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That was amicable. Taking the opportunity to holster his pistol, and smiling towards the girl, though she couldn't see it, he sits himself down, and holds his hand out to the Lycanroc.[break][break]

"Hey, bud. Sorry about that. I promise, it's nothing personal." He pulls his mask down for just a moment, and if allowed, ruffles Louie's head, as Bongo continues to eye down the blonde woman, with Bass acting protective and beefing with Tilly. The moment he pulls his hand away, he nods.[break][break]

"Give him some proper rest. But before that-"[break][break]

He shares a small smile.[break][break]

"I've been defeated! Damn you, Blondie!" He feigns, and firing her a wink, before pointing towards Bass. "You defeated my Noivern!" And the little sound dragon, begins to feign a heart attack, and falls over, playing possum. "Is there no end to your cruelty, League scum?" It was all a ploy. Maybe he was just having fun with it now.[break][break]

Once Louie was settled with the healing, he shoos with his hands. Time for her to go.

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He really had done his homework, and it felt nice to have that praise. Both Isaac and Cygne got that smile on his face, and maybe it was the mood he was in, but his cheeks heated up just a little. "Well, when your boyfriend is a genius, the smarts rub off on you, I guess." Ash coos, silver eyes looking to the side.[break][break]

With their list of Pokemon, between Delirium, Echo, Pylons, B.P., Crash and the Boys, B.B., Kage, and Shiver, and he can tell, the couple was taking this seriously. Ash is grinning again, looking between them both. Luigi, Nacho, and Sunny would wave to the new menagerie of monsters, the Gastly the only one who had to wave using his tongue. It was funny, to say the least.[break][break]

With their swiss army knives of potential, it has Ashley grab onto his chin and ponder.[break][break]

"You both took to this really well. If Makoto and Gerald here do too, we should be able to do this easily enough." Then, with a breath, he prepares for the bad news.[break][break]

Once he exhales, he speaks. "Thing is about money though, it's traceable. Every bill has a code on the back, so it's possible that unless we find a way to launder it back into the system, it's dead money. That's why counterfeiting is such an easily traceable crime, and why heists don't exactly happen this way anymore." He would tap onto the table, placing the dossiers back.[break][break]

The grin comes back.[break][break]

"There's a couple of ways to handle it. Only use a little at a time. Don't put it in a personal bank account. Offshore, only offshore if you're doing it, and under an alias. That, or we launder it. Investment banks will be tracing it. And-" He turns to the side. "-lets just say, that company is going to have a number of losses this year." His grin disappears.[break][break]

With another sharp exhale, he turns back towards them both.[break][break]

"Well then. I have a couple of ideas myself on the matter. Sunny here is gonna be my muscle, but I have a few more I intend to use. A Froakie for substitutes and smoke, my Gible to dig, my Noivern to act as a secondary getaway, and an Umbreon and Glaceon. One to freeze guards behind us, and the other for charms, confusion, and blinding." He smiles, thinking to each. Gyro, Valkyr, Bass, Salem, and Maple. All a good set, and ready to roll out.[break][break]

"I want to hit this place in May. That good with you two?"

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Oh for fuck's sake.[break][break]

The bullet collides into the cap, and Ashley feels himself fall over, feeling the collision near his head. It was a graze, and thankfully so, not a clean entry. But close enough, that he risks death in a singular moment, as he hits the ground. For a moment, all lays still.[break][break]

And then it all comes back to him. And fury enters his mind. It can't be a coincidence, can it? He rolls onto his feet, shaky, and releases Maple, his Glaceon. He whispers under his breath. "Snowscape, obscure their vision. Keep low." And pulling his own pistol, as Maple begins utilizing SNOWSCAPE, snow begins to pour around the field. Maple follows with, and Ashley attempts, best he can, to move toward where the shot must have come from. Maple behind him.[break][break]

He wasn't going to lose another goddamn Pokemon to some piece of shit sniper. If it's you, Landon Cassidy... I'll make sure you suffer. Pluto may have been his fault, but Bullet, aptly named, was vengeance. But he wasn't stupid.[break][break]

Not this time.[break][break]

Part of his right eye is coated in blood, as it trickles down his face.[break][break]

Shit. kepler brueshaber was gonna really let him have it when he got home, huh?

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Oh shit. He hates being right.[break][break]

The visage in front of him. This black-haired guy, he remembers from Meteor Falls. And though a mask adorns his face, he can feel sweat trickle down his neck. His face was, mostly, obscured, and his hair was different. Maybe his tired demeanor would leave him somewhat hard to read.[break][break]

Or maybe, Greyson here would read him right away. A slight panic in his gaze, as he attempts to hold some level of poker face. "Howdy, stranger." His voice is hopefully not too familiar. He just hopes that Greyson doesn't remember him.[break][break]

Because Ashley remembers. That's the cave he met Pluto. He can't forget the dead behind him now.[break][break]

Greyson should, in theory, know him only as Sawyer... if he remembers him despite the haircut, the black bags under his eyes, and the mask and hat obscuring his face. Fuck, he hoped he didn't. Just in case, he had a Pokeball in his sleeve at the ready. Sweat pouring down his neck. "Whatcha doin'?" Don't remember me don't remember me don't remember me.

