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On another of his day-offs, Gaho Murata was down at the ping-pong training circuit in the community centre, waiting for the tournament to start. The hammering clack of the ball between paddles filled the room as Majuma spray-painted a few more tweaks to her logo design on the wall, whilst the turtle drilled Monda the squirrel and Zura the mole-beetle.

"Watch your block."

"HNNNGH!"

"She's flagging a dead-ball, counter with the drive!"

"HN-YAAAH!"

"Alright good she's on the backpedal, now wait for the long hit and then chop!"

"HNN-A-AAARGH!"

When Monda jumped back from the table to do a long-shooting strike, she whacked the ball towards Zura who tried to do a counter-strike. When he thwacked it to one side he hit his wrist on the table, clutching his hand with a shudder as he dropped the paddle.

"You alright?!" Monda stepped over.

"Yeah uh, s-sorry," the beetle rubbed his wrist, "keep screwing up my chops."

"Hey at least you didn't flip the table!"

"Hahaaa, I'm learning right?!"

"We shouldn't have to worry," said the walrus clacking her can, "I've already planned a strategem for the Shinjuku Slayers. They're sharp and vicious, but they have little endurance so as long as we can match them for longer, we shall back them in a corner."

"I've been studying their moves," Murata rubbed his chin, "the bird especially, he's got some nasty drives with a very short window at the edge, but I think I got it."

"Wonderful," said Magumi turning to him, "but the real danger are the twins, thank goodness we're not playing doubles or we'd have a terrible twosome!"

"Yeah," Monda twirled her paddle, "so am I facing them or what?"

"On their own we should handle them, so either you or Zura-san, then Murata shall take on their leader."

"I'm raring to go!" Zura pumped his fist. "Just point me the right direction an' I'll smash their faces GOOD-NNGH!"

He crunched his fists together and suddenly balked, sitting down on a chair as the blue squirrel walked over.

"You need something on that hand-"

"I'm fine!" he snapped. "Just, ugh, need more calcium I guess, I'm gettin' old kid."

"Alright but, if you hurt your hand you gotta let us know-"

"I SAID I'M FINE! S-sorry, sorry I'm a li'l nervous, we never got past the prelims before."

"I know we're all anxious," said the walrus putting up her hands, "but there are four of us and three of them, so worse comes to worse, I will step in to assist should any of us-"

"The hell you saying?!" the beetle shot up out his seat. "You saying I can't handle it?!"

"NO, no no not at all, I'm just arranging backup plans, remember that time you got caught in traffic?"

"I'm not some damn weakling, I'M NOT!"

"Nobody said you were Zura-san," Gaho shook his head, "we're just making strategies, I mean look at Monda-san, not a day goes by she's not covered in bruises."

"So whut, we're all tough bastards around here, right?!"

"Hehell yeah!" shouted Monda pumping her fist. "We ain't playing softball, we gonna take them fools out TONIGHT!"

"Damn straight," Zura nodded, "we just gotta lock down our strats."

"Absolutely, I agree," the walrus slapped her flippers, "now, Zura-san I want you to fall back on the Babalasky maneuver, you're an ace hand on that."

"Heh, you got it boss."

"Murata, I feel you're quite sharp as is but if you want any further training-"

"I wouldn't mind stacking up against you," said the turtle looking to her, "helps keep the fingers sharp."

"Oohooo, quite."

For the next hour balls were paddled, their senses heightened with a constant routine of learning tactics. Majuma brought a canvas she hung up on the wall to spray-paint various figures doing sick paddling moves, with action lines demonstrating their foes' exceptional techniques and how to counter them.

The second hour of their time was spent relaxing, drinking water and resting their hands with safe limbering exercises to make certain their wrists were in top form. Murata kept taking notes from Magumi, the walrus detailing possible ways the ball could fly whilst Monda zoned out and Zura stared at himself in the mirror for an oddly long time.

"You okay?" The turtle asked.

"Mmm?" the beetle shrugged his many hairs. "Yeah, sorry I'm just gettin' in the zone."

Zura muttered quietly to himself as Gaho stepped back to his seat, waiting for the announcement to call out their team as they would step through the halls and back into the arena. An audience awaited with cheers of excitement, but across the way, Murata saw his opponents in the form of a bird with wide buggy eyes and a large brain-shaped skull, along with two horned cobras that put thumbs to their hooded throats that they slit across in Gaho's direction.

"Who the fuck're they?" Zura squinted back at them.

"The Shappura Sisters," Majuma nodded crossing her arms, "the Slayers of Shinjuku, a savage duo infamous for their sonic drives and dead-ball defence."

"So what?" said Monda waving her hand. "We GOT this, they'll get dunked faster than my head off a board."

"Oh, Monda-san are you still doing that skateboarding malarkey?!"

"I gotta practice my routine, creatures love when I bail!"

"Well I'd rather we not BAIL out of this competition if you break your wrists!"

"Surprised you don't break yours from how hard you wind me up."

"Hey-ey," Murata patted them both, "let's keep focused, we need to get through this team to get to the semis."

"He's right," Zura nodded, "so uh...what's THAT thing over there?"

They looked over to a large box painted gold at the side of the arena, none of them knowing what it was despite a growing look of concern in Majuma's face at the large dome on top of it. Entering the ring came the horse announcer in his spangly suit, standing beside the ping-pong table where champions were born.

"CREATURES AND PATRONS, WE ARE BACK ON THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE FORTY-SEVENTH TOKYO PING-PONG CHAMPIONSHIPS! FIRST UP, WE GOT THE LOCAL FAVOURITES FROM KAIJUROCHO, THE SURPRISING UP-AND-COMERS WITH A FIERCE AND SAVAGE TASTE FOR VICTORY, THE GOOOOOO-WRATHS!"

Murata's team waved to the crowd who gave a polite applause with a few jeers mixed between.

"AAAAND IN THIS CORNER, THE TERRORISING TEETH, THE VENOMOUS FANGS WITH BRAINS AND BRAWN WHO COME TO FEAST UPON THEIR ENEMY WITH SONIC FANGS! THE SHINJUKUUUU SLAYERRRRRS!"

A greater amount of applause and jeering came towards the two cobras and the big-brained bird who pumped their fists, all of them wearing green shorts and shirts. Zura stepped up first, the mole-beetle shaking his wrists with a slight twinge in his hairy long arms and a twitching in his large mandibles. His first opponent was the bird with the thick cranium, his eyes wide and buggy with a fiendish smile and a predatory look that sent chills through Zura's body.

"Futakou Karapawa," the walrus sighed, "well, it's not one of the sisters at least."

"Is this guy easier?" asked Monda leaning over.

"Well, if you call falling from a tree easier than drowning I suppose."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?!"

The match began with the sound of a klaxon, as Zura made his first serve with a hard steady bounce, the light bouncing off their shorts as Futakou and Zura dodged back and forth between their corners to build up a rapid-fire pace. The Go-Wraths won the first round of three when they hit 15 points with a cool but steady hand from the mole-beetle, managing to keep the bird-brain guessing when Zura swapped hands and tricked him with a fake block.

In his haste expecting the ball to come much closer to his side of the court, Karapawa stumbled when Zura made a devastating pimpslap of the paddle to bounce the ball hard from above, flying over the bird's scalp before he even had a chance to reach it. Things were looking good, the Go-Wraths pumping up with cheers from the audience at such a trick. But then Murata saw Zura clenching his wrist.

"Something's wrong," he pointed.

"Wh-what?!" Majuma gasped. "Is his hand hurt?!"

"I don't know, give him a sign to slow down."

Monda waved towards Zura, overhearing the conversation and miming that he had to ease up. But the mole-beetle snarled with offence and turned back towards his opponent. The bird was smiling, his eyes growing wide like an owl spotting a wounded mouse. He served towards Zura, letting the ball travel back and forth to lower the Go-Wraths' guard before he made his move.

