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[attr="class","textbox"]Oh dear, he broke her.[break][break]

The good news was Genny wasn't feeezing anymore. The adorable news was that she was now melting instead. Isaac couldn't help but snicker at her reaction, putting a hand on her shoulder as she turned away. "Hey, don't sweat it," he said, glancing up towards the snows. It felt surreal having snowflakes touch down on his bare shoulders. "The cold's no biggie for me these days."[break][break]

It was a good thing he was already close. There was safety in numbers, and the mechanical menace rising from the fountain was jellbent on putting it to the test. Some Paradoxes were born from good dreams. Many were born from nightmares. Judging by the unyielding glare in its eyes, Isaac knew where this one stood.

Time to make Finnegan Yang proud.[break][break]

Circhester had become a snowscape, and that suited Isaac just fine. Duster was capable of a lot more than just playing with fire. "How about you show off your special trick, Dust?" Isaac asked, knowing damn well the Alolan Marowak was already on the case. He began twirling his bow in a figure 8 pattern, howling winds gathered around it.[break][break]

Typically, what made a Blizzard so easy to dodge was how telegraphed it was. Kicking up all that snow took a long time, even if the attack itself covered a large area. In this snow, half the work was already done for Duster. The second he started twirling his bone, the snows around the Iron Valiant roared to life, assailing it from all angles.[break][break]

Isaac wasn't just going to sit there and look pretty. However, his options were limited. The solid sheet of ice sitting atop the fountain was far too solid to bend to his will. Maybe if he could just focus . . .[break][break]

Through the veil of the blizzard, the Valiant's silhouette seemed to change. Isaac's heart stopped and his breath hitched as he saw glimpses of a Gardevoir. In place of a sensory horn, flesh blood bloomed from the Gardevoir's chest, spreading further and further with every glimpse.

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[attr="class","textbox"]Isaac's lowest point had been one he'd faced by his lonesome. Only the love of his dear Pokemon had been there to buoy him along, each shown in their final sacrifice. They stood before him, fighting for a future they knew and a trainer they adored, while Isaac could only sink into the darkness and trust.[break][break]

Now he, too, stood firm, and he didn't stand alone. Genny's hand clutched his, and he gave it a gentle squeeze in turn. "You're damn right," he said, his own smile as shaky as it was unbreakable. A yellow aurora swirled around their hands, the courage they each held so close to their hearts now freely shared. "Let's show this creep that nothing's gonna stop us!"[break][break]

The Iron Valiant seemed to take that as a challenge. From the bloodstained horn atop its chest, red strings unfurled in all directions. At the end of each was a Pokemon; Buffaloman, Pandora, Sanford, Hearth. Other strings struck into the hearts of those on the battlefield. Even Isaac felt it before he saw it, the red string tightening around him like a noose.[break][break]

"He's plsying dirty," Isaac hissed, his disgust evident. "We're gonna have to be careful. One wrong move and it's over for wll of us." He knew these were simply mirages. Hearth had cleansed their bodies and laid their souls to rest. It didn't make staring back them any less painful.[break][break]

It was all too close for comfort now. Duster had to intervene. He unleashed his inner fire, erupting into a blaze with a piercing war cry. Abandoning all usual tactics, he shot forward ina Flare Blitz, hellbent on pushing the Valiant away from the group and back towards the fountain.

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[attr="class","textbox"]When the Iron Valiant had first dredged the spirits of Isaac's companions from the great beyond, he'd expected cruel mockeries. He could already imagine his failures being held over his head, demanding know why they hadn't been saved. He'd already steeled his heart and focused his calm, trying to steady his breaths as he prepared for the worst.[break][break]

Was it coincidence? Was it rebellion? Or was it the reason the Iron Valiant had appeared in the first place, filtered through a berserker's rage? Isaac couldn't tell why, but he could certainly tell what. His fallen and Genny's fallen watched from the veil between worlds. They cheered on in silence, knowing damn well that their trainers wouldn't bend the knee to some illusion.[break][break]

Looming above them all, larger than life, was a face Isaac had never thought he'd seen again.[break][break]

Isaac's pack dropped on the ground behind him, clattering like steel. Had he gone mad? Was he turning his attention from the battle at such a pivotal moment? Duster was pushing against the Iron Valiant with all of his might, and yet Isaac was here rifling through his bag like a man possessed. What in the world could possibly be so important that he'd turn his attention away?[break][break]

Two Pokeballs rolled out from behind him. The first, a Ralts with electric blue hair, immediately snapped into action. Piece after piece of platemail armor floated out from Isaac's backpack, arranging themselves into a perfect human silhouette. Spreading his arms to match its pose, Isaac took a step forward, the suit coalescing around him in record time.[break][break]

The second, a Lairon that Genny would recognize all too well, could feel her heart swell as Isaac lowered his helmet onto his head.[break][break]

The calm waters that flowed through his mind went stagnant. The terror of the situation, the reality of their return to Galar with the afterlives of all of their companions at stake, seized his heart in a way he had forgotten was possible. He shivered, all too aware of the colds that had previously been no bother to him. Before he could turn around, he had to steady a breath.[break][break]

His breath steadied against a heart as solid as stone and as strong as steel. The Sygna Suit may have blocked his connection to Suicune, but it didn't mean he was alone. Now his heart and Neo's were intertwined as one; her protective instincts drove him to turn back into the fray, and her urge to prove herself meant they were both going to make it count.[break][break]

Neo's wasn't the only presence he could feel. For a second, he could have sworn a new spark lit up in Kiryu's wise, weary eyes.

"See? I told you we'd get our hands on one of these," Isaac said, his voice choking up a little. He almost seemed to be speaking past the Iron Valiant. "We may've never had the chance to use it ourselves. But Neo here's been using it to make me proud, time and time again. I wish you could've met her. I know you'd love her."[break][break]

It all happened so fast. Duster pushed the Iron Valiant towards the fountain. Bella bowed out of the battle and sapped its strength in the process. Venus left its head swimming, and in turn it tried to twist the battlefield to its will to press the advantage. Unable to pick a target, the Valiant swung its glaive in a massive loop, hellbent on hitting everyone.[break][break]

It would never have the chance. The second it swung its blade, Neo had slid into position. The Lairon dug her claws into the snow and lowered its steely head, leaning into the blow as hard as it possibly could. Upon impact her helm glowed a bright white, the only warning the Valiant would have before being blasted by a souped up Metal Burst.[break][break]

By the time it finished reeling, Duster had already clambered onto Neo's back. He dove from this new vantage point, bone pulled back and war cry piercing through the air. Was it on its last legs? Duster couldn't tell, but he certainly wasn't going to chance it all by going too much, too fast, too soon.[break][break]

Instead, with a False Swipe right to the noggin, he chose mercy.