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[attr="class","textbox"]He'd come to his old hometown with his head held high and a smile on his face. That was new.[break][break]

By now, the past Isaac left behind was the least of his worries. He'd faced his demons here. Hell, he'd faced far stronger elsewhere. Unlike Lavaridge, they had killed him. He rose up better and brighter in spite of it all. What lingered here was barely worth his notice anymore.[break][break]

Besides, he wasn't here for his past this time. He was here for his future. She'd set up a date, cleverly woven right after one of the world's busiest holidays to ensure they could cherish it without interruption. Arceus, that was clever of her. Genny rarely took the most direct path, but when her moment came she always took it so decisively.[break][break]

He was proud, and he'd make damn sure she knew it.[break][break]

The nice thing about being Isaac Merlo was that he could take all the time he needed to get ready. He could fuss over his outfit more times than he cared to admit. He could test out different combos to whip up a proper Valentine's lunch box. He could ask the Petalburg Woods quartet which flowers they thought looked the nicest. When push came to shove, he'd just give himself over to the winds and be right by Genny's side.[break][break]

Was there a better power for the man who always had a knack for showing up when he was needed?[break][break]

One moment, there'd be a text. There in a minute! The next, Genny would feel the northern winds swirling around her. As they stilled, a pair of strong, supportive arms took their place. Isaac had arrived, hugging her softly and supportively from behind. His voice, curious yet oh so trusting, tickled the side of her ear.[break][break]

"Well, aren't I lucky today?"

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[attr="class","textbox"]"Nowhere else I'd rather be." Coming from Lavaridge, that was saying something. A little prideful part of him hated to admit it, but there was something nice about considering his old hometown from new angles. Maybe it was nice getting to bury at least one piece of his past.[break][break]

Compared to Rocket, this all felt so small nowadays.

He returned Genny's kiss just as quickly as she passed it his way. They couldn't get carried away yet. No sense renting out the whole hot spring just to get distracted in the lobby. That said, Genny sure as hell wasn't making it easy for him. His eyes went wide and his face went red as she gracefully stepped out of her clothes. Another article seemed to hit the floor with each footstep.[break][break]

Like a magician, she'd pulled the switcheroo effortlessly. Isaac could only get the barest glimpse of flesh as one moment, she was fully clothed, the next, she was in nothing more than a towel. One last tessing kiss goodbye, and that was it. Isaac had been defeated.[break][break]

Telling a man with super speed not to keep her waiting. That was just unfair.[break][break]

If he could have just swirled out of his clothes with the northern winds, Isaac would have done so. Unfortunately for this case, and fortunately for every other, Suicune's gift was kinder to his modesty than that. Instead, Isaac fumbled his way out of his clothes as quickly as he could, trying his damndest to stop his blush from spreading head to toe.[break][break]

He'd find that confident swagger before stepping through the threshold, but a stubborn bit of red refused to leave his cheek. No cheeky grin in the world would stop Genny from knowing how expertly she had dealt the first blow.

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[attr="class","textbox"]At this point, there was nothing insurmountable to Isaac Merlo. He'd gone from a hopeless lost soul to a main defined by his infinite possibilities. He'd escaped an organization that ensnared gods and kings alike in its clutches. He'd even conquered death itself, both for himself and for countless others.[break][break]

Yet here, in that heated look, he faced his greatest trial.[break][break]

"Nervous? Nah." Hs took her hand in his, gently running his thumb along its curve. It was funny. With how much of his body had its potential drawn out by being healed from the brink of death, his hand was one of the few parts of him that felt exactly how he remembered it. "Lucky? More than words could say."[break][break]

He followed her into the spring, letting her take that rare confidence and guide him by the hand with it. Genny deserved to feel this way. In fact, so often she'd been at the cusp of it. He remembered the fire in her eyes and pride in her voice as she told him that she'd be Hoenn's next Champion.[break][break]

He remembered just as well the pain she was in after the battle in the Icelands.[break][break]

She wasn't going to let a setback like that derail her dreams. No matter how much it hurt, she always got back up. It only made Isaac want to stay by her side more, to bask in her light and warmth and strength. It made him want to share his with her, such that she'd shine all the brighter.[break][break]

It made him want to savor moments like this in the rare moments where they could.