There is a moment where his life sits at a crossroad. It hangs in the balance, enough weight in either direction forever altering his destiny. His lips form an unmistakable snarl, tilted up just enough to expose sharp canines. There is nothing human about the way he regards the monster that his cursed his friend.[break]
He wants to leap, to tear, to sink his fangs into it. He wants to destroy it now, for he has seen the terrible destiny foretold by his instincts come true.[break]
But if I stand up right now, I die.[break][break]
That is what his instincts tell him now. Death is his destiny, should he press this issue. Death, and broken promises. Instead, he sits, watching in silence as it returns to the corner. Only a human voice returns him to the moment, rather than far-flung futures.[break]
"...I'm sorry, Senpai." He does not know what, precisely, he is even apologizing for. For not being strong enough to be in the room with him? For antagonizing his patron? He stands, obeying the absolute commands. His fellow grunts will not have to force him out.[break]
"I ain't gonna fall behind. Not when y- when Rocket needs me."[break]
As he nears the door, he turns back, pointing a finger right at the human's heart.[break]
"Get better soon! Everybody else sucks at kenjutsu on this sub!"

He listens, his apt attention given to both of their words. Amber eyes settle on the older woman, listening to her talk with a child's jovial reverie. His lips part to give her an affirmation, only for Yumi's unspoken command to bring him back down. Her word is law, and if she does not wish the old man's death, then the old man will not die. Even the reaper would obey her word.[break]
"Yumi's right, granny. These Team Rocket guys are legit. Booze, cigs, money, a blank check at the poker table? Anything you want, they'll give ya. Just gotta stick it to the man when the bosses say you gotta." Words of truth are spoken, even if they understand no underlying principles. The dog does not know who the man is. All he knows is that the monsters on top of this monolith point their fingers and demand death. He delivers, for a hunting hound who cannot draw blood is a useless thing. There is no room for useless things in this world.[break]
"You'll go far here, Granny! Maybe I'll finally get to see you in action!" A thought which brings him joy, enough to wag his proverbial tail.

Ice touches fire. In this creature shaped in steel burns an endless fire, an urgent, fanatical flame. He tries to protect this beautiful human, but there is nothing to protect him from. They have bonded. This great man to whom the dog’s canine soul sings has done what all great men do. He has found his destiny bound with something even greater. Doubtless, this is good for Rocket, a monolithic organization this creature little understands.[break][break]
Caught in the ebb and flow of his own lives and the lives of those around him, he cannot see the whole. Many will espouse the grand boon – all for the glory of Rocket. Glory, he thinks, is just as meaningless to the dead as anything else. He wishes his soul was his own to sell, to barter it for the man’s freedom.[break][break]
“I’ll kill you.” All he can do is snarl those words to the snow leopard. Never in his life has he wished death upon something. Death, in his world, is something that happens or it does not, always on another’s orders. It is never an active wish. Amber eyes burn with hatred so intense they threaten to melt.[break][break]
“If you hurt him or Yumi, I’ll track you to the ends of the earth. You hear me?” He tries to move forward, but only to hold a cold hand fiercely. It is different from the way other creatures might hold the hand. It is intimate, but there is no human, romantic warmth in the gesture. What he feels is an animal’s scorching loyalty. He would try to kill this monster for the human, even if it killed him. This man, and he alone, is someone who could make a loyal animal forget a promise to always stay alive for Yumi Hasegawa .

There is no need for the dog to swing his blade, yet he swings it all the same. When a fallen creature gets too close, they meet his blade, whether the one in his hand or the paper moon swarm surrounding the hound. He follows the beautiful admin, a mote of light in the darkest places of the world. Without question, he follows.[break][break]
"There's so many of 'em." Useless words, huffed out through busy lungs. Enthusiasm returns when he sees the right blade in the man's hand.[break][break]
Above them is a building so tall that the dog cannot comprehend the top. Creatures such as he are not meant for such heights. Dogs run along the ground, heads low, sniffing scents left along the ground. It takes a man's mind to even comprehend the sky.[break][break]
With the power of a hateful god, the dog is pushed towards humanity. He soars, like no dog before him ever has. An exhilarating rush of air presses from under him, presses him up. Higher, higher, higher he flies.[break][break]
"Wooooooooooooo!" He spreads his arms, forgets his fear, cheers like a little boy having the time of his life. His blade finds purchase against glass. They break through.[break][break]
They are safe.[break][break]
"Senpai, that was fuckin' awesome!"[break][break]

ThkX2BiC

"It just...doesn't suit ya. That's all." Which is no proper reason to hate something. Hate is a seed that takes root and corrodes the soul, planted there by ruinous intent. His bright eyes focus on the implicit task, to find something, anything. This place was useful, once. A meaningful place, where meaningful things happened.[break][break]
Kartana float up to the murals of their once great leaders. They chitter and tell a story among themselves, a story for no one but them. Even if the human and his hunting hound find no joy here, these strange Pokemon find a reason to laugh. A quick shh from their leader sets them back to silently floating.[break][break]
"When you use your Doublade...the look in your eyes is so pretty. Focused. Really cool. Like a samurai, doing what he's gotta do for his Daimyo." Language and its intricacies do not come easy to him, but he tries. "The ice...you look scary when you use it."[break][break]
While the dog bares his soul, he finds something. It looks odd, like some great tool used by these aliens for war. A black ball sits atop a great brass spiral.[break][break]
"...the hell's this?" His hand squeezes the ball. A loud sound pierces the silence.[break][break]
The horn drops, a dog draws his sword.[break][break]
"Shit! They're gonna be coming now!"