Futakou jumped back with a wild leap, and with a meteor-strike slammed the ball straight towards Zura's side of the court with such thundering force that the table shook. It was a deadly mistake to block it, but that's exactly what Zura did when he struck against the ball that cracked into his paddle, and he suddenly screamed crumpling to the floor.

"A-AAAAAAARRRGH!"

"Z-ZURA-SAAAN!"

A call was made for the match to stop as Monda was first to his side, the crowd gasping with mutters of fright and concern as the mole-beetle grabbed his wrist with a trembling sob.

"F-FUCK, FUUUCK! MY HAND!"

"GET SOME ICE ON IT, HURRY!"

Majuma cried for the medic, a white wolf with red stripes pulling out a cold compress to wrap around Zura's wrist. Futakou dropped his paddle and lifted his arms in celebration, much to the chagrin of the crowd booing him for his bad form as he walked back with a high-four to the sisters.

"A SHOCKING UPSET!" the announcer cried. "THE GO-WRATHS' PLAYER APPEARS TO HAVE SUFFERED A DEVASTATING INJURY TO HIS HAND! IF HE CAN'T FIX IT, THEY'LL HAVE TO FORFEIT THIS MATCH!"

"How bad is it?" Murata asked.

"There's some bad swelling," said the medic, "can you clench your fist?"

"I-i-i...I," Zura shuddered, "I can, I can do it, jus-g-guh AAAH, AAAAARGH!"

"Alright, I'm sorry, he needs to bow out," the wolf took his other hand, "come on, you need to rest."

"B-but, but, NO, DAMMIT I CAN DO THIS!"

"Dude, no," Monda shook her head, "your hand's fucked, you gotta sit out-"

"NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME DAMMIT-A-AAAAARGH, SHIIIT!"

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Majuma shrieked. "Oh...gods, I can't believe it, I TOLD you to exercise your wrists!"

"I don't think that's the problem," Murata rubbed his chin, "he was having problems before the match too."

"Wait what?" the squirrel twitched her tail. "What kinda problems?"

"I can't even begin to guess," the walrus pulled her tusks, "I know he's been rather cagey these past few weeks but I thought it was just nerves."

"Damn...alright, guess it's all down to you, Murata."

"I won't fail you." He bowed. "I'll make sure they pay for taking Zura-san out."

"Okay but that's GOT to be illegal right?!"

"It's not," he shook his head, "we can't prove he aimed for his wrist, it's not like he tackled him or beat him with the paddle."

"BUT, you know he did!"

"Unfortunately he's right," Magumi sighed patting Gaho's hand, "do your best...and please don't fail, or else my entire life will be over."

"Hah, no pressure."

Stepping up to the table, Murata cricked his neck and limbered himself up before taking the paddle. Facing him down was one of the Shappura sisters, her large cobra hood showing black eyes against dark jade scales beneath her vest. Her tongue flickered with a burning red as she approached with long sturdy legs and a rattlesnake tail whipping behind.

"Shame about your guy," she made a limp-wristed gesture, "looks like he couldn't cut it in the big leagues with his little hairy hand-"

"Shut up." He jabbed a finger. "This is ping-pong, not the school debate club, now start acting like an adult."

"Pfffft, ohhh you think you scare me little shellhead?" She leaned forwards with a cruel grin. "You haven't seen what I did to the others who faced me."

"You haven't seen what I'm about to do next. Now let's play."

Flicking the paddle between his fingers, Gaho waited for the first serve to come from Shappura as she built up the rhythm to see where he would move. He kept to the corners and always teased the ball to the edge, whacking it back to try and trip up the snake but she was much faster than expected.

Her body danced with incredible speed, snapping her neck sharp to veer herself and whack the ball back when Murata tried to hit the opposite corner. It was a tight game, their scores evening up before Gaho managed to eke out a win in the first of three rounds. Majuma was pulling on her tusks almost screaming as Monda tried to ra-ra-boom her support.

"COME ON DUDE, YOU GOT THIS!" the squirrel shouted. "REMEMBER YOUR TRAINING, DO THE TECH!"

"Not bad," the serpent snarled stretching her legs, "Now let's step it up a little, shall we?"

With a sinister smile she hurled the ball up high as Murata raised his head. When he was distracted, Shappura slipped her paddle to her tail and wrapped it tightly in her coils before she made a fearsome strike. But her rattling tip had a dangerous power, shivering faster with intense vibrations that made the paddle ring with a near-invisible aura.

When she whacked the ball, it suddenly disappeared from sight and Murata's instinct was to immediately block towards the farthest corner. He felt the ball whizzing past his ear in a sharp recoil off the table, yet he saw nothing but the slightest trick of the light.

"WHUH, WHAT THE FUCK?!" gasped Monda.

"Th-that was...is that legal?!" shuddered Majuma.

"HEY, REF, SHE'S USING HER POWERS!"

"What's wrong?" the serpent hissed swishing her tail. "I'm not directly attacking you, I'm just influencing the ball with my paddle."

"That can't be legal!" Murata snapped.

"THE REF'S TAKING A CHECK!" the announcer put a finger to his ear. "AND THEY SAY THAT IT'S TECHNICALLY NOT ALTERING THE BALL'S PROPERTIES ENOUGH TO COUNT!"

"THAT'S PREPOSTEROUS!" screamed the walrus. "SHE ALTERED THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF THE BALL, HOW DARE SHE SULLY THE NOBLE SPORT OF PING-PONG!"

"THE PLAY SHALL CONTINUE!"

The horse stepped back as Murata slapped his own face to brace himself. Shappura swung her tail back and forth with its paddle twitching as the turtle took his serve, bashing it across the table as the cobra whacked it back. On the seventh pass she shook her tail hard, activating a subsonic wave in the rattling tip that made the ball disappear as Murata missed it once again.

Staggering against her invisible strikes, Gaho was struggling to keep his ear sharp for where the ball would land on his side, and whilst he managed to block it a few times, he was losing ball after ball from Shappura's skilful sonic blasts.

"KEEP TO YOUR LEFT!" Monda cried. "SHE CAN'T HIT YOUR RIGHT SIDE WHEN SHE'S GOING SONIC!"

But even with that advice Gaho was losing, constantly getting mixed-up when she swapped from her tail to her hand to then destroy Murata on the right-side of the court. He tried to be in two places at once, Shappura smiling with her long fangs as she danced with a hypnotic sway.

Eventually Shappura hit the score of 15, as both her and Murata had now won a round each out of three. The turtle grasped the table as they took a moment to rest, drinking a bottle of water from each of their teams as Gaho slumped on his seat whilst Shappura high-foured her sister.

"This is fuckin' garbage," snapped Monda swishing her tail, "how the shit they let her get away with that?!"

"We just have to deal with that," Murata sighed, "I just have to watch her movements carefully, just cool off some and we can push ahead."

"She shouldn't be allowed to do that, come the fuck on!"

"Then we beat her fair and square, if she wants to cheat, then we'll humiliate her even harder-"

"Murata-san." Majuma stepped up beside him with a fierce look. "That thing over there, that box?"

They looked over towards the golden dome.

"I just realised what it is."

"What?" the turtle looked over. "What's it do?"

"It's a button. When you start the last round, I want you to press it."

"Why?!" the squirrel snorted.

"Trust me. You will see."

It was rare to see the walrus look so severe, but Murata nodded as he took a few more breaths to ease his mind and stepped back into the arena. He walked over to the large golden button and slammed it with his fist, causing the lights to sparkle around the ring with a klaxon blaring above their heads.

"OH-OHHH WHAT'S THIS?!" the announcer cried. "LOOKS LIKE THE GO-WRATHS ARE BRINGING THE HEAT WITH POWER MODE!"

"The fuck, power mode?!" gasped Monda.

"IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEW RULES OF PING-PONG CHAMPIONSHIPS as of 2011, A PLAYER CAN SO CHOOSE TO TURN A SINGLE MATCH, INTO A DOUBLES MATCH WHEN ENGAGING IN POWER PLAY!"

"W-wait, but, that means-"

"Step aside," said Majuma, "I'm going to flip this table hard."

