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Hell was the same as it had been for weeks (months, years, eternities - time passed differently when all one knew was suffering).[break][break]
Caleb lay chained to his bedroom prison, adrift in agonizing nightmares, as BARNABY FINCH's Alakazam watched over him. There wasn't a single reason why he ought to care about his own existence anymore, but still, he woke from time to time to stare at the ceiling with a hopeless emptiness. It was the only thing he could manage to do besides seek the precious oblivion of unconsciousness.[break][break]
His body was broken, the aftermath of jayden cross's hatred. Cracked ribs? A broken wrist? Black eyes and a bloodied nose? There were more injuries, surely. Cuts and bruises, splintered bones. An aching jaw and a throbbing head. He barely had the energy to eat. Gone were the days when he glared daggers of defiance at anyone who entered his cell. Now, he didn't even wish for Barnaby to return; there was no solace to be had in the way the other man continued to deny feeling the same phantom bouts of longing that plagued Caleb, convinced him that in some other timeline, in some other version of reality, he and Barnaby had been lovers.[break][break]
Perhaps he was just going insane.[break][break]
One thing was for certain: Caleb was alone. His torturer had abandoned him temporarily - or so Caleb assumed. There'd been no sign of Barnaby lately, but surely he'd be back. Zev had abandoned him for good. And the League? If they'd sent anybody to find him, they hadn't had much success.[break][break]
Or maybe they hadn't sent anyone at all. Who even knew he was here? Who even cared?[break][break]
Caleb breathed in and out, his pain the only evidence that he still lived.

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The most important thing was to not be seen.[break][break]

Sanford dragged Isaac through the immaterium like a boat through troubled waters. Whenever they surfaced, it was under the cover of darkness. The shadiest corners of the most abandoned rooms of the facility were preferable. In a pinch, a storage closet would do instead. There, Sanford could gather energy between jaunts, while Isaac could try to get a sense of the lay of the land.[break][break]

Not that he'd risk his his own hide by searching. That was what the third member of their little party was for. Echo popped his head out from Isaac's leather jacket, his horns vibrating like a tuning fork. Trying to track via scent through the Phantom Plane would have been folly. Taking a look around themselves would be suicide. But Telepathy? That just might do the trick.[break][break]

At first, there was nothing. Then a faint murmur broke the silence.[break][break]

"Huh? What is it, Echo?" Isaac asked, concern blooming beneath his mask. The poor Ralts had a disquieted look on his face, but he tried his best to keep strong. He shot Isaac a wavering smile, and getting a ruffle of his bowlcut in response. "I know this can't be easy. But, thanks for being strong for me, buddy. We'll get you out of here soon. I promise."[break][break]

Despite Echo's best attempts, it never got easier. With each jaunt, they grew closer to the source of the bad thoughts. The closer they got, the more Echo started to feel the effects. By the time they were nearing their destination, the poor Ralts was shaking like a leaf. Worry shot through Isaac like a bullet with his name on it. He grabbed the Ralts and held him tight, desperate to try and soothe him.[break][break]

"Its okay," Isaac whispered. "I'll call you back. San and I can take it from here. All you gotta do is rest now, okay? You don't have to stick around. I promi-"[break][break]

Before he could finish, Echo pressed his face into Isaac's chest.[break][break]

"Nobody is coming for me."[break][break]

Isaac took a step back, eye widened and jaw dropped.[break][break]

"They should just kill me and get it over with. Then I can rest without pain.[break][break]

He wasn't even an empath, and yet each thought was like a spike being stuck clean through his head.[break][break]

"There's no hope for me. Not that there should be."[break][break]

"Caleb . . ."[break][break]

Tears stung at the back of Isaac's eye, but he forced them back. They were close now. So close. Too close. These thoughts must have been agony for poor Echo to handle. They must have been agony for poor Caleb to handle. What the fuck were they even doing to him in there that a quick death at Zev's hands would be so preferable?[break][break]

Isaac tried to find the words. Before he could, Echo was already gone.[break][break]

