[attr="class","charicon"]

what. the. hell.[break][break]

their umbreon's ears had picked up on a noise in the distance. following it to its source, they'd realized it was humanoid in form. not just humanoid, but as they got closer, they could confirm it was indeed a human, a trainer who doesn't belong in the area, and therefore someone they'll be required to dispatch. that's all well and good, but they've been blindsided by the strangeness of the other's actions. they can't help but stare, dumbfounded, at the hole he's digging.[break][break]

"what are you doing?" they ask, incredulous. then they shake their head. "...nevermind. i don't want to know." the answer can't possibly be a good one. "you're trespassing, so i'm going to have to chase you off now. so please stop digging and either face me, or leave." their umbreon stands at their side, peering curiously at the man giggling to himself as he digs.

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break][ outfit ref ][break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

they've checked the geological profile for this area of hoenn. of course they have; they may not be some sort of archaeological maniac with a penchant for absurdity, but they still have an interest in the historical foundation of the region. as far as they can tell, there's nothing to be found here; no fossils, no valuable gemstones or artifacts, just... dirt. so what the hell is this guy digging for here?[break][break]

nikola sighs and shakes their head. "no can do." they look at luna, their umbreon. "detect."[break][break]

luna turns her sharp eyes to isaac's dusknoir, who's preparing its confuse ray. whether it launches that specific attack or not at that moment, its next attack will be detected by luna, her instincts kicking in and allowing her to move out of the way. nikola is far too cautious, too untrusting to not be watching their back at all times. the fact that this mystery man has a pokemon out and is trying to weasel his way out of a confrontation... no sir, they will not let this pass.

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break]50mp mention other character (sort of)
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

it's as they thought; he was preparing to attack if they refused to turn their back. the first attempt fails, thanks to luna's detect allowing her to move out of the way. then comes the fire punch, the dusknoir's hand wreathed in flame. luna isn't particularly fast, and they can't use detect again, but that doesn't mean they have nothing up their sleeve. "charm!" they call, before the punch lands.[break][break]

the umbreon struts her stuff, showing off to decrease the dusknoir's attack power. the blow will still hit, but it'll be greatly softened if luna's charm works. with her naturally high defenses, she should be only a little worse for wear. "important work?" nikola questions acerbically, staring down at isaac. what could possibly be important here? "you're in the middle of nowhere, digging a hole in the ground where there isn't anything to be found. i think you need a reality check, and soon." is this what they were like when they were catellus, their mind and memories poisoned by that woman and her beheeyem? it's a wonder anyone could tolerate them.

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break]50mp antagonistic exchange of dialogue, 50mp cast doubt on other
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

treasure? what treasure? their lips set in a thin line as they glare down at him. the will-o-wisp hits luna, flickering flames engulfing her and leaving her skin scorched... but at that moment, her ability kicks in, and the dusknoir opposing her will feel itself become very hot, as the burn is passed to it via synchronize. it's exactly what nikola expected to happen, which is why they didn't order her to dodge. and because luna trusts her trainer, she also trusted their judgment. she knows they won't let her fall for no reason.[break][break]

"...go ahead and heal up, luna," they tell her. the umbreon shakes herself off, and takes a new stance. overhead, though the sun is still high in the sky... a moon comes out to visit, its soft light gently bathing the umbreon, healing most of her injuries. she's still burned, but she can take the punishment because she knows she can heal herself.[break][break]

nikola squats down. "and why exactly do you think there's treasure here?" they ask isaac, bewildered but curious. "a geological survey turned up nothing of note. and you think that's different now? surely you have a reason."

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break]25mp status condition, 50mp meaningful moment between trainer and pokemon
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

...ah, yes. the "rock-creature". the very same behemoth that very nearly killed nikola, more than once, in the great chasm not that long ago. as far as encounters with legendaries go, they're not sure it gets more harrowing than that. they can't say they're a fan of regirock at the present moment, but this strange man would maybe have a point, if not for the obvious.[break][break]

the thunder punch connects with luna. she grunts, the impact once again lessened by both her earlier charm and the dusknoir's burn. nikola figures it's time to be finishing this. "dark pulse." a wave of dark energy pours out from the umbreon, and she concentrates its power on the dusknoir nearby. "you're right about one thing; there may have been undiscovered plates after that battle," nikola says. "but this is team rocket territory now. do you really think they would have just left them here, uncovered?"[break][break]

they point at him. "someone else has surely been here before you, and cleaned it all out!" they announce.

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break]50mp mention past thread
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

they may be starting to break through his denial, nikola observes, which only serves to strengthen it. his dusknoir goes down, and in its place comes a togekiss, a species nikola is very familiar with. it launches an aura sphere at luna, a super effective attack that sends her flying back. she gets back to her feet, but judging by how her legs shake when she takes up a fighting stance, nikola knows it's better not to push her.[break][break]

now, then... who shall deal with this fairy in front of them? just a little more of a push, and hopefully this can be over. their fingers find a ball, and they take hold of it. rather than throwing it, they hold it out in front of them, pointing it at isaac and his togekiss. they release the pokemon within, and their arcanine takes form there on the field. "raging fury!"[break][break]

canem's body blazes, as she begins to rage then and there. though her attack is aimed at the togekiss, sparks are propelled dangerously close to isaac. the arcanine's tantrum, too, throws the soil underneath her around, threatening to cave in isaac's hole in the ground, undoing everything he's already done. "face reality!" nikola snaps at him. "is this fantasy worth risking your life over!?"

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break]50mp describe character's pokeball throwing (or not throwing) style
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]

[attr="class","charicon"]

canem's fury has the desired effect. it seems to sink in now that the mystery man in the hole he dug himself into is hopelessly outmatched. he reaches for his togekiss, but hesitates due to the flames licking the feathery thing's body. nikola puts a hand up. "canem, enough." their arcanine obeys, stilling her body, allowing isaac to safely bridge the gap and mount his togekiss. nikola isn't sorry to see him go, though they have a sort of grim satisfaction in seeing that their intimidation tactics have worked.[break][break]

once he's gone, they look at the hole. curiosity grips them. he could be right, says a voice at the back of their head. then they shake it away, grimacing. "no. there's nothing to be found here. there's no way they failed to plunder this area." annoyed at themself for almost giving in to the stranger's fervor, they begin to kick dirt back into the hole. canem sees what they're doing and decides to help, pushing over the mound of dirt so enthusiastically she gets dirt on nikola instead. "augh-- jeez!" the massive canine pants happily, oblivious to her trainer wiping their glasses off on a clean spot on their jacket.

[attr="class","bottom"]the ghost that i am behaves like a human.[break]
Isaac Ward [break]
[break]70mp for total post count, 25 for completion, 50mp for winning, 150mp for league-rocket conflict, 275 for prompts = 570 total
[break]
[break]

[attr="class","credit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cloud-moon"]