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[attr="class","skullbody"]"I mean, hey. You finally said it to me," Isaac said. "All it took was, what? A year? So if you ask parker jones any time soon, you're way ahead of your last personal best!" He was the benchmark now. If Nomi confessed to Parker before then, she was ahead of the curve![break][break]

"Now, c'mon. When's the last time Nomi Sato's messed anything up?" To Isaac, she was practically invincible. From a particularly pink stranger in a busy crowd to Rocket's rising superstar, she'd been seeing win after win since she set foot on the global stage. Isaac wished he could be half as competent, half as talented, and half as beloved as she was.[break][break]

Yet when he considered where this love came from and what it represented, did he really?[break][break]

"Look. Trust me on this one. You're a genius and a sweetheart. That's a rare combo! Already, like, huge points in your favor." Insufferable geniuses were out of style. Sweet geniuses? Those were in. "And you make all this science stuff real easy to talk about, even with a dumbass like me. Makes it easier to appreciate those things. Hell, you're really cute, too. So if Parker's got any taste, I know she's paying attention."[break][break]

Was it hard to hear these affirmations over the rushing of the wind and the beating of Zephyrus' wings? Probably. Would it become even harder when Isaac released another Pokeball, his Crobat rushing them along even further through the force of his Tailwind? Oh, absolutely. But that bridge wasn't getting away on Isaac's watch![break][break]

"Think about it this way before you get all worried! Has she given you any sign she doesn't like you?"

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Having a conversation while going what felt like one hundred miles per hour wasn't exactly easy. Isaac's words, however, were making her thoughts race just as fast. She grinned stupidly as he threw compliment after compliment at her, even called her cute.[break][break]
Isaac was so good at making her feel special. Always had been. It was probably one of the many reasons she had grown to care about him so much. Rarely had she ever experienced such positive attention from people in her life. She'd never known the validation of proud parents, never had many close friends in her youth able to bolster her morale. It felt good to be unconditionally supported.[break][break]
His final question gave her a measure of pause, however. Perhaps Isaac was right to suggest she approach the situation with Parker from an analytical perspective: with logic, rather than emotion. She could do that, right? She did it so often in every other aspect of her life, after all.[break][break]
"It's not that there have been signs that she doesn't like me," Nomi began, trying to find the right words to describe what her interactions with Parker were like. "I think she enjoys my company enough not to loath all the time she has to spend with me. But if she liked me like...you know," Nomi blushed. "Then wouldn't she show it? Wouldn't she make some kind of move? She's an otherwise very direct person."[break][break]
It occurred to Nomi that she actually had zero idea how this sort of thing was supposed to work. Isaac was a fairly action-oriented person too, wasn't he?[break][break]
"What was it like with Cygne? Did you ask her out or did she ask you out? How did you handle that sort of thing?"

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"You're pretty direct, too!" Isaac called over the increasingly rushing winds. Arceus, how long was this bridge? For a second, Isaac wondered if he was going to start hurtling into the stratosphere. "Until it comes to romance. Where apparently, you clam up and turn into a pumpkin. Maybe she's the same?"[break][break]

She asked how Isaac and ana fell ended up being a thing, and Isaac couldn't help but laugh a little. "Realtalk? It just kinda . . . happened," he admitted. "You really think I thought I was, like, remotely in her league? But we hit it off real strong, real fast, and we just . . . got closer and closer. Til it happened. Sometimes, these things just happen, yeah?"[break][break]

But Nomi deserved better than just waiting and hoping. Nomi deserved better than being so uncertain of herself. Hell, if Isaac was being honest, Nomi deserved better than Rocket. But with how much Rocket had given her, and how thin ice he was on, he knew he would never dare admit the thought out loud.[break][break]

Cygne deserved all of those things, too. And unlike Nomi, Isaac thought he would've had the chance to show her that. It hurt.[break][break]

"Look, I'm just saying," Isaac said, releasing a third Pokeball. Now his Genesect emerged, its mechanical arms docking around Zephyrus' back and the rest of its body folding into a saucer-like shape. Now practically warped into a living jetpack, it kicked in its afterburners to Flame Charge out a final burst of speed. "You could wait around missing signs and doubting yourself like me, and hoping it all adds up. Or you could just tell her! If you're both clammed up, how're you supposed to know?"

