[attr=class","body"]

[attr="class","body"]
The silence was almost choking, Kouji kicked himself at least three times a minute as the sound of the engine and of wheels crashing against the floor were the only noise that would keep him company and a little bit of succor from the feeling of being an utter social failure. He wasn’t good with other people that did not result in a fight. Dumb muscle applied to him in many ways, and this was just another one of them. He gritted his teeth, and looked at another way to clear up the atmosphere, to clear up the air, to look into how he could make things better.
[break][break]
But that option was taken out of his hand in the best way possible. Kouji let a grin slowly grow on his face. ”I guess we can both count ourselves lucky huh?” He said with a smile and a wink, but at the same time he didn’t feel as nervous. His mistake, the awkwardness, and the mature response of the scientist next to him. All of it together was enough to get rid of such a feeling, even in a criminal organization, an utterly mundane and human interaction could provide immense succor.
[break][break]
But he was a muscle idiot. ”What does a scientist do in a criminal organization anyway?” He said as the van jumped through the small town, their first stop was coming soon. They had to stop soon enough, and Kouji went for his pokeballs as his hand hovered over the handle of the door. Ready to pull the button on his pokeball, to deliver the radio but their enemies could have taken over any stop spot.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr=class","body"]

[attr="class","body"]

The explanation he had received was more than he had expected, far more than he expected even. Kouji looked on at Kaname, his mouth and eyes opening wide for a moment before he nodded. ”You’re smart, aren’t you?” He said without either affirming or denying his understanding of what he was told, things like that were beyond him. It made it easier for him to just think of what he needed to do, but at the same time, his views were forcefully widened for a moment. His head dipped below the water to gaze at the whole iceberg itself if only for a moment.

[break][break]

A moment that did not last any longer as he nodded. He made sure Absol’s ball was easy to reach, a moment away. But more than that, he made sure that he himself was ready; he was here to be the violence when it would be needed.

[break][break]

He stepped out of the vehicle, walking calmly, his hands in his pocket, a rather subdued pace to each one of his steps, his walk was calm, his attention was fixed in front of him, and he sought the back of the van before he unlatched the lock, and then opened the door, grabbing one of the boxes from within. He leveraged it onto his shoulder, and walked towards the door, placing it outside and knocking on it a few times, three, one, three.

[break][break]

It wasn’t as if he had any kind of secret knock code or anything else to give, it was just a habit for underhanded meetings. ”First one is done, honestly, this delivery food is catching on pretty well, mister K.” He said as he stepped back towards the vehicle. ”You ever try it? I know a lot are delivered by Corviknights in areas like Galar, chilled, ready to cook, meals.” Small talk that was casual, comfortable, and relevant, just two working class men trying to make a living.

[break][break]

It was a sight one could see anywhere.

[break][break]

That was until he stepped back into the van. ”Next one, I think it’ll be comfortable. This is a nice, quiet, good town.” It was nothing like Rustboro city.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr=class","body"]

[attr="class","body"]



Kouji stepped back into the lorry and sunk into the seat once more releasing a sigh. ”Thanks, lifting things is one of the few things I’m okay at.” He said with a grin, it wasn’t as if he was being self-derisive, but rather just stating the obvious. He looked out, ready and relaxed properly for once. He put his arms on the dashboard as he began to lean forward, a soft sigh escaping his lips.

[break][break]

He didn’t want anything going wrong, but at the same time he was antsy, he wanted action, something to get his blood pumping, churning. It was a strange thought from the young man who had previously gotten all sweaty at the thought of being caught. But it was that wariness and flightiness that had allowed him to avoid problems thus far.

[break][break]

Still, a new path, a new delivery point. ”The next two are close together, but that makes them riskier right? We’ll share the lifting so I’ll be able to fight just in case.” Yet, it was as if he was avoiding a bigger statement, the talking point.

