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Kouji nodded his head in time to the beat, moving his feet, it was a subtle shuffle, or what he considered to be subtle in the first place. A hum rolled from the back of his throat as he continued to blend, the cacophony of sounds was enough to almost allow him to miss the voice calling out to him.
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Almost.
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But he had heard it, and looked over his shoulder at Howard, he didn’t recognize this man, was he new? Or was it just the magical moment in which different patterns coincided, Kouji had been late to making his meal, but at the same time.
[break][break]
”Doing great, got done with a heavy day of training, and now I get to have a nice and filling meal.” He smirked, his eyes then went to the T.V, was there something wrong with it?
[break][break]
”Did someone change the T.V settings? You can’t enjoy id-, T.V properly like that.”

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That was really the question that sat beneath all of this, wasn’t it? The time in galar, the prophecy and legends that surrounded them, and finally the battles…None of those really meant anything to Kouji, it was the time inbetween that led to the most change, for everyone.
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”Almost feels like a cruel joke, there’s only one person I saw that walked away happy from there.” But then again, there might have been more, Kouji knew that but what was the difference between the two?
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He couldn’t tell, he didn’t know, but in this moment, he chose to settle on one thing, a singular thought. ”Maybe dreams aren’t meant for bad people?” His voice was low, almost as if he were speaking to himself, there was a wistfulness in there before he steeled himself again.
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”Or maybe, we were just entertainment.” He really couldn’t hide the disdain that leaked into his voice. The memories of that place, it had left him with way too many thoughts.
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”Either way, I don’t plan to let it happen again.”
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Still, in the end his attention turned to Tempest, his upcoming question might have been tone deaf, but he felt as if he needed to ask it. ”What do you plan to do now?”

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Kouji’s lopsided smile turned into a cocky smirk the moment Hitoshi began to speak, he was sure they were on the same wavelength when it came to this one. It didn’t matter in the end, did it?
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”We’ve taken too many losses today, how about a nice win. Use electric terrain.” And a haze of electricity sparked across the battlefield, it’d aid their opponent just as much, but Kouji was fine with that resolution.
[break][break]
As lightning struck around them with greater intensity, Thundurus turned their eyes towards them, blazing with energy, ridiculous amounts of energy. ”Then we better learn to win against them.” They had both been in S.P.E.C.T.R.A’s trials, they should have some idea.
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Iron Jugulis roared in ascent, a mechanical roar that sang aloud it’s fury, it’s lights began to glow in a myriad of colors before the winds began to pick up around the legendary, a powerful hurricane that rocked the ship even harder.
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But it was split into two by the thunderbolt that sliced cleanly through it, seperating the tempestous winds, and striking down on the pokemon that had the gall to attack its better, the real ruler of the sky.

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A white suit, in truth that’d catch eyes for sure; but then again so would he, so did it really ever matter in the first place? ”Good, I haven’t gone in yet, ain’t checked it out. So how about a date?” He spoke with a smirk as he looked over his shoulder, the store was nice and simple, it was a comfortable enough place.
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He liked to believe as much anyhow, his golden eyes glanced past the glass windows, he had an escape plan, it’s a good thing he’d been concentrating on his pokemon recently. ”I’ll cover our escape, these places lockdown fast.”
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Kouji cracked his neck loudly before he stretched, ready to go in, and ice it, maybe earn a good little paycheck on this day.
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”I don’t even need to ask if you’re ready, let’s go.” He said with a smirk on his face.

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From a blazing town, the next thing to greet them was the raging seas; a place Kouji was intimately more familiar with. He had sailed to Kanto and back many a time with his father, he knew the sea routes, he knew how to try and survive in a storm, but this wasn’t a boat with a motor and a sail, no; this was a larger sailboat.
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”It’s the elements themselves huh? What a fight, drop the sails, board down anything you can, tie it down, whatever; make sure to catch shelter ain’t nothing worse than the cold out at sea.”
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Being sunburnt and then immediately at risk from frostbite on the same night, the sea was cruel; but no more cruel than any other whims of the gods. But the sky parted…No, something descended, electricity traced and arced from him.
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Another pokemon, another powerful pokemon that beggared belief.
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”It really doesn’t get any easier, you’re up Iron Jugulis…” He threw up the pokeball to let out his iron dragon, a pokemon that brought forth distaste, it really was the only creature he had control over he disliked.
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What an ugly thing.

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[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]THUNDURUS 1

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]Thunder cracks above a turbulent sea. Flashes of lightning are but the briefest beacons illuminating the night, but they only serve to clarify the hair-raising waves your small ship manages to survive. Storm clouds mask the moon—but they seem to be moving closer toward you, hanging unusually low.[break][break]

The storm clouds stop before your ship. From the cumulous cover, a THERIAN THUNDURUS emerges with crackling lightning coursing from its knotted tail. What does it want? It does not look pleased.

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Kouji couldn’t agree more as he recalled his pokemon as well, his eyes were locked onto Declan Walsh.
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”Guess I’ll just have to see how I do next time.” It wasn’t his best, but he felt as if he could sharpen his fangs against this kind of opponent. A strong one, one who didn’t follow the usual rules of engagement.
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But as they left, he could hear the words that were left behind. It was a victory for Rocket, Fuschia fell, it wasn’t anything like the Vermillion city he remembered, but then again the war had always been like that.
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Kanto had always been like that.
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”Haa…This simulation business sure is tiring, what the hell are we going to see next.”