Striding forth into the ring as a pumping beat filled the room, the walrus flexed as the audience went wild throwing their hands in the air. Shappura snarled with wicked fangs and barked at her sister to step up to the plate, the twins looking to each other with shining horns as Murata looked stunned at his partner.

"What are you doing?!" he gasped.

"Saving your life," said the walrus punching her fists, "now let's show these bastards how we REALLY play on the table tennis court!"

"Heh...alright."

With a surge of confidence, Murata stood firm and twirled the handle in his palm as Majuma and the second Shappura were given their own paddles in turn. The third round kicked off with the cobras striking first, Majuma parrying sharp in a fierce backhand that struck over the net and almost went between the twins. They started building up speed as they all took a corner each, the ball almost turning to white mist for how fast it shot back and forth.

The score kept even, the serpents matching the Go-Wraths as they struck harder and faster before one of them nodded to the other. Shappura stepped back and switched her paddle to her tail, shivering hard with sonic vibrations through her rattle before she whacked through the ball and sent it fading out of existence across the next. Majuma blocked the left and with sharpened eyes struck the almost-invisible ball straight back towards them.

"TAKE THIS!"

She blasted the ball past their heads, the serpents hissing with poison fury before they swapped handles again, one batting with the hand to strike at Murata so he would send it back, before the other twin struck with her sonic tail to blindside him. But now he had a rhythm, and every time the ball disappeared, he let Majuma take over with a sharp crack.

"TIME FOR MY SPECIAL TECHNIQUE!" the walrus shouted. "MURATA, FOLLOW MY LEAD!"

"Got it boss!"

Her eyes flashed a wicked emerald as Magumi clenched her paddle, watching the Shappura twins pummel the ball back and forth across the net before they tried to sonic-strike it once again.

"MID-LINE, NOW!"

Murata followed her lead, right on cue for the ball to come spinning towards them in a brief blur of its vibrational field. The walrus and the turtle took aim with their swings, and with a a singular strike, they bashed the ball together with the edge of their paddles almost touching.

"AVALAAAAAAANCHE STRIKE!"

The moment their paddles struck the pale orb, it turned into a bullet of shining white. Scarring across the table like a crashing plane, it pulled the net when it flew past with the shocking howl of a jet engine briefly rumbling through the room. The cobras suddenly cowered from the bursting shockwave that popped their ears as the ball screeched past to hit the wall behind them. The audience was quiet, stunned by such power. Then they realised the score was at 15-10, and suddenly erupted with a deafening glee.

"AND THERE GOOOOES THE BATTLE!" cried the announcer. "WHAT A SHOCKING RECOVERY FROM THE GO-WRATHS PUTTING THE SHINJUKU SLAYERS BACK! FOLKS, YOU LOVE TO SEE THE UP-AND-COMERS JUST REFUSING TO BACK DOWN, WITH SUCH A DEVASTATING DISPLAY OF PING-PONG POWER!"

"We...we did it!" gasped Murata. "That was...that was incredi-"

"WHOOOOOOH!" Monda shrieked grabbing them both from the side. "HOLY FUCK MAJUMA THAT WAS THE SHIT!"

"Haha, haaaah, th-thank you," the walrus blushed deeply red, "i-it was just a little trick-"

"ARE YOU KIDDING THAT SHIT WAS INSANE, WHERE'D YOU LEARN THAT MOVE?!"

"Ohohoh, ohhh just a little something I ruminated upon, what you would call a heat action."

"A what now?" Murata smirked cocking his head. "Why not call it a special move?"

"Oh that's so blasé Murata-san, please."

"You think you're hot shit Go-Homers?"

The serpent Shappuras stepped up with their forked tongue flicking angrily at them.

"You won't look so smug when Master Zen drags your face under his foot and wipes you off the planet."

"He can try," Murata grinned punching his palm, "if he steps up to the table, I'll make him regret ever facing me again."

"Heh...we'll see."

As their rivals left, the team raised their arms high as confetti swirled around them, the horse in his glittering suit announcing the times for the final coming next week. Murata returned to the locker room, with Monda and Majuma pumping their fists and doing little dances.

"HOOHOOO YEAAAAH!" the squirrel shouted kicking the door open. "THAT'S how ya do it!"

"Sh-shit, we won?!"

Zura looked up from his chair with his hand in a bag of ice.

"Majuma saved the day," said Gaho thumbing to her, "you have to see the replay, that avalanche move was incredible."

"Ohoh pish-posh," she waved him off, "I simply administered the correct response, we expanded our area of attack and brought twice the power, simple!"

"Thank gods," the mole-beetle groaned, "I'm sorry, I-i dunno what happened-"

"No no, you have nothing to apologise for, you were sabotaged Zura-san, that's why we have backup plans."

"That's...great." His head lowered with a shameful look. "Glad we could keep...going."

"Hey, don't sweat it," Monda patted him, "some day I'm gonna break my ass in half, and you'll be there to step in for me!"

"Hah, is that what you call next week?"

"Is that a challenge?!"

"To break your own ass, bet you can't, you always fall on yer thick-ass head."

"Shut up you old bastard!"

The two laughed as a smile returned to Zura, Gaho sighing with some relief as he went to his locker to put his team clothes away. As he opened it, something fell out slipping past his feet, a small white envelope showing a crude triangle with an eye in its centre and two blades beneath it. He opened it carefully to find the following.

I AM LEGION

MY EYES ARE EVERYWHERE

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

GAHO MURATA

"The...hell is this?"

"Something wrong?" Majuma asked looking over.

"No uh, sorry," Murata slipped the letter into his pocket, "I was just remembering an appointment, so are we celebrating tonight?"

"Ohohhh but of course, how does Kanrai sound for our semi-final win?!"

"Hell YEAH-nngh-ow, ow!" Zura pumped his other hand. "I could go fer some kalbi right now!"

"I verily agree Zura-san! First we get your hand properly checked, and then we shall feast upon the fruits of our labour!"

"I thought we were having Kanrai," Monda rolled her eyes.

"It's a metaphor you dolt!"

"Sounds more like an idiom," muttered the mole-beetle.

"I thought that was a transferred epithet," Murata raised his brow.

"Nah nah, idioms're like a phrase that don't mean one exact thing, more like they form a whole mental image."

"Isn't that a metaphor too?"

"Mmmnope, metaphors are comparisons, not composites-"

"ANYWAYS!" Majuma shouted making their ears ring. "Who's hungry for some victorious kalbi?!"

After the dinner they had as semi-champions, the Go-Wraths departed from the Kanrai restaurant on Shachifuku Street and headed back to their various abodes. Gaho Murata returned to his single apartment and tried to scan the letter he received with the mysterious eye. Somehow, somewhere he recognised this symbol, but he couldn't quite place it from his mind reeling with thoughts from the ping-pong tournament.

"Still can't believe Degoushi's some kind of tennis champion," the turtle sighed rolling into bed, "at least I'll get to show him all these years who's really the strongest."

With a smile on his beak he slept, his arms still shaking with adrenaline until he finally sunk into the land of dreams beneath the curtain of night. The windows lit up across the city, the roaring of traffic lulling him to a deeper sleep, and in almost the blink of an eye, he found himself waking up to the hour darkest before the dawn.

Stretching himself before he went to take a shower, Murata cleaned his shell and front before making his way down with fresh clothes to the 5am bus. Today however was going to be different, as he felt the rain start to come with the first drops the moment he arrived at the station. In a few hours from now, when the sun had risen behind the growing clouds of a bleak silver sky, he would find himself at a row of apartments on the southern end of Nagamichi Alley.

Standing at the door of Jin Gerumba's place, Murata texted her to say that he was standing outside, and all was safe with nobody following him. The storm of the early morn had passed but the rain kept with him, slathering down the roofs as she opened the door in a dressing gown.

"Good morning," he bowed in his police uniform,

"Good...morning, Murata-san," she yawned with nasal horns glinting in the light, "do you...want to come in, I have some hot chocolate."

