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The Fighter's tale breaks the Nameless One's heart. To hear that this world, this land would curse those who strive for something greater than what they looked, or what they were, made her puff her cheeks in annoyance. To think, the Fighter could have been the Baker.[break][break]

That's the road she always walked though. She was small, a shortstack with a dream to be at the top. And that only extended here.[break][break]

"Then I'll just have to break that curse, so I can be your first customer," she beams at them, as she moves to grab at the Fighter's hand, letting herself be vulnerable in that moment. "What does the curse do, exactly? How does it work?" she questions. It was important to know what taboo to abstain from. For herself, and the Fighter's sake.[break][break]

The Fairy, so gently, returns to her back. The Nameless has it handled. He closes his eye.[break][break]

Come to think of it. They were called upon by the Ruler... maybe...?[break][break]

"What was the old Ruler like? Before the current one?" She seats herself in front of the Fighter, a great deal smaller.

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By some level of luck, Zagreus wasn't slamming into the sign. Unfortunately, another of the racers, the Linoone rider, did. And the sound of the hard slam only have her wince harder.[break][break]

The only thing she knows, is that Josh is still in this race.[break][break]

With the backstretch far ahead, it's a choice of whether to take the slow down, or to keep blazing the trail ahead. And it was obvious from the moment Genny and Zag hit the wide straightaway, that this is where they cut loose. But instead, showing that growth from the last challenge, Genny keeps Zag reserved.[break][break]

"Not too fast. We need to keep our energy up." With a bark, Zagreus decides not to go to the pit stop, as per Genny's orders.[break][break]

They would continue to blaze the trail forward.[break][break]

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There is lots to do. In those moments, staring at him, she leans forward, a little extra bend as he seems to think there isn't anything to do.[break][break]

But talking to him, was something she did want.[break][break]

His question was so sweet, like discovering more to life than a war. It's cute. Her cheeks heat up. "Well, I throw a lot of myself into work as a Ranger! I used to want to be the Head Ranger. But when I'm not a Ranger..." she begins to scratch her cheek, a small laugh. She thinks of those times on the coast of Dewford, her time with the girlygang. DESIREE BLOOMS's music, and Melody Miro's both.[break][break]

"I did want to sing. I'm nowhere near good enough. Not like Desi or Melody, though. They're amazing." She's never admitted that to anyone. Not Navy, not Izzy, not her gang. At best, maybe Andrea Vaneau or Shalin Nariya knew. But she never admitted it.[break][break]

She leans back. "What about you? You're not a Rocket right now, so what do you like doing?"

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Their conversation was less than pleasant, but it was the Ruler who turned the girl's offer away. She wanted to end this peacefully. Because everyone deserves a second chance. But he decided not to take it. This could have ended peacefully.[break][break]

"As you wish."[break][break]

She vowed to herself, as he motioned towards the Fighter, refusing her offer, that the Ruler would get one more chance. No more.[break][break]

The Fighter, on the other hand, would stand at the ready, the Ruler's words law, as she pulls the Fairy out from the sheathe. She smiles to him.[break][break]

"Don't worry. We can take it." She lets the blade shine in the light, foregoing all defenses. Every attack they made would hit, they just had to weather the world together. That was the essence of NO GUARD.[break][break]

The HAMMER ARM, however, misses both entirely, as the Nameless One spins on her heel, a dance of battle she's danced before. Using such moves, as she spins closer, throwing the Fairy like she would to the blade he embodied, tossing it in such a way to ensure they were wanged in the head with the soft side of the blade with their GYRO BALL, using the Fighter's weight against him. The Fighter cries out from the head blow, but the Nameless never intends to draw blood.[break][break]

She raced forward, and though the Fighter throws a SHADOW PUNCH back, it's slower, easy to read. With the Fairy moving up and blocking the attack, taking the brunt of the strike, with minimal damage done. Together with the Fairy, they spin together, throwing all their weight towards battering the Fighter's left side with a NIGHT SLASH, left exposed after the SHADOW PUNCH, another cry emanating from the Fighter. A hefty, critical blow.[break][break]

