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[attr="class","textbox"]Psychic power. Of course. There were a few bets Isaac could have made, but it seemed Occam's Razor had paid off in his favor. A malicious aura flickered around Desghidorah's wings as they slipped through the hold, their dark typing leaving them unaffected by such tactics.[break][break]

That didn't mean they were in the clear. If the direct approach didn't work, a multitude of other techniques could end up causing them trouble. They'd need to act fast if they were to make it out in one piece.[break][break]

Desghidorah's main head turned in the direction he felt the pull from. As his subordinate heads swept the area for potential change-ups, he willed the earth below to detonate. Would the surge of erupting Earth Power find its target? It could only hope. Every second they spent dealing with a mystery was a second they spent at serious risk.[break][break]

If only Isaac was so lucky. Instead of a mystery, what he was dealing with couldn't have been less subtle if it tried. A towering Steelix barreled towards him from across the dunes, its magnetized body allowing it to crest over the sands. Its body was wreathed in dark crystal, stained an all too familiar shade of deep navy.[break][break]

For a moment, Isaac could have sworn it was Lugia hurtling towards him.[break][break]

His own Pokeball cracked open without a shred of hesitation. The Colonel came bursting out of his Pokeball, settling into a tight and focused fighting stance. The Steelix may have dwarfed him, and it may have had the high ground, but that didn't mean he was helpless in this duel.[break][break]

After all, it wasn't the only one who could fly.[break][break]

The Colonel's fist ignited in a blaze. As soon as he was cast in the great serpent's shadow, he sailed into the sky with surprising speed. Blaziken were already famed for their powerful jumps, but The Colonel's Sky Uppercut put even those techniques to shame.[break][break]

As the fight rolled on, Isaac kept an ear to the winds. A peal of echoed laughter, heavy with malice, drifted across the dunes. Where it was from, Isaac couldn't quite say. That wouldn't stop him from trying to find out. "I'd ask you to 'show yourself,' but Arceus knows that never works," he admitted, the winds carrying his voice outwards. "Are we doing this the easy way, or the hard way?"

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[attr="class","textbox"]"You!"[break][break]

Rage like he'd never felt before pounded through Isaac's veins. That familiar voice. The mask that had been burned into his memory. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he was dealing with the monster that had broken Caleb Harcourt.[break][break]

Let him come. Isaac had been waiting for this day.[break][break]

Unfortunately, the mysterious masked man had a knife and Isaac didn't. For all his bluster, he was forced to fall back, arms raised in case the masked man was faster than he'd thought. His feet fell in a strange, arrhythmical pattern. Two quick steps. Two staggered steps. Two quick steps.[break][break]

At this cue, a pair of gnashing Vikavolt jaws burst from the sand. They wouldn't be in range to gnash into Isaac's assailant, but that wasn't their intent. Instead, Lord British launched its String Shot, aiming to bind the masked man's knife arm before he could start swinging.[break][break]

The Vikavolt didn't seem to notice the Arcanine that lurked concerningly close, but he was far from Isaac's only Pokemon. Desghidorah, ever vigilant for psychic activity, had turned its attention towards the Arcanine as soon as it teleported by Isaac. A three pronged Charge Beam would rain down from the sky, demanding the canid Pokemon's attention.[break][break]

Isaac's assault unfolded from the sky and the underground, but how did his battle on the land fare? It could have been going better. The Steelix smashed itself into the ground, leaving The Colonel helpless to avoid the Earth Power surging from below. He tried to shield himself with his arms, but when the golden quake passed he had fallen to a knee. He tried to shudder to his feet, but winced before he could.[break][break]

With both trainer and Pokemon backed into a corner, their wrists began to glow.[break][break]

The light of evolution engulfed the Blaziken. His hair erupted on all sides, forming into an almost X-shaped crest. Ribbons of flame streamed out from his wrists. Before the light even parted, the Blaziken surged forward with boosted speed, hellbent on stopping the Steelix from excavating itself. Flames wreathed around his leg as he lifted it high, then dropped it in a vicious Blaze Kick to the top of the head. As the flames dispersed, his yellow feathers burned crimson and his legs charred black.[break][break]

The light of evolution faded, and The Colonel ascended to a Mega Blaziken. While still hurting like hell, his speed had drastically boosted and his flames had never burned brighter. Maybe that would be enough.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Isaac is furious, but he also doesn't have a knife, so he backs away to avoid getting skewered.[break]
Lord British the Vikavolt comes in for the assist, launching String Shot to try and snare Bee's knife arm.[break]
Desghidorah peppers Arcanine with a Charge Beam from above.[break]
The Colonel mega evolves into Mega Blaziken. He's hurting awful, but tries to land a powerful Blaze Kick on Quartz.

