A lifetime spent in the Marzán family’s iron grip came with many horrible drawbacks and only a few advantages.
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The latter he had fought tooth and nail for, even when younger realizing the importance of making use of everything they imposed upon him against them in any way he could think of.
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At first, it may have all been no more than pettiness and spite, but these days it all resulted to be rather useful to Mars...
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This evening was a good example of that.
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It had been a long day at the office, but not long enough not to make one last stop before heading home.
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The Clampearl's Trench. He smirked at the sight of the bar’s name, if only because it reminded him of all those other bars they shared drinks at back when he used to visit Johto. It had been one of the better parts of the job back then.
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”Killian, it’s been a while.” When he approached the other man, the greeting came with a calm yet confident smile, removing his coat before sitting down. ”How’s life been treating you?”
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Had Mars been surprised to find out Killian Decker was a member of Team Rocket, and an administrator, at that?
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At first, sure, but it’s not like this was all too unexpected or as if Mars hadn’t learned this information before he himself became properly affiliated with the organization. After all, he had never been foolish enough to go into this sort of thing blindly.
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And yet, when it came to Killian's actual intentions when meeting him at this bar, all he had was guesswork.

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+ Killian Decker

”Ha. Amen to that.”
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Too bumpy of a road, in Mars’ own opinion. Too much pain, too much loss, too many sacrifices, too much that had been taken from him without his permission...
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Of course he wasn’t going to discuss all that with Killian though. Not yet, at least. All of it could remain hidden behind that perfect smile of his, as it always did.
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”You know me, when does life not treat me well?” In a way, it was true. It was long ago that Mars had taught himself to always find reasons to be happy even at the darkest of times, and in Hoenn there were many people and things that had become as much, even if there was a certain guilt that came with that.
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”I’m sure you may have heard a thing or two about it, given your job.” He gave a slight smirk, gaze as if glimmering amber falling on the liquid of equal colour when his drink arrived. The glass was gently swirled, taking a single sip. ”You know Piazza Oro Grande Bank? Guess who’s their CEO now.”
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Martín Marzán turning to the straight and narrow?
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Unlikely, but of course there was much behind that, otherwise they would have never met at this bar.

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+ Killian Decker

The complex notes of the aged liquor were quietly savoured as his gaze subtly wandered over their surroundings. Despite his demeanor, Mars had always been a cautious man – he had to be, when having been raised into this sort of life. No unknown place should be assumed to be safe, you never know who might be listening, and no one should be trusted easily – not even someone like Killian, not even at Sootopolis.
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And yet, when his gaze returns to the other man, there is a quiet chuckle and a faint smile.
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”I’ve come to find that there are many benefits to a squeaky clean public image.” The words came smoothly and effortlessly, but they had been chosen with great care. For, they were exactly true: to the public, Martín del Mar was a powerful but good and charitable man. A charismatic and kind philanthropist who had done and continued to do a lot to help the people of Hoenn even when he himself was a foreigner in the region. It was the public image he had worked incredibly hard towards building, and the one he continued to work towards building. No one would have ever suspected Martín del Mar to be affiliated with the Sinnoh Syndicate, much less with Team Rocket.
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”Fortunately, you know I’d never pass on a good business venture.”
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The squeaky clean public image just made this even more possible.
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Always thinking business, a Marzán through and through.
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”I hear things have been pretty interesting lately.”


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+ Killian Decker

The somberness that overtook Killian’s expression did not go unnoticed, but of it Mars made no comment. Everyone had their secrets. Everyone had their struggles. Everyone had things they’d rather not discuss, even with a friend.
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”That’s a shame.” His words came with a nod of both understanding and acknowledgement, and a sip was taken from his glass, of it making no further comment.
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It’s always better to move on to brighter topics.
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At least, that had always been Mars’ prerogative. One that Killian apparently shared with him.
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”Oh, I can imagine. That’s what you get for rising through the ranks and getting yourself a title, huh? Hope they at least gave you a nice office to put all that paperwork in.” The teasing words came with a chuckle, for truly, he held no envy for Killian’s position in Team Rocket. It sure must have had plenty of advantages, Mars could easily guess a few of them, but it also sounded like a pain to deal with. So much paperwork. So many incompetent people. Were they at least organized in the bureaucratic side of things? Mars had certain doubts, judging by what he had seen…
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At least the mention of casinos distracted him from these thoughts, and at it, he raised an eyebrow.
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Even if slightly, he too leaned forward, eyes of amber meeting blue ones.
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”As a visitor, or as someone considering owning one?” Obviously, it was the latter, Mars was no idiot. ”Security can be a pain, and there will always be people trying to outsmart the system and get rich quick, but as long as you’re able to keep a tight grip on things like those and don’t slip, the house will always benefit.” And the house benefiting meant money in their pockets. An interesting possible venture, to be sure of.
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”Here? At Sootopolis?”


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+ Killian Decker

Ever since Mars had first moved away from Canalave City to attend university, he had begun to carefully amass his own wealth. Even back then, even before his family had committed the worst of all of their crimes, he had seen the need for this. A safeguard. One that later on, after moving to Hoenn, had become the foundation for his every investment and business venture. His fortune had been built, to the point that Mars had no need to rely upon his family’s money to call himself rich.
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And yet, it still wasn’t enough, was it?
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More was needed, and this need had nothing to do with his own greed (not in the sense of craving money for the sole sake of it, at least).
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A casino at the very heart of Sootopolis City was something that suited this need, and perhaps, this in itself was the main reason why Mars listened to Killian’s proposal; allowing the Team Rocket admin to carefully explain his plans in detail. Caution had always been Mars’ prerogative, and being familiar with the ins and outs of both starting a new business and the administrative side of things, more than a few questions were asked.
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Glasses of whiskey were emptied, and so were the ones that followed after that.
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How much time passed?
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”Alright, but I do have a few conditions.” The smirk that tugged at the banker’s lips was sharp as a knife, for weren’t conditions always to be expected in deals such as this one. ”Don’t worry, they’ll mostly be beneficial to you.”
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A teasing tone, but he’s honest with his words. After all, if they're going to be business partners, honesty is paramount.



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+ Killian Decker | we be doin' the time skippy things

”Give me fifty percent ownership and I’ll cover most expenses.” No time was wasted. The offer was laid before Killian both clear and transparently, and while there was nothing unreasonable about it, a few more specifications came in the company of it:
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”I’ll leave all decision-making to you unless you really want or need my input, but for now I’d rather you don’t disclose who your partner in this is to most people – not just for my benefit, but for yours, and everyone else's.”
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Much had changed in Hoenn as of late, Sootopolis itself existed as proof of that, and with Team Rocket now actually wishing to garner the support of the people, there would probably soon be a need for that perfect reputation of his. He was going to need to be more involved, and that involvement may have just been exactly what he needed. One by one, the pieces fell into place.
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Swirling the remnants of liquid in his glass, Mars took a sip, only to then look at Killian with a bright and playful smile.
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”Also, as a favour to me, when the time comes and if the higher ups ever ask you about me, do put in a good word, will you?”
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Naturally, there was a wink, for while this may not have been a favour he particularly needed, it couldn’t hurt, could it? Especially not with everything he had planned and with what fate had in store for him.
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There were other favours Mars could have asked for Killian, some which would have been much more useful to his cause, but out of all of them, this was the one that demanded the least out of the Team Rocket admin. Why? Well, perhaps simply because Mars liked having his every deal favour him, and really, why wouldn't he? Why owe someone something when there's no need for it?

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+ Killian Decker