And with a final move, the Nameless disappears into the ground, the golem of a Fighter watching the shadow move as one, as the Fairy appears within their own shadow, and from it, an uppercut SHADOW SNEAK, using the butt of the blade, as she appears back in stance.[break][break]

And she eyes the Fighter, tilting her head up to look him over.[break][break]

"You're not made for fighting... are you?" It's not meant to insult him. She places her hand onto his side. "Neither am I." She grins ear-to-ear. She's not lying. She's built for helping, not hindering. That's her motivation.

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When the terrain leads to the woods, a much more colorful section of the wood, there sat a tough-looking creature, an imposing fae that was ready. The Nameless One sees it, a hand to the Fairy on her back. But with this creature, sits something else, more important than the creature.[break][break]

The Ruler. And the boy from the troubadour's tale. A smile sits on her lips, knowing him more for who he is. A coward.[break][break]

"I did. I enjoyed your bard's presence. A sweet Fae, with a sweeter song." She takes a step forward, letting the Fairy sit idly on his back. Her demeanor turns to the Fighter, and she turns back to the Thief. "But not you."[break][break]

She closes her eyes, not wishing to see him. The Cowardly Boy. The Nameless One takes a step forward. "You're just like me in that way, your Majesty. We both are not from this place. But we differ in one key way," she starts, unafraid of the imposing Fighter that stood at the ready. If they come, let them. She will fight this her way.[break][break]

Her eyes are filled with conviction as they re-open. "When I claim my name back, and leave this world behind, I will leave it better than I found it." She holds her hand out to him. "But... it's not too late to change that."

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It's not so much dredging up the incident that bothers Genny. She's used to it. Hoenn is accosted by a group of criminals, if not by aliens, or weird apocalypse Pokemon. This happens all the time. She's used to it by now.[break][break]

With Shale having gone, and Elaine now trying to sit up, Genny did not stop her. But it's in her words, the encounter with the Rocket Underboss with Lugia, that has Genny scowl. "..." She finds herself looking over the injuries. This, was what fighting a legend did to a person. The grimace from her lips widens.[break][break]

"You did what you could," she tries to smile through it, but even her tone seems to feel weaker than before. Genny wouldn't fare much better. "The fact that you're alive is something to cherish though, right? Some of us don't get to be so lucky," she spoke in hypocrisy. Her dream wouldn't let her not fight till the last, but that'd be the death of her.[break][break]

... wait. A pause hits the girls, and Genny perks up. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even get your name."

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Lucky likes this Nurse! She laughs at the little Yamper, and the Yamper wiggles his butt with a hefty amount of force. Even two-legged, and the Yamper is doing his job. Of course, when Nurse Kat asks if she can reach down to pet him, she attempts it. It isn't too hard, being able to lean down and scritch his head.[break][break]

She's sweating though, a little more than normal. It's hard. Harder than she thought, just to scratch Lucky's head. Kyogre really banged her up, but the damage externally felt almost negligible to the damage it caused to her mind. Kyogre broke her. Effortlessly. She amounted to no change, nothing to stop the leviathan of the waves, but the leviathan ripped her apart.[break][break]

She's lucky to even be alive right now.[break][break]

When the Nurse describes what is to happen next, an exercise to bend her legs, she nods with a vocal "Ready" after moving to lay just as Nurse Kat needed. And, while stretching slowly, Genny tries to control her breathing, a lucky thing that the luckiest little man sits next to her, licking her face. It helped her stay in the moment, the leviathan drifting from her mind little by little.[break][break]

But she's sweating. A cold sweat.[break][break]

She answers Kat with a smile, as much of one as she can muster. She has to be honest right now. "No dizziness. But I'm scared of falling asleep. I keep waking up, and feel like I'm plummeting. Last night... I had to exhaust myself to even sleep." She still tries to smile through the pain. Lucky whimpers next to her.[break][break]

"I still feel like I'm there. My superiors have told me to take a break, sift through it. I just don't like sitting and doing nothing." but she feels off, even doing that much. ollie morales and paxton concordas were adamant in that matter.[break][break]

"I could be out there, saving lives. Instead of that, I'm here, afraid every time I wake up."