[break][break]

He grew up in Rustboro, an industrial city, a proud city, and yet it was grimy, the underbelly was covered in soot, it was nothing like Sootopolis, or Slateport, but it was dirty in its own way, a clean dirt. That was why he had crawled through it as much as he did, but at the same time…

[break][break]

”It’s a lot easier to breathe in these small towns.”

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr=class","body"]

[attr="class","body"]



Kouji couldn’t say he agreed with that either. ”There’s nobody everywhere, but I’ll never be satisfied being a no-one. I don’t want to disappear.” He wanted to be the brightest light in the room, even if that meant submerging himself in the darkness. A core difference, and that was where it stood. He didn’t know why until just now, but that was a pivotal difference.

[break][break]

Rocket was filled to the brim with people like that, who wished to disappear, and yet Kouji who didn’t have this as a second choice, but as his only choice; that was why he couldn’t accept such an answer for himself. But he gritted his teeth and bore it, it was a simple matter…

[break][break]

As long as he could bring himself to ignore it.

[break][break]

Still, their stops were coming up again, this was a small town, part to part was easy to reach, the sea front and sea breeze were a calming feeling, a balsam for the soul; but he wanted this to be over and done with. One didn’t win glory by simply taking part in deliveries, one gained those by sharpening themselves against fellow opponents.

[break][break]

That was why he sharpened his mind for a moment. ”Alright, we’ve got the plan set. How about we take both of the boxes? If we go back to the van, we can get surrounded here.”

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr=class","body"]

[attr="class","body"]

Kouji ran a hand through his hair as the van came to a stop; stepping out of the door and hopping down onto the floor. He looked to the back of the door, he looked at it and unlatched it; taking the box out, and waiting a moment for Kaname to catch up. The box was a simple matter at the end of the day, delivering it, knocking on the door, and making your way back.

[break][break]

He looked back at the van, it was close; they could carry it and make small talk. ”Hey, Kaname. Did you ever have a dream?” He asked, wondering, and making sure that his mind was set as he went back and took the box from the van, this time hoisting it on his shoulder. If they were both walking there, it would be fine; there was nothing else in the van.

[break][break]

”I wonder just how many people here have.” As if explaining why he had asked that question. More and more often he was finding out that people in his organization, in the same position as himself, that people simply had this as another choice, not their main choice. Was it the recruitment? Was it the way the world was set up? Or was it something else entirely?

[break][break]

Because, for him, this was his goal, his dream; not carrying a package, but being in team rocket. The only option for him was up.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr=class","body"]

[attr="class","body"]


Kouji wasn’t sure how to take that, or how to answer the question which had followed, Kaname was someone who was sure of himself in a similar way. He had a definite dream, it was just that the path of their dreams took them in different ways. That was a thing that might be difficult for him to accept, but he could if he tried hard enough.

[break][break]

For Kouji? It felt like he had already achieved a part of his dream. ”I want to be stronger than anyone, and Rocket is the only kind of place that accepts my kind of strength.” His words were a mirror, but the truth of it wasn’t quite the same. He was chasing his father, the father he had discovered wasn’t strong. It was strange, the day he had seen that he was the strongest in his childhood, his boyhood self had died in that moment. The admiration, and all consuming fear had disappeared; and it had been replaced with a rage that just couldn’t be quelled.

[break][break]

”I’m also chasing someone, I’ve caught up to them in some ways, but I’ve been completely left behind in others.” He answered as he sank into his seat, yeah, he was a world’s away from that deep pit of darkness. ”Both of those goals are in rocket, so I’ll keep on moving up.” He needed that from himself, from the world, and from the organization he had given his future to.

[break][break]

It was an annoying realization, but people really did see the world in different ways. It was easy to delude himself that others wanted the things he wanted. But different people truly were different.

[break][break]

”So, so, what do you research?” He spoke with a more chipper tone, he wasn’t particularly interested himself, but this was still him trying to learn of others.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr=class","body"]