Yes, yes he was. A man stepped out of the shadows, intercepting him. The brigand wore all black, his face hidden by a smiling mask. He chuckled as he held out a pokeball toward Alexei. "Relax now, don't panic. This doesn't need to end gruesomely. Simply hand over your money and I'll let you pass." Alexei would hear a thump behind him. The man was mostly a diversion, allowing his Salazzle to climb down from the rooftops via the alley walls and land behind Alexei to keep him from running. Seemed pretty dire for this poor citizen, from Oscar's perspective.

Oscar needed cash quick. Life in Hoenn wasn't cheap, and even with the jobs he got from Rocket he found himself struggling to get by. A stark contrast from his life in Alola, where he was quite wealthy thanks to his artifact smuggling--I mean appraisal. Alas, the missions were drying up and rent still needed to be paid. It was time to turn to what Oscar knew best: larceny. He needed tools though, and to buy tools he needed some extra cash. Now he could just save some money and wait to buy these tools, but Oscar lacked patience. He had been patient for too long, it was time for some instant gratification for once.

So here he was, standing in an alley in a hoodie and theater mask mugging this poor guy. Felt dirty, there was no finesse to it. No artistry, only brutality. Oh well, need eggs for omelettes or whatever. Besides, at least it would be easy. Oscar surely put on an intimidating show, there was no doubt the man would cave. It wasn't like he was some sort of incredibly strong trainer who only traveled through this dangerous part of town because he was confident in his team and skill.

As that final part crossed Oscar's mind, he suddenly became very nervous about his life choices. No no, don't panic. All was well. I mean, what were the odds of that being true?

Alexei Ivanov

Oscar shrugged at the man's question, "I mean, you might be? I've done this enough to know that you don't have to look rich to be rich." As the man pulled out his pokeball, Oscar sighed, "Come on man, don't make this hard. This doesn't have to get violent." Oscar was prepared to fight, he just preferred not to. After all, the less effort put into a mugging the better. Plus he rather not hurt the guy, he seemed to be distressed enough as it is. Almost too distressed.

Oscar stared into the eyes of the man that stood before him, something was very strange. He just looked so sad, almost sorrowful. Perhaps there was a death in the family recently? Maybe he was fired? The thought of mugging someone who had just experienced some sort of trauma made him shiver. Oscar was by no means a soft man, he was ruthless and cruel at the best of times. And yet he usually hurt competitors, rarely his victims. He much preferred thefts that involved not interacting with his victims at all. 

The more Oscar stared, the more he felt like he was beating on a pichu or something. He sighed and cursed under his breath, "Fucking, why'd you have to go and make that face." It was a rare occasion Oscar felt mercy, though even that would not be given freely. The thief scratched his head, "Look man, I don't wanna kick you while you're down or nothing. Let's just forget it." Oscar paused momentarily, half to think of a way to keep this guy occupied while Oscar got away and half to give the man hope that Oscar would let him get away without further stress.

"Here's my deal, I'm gonna let you pass. But to ensure you think twice before coming down here unprepared and to get you off my ass my Salazzle is gonna chase you into safety. If you make it, cool. Go have a drink. Or talk to a fucking therapist you look like a broken child. If she catches up to you--well yeah tough luck." Sama licked her fangs and got on all fours, ready to give chase. Oscar moved out of the way without hesitation, "Hop to it, enjoy the cardio."

Alexei Ivanov

Oscar didn't answer the man's question, it was up to Sama whether to attack them or not. Of course with that in consideration, Sama was absolutely going to attack them if given the chance. She's a bitch like that, and Oscar prefers it that way. As the Lucario came out, Sama seemed all too eager to engage it. Yet she restrained herself, allowing the two to begin their run. Oscar looked to Sama and sighed, "Try not to go overboard, and don't die I need you for later." Sama made a noise with her throat that could almost be mistaken for laughter before bolting after the duo.

It didn't take her long to catch up, on all fours Sama has quite the speed. As she got closer, Sama made her presence known with a guttural call. When she was in range, she leapt into the air. She raised a claw, making it seem like she was coming down for a physical hit. However, her mouth would soon open as she instead let loose a blast of flame (Flamethrower). 

Nothing like a bit of spice to get a pep in one's step. Sama kept her momentum forward, anticipating her attack allowing her the space to continue her chase. Her goal was to get the pesky Lucario out of the way so that she could properly torment the man.

Alexei Ivanov

As her hit connected, Sama swelled with confidence and vigor. She gave a large toothy smile as her fire dispersed, only to be met with a projectile breaking through. She had no time to move, her momentum was too strong. Her smile faded. The orb slammed into her gut directly, burning into her skin as she continued onward and slammed into the ground. She looked up as she steadily got to her feet, steam flowing off her body. It was a nice hit, and she wanted payback. 

Sama regained her composure as the lucario turned to run. Her eyes narrowed, hatred fueling her charge. Sama began to crawl on the alley wall, using her claws to keep herself steady to match the speed of the lucario. When they were neck and neck, she took a leap to slam her flaming tail into its body (Fire Lash). 

She was in a frenzy. If the attack connected, she would surely attempt to rip at the opponent in an almost rapid manner. A horrifying sight to be sure, although such ferocity often left openings for retaliation.

Alexei Ivanov

Where Sama expected to feel the crunch of her enemy beneath her tail, she instead found immense pain. Her damn opponent reflected the damn attack back to her damn self. Sama was flung against the wall, the impact of the bricks delivering even more damage to her body. She shakily got up and glared toward her opponent. However she did not retaliate, instead cutting her losses and fleeing dramatically back the way she came. She would remember this defeat, one day she shall have her revenge.

She crawled all the way back to Oscar, who was counting some poke he just 'earned' from a passerby. He looked to Sama as she sheepishly approached, beaten up and worn out, and gave her several judgmental tsks. "I'm guessing you won?" His tone oozed sarcasm, which Sama did not appreciate. He chuckled at his pokemon's displeasure before pulling out a ball, "Next time don't be so aggressive."

Sama was returned, and Oscar was satisfied by his earnings. He began to make his way home, his mind dwelling on the man he let go. He wondered what happened to make him so sad, and very briefly hoped he found peace. And you know, stopped jogging down shady alleyways. 

Alexei Ivanov