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Covert Operations, they really were one of the more annoying things to have to do. But he had to do it, carrying information on movements. Still, if he was the one carrying information that meant he had earned a fair amount more trust since the battle of Dewford, so he didn’t mind this at all.
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The one he was supposed to meet was someone he had worked with before, Victoria Beckett. Someone he could respect, a professional, the meeting place was here, between two large rocks at the shore.
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”Information sharing, but in reality they just want us to clear up some more guys huh?” He said as he arrived, a wry smirk on his face; he wasn’t particularly happy about this one but what could you do?

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As Bryan spoke, Kouji listened attentively, so the two could work together.
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”The Borders huh? That’s almost too fitting, been there once before, weird place. Guess if that guy’s lurking around there, why don’t we get some big wig to make nice with it?” Kouji didn’t really get how avatars were made, that was the part of the process that was utterly alien to him.
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”If it’s already been good with us, it won’t take much to do it again, will it?” Or maybe he was utterly neutral. But he shook his head, this was something outside of his paygrade, of gods and godly pokemon, a worldly man like him should steer clear away.
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”Not like it’s really my problem.” He just wanted to be able to win against Avatars.

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Tea wasn’t exactly the most difficult thing to make, but one would be burned for thinking it would be simple.
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Arguments were much the same, they could always spiral to a point where neither would budge, and they got to that solution now. Kouji knew it, he could end up with a bad tasting brew, or a bad tasting workplace relationship. He’d die for Rocket, so it was better to avoid that entirely, but at the same time…
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It was Ten Year Gyokuro.
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”Let’s leave it to the original owner.” Kouji turned to the man who had been standing off in the corner with a box in his hands, staring at the two idiots arguing over it before sighing. There was no real choice to be made here was there? He looked at the two of them before he turned away.
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”You can have it.” He said, but it wasn’t directed at either of them, but the starry eyed young rookie that had silently stared at it, but had never engaged in the argument, a dream torn away, a lifetime goal shattered.
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The Ten Year Gyokuro went to someone else entirely.
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”The f-”

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Riding in the sky, it sounded more majestical than it really was; but it was just as much a disgusting sight. It brought back memories, riding on the back of an airborne pokemon. The most tactical place to be in a battle, Kouji understood that well; but…
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Everything was distant, the people who walked below were simple ants to be crushed, it made the act of killing an act far more detached than it ever ought to be. He had gotten used to it in Galar, but it had been pokemon then.
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He couldn’t do the same for people, whenever he could, so as to remain human. He sought to stare them in the eyes, understand them, and then take their life. Even an irredeemable deed should have been done as a human.
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Perhaps it was that rather than the torture that had robbed the light from his eyes.
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But he didn’t stop, he swooped down on a trainer riding on a Pidgeot, his Roaring Moon crunched down on the bird’s wings with a dragon lock before tearing it off, leaving both to fall into the sea.
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”Today’s gonna be a long day.”
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He didn’t have the slightest idea of just how long.

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Kouji did not know Sign Language, but seeing the pokemon go to use Metal Claws, he got the idea anyhow, it was a doable command.
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He called another Pokemon up, Sandile to help out. ”He might be small, but he can dig well. You two, widen whatever he digs out, get out the sand.” He ordered more directly, the only signs he had were for battle; maybe he should have had other maneuvers ready.
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”If anything attacks, get into S-D Maneuver.” Since they were already out, it was worthwhile to have them be the ones on defence. A simple maneuver, simple using one as the drawer of aggro, while the other setup.
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Still, he didn’t like that mist.
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”Keep going in that direction.” He told Sandile as it began to dig.
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The mist began to roll in, but that was the thing with something like mist, it could really only be seen once it had begun to grow thicker.
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”I’ll keep an eye on it.” He said but just as he had spoken of that, the world began to change slowly, and before Kouji knew it, the environment was entirely different but awfully familiar.
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”Vermillion City huh?” He said as the city was on fire, the takeover of this place had been pretty brutal, men had fought to their dying breaths. He hadn’t gotten to take part, not truly. But he had seen it, witnessed it, and thrived on the fringes.
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But the roar of a mechanical dragon overhead told him this was not that Vermillion.

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The battle was intense in all truth, Kouji wasn’t sure how to approach it from here.
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Every avenue he took was something that got closed off, that meant he didn’t have much more of a choice in the matter, it was either figure out a solution, or fall apart. In far more simple to understand words.
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It was do or die time.
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”Weavile, use Ice Spinner to break out. Scrafty, use High Jump Kick.” He told his pokemon, Scrafty did that, jumping high into the air, legs tucked in order to crash into the Glaile, Weavile tried to use that very opportunity to spin, begin spinning as ice formed around his limbs, becoming sharp weapons to cut past the grass knot.
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They would switch enemies, it went without saying as Weavile freed himself with some difficulty, and dashed forward in a high speed cutting spin, an ice spinner that could change a terrain, but here it had a far more simple purpose, to attack his opponent, the two pokemon of Kouji's crossed past each other in the air.
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To crash back down on their enemies in an all in maneuver.

