A swift hand reaches through the bars, yanking him up against them before he can finish his sentence. A haggard breath, and she relaxes the makeshift shiv in her grasp, letting him go with a small laugh to herself.

"Inoue? Thought you were the deputy for a sec."

He has that same awkward gait, like a beast that was made to walk on all fours forced to walk on a man's two feet. It's surprising what little difference there is between a mutt and a guard dog.

Knowing that, she's lucky she realized who he was quick. More than like, he would've cleaved off that hand she stuck through the bars if she hadn't.

"Harbie sent me to kill the sheriff. Turns out, he's tougher than I thought."

She spits with those words. Unladylike, but she's not in the presence of anyone who cares about a little thing like decorum. She'd seen Hitoshi kill before, and never respected him as a man since. No, he was just a beast now.

"You mind?"

She gestures to the bars, hoping he won't leave her for dead like a trapped wolf chews off its own leg. It's gotten colder. There are sounds every so often that shake the ground. Something's happening, but... what?

"Blondie sentcha, huh?" As he rubs his chin, a sharp whistle sends out a Kartana. It chitters in a strange tongue. Kusanagi looks different from the rest. It is named after a god-slaying sword, a national treasure of a region they have conquered. Kusanagi is his god-slaying sword, his ace, and it shows its worth at once. The ultra beast cuts through the bars as if they were a cake fresh pulled from an oven. The bars slide out of place, and she is free.[break]
"As you can prolly guess, shit's hittin' the fan outside. There's an armory and an evidence room upstairs. Think that's where they'd keep yer Pokemon. Man..."[break]
Turning his back, the dog moves to scamper back up the stairs. Precious few documents in here seem like they would prove useful to Rocket. Only a prisoner's log is swiped. Maybe mint frost or BARNABY FINCH will be able to find use for the information contained therein. Maybe an enemy of the sheriff's will turn coat with the right pressure.[break]
"You joined up after the battle last year, yeah? Uriel Redsson's really spruced the place up since then. This island wasn't worth the trouble of pullin' my pants to piss here before."[break]
A knowing grin splits his face.[break]
"Plenty of strong folks t'fight after we get yer stuff. You'll love it out there.

The god-slayer cuts the mundane, and Hana steps aside.

"Damn, that thing's sharp!"

She sounds almost cheerful as she watches the bars that once contained her clatter to the floor. They're thicker than her arms, clearly crafted for containing more than human strength. If all you meant to keep was humans in a cage, you would've settled for less.

But this sheriff, he knows that people won't stop using pokemon as tools. They'll do everything in their power for freedom, even take it from others.

"Guess I missed the opening act. What's the deal topside? Another raid? Thought Rocket took everything worth it in this dung heap last time 'round."

She swaggers to the stairs like she owns the place, eyes lingering on the Sheriff's desk for a moment as she passes. Maybe he's out there fighting even now. How she'd love to see the look on his face when she shows up all fresh, while he's beaten down by a battle defending his town and his people. The kindling of a fire reflected on steel...

"Well, night's not gettin' any younger... yo, Inoue, got any sake, by chance?"

She follows the dog, wild look on her face. She can already smell the blood. All she needs now is a sword in her hand, and alcohol in her stomach.

"Sake? You crazy? Who carries sake with 'em in a place like this?" He shouts as they find the armory and reunite the swordswoman with her Pokemon and weapons. Somewhere far, far away, a magenta light surges. Trouble's coming for them, but none of them know it yet. All they feel is a little chill as the SPECTRA Agent leads his companion outside.[break]
It's a nice street, almost pastoral. Greenery, sand, and hip buildings mingle seamlessly like colors in a mosaic. Just down the street is a place advertising its traditional Johto cuisine. Traditional Johto cuisine to a lot of foreigners means fried bullshit and cheap sake. Cheap sake sounds good right now.[break]
Ksuanagi breaks into the store, sounding an alarm. With all the fighting happening ahead, no one comes around to investigate. It stops within minutes, and they find sake. It boils, and they drink.[break]
"Don't drink too much, we still gotta join up with the main for-"[break]
Something was drawn by the noise, and it was not a human. The top of the building is sheered off, sent flying. Above them are the stars, glowing their old light upon stray animals. Naganadel, a monster from another world, roars and descends. Only a quick roll out of his chair saves the dog from being pierced by its stinger, which sends wood flying across the floor.[break]
"Shit!" He curses, even as Kusanagi flies out to scrape its sacred sword against the monster. "It's one of those deep sea monsters! What's it doin' up here?!"

The weight of the swords on her hip make her feel at ease, in a way she never could be in that cell. The sheriff had defanged her when she'd surrendered them, and only now does she feel herself again. As she's hit by the cold night air she takes a deep breath, feeling it deep in her chest.

Freedom.

"I do," she answers, to Inoue's incredulous question.

It was a sacred rite for a samurai to drink a saucer full of sake before he rode into battle. Liquor was an offering to the gods. Something that elevated one closer to them in the heat of battle. A prayer, for the divine winds to blow in their favor.

"Pretty sure that deputy swiped mine. Saw an empty bottle just like it under his desk."

She'll have his blood for that. Maybe not tonight, but she will. Of that, she's sure.