His only response is a nod. Darkness is an assassin's friend, and the dog drapes himself in the stuff. His Senpai, even cursed, is glorious. He makes short work of whatever has the poor fortune of being in his path. While he basks in the kill, the human's hunting hound creeps through the quiet corners of the chapel.[break][break]
Floating just beneath his scarf is the Kartana. They have been training together for close to a year now. They know one another, know the signals and all the choreographed routines that led to optimal outcomes. Ahead, just before the stairs, is a dead thing. Black crystals cover much of its body, but the dog spies a weakness. A small, sharp whistle sends the paper blade out. The tiny thing flies into the body like a missile, piercing the flesh.[break][break]
It dwells in the throat, silencing any gurgles there, choking the thing on its own blood before destroying the brain. Flying out, Kusanagi returns to its master, already advancing to the stairs. Amber eyes float to the frost blade.[break][break]
"I hate that sword, Senpai. Your other one's better."[break][break]
Words whispered as he ascends the stairs.

"Yeah." His response to the younger man's question is coated in bashfulness. He's come to understand how wrong the names he remembers are. The embarrassment is just another growing pain.[break][break]
"Dav Barcode. The one with the black armor and dead eyes." As unflattering as his description of Zev Harcourt is, the dog's tone implies respect. He knows strength, and that one is stronger than the other beasts, and not because of any armor or blessings.[break][break]
"Wonder what we'll find here." Words spoken as he steps into the church. Whatever symbols of worship lay within are foreign to him and lost upon him. What matters to him are the shambling creatures, all facing forward, looking up at the alter. They groan prayers that are head by killers instead of gods.[break][break]
"Wanna take 'em out, or sneak by, Senpai?"

Joy is absent from the dog's world when blood sprays the white ground. Blood, in this business, marks one's passage from this life to the next. His opponent did not deserve to die. By all objective metrics such things are judged, she has more of a right to life than he does. She slips into unconsciousness, with only a Pokemon to stop him from taking the final blow.[break][break]His packmates are preoccupied, his leaders fighting their own vicious wars. Humans blessed with the power of gods bicker like the heroes history will remember them as. It will little remember the bloodstained maw of a dog.[break][break]Amber eyes look down, fixated on the edge of his sword. It watches the blood drip. It would be so easy to press on, so easy to kill. A life ending and a life's continuation are separated by a few pounds of pressure to the right spot with the right tool. All he has to do is take that step, apply that pressure. Her story will end.[break][break]But he can't, and he doesn't. There's too much blood on his hands already, too many who deserve life while this dog obliviously trots through life.[break][break]So, when he could strike, he turns, and walks away.

"You'll have'ta show me what you've got, then." The dog barks with a mad smile on his face. When she comes at him again, he meets her charge. The only sign of deeper thought is a sharp whistle.[break][break]
Just as she's picking up on his tricks, he's learning hers. If she's going to keep having her Pokemon intervene, he'll do the same. Privately, the black dog of Rocket remembers his checkers matches with one of the Beasts. Proud of himself for thinking ahead, he doesn't consider the notion that the other trainer might well be doing the same.[break][break]
Kusanagi flies in, a precise blade. He means to intervene, sending the electric beast back with a sacred sword. At his side, Hitoshi's blade strikes downward, arms extended. It's a blow that would open its unfortunate victim from shoulder to stomach, if they weren't thinking ahead.

This is his greatest sin, and his kindest act. A girl hardens her heart and resolves to kill a dog. By ripping his heart out, ending one creature's life, she would save many. By holding him high above her head, another might live. It is a path to heroism and damnation, the two entwined with exquisite craftsmanship.[break][break]
This creature, who would spur her to such, feels lower than a dog. Ice beats through his veins, like the creature that haunts jayden cross. Let him be evil, let him be vile, let him be hateful, if that is the kindling this would-be hero needs.[break][break]
His blade cuts nothing but empty air. The stroke comes seconds too late. Instincts compel him to go low. His shoulder absorbs much of the kick, rising to elbow her away.[break][break]
"One trick, huh?" His grin is the wide, toothy grin of an animal. The dog adjusts himself, rising back up. He is at his full height, such as it is, turning to face her once more.[break][break]
"Act like a broken record and you'll be eatin' dirt."

"Nan-" A word cut short by a kick to the chest. It sends him flying back, sprawling through the snow. In this region of battlers, it's the first time he's been personally attacked in so long. Coughing, forcing air back into his lungs, the dog stands back up, a snarl on his lips.[break]
"Oh, man. Good hit, Jamie." Names are lost on this creature of the wilds, but faces he remembers forever. Hers, he'll keep in mind. Instead of whistling, ordering his Pokemon to attack, a flick of his wrist commands the creature to circle. Kusanagi whirls around the two, making interference harder. With all these big names and their legendary beasts afloat in the fight, the dog supposes he can afford to fight this woman.[break]
"Better fight hard." He's rushing her down, blade out. "'Cause after I cut you down, that girl who helped you's next." Guilt pangs at his heart, but that guilt isn't for her. A human prayer comes from the canine heart, that she'll survive. Too much blood has been spilled already, but all a mad dog knows how to do is kill.