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Kouji laughed.
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”Yeah? I’ll hold you to that one, so I’m looking forward to my next invitation.” Kouji said as Druddigon’s crunch landed directly on Orthworm’s hard outer shell, it shouldn’t have made sense, but a powerful bite from a Druddigon was something to not be underestimated as the dark energies penetrated deeper than they had the right to.
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”Though don’t take it too badly if I end up taking up the limelight next time.”
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He said with a smirk, but this time he was going on back-up, with the acid armour knives, Kouji just had to follow behind, twin knives following, shadowing Tori, taking the opening when it came, ready to throw his knife.
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It was a long arc, that cut through the sandstorm for a moment, forcing them to dodge into the acid armour’d knives, it was just herding sheep.
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”But I’ll let ya shine this time around as a lil’ offering.”

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Kouji chuckled.
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”Mah, it’s just a difference in our backgrounds. I was raised and trained to fight, most people weren’t, that’s all it is. Your normal ain’t mine, so I’ll pass on that.” But getting close was out of the question, that much he was certain of. Kouji looked over at the ongoing battle just as Dracovish’ Dragon Pulse impacted against the glass.
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No, Ice. It was a sheet of ice that exploded into a mist, obscuring vision for a moment, it was difficult to see past it, or if anything had worked out properly. Kouji wondered just what would happen next.
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”Nah, I just don’t want my entire existence to hurt. Had enough of it back in Galar, and here.” He said with an even voice.
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”Path P.” It was a charge with his maw, as if cutting beyond water and ice-like mist in a singular shot, it would be difficult to find his opponent in this kind of scenario, but there were things to be said of striking coal.

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It wasn’t a clean kind of battle, nowhere near.
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Kouji looked over his shoulder at Tempest. ”Aye, let’s get running, if we can deliver this and find the guys that sent their pokemon off to die, maybe they can go sleeping with ‘em.”
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It was an effective strategy, Kouji might well have done the same, but in this case it didn’t mean all that much, they barely slowed the lot of them, and so Kouji withdrew his pokemon back into the balls.
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”We’ve got supplies, so more might just end up coming our way.”
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He wanted to hunt down more people, get into more battles, but they had a job to do, did they not?

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It hurt, the pain was terrible, it was like his head was going to go white any moment now. He didn’t want to be here anymore, but it stopped his arm from trying to kill him anytime soon. ”Aye…Maybe, don’t count on much quality.”
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It wasn’t just thickening, there was something rolling out of his arm towards the rest, coalescing, so this was part of strengthening whatever that is…”You’re up Scrafty.” he said through gritted teeth as he allowed the pokemon out. ”Route DTA.”
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He’d just have to rely on numbers, using Beat Up, many shadows jumped in the shape of his other pokemon to jump the other pokemon, yet Scrafty stayed behind, as if preparing to do something during that time.
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”If I ever think of doing something this stupid again, just…Beat me up.”

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Hmm…
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”Mah, that’s really childish.”
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Kouji answered naturally, but there wasn’t any venom in his voice as he looked at Bryan before he shrugged. ”Not like I mind, I don’t ever plan for any wars to ever end. Guys like me can only live while there’s fighting, y’know? I ain’t good at much else, nor do I want to be.”
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It was why he loved this region so much, this conflict, but the organisation? That was a different reason, more mature, he knew just what the problems he held in his past were, but that didn’t mean he wanted to fix them. ”But neither of us will get our dreams if we let the tide go as it has been.”
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”Feels like we might get swallowed by the waves soon.”

