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Unfortunately the tides had turned and only brought disappointment in their wake. Rhea thought she saw something shore up nearby, but her excitement was dampened when she saw it was just a turtle. She wasn't sure what she had expected, exactly, but she had been so caught up in her pacing and daydreaming that she had half-expected some Leaguer to wash up, prime for an ass-kicking, [break][break]

“Shoo!” she barked angrily at the intruding Tirtouga, who just looked at her with annoyed confusion, “Can't you see I'm trying to enjoy some peace and quiet? Go on, get! Go find another island!” [break][break]

The Rock-type glowered at her and, deciding that he had had enough of her shrieking, slowly slipped back beneath the waves, glaring at her all the while until he slipped out of sight. Hmph, good riddance.

[attr="class","bottom"]skipping tirtouga![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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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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Perhaps the sight of the little ogre didn't instill the same sort of aggravation in Rhea as it did in Zev, but the interaction proved to be an insightful one. Despite the fearful tremble of the creature's frame and the wide, watery eyes watching both of them now, Rhea knew she had to harden her heart to this apparent enemy. She frowned a little when she considered whether or not she should strike it down, when the festival around them was suddenly thrown into chaos. [break][break]

It began with one fearful shriek, and then another, and another, and Rhea suddenly bolted to her feet as the crowds around them suddenly turned and regarded the little one with horror. She took a step back as people closed in around them to get to their hated foe, [break][break]

“Should I... get rid of it?” she asked with uncertainty. [break][break]

The Ogerpon looked up at her pleadingly, as if she was the only one it could reason with in its localized hell. Rhea tore her gaze away, instead fixing it upon Zev. No sympathy, no remorse; in her line of work, that was the sort of sentiment that got you killed.

[attr="class","bottom"]Zev Harcourt [break]

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“Of course.” [break][break]

It was a simple and straightforward bit of logic that Rhea could appreciate. Scarcity of resources had been the driving force of conflict for time immemorial; it was the primitive force that drove Pyroar to hunt and men to war. She tried to keep hold of her own scarce resource as the scene dissolved into the next, but just like Verdanturf, the Wish Tag burned away to ash in the palm of her hand. [break][break]

And so they entered the final scenario. A much more lively affair than the previous, Rhea noted with some growing delight, but she stamped down that little bit of joy as she eyed the painted masks all around them. Now was not the time for fun – now was the time for her to find the next thing to take. [break][break]

As it so happened, that thing found them. Rhea felt something collide against her shin with some force, and when she suddenly looked down there was a... child, standing before her? It was some sort of small figure, that much was certain, wearing a particularly unusual mask, [break][break]

“Well, hello there.” [break][break]

Rhea squatted down to put herself at eye level with the green-cloaked stranger, wearing a (somewhat forced) smile of warm comfort, [break][break]

“Nice mask. Mind if I take a peek at it?” [break][break]

Slowly, carefully, she reached out to touch the grinning green mask the festival-goer wore. Information was just another blade in Rocket's arsenal, and another prize for the taking.

[attr="class","bottom"]unmask them![break]
Zev Harcourt [break]

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“Consider it done.” Rhea nodded toward Cain, “Would you kindly fetch us our prize?” [break][break]

The Ceruledge acted upon the orders in an instant. One moment he was at Rhea's side; in the next, he had swapped places with some unrecognizable redhead. None of the actors on this stage could have anticipated the sudden arrival of the Ghost, preoccupied as they were with one of many violent clashes in the region's history, and none of them would have time to react as the Ceruledge snatched the Wish Tag from Sliph's hand and ALLY SWITCHed his way back to his trainer's side. [break][break]

Zev's voice came again before the Jirachi's did, echoing in her mind, but Rhea swore that for a singular moment, there was some sort of discordant overlapping between the two. She grimaced a little as she tried to focus on the God General's question, [break][break]

“Enough, I should hope.” [break][break]

Before them, the Jirachi materialized in the flesh, peering at them with one piercing, bloodshot eye in the center of its chest, [break][break]

“Enough to know that they might grant us immeasurable power. Enough to know that they might be the death of us all.” [break][break]

And perhaps that proved to be a sufficient enough answer for the star-born creature as the world suddenly shuddered beneath them under the weight of this impossible future of unspeakable strength and violent bloodshed she sought to create. [break][break]

Distantly, Rhea became aware of the smell of smoldering embers and rain and ozone on the wind. The players on this stage watched her with mute horror as the ground cracked and rumbled beneath them, splitting apart at the seams and devouring fallen Pokemon and human combatants alike. Rocket would not take Verdanturf undamaged; Jirachi demanded a toll to be paid for its DOOM DESIRE, and it would be paid for in rubble and blood.

[attr="class","bottom"]jirachi's doom desire destroys/consumes verdanturf [break]
Zev Harcourt [break]

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They were on the precipice of war, and Rhea feared that the anticipation would kill her before any member of the League could. [break][break]

She paced listlessly on the little spot of sand she found sitting lonely among the placid waves. Rhea held no real ill will toward those on the other side, of course, but this would be a true and proper battle. She'd get to fight and clash like her life depended on it (because it would), get to really test the mettle of the best opponents the region had to offer. What sort of Pokemon would they use? What sort of weaponry would they employ? Would she be lucky enough to clash against another swordsman at some point? [break][break]

Ah, there was such a world of possibility before her! The excitement threatened to overtake her, and Rhea clenched and wrung her hands as her gaze swept over the ocean beyond. The tides of war could not turn soon enough.

[attr="class","bottom"]solo wild; water/ghost[break]

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