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It's not just Hitoshi whose sad. The way she just kicked him like a puppy, does not make her feel better. Quite the contrary, she looks with a pout. It's not a good feeling to lead him on the way she did, and intentional or not, she has to accept that this is how it has to be. She reaches for her arm, a sheepish rub.[break][break]

But the way he beats himself up isn't fair either. "You keep saying stuff like that, Inoue," she leans over, and grabs his chin, to point his head to her, to look him in the eyes, that pout grown into worry. Especially when he puts into words what she's trying to say.[break][break]

"I wonder if it's even true, because I don't think it is. I can feel it. Just like a missing puzzle piece." She smiles back to him, reflecting what he gives her.[break][break]

She leans down and kisses his forehead. Her cheeks are still hot.[break][break]

"Do you mind if I stay until then?" she asks sweetly. She's gonna have a story for the girlygang later. And a lot of feelings to sift through and figure out. But at least she can do that much.

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The second time is too many, and Genny's hands push him away before it can go on too long, now an arm's length distance away. Her hazel eyes looking with both fear and acceptance. Not this way. Her face is flushed, and she takes a step back now. This was wrong, in so many ways. Hot breath on her breath, but wow she needs to take a step back.[break][break]

"Whoa, tiger." What HAD gotten into them? She has a boyfriend, she's happy with him. He's a Rocket. This wasn't right. It wasn't fair to either of them, for that matter. She doesn't do this kind of thing, but here she is.[break][break]

She clears her throat. "It's like. One second, you're talking, and then it's like... I remember something. It's on the tip of my tongue, and you're someone else. And I'm someone else. And it's crazy." She takes another step back. It's like an old song and dance, and they both know it, but she does not like that. Not fully. But what she does know...[break][break]

"Inoue. I like you. A lot. But I have a boyfriend. And I need some space to figure that out." she proclaims, placing her feet firmly on the ground, to let him know that she meant business with her words. But she does reach out a hand to his cheek, thankful that they weren's so different in height.[break][break]

"Okay?"

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This wasn't the race Genny wanted.[break][break]

This was supposed to be a race between her, and Josh, but when her head peers up towards the scoreboard, seeing that her friend and leader Josh was blinking yellow, she feels the knot twist in her heart. "Come on, Josh." Seeing the distant second spot held by the Linoone and Salazzle both, she had the opportunity to keep them on the backburner.[break][break]

Three more turns, and a drift, until the subtle drop, Genny now blinded by lights, has to make a call. All she can do is trust Zag, but to get him in the right mindset.[break][break]

"Drift, Zag!" Genny yells out, Zagreus utilizing his giant paws to force himself to drift on the sign, to try and make this turn with everything they have. They have to keep this lead, no matter what. Zagreus wasn't going to let his eyes be what has them lose. This was all by instinct. The roar of an Arcanine sounds out from the beginning of the course.[break][break]

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She'd felt this way before. He stands, and moves closer, and she can feel her cheeks burning. His confidence grows, and her's grows weaker by the second. He's taller than her, she knew already, but it felt so much more imposing despite their short distance of just two and a half feet. His words ooze with that confidence, and she can see a much, much different side.[break][break]

A familiar side to him she'd seen a long time ago. In a dojo. And a compulsion in her chest, for that again. What was it she forgot that felt so warm, and familiar? His words are sweet too, laced with honey. When he leans in, she almost does so on reflex.[break][break]

One moment is all it takes to make a difference.[break][break]

She didn't realize she'd done it, until it'd already happened. His lips are warm, like a wild jungle at the beginning of spring. It lasts all but a few seconds, but she pulls away. And takes a small, insignificant step back.[break][break]

"I... Inoue, I have a... I have-" she tries to speak, but finds little to no room to speak. Wow, it's hot down here. She feels flustered, like she's finally the one on the backfoot from all of their prior conversation. No adversarial position, just... something else.[break][break]

Flowers begin to lightly grow within cracks in the bunker. Unbeknownst to Genny, by her own power.