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[attr="class","itemcolname"]significant figure event

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[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]WALSH 1-B

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]After a harrowing battle, Declan Walsh manages to gain the upper hand. His style of fighting is one of subterfuge, feints, and precise strikes.[break][break]

However, despite the assassin-like attacks, he spares you. His Pokemon remain at his side before being recalled.[break][break]

"let tonight be a testament to team rocket's unstoppable force. we'll overtake johto too and seize the indigo plateau for ourselves. no one, not even you can stop us."[break][break]

He leaves the gym as the sounds of a burning Fuschia City rattle outside the building's walls.

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Kouji didn’t get the fuss, not really? Maybe it was a difference in working environment, his first day had been the Ultra Deep Sea, so that was what set his expectations, that was there was never really any need for having them; it’d get crazy faster than you could say Dewford.
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”The hell you talking about? It’d look weird if I went back on my lonelies, just hop on in, it’s way faster, and I’ll make it wider for your bike. We ain’t got the time to dilly-dally, but ya did good work.” What work? Kouji didn’t really think about it much, but Dirk had been the atmosphere keeper, and had kept the mood light. That was valuable, at least to Kouji.
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Strength could be done later.
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”Plus your Houndour’s out cold, not sure why. Don’t make much sense. Or what, you don’t like your boss?” He gave a smirk as he decided to poke at him just a little bit. Then it turned just a little bit bloodthirsty, showing just a little bit of teeth as he looked at Dirk.
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”Or are you maybe…”
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He let the words hang in the air for a moment, letting them settle as he narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, his eyebrows furrowed together.
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”Scared? If you’re scared, then just ride back. No need to have a scaredy cat riding this way.”

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He couldn’t help but agree, but he didn’t want to back out of this one as Meowscarada took up the mantle only moments after Samurott had to retreat back into the pokeball.
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A flower gift, but that alone was simply an explosion, an opening act, she was a performer, a magician, someone who worked the crowd, but the only crowd here was that of her enemies, and Gliscor didn’t want to give in this time around. It weaved intelligently, disappeared and reappeared elsewhere.
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”Aye, but ain’t anything we can do, we’ll just have to keep going. I don’t want to offer my head on a platter.” He said what he thought, but that was him; Kouji looked over at Hitoshi, and considered twice.
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”We’ll retreat. Meowscarada, cover our backs. We’ll get going, no need to force it.” He changed his mind, but he didn’t state what it was, just a simple decision he made in that moment.

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Kouji couldn’t really believe how strong this person was. He couldn’t figure it out, was it natural skill, was it hard work, but it was like watching a master in play, calligraphy in motion, and it was art.
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”You’re telling me.” Kouji said aloud, frustration was apparent in his voice, he wanted the fight he wasn’t going to get, and there was the overstep as the earth below Samurott exploded upwards, sending him into the air before a cross of claws crashed down on him, a clean combination.
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It was smart, forcing them to overextend, and then pushing them beyond it; leaving openings, and then turning that around as an opportunity to attack, quite simply; this man was stronger than them, even combined.
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”Doesn’t mean we can give up though.” He refused to lose, yet, they might not even get a choice in the matter; after all, choice was the right conferred upon victors.

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No bell.
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It rang true, there was none, there would be none; the last sound Kouji would hear would be that of his fading heartbeat if he didn’t get himself together, and yet, even if it felt wrong, he couldn’t tear the smile from his face.
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He was and always would be a sucker for a good fight.
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As the earth began to rumble, Kouji looked to Samurott again. ”Hit them with Razor Shell.” Water began to gather around the horn before he charged at the moving Gliscor, the pokemon formed rocks before throwing them with the force of bullets, Samurott danced around it them, cut through them, and slashed the air itself as it disappeared.
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”Ceaseless edge into the shadows.” It was a messed up directive, but in moments like this perhaps that was for the best as he did so, leaving a second layer of spikes across the floor.
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Might as well play a little dirty if they won’t give him a straight fight, leaving and coming back into the fight would surely be a pain now, right?

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Kouji hated to say, as dour, annoyed, and pissed off he tended to be nowadays, as bitter and grim his daily outlook seemed to be…He quite liked this guy, it wasn’t just the words, maybe being called boss had a small thing to do with it, but it was the energy with which he approached life.
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If he was this chipper at that age, well he’d consider his future a success, but that wasn’t the case, and he wasn’t in such a position to begin with. He was a fighter, fighters didn’t tend to live too happy a life. He clutched the side of his neck with his right hand and stretched it to both sides, his free hand went to Absol’s head to give him a quick pat. The pokemon knew, the maneuver that was worked on.
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Where was it worked on again?
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He couldn’t really remember, but that wasn’t very important in the end. They had done the job, and Kouji went to the Hay-bale, held together with twine, and unwrapped it. His head was turned partway to look at Dirk who was more than just a little bit animated.
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”Ain’t nothing fancy like that, more the Kouga clan’s job, I ain’t ever been trained by those guys. You just gotta have a couple dirty tricks hidden in your backpocket for a rainy day, I couldn’t guarantee I could beat him, so I just changed the rules a little.” And took a risk, it just ended up paying off. He had the advantage but if Absol had been tucked away that advantage would have fizzled up.
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”Once I tie him up, we’ll go back to the base real fast. We can't mess around when it comes to deserters, they're all marked for death, or something worse.” Kouji said with a morbid smile on his face as he finished undoing the twine, and tied the man up with it, and his own belt, better safe than sorr-
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He shook his head, and recalled Absol before he brought out Sableye. ”Phantom Force.” And a cut opened up, a space that connected this one to where they needed to go, somewhere they’d been before. Sootopolis really was home, and this guy might not see the sky ever again.
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”Ready to go?”

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