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The Genesect's final burst of flame rocketed them far above Petalburg Wood's canopy of trees, and Nomi's hair became one gigantic tangled mess of pink. Her cheeks had gone numb from the stinging cold wind, and her entire body ached from the speed of their ascent.[break][break]
Isaac's thrill for adventure never seemed to disappoint.[break][break]
"I guess we're alike in that way," Nomi laughed. "Parker's way out of my League, too. She's a badass, and I'm just some nerd." But... "But you do have a point. You and Cygne are perfect together, like you were each other's missing puzzle piece. You wouldn't have found that out if you hadn't given dating a try. Maybe I shouldn't write off the fact that Parker and I could end up the same way."[break][break]
The clouds cleared and a floating island came into view. All thoughts of how to confess her feelings to Parker faded from Nomi's mind as she gaped at the incredible phenomenon before her.[break][break]
They stepped onto the rocky surface of the island, and Nomi's legs wobbled, almost giving out. The sudden end to their crazy flight had disoriented her slightly. Catching herself, she gazed, fascinated, at the meadow of gracidea flowers that swayed in the light breeze before them - more than she had ever seen before in one place.[break][break]
"Where are we?" She wondered aloud, awed.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"Hey, c'mon. Don't be so quick to count yourself out." Isaac hopped off of MUGEN's back, allowing the Genesect to pull to a slow halt. As it stopped, he helped stabilize Nomi so the poor girl didn't start jellylegsing all over the island.[break][break]

"I mean. C'mon. Far as I'm concerned, you'd be way out of my league. And yet who was the one with the giant crush?" It was an earnest admission, and also a truthful one. Gorgeous. Brilliant. Driven. Charismatic. And someone who he had an ultra natural rapport with. Had he not been taken, Nomi would've had Isaac under her spell. "So think about that while you plan your next move, yeah?"[break][break]

Isaac was sure parker jones would be crazy about Nomi. Anyone with taste would be.[break][break]

With any lingering emotions out of Isaac's mind, now he could focus on business. First order of business; finding out where the hell they were. "Your guess is as good as mine," Isaac admitted. "But we sure as hell ain't in Kansas anymore."[break][break]

The colors were dazzling, backdropped by the clearest, most blue sky Isaac had ever seen. The island itself was dead silent, to the point where MUGEN unfolding itself from its flight forme sounded head-throbbingly loud. In contrast, the aromas were overwhelming. If he had a pollen allergy, Isaac was sure he'd be dead on the spot.[break][break]

He needed a hand. And who better to give one than Baconator?[break][break]

The Pignite clutched her head as she emerged from her ball, then cracked her knuckles and got to work. With a keen nose pointed at the ground, she began tiptoeing through the tulips in search of a scent that rose above the rest. "In a perfect world, we could explore this place all night long," Isaac said. "But that bridge brought us here with a purpose. And if this island disappears as quickly as it did . . ."[break][break]

Maybe they could search first, spare some science later.

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"Oh come on, Isaac," Nomi blushed, allowing him to hold her steady as she regained her footing. "I'm not that special. It's you who's - " the best of us " - all brave and stuff." She beamed with pleasure all the same, however. Perhaps it was because she was surrounded by Gracidea flowers - an entire field of them - but she felt an intense gratitude building in her chest, sprouting up through her ribs and tickling her heart.[break][break]
Isaac was a good man. Maybe too good for Rocket, but also good enough to stick by her side regardless: be there for her when she needed him most. Nomi had never really had a friend like Isaac. A best friend.[break][break]
It felt good. It mattered.[break][break]
"Thank you for not being weirded out by the crush I had on you," she murmured, cheeks still red, but feeling like she needed to say what came next. Get it off her chest. "I'm glad it didn't ruin anything between us. I'd be lost without your friendship, Isaac."[break][break]
All of a sudden, there was movement amongst the flowers. Nomi's Unown-A blinked back into existence, appearing in front of her, summoned by the threat of danger. The creature that appeared was small and dainty, however. It seemed harmless at first, but Nomi could see the fierce look of challenge in its eyes. It was staring directly at Isaac.[break][break]
"Shaymin," Nomi breathed.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"Let's just say we're both pretty great, eh?" Frankly, Isaac wasn't feeling great. Not with the future he expected to see turned on its head. But nothing got Isaac's head off of his troubles quite like a good project, and boy was this a hell of a project.[break][break]

