[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]Kazuya was in his late twenties when he saw snow for the first time. Though inconvenient to most people, it never lost that magic for him. Maybe because he didn’t drive. Still, his big frame was surprisingly susceptible to the low temperatures. Today, his normally ornamental scarf was practical. Only its plaid pattern and matching gloves do anything to drive his outfit forward. His thick, down imitation coat looked almost short on his gargantuan frame. [break][break]

Content to follow—like a dopey Great Dane on a leash—Kazuya kept a few paces back from Neon. As he clambered onto the roof, he hesitated. But, after a few creaks, there’s no further impression of an upcoming fall. His Bewear follows a few moments later. “Hm.” Only a grunt breaks his silence. After a moment to readjust his coat, he tilts his head toward Mint. The order is taken without comment. Sometimes he forgets he can talk.[break][break]

While his height often became inconvenient, today it proved useful. Kazuya’s eyes were just a foot below one of the heaviest lines. Thick rubber gloves reach up to grab a handful of snow. As he pulls it down, he finds himself frowning. Won’t this just melt? If so, would the rain be just as contaminated? With a shrug, he dumped it into the box.[break][break]

Next to him, his Bewear grabbed a few stalactites. These were tossed into the bucket with an audible chink. As he straightened, Kazuya took a moment to siff and wipe the snot from his nose. “It’s cold tonight.” Oddly, the noise doesn’t come from his mouth but from deep inside his downy pocket.

NOTES
He wanted to wrap Mint in his coat, and I have no idea why. Maybe because he is so small and needs protection.

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]The white-haired man smiled as the Sharpedo pivoted. Water was a beautiful, fluid thing. Such flexibility would have once served him well. “Watch for the shallows.” Kazuya immediately recognized the young gym leader. Just because he’d jumped off the championship circuit did not mean he was ignorant. There was still some thrill in watching others ascend the ranks. [break][break]

As Josh withdrew his Sharpedo, Kazuya stood. Again, he looked like a ventriloquist. “I did not.” Muscular arms crossed over his chest. “I was simply waving.”

For a moment, Kazuya stared contemplatively out at the water. It seemed he had forgotten the other was there. But this was soon proven wrong. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath of salty air. For a moment, golden eyes glittered with tears. Arceus, he had almost never seen this again. Some part of him still didn’t believe it. “I forgot how beautiful the sea is.” The taste of salt tickled his lips. “I wonder if this is what it takes to appreciate it.” [break][break]

“Woo!” A chirping noise from further upshore drew Kazuya’s gaze. Golden eyes widened as his Wooper flipped a way up the shore. Beneath her, an old Carracosta blinked. It did not look happy. This time, his hands did beckon. What he did not expect was for the turtle to come along. With a grouchy grumble, the gargantuan beast dropped the Wooper back on the shore.

NOTES
Catching Carracosta

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]Golden eyes rolled skyward. A boot shifted across the man’s chest as if the old spot had been dog shit Kazuya had stepped in. The already filtered voice was distorted further by the mask. “You assume I didn't.” But the man did not wish to come at all, certainly not quietly. “You would not be so eager to play savior if you knew him.” His head shook as the other man continued.[break][break]

Beneath the shoe, the scientist almost squealed with glee. The weasel mouthed words of gratitude to Kazmir as the man and his bear charged forward. A sigh emerged as Kazuya’s hand moved to catch Kazimir’s. He squeezed it in his gloved grasp. “I thought there was no need for violence?” Though the hit practically hit a brick wall, it did rock the white-haired man off his perch. Tap! A heavy boot touched concrete.[break][break]


With a great rush of air, his target pushed upward and scrambled to his feet. His shirt ripped free of the mercenary’s sole as he did so, leaving his side a naked patch beneath stained white cotton. “Stay.” Kazuya tried to order the panting, mussed imitation of a man. But, with a grateful noise and victorious little whoop, the scientist raced back down the street.[break][break]


