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

Life's Requiem, Death's Caterwaul

"Did Looker find you?" Cassandra asked as she adjusted her belt and gloves. Beside the two Trainers, their Charizard stood; a little squeezed in even with their wings folded. Their bodies quivered with anticipation of the coming battle--as well as their anger with their foes.

Leon nodded, "Yeah; he showed up at our hotel. He was beaten up pretty badly. He let me know where you were, and after that it was just working through the Team Flare grunts and admins. It's how I found out about the energy source they needed. You're right--we should have done something sooner. Something more."

"No, you were right, they were dangerous and someone else should have handled it. Might have done a better job, too. I mean, getting captured? What an idiot am I?" the redhead scoffed, fists clenching.

"Don't do that, either--what's done is done... and we can hash out who was more right later, yeah?" Leon chuckled, bringing out a small smile from her. "I'm just glad you're okay... but now we need to focus on stopping Lysandre. And if we could handle the Brothers, well... we can handle this, right?"

"Yeah, definitely... but... we really do need to have that talk. There's a lot of things I said I didn't mean," she replied softly, eyes downcast.

"No--you did. We both did, and that means we need to talk. But let's survive this first, okay? Get all our frustration out on Team Flare so we can actually talk normally."

"We might still need a referee," she smirked, making him laugh this time.

"I had someone in mind--but I think he'd just throttle us to our senses."

"Oh my--I wonder who it is," she snickered before growing somber again. "I wish I understood what Lysandre was thinking. He's... not like the other groups. He's up to something bad--world-ending by the sound of it with the Weapon everyone's mentioning, and what AZ said... but it's like---I dunno. He should have finished me off. Finished you off. He should have used me as a hostage against you or had Giovanni--."

"Giovanni?! The infamous Rocket leader? He's here?" Leon balked.

She winced, "Ah, yeah, I forgot with everything going on, but--he's the shadow man. And I was right. It's Mewtwo. He's somehow got Mewtwo working with him and he... I dunno he made it sound like he needs me alive--for revenge? I'm not sure, but... apparently, I battled him in the past. But it was... so weird. It was a memory I had forgotten or was it locked away? I'm not sure, but... Mewtwo opened them up and I saw it--I did this... it was time travel I think--with Celebi."

"Celebi?"

"It's a special fairy-like Pokémon in Johto. A legendary, mythical being who lives in the Ilex Forest. I honestly thought that one was really just a fairy tale, but... it's real. Suicune will know more, which means we need to go back to my home at some point, I think. Silver needs to know he's back, too. Lance needs to know. I can't imagine he'd give up on claiming Kanto and Johto again, but... he's also... different. There's something else going on here, and I'm not sure what. Some other players, but he wouldn't say. It's... I don't like it. This is more than just gangs and criminals and delusional inventors," she grimaced, fists clenching hard. Leon's hand found hers and squeezed around her curled fingers. She looked to him--to his golden eyes which glowed with reassurance. She let herself be engulfed by it.

"We'll figure it out--one step at a time. And right now, the most immediate thing is stopping this Weapon and Lysandre."

"Which...I still don't know how, so I guess we'll have to play his little game and figure it out," Cassandra sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. "Just... thank Arceus you're here with me, 'Lee. Not sure I'd manage this one without you--not including the part where I got captured."