At the mention of Nomi's crush, Isaac simply shrugged. "Hey, people like people. What do I look like, the thought police?" It was such a lame joke that he had to snicker at it a little. " 'Sides, not like you ever did anything weird about it."[break][break]

"And I don't ever want to lose you as a friend, either."[break][break]

Neither did he want to lose his chance at meeting a new one. A Shaymin stood before Isaac, nose turned proudly to the air and eagerness shining in its beady eyes. He hadn't expected it from a Pokemon so small and cuddly looking, but here it was jonesing for a fight. Maybe in the end, Pokemon were Pokemon after all.[break][break]

MUGEN stepped up to face its fellow myth, its red eyes shining with anticipation. It hunkered down on all fours, its Techno Blast glowing with equal intensity to that of the Seed Flare charging atop the Shaymin's back. On paper, it seemed like a fantastic matchup. MUGEN's Bug type made it a natural predator of Grass types, and its Steel type would resist any grass moves the Shaymin threw its way. It had the size advantage. It had the tech advantage. And in a fight, nobody was more decisive than MUGEN.[break][break]

It just didn't feel right.[break][break]

In a flash of red light, MUGEN disappeared. Isaac tucked its ball against his belt before drawing another one. This new, well-worn ball writhed back and forth in the palm of his hand, as if it couldn't stand being contained any longer.[break][break]

Isaac beamed as he released the ball, Watson emerging from within. "There's nobody I've been more grateful for on this journey than you, buddy," Isaac said, the crocodile looking practically radiant in the face of his praise. "Let's give this one our best shot!"[break][break]

He hadn't been a very common presence on missions, Isaac hoping to spare the little croc from the horrors of war. Truth be told, it always stuck in Watson's craw. For the bigger fights, he always seemed to fall back on bigger, stronger, more ruthless Pokemon. Toto the Blastoise, in particular, had always been a rival for him. There was little love lost between the two water starters, and only one of them had become Isaac's cleaner.[break][break]

But Toto wasn't the one Isaac called upon to face down a legend. It had been Watson. At Isaac's encouragement, the fear of being forgotten purged itself from his mind. He rasped triumphantly, then settled down into a bouncy fighting stance.[break][break]

The Shaymin seemed to smile a little as its challenge was answered properly. Properly satisfied, it launched the towering Seed Flare towards Watson, both the hedgehog and the crocodile obscured in a massive eruption of pollen and light. Could this be it? Was the fight already finished?[break][break]

Or had Watson leaped clear over the move in a vaulting Dragon Dance?[break][break]

The move passed clear underneath him, doing little more than singing his tail. As perfume-like smoke rose from his skin, Watson realized just how close he'd come to being obliterated. Had he bitten off more than he could chew? Had he gotten in over his head? Had Isaac been right to turn to other Pokemon during all those times?[break][break]

Those other Pokemon wouldn't agree. In Watson's mind's eye, he could see them all. Grimace the Dracovish, his best friend, swayed back and forth while gurgling out a makeshift cheer. Vivi the Espeon hopped up and down in excited circles, leading her family on to encourage Watson. Knuckles the Lucario folded her arms, eyes closed and a smirk on her face; from her purple, prideful aura, it was like she didn't even need to see the result.[break][break]

Duster the Marowak shot him a curt nod, practically glowing praise in Duster's terms. Toto the Blastoise cocked an eyebrow and smirked, their rivalry taking an almost brotherly spin as he dared Watson to prove him wrong. Ceres the Torterra, the apple of his eye, looked at him with just as much wonder as she did when she first joined the team.[break][break]

Kiryu, his oldest companion, was no longer with them. Nonetheless, he could feel her warm smile shining down on him.[break][break]

