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

The Plot Thickens

Kalos,

Laverre City

It was a relief to be free of the woods, which had been spookier than expected. The swampy environment didn't help in the slightest--both nearly lost their shoes once or twice--and the weather had turned for the worse as rain decided to show up and ruin the parade. That is, except for the excitement of the former Champion's Amaura evolving after a hard battle against another Trainer. It was wholly unexpected, but still a delight to have the much larger, light-blue-skinned Pokémon with them, its translucent, rainbow-color fins waving gentle back and forth along its neckline. It was a sight to behold, and they reckoned its evolution was tied to the rain--an interesting note. It also meant all of his Pokémon were now fully evolved and ready to continue growing and training to their full potential. Their Trainer was unbelievably overjoyed and proud, and Cassandra was only a little envious, wondering when her own fossil-Pokémon and her Kirlia would do the same.

It would happen in time, she knew, though, and they had pressed on, finally reaching the city of Laverre. It was quite the far cry from the other areas of Kalos and especially Lumiose; gone were the sprawling, industrial buildings and paved roads; in their place a well-worn down dirt road lined by grass that extended into the tree line filled with leaves of reds, yellows, and oranges, and cutting through it all was a sinuous river overlain by bridges here and there. Indeed, foliage and nature had replaced grass, and the air smelled of flowers and delicate scents along the gentle breeze--enough to easily soothe one's soul. The homes were just as homely, made of wood over all, and almost like a step back into time, although they were all well-kept, and the denizens were quite lively and looked to be at peace. Most fascinating of all, though, was the tree in the center of the town to which all roads led; a massive, towering giant that rose well above its smaller companions below. It was so tall, in fact, that a house had been built right into it with a clock above that, and there was still space for the limbs above.

It was a grand sight, one which left the two staring for a good moment.

"Oh, wow... this is such a pretty place--I can barely believe this house is a Gym!" Cassandra laughed, gesturing to the symbol statue out front. She paused, though, making a closer note of the lower structure of the house. "It's weird, though..."

Leon turned her way, brow raised, "What's weird?"

"See the first few roofs?" she began, gesturing again. "That's not the Kalosian style we've seen so far. In fact... it reminds me more of back home--in Johto."

Her lover peered closer, scrunching his brows as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He even hummed aloud before setting his hands on his hips.

"You know, you're right--it does look more like your home... and y'know, some of the other houses here and even the Pokémon Center kinda resembled it, too. I thought it was just some fun aesthetic or something we hadn't seen before... but even the small towns were different from this. It reminds me of Belladonna back home, too, actually. Well, kinda. The more 'forest' and 'nature-y' aesthetic, anyways."

"Yeah, you're right it does. Like a weird mix of my home and yours. It's... kinda cool actually! I do wonder if maybe someone from back home helped found the city, though? Just because the architecture is so similar."

"It definitely makes me curious--maybe the informant will know?" Leon offered, and she shrugged.

"Maybe. Either way, we're good to earn our badges. It's a fairy-type based Gym, so Steel and Poison-type moves are the best bet. I'm glad I taught Chara and Elektra some Steel moves; they'll be some of my main hitters. Lucas is a good back-up although his only Steel-based moved are buffs. But he's strong. Just sucks Fairy had an advantage over Fighting-types."