"Echo-!" An algal bloom smothered across Isaac's face. They hadn't come this far just to have Isaac's big, squishy heart give their position away. Before he could protest any further, Sanford dragged them back into the phantom plane for one last jaunt.[break][break]

They appeared just in time to see Echo slam into a nearby wall. Pink energy pulsed around his head, but it was to no avail. The Alakazam guarding this room was bigger, stronger, and far more gifted in the psychic arts. Poor Echo was completely overwhelmed, each attempt at fighting back earning him another slam into the wall.[break][break]

Of course. Echo hadn't lost his nerve and fled. Echo, as a psychic in his own right, had realized they weren't alone. He'd also realized his probing Telepathy wouldn't go unnoticed. By taking the fall as the lone interloper, he could buy Isaac and Sanford time to sneak in beneath the Alakazam's notice.[break][break]

Isaac would just have to repay the favor in kind.[break][break]

Gripping Sanford by the chain, he leaped from the shadows like a wild animal. He slung the chain around the Alakazam's throat, pulling it taut and leaning back with all of his might. It was an unorthodox sort of Anchor Shot, but it the shadows coursing through Sanford's chains would keep the Alakazam from teleporting out all the same.[break][break]

Gasping for air, the Alakazam did its damndest to fight back. No matter how tautly Isaac pulled, its Kinesis bent metal back, giving it enough breathing room to stay on its feet. Pointing a spoon towards Echo, it used its own Psychic power to fling the Ralts towards Isaac's head. However, Sanford was on the ball, Growth spreading up its main algal colony to safely catch the Ralts.[break][break]

It wasn't clean or easy, but Isaac refused to give in. Each pull gave him slightly more ground and the Alakazam slightly less air. It swung its back from side to side to try and throw Isaac off, even staggering into a wall just to smash him into it. Were it not for Sanford bracing his back, the pain may have made him let go right then and there. Refusing to let that happen, he kicked roughly at the back of the Alakazam's knee, forcing its stance to give way.[break][break]

Isaac wrenched back on the chain as hard as he could, panting heavily from the exertion. This was starting to wear him out, but judging by the Alakzam's movements slowing, the feeling was mutual. It smashed at Isaac's knuckles with its spoons, but Isaac tried to block with the chain best he could. Even when they connected, the adrenaline coursing through his veins refused the idea of letting go.[break][break]

Only when he heard the sound of spoons clattering to the ground did Isaac let up. Slowly, gingerly, he guided the Alakazam to the ground. His chest heaved. His breathing was heavy. Had he not gotten off that surprise attack, he knew this rescue mission would have been over before it even started. But he had, so it wasn't, and that meant he could focus on what was important.[break][break]

With that, he made a beeline to the center of the room. He'd come here for one reason and one reason only, and that reason was-[break][break]

"Caleb . . ."

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A sudden commotion, the door opening. Caleb registered a sound that might have been Barnaby's Alakazam shuffling away from its normal spot. Did it matter? Why would it matter?[break][break]
Caleb almost ignored it, almost continued laying completely motionless in the bed, a man who had quit on living.[break][break]
But then a voice cried out (Echo!), a familiar voice, and it ignited a tiny remnant of a spark somewhere in the depths of Caleb's consciousness. He knew that voice. He loved that voice. That voice did matter.[break][break]
He cracked open an eye. With an immense effort, chains clinking, he turned onto his side. Panting, grunting in pain, he attempted to look at what was happening by the door.[break][break]
A man was wrestling the Alakazam to the ground, wrapping the chain of a nearby Dhelmise around its neck. An epic three-on-one battle commenced, in which a Ralts (familiar, so familiar), the Dhelmise, and the man (blond, eyepatch, short, familiar) slowly but surely brought down the Alakazam. With a decisive clattering, spoons falling harmlessly to the ground, Barnaby's Pokémon was subdued, unconscious due to asphyxiation. The man's chest heaved, sweat beading at his forehead. He stood, staring across the room at Caleb.[break][break]
A deafening silence fell between them, the sort of pregnant pause that made time stand still.[break][break]
"Isaac," Caleb rasped, voice hoarse from disuse. "What are you doing here?[break][break]
But he knew. Deep down, he knew. The spark ignited, blossoming into a flame.[break][break]
Isaac had come to set him free. Not the League. Isaac.[break][break]
Isaac was defecting from Team Rocket.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Caleb would barely have time to rasp out his question before being pulled into a tight, protective hug.[break][break]

