The past in all its terrible fury rolls towards him. Whispers of a voice long gone from his life come with it, rolling off the mist in a sigh. He snaps up. Frozen at the sound.[break]
Jubei saves him while he plays with his toys, as he so often does. He rushes in, both blades crossed. He stops the beast in its roll, forcing it back with a wide-arcing night slash. It bleats its horn. Hitoshi snaps back to reality, looking the living paradox over. Calculating methods of murder, he voices an order to his Pokemon.[break]
“Oi, Jubei. Check to see if its heart is in the same place as a regular Donphan.” The black knight needs no more instruction than that. He skids to the side, searching out a place to strike. His bitter blade pierces the skin. Pragmatic knowledge of anatomy leads this thing to an unassuming end.[break]
“Man, the past ones are boring.” The chatty grunt chimes to his disinterested boss.

Jubei and Munenori couldn't be more different from one another. The black knight and the white knight. Dishonor and honor. Hate and love. They personify these concepts and they hate one another. They only work together because they have no other choice under this man's command.[break]
Jubei cries out. His whole body is engulfed in flames as the elite trainer's Pokemon engulfs the whole field within misty terrain. That rolling pink fog is blinding. Jubei leads the way. He does not yet know it, but he is playing wholly into the predications forecasted within Munenori's future sight. His flame charge is reckless, he goes forward with wild abandon. He scowls, yells, and tries to find a target without the darkness, his flames igniting empty air.[break]
Munenori is quiet. He moves about along a path predicted for him. His mind's eye saw the path to victory. He bounds through the mist, knowing that if he can only follow this destined path, he will land a clean hit on the trainer lurking within the fog. Like his trainer, he does not bear this woman any ill-will or malice. But neither, in the face of a direct order, can he allow her to live.[break]
That is simply the way of the samurai.

What happens next is predictable. Hitoshi moves to join her. He will stay by her side. That is the promise he has made her, and he is nothing if not a loyal dog. The man places a meaty hand on Hitoshi’s shoulder. He opens his mouth to speak.[break]

The upper half of his hand is gone. All four fingers, part of the palm, the upper digit of his thumb. One clean cut from a tanto kept at his waist. He pulls back, spurting blood from the mangled remains of the hand all over Hitoshi. Resheathing the knife, he keeps walking. He does not look back. There is no deeper sentiment attached to that house.[break]

There’s only one thing he saw in there that he truly cares about, and it’s the person he’s leaving with.[break]

“Sorry, my aim’s off. It’s an emotional day for me.” He says to Yumi, apologetic that he took off more of the guy’s hand than she ordered. Afterwards, now that they are well and truly on their own, for the first time, he takes the lead. He moves in front of her, scanning the streets.[break]

“There’s a payphone a few blocks down that way. If you want ‘em to not track your movements, we probably need to call a cab from there. You want my advice, they’ll be posting guys up at the harbor and the big airport here in Goldenrod. I’d take the train to Saffron and then catch a flight out of there, if I was tryin’ to get out where they wouldn’t see.”[break]

He lets himself be the street dog he was once, just for a little while. Whether she follows his advice or finds her own way, he will follow wherever she leads.

The officers go from cocky that they’re about to catch a crook to confused. It’s painted on their faces. Even with sunglasses covering the windows to their souls, it’s written in the curl of their lips, the stillness of their bodies. In slow, robotic turns, they face one another. Neither of the two cops say anything, studying one another and then the eccentric duo once more.[break][break]

Finally, one of them remembers they’re here to do a job. They try and speak up, as if they can regain some control of this situation by simply talking over what she has said. Somewhere off in the distance, one of the freight ships along the harbor explode.[break][break]

Everyone’s forgotten that there is a battle above ground, same as below. The battle raging behind them is one fought by towering water Pokemon, rising from the briny depths to do battle on behalf of humans that have earned their respect. Neither office pays it much mind. They’re good at keeping a cool head under supposed pressure.[break][break]

“Uh, ma’am. You, you, you uh, you are a civilian. If what you say is true, we gotta take you back to port pronto.”[break]

“Just how old are you, creep?” His partner asks Hitoshi.[break]

“Old enough that I would’ve been yer daddy if the dog hadn’t beat me over the fence.” He says in a snicker.[break]

“Fuck you, bud. I could book you for disrupting our investigation right now.” He shakes a fist at Hitoshi and makes to go for his gun.[break]

“Calm down, Shamus. No need to shoot anybody. Miss, you’re out here on a pleasure cruise? How do you know this man? How old are you?” His dark eyebrows are raised in concern as he turns his head between the two eccentric Rockets.

