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A battlefield was a battlefield, even in this early stage; the two sides starring off against each other. He was together with the rest of his Hammerlocke group, though calling them ‘his’ in any capacity only made him grimace which relaxed into a snarl, his singular golden eye washed over the battlefield, his arm on the shoulder of his Urshifu. ”Hey, Qing, let’s get started.”
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As everyone else began, as attacks soared over the battlefield. Kouji looked at the Dynamax band on his arm, and at his now modified walking stick, courtesy of Amor Rose, the blacksmith of Hammerlocke had really aided them in many ways. Maybe if they got out, he’d buy him a drink.
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But that same band began to glow, and so did his pokemon, Urshifu began glow a bright pink before the energy coalesced around the two of them, shooting upwards; Kouji made sure to keep a tight grip on his shoulder until the transformation was complete. A strong pose, it’s eyes began to glow with a white energy as he struck a pose, rage was rolling off it in waves; and it showed; it wasn’t excitement, nor anticipation. It was the rage of a beast chained, and now it could finally fight.
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”Get me closer, we’re going for the one those slowking looking guys, use Wicked-Blow.” But there was a difference between the old version, and it’s present version, as the wicked dark energies formed around it's fist turned a bright red before he threw it forward, a blast in the shape of a fist that sought to make its way through the encroaching army.
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”Should be fine, with this leg, I ain’t gonna tangle up close with no pokemon anyway. Ceaseless Edge.” Kouji said as he took the sheath that turned his cane from a sword, and swung it, a dark wave that sent shards out into the battlefield.
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Fifteen Years Later
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Time was an issue; no, simply calling such a thing an issue wouldn’t pass. Kouji knew that as he stepped into the open, his walking stick pressing against the ground, a click, and a clack as he looked out onto the sky for the first time in a truly long time. The black strands that had run through his hair were now well and truly gone, pure white. The sunglasses which partially hid his now injured right eye were far from being dark enough to cover up the scar over it.
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The familiar weights in his pockets didn’t provide any succor, the simple knowledge he was reconiled with his partners, with his trusted knife, none of that mattered to him as he looked over the city scape had come to detest. The people that walked through the streets made him sick, but he was back; in his original role. Eyes avoided him, and he avoided them.
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It was only natural, arrested, and held in the dungeons for five years, he had tried to push crime, he had tried to take over the night, he had tried to form his own guild of the night, and the King of Night had saw fit to punish him, until his spirit broke and he had learned to follow. The many scars upon his body were a reminder. A dull ache that would follow him for the rest of his life, of that he was sure. Time was a fickle mistress, but it wouldn’t allow him to forget this, neither would the brightness of the outdoors, for eyes that were used to the darkness of those dungeons it was too much.
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The alleys suited him better anyways, and the castle walls needed defending. The men needed guidance, yet he knew even in that role he wasn’t necessary. This place had defended itself, for long enough. He had a simple role to follow, that was the act of following itself. Slow steps towards a room he knew well, one that he considered his own back when he had done his job in this strange world. Yet, the moment he opened it, he found the entire room now different, a different group of soldiers, of garrisons.
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His eyes landed on his old compatriots, those who should have been alongside him in the dungeons, the cowards who quit, for a simple life. To enjoy a normal life, a peaceful life, the initial war he had seen had been his dream, but it lagged, fadded, and they had gotten it too good. He could see that burgeoning of comfort upon their faces, even in this struggling world. They were happy, able to enjoy normal lives, they had acclimated.
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”Makes me sick to my stomach.”
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Twenty Years Later
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Lifeless, a singular golden eye looked over the papers in front of him, peace was beginning to gather, and yet war was on the horizon. News, information, all of the things his old blockheaded self would have never understood. But he had to understand such things now, it wasn’t an option, an employee of the King of Night, a loyal man…
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He was not. Consequences, a man who knew such a thing could be kept in line. Having put down the parchment on the table, and moved on over to the door, Kouji could see a glimpse of himself from the corner of his one working eye. His present form, stronger than upon his release, but never again a fighter. He couldn’t walk without the aid of a stick, his limp left leg which pulled behind him.
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The meeting of Kings, the statue, many things would soon change, everyone who knew was on edge, preparing, and he had to do the same. He had earned himself at least some trust, a modicum he was sure. ”I need to prepare myself.”
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That strange phenomenon, those strange crystals, he needed one of both. There was only one man he could go to regarding such a thing. So he walked, he had kept himself away from everyone, if it had nothing to do with his duties, he had no need to speak, to meet, to see.
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It all disgusted him.
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Even his old allies, especially his old allies.
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But he would meet with one, Amor Rose, the only one who could get him what he needed. The journey to the man’s store, a blacksmith. Yet another, who perhaps shared a similar thought came. Josh Devlin. ”Devlin, still alive huh?” He said before he walked in.
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The wars to come would be difficult, but it didn’t matter either way. Kouji didn’t care whether they won or lost, he just needed to find the right place to die.
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HPbqMESI