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'Stop.'[break][break]

The piercing white noise pushes through. Skulley is able to take down the monstrosity before her, and Balmung is able to lock down the Genesect. The tables turn, still with Genny looking up at the mountain of power before her. He was a force of nature, this Rocket, and she let herself be consumed by rage. Now, Titan is gone, another friend, and all she has to show for it is regret. Another stone for the memorial.[break][break]

'Stop.'[break][break]

Skulley can see the way she's tearing herself up inside, the Alolan Marowak's worry evident, when the Meltan shares her sentiments. Both Pokemon stand before Genny, between her and the Rocket, ready to fight. There was no time for this, however, as the radio blares to life for the Rocket before her, another Pokemon added to the ranks.[break][break]

Two versus two, they'll kill the Genesect and Magmortar both if they had to. Both look like forces to reckon with. All while Genny grabs towards her face, pushing a hand to her eyes as they well up. They'll go until the last, but Genny's on her last legs, emotionally and physically.[break][break]

'You can't be this arrogant going into combat. That kind of thinking gets people killed.' she can see the corpse between her fingers. Now, Titan would never get to see the sun rise. Among the trail of Pokemon corpses behind her, they don't ever see it rise again. Was this how it ended? Would she bring the world to peace, only to be another body on the battlefield? Was this cause worth throwing her life away? At one point, she must have thought so, but that dream of heroism was doused in martyrdom, and Officer paxton concordas told her already. She's a Ranger. Not a martyr.[break][break]

Balmung begins swimming backwards, sending out a FLASH CANNON to blind the target in a means to create a solar flare in an instant. Skulley does her best to opportunely grab at Genny's hand, and sprint, the forlorn maiden looking at the battlefield, at the mess that she made.[break][break]

She never should have come here. Her actions and delusions have led her to this. All they can do now, is flee into the woods.

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Fate is often more cruel than not. In one hand, a girl who grew up with a dream to be a Ranger sits here now, seeing on the other hand: a boy who grew up to suffer, knowing little else but pain. Their worlds were far, far apart. But all it takes is a few bad days, for a good person to falter and learn the long lessons. Killing was a sin he had since he was a kid, when he simply wanted to survive.[break][break]

She tightens her grip. It's almost childish. Not every Rocket would come this far, to even entertain this notion. His wish was something so many people got in this world, taken for granted. A family.[break][break]

'Dream.' There were things a man can only have in their dreams, after all. She felt her eye break a tear, but she's not crying. She dabs towards her eyes. What was she tearing up for? She wipes it away. Why did she want to cry for him so much? "I'm far from usual," and she sits there with it, the smile with the sunrise, where the sun just golden enough to glow, and she glowed at him. Even underground, she simply wore that radiance herself.[break][break]

Her dream though? She knew that martyr still stood in her head tall, but with that Rocket, Fox shattering that dream, she knew it had a happier ending. "I did once. But not anymore. I dream for tomorrow."[break][break]

She finally gets up, walking with a newfound vigor as she puts her back to him, for just a moment, as she speaks. "I dream that the sun will rise for another beautiful day. That people like you can live for that dream, instead of let that dream feel like a life far away from ours." she turns around on her heel, to face him. She walks closer, bending down now to see him closer, face-to-face.[break][break]

"That's why I will become the Top Champion. So that you can look forward to tomorrow again," she declares, the twinkle of her eyes lovingly looking forward, at Hitoshi. In that moment, he felt all the more real. "So that we both can. And who knows? Maybe you'll find that girl tomorrow too. You're more than handsome enough." She cannot deny that much. Even if she wished it was her.

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