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While she would have rather been out hacking away at some choice target, Rhea didn't exactly mind being a gopher for Rocket. It made her feel like she was earning her keep, and if she was lucky, maybe some sort of creepy-crawlie would poke its ugly head out of the depths of this Power Spot and give her something to swing her gladius at, [break][break]

“You do this sort of thing often?” she asked her companion nonchalantly as the Power Spot came into view, “Spelunking for ore and Tera crystals and the like, I mean.” [break][break]

The Ceruledge at her side watched the black dog curiously, intrigued by the presence of another swordsman. Rhea, on the other hand, eyed the Power Spot itself with a mixture of apprehension and thinly veiled excitement.

[attr="class","bottom"]Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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Rhea followed her companion into the abyss, and the moment she landed in the dark, twisting tunnels of the power spot den, her gaze immediately fixed upon the katana, caring little for what dangers might now be surrounding them, [break][break]

“Cursed, you say?” [break][break]

Something snarled in the darkness beyond. Cain darted toward it with a FLAME CHARGE, eager to test the mettle of whatever lurked down here. Rhea similarly unsheathed her blade, eyes darting between the inky blackness beyond and back to the dog and his sword, [break][break]

“Fascinating. I suppose it must enjoy this sort of work.” [break][break]

The folklorist in her would have loved to learn every gruesome detail of this supernatural blade's story, but as it stood, the swords-woman in her was currently at the helm. [break][break]

There was the sound of something tearing, ripping, rending from a dim corner to the left. Rhea thought she caught the brief flicker of blue ghost-light down that same way; Cain must have found some foe to clash with. Rhea started to follow after, glancing back at Hitoshi, [break][break]

“It's rare that I come across a blade from the Muramasa school, much less one with such... personality. You wouldn't believe how many so-called 'enthusiasts' out there like to prattle on about their authentic blade of Johtonian steel – folded one million times, or some other such nonsense – only to produce an aluminum trinket from the local mall.” [break][break]

Ugh, it nearly made her sick just thinking about it. She'd take the company of a cursed sword over that specific sort of hell any day.

[attr="class","bottom"]heading left! [break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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Rhea's eyes drifted from Cain, standing triumphant over the crumpled body of some dead, unrecognizable Pokemon, to the nearby owner, a half-melted ranger now drained of his blood, frozen in a morbid tableau of suffering until his body would eventually degrade into nothing. She had always preferred jobs that allowed her to play the role of the warrior or the bodyguard to the ones that had her play the part of the butcher. [break][break]

She broke off a loose chunk of ore jutting from the wall with her hands, dumping it into her own bag alongside a couple of scraps the Ceruledge had scrounged up, [break][break]

“I don't blame them.” [break][break]

A half-truth, because Rhea, in their shoes, would have been far too curious to pass up a blade such as this if it were offered to her. But that did beg the question – [break][break]

“What made you take it up, then?”

[attr="class","bottom"]heading left! [break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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Rhea smiled, too, at the romance of the notion. To provide, to protect, to bring honor and glory to someone who had given you the gift of indefatigable purpose; there was a reason why domnei, spoken of by the old Paldean bards, persisted through antiquity, worming its way into the tales of Kalosian chevaliers and Galarian knights. For a moment, Rhea forgot the dark horrors of the tunnel as she considered similar tales of Kantonian and Johtonian swordsmen, [break][break]

“Good on you,” she replied easily, “For finding someone worth fighting for.” [break][break]

But she hadn't expected her companion to ask his own question in turn. She stopped her ambling trek through the tunnel and glanced back at him, [break][break]

“Oh, its most certainly the pay, if I'm being quite honest, but-” [break][break]

Cain raised a bladed arm to slice off another crumbling chunk of ore for his trainer to stow away, [break][break]

“The gods and the walking legends and the opportunity to run into such creatures certainly sweetened the pot.” [break][break]

She turned back to peer down the tunnel, as if one such being might materialize from somewhere out of the deep, lightless void, [break][break]

“And besides, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to fight the best the League has to offer. I hear that Mossdeep's gym leader is quite the swordsman.” [break][break]

The life of a mercenary was one Rhea had carved out for herself with blood and sweat and tears; at this point, fighting was both the means and the ends, the point and purpose of it all. She couldn't imagine living without the thrill of clashing steel, without the exhilaration of living every day with her life on the line. Nothing truly compared to it, she thought, until she remembered of a few choice faces marred by blood, broken and beaten, with one of them missing an eye. [break][break]

Rhea unconsciously quickened her pace down the tunnel, suddenly feeling as though she were being watched.

[attr="class","bottom"]heading left! [break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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Rhea suddenly turned back and blinked with some disbelief, [break][break]

“You've actually trained with the man?” [break][break]

Oh, but that was a tantalizing prospect in and of itself. As embellished as the dog's talk of the gym leader was, such fantastical details always had kernels of truth in them. Maybe this sensei had a piercing gaze, sharp and discerning, and a booming voice that carried with it impassioned speech. Maybe he really did have some uncanny mastery over a Pokemon that was known to bleed lesser men dry. [break][break]

Or maybe Hitoshi was just fucking with her, but for once, Rhea trusted that this stranger she was working with was telling the truth. After all, the dog looked pleased a punch when he thought of his strong and skilled teacher, so much so that he didn't seem to notice something looming behind him, [break][break]

“Look out!” [break][break]

The warning came with a lunge and a forceful shove as she rushed up past Hitoshi. The steel of her gladius met the glinting metal of a longsword – no, wait, an Aegislash, Rhea realized as the deep purple scelara glared down at her. What kind of madman would actually fight with an Aegislash?[break][break]

This one, apparently, but fortunately for Rhea, his towering size and impressive blade could do little against the immutable calculus of pure and simple leverage. Rhea shoved back with an iron-knuckled grip on the pommel of her own weapon, her face mere inches away from the fullest part of the Aegislash's blade. She couldn't possibly overcome such a foe alone, she realized with some dread, but it was quite fortunate for her that she was in the presence of not one, but two quite capable swordsmen.

[attr="class","bottom"]fighting fake!gwyar! [break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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In their arena of glassy darkness, the swarming shadows should have been disconcerting, but Rhea found a strange calm in this artificial night. Enough so that the initial rush of panic gave way to something more familiar as Hitoshi rushed in, swinging his sword high. [break][break]

The clang of sword and steel was music to the mercenary's ears. Swordfighting was art, a dance of shared momentum and split-second decisions and incredible grace, even when clashing with the most oafish of foes. Rhea tightened her grip on the pommel of her gladius as she took to her spot on the dance-floor, [break][break]

“Aye, right behind you!” she called, her voice now colored by glee. [break][break]

There was plenty of room for the both of them in this brawl, especially considering their differences in height and wingspan. Rhea dashed after the dog and watched as the facsimile of Gwyar lifted his blade to deflect that killing edge of the Hasegawa Muramasa – and there, there it was. Rhea grinned to herself as she shifted a half-step to the side; the bastard's flank was wide open. [break][break]

She jabbed her gladius forward, aiming for an exposed swath of the false Gym Leader's side. A well-aimed thrust would glide between his ribs and sink into soft, vulnerable innards, but that was only if the strike landed as intended.

[attr="class","bottom"]fighting fake!gwyar! [break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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