"I would love some, thank you."

The turtle smiled and stepped inside, finding a living room with a tiny kitchen of one sink, a single bed and a mini-fridge where a very cramped bathroom stood to the side in a closet.

"Nice place," he said gently.

"You don't have to be kind," said the trike pouring from a kettle, "I know it's awful."

"No no, I like it," he sat on the floor, "it's very cozy, got all the basic amenities, you don't need a TV anyway there's nothing good on nowadays."

"Hahaha, thank you." She poured cocoa powder in a cup and handed it to him, "here you are, it's store-bought so I hope that's alright."

"Oh don't worry, I've had plenty of cheap bentos to not mind." He took a firm sip with a sigh. "Mmmmhh, lovely, I haven't had hot chocolatein years."

"You don't get them at the police station?" she poured out her cup next.

"It's not as good as this, watered down to hell."

"That's a shame." Jin sat down beside him. "How has...work, been, sorry I'm not sure what to say to a police officer."

"Hahaha, well it's been fine," Gaho nodded rubbing his mug, "just a lot of paperwork, thankfully boring."

"Even after arresting...h-her?"

"I'm not at liberty to tell you much, but I can say things have quieted down."

"That's good," she sighed with some relief. "What do you do on your off-days?"

"Well, I recently joined a ping-pong tournament."

"Ohoh wow, really?!" Gerumba smiled sipping her cocoa. "That's not the usual kind of sport creatures get into."

"It's oddly relaxing, compared to my usual job. Some creatures play golf, I play ping-pong because I can lose myself in the rhythm."

"Ahhh, I see, I used to play soccer back in Osaka myself."

"Professional or just backyard?"

"Oh just with friends," she waved her hand, "a little kickabout in younger days before I got pulled in the family business."

"Do you have any friends here?"

"No."

An awkward silence filled the room as Murata silently wished for a TV to distract them. But all they had was the sounds of the street, the rain trickling down the window as he rubbed his sleeves.

"It's rather cold here, you don't have a heater?"

"I do but," she gulped, "it takes up the electric bill as much as the kettle does, I need to balance between them."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I manage, I have lots of blankets would you like one?"

"Oh, no it's fine I can manage-"

"No no I insist."

She hurried to her closet and pulled out several thick blankets, some for her and some for him as they both wrapped themselves up whilst enjoying their hot cocoa.

"They said the rain'll clear up tomorrow," said Murata.

"That's good," Gerumba nodded, "sorry I'm not very good at talking."

"You did pretty well when we first met."

"Well yes but that's work, I can get in a persona when I work but here I'm just...little old Jin-kun."

"Well you must have other hobbies, what do you do outside of work?"

"I...I like to go to bars, I'm something of a drinker, I like to find new mixtures that they serve."

"Oh yeah?" Gaho smiled at her. "Like cocktails and such?"

"Yes!" the triceratops nodded. "I learned to mix drinks at my family restaurant, and I got really into it so I hoped to run my own bar one day when all this was over."

"That's a good idea, what sort of drinks you love?"

"Ohhh I love the American drinks, you know, rum, bourbon, moonshine."

"Bourbon's whisky right?" Murata squinted.

"Yes but a different kind," she tapped her nose-horns with a wink. "Scottish whisky is aged in oaken casks and distilled from malt or barley. Irish whiskey, which is spelt differently when mentioning the two, is similar but aged in sherry casks. Bourbon is distilled from corn, and aged in charred oak casks, and then there's Canadian whiskey which uses rye."

"Hold on, they use different types of wood when storing the whisky?"

"Yes, because the aging process is vital."

"Sounds like whisky's your favourite drink," the turtle chuckled.

"It...well, I suppose it is," she blushed rubbing her horns, "I don't want to pick favourites."

"I won't tell if you won't," he nudged her with a grin, "so what sort of cocktails can you make with whisky?"

"Oh well there's the Old Fashioned, that's bourbon, sugar and astatine bitters. The Monsterhattan is a favourite of mine, two parts bourbon, one part sweet vermouth and just a smattering of uranium."

"Mmmm, that sounds really nice," Gaho pondered looking upwards. "How about, after this is all said and done, and you're out of the Daiei, I'll be your first customer at your new bar?"

"R-...really?!" Jin clutched her mug looking up at him. "That...th-that would be lovely...thank you Murata-san."

"I'll bring along my friends from the department, my ping-pong team, recommend the place cuz I know Zura-san loves his drinks."

"Heehee! Actually I was thinking of making my own cocktail."

"Really?" the officer grinned. "I'd love to try it, can you make it now?"

"Oh, gods no, I-i made it back in Osaka but it was very popular!"

"Well what ingredients you need? I can buy alcohol when I'm off-duty and swing it round your place."

"A-are you sure?!" Gerumba shook her head. "That...th-that's a lot to ask, I-i couldn't take advantage of you like that-"

"You're not, Gerumba-san." He nodded before finishing his chocolate. "I'd be glad to help you in your future career."

"That...th-thank you."

A tear came down her horn and dripped into her cocoa.

"I really appreciate you, for being here, Murata-san."

"It's fine," the turtle smiled, "what ingredients does this have?"

"Well, let's see um...rum, vermouth, oil of wormwood, bourbon, magnesium, and then there's Speppit-Up."

"Wait, Speppit-Up? That's stomach medicine."

"I know!" Jin blushed rubbing her head. "I knocked some into my brew the first time and well, it turned out fantastic!"

"And there's no danger of overmedicating?"

"Oh no, I've narrowed down the recipe to be perfectly safe!"

"Ahhhh huh," Gaho squinted his eyes, "remember the first time we met you planned to drug me?"

"Wha-what, Murata-san I thought you forgave me for that!"

"I did because you DIDN'T drug me, now this drink on the other hand-"

"It's perfectly safe I assure you!" she thumped the ground. "I'll drink it myself in front of you to prove it, I'm that certain!"

"Alright, alright," Murata put up his hands, "you're the bartender I'll believe you, I just hope all my friends do as well."

"You bring them to my bar, I'll make sure they do!"

"Hahah, alright." He stood up putting the mug in the sink. "Thank you for the morning drink, I'll get you those ingredients and swing by later."

"That would be lovely, thank you," Gerumba bowed to him, "can I text you if I need you?"

"Absolutely."

"...thank you, again, for protecting me."

She grasped his hand before he took his leave.

"I...I really appreciate everything you're doing."

"Just doing my job," said the officer tipping his hat, "I appreciate your trust in me."

"You'll...you will keep me safe, right, Murata-san?"

"I will," he nodded, "I'll be back when I'm done with my shift, call me if you need me."

"Alright...I'll see you soon."

A smile crept over her face with a hint of sadness when he departed, Murata writing down a shopping list in his notebook as he made his first patrol around the city. With only a hat, the rain covered his shell with a miserable fatigue from the heavy atmosphere. Despite the sour weather, Gaho appreciated the rain since most creatures preferred not to start trouble or cause misdemeanours when soaking wet.

Most of the citizens out were kappas, savouring the water with their overflowing heads drenching their backs whilst they danced in the streets, much to the chagrin of reptiles and insects who hated being wet. With mammals it was a mixed affair, with canines splashing around in puddles and felines scowling under doorways.

"Units near Theater Square, please respond."

His radio clicked off his shoulder as he called in.

"This is one-eight-three-two, go ahead."

"Signal 22 F reported in Theater Square, multiple suspects."

"Ten-four, en route, over and out."

Murata was partly thankful that if any sort of fight was going down in the city, it would be in the Theater Square. A wide-open place allowing citizens to escape, as well as himself and authorities to come from any direction and pen the would-be criminals in. That said he was surprised any sort of engagement would be going down in the midst of this weather, despite the rain now starting to taper off as he approached the Stega arcade.

There he saw two groups standing either side of the square, one wearing blue jackets, the other wearing green as they bigged each other up and started whooping up the place whilst pedestrians skirted round giving them filthy looks. First on the scene was Reed O'Sauressy, standing to one side keeping his fists at the ready.