Hitoshi’s first thought when he sees the boat is man, this is old school. An old fashioned sailing boat while big, motorized vehicles from both sides are blocking the sea lanes around Dewford? Genius. Pure genius. Genius accentuated by the cover story they plant, thanks to the two operatives chosen.[break]
If the League stops them? He’s just a weirdo with enough money to afford a boat like this, sailing with a girl of dubious legal age.[break]
I swear, officer, she’s eighteen.[break]
The absurdity of the situation promises to be their salvation in the event that the worst happens. Hitoshi doesn’t pay much mind to his partner in crime for the caper. It’s not personal. His problem isn’t her. It’s the fact that Rocket, in their infinite wisdom, chose to put a hitman on guard duty.[break]
“Only thing I know is that I hope we run into some trouble, girlie.” The grunt puts in as he leans on the rails, looking out across the sea. He can see some of the bigger ships off in the distance. Some fighting, some just sitting there. Little sentinels posted along their part of this great, pointless war.[break]
“We’re gettin’ close to the cave. And that means—”[break]
A speedboat’s engine cuts through his words. That means trouble. Hitoshi stands up straight, looks to the Metagross, to the girl, and then back out to the waves. A pair of cops in a speedboat approach them.[break]
Well, he thinks they’re cops. Both are men in half-opened button up suits, badges dangling from their necks. Dark sunglasses cover their eyes. One’s chewing gum. The other, at the wheel, is smoking a cigarette.[break]
“Hey they, kids.” One of the two says. “Having a nice little trip out to sea? Don’tcha know there’s a war going on?” His tone is a master class in saying ‘I know you’re up to somethin’.

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X Mega Accessory (Galladite) (500 PD)

HARVESTING

be sure to visit the pretty petal flower shop near rustboro!

1X berry

TOTAL

do come again!

500 PD

“I’ll be quick. Then, we’ll get outta here.” Hitoshi is true to his word. He packs in a blur. There is absolutely nothing personal among his possessions. They are simply items to him. Practical things. Clothes, toiletries, whetstones, food for his pokemon, that sort of thing. There is nothing within his room to offer Hitoshi proof that he has ever really lived.[break][break]

When he meets Yumi out front, he has nothing but a small suitcase. Just enough to get him by. They’ll be away from Johto in a matter of hours. On to their new life. The one that will define them as they people they are truly meant to be. Together. A girl and her dog.[break][break]

“Oi, Hitoshi.” But there remains one last obstacle. A small group of people that are on his level. Other dogs in the kennels. Ones that don’t understand their place. They’re dogs. There are beings in play that are far greater than any of them.[break][break]

But he is the top dog.[break][break]

“Hasegawa-dono is free to leave whenever she wants. Even if she’s on the fritz with the family, she’s still the boss’s daughter. Your place is here.” The two face off. Hitoshi looks to Yumi, wondering what she has to say about all of this. Even now, he’s obedient. His place is to listen. He looks to his queen before he acts.[break][break]

She has trained her dog well.

"Hmm..." The black dog shows the single area of overlap he has with a scientist. He is insatiably curious. Murder is his craft. To better know how to murder for himself, for Yumi, and his employers, he squats by the dead machine, flicking his blade but once to clear it of viscous fluid. The oil stains the watery ground beneath them. He pays no mind to their surroundings, even as strange machines seem to walk out of the mist.[break]
Two of them, to be exact. In the days that come, these rotund specimens will come to be called Iron Hands. Whether it is the League or Rockets that name them is of little ultimate consequence. The name spreads like wildfire and eventually sticks. They show that they well deserve the name. They charge the two humans and Pokemon, not caring for the fate of their fallen machine. One extends their hand and the whole area seems to glow, static electricity crackling through the air. The little hairs on the back of Hitoshi's neck stand up. They now battle within electric terrain.[break][break]
He's studying the innards of this creature with abject fascination. Seeing the turning cores. His mind too small to comprehend the nonsensical nature of what he sees inside. All he knows is that he studied the exact moment when the light faded. He traces the path in his mind and finds the exact part of the core he and his Pokemon pierced at that moment. He notes it down for later.[break]
"This is the part you gotta strike to kill it." He says, whether or not the beast cares to hear the assessment. A dog's words can be acknowledged or ignored by humans at their leisure.[break]
Jubei fights the battle on his own, without orders. The remaining Iron Hand seems to focus on him. It rushes in, slamming a fist into his armor. Like the martial artist Pokemon he is based on, the creature is a master of close combat. Unfortunately for him, Jubei is a fixture of the next world as well as this one. He phases through the hit and levels a crescent killing arc of his bitter blade where the creature's neck should be. More of the viscous fluid shoots across Jubei's armor. The creature stumbles back.[break]
Even if the dog himself is all bark, his Pokemon has some bite.

