His words still her tongue, an impossible ask in almost any scenario but this one.

A wide grin across her face, the sashes that wrap around Hana's wrists suddenly turn a deep crimson as she lets them drink deep of her blood. She rises to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in her leg with a wince, though even that pain wouldn't dim her smile.

"That an order, Fox?"

A quip, as one of her blades flickers out of her hands and disappears into the shadows. The men coming for the Admin with improvised weapons all fall in quick succession, deep cuts on the back of each of their necks.

The Azumarill darts toward Hana, and she flies into the air like a barn swallow just out of reach. Kicking off the Stonjourner, she plunges downward with an aerial ace that takes the Azumarill looking around for her by surprise, felling it with one blow.

The Shiftry shrieks next as it flies at her in fury, and Hana reaches out to catch her second blade just in time, cleaving the tengu in twain with a swift sacred sword. It falls to its knees behind her, and Hana raises her blades to the two trainers reaching for new pokeballs.

"Ah-ah, take those out and you're dead. Turn away now, and Fox may still let you live."

Her swords revel in the violence, dyed red in the murder they were denied at Sootopolis. They would want nothing more than to kill, she realizes. But the Admin's orders were to win, not to kill -- and there was victory still in forcing your opponents to cede to your terms. Furthermore, honor in allowing your opponents the option of life.

"Hah! You betcha!"

Hana downs the rest of her mug and waves the waitress over, another round of noodles and booze arriving on the table moments later.

"Bet this beats hangin' out in a stuffy room with all the bores and pencil pushers, eh? So what's got ya all worked up you need to cut loose?"

As soon as Hana asks the question, she pounds the whole mug in a single, long chug, slamming it back down on the table and giving Temp a wide grin.

A flash of steel. Hana's blade rises up to meet it before she processes what it is. Her blade goes flying into the sky, and Hana grasps her sword with both hands and drives it forth at the sudden burst of fire, a sacred sword to match the ape's fury.

"Keep on laughin', ya filthy animal!"

The edges of her kimono set alight. Hana balks at the heat. Her eyes dart upward, at the airborne blade come falling down to meet the monkey king from the heavens -- an aerial ace to skewer him from on high!

Speak and you will make it so.

And so the Dog is attacked, thrown across the forest floor. Hana's blades shoot from her sides and she grasps each in her hand, feeling the caress of the cloths wrapped around her wrists seeped in grudges.

"Was tired of bein' quiet anyway! Yo, Monkey King!"

Hana raises her blade to the heavens, gesturing to the canopy above. The moonlight soaks into the blade, distracting the ape while her second melts to shadow beneath her. It only takes a moment, but as the Infernape stops to gawk, her blade emerges behind him and strikes -- a shadow sneak while he's not looking.

Hana watches, intrigued as Aurelie sets everything in order. The intricacies are beyond her. Everything has its purpose, she's sure, but she'd thought smithing was just smashing things with a hammer. But no, of course it's an art. This'll be like watching some painter start from a blank canvas...

When Aurelie pauses just as she's about to begin, Hana laughs.

"Nerves got the better of ya? Sure, sure... lemme see..."

She snatches up the scroll, looking over the characters and trying to recall the words the madame had taught her long ago. At first she grasps awkwardly, but soon enough, it all comes back.

"Well, it's a bit rusty, but... looks like... and then..."

The slurping of noodles. The gulping of beer. The pounding of mugs on the table, and shouts to the waiter for more.

"Nothin' beats this atmosphere but the sound of swords, ain't that right?"

She downs her mug in one prolific chug, slamming it down and shouting over the din.

Across the table is the man. She'd seen him during the battle, briefly, but her attention was elsewhere during the battle itself. Now, though, she gives him a look as intense as she gave Montgomery James after she cut his bullet in half.

"You think you can out-drink me, big guy? C'mon, let's order another round, on me!"

Violence begets violence.

They'd made enemies of half the region at this point. There was no doubt that people wanted Fox dead. Foolish to wager otherwise. All of them would get their turn, racking up karma like their sins were poker chips. Admin Fox just had the most to lose.

But Hana was all-in.

She smiles as she eyes the townsfolk slowly filing out of the alleyway's dark, hidden corners. In their eyes was the hatred of those who'd lost everything, those who wanted nothing more than the suffering of the one who'd taken everything from them.

"This ain't gonna end like you think it'll end," she announces to the crowd, both hands drawing her doublades in one swift motion.

The moment she does, chaos explodes around them.

The old man nearest Hana suddenly clutches his throat, voiceless in response to her announcement, red trickling from between his fingers. The bug pokemon's wings are severed, and it goes tumbling into the gutter. The psychic fae begins preparing a mental technique, but Hana lunges forward with all the momentum of her ghostly swords and she kicks it square in the chest, knocking the wind out of it-- buying her just enough time to cut the pokemon's throat with a well-aimed strike.

But all around them, the crowd presses further. A middle-aged woman commands her azumarill to smash them with an Aqua Tail. A kid orders his father's Shiftry to summon a razor wind, fans sending up a gale that cuts deep into Hana's thigh. She buckles to one knee, still ready to fight. A group of men with improvised weapons lumber from a nearby broken doorway, ready to fight themselves.

"Fox--!"

Hana grimaces in pain, the only thing she can do to warn him as her sword wraps a cursed cloth around her wound...