With a whoomph, the mercenary attempted to use his hold to push Kazimir back. In a situation like this, even a few feet could be an advantage. With his free hand, Kazuya plucked a Pokeball from his belt. From it, an Emolga emerged. Mineru’s bright eyes flitted between the two men before shifting astutely to their target. “Stop him.” With a squeak, dashing between the man’s legs, the electric type moved to follow the fleeing man. A burst of electricity turned the tiny shape into a blur. One that ended in a BZZZT as the flying squirrel’s Nuzzle left the target twitching on the roadside.[break][break]


With that handled, Kazuya began to prowl around his opponent like a bear. Though armed, he made no move to draw another weapon. There was no honor in such a thing. A victory won underhandedly was no victory at all. This belief seemed to be shared by Natsu. As the other bear charged at him, the fighting type did not retreat or respond with a ranged attack. Instead, he charged forward to meet Domon with a Super Power.

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]

The Bewear puffed up like an angry Jigglypuff. His second arm joined the fray—muscles bulging in an attempt to match bicep to bicep. A fight his body shape made hard to win. Muscles he had in spades, but nothing in his body plan was meant to imply jacked. The fact that his stubby arms lost didn’t seem to bother Natsu. “Wear." Size wasn’t everything, after all. When Kaz chuckled, the Bewear’s mouth opened in a toothy smile. [break][break]

Kazuya returned his companion’s grin. However, there was something more subdued in the man’s expression. An impression of unease just behind his normally gentle expression. After a moment, he managed a response. “It will be nice to have company.” A growl from Natsu made him lift a hand in apology. Of course, Natsu was valued, but it was easier to enjoy the company of someone you truly understood. “It is something we did often growing up. As a kindler, there are few better ways to practice.” His head turned slightly in the direction he imagined Lavaridge to be.[break][break]

Unlike the other three men, Kazuya did not flex. That would have been something his old self would have done. No doubt with four or five women cooing at him. Instead, he smiled in amusement. A wrist curled inward, coaxing whipcord muscles to the surface. [break][break]
His own face filled with that same, feral energy. The grin was vicious. Though his teeth remained tightly closed. Though his expression should have massacred the words, he enunciated the next part clearly. “I see no to change that.” Natsu lined up directly in front of Kazimir. His posture was more relaxed than earlier. It seemed he did not believe this man had the strength to challenge him.[break][break]


“Three, two, one…!” Go.

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]It's like being submerged in a pit of vipers. Hands with too many fingers threaten to swim into his open maw. Mouths made of shadow whisper forgotten secrets in his ears. Through the rips in the darkness, he sees nothing but wide eyes staring back. It made him feel like a laboratory rat—a thousand jeering eyes locked on him. Golden eyes squeeze closed. [break][break]

For a moment, there is silence. The sensation of whispering is replaced with the briefest burst of nothing. His heartbeat becomes deafening, as he is left alone with nothing but his thoughts. Then, a cool, damp wind pricks at his skin. Kazuya’s nostrils detect a smell. It represents a junction between loamy earth, decay, and rotting corpse. As his eyes open, they are caught by the green-purple light that now surrounds them. The mercenary turns toward Marilyn to ensure she is unharmed.[break][break]

He smiles. There is an embarrassed heat on his cheeks. The manhandling at the hand of spirits reminds him of imprisonment. It tastes of powerlessness.[break][break]

The ethereal heat of a greenish flame draws across his face. “. . .” His frown deepened as the mercenary’s gaze fixated on the spirit before him.[break][break]

While his father’s side was comprised of kindlers, his maternal family is made up of powerful mediums. From a young age, he has been taught to respect the dead and the spiritual. It is for this reason he leaves coins or food upon every shrine he passes. But this thing flies into the face of such lessons. It takes souls and corrupts them. From his back, he withdraws what looks to be a weighted staff.[break][break]

A ball bursts open at his side as a towering Bewear takes the stage. Golden eyes flick pointedly to the keystone. By shattering it, he hopes to dissolve whatever tethers this corruption to this place. Again, he throws a gaze at the elder woman. A respectful nod follows. May I?