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Watching Dirk get so excited was almost adorable, even if the man was pretty much twice his age.
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Cute didn’t have a number.
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”Glad you like ‘em, make sure to take good care of him. I wanna see a strong Arcanine one of these days.” He said as he looked at Dirk, and then at the uniquely coloured Arcanine.
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”Wouldn’t surprise me if he did, you’ve got a way with dog-pokemon, but now back to kitchen, bet this guy is hungry.” He said trying to finally get this man to do what he wanted him to do.
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Satisfy his Absol’s Tantrum.
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Just as he thought that, a howl ripped through the house.

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The last time?
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”We beat the crap out of it. The first time it was a Malamar pretending to be a ghost, second time it was some ghost type pokemon, so maybe this time it’ll be an actual ghost, you know how to do an exorcism?”
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It was then that his feet touched down on solid flat ground, and he turned around, being rebuffed with an ew did sting, but he was a new man now, a stronger man who didn’t cry on the inside.
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He told himself.
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”Absol.” He called for him, his pokemon and ace, whose eyes began to scan around already looking for something, a slight glow to them. ”He’ll warn us before an attack…Probably, watch your back.” They were really just baiting things out, but then the platform underneath them began to creak, shake, and then gradually…
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It fell.

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The obvious part was over, the preamble was not complete.
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Kouji understood the point of a set-up, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. As he listened to Cillian, he leaned back on his chair, hands cupped together, and held as forward as they could be, his elbows rested on the arm-rest.
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”Aye, you guys are the brainiacs here, making all the calls, and plans, but why not leave it to us. Give me free reign to deal with ‘em, and I’ll cut that number.” It sounded almost arrogant, to claim that he could do better than anyone else could. ”It’s a thankless job, everyone’s gonna hate ya for it, be scared of ya, but if it’s a loose grunt who likes doing it as a hobby, and an underboss who lets him off his leash, well, it looks better, don’t it?”
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He had thought about it for a while, it wasn’t the only solution he had either. ”I said us, because I wanna build a team. Dedicated to hunting down traitors, and torturing them. We can even have the torture room by the break room, consequences should be nearby don’t ya think.” It sounded casual, and it wasn’t Kouji’s mode of operation, not his usual one. He would have preferred to simply fight it out, and leave it there, but it wouldn’t work for Rocket.
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”It ain’t simple, but I think we should put as many resources as we can towards it…Make it obvious we’re brutal, and we’ll scare off the guys who’re only half in too.” It was a decision he had made back in that world, he wouldn’t settle for anything half done anymore, whether from himself or someone else.

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From high on, Kouji just about managed to notice the trenches that were being dug; sadly he wasn’t studied in History, so he could tell the significance of it from that, but he had grown fond of them in his time in Galar.
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In reality, there was no other option but to swoop down, his Roaring Moon made a rumbling sound as he touched down on the Earth, Kouji on his back still.
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”I don’t recommend that, you don’t look like the kind with Rocket, how about turning around? I don’t wanna hurt you if I don’t have to.” His voice sounded even, calm, and neutral.
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He might even have believed he was being kind.

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Supplies weren’t the worst thing to be stuck doing, back to back action would only grow more and more tiring, there was something to be said for just being stuck in battle, Kouji enjoyed it, but there was a task at hand, thankfully he wasn’t stuck doing it on his lonelies. He had his buddy Tempest with him, and when it came to things like this, well it did end up pretty great, a similar mission was how they met to begin with.
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”Hope you can keep up, the Carvanha egg I got from you is now a young, spry Sharpedo now.” He said as he raced along on the back of his Sharpedo, the pokemon was comfortable with it to an extent, but Kouji had to be careful not to move too carelessly or else the scales would shred him to bits.
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It would be terrible, especially with the supplies they were pulling along. ”You think it’ll be as brutal as last time?” He asked over his shoulder, wondering what would come from it.

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Working with this man again was an honour, manoeuvring had become a lot easier ever since he had gotten his Sableye, the world opened up in front of him with a phantom force, and Kouji was sure his pokemon was not the faster one.
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”What’s the move underboss Quinn, we’ve got the tunnels here, but we’ll be stuck competing with the League, how about we make it harder by letting the dream mist waft to their side, you got any pokemon that are skilled in drilling?” He said as he looked at the walls, there was a serious risk towards themselves, but he considered it worthwhile.
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”What do you think of that plan?” He said as he brought out Weavile and Druddigon, getting his pokemon ready to begin digging. He looked over at Cillian and then to the collecting Dream Mist.

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Watching the shoreline, he was sure there were points that intersected between both groups, but those parts were the most important to be fighting over, there was a fight to be had here after all.
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Kouji kicked up sand with his boots, a spray that was followed by another and another, it was the only thing to do other than to keep his senses sharp, his eyes scanned the surroundings yet it was his ears that picked up the crunching of sound first.
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His facemask was on, covering the lower half of his face but his golden eyes were peering out, watching the environment like a hawk, looking for the source of it. There was no real need to battle it out with everyone, no-one had that kind of strength. Thinking things through, he approached the individual that had set him.
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”Hey, strange day to enjoy the beach, don’t ya think?” He said with a wry smile.
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”Name’s Kouji, what’re you doing here, this island is off limits.”

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