"Why the fuck do you think I'm here?" If the hitch in Isaac's voice wasn't the first sign of how he felt, the warm, wet tears pressing into Caleb's shoulders would be a dead giveaway. His body trembled as it valiantly held back the sobs that threatened to escape him. His fingers dug into Caleb's back as if he was afraid the second he let go, the man would disappear.[break][break]

His bare back.[break][break]

Oops.[break][break]

Isaac had seen Caleb before he perceived him. He was too overcome with emotion to notice the condition he was in. After the feeling of bare skin on his fingers, the smell was the next giveaway. Something stale, bitter, almost chemical hung in the air. Surprised, and a little bit embarrassed, Isaac jolted back.[break][break]

He was all the more embarrassed when he realized how right Zev Harcourt's warning had been. There was a painful amount of bruising and a painful lack of anything else down there. Isaac made sure to keep his eyes averted, part out of respect and part out of horror. Instead, he focused on Caleb's face, equally battered and equally pitiful.[break][break]

Something told Isaac the hope shining in Caleb's eyes was the first he'd felt in over a month.[break][break]

"What's they do to you . . . ?" Isaac asked, a quiet murmur meant almost as much for himself as it was for Caleb. He didn't even have the chance to ask Echo for help. The Ralts immediately teleported up to Caleb, gently waving a cloud of Life Dew over him to try and ease the worst of his wounds.[break][break]

He wasn't the only Pokemon on the scene. Isaac released another familiar face from hiding; Hearth, his time-displaced Typhlosion. The purple wisps surrounding his neck detached and floated away, one floating towards each of the chains holding him in bondage. As the Infernal Parade began its dance around them, their central links would begin to melt, warp, and finally snap.[break][break]

Bar a few decorative wrist and ankle bands, Caleb would be free.[break][break]

"There you go, buddy. C'mon. Try and stand for me, okay?" Isaac took Caleb's hand in his, stooping down so his other arm could help support Caleb up by the waist. "Its okay if you gotta lean on me. But we both know I'm way too shrimpy to carry you."[break][break]

Even now, he tried his damndest to work up a smile.

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The hug was heartbreakingly tender, an outpouring of love so foreign in how readily it was given that at first, Caleb could not believe it was real. I don't deserve this, was his first agonized thought. But as Isaac held him, Caleb found that he could not resist resting his head against Isaac's shoulder, the younger man's body heaving with sobs of relief mixed with horror. Was this what having a brother was supposed to feel like?[break][break]
"You shouldn't be here," he muttered to Isaac, distressed. "They'll kill you for this."[break][break]
Why they hadn't killed Caleb yet was beyond him. What mattered now was ensuring Isaac didn't meet a similar fate.[break][break]
The expression of embarrassment that crossed Isaac's face as he noticed Caleb's nakedness was not lost on the Ranger. The blond recoiled, disgusted at the obvious display of impassioned violence that had taken place in the bedroom-prison. All of Caleb's parts might be in tact, his body still whole, but he had clearly been violated - bruised, battered, cut, and broken in the process. All the same, Caleb could not begin to find the words to explain to Isaac that what had transpired between himself and BARNABY FINCH was a complicated mess that he had, in some ways, consented to - had wanted, even.[break][break]
Under different circumstances, yes, but...wanted nonetheless.[break][break]
But Isaac asked anyway, and Caleb owed his unexpected savior an answer.[break][break]
"They tortured me," he replied simply, not meeting Isaac's gaze. LIFE DEW washed over him and he shuddered, the numbing of his pain providing sudden clarity. "You're better off not knowing the details."[break][break]
Freed from the chains, Caleb gingerly found his footing as he stepped out of the bed. He felt incredibly weak, but with Isaac's support, he was able to stand properly for the first time in weeks. He stretched, gritting his teeth. Everything - muscle, skin, and bone - felt used up, stretched thin, fractured and forgotten. He tried to take stock of his injuries and lost count almost immediately. The hand jayden cross had stabbed flexed, sore and stiff.[break][break]
And through it all, Isaac smiled. Tried to cheer Caleb up with his resilient spirit, purifying the horrible room with a measure of humor.[break][break]
"You're the bravest shrimp I've ever met," Caleb managed. How strange a sensation, smiling back at the younger man. "What now? You don't happen to know where they're keeping my things, do you?"