She follows, takes the sake happily. One saucer, then two. She's almost about to refute his words - there's no such thing as 'too much' -- when the ceiling is torn off and a canvas of stars is exposed above them. She leaps to her feet and draws her doublade without the slightest bit of hesitation.

A flying leap across the table, running along the backs of chairs, and she cuts at the beast with an aerial ace. There's nothing in her mind but the sound of her heartbeat and the icy chill in her lungs. She remembers this feeling of dread, unmistakable. She'd felt it the last time these beasts roamed the streets of Hoenn.

A whistle looses a storm of swords. Kartana, plural, fly free of their beast balls. They are small things, slight, so tiny as to be near imperceptible. They love this dog, they dote upon him, they fly about him like he is one of their own. Each of them rises, named after divine blades, and they skirt around the Naganadel. Each endeavors in coordination with the rest for one purpose: to cut off the path of escape from the swordswoman's blade.[break]
"Good, good. I see yer still as good at this as ever." He swipes another cup, warm, and sips it right there. It burns, burns like hellfire on the way down. Hard liquor's burn mingles with the burn of warm liquid. His chest heaves up and down, rising, watching as the beast cries and uses the one advantage it has: the air.[break]
"Nuh uh uh!" The dog's katana flies after the beast, delivering unto it a cut that does not bleed the creature so much as steal from it, taking the power that marks it as a dragon. When it tries to send out a dragon pulse, it can only sputter out empty air.[break][break]
"Were you tryin' t'do this?" His blade glows with blue draconic fury. His own dragon pulse launches up at the flying dragon. It sputters, kicking back and crashing into another shop.[break]
"Yer pretty good, lady. You oughtta be in SPECTRA with me.

She ducks beneath the dragon's fury, a hair or two on her head singed with blue flames. The drake shrieks with pain and anger in equal amounts, turning its stinger downward toward the woman.

Hana raises her blades. They clash with a flurry of sparks, sending the swordswoman sliding back across the earth. She grits her teeth, pressing the attack.

"Why'd'you think I'm here?"

She huffs, shunting her blades forward. The closer the stinger comes to piercing her skin, the more intense she becomes.

"HAH! That's... why Harbie sent me, to KILL the sheriff of this PODUNK town!!"

He must've known that wasn't as easy as it seemed. The thought pisses her off a little, but the thought he'd find her fit enough to fulfill that challenge or die trying for some reason makes her respect the underboss that much more. She channels that rage into a fury cutter -- one, two, three successive strikes that push the advance, putting the Naganadel's back to Hitoshi.

"Shit, you ain't doin' so hot, then." He laughs, as if their life is not in danger. He laughs, as if they're not fighting a monster from the bowels of an ancient god. Dogs only see throats to tear out. So, he advances, and again he blasts the monster before him with a dragon pulse, power spreading along his blade. Muramasa's cloth spreads, covering its owner when the venoshock blasts them both away.[break]
He skids, back down the street. Holding the blade in hand, he curses and readies himself. Glass shatters in windows close by from the force of an errant shockwave. Something rumbles. Something is coming. Dog and alien alike turn their attention towards the caves to the north.[break]
A manmade god comes out of the cave, roaring its displeasure. It descends in a torrent of ice and stone. What was once a complicated cave system collapses, leaving stray dragons frozen in time. Their eyes freeze upon a vision of the calamity.[break]
"...the hell's Reginald Ice doin' here? That's Admin Fox's mon. He kill the sheriff? Damn...Rookie's gonna be s-"[break]
He flies through the air, unsure of what is happening until he slams into a high sign marking a fast food joint. Scrambling up, he turns and sees that the dragon they were fighting has gained its second wind. It stands as tall as the distant giant, looking down upon two mere mortals who would dare to step in the domain of an invader.[break]
"Oi, oi! Lady, you 'round?" He cries out, trying to see if his new partner in crime has survived the initial explosion.

In response to his question, a shadowy morass congeals near his feet. A pile of debris clatters to the earth, and she steps from the dark onto the battlefield again. Broken glass crunched beneath her feet.

"It's Hana. And I ain't no lady."

She glares up at the giant drake. Its size is baffling, every flap of its wings sending down a gale that threatens to sweep them off their feet. Her swords tighten their grip on her wrists, and keep her steady as she stares it down.

"Damn Harbinger wanted me to slay a dragon... but I don't think this is what he had in mind."

The chill settles down to her bones. All the same, she can feel the sweat slick on the back of her neck. Memories of the three day war flash before her eyes.

Now they're giant... fuck...

"Haga." In his own mind, the words are an echo. Each step carries him back a pace, back towards the shore. His eyes fall upon the giant's shadow. Recognition grows. It does not, can not, fly after them. This is a mighty battle, something worthy. This is a battle out of legend.[break]
They are not heroes, this is not their town, and this is not their fight. A flick of his blade sends up a screen of shadows, dancing across the dark sky. He runs, and he urges her to run after him. walter delmar is waiting for them. With him is safety and numbers. They can fall back into line, become nothing more than a pair of supporting characters in this grand story.[break]
"Great thing 'bout these guys? They can't move. He's stuck floatin' there!" And though they are pursued by attacks that destroy stores, shatter glass, tear up streets and buildings put there half a hundred years ago, they make it back in one piece. How she frames this to the blonde underboss is her business.