instinctive and raw like a foal keens to its mother, Finn cuddled his head into Isaac's shoulder. The occasional shiver rumbled across his frame as his body purged itself of trauma.

Isaac Merlo

Finn's final strains of sorrow drained from his eyes, and the alcoholic haze lifted from his head. Sanity crept back into him in slow steps. Where was he? Finn looked up. He was resting on a damp patch on Isaac's shoulder. It was cold.

Wordlessly, he pulled himself off his student and looked about for something dry to wear.

"Erm... Thanks, Isaac." Finn mumbled. He gave him a gruff but soft pat.

Oh, boy. How will I ever face Isaac again?

It would take time for Finn to reckon with what it means to be fully, unpretentiously seen. That was a luxury he had not given himself. It had been cracked out of him, and he would always remember this night as a gateway on the path to growing through pain.

But enough about that - something was off. Finn's ears twitched. Was that a faint slashing sound in the darkness of the woods?

"No." Finn's entirely body stiffened. His eyes shook like birds trapped in cages. Had his tormentor found his way here?

Finn tried not to crumble. He looked back at Isaac, but who was he meant to be? He tried to play strong, but they both knew that was a lie. His eyes were a movie screen playing distorted nightmares.

The slashing sounds grew louder, fiercer, and Finn started trembling again. His Decidueye, though, pulled herself upright, the infernal air between her feathers bristling.

Isaac Merlo

As that slashing sound grew louder and closer, Finn could smell something change in the air. That burned, ionised odour triggered intense shock waves inside him, reminding him of that precise moment in that horror dimension - just a thread's width away from being stabbed and gutted. What would Finn say to Isaac? Run, I'll handle it- as he knew he should, even though his hands trembled and grew cold. He couldn't even protect his student. Useless, lousy Finn grew slack and shivered.

Yet, even though Finn's faith in himself slipped through his fingers like water, Isaac still looked at him like he mattered. He offered Finn's sword to him, and Finn thought he saw a glimpse of a confident, bracing smile. Finn's brow trembled. This offer of facing his fears together rolled about in his mind.

Finn gripped onto his sword's handle and onto Isaac's arm, pushing himself up on his feet. His palms remembered how they fit into the grooves of his katana's hilt and that familiarity helped him feel the ground beneath his feet, the fire in his gut.

Finn cared so much for Isaac. He treasured how willing he was to sit with him in his pain, and even fight alongside him against this threat. Isaac give him the courage to do what he needed to do as his teacher.

Finn's grip tightened on his katana as he turned his focus to the trees.

"Run, Isaac. I'll take it from here."

The trees parted with a flash of pink. Out from its smouldering remains stepped a robot soldier that looked a Gallade out of infernal steel. Its eyes blinked with cold, inhuman cruelty.

Finn and the creature exchanged glances, as if in some perverted ritual of sportsmanship before a duel. And then, like lightning, the Iron Valiant lashed forward.

"GO!" Finn slammed his back into Isaac, shoving him towards the glade's exit, drawing his sword to his face just in time to block the Iron Valiant's attack. With a bitter grunt, Finn parried off its slash and kicked into a bush. He panted. The Iron Valiant did not stay there for long. Finn's Decidueye met him in the shadows, her ghostly presence deepening the darkness as she brought the force of the night down on her foe.

Finn needed to defend Isaac. He needed to do what was right, or die fighting.

Isaac Merlo

Ying, Finn's Decidueye, split her form. Her feathered cape burst open, melting into a wave of shadow that swarmed the Iron Valiant in a ghastly wind. Finn watched on, his shoulders tense and his brow tight. Would Ying manage to wear down his robot foe?

A flash of pink sliced the dark vortex open, flinging Ying onto the ground. The Iron Valiant emerged unscathed, its steel skin catching the moonlight in a sinister but beautiful way. It held something new in its hands - it had combined its forearm blades into a single deadly sword. Finn swore. In his current state, he couldn't fight and look out for Isaac at the same time!

As Iron Valiant rushed at Finn again, the human swords-wielder flashed Isaac a hot frustrated look before meeting Iron Valiant's sword with his own. Finn struggled badly against his foe as pink sparks roared where their blades met. Its eyes just stared on unfeelingly as it pressed against Finn with alien strength. Finn roared as he dug his feet into the soil and his arms quivered. But as the Iron Valiant's eyes glowed robot red, Finn's gut glowed a hot gold, not because of who his enemy was but because of who stood behind him.

Finn would defend Isaac, that earnest fool, with everything he had.

And if Isaac wanted to stay around...

"Isaac, make yourself useful! Take him from the side!"

Isaac Merlo