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

Flare & Stone

Kalos,

Route 10

The Route was a stark contrast to the paved roads of Cyllage, and even more-so to the beaches of the Route before it. Gone were the sands, and in its place a dirt road surrounded by grassy fields filled with vibrant, yellow flowers. It was akin to the routes on the other side of the mountain range, which was a delight. There was the oddity of the strange, gray stones scattered every which way, but nothing too absurd. At least, until they drew further northward and reached a stone fence that surrounded a myriad of stone pillars, all situated in a set pattern. They were all aligned perfectly, it felt, and with similar shape and height. It was almost unnatural. There were smaller stones set here and there, too, but their pattern felt more natural--without pattern or rhyme. And in the midst of it all, an underlying sense of something--some unseen force all around them the moment they entered the barrier.

"Maybe what that trainer said was true then--that they have energy? Or something? It's too bad I can't find anything from this 'Colress' they mentioned," the redhead mused as they walked northward. "It extends really far, too..."

"Looks like all the way to... Geosenge, was it?" Leon mused in kind, following with her along the set path carved through the tall grass.

"Yeah."

"I guess it's part of the town aesthetic?" he went on, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as they headed towards the next section. They were waylaid, though, as movement from behind the stones caught their eye. A flash of too much vermillion--in gaudy amounts, to be exact--in the form of a tailored suit and sunglasses that weren't needed on a cloudy day. The fashion faux pas glowered in their direction and even pointed, making them pause with very perplexed expressions.

"Stop right there! I remember you two! You're the ones who foiled our Fossil-finding plans!"

Cassandra sighed, "Oh Arceus... and you're that... Team Flareon, right?"

"Team Flare--why are you so rude!?" they snarled, but then scoffed. "Whatever. I wouldn't expect manners from such rude individuals. Just look at you, standing around these stones. Do you have any idea what they even are---?"

"Graves, right?" Leon replied, holding up his phone and pointing. "It literally says here in the information about the city."

"I--you--don't interrupt! I bet you don't know anything about the legend 3000 years ago that says--," they went on, then paused, mouth agape. They brought their hand to their mouth, mumbling, "Wait, what does it say?"

The former Champion went on, scrolling, "It says they're from 3000 years ago when there was a terrible war in Kalos. They're the graves of the Pokémon who died, and people have skeptical ideas about them. You can just read it on the Bulbapedia--."

The Team Flare member squawked, face a bright red, "Oh, whatever! Who cares about all of that!? It's time for me to get some sweet revenge... with style!"

"...Are we really? You do remember we kicked your asses before, right? We also outnumber you," Cassandra sighed, pulling out her ball for Chara, but then thought better of it. "You know what? Nevermind. This will be good training for our younger ones. 'Lee, you should use Arwen. I'm gonna let Rex get some training."

"Not a bad idea. Alright, you're on, Team Flare," Leon grinned, plucking out his ball and tossing it so the Amaura would come forth. Cassandra's Tyrunt was right behind, making the grunt grimace.

"So that's how it is, huh--alright, two vs two then!" he spat, unleashing his two Pokémon: a Houndour and Golbat.

"I'll take the Houndour--you get the Golbat," the redhead grinned, rolling her shoulders before crouching down to stroke her Pokémon under the jaw. "Ready to kick some ass, little guy?"