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"They can try." Even as he tried to lighten the mood, Isaac's voice was serious. He knew the risks. He knew the stakes. He knew one wrong step and he'd be dead. He knew in spite of all of that, it was the right thing to do. "But like hell am I gonna make it easy for them."[break][break]

Isaac didn't need to hear the messy details of what fate beyond death Caleb experienced. If he was being honest, he was glad Caleb spared him the details. His brain could already connect enough dots to make a picture he didn't want touched with a ten foot pole. If he saw any other Rockets today, they'd have hell to pay.[break][break]

But they weren't important. Caleb was.[break][break]

His Pokeballs. Without them, he had no defense. His pants. Without them, he had no dignity. For the former, he had Hearth, Echo, and Sanford standing guard. For the latter, he had a spare pair of his own. "They'll be kinda short and tight on you, but worst comes to worst, they're better than nothing."[break][break]

They'd have to do until they found the genuine article. "If we're lucky, yiur stuff should be in storage somewhere," Isaac said. "If we're not, they've already called dibs and split up your stuff. But unless you've got new tech or rare catches on you, I doubt it." Contrary to popular belief, Rocket didn't grab for everything not nailed down. Only most things.[break][break]

"Good news is we passed through storage on the way down here. Echo, you still remember what it looked like?" Echo fired off a goofy salute, proud that he wouldn't be teleporting the group into a mass of cardboard boxes. "Good. San, Hearth, you guys help brace Caleb. I don't think he has his sea legs back yet. And where we're going, he's gonna need-!"[break][break]

POP! The quintet appeared in a cramped storage closet, barely big enough to fit the five of them. "Past this door," Isaac whispered. "You take Echo. I take San. Hearth keeps watch. Keep to the shadows, grab your gear, and snatch up anything else that looks useful. If I'm not back here in five, have Echo warp you home without me, okay?"[break][break]

It didn't matter if Caleb agreed or not. Echo already knew what to do.

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Isaac's plan was a solid one. It wasn't like Caleb's brain was working well enough for him to have any bright ideas about how to find his things. But every moment that passed, the Ranger's willpower meter slowly began to fill up again. The fire of resolve powered him, and though his body rebelled, he forced it to move.[break][break]
Isaac's spare pair of pants were...comically short on Caleb's long legs. But too-tight clothing was better than no clothing. They would suffice for the time being. Awkwardly, he held onto Isaac's Pokémon, bracing himself against them as they walked forward through the murky halls of the underground facility.[break][break]
A well-aimed teleport transported them into a storage closet somewhere else, and Caleb's vision swam with temporary vertigo. He blinked, then felt a small hand tugging on his arm, urging him to follow. He looked down to find Echo, the Ralts, smiling encouraging up at him. He returned the smile, gratitude for Isaac and his Pokémon filling a heart that had, for many long weeks, been devoid of all emotions save hopelessness.[break][break]
It felt good to believe in something again. To want to live.[break][break]
It took some time (too much time, Caleb's anxiety hissed), but they eventually found a box labelled HARCOURT a few rooms over. Inside were Caleb's clothing (the tactical Ranger gear he'd worn to the Ancient Tomb, an event that seemed like a lifetime ago now), all six Pokeballs he'd had on him when he was captured, his mega accessory and tera orb, and wallet. Strangely, the wooden crown BARNABY FINCH had demanded to know more about was missing.[break][break]
A slight pang of loss he didn't entirely understand, but Caleb brushed it off quickly. There were far more pressing matters.[break][break]
He dressed as quickly as his broken body would allow, discarding Isaac's spare pants. His heart ached to see his Pokeballs, and he almost released all of them to make sure the team was still doing okay - but they didn't have much time for that, either.[break][break]
"Thanks, buddy," he said to Echo. "Let's go find - "[break][break]
Something glinted in the low light, catching his eye. Drawn to it, Caleb traversed the room to find a miscellaneous cache of weaponry shoved against the far wall. Reaching in, he pulled out a handgun. Checking for bullets and finding them, he nodded grimly.[break][break]
"Take me back to Isaac. I'm ready to get the hell out here."