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[attr="class","textbox"]When the Light of Ruin came barreling down, Desghidorah didn't stand a chance. The poor Hydreigon was blitzed out of the sky by the strongest of fairy type moves, joining the many, many other flying Pokemon to careen to the ground today. If Isaac had hoped to press an immediate advantage from Barnaby's disarming, he wouldn't get that chance. Returning Des to his ball took priority.[break][break]

Des wasn't the only one in a hell of a pickle. The large, jagged stones surrounding Lord British were just as imposing as the Light of Ruin had been. Luckily, the Vikavolt was as much a master of the air as it was of the sands below. He burst from the ground, Levitating in quick, precise flight patterns to weave around as many of the stones as possible. Only a single stone from the onslaught managed to clip Lord British's side; a painful wound to be sure, but not enough to take him out of the fight.[break][break]

One would think, after risking such a hit, he would try to get as far away from the shadowy Steelix as possible. However, Lord British instead flew towards Quartz with a resolute hum in his wings. His jaws glowed a radiant white, seeming to glow against the backdrop of the Steelix's shadow-stained flesh.[break][break]

It was a desperate bid, but if Lord British' Guillotine could find its mark the odds would even up quite a bit.[break][break]

Arcanine seemed to be in the perfect position to strike. His foe was airborne and unable to dodge, while also sitting right in point blank range. However, before he could make contact with his Thunder Fang, the Blaziken vanished in a puff of smoke. That Teleport trick had impressed The Colonel. Now, with his Mirror Move, he'd try it out for himself.[break][break]

His destination; right behind the Florges, emerging from his warp in a whirling Blaze Kick. With the last of his Infinity Energy, he hoped he'd be able to take the flowering fairy down.[break][break]

With everyone's dance partners set, Isaac could finally turn his attention towards Barnaby. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had insurance on him," he snarled, knowing damn well that the only insurance Caleb Harcourt should have was of the life variety. "But if you can't live without hands all over you, that's fine."[break][break]

"You've got mine."[break][break]

With speed beyond speed, Isaac charged forward. With each step, he surrendered himself to the winds, his body unraveling until only a stiff breeze remained. It blew past Barnaby, then unraveled back into Isaac the second it passed him. He skid to a halt, hand to the ground to help him decelerate, before launching himself towards Barnaby's back in a furious spear tackle.[break][break]

For but a precious moment, Isaac could taste his vengeance.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Desghidorah doesn't stand a chance against Florges. The Light of Ruin KOs him in a single blow.[break]
Lord British avoids the worst of the Stone Edge, but suffers a lancing blow to the side. Knowing he won't last in a protracted engagement, he tries to even the odds with a Guillotine on Quartz.[break]
The Colonel rips off Arcanine's Teleport plan via Mirror Move, aiming to surprise Florges with a Blaze Kick outta nowhere.[break]
Isaac runs like the wind, passing ephemerally through Barnaby before reforming behind him. From there, he banks all his hopes on a heavy spear tackle.

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[attr="class","textbox"]The only thing worse than the ghostly feeling of Isaac phasing through Barnaby was the rueful, hateful laughter that trailed in its wake.[break][break]

"Caleb Harcourt his is own man!" he shouted, the exertion from his tackle turning his declarative statement in a war cry. Before he could try and convert it into a pin, Barnaby rolled through, building some distance between the two of them. "And if you even think about hurting him again, there's gonna be hell to pay."[break][break]

By that point, Barnaby didn't care. His team retreated to their Pokeballs. His Arcanine ran to his side. Isaac had shown something far more dangerous and far more worth consideration than a scorned little brother playing guardian. His cold eyes locked onto Isaac's blazing ones, and one last threat hung in the air between them.[break][break]

Isaac smashed a gout of water down from the skies, pulverizing the space where Barnaby once stood.[break][break]

"Yeah. Keep watching, asshole," he snarled, as if glaring at that spot would make Barnaby suddenly come back. "Get a nice, long look at the guy that's gonna tear you down."[break][break]

The skies over the mysterious island were clear. By all accounts, the job was done. Isaac should have been proud of himself. Instead, he stewed in his own fury, knowing the man who broke someone he adored was still at large.[break][break]

There was nothing left for him here. Isaac stormed off, whistling for his Pokemon to follow.