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Kouji felt the change in environment before he saw it; the tight feeling was replaced with a breeze, the stale air was replaced with artificial island air which filled his lungs before he opened his eyes. Gold eyes took in a world of numbers, there was no way this feeling could be associated with that sight.
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”The hell is this?”
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Reflections of self, his mind went over their instructions; barely paid attention to them, barely noted them, he just knew that these pokemon, Unown, needed to be brought down.
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A collective, Kouji couldn’t understand the reasons why they were paired up against them, but all the same, an enemy across from him was one to be beaten. Just that small acknowledgement was enough for him to smirk.
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The excitement flowed through him at a rapid pace, it excited his mind. ”Under.”
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The call to caution went unnoticed as he charged forward, his leading hand formed into a fist, and the one in the rear held a pokeball, the one for his Meowscarada. As if hiding the approach of his pokemon for a singular moment, but it was his copy.
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Like a mirror, he was struck as he struck, his pokemon came out as their pokemon came out, flower gift met flower gift.
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He was forced back, forced to hold his face, his reddening cheeks felt as if they were beating to the drum of a song he knew not. ”Hey, hey, this is weird as hell. Meowscarada, how about we avoid this guy, and aim for the weird looking pokemon.”
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Kouji directed his pokemon as he went to rush his copy; but at the same time, there was something he hadn’t thought about, a thoughtlessness that came into being from seeing the him and the meowscarada across from him as mere enemies, instead of copies. The attack aimed at the unown was averted as the fake Meowscarada swapped with his own, and then switched with himself.
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”Switch back.” Thinking things through wasn’t his greatest strength, so what had been a singularly confusing situation continued to grow more so, switching of pokemon, and then the switching of the Other Meowscarada’s allies, the Unown into the mix, and soon enough; those pokemon themselves joined in.
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A collective, they were one, and yet they were seperate, words like that were lost on the Rocket Grunt as the area grew brighter and brighter for a moment before suddenly, his surroundings were switched, stuck with just his copy, in a distant place, away from his allies.
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”Shit, what the hell happened?”
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Were they suffering the same fate?
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Only the succor was that it still rained, even in this strange space, he couldn’t have been that far.

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The trenches he dug, the resistance that his Roaring Moon felt, all of it was conveyed through the comfort of the ride. To say, there was little of it; Kouji felt jolted, the rapid turns made him feel as if he would soar off, but he hung on, sometimes brute strength did have some use. The rough and tumble of his less than leisurely flight was interrupted quite quickly as he soared throughout the city, tired, and sweaty; he looked down to Roaring Moon who was in a similar state.
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But his golden eyes latched onto something, in the distance, he soared closer on his pokemon which he spurred on with a buck of his hips. The red wings furled out even wider before it took off into the deep sky, looking on down at the host before them, Kouji watched the pokemon at the front, and scanned further in as he flew near it.
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While the pokemon in front was definitely one he didn’t know of before, but the rest that peaked behind, various poison types he had seen, and many others he had never come across. But the first thought…
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”Come in. Large Horde of Poke-” He could only hear static, the communications he had rarely relied upon had naturally become damaged, disused, and now completely useless.
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He chucked them, the pokemon leading them was too much for them, this entire army was. He took his roaring moon higher up into the sky, as high as the dragon could take him. It was a dangerous maneuver, but he decided on it anyway.
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Recalling his Roaring Moon, and switching to his Iron Jugulis, he found himself going from the comfort of his dragon to a freefall, barely managing to latch onto the artificial life that he called his pokemon, his Iron Jugulis.
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”Oi oi, we’ve got a big one, we’ll go for the back, let everyone else deal with the front, we’ll take some spoils for ourselves, yeah?”
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He had a toothy smirk on his face as he took his dark three-headed mount lower, there was no need to engage that bird; if he had one foe, or a hundred foes, he’d pick the higher number, and it seemed his steed agreed.
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So, he had it throw out a roar, just minutes before his mouths opened up with a stream of hot-air which only grew hotter by the minute, a heatwave to be released on his foes.
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XCPKAY_A