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[attr="class","skullbody"]When he first met Sanford, the Dhelmise was so inscrutable Isaac couldn't even figure out a name for him. Now, the two of them were such a well oiled machine that they could turn two realms into their playground.[break][break]

Power Whips suspended Isaac and Sanford from the ceiling as he sat coiled in the Dhelmise's chains, tight and secure. From there, they had a bird's eye view of the facility, letting them navigate it with ease. Catrgorization was loose at best, but Isaac knew there were still some general trends.[break][break]

Contraband supplies. That was his main focus. Caleb was going to need a nedical kit in order to properly treat his wounds later. He'd need food to make sure he had the energy needed to make it. He'd need a jacket, just in case his ranger gear wouldn't keep him safe from the biting Sootopolis air. Even in the summer, it could get chilly at this hour![break][break]

Briefly, Isaac eyed the caches across the aisle. Pilfered Pokeballs. A good stampede could buy him and Caleb some time. However, he shook the idea as quickly as it came. He knew what would happen to those Pokemon the second they were rounded up, and he refused to be responsible for it.[break][break]

Explosives. Those were a far more tempting option. If he rigged a few in just the right soit, he could collapse the doors on any guards that tried to follow them out. He motioned for Sanford to move him closer to the caches, running a hand along their surfaces as he considered the possibilities.[break][break]

Then he considered the possibility of those he loved ending up in thr crossfire. That idea was right out, too. He didn't want to hurt anyone here. He just wanted Caleb to be okay.[break][break]

That was it for their search. Isaac whistled and Sanford dredged them through the phantom plane. There, Isaac could make out the faint, hazy visage of Caleb popping back into their "safe room." Perfect timing. He phased back just in time for Echo to finish teleporting, the two Pokemon weakly fist bumping each other after.[break][break]

"Presents for ya," Isaac whispered, holding a slightly oversized jacket towards Caleb in one hand and a few protein bars in the other. This would be one of a precious few chances the two would have for respite.[break][break]

They'd need to cherish it as if it were their last.

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Caleb was relieved to see Isaac still in one piece, as if any moment the two of them were apart could be Isaac's last. It was no small thing to turn one's back on the behemoth that was Team Rocket: Caleb knew that better than anyone.[break][break]
He staggered forward, feeling stronger by the minute but by no means healthy, leaning against the "safe room" wall to rest. The fist bump between Isaac's Pokémon was endearing enough to encourage a small smile from the exhausted Ranger.[break][break]
Isaac held out a jacket, and Caleb took it eagerly, still shivering despite being fully clothed for the first time in weeks. A chill had settled into his bones, one he had a feeling he would not shake until he was off this retched island for good.[break][break]
The protein bars were a bonus. He ripped the plastic wrapping and tore into one with little pretense. They'd fed him the bare minimum required for survival; suffice to say, the protein bar tasted amazing.[break][break]
"Thanks," he said between bites. "Seriously, thank you. For everything."[break][break]
What more could he say? He meant it with every fiber of his being. He owed Isaac his life. A blood debt, the sort of thing that bound two people together for the rest of forever. Caleb would fight for Isaac's, protect him, kill anyone who wished him hard...he knew this with a sudden crystal-clear clarity.[break][break]
"Were you always going to do it?" He asked softly, in their moment of respite, ephemeral. "Leave Rocket?"