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Kouji didn’t know just how to take this one, that outburst, but then again…
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”Yeah, you’re right. We’re enemies, you’re a traitor, I should kill ya.” But then again, what was the difference between the two of them. ”But you always planned to leave, and I always planned to join.” Did that really make that much of a difference in the end?
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What was he even tryna say in the end? As Salamence found the Mystical Fire heading towards him, the dragon doing quick maneuvers as the flames found his tail, to lick their way up. This level of inconsistency wasn’t going to work for him now, was it? He’d made decisions along the way, and even within this fight.
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It was just a matter of getting his whole self behind that movement.
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”Argh, this is annoying. Just shut up for a moment!” Even he couldn’t say whether it was to the dragon underneath him, the girl in front of him, or to himself. ”You don’t think I don’t know this is supposed to be a fight to the death, but before I have to kill you, just let me be happy for a couple of minutes.”
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”Well, I guess there’s no room for that either is there.” It was a bitter voice as the shine in his golden eyes was wiped away. ”Let’s get serious, sorry buddy.” He said as he took out his knife, the mega stone within began to glow brightly allowing the dragon to transform.
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A mega evolution, showing just how serious it was, and so Salamence immediately out of went for Double Edge, transformed into a flying type move by its new ability. This wasn't the time for a joyful reunion, that kind of time would never come, Kouji was a tool of Rocket, he just had to accept that.
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"Die."

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”Tch, I ain’t gonna give so easily.” Kouji said as he looked over, there was something he could do, or else he’d just find his ribs caving in. With his elbow in the sand, and arm around the man’s waist, he knew he had some leverage as the fist hit his ribs.
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It was subtle, but he had seen it enough times to know that the first thing he needed to do as he unhooked his arm from Kaz’ waist, and towards the man’s elbow, turning his and holding the man’s elbow in the crook of his own arm, using it as a fulcrum for a variation of the arm crank.
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”Tch, guys like you are too tough, if you want my ribs, have ‘em. But I’m taking your elbow.”

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”I ain’t into dudes, or chicks that much older than me.” But then again, he wasn’t really 19 anymore, was he? ”Don’t gotta worry, I won’t break your heart or that of your sisters.” A cocky smirk that gradually began to fall away as he hummed aloud.
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Was it worthwhile to play? At this point in time, it seemed more like it’d get in their own way, but at the same time…
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”Matsubara Kouji, just a member of Rocket.” He said with a smirk as he kept a hand on his pokeball. ”You ain’t a bad guy, don’t hate ‘ya, so how about you turn around, and enjoy your time.”
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It wasn’t something as simple as respect, he didn’t know the man across from him to feel something on that level. It was a person he had kicked the can with, he would do it if he had to do, but if the opportunity to avoid it came…
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”I’ll pretend I never saw ya either.”
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But the truth was they were enemies, and this was an important target.
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”For now, but if we see each other again…I’ll have to do my job.”

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”It ain’t going to be you meeting Arceus.”
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Kouji knew that while this was a dream, everything within this had a real chance of carrying with them to the other side. Death would be final, and so with a slight smirk, he told Bisharp the pokemon’s final orders.
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”Metal Sound, draw all of the hits.” He told his pokemon who did just that. Bisharp took each strike, moving through, chipping off pieces of metal, before it released a final sound.
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”That’s the plan, gotta sacrifice to win sometimes.”
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A burst of metal shards far stronger than the beams and blasts that had struck him exploded outwards. Bisharp’s last moment was one that shredded its entire surroundings.
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”Ashes to Ashes is it? I don’t remember the saying.”

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Kouji was ready to check out the other areas, the clues were beginning to come together, but they weren’t all there yet. The strange outlines, the strange stain, and that awkward sign just there. Kouji knew with that, maybe there was something more in this hallway. ”Howard, you got anything? Looks like wine…ain’t browned enough to blood.” But it wasn’t quite the color of wine either. There was that smell, it smelled like death and then there was the sound of that scream…He didn’t want to have to tell that kid to shut up but…
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”Keep it down. Not like you ain’t seen a bunch anyway.”
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It was callous, but that was the way he acted towards her as he looked over the surroundings, there had to be something else here, right?
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”There might even be something up underneath, out of form…Plank?” He didn’t know if there were more to it, but the table was completely off, so he inspected it…Only to see someone else crash into it, catching themself…
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”The table’s even more skewed now huh…” So instead, he grabbed it by the legs, almost sweeping it out from under Tsubaki to explore it properly, and tilting it upwards from the leg to get a better look at it from up close.