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A thousand thoughts in the space of a second, a short travel, a singular moment, and yet he found the dusk of a new place reveal itself seconds after the bright light faded. A town that stank of a time long past, the taint was strong, and the soft growl by his side that signified the appearance of his Absol.
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This was a different world…No, just a different region, it wasn’t Kanto, it wasn’t Johto, strange lands he had stepped upon in his youth, smuggling goods alongside his father. It wasn’t Hoenn, the region of his boyhood, the place filled with memories both good and bad, no, it wasn’t such a place at all. It was an alien land, filled with people from another time. Just what was it all about?
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He had no time to dwell on such wasteful thoughts as he heard Zev Harcourt from his comms. ”Faker here, copy.” He ran a hand through his hair, understanding the command, but he didn’t like it. Distaste was more than clear enough in his voice, but he wouldn’t go against it.
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An order was an order, so he bit his tongue, biting down on it before he spoke even more words, his eyes going to the walls of this place, and thus he called Absol back into his pokeball and called Roaring Moon, his overly proud dragon. He climbed upon the back of his dragon, sat upon his back. ”We’ll scout, look over the area, see what areas we need to fill in. These guys can deal with strange hands.”
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Kouji spent his time upon dragon back, looking over the area. ”Let’s draw trenches, just like when we met.” He whispered, the dragon roared in what Kouji almost feared was defiance before it began to float towards the ground, claws glowed with blue energy before it ran across the ground just beyond the walls of the city, a long tiring run, but even so…
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It was what they could do, and so they would make sure to do it.
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Calling things busy was an understatement, yet Kouji’s golden eyes drank it all in, away from the final death of Calyrex, the HIgh King. There were no words of sentiment, nor a goodbye, nor did he give another look to the corpse; there was work to be done.
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He ran his hand through the mane of his Absol, staring at the appearing portals, so many answers, and yet he couldn’t even start to process it. Which one would he go to? He didn’t know Galar, had never been there. It was a strange place to him, with an even stranger history, but before he could get drawn into his thoughts even deeper, he saw Josh Devlin, was he losing his mind?
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He had a half mind to rush in, the faces of those he owed a rematch to caught his eye again and again, but the outburst had caught most of his attention, he stepped forward, closer to the Mauville Gym trainer, yet at the same time; he hadn’t expected the reaction, nor the burst of wind.
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”Tch. He really is a piece of work huh?” Kouji muttered to himself before he walked on over to Josh, grabbing him by his collar. ”Hey, don’t go dying before our rematch; especially not to that guy.”His words escaped in a low tone, lingering in the air like a delicate whisper, leaving a momentary pause.
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”We’ll have enough time to bite at his throat later, let’s go.” He said as he dragged him into the portal to Hammerlocke.
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fjkzp2k_

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Kouji pulled his hand back the moment the warning was given, clicking his teeth; free money was just that. ”What a pain.” He muttered as he said it, but at the same time he looked at the back of the other man, that fake shape; but yet it was still creepy enough to give someone the heebies.
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”You’ve got a new idea? Tell me.” He wanted to know, but if it came to commonality…
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”I’m pretty good with ships, I do calligraphy in my spare time, I like green tea a lot, so I can talk about that a bunch, and martial arts? Yeah, I’ve done a few. Those are my hobbies if I had to say it.” He said as if providing some common ground to fall upon, or rather, a path to be followed. ”You? You’re not just a face with money right? What do me and you have in common, what do you have in common with others.”
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This was a man he could trust with his back, at least for now, it was something Kouji was slowly realizing. But he couldn’t trust him with Rocket, it was a strange dichotomy, but he’d make sure to keep an eye on him.
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Entering the town's square, they were enveloped by a rhythmic pulse, the steady beat of drums reverberating through the air. Accompanied by sporadic applause, it was a harmonious symphony that celebrated the joyous spirit of the place. Kouji’s head nodded in beat, matching each; enjoying the sound for a scant few moments.
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”This is a Melody Miro cover, you a big fan of music?” He said with a tilt of his head, but then he ignored it entirely. ”Can’t say I’m a fan of cover artists, but what do you want me to do here?”