"Anything kicking off?" Murata asked.

"Not yet," the serpent shook his head, "they've just been shouting at each other."

"Are they new gangs? I've never seen them before."

"There's a gang for everyone nowadays, probably all met up in some internet chatroom-"

"Chatroom?" Gaho smirked. "Nobody's been in one since '92, now it's stickwalls."

"The fuck is a stickwall?" snorted Reed.

"It's a messageboard, but faster."

"Why not call it a damn messageboard then, kids these days."

"YOU BEST NOT BE STEPPIN' ERE!" shouted a horse in green.

"I AIN'T STEPPIN' NOWHERE!" barked a crab in blue. "You think you hot shit?!"

"I KNOW I'm hot shit, I'm nuclear, I'm atomic one-oh-one!"

"Only one-oh-one you are is yo' test scoring grade!" the crustacean waved.

"Still better than yours!" the horse shook her fist. "Ninety-nine problems an' every one of 'em yours!"

"OHHHHHHH!"

The green-jackets threw their arms from the hard diss as the blue-jackets rolled their eyes, a motley crew on both sides of various mammals, reptiles and crustaceans.

"Alrigh' let's step it up!" the horse marched forth. "Whoever beat this mix-up, gets the square an' it's rights!"

"You best step back then," the crab waltzed up to her, "this playground too big fer your tic-tac-toe."

"Only tic-tac-toe round here is you getting nought!"

"Says the one amma 'bout to cross OUT!"

"OOOOOOOH!"

Another hard diss in return, the blue gang reeling from the verbal force of their leader's strike as the mare watched her group just shrug with insolence. Murata simply shook his head.

"Which one you want to take?" he asked Reed.

"I'll go for the greens," Sauressy cracked his knuckles, "need more of 'em in my diet."

"Hahah, nice."

"Y'ALL READY FER THIS?!" the horse cried with a finger to the air. "BATTLE FER THE SQUARE, HIT IT DAO!"

A goose with striking pink coiff pulled out a surprisingly old-school portable stereo, a boombox with a small vinyl record in the centre that could be switched out in its deck. Planting it on the stone partition of the Theater Square with a waterproof covering, she clicked play as the music came fresh and powerful.

"What...the hell?" Reed squinted hard.

"Is...is this a dance battle?" Murata scoffed.

"Gods is this what the world has come to now?! Kids can't even fight properly it's all showing off!"

"Well, at least it saves us the bother of arresting them if it's only public disturbance."

The horse in the emerald jacket popped her collar and started to dance, hard hooves clacking on the square as she switched between her feet and made a spun like a ballerina, before she planted her hands on the ground and twirled her body faster. Twisting herself over and over like a clothesline in a hurricane, the mare spun into a blur of green and brown, kicking raindrops in every direction like a shrapnel grenade before handspringing back onto her feet.

Her gang hollered and crowed as the blue-jackets jeered and booed. The crab leader stepped with his pincers high and his smaller arms crossed, pumping his skittering feet to the beat as he made little sidesteps almost like he were tapdancing. Then he suddenly cartwheeled with a powerful stomp, rolling like a tire to leave a trail of splashing rainwater behind.

When he stopped he fell on his back, but kept spinning with the momentum to turn into a blender of pincers as he spun four complete rotations. When he stopped, he balanced upon his own massive claws in a full handstand, a gasp of surprise from both sides before the crustacean rolled forth and upright, much to the applause of his peers who whooped and rolled their fists at the green-jackets, who snorted trying not to look impressed.

"Well at least they're talented," Sauressy chuckled, "I kinda just wanna leave them now, they're not really causing trouble."

"I do need to check if they have permits," the turtle rolled his eyes, "fun as it is, we do have rules."

"Awww c'mon Murata, they're just kids having a blast, let's pass this one."

"I'm just going to ask."

Walking towards the dance-off, Gaho couldn't help thumping his head to the rhythm as the horse and the crab kept on "fighting". The mare handplanted and spun her legs above herself, spiralling like a helicopter with powerful thighs glistening in the rain as a storm crackled above their heads with brief flashes of lightning.

The crab countered with his own handstand, stabbing the tiles of Theater Square with his claw and going one step further by spinning entirely on one pincer. When he started turning slow, he jumped to his other claw and spun faster again with the force of gravity, twisting his body closer and closer towards his equine opponent.

The horse made a daring move by swinging her entire body low like a baseball bat, swiping at the crab's claw to try and trip him over. He jumped over her sweeping leg as the crowd gasped with excitement, both gangs and onlookers struck in awe at the skill of their breakdancing moves. The crab and the mare leapt upright once again and were about to pull off their next moves, when Murata waded in.

"Excuse me!"

"EH?!" the horse snapped. "DAO, PAUSE!"

The goose paused the boombox as Gaho put up his hands.

"I'm sorry to bother you on the stage, but do you have a permit for this public display?"

"Whut?!" the crustacean swaggered up with eyestalks high. "Whutcha mean permit, the streets are free yo!"

"I wish, but city ordinance rules indicate a prolonged gathering of participants equating more than five creatures, needs to be authorised."

"Dude yer harshing our vibe," the horse stepped beside her opponent, "why we gotta get a permit to dance, whut the cops gotta chaperone us now?!"

"There are enough of your members here," continued Murata looking both sides, "that this is now considered a gathering and as such if you're planning some sort of competition, you need the proper permits."

"You don't PERMIT dance, old dude, we dance to the music of TIME!"

"Damn right!" the crab crunched his claws. "We dance to the seasons, through poverty, labour, riches and pleasures, like a quartet yo!"

"And who exactly are you two?" Gaho raised his brow.

"I'm Dan-no-Mite, leader of the Hexie Gang!"

"An' I'm Umashi!" the horse thumped her chest. "Chief of the Cao Ni Ma, we face our eternal rivals, the Hexie on the streets, the only real way any kaiju fight!"

"Through the power of DANCE!"

The two leaders posed suddenly together, hard-leaning with their gangs equally whooping it up and pounding their feet so hard that the square itself shook with energy. Murata looked towards Sauressy who put up his hands and stepped back, smiling cheeky at the turtle who scowled and turned back to the dancers.

"I respect your talents," he began, "and I'm sure the public appreciate your display, but if you're going to bring your gangs here, that makes it a gathering."

"So whut you expect us to go it alone?!" Umashi snapped stomping her hoof. "Why you gotta be like that?!"

"Yeah you like the Winter!" said Dan-no-Mite thumping his claw. "You stifle our progress with rules o' necessity, sever us apart 'til the day of our fecundity!"

"Hell yeah, this ain't no winter o' discontent, we in the summertime of our youth an' you stifle us like the dark cloud of indemnity, over the fruits of our passion!"

"Alright alright this isn't college," Murata waved his hands. "What is it going to take for you two to take this somewhere not-public?"

"Until one of us is DOWN!" the horse crunched her fists. "This beat ain't over 'til one of us is over!"

"Unless YOU can beat us," the crustacean waved his claw, "you feds even got any moves at the police ball?!"

"Naaah, these old-timers they prob'ly waltz an' shit!"

"Hehaaah, only turntable these fools get is the one squeezin' their donut-asses in the office!"

"Alright," Murata nodded.

"Yeah alright, he even say-wait, what?!"

"I'll dance you off." The turtle grinned crossing his arms. "You say if I can beat you, you all leave peacefully."

"Are you fo' REAL?!"

Umashi scoffed as her gang started laughing with her, followed by the Hexie gang in suit with Dan-no chortling.

"You think you can step with US?!" the crab reeled back. "I ain't never seen no cop at a dance-off!"

"Well there's a first time for everything," Gaho grinned, "what do you say? If I win, you all leave and next time you do any gatherings, you get a permit."

"Alrigh' alrigh'," the horse backed up with a smile, "it's your funeral big guy, but if we win, you gotta step off an' let us do our thang."

"Deal." He offered his hands that both of them shook. "Show me what you got, don't hold back."