Finally, his eye turned to Isaac. Long before they'd met any of the others, they had each other. Their ambitions. Their struggles. Their hopes. Their journey that never was, until they'd broken through the fog and found it anew. One year ago, they were slogging through life, trying to get from one day to the next. Now, they stood surrounded by a paradise of flowers and the dreams of their loved ones as they fought a Pokemon many didn't even know existed.[break][break]

With one last smile Isaac's way, Watson's eyes sharpened.[break][break]

The Shaymin paused to gather up more energy for another Seed Flare. That was Watson's chance to strike. Flipping himself over in midair, his vault turned into a diving tackle. He gnashed his jaws as he fell, icy vapors spilling from his corners of mouth with each gnash.[break][break]

Gnash.[break][break]

A hundred Pokemon appeared behind those he was closest to, from the smallest hatchling to the mightiest legend.[break][break]

Gnash.[break][break]

Light began to rise from the earth and gather from the sun. The flowers dotted along the Shaymin's back unfurled into full bloom.[break][break]

Gnash.[break][break]

The frost around Watson's mouth took form, his teeth reinforced behind spears of solid ice.[break][break]

Gnash.[break][break]

Even as the Shaymin's body became enveloped in a blinding light, Isaac felt no fear. He simply watched Watson descend, their hearts beating as one. He didn't have a doubt in his mind that he'd pull through.[break][break]

Gnash.[break][break]

The Shaymin let out a keening war cry. Watson opened his jaws one last time, biting down with all his might. A cloud of pollen and vapor exploded around the duo, dense enough to obscure even their silhouettes.[break][break]

Unable to see a thing, Isaac waited with bated breath for the spring breeze to dispel the cloud.[break][break]

wHU|wTLr

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Nomi sneezed.[break][break]
When the dust and pollen cleared, Watson stood victoriously over the prone, knocked-out body of the Shaymin. He looked tremendously proud of himself, and Nomi couldn't help but beam with delight.[break][break]
"Watson, that was amazing!" She called out to him.[break][break]
She turned to Isaac, expression joyful. A sense of triumph surged through her; even though this was Isaac's victory, his Shaymin, Nomi felt immense gratitude for having been a part of his experience on the little sky island. All of a sudden, it hardly mattered that she was an insecure nerd who had absolutely no idea that she was beautiful, special, or stunning. She was simply glad for a friend who's penchant for adventure never seemed to disappoint.[break][break]
In reality, she was really quite the catch: not unlike the Shaymin, a keen observer might have noticed.[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullbody"]The dust had settled. The frosts had passed. When the skies were clear again, Watson stood triumphant over a creature shrouded in myth.[break][break]

"Holy shit, buddy." Isaac didn't know what to expect. It certainly wasn't the sight of Watson standing triumphant, snout in the air and cocky grin on his face. Many of Isaac's other Pokemon had grown bigger and stronger. A few of them had grown harder and meaner.[break][break]

But not Watson. Never Watson. Whether due to being left out of the worst of Isaac's Rocket affairs or simply due to his own innocence shining through, the Totodile had never lost his smile. Even now, he seemed almost ignorant of the incredible feat that he had just pulled off. He'd seen a battle Isaac wanted won, and he'd put all of his big, scaly heart into it.[break][break]

It was that pure, genuine love and appreciation between Pokemon and trainer that Shaymin had been looking for in the first place.[break][break]

Isaac was quick to run over to Watson, scooping him up in his arms and giving him an excited spin. The two laughed in unison, Watson wiggling his little arms and legs gleefully. "One shot! Man, that Shaymin didn't even stand a chance!" With all the praise coming from both Isaac and Nomi, the Totodile couldn't stop smiling. "Like, I knew you could do it. But you even took me by surprise!"[break][break]

Content, Watson snuggled into Isaac, then wiggled out an arm towards Nomi. Obliging, Isaac pulled her in to join the hug, every bit as grateful for her as he was for his beloved Pokemon.[break][break]

That just left one thing left. Isaac squatted down to look towards the Shaymin. Even as it lay there out cold, there was a soft smile spread across its face. Isaac's own smile softened to match it as he fished an empty Pokeball out from around his belt. "Thanks for giving us this chance, little guy," he said, gently tapping its forehead with the Pokeball.[break][break]

From here, it'd be the start of a brand new adventure.

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