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”So, gonna put me in my place, Navidson? Maybe look at what makes a lil’ brat join with criminals, she ain’t the only one in there, y’know?”
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Kouji knew full well that the battle was being stacked against him, that he’d have to brace for the battles that would come. But the rage on the face of the men across from him, that was almost too good a return.
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Then he got punched in the face.
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It wasn’t that he didn’t see the person coming, it was that he had no idea to expect such a fast movement from Isaac, the man crossed dozens of meters in as close to zero as you could, it wasn’t the kind of movement a man could make. It wasn’t the kind of movement most people could react to.
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Not even Kouji, it was unexpected, the warning signs were there, the falling temperatures, the mist, everything about it was strange. Absol should’ve warned him, but Absol’s glowing red eyes were calculating something else entirely.
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So, he had taken the strike, and then the next, but the final sweep was something he had to avoid, throwing himself backwards in tandem with the elbow strike to his jaw, and going into a roll to land onto his feet.
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”So you’re an avatar huh?” He said as he took knives from his pocket, he didn’t want to play a striking game against one. Fists were for the battle of wills he and Navy favoured, but Kouji was born and trained to be a killer, so he would fight as one today. His lead leg slid forward, a lateral movement that barely hovered over the ground; to give as little to read away until the very moment his foot touched down, and then he was a blur of motion, a knife cutting directly for the throat…
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But that was a mere feint, his target was the legs.
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As for the pokemon, things were different. Absol looked at the Urshifu, but he could not arrive at the same conclusion. They had their battle plan so he’d have to trust Samurott and Druddigon to be able to handle the rest. Druddigon took the magnet bombs straight onto the chest, smoke blew off him, huge parts of his scales were ripped off revealing the softer skin and muscle underneath, blood flowed down the dragon’s arm.
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But his target was Junior, the Dragon Roared, a dragon claw with the injured arm as if rebelling against his present injury, aimed at the Pseudo-Legendary Child, grown up a little bit more perhaps. It was clear he was running on fumes.
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As for Samurott, the two warriors would have to face off, Kowtow Cleave was met by a Ceaseless Edge. Two blades coming head to head, dark type moves of high prowess and sharpness, sliding past each other, Samurott felt a cut over his shoulder that opened until halfway up his back.
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They’d fall, these numbers, this strength; even having used a great amount of strength against one another, neither Navy, nor Isaac Merlo were the type of men to fall to such a simple tactic.

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The path ahead was getting treacherous, freedom wasn’t something that came easily, Umbreon he could trust in, she was proving her mettle again and again. He gave her a pat on the top of the head, exhaustion would kick in…
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But they could wait a little until that moment struck.
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But they weren’t the only ones struggling, he patted the cowboy man on the back without looking at him. ”You seem like the kind of guy that’d get off on all of these mysteries later.”
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There were a lot of familiar faces here, but his eyes were stuck forward, he didn’t want to get caught out and dragged to an almost tentacled death for having his guard down. Umbreon seemed to be of the same mind, just as the Glimmora began to show up.
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There it was. ”Use Snarl, then we’ll make the most of your synchronise.”
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LCcE61c3

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Kouji had a feeling, he knew his instinct was better than most actual evidence, even as he searched the man’s belongngs, knowing that was where the most evidence was going to be. He felt it, his arm hairs spiked up. Kouji wasn’t smart, but he was blessing with the common sense of animals…For most it might not have meant anything, but for the man who lived between Kanto, Johto, and various battlefields around Hoenn, it just led him the right way to go, fire didn’t matter, Infernape did however. But that just gave his senses more to hunt for, and so he did, searching for what was next.
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Or so he felt.
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So, he left Andrew’s room, it wasn’t real evidence, it was an instinct that lifted off his senses, and so he joined the hallway, hoping for so much more. ”Hey, Devlin. This might be the place, come join me.” He said over his shoulder, his ally in the 20 years in Galar, and the man he fought in Mauville, he had a lot of trust for this man.
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”I’ll say this, if we can’t solve it here. We’re done for.” He didn’t trust any other dimension, and so he gave the information to one of the soldiers of the league he had some faith in and so he moved towards the hallway, watching underneath the carpet. With him knowing the man had a fire type in his bed, and being a fire-type, it was time to check the thoroughfares.

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