He's by her side. Kneeling. Trying to give comfort. His motions are stilted. His touch on her shoulder awkward. Hitoshi doesn't know what he's doing. He barely ever touches another person unless it's to end their life. But he tries. For her. To offer her some reassurance that she isn't totally alone.[break]
"You've got me." He states the obvious. And what he says next is a long time coming.[break]
"My mama, she saw men to make money. Dunno who my daddy was, but I never met him. The rest of the boys would laugh at us, so I hurt them. I hurt them bad. And mama didn't like that. So she kicked me out, since it made the guys she played with uncomfortable." It's the most he's ever talked about himself to anyone.[break]
"I tried protectin' her and she hated me for it. Yumi, back in Galar...when you smiled at me...nobody's ever done somethin' like that for me. I don't give a shit about your family. I'm with you, no matter what. We don't need their money. Fuck 'em. Not like I ever spent much of the cash they paid me with...we'll survive. I've been on the streets before. I won't let anybody touch you. I'll kill anyone who tries." He speaks of ending life like it's a good thing, just something to use to make a friend feel better.[break]
He gives her the most awkward hug any human being has ever given another. And then, it's over. He stands back up.[break]
"Where do you wanna go?"

If the strange nature of this predicament phases him, the grunt does not let it show. The appearance of the Gardevoir with a bloodstained dress provokes fascination rather than terror. He looks at the creature and the battle that plays out like a kid watching a stage play. He forgets he's supposed to be an active participant, what with how quickly this all plays out. Watching this maiden in her bloodstained dress hold the creature in place with raw psychic power...[break]
Man, it's so cool![break]
Hitoshi follows the tall woman as she moves closer to inspect the creature. Jubei is quick to follow. He leans down when she asks the question and looks at the pink core.[break]
There's a logical answer there, probably. It's right where the heart is on a Gardevoir or a Gallade. That elongated red piece that sticks out of them like a sore thumb. Cold logic would dictate that there's got to be something there.[break][break]
Obviously, a normal person would simply say that.[break]
"I'unno. Let's find out!" Hitoshi and his Pokemon both, simultaneously, jab their blades into the core. If they want to get a closer look, they've gotta dissect the thing, right?

She always looks like she's alone. Hitoshi has been a part of this woman's life for almost a decade now. No, that sells it short. His world has revolved around her for almost a decade now. And, ever since she smiled at him after he killed for her, there has been no place in all the world that he would rather be.[break]
Yet he could, and still can't, bridge that gap. Try and make her feel less alone. All he can do is watch. All he can do is kill. And if he can't kill for her, what good is he to her? He's useless without something to kill.[break]
So, when he speaks up, watching her pack, he sounds a bit uneasy. He's unsure of what to do. Unsure of what's going on. Unsure of everything save for the fact that things are changing.[break]
"You're, you're not leaving, are you?" It didn't sound like she was discussing a business trip with her grandfather. Suddenly, after years of structure, it feels like there is no plan. He finds that scary. Almost as scary as how utterly alone she looks as she commits this room to memory, like she's never coming back her again.

"Pfft. Pussy." Hitoshi taunts her, using language he'd never use in front of Yumi or his mother. "Well, suit yerself. Better hope these big bad monsters of yours hold out!" If he's taunting her, he needs to work on his tone. He still sounds far, far too friendly for the circumstances. Like they're just having a friendly game of baseball in Slateport Park.[break]
Jubei is picked up. He screams out from under his helmet, flailing about in the air. Hitoshi elbows Munenori.[break]
"Oi, Oi! Munenori! Do somethin'! I don't wanna have to bring out the shogun for this crap!" Munenori sighs and he peers into the future. His future sight hones in on the most practical target. Not Cobalion. Not the seal that looks like an opera diva. Melody herself. He reads the paths that will eventually lead to a strike, and he starts to walk that path.[break]
As Munenori skids through the water, Jubei is slammed into him by the psychic attack. Interestingly, Munenori makes no attempt to avoid this. Instead, he lets himself fall into the water, skidding.[break]
Jubei stands and the flames on his head flare. He goes on the offensive. Charging all three of his foes. He does a wide swing of his bitter blade, not caring who he hits.

So, this is one of the big dogs. The beasts. Rocket's best muscle. Hitoshi eyes her up and down. Mostly up. Huffing, he turns his attention to the rolling pink mist around him. This beast doesn't have to tell him twice. Sooner or later, something's gonna come out. It's going to try and kill them. He's heard the other grunts whisper. The things in here...they're terrifying. Like Pokemon anybody with an education would know about, but...different.[break]
The dog doesn't care. Doesn't matter how different they are. What form or shapes these creatures take. They've still got a heart, somewhere in their body. There's still a brain running everything. If the beast can't control them, the dog and his Pokemon will kill them. Jubei, his Ceruledge is out and moving alongside him. The knight's plume of blue flames gives the illusion that he is taller than his master.[break]
"Whaddya think we're gonna run into? Pokemon the size of mountains? Crazy mushrooms that look like pokeballs? A trubbish that doesn't look like Arceus made a mistake?"[break]
The mists answer before the beast can. An iron knight of gray and chrome lunges out at them. Perhaps it sees them as intruders. Jubei is there to defend the humans, his blade extended. It skids against the creature's glaive.[break]
"Yoooooooo!" Hitoshi exclaims, jumping like an excited kid. "That's so cool!"