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Kouji rushed through the hallways of the submarine, once again having overslept; really, he needed to talk to Alba less during his times sleeping on the submarine, it was getting tiring at this point to arrive late to every task. He rushed, each step was heavy, echoing thuds that continued down the hallway, running ahead of him.
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But with a slide he arrived at their designated meeting place, brushing himself off as he stood up quickly. ”Shit, I’m late, sorry about that ‘bud.” He said as he quickly got himself adjusted; his senses widening as he looked over the dirt in this place. ”Hope you’ve got enough elbow grease going, cos scrubbing stuff ain’t easy.”
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Kouji looked at the guy he was working with, though at the same time, was it a guy? ”Masked even with your comrades huh? I can’t say I could trust someone to watch my life if they can’t even trust me with their face.” He said as he dipped his sponge into a bucket of soapy water, a metal sponge by his side; he began to get to work in a random corner.

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Kouji smirked as the Tyranitar was caught, the other pokemon fled; so it was a comfortable moment for just a little while; he looked back to Shalin who spoke. His eyes fixed onto her for a brief duration, a raised eyebrow as the first response.
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”Gotta do it bare, I ain’t got no Tyranitar harnesses; it’s like a piggy back, just with a mountain eating pokemon.” He said with a half smirk, his tone playful, almost teasing in its cadence.
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”How about it, think you can handle it; these guys are deceptively agile.”

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The tense atmosphere in the bar began to dissipate with the words from the owner, Kouji’s eyes went to the mirror above and raised his eyebrow slightly, the reasons for having such a thing there were beyond obvious; but he placed his chopsticks on his now finished bowl of ramen. ”Hey, Ol’ Man, lemme get some Gyoza, and a drink to wash it down.” He said as he leaned his cheek against his fist before he winced at the feeling of pain, signs of a forming bruise, whether it was on his fist, or on his cheek, who could say?
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The weight of his aspirations pressed against his palm, a symbol of his determination. As his thoughts wandered, his fist opened up, and his fingertips traced the textured surface of the wooden counter, the subtle roughness grounding him in the present, momentarily soothing his mind.
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”Y’know, I really want to hit you right now; but I want Gyoza some more. Gotta be all right and stuff.” He said as he cracked his neck both ways, pondering just what he sought in truth.
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”Haaaah. Fuck it, being the smith and the sword, I guess I’ll need to do both if I want that world.” His gaze returned to the table, but before long, a plate slid noiselessly in front of him. His soon returned back to Navy, wordlessly going for his gyoza before he popped it into his mouth.
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”How far away are you from yours? You’ve got the Elite Four to face, and I’ve met some of ‘em, fought ‘em, they’re strong, stronger than we are now.”

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Just don’t?
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Kouji's face hovered perilously close to his bowl of ramen, his mind awash with countless retorts. Yet, a bitter realization swept over him; wasn't he becoming a hypocrite? He wanted to be raw iron, so he could become whatever he wished to be. Maybe he didn’t really get what Zev Harcourt had been saying to him, but he didn’t get a lot of things.
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The streak of failures, a pile of them he could stack to the moon and back in the span of a month and a half. Yet it was the man he had fought at the start of the road that had taught him the lesson that he had been spouting himself from the start. Just where’d he go wrong?
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The rapid movement in the corner of his eye caused his muscles to tense, years of training caused him to move, the jab that was shot towards his face was intercepted by his left elbow, his fist followed that same arc until he stopped just inches from Navy’s face.
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”Y’mean like that? Fuck’s sake.” He said as he clicked his teeth, a loud sound that echoed in that small place; he turned to his bowl of ramen and devoured it, functionally drinking down the noodles and broth both until he slammed it down onto the table, a loud sough.
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”Darn it, that’s still brainy, you idiot. I don’t need someone else telling me how to be me.” He said with a shrug, as if shaking off some of the doubts he had accrued. ”Ain’t got a choice though, I gotta climb up, that means becoming a better me. It’s just like prepping for a robbery, gotta know where to break in.”
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Understand them, was it?
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That sounded even harder, refining what he already had.

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