"OHOOOOH YEAH alright, you wanna go hard mode, we doin' hard mode!"

The crab and the horse stepped back to their places as Dao the goose clicked play on the boombox, the small vinyl disc spinning inside as Umashi and Dan-no-Mite braced themselves. The stone partition that sat to one side of the square, would be their prop to perform as Dan offered Umashi to go first.

The leader of the Cao Ni Ma did a little trot with her hooves, pumping her legs before she did a mean slide with a long leg and a clap of her hands, spinning on one hoof and curving her body to a C-shape that pulled back into a handstand, focusing on grace rather than speed as she spun her body in a vortex of jade. She flipped backwards and landed on her hooves, launching again with a karate kick towards the stone wall and backflipping harerd into the air with a striking arc of raindrops that swirled above her head.

Gasps of joy rang from the green-jackets, their rivals also astonished by her powerful move as Dan-no-Mite stepped to the plinth. With a scuttling hop he rolled forwards and sprang on both his clawed hands, planting his feet on the waist-high partition and jumping high with a twirling spin in the air. Propelling himself like a bullet across the square, the crustacean divebombed into a roll and whirled on his back like a spinning top seven times, before laying himself out on his side.

"Beat THAT!" He snapped his claw. "It's not too late to back out, cop."

"Heheh." Murata pulled off his jacket. "I never walk away from a challenge."

"//Oh my gods,//" Sauressy snickered to himself, "//he's actually gonna do it, holy shit wish I had a camera.//"

The turtle took a deep breath and had been steadily compling a few moves of his own whilst he watched them. Starting off with a small shuffle back and forth, he jumped back and forth from one leg to the other to limber himself up before he spun on his heel and did a cartwheel to his left, stepping towards a streetlight and grabbing the pole to spin faster.

To the shock of the growing audience as more passersby stopped to look, Gaho threw himself from the lamp-pole and went tearing across the square to do a side-flip, a backflip, then another backflip that shot him higher before a third backflip that went even higher to land upon the stone partition whilst facing the gangs. The squat-legged turtle spread his arms wide, rolling forwards off the wall and turning into a bowling ball across the ground with alarming speed.

He stopped at the other end of the square right in front of Reed, skidding to a halt when he dug his claws into the gravel and turned hard with a screeching tear like a motorcycle. The audience applauded, Sauressy started laughing, and a few of the gang members even joined in with their holler as Dan and Umashi looked to each other stunned.

"Sh-shit," she muttered, "cop's got moves."

"B-but we can't give up the square, neither of us!" he shook his claw. "We gonna have to do it, the forbidden technique!"

"Wait what?!" Umashi gasped. "You don't mean but...th-that means we gotta work together?!"

"What's more important, our rivalry, or our reputation?"

She looked to Murata who stood with arms crossed and a bobbing head. The two leaders looked then to each other, as the horse grinned with a solemn nod.

"You right...we gotta put aside our differences, for the greater good of...the dance."

"Hell yeah, let's go Umashi!"

"Alrigh' Mite, let's SYNCHRONISE!"

Grabbing each other's arms, they braced for their ultimate technique as the horse bounced herself on top of her rival, the crab bending down to let her stand on his back whilst their fellow dancers looked on in disbelief. To think their own leaders would combine their powers into one tower of dancing revolution was unthinkable until now.

Spreading her arms Umashi went to her classic handstand move, but now on top of her new ally as Dan-no-Mite thumped his body to give her a sense of rhythm. Once she steadied herself, the horse started spinning once more, but then the crab bounced even harder and lifted her higher to go flying like a dandelion seed. She grabbed at Mite's leg when he did a handstand on his claw and with a shocking form of balance, towered over the square with her hooves reaching the sky and his claws touching the earth.

Cries of elation came from both the Cao Ni Ma and Hexie at such perfect harmony, even Murata and Sauressy gasped at their synchronicity. Dan started to spin on his claws, aided by Umashi who pushed upwards to spin a full 180 degrees, and grab his feet again with opposite hands. Twisting her body like a corkscrew to wrench his legs and give him much stronger momentum, she threw him upwards with a twisting rotation of her arms.

Somersaulting off the ground and aided by the horse's momentum, the crab landed on his feet and grabbed his dance partner with both claws to a rapturous applause, the entire square awash with ululation as the gang leaders pointed at Murata, gasping and sweating.

"BEAT THAT, SUCKA!"

"SHIT!" Sauressy reeled back. "Okay, I think they got you beat!"

"Like hell they do." Gaho cricked his neck. "Sauressy, when I tell you, lift me up."

"Wh-WHAT?!"

"I'm not losing this, not before I show them my real technique."

"Are you serious, you're a cop, not a dancer!"

"I'm not just a cop." He turned back to his friend with a smile. "I won high-school gymnastics at Yomijiro High for three years running. Now follow my lead!"

Bracing himself for his powerful move, Gaho started to dance on his toes and spun himself faster and faster, building up speed towards the lamppost nearby before he planted his hand on the ground and kicked hard upwards in a diagonal strike. Wrapping his legs around the pole, he barked to Sauressy for help as the serpent quickly grabbed his partner and threw him higher up the pole.

Every foot he climbed Murata did with style, swinging himself faster like an ape through the trees as he swapped from hand to foot, hooking around the steel pipe much to the excitement of the crowd. Sometimes Murata even dared to grab the pole with two hands and swing out farther, before twisting his body in a reverse-grip to wrap both feet around the pole, and suddenly throw himself onto the horizontal beam of the streetlight.

The crowd went wild when he swung his entire body round the lamp like a true gymnastics champion, his large shellheaded physique masking a shocking dexterity as he spun faster in seven full rotations. The world turned upside down for the turtle with every swing up high of his stubbier legs, the water splishing off his shoes as the rain continued pouring sleek off his back.

When he finally released, he shot himself across the Theater Square like a hockey puck and spun on his shell with a savage ferocity, the striking clash of his scutes across the tiles skidding like soap to the point no one knew where his head or feet were. So fast he became, the wind started to pick up briefly round the square as dust and detritus would fly up around him, a small storm of trash before he finally stopped on a dime, shot his legs up high and struck a pose in a single handstand.

The audience exploded with cacophony, absolute screams from even both of the gangs as hands, claws and paws hammered against each other in rapturous ovation. Gaho shuddered with heaving gasps, sweat pouring down his brow as he smiled at his opponents before upending himself back on his feet, and bowed to the stunned Umashi and Mite who stood with mouths gaping.

"Holy shit," the crab shook his head, "dude wuz...like a living bullet!"

"A hella...aeromancer," the horse rubbed her eyes, "like he made a bet with Nike the goddess! Spun his ass on her wings, like they were rims even when he stop moving!"

"Hehehahahaha, dude yer such a dork!"

"Ey-ey, I took classics in college, I ain't gonna let that shit rust!"

They walked up towards the heaving turtle, the cop smiling as the two dancers bowed in respect.

"We know when we beat," said Umashi, "shame yer a cop, cuz...hooo, you got hella style where'd you, haaah, learn to dance?!"

"Kappokawa...Community College," said Murata panting, "gymnastics, haaah, was my minor."

"Hate to see yer major," the crustacean Mite clapped his claws, "we'll get ourselves outta here, you own this square now."

"Hold on." Murata shook his head. "I'm not banning you from the square, you can always come back if you just get the permits, and if you need any assistance I can help with that."

"Yeah yeah I getcha," the horse waved her hand, "but shit like that takes weeks, whut we gonna do then?!"

"Well...have you considered a partnership with a local business, to give your groups some credibility in the public eye?"

"Yo for real?" The crab raised his eyestalks. "Whut kinda place would take us an' our skills."

"There's a gym nearby, under the bowling alley, tell the owner that Murata sent you and you're looking to get sponsored for your dance competitions."

"We can do that?!" gasped Dan-no-Mite.

"I know the owner well, he helps me out in some of my duties, he'd be glad for the advertising. Just so you don't do anything stupid, and in turn you'll be supporting the local community, together."