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With agreement from Isaac, Ashley takes a moment to cross his arms. Now they could move from their current topic onto the job at hand. It's not that Ashley wanted to ignore it. Frankly, he didn't want to even acknowledge it. But with talking about it, it made the pain lessen. No, that wasn't it. It at least allowed for some breathing room.[break][break]

He'd be sure to do that more as the day went on.[break][break]

"Why not... make this about taking resources? Treasures, salvage. But from the League. As is, we need to steal from the bank anyways, right?" He puts both of his hands together, and gestures. "Same difference, man. Why not make the most of it and try to steal it from the League? Like, the shit we got from the Border, but you know. Robin Hood it."[break][break]

It's... an idea, at least! As Holy Diver looks on with a smile, and runs after Ashley now, he ruffles the weasel's fur, turning his tired gaze up.[break][break]

"I bet you I'm gonna have a gauntlet to traverse later. Got a bad feeling about today... intuition. So let's take it slow."[break][break]

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Ash looks at the Aerodactyl, and stares blankly. For a moment, as it screeches at him to scare him, he looks into death blankly. Yet he never once raises the pistol. He just watches the beast roar in a defiant defensive posture, preparing at a moment's notice to snap him in half. Yet, Ashley doesn't move, and he doesn't show fear. He closes his eyes.[break][break]

He refrains from himself. And to her words, as though she was attempting to win for the two of them, he just laughs. It's an actual hearty laugh, as he takes a second to, in turn, allow his Rillaboom a moment out. Bongo, balancing on his fists on the ground and his legs, eyes the Aerodactyl and the Lycanroc, prepared to make a choice.[break][break]

"Why, aren't you an idealist. Heh."[break][break]

There's a moment of purity in his voice, as he yawns to himself. On the one hand, he's too tired to even have steady aim, but the threat alone changed the situation. That, was a well-timed threat he'd have to keep for later. But he takes a moment to squint with his silver eyes.[break][break]

"Tell you what. In the grand scheme of things, I'll give you three. And-" He holds out a Potion. "-you heal up... Louie, was it?" He's being sweet. It's negotiating. Yes, it's three minutes without communication. But he doesn't feel the need to hurt her. And, all things considered? He needs to save his own resources. Bass took a hefty blow.[break][break]

This woman was one of the good ones.[break][break]

But then the threatening Rocket comes back.[break][break]

"Any funny business, or too much collateral damage to the comm tower, and my gorilla here clips Tilly's wings, and I shoot you and Louie myself."[break][break]

Without the ability to view his facial expression, it is at most, hidden behind his mask. But, at the very least, he considered this a very, very light set of negotiations. After all, he wielded no weakness to Blondie's two beasts, and with Bongo, exemplified an advantage.

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Ash is sure this pup isn't out of the running, not yet, but the thought she has another Pokemon, might prolong this battle. And so he says it, almost, as Louie snaps out of his confusion, snorting and growling. "Draco M-"[break][break]

And then Louie charges upwards, power surging to slap an unsuspecting dragon from the sky, and Bass is bashed by the Rock Climb dead on, and Ashley frowns, his Noivern spinning towards the ground.[break][break]

Last moment though, Ashley prepares something against the super-effective pup.[break][break]

"Remove your weakness. Roost."[break][break]

Bass grounds himself, healing as he stays upon the roof now, grabbing onto it, to prepare for war. He wasn't out in one go, thankfully, and with newfound vigor, this battle would no longer be shooting a monster out of the air.[break][break]

This was a battle on the ground, with the removal of Bass' Flying Type.[break][break]

"I commend you and your dog. Not a bad little pup." He laments towards Francie, crossing his arms. "But I can't let you stay here. Nothing personal to you." He tries to show a smile through his mask, as he reaches into his jacket.[break][break]

Unloaded, his pistol is out now. Not pointed at her, just a threat. An empty one. "Leave." He hopes his masked persona will keep himself from revealing his faltering poker face.[break][break]

He wouldn't shoot her. No. He couldn't.

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"I don't know." Ash says, wearily pointing out that while Isaac had truth behind his words, asking what part he liked, it left Ashley introspective as a whole. His eyes look out into the vast ultra sea, teeth biting down upon his lip. Feeling the hand on his wrist, he just gazes to it with empty eyes.[break][break]

Of course, those scars flaring up was exactly what Isaac experienced in Mt. Pyre, so his sage speak only left layers of uncertainty in himself. Taking a moment to look towards the one eye, he frowns.[break][break]

Regret sinks him further, but he gives a small, infintesimmaly small smile.[break][break]

With a nod, he pulls his wrist away, and rolls up the sleeve, tracing over the faded, nigh-non-existent scars. Though he does have the tattoo from the Pacifilog Carvanha incident, he does still feel them like yesterday, as the shards of glass were embedded deeply enough. Where the Rocket clinic had to pull them out, and apply a small cast. His arms have gone through hell, if not the Carvanha tooth making a gaping hole, to the solar beam the jackass on Mt. Pyre used to kill some of his nerves in the other. The mirror feels so long ago.[break][break]

"Appreciate that, Isaac. Really." His smile is sheepish, but he looks sulkingly upwards towards the vast ultra sea. "I..." He closes his eyes, to listen to the sounds of the ocean.[break][break]

"Come on. We gotta go get some treasure. We're slacking off." Not that he was doing this on purpose. But, at least... they talked about it.[break][break]

Maybe that would be enough.

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