[break][break]
NOTES
Wants to exorcise it.

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]After trying on three separate Christmas sweaters, Kazuya finally decided on one in navy blue. A festive scarf—covered in little ornaments and twinkling lights—-hid the gash around his neck. His Bewear—Natsu—was decked in the exact same design in a bright green. But it didn’t have sleeves. No matter how they tried to swing it, those mittens didn’t fit. The claws pulled all the stitching apart and just left a mess of yarn in their wake. [break][break]

Upon arriving, the man paused at the door. One plate-sized hand tugged self-consciously at his sweater and plain slacks. It looks like I’m underdressed. Fortunately, he did not seem to be the only one who fell for the troll. Clutching his gift to his chest, the titan made his way toward the brightly lit tree. Pausing briefly to rearrange a slouching pile, he tucked his gift behind the rest. “What do you wish to do, Natsu?” The mercenary asked his companion. Or, to be more accurate, the device at his side did.[break][break]

With no hesitation, the fighting type gestured to a dessert table. A hand slapped against the bear’s wide shoulder. “A wise decision.” As he wove through the room, trying his best to ignore whatever ‘music’ was on, Kazuya would offer a few waves to semi-familiar faces. After filling up his plate with cookies, he went to lean against the back wall. Those chairs might be expensive, but he did not think they looked comfortable.[break][break]

Turning a gingerbread man upside down—to avoid looking at its face—he began dismantling his plate of fancy desserts. Perhaps he would join a poker game in a few moments. It'd been a while since he'd indulged.[break][break]

Unbeknownst to him, he’d ended up right under the mistletoe.[break][break]

NOTES[break]
Leaves his gift under the tree and fixes some sloppy stacking[break]
Waves to a few people[break]
Immediately fills up on cookies and desserts[break]
Goes to stand beneath a mistletoe[break]
Open to interactions[break]

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]When Marilyn tosses her cane aside, Kazuya allows himself a smile. While he did not understand this world, he could see its benefits. But its dangers were laid similarly bare. It was a pit of quicksand to the malcontented. A place to escape the drudgery and problems of reality. No more beneficial than the broken men in prison who descended into madness or illicit drugs. [break][break]

The giant of a man stands motionless beside the grandmother. “Hm.” Golden eyes stare boldly ahead into the eyes of the mystery woman before them. When she answers in the affirmative, Kazuya responds with a single, resolute nod. Then, the world unravels before him. Shadows gain eyes—too many. Arms that are too long threaten to crush them in their embrace. Images of his imprisonment come to mind.[break][break]

Arms strapping his to a table. The sounds of his furious screams as a chock is shoved between his teeth. That ever-lasting eternity of solitary, deep darkness. As an arm nears him, he bats it away with a growl. An arm moves as if to guard Marilyn. [break][break]
But, in the end, they are too many. The room around them fades into nothingness as he falls into a sea of inky, absolute black.
[break][break]
NOTES
Succumbs to the hands after a brief resistance

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]The Bewear heard a twig snap. Tiny eyes shifted toward the source of the sound as it let Kazuya fly. “!?” Its body stiffened as it caught sight of Kazimir and its bear. Tiny button nose shifted as it lifted its mouth in the beginning of a snarl. The mitten paws dropped down to its sides as it shifted to face the potential threat. [break][break]

The man bounced off a tree, chuckling as he shook leaves from his head. Following his bear’s gaze, his eyes caught on the pair. “Natsu, that is no way to treat your fans.” That voice emerged as he pushed himself to his feet. Surprisingly obedient, the stuffed bear did as it was told. Its mouth shifted back to its typically mindless expression. A few things cracked as the giant tried to dissolve the ache in his back. Golden eyes fixated on the Urshifu with undisguised curiosity. [break][break]