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"Always."[break][break]

Always was one of those words that rarely meant what it said. After all, it was easy to say always in the best of times. What happened in the worst of times? What happened when your own life hung in the balance thanks to those hasty promises you made? Most people turned their back on always at that point. Frankly, even those they made that promise to understood. It was simply human nature.[break][break]

Standing in territory that would soon become hostile, smuggling a traitor of great personal interest to several dangerous Rockets, Isaac proved that sometimes always did mean always.[break][break]

At Caleb's question, he smiled weakly. "I've been doubting since Meteno," he admitted. "Since Dewford, I knew I had to get out. But it wasn't until Galar I knew I could get out. I didn't have to settle for this life any longer. Nobody had to. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can show them all that. That's a story for another day, though."[break][break]

"Right now, today's the only day that matters. And that's because I finally found you."[break][break]

Caleb had been, in more ways than one, Isaac's catalyst for leaving. He was the final straw that pushed Isaac over the edge. He was also that last unsolved mystery holding him back. Had it not been for his seizure, Isaac might have walked away from the Ancient Ruins and never looked back. If only life could ever be so simple and clean.[break][break]

At least now, he knew he could put his money where his mouth was.

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Until Galar.[break][break]
A sudden wave of memories washed over him: standing with Isaac in a strange poisoned land, people bowing to them. Iron-against-iron, steel-against-steel: the clash of swords as he trained alongside the faces of people he vaguely remembered but was sure, deep down, that he loved. Late nights spent with a spectral rider who was somehow the same man as his captor and yet nothing like him, the visions of their time together conjuring a sense of loss so profound it made him catch his breath. A battlefield, a trident that called down the rain, black crystals littering a scorched earth, and a lost crown that he still wasn't entirely sure he'd deserved.[break][break]
In that place, wherever it had been, whenever it had been, League and Rocket were nothing more than meaningless, forgotten labels.[break][break]
But Caleb couldn't quite articulate his understanding, because all of it was impressions more than knowing. In his weakened state, he half believed he had dreamed it all, and Isaac was talking about something else. Something he'd have to explain to Caleb later.[break][break]
"Let's get out of here, then," Caleb smiled, bolstered by sustenance and Isaac's unwavering devotion to helping him. "And never look back."[break][break]
He motioned for Isaac to go first into the hallway, that he'd be right behind him.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Never look back.[break][break]

Isaac thought back to the friends and loved ones he'd be leaving behind. He'd already felt that stabbing pain once, the first of many sacrifices in the leadup to what should be his last job. He thought of the people, the region, the home that would be depending on him to protect them. Rocket was everywhere. Its blackened chains stretched across the whole region like infected veins. They threatened to choke the life out of it, both to those who feared the chains and those who served it.[break][break]

He was cursed with knowledge and burdened by a freed heart. Isaac knew this wouldn't be the last time he faced Team Rocket. If anything, it was only the beginning. But not looking back was a nice thought nonetheless.[break][break]

"Yeah," he agreed. "We're outta here. Echo, you got me?" With a peep and a salute, Echo's horns began to vibrate. He eagerly clutched Isaac and Caleb's hands, psychic energy swirling around them. After a second of closed eyes and deep focus, he threw his arms up with a great big smile.[break][break]

They hadn't moved an inch.[break][break]

"Fuck." This was supposed to be the easy part. Echo sagged, disappointed, but Isaac tried to cheer him up with a gentle ruffle of his hair. "Its okay. This trip was a lot for you, huh?" A pitiful nod confirmed what Isaac already knew. Echo was out of juice.[break][break]

Sighing softly, Isaac returned him to his Pokeball. "You rest up, okay?" he asked, his gentle, soothing tone barely able to cover up the slightest waver of fear. "We'll just have to get a move on the old fashioned way. Can't afford to be sitting ducks. Not here. Not now."[break][break]

The second a single eye met theirs, it'd be curtains.

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