"Together?" The crustacean looked to the horse. "Us?"

"I mean we did some pretty sick moves," Umashi nudged the crab, "we can still be rivals, just gotta play up the bit yanno."

"Hmmm...a'ight, we talk this over with our folks, but I'm still yo' rival, you the only breaker I respect to get on my level."

"Hellll yeah," she high-foured him, "hey uh, cop? Thanks fer the show!"

"It's Murata," the turtle bowed, "I'm glad I could help, when you get your permits, I'd love to see you dance again."

"Awhaw yeah, you gonna step up to us again?!"

"Only if you invite me, I know three's a crowd."

They chuckled and hollered to their folks, taking the boombox with them as they dispersed peacefully and the audience clapped to their farewell. Gaho smiled and walked back towards Sauressy who shook his head in the rain.

"Let's be honest, you just wanted to show off didn't you?"

"What? Noooo." The turtle chuckled.

"I see that smirk of yours, don't tell me you didn't enjoy being in the spotlight."

"Hahah, well...it was pretty fun," Murata rubbed his cheek, "and I got a free show with some pretty impressive moves."

"Mmhmm," the monster rolled his eyes, "what kinda moves?"

"That double-handstand they did at the end...it gives me some ideas for future encounters.

"Ohhh I bet, how come I never see you go this hard during the charity ball?"

"Well that's different," Murata shrugged as they walked down the street, "I'm just showing ladies a good time, not trying to destroy someone's street cred."

"Well you sure destroyed mine," Sauressy stepped ahead of him, "now I don't wanna be seen next to you."

"I can teach you to dance as good as me, you only have to ask-"

"Like hell I am, you think I can pull off that breakdancing shit when I'm almost sixty?"

"Alright," Gaho spread his arms, "just saying no one thought I could do it because I was short and fat-"

"Yeah yeah save it for the biopic wouldya?"

Taking the long walk on their patrol route, across Shachifuku Street from west to east, the two officers circled around the entire outer rim of Kaijurocho down Zennyo Avenue, along Showa Street, and up Tenkaiju Street with almost no problems in the rain-slick afternoon. Gaho noted how much calmer Reed was during the soft pouring rains, pattering on his police hat and down his coat despite an odd listlessness in his yellow eyes.

"Remind you of home?" Murata pointed up.

"Sorta," Reed sighed, "living on the east coast of the U.S is rather weird, the weather gets temperamental and the winters get hard."

"So you're used to living near the sea, makes being in Japan perfect."

"Heh, yeah, I'm used to this...wonder if Yokohama woulda been better a pick for me."

"I think wherever you do good work was a good choice for you," said Gaho patting his friend, "you're a good partner, Sauressy-san."

"Heheh...thanks, Murata-san."

As they walked past the alley between Tenkaiju and Nagamichi, Sauressy stopped when he heard a gentle whimpering, putting a finger to his fangs as he walked carefully down the small lane. In the public park surrounded by walls with its two vending machines and some basic swings, they found a familiar-looking figure huddled in the corner. Sauressy groaned inwards at the sight of the ragged teenage monkey swaddled in yellow clothes as Murata gasped.

"Is...wait, is that-"

"Iiii think it is," Reed grimaced, "want me to call the hospital-"

"Hold on."

Gaho stepped closer towards the simian. The sound of his quiet sobbing turned louder before he sensed the cop's presence and looked up, his head soaked by the rain pouring off the gutterpipes.

"Sun Wukong? Is that you?"

"...n-no." The ape pulled back. "He's...h-he's not here, right now."

"Ahh, I'm sorry, I was mistaken you looked like someone I-"

"H-he's sleeping right now. Well, I mean I think he is, I dunno how it works."

"Are you alright?" Murata sat in front of him.

"N-no." the monkey gripped his head. "This...I just want to sleep, I-i just wanna sleep."

"Why are you out here then, did you leave the clinic on your own?"

"N-n-no...she came, s-said I had to go...go back."

"Who did?"

"The one I...that lady I call mom."

Sauressy's eyes widened as he tapped his radio indicating to Gaho to call it in. Murata shook his head and turned back towards the sullen ape.

"Your mother came to the clinic?"

"She's not my mother." The ape pulled his knees. "Sh-she...I call her mom, but she's not really my mom."

"Is she your stepmother, a guardian?"

"N-no, no she's not, I'm not adopted it's just I dunno if she's real!"

"She's...not real?" Gaho shook his head. "I don't understand what you mean."

"I don't know if...if I'm real," the chimp rubbed his head, "I don't know where I am, nothing fits anywhere I go."

"You're in Kaijurocho, in Public Park 3. It's the year 2014, does that help-"

"I'm not STUPID!" the monkey slammed his fist in the dirt. "I know what this place is, I know what year it is!"

"Alright, alright," the turtle put up his hands, "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to understand."

"I don't FUCKING KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!" He clutched his head and started rocking violently. "N-no one's taking me seriously, I keep telling everyone I'm not here, that I'm a ghost following my own body around a-and Sun Wukong is the one driving it!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Reed stepped forward at last. "You know Sun Wukong's just fiction right?"

"What ISN'T fiction then?!" the boy shouted back. "Nothing in this city feels real, it's all fake, like I'm just words printed out on a screen!"

"Are you pulling my damn leg or what?!"

"I-i...I feel like a screen is burning on the back of my head. Like I'm being born in a lab, but I'm the people watching me. And it gets hot, and the lamps are burning, and all I see are circles, circles above my head, and all of them are the sun, and all of them keep burning, and every time I talk, there's more words, and more words, and they keep filling up the screen and there's this tapping and it keeps, TAPPING, INTO MY FUCKING SKULL!"

"Alright, look you clearly been out in the sun for too long, even though it's raining, so stop being so melodramatic and pull yourself together-"

"Sauressy!"

Murata gestured him to step away as the monster shrugged with a heave, the shellbacked detective turning back to the chimp.

"Can I at least know your name?"

"Wh-why?" he shuddered. "S-so you can take me back, so you can put me in a box, where I'm gonna watch the dust covering my eyes, cover my face, but I can't even FEEL myself getting old and dying like everyone else?!"

"No, because if I know your name, then that assures me you're real."

"...what?"

"Every day I work with records, papers and filing," the turtle explained patting his knee, "when I have a profile of someone's face, I can't process it if I don't know their name, so they're not real in the system yet...you understand?"

"I...I-i sorta do," the simian wrapped his tail round himself.

"But when I get a name, that creature becomes real, acknowledged. So if you're worried about not being real, as you say, then maybe giving me a name will help make you real."

"But...b-but, you're not real. Nothing in this city is."

"Do you know that for certain?" asked Murata leaning close. "You know the stuff Sun Wukong talked to me about, right?"

"Uh yeah, cuz it's still me dumbass, it's just the other me!"

"Hey watch your mouth," Sauressy snarled, "you might have problems but you still speak proper to authority-"

"I don't fucking care what you think you old bastard, what are you gonna do!?"

"If you start acting out crazy again I'm gonna need to detain you."

"FINE!" The boy jumped up to his feet. "I'm sick of this shit, I HATE this, always looking at myself like I'm some puppet, I just wanna FEEL my hands again, feel my feet when I'm walking a-and taste stuff like it's me eating, not someone else doing it!"

"I'm giving you one last warning," Reed waved his finger, "you best calm your words or I'll-"

"YOU'LL WHAT, KILL ME?! FINE, DO IT YOU BITCH, IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA KILL ME, THEN I'LL DO IT MYSELF!"

Sauressy pulled back with a sudden gasp. His snout dropped with a trembling shock as he clutched his heart and staggered back against the bench. Murata raised his hands calling for peace.

"No one wants to see you dead. That would be terrible, I would never want that."

"Who gives a fuck about me huh!?" the ape shouted with tears in his eyes. "You don't even know who I am, you only met Sun Wukong, and he's not fucking real he's from a stupid book I just read!"

