Life's Requiem, Death's Caterwaul (Champion Leon X OC [Slight x Raihan])

Many Meetings II

Kalos,

Santalune City Gym

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"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Leon bellowed from the screen on Cassandra's phone. She watched with a grin as the orange skinned Pokémon lifted its snout up, a flame building in its jaws, and then threw it back forward to unleash a fierce flame at the poor trainer intern. Their bug-type Pokémon honestly didn't stand a chance, but it did its best to deal with its singed body as it struggled to rise. Leon was going through his second trainer now, and being that he'd already hit three dead ends, he was most likely going to go through all of them before he got to the Gym Leader. He was dorky like that, and she liked it quite a bit.

Thankfully, all of his followers did, too, and boy were they enjoying watching it based on the comments and likes he was seeing. For them, she supposed it was fun--and endearing, to see their beloved Champion going through a Gym Challenge just like they did or were at the time. After all, it had been over a decade since he had, and they were going to watch him grow with new Pokémon for the first time in a long time. She imagined it would be like if Lance or Cynthia did the same. It made them more human, in a way.

"Really, though... his Charizard is something else. Chara still has a ways to go," she sighed, watching the fire-lizard move and fight in ways hers hadn't come to fathom yet. She was doing well for being almost only two years old, though. It would be interesting how her and Froakie, who was even younger, would fare. She glanced down at the balls on her hip, thinking of them resting in there, and then glanced back up as her phone buzzed and the screen changed to show a picture of a very familiar face--one eerily similar to Leon's.

Then again, they were brothers.

"Hey, Hop! To what do I owe the call? It's getting about supper time isn't it?" she inquired, grinning at the young man's sheepish look.

He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah--but I brought some food 'cause I'm stuck at the lab right now."

"Oh! You're not staying up too late are you? Leon told me you've been getting bad--your mom's been complaining to him."

"Uuugh, I knoooow... I don't mean to--I just get caught up in Sonia's work, and I gotta think of my own!"

'Oh, wow. You have a lot on your plate," she hissed with sympathy, then paused, thinking. "You were trying to call Leon, but he's busy."

He winced, and she knew she hit the mark as he sighed, "Yeah... I mean... Yeah. I wanted to ask him for some advice--y'know, the big bro life advice. I'm just kinda lost, and 'Lee always knew how to cheer me up and say the right things. Even when he doesn't get all the science, he just kinda... the words always worked."

"Well... he might be a bit still, but..." she hummed, scratching her cheek lightly. "I dunno, maybe I can help? What's eating at you?"

"Aaahhh... I... mm... I guess... I'm just... I feel stuck," he sighed, shoulders slumping as he let his elbows settle on the coffee table beneath him. It looked like the sun was setting by the reddish glow through the window, and no doubt there was an experiment going on somewhere in there. "I don't really know what I want to do. I thought I did--especially after working with Team Rescue and talking to everyone a year ago, but... I'm still... I dunno, nothing clicks right. Sonia can't help me--I have to figure it out on my own besides like guidance on how to do an experiment, and Gloria's... well, she's busy so I can't run ideas like I used to."

"Uh-oh--relationship trouble, too?"

He jerked up, cheeks flushed, "Wha--no--we--we weren't.. I didn't... we weren't... aren't.. Dating."