"Smuggling is about knowing the right people. Most of the people I know are from customs and regional black markets. Networking is everything, whether it be for society's dregs or for society's upper class. Use your old man's connections. I never was that lucky."

If his father had actually cared, Howard would've used his dad's connections in Devon Corp to get an actual job. That way, he wouldn't need to squab around in the dirt, looking for a crumb of employment. Or, perhaps, he had refused his father's connections out of pride.

"Alright, I'll start." Howard straightened his hat and narrowed his sole good eye. Serizawa was one of Junior's brood. If Serizawa failed here, it'd reflect poorly on Michael Navidson , the newest member of Hoenn's Elite Four. "Serizawa, use-

"TAR!" Serizawa ignored Howard's orders, lunging towards Kouji and his Urshifu with Thrash. Howard groaned as the Larvitar prepared to smack Kouji's Urshifu into the dirt.

---

Kouji Matsubara
3/3 (no mechanic)
BNSTSEqr

"I've lost four ships in three months. The League's patrols are erratic, but Kyogre makes them look stiff by comparison. It's a fickle artifact, that one."

Calling Kyogre, a deity of the sea an artifact was disrespectful. Yet that was what most legendary Pokémon were to the Rocket Admin. They were great beasts that had lived through history's greatest triumphs and failures. They were gods, capable of choosing individuals to be their chosen one.

Yet they were artifacts, every single one.

"The League can't control the sea around Sootopolis as they once did. They've lost Kyogre, and Underboss Quinn ensures that the sea is ours. Lugia cannot be denied."

Assuming it would leave Cillian's garden, that was.

Smack! Serizawa struck Urshifu. Donk! Urshifu sent Serizawa flying. While the Larvitar was in the air, Serizawa prepared a fist. As he landed on the ground, Serizawa punched it, causing a mighty Earthquake.

"He's stronger." Howard observed. "Your Urshifu's not half bad either, Kouji."

---

Kouji Matsubara
3/3 (no mechanic)
DSngrwY1

"Quite right, fire rejected us too. Didn't stop us from lighting a spark anyways."

This was the great struggle of humanity. The constant war to climb the next great hurdle to reach even greater heights. Howard didn't care about the future. To him, it was simply history yet to be written. Yet it didn't change the fact that humanity would always climb higher.

This was a region ravaged by gods, before being stolen by humans. Eventually, humans had stolen fire from the gods to create their own legends. Some things were meant to stay within the realm of gods, though. That was something Howard had learned from reading about dozens upon dozens of wars. Land Hoenn. Sea Hoenn. Ultra Megalopolis. These were places that had reached too high.

Even if they didn't know it yet.

"I was asleep during the last meeting, you have to understand. I don't doubt that Walsh has a plan, though. There's a reason we follow him, and not someone who blends his food." The joke is cruel, but Howard says it with a smile. Kouji's blender adventures would never end.

"I'm glad he likes Serizawa. Serizawa hardly likes me anymore."

"TAR!" Serizawa shouted, meeting the flurry of blows with yet another Thrash. Yet the Larvitar isn't as trained as Kouji's Urshifu. It lacked discipline, something Howard realized as t went flying. "Larvi..."

Serizawa charged up a Hyper Beam.

"TAR!" He fired it.

---

Kouji Matsubara
2/3 (no mechanic) + 10 = 100
55GlV_bc

"Tsk. You don't chew your food?" Howard snickered, confident for someone whose Pokémon refused to listen to him. "No wonder your jawline is soft."

A low blow, until Howard let out a wry smile. Kouji was a man who saved time wherever he could. He saw attempts to make his life easier, more convenient, only to spend that time chasing his vague dreams and his power as a warrior. He was a machine, an iron body, mind of steel. There was only his goals and how he would attain them.

Kouji Matsubara was the perfect Rocket Grunt.

"I didn't think I'd become Admin, Kouji." Howard admitted as Serizawa smacked Urshifu. "I'm a weak man, and it would've been better if you had been promoted. You or Grigori Sokolov . I cannot be trusted."

It's an admission of treason, but Howard merely shrugged. He had confessed this to Underboss Quinn, it hardly even mattered who he told anymore. He could shout it from the rooftops and he likely wouldn't be executed. He made too much money for Rocket.

"I'm just here to see how it ends. Fiorelli, Beckett, and Quinn all know what direction we're going in. I don't. They're fit for the role."

As Urshifu used Reversal to send Serizawa into the sky, he came lunging down, teeth bared, in an attempt to Crunch him.

---

Kouji Matsubara
2/3 (no mechanic)
qAkwSf0i