"I know that. I still talked to him through you because I didn't want to upset you."

"You never even met ME, why the FUCK would you care?!"

"Because I believe in you."

Gaho pinched his beak with a heavy sigh trying to best form his words.

"You're afraid that you're not real, or any of this is, right?"

"N-no, I know it isn't!"

"So what happens if I believe that you're real? Do I make you real, is there a way I can bring you to reality?"

"No! I just...I-i dunno!"

"It's okay to not know everything," Murata offered his hand, "no creature does. But that's why we work together, so we help each other understand-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" the boy slapped his hand away. "Y-you don't...you don't understand, what it's like t-to see everything like this, like nothing is anything. I-i can't FEEL anything, my head is burning, my feet keep floating, I-i don't know what the fuck you want from me!"

"You feel angry and upset, don't you? Surely that means you're real-"

"NO IT DOESN'T!"

The monkey covered his face and pushed himself against the wall, a quiet sob trembling from his throat as Murata offered a tissue from his pocket, one of several he had for such needs.

"Th-thanks," the boy wiped his tears, "I-i'm sorry...I-i don't know what to do."

"It's fine," said Gaho nodding, "I'm sorry I can't help you more, but you were doing well at the clinic weren't you?"

"I-it was fine," the chimp gulped his tears, "just...that lady came a-a-and I tried to...tell them I didn't wanna go, I didn't wanna leave but she...she fucking lied a buncha shit."

"Would you like me to come with you? I don't need to know what's going on with this lady if that's too sensitive, but, do you want me to make sure she can't come take you again?"

"Could...c-could you?"

His voice was plaintive with a hopeful gasp as Murata nodded. He offered his hand again and the monkey took it, shuffling behind the turtle who looked over to Reed.

"Sauressy, you coming?"

"I'll uh, you go ahead," the serpent waved his hand, "just need a minute."

The sergeant detective became worried for his friend, seeing Sauressy's head droop and a face he knew was struggling to hold back tears. He walked with the boy back towards the Kumoto Medical Clinic on Suppon Street, just west of Tenkaiju. The pavement was shimmering from the storm, the lights of the signs above turned to a smear in the puddles under their feet as they stepped up to the door of the tall white building and buzzed in.

"OH, Murata-san!"

The polar bear Kumoto appeared, gasping at the sight of the young ape behind him.

"What...what happened, why is Sumi-kun with you, I thought-"

"There appears to be more to the story than we think," said Murata, "tell me what happened since last month."

"Well, Sumi-kun's mother came and she assured me that he was getting well-cared for at home, and he just got lost in the city. We looked up his name and well, his family wasn't hard to find after."

"I see. Can I ask, if she comes calling again, that you inform me as well so I can meet with her?"

"Of course, is...something wrong?" the bear squinted turning his head.

"I would just like to discuss with her my concerns about your patient."

"I...see. Sumi-kun?"

The monkey barely responded but seemed to acknowledge his presence.

"I have a room available for you, if you would like someplace to sleep."

"Thank you." He sighed with a genuine relief. "C-can...if that lady comes back, please don't let me leave, okay?"

"I...I will try but as you are underaged, she is your legal guardian an-"

"Sumi-kun." Murata stepped up beside the youth. "If she comes back, I will return and keep you safe."

"Why?" Sumi shrugged. "Why would...anyone care-"

"Because I believe in you. Remember that. Alright?"

"...o-okay."

The bear took him inside the clinic and handed him over to a nurse, turning back towards Murata with a look of concern.

"Do you suspect foul play?"

"I have no evidence," the officer shook his head, "and I can't ask you because of patient confidentiality."

"Correct. You know I would not have let him go if I suspected something wrong."

"I know Kumoto-san. But if his mother returns, please call me first so I can meet her beforehand."

"Alright, but if I have no reason to suspect, I cannot detain him if she wishes to take him home."

"Understood," the detective bowed, "thank you again."

Bowing in return, the doctor returned to the clinic as Murata headed back to the park where Sauressy waited. His arms were wrapped round himself, his lips pulled back as the turtle stepped closer.

"Sauressy? Are you alright?"

"Mmm?" The monster looked up with reddened eyes. "Yeah, sorry I just got a bit tired."

"Do you...need help-"

"No." Reed stood up quickly walking away. "I'm just tired, it's fine-"

"Sauressy." Murata stepped in front of him. "I'm not going to ask. It's fine."

"Course it's fine, I'm jus-"

"But if you need anything...just tell me, alright? You're my partner, even off-duty."

"Sure, thanks."

With embarrassed look, Sauressy headed up Tenkaiju Street as they finished their regular route. He never spoke for the rest of the shift, only saying a farewell to Gaho once they were done and headed back to the station. Clocking off for the day, they went their separate ways back in civilian clothes as Murata pulled out his shopping list for Gerumba.

"Alright, let's see...rum, vermouth, wormwood, bourbon, magnesium and Speppit...I can get the last two at the chemist's, the others I'll just check every Poppo."

The afternoon crawled on as the sky continued to pour down with a light drizzle, the sun hidden behind the dark grey clouds as water dripped from the colourful signs, stained with scarlet and gold and electric blue. Walking around Kaijurocho in a long crawling circle for every convenience store, Gaho found the drug store at the corner of Pink Street and Zennyo to buy some magnesium, and the on-brand stomach medication.

The longer he walked the more depressed he became, his energy from the dance-off now petering as he wandered in a half-daze through the streets. Most of the drinks he would find in various stores, a bag in his hand now filled with bottles, but one eluded him still as he tried to avoid the Kumoto Clinic, and stepped into the Poppo store on Tenkaiju.

"Welcome sir!"

A green reptile with earfins and red eyes bowed to him.

"Hello," Murata bowed, "I'm looking for some vermouth and oil of wormwood, do you have any?"

"Ah...worm...wood?"

"I don't know what that is, sorry it's on my list, do you have any?"

"Mmmm...no, sorry," the clerk shook his head, "but, we have vermouth!"

"Oh thank gods," the turtle sighed, "I've been looking everywhere in town, it's surprising how hard it is to find."

"Poppo here for all your needs, sir!"

The clerk pointed over to the chilled drinks as Gaho picked up a reasonably-priced bottle of vermouth, before stepping back to the counter.

"Big party tonight?" the reptile pointed to the bag.

"Oh, yeah," Gaho smiled, "just a few odds and ends."

"Hope it's good! Have a good day sir!"

"Thank you, you too."

Paying up as he took his leave, Murata sighed with the rain continuing to fill the streets as he walked north. A brief look at the Kumoto Clinic betrayed his concern, but then he saw much to his surprise a familiar kaiju take his leave.

"Is...is that, Zura-san?"

It was the same hairy mole-beetle from his ping-pong group, dressed in his blue mechanic's outfit with a sorrowful hunch in his step. He stared down at his hands with trembling fright, then clutched his head, gave a gentle sob, and shuffled towards the bus stop in the Hotel Distirct as Murata was tempted to follow.

"No," he pulled himself back, "it's something personal, I shouldn't get involved...if it comes up during the Go-Wraths, I'll ask him then."

For now his primary objective was to return to Gerumba with most of the ingredients. Heading to the south part of Nagamichi Alley, behind the buildings of Showa Street, Murata went up the stairs of the small apartment complex and was about to knock on the door when he noticed it was slightly ajar. Clenching himself as he went in detective mode, he opened the door gently and reached for his holster before realising he left it back at the office.

Instead he grabbed the cheapest bottle from his bag, the rum, and crept inside the apartment with bated breath as he scanned the front room. A cup smashed on the floor, and a few pieces of clothing ripped off near the bed. Gerumba was gone.

"No...n-no. Oh gods."

As he turned to make his leave, he saw something on the wall of the kitchen area next to the door. His eyes widened as his worst fears were confirmed. Painted upon the wall, was an eye in a triangle with sharp daggers crossed beneath it. He finally realised where he had seen that symbol before. An envelope at the police station a few days ago. From Kaneyama herself.