Soft boots picked his way toward Kazimir and his companion. “I have never seen your kind before.” The ex-con acknowledges the legendary with a nod. Again, he lifts a hand to wipe the blood away. He inhales sharply, the taste of iron spiking in his throat. Natsu draws even with his towering trainer. He seems to be sizing up the other bear, going so far as to flex his left arm. This draws a shake of the head from the man and a disparaging chuckle. “Would you like to join?”[break][break]

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]The man could not gasp in astonishment. Nor could he shout a warning. The device that brought him a voice would never match the reaction time of human vocal cords. So, instead, he watched the disaster unfold in real time—the Wooper’s attack slamming into the woman’s face with all the power a baby amphibian could muster. "!?" A frown passed to the tiny water type as its grin shriveled like grapes in Lavaridge. [break][break]

The apology received a shake of the head in response as Kazuya made his way toward her. His expression was one of soft concern. Golden eyes crinkled at their edges with sympathy. But any softness was often lost behind the man’s frame—a teetering height of nearly seven feet enough to make most people’s blood run cold. Again, his mouth did not move, but his words were clear and crisp. “I believe it is us who should apologize.” A pointed glance at Misa made the water type shrink. “Misa is…excitable.”[break][break]


Flat feet kicked sheepishly at the stones beneath her. “Woo. Wop.” Deciding this would suffice, the man unfurled his flannel scarf from his neck. Beneath it a nasty scar—ear to ear—became visible. The thick fabric reeked of men’s cologne. “Here.” The fabric itself was pretty absorbent. It should work as a towel in a pinch.[break][break]

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]Irritated by the victim’s squabbling, the mercenary slid his boot higher. It came to rest on his sternum, a single tilt of the foot enough to cut off the fool’s air. Content that his prey was contained, Kazuya turned his attention to the interloper. Ocean met smithy in a clash of wills and reluctance.
[break][break]

His radio garbled beneath his clothes. A quiet, non-committal sound. “Hm.” Behind his mask, Kazuya stared at Kazimir. It appeared his fellow bear enthusiast had a panache for interfering where he did not need to. A trait that would get him in trouble one day. Possibly this one. A question is posed to the convict. He tilts his head to catch the frightened eyes of the man beneath him. “Perhaps.” The boot does not move.
[break][break]

“Call the police!” The scientist sobs. “I—I didn’t do anything wrong! I didn’t know who they were, I swear!” The laugh that follows is mechanical. One of the few things the device gets wrong.
[break][break]

The silhouette of a Pokemon appears in the window as the Bewear pushes its way past broken glass. Its normally placid snout wrinkles as it bears razor-sharp teeth. The screams are treated like the buzzing of a particularly irritable fly—immediately ignored. Again, the man ‘speaks’. “What do you suggest?”

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]For a moment, golden eyes lock on the boy and his Sharpedo. It reminds him of time spent with Akio—his brazen Palafin. A large hand waves to wave at the pair. His Wooper, meanwhile, races away in an attempt to follow the gym leader. “Woop! Woop!” His little legs paddle like mad. A small smile of amusement follows as the Wooper leaps from the water and bobbles its head in a cheap imitation of a wave. The white-haired man’s hand falls Kazuya turns to face what he believes is a fellow traveler.
[break][break]
He intended to issue another invitation to sit down. The feeling of someone standing behind him made the hair on his neck stand up. “What is wrong, friend? Cat have your—?” Golden eyes widen. “Ah.” A Magnezone hovers behind him with a single, judgmental eye. The magnets on its arm spin idly as it drifts closer to Kazuya. The mercenary does his best not to panic or react. At such close range, he would be deceased before he reached a Pokeball. “BZZZZZZ!” The beeping and static reach a crescendo as the metal Pokemon reaches the man’s fishing pole.
[break][break]

With pursed lips, Kazuya offers the rod to the electric type. “Bzzzt! Beep!” Its red eye turns blue as it begins swinging the stick around. It appeared he had a fellow fisherman on his hands. With a nod, Kazuya tosses more bait onto the water. Turning back to the water, the odd couple settles into an almost amicable silence.

Catching Magnezone

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