A/N: No, Pokémon does not belong to me. All similarities with Kuroshitsuji are purely coincidental. I've never heard of this series before some of you mentioned it. The basis of the Ceil and Desmond come from the characters Rachel Alucard and Valkenhayn from Arc System Work's Blazblue.
You could tell that it was a high-quality paper. The parchment was thick and durable, unlike the flimsy paper most text was printed on. Adorning the top was the recipient's name, written down in fancy cursive handwriting. A personalized stamp presented itself in the corner. The envelope it came in was twice the size of a normal one, with an emblem sealing its contents. Once you got it open, the first thing that caught your eye was a intricately-designed logo, followed by a handwritten script.
Dear patron,
Most likely, you are pondering why you have received this particular envelope and letter. Now that you have finished reading the previous statement, you probably expect me to answer your queries. My, what luck you're in! You are receiving this invitation for a very specific cause. I have personally chose you-yes, you- to participate in a very exclusive event. I have selected several people whose accomplishments have stood out from the rest of the common people. Therefore, only you and your other distinguished peers will be included in this event. Makes you feel dignified, doesn't it? Included in this letter is a special ticket which you may use for one of my various transportation vehicles; all exclusive, of course. You merely have to present this ticket at one of the several harbors or airports located throughout your region, and the rest will be taken care of. Be wary that my location is on an island far off from the coast of Hoenn, so you may have a longer trip than others. You must arrive at your destination within a week of receiving this letter. Bring your luggage and belongings as well, as you will be staying for a long period of time.
Now, you may have noticed I have not disclosed any information about the actual event itself, save for the location. I wish disclose this information in person. No further information will be revealed until the designated time and when I can see all of you face-to-face. However, I will tell you this: this is, quite simply, a competition. No, not a simple tournament, for those have been done to death and have grown stale; I find them rather monotonous and repetitive. "How will it be different?" One asks, curious. That, my friends, will be revealed on the day. I hope to see you there, and if you wish to dismiss this event, that would be quite a shame, wouldn't it?
Please, however, when you come, do not look like a slob.
Salutations,
-Ceil C.
Olivine City, Johto
Tony Faraday handed his "exclusive" ticket to the a dignified looking man standing next to the S.S. Aqua. The man took a quick glance at the ticket, which was not the usual boarding pass for Olivine Harbor. As the man inspected the ticket, Tony sighed and put his suitcase down, taking a moment to push his glasses up. Ever since the letter arrived, the competition was the only thing pervading his mind, making him excited for future comings. A chilly harbor breeze swept through his black hair. Zipping up his black jacket, he awaited anxiously for the man to finish. When he finally did, he gestured for Tony to follow him. Energized again, the eager fifteen year old followed the man around the harbor. The ocean waves threw themselves against the shoreline, and chatty townsfolk gossiped around, waiting for their ship to arrive. The crashing of the waves and the excess commotion made Olivine quite a noisy place.
"So," the ticket man said. "I take it you're going to this 'special' place?"
The sudden question startled him, but Tony quickly regained his composure.
"Y-Yeah," he replied, shivering in the cold air. He kept walking behind the man past the normal docks and ships.
The man sighed contentedly. "Must be lucky, going to wild excursions like this. Good to be young, lad, good to be young. A 'lotta other ones like you had this ticket."
Tony's eyes lit as he the man mentioned other potential contestants, but the thought was soon expelled from his head as the boy laid his eyes on the sight before him. At the very last harbor, there was an extravagant ship awaiting his arrival. The ship dwarfed the other ferries, and looked twice as good as well. A long chimney blew out a cloud of white smoke, and entire ship had a red-and-white themed color. What was noticeable, however, was the absence of any kind of name on the ship, only a giant letters "C.C" engraved on the sides. Tony wondered what it stood for, when the ticket man held an arm toward the ship, gesturing for Tony to get aboard.
An excited smile crept across his face as Tony took his first step on the steel platform leading to the ship. He looked back at the ticket man, and waved. The man responded by tipping his blue hat, and Tony walked upward to the ship, dragging his luggage behind him. He'd made it the high deck, and his eyes wandered around his surroundings, taking all the information is in. There were several chairs around the railings, with some people lounging around. Mostly teenagers were present, though he could spy some adults occasionally. There were tables for drinks and food, and Tony assumed there was much more to be found inside the deck. He walked down some stairs and as he put his bags in the compartment, a sudden voice from the left ringed out clearly.
"Hey, you!"
Tony's head turned around slowly to where the voice came from, for there was no one there besides him and the piles of bags and suitcases stocked up around him. Cautiously, he walked toward the voice.
"Yeah, you're going the right way. Just get closer. Excellent job," the voice continued. Tony couldn't do anything, he just kept listening to the voice in an attempt to locate where it was. It seemed like it was coming from brown, rectangular suitcase near the top of a pile. Tony made his way over to it, staring at it in disbelief. He turned wildly to see if anyone human was around him. Coming to a conclusion, his eyes fell back down onto the brown suitcase.
"You found me," the suitcase said in a rather dull tone.
Tony was sure it was coming from a suitcase he was looking at. He slowly opened his mouth.
"Umm... hello?"
He was talking to a suitcase. Great, another accomplishment to add to his list. Was he going insane after years of Pokémon battles?
"Finally! A conversation. That's what I wanted. So, what's your name?"
Tony shook his head. This is just a screwed-up reality my mind is making. Better just leave. He turned around and walked back past the luggage.
"Wait!" Tony could hear the suitcase cry after him.
"Even the we've only known each other for a short time, I feel a connection between us! I knew since the moment I met you, that I love you. I love you with all my interior leather compartments and high quality, stainless steel zippers!"
Tony paused for moment, then smacked himself in the head really hard. He seriously needed some sleep before he went hallucinating about suitcases falling for him. He shook his head and went on, before the suitcase spoke again.
"Hold up! Wait, oh crap, not again-"
The fifteen year old heard a loud crashing, something like a person falling, followed by several rumbles of bags falling down. Quickly, Tony turned, all thoughts of romantic suitcases escaped his brain and he swiftly ran toward the sound. There was jumbled mess of luggage on the floor, and he grabbed bags and pulled them off of whatever they were piling up on. After throwing away several of them, Tony panted and saw a darkly-dressed figure on the ground. The person seemed to notice Tony, and quickly jumped up, bringing all of his or her dark articles of clothing up with them.
"Greetings," the figure said darkly. Tony could see the figure, clearly female. She sported a small build and height, and was dressed in a dark vest, complimented by her black knee-length skirt. All this matched her hair, which was the same uniform dark-brown color. Most odd, though, was the black patch covering her right eye and the navy blue cape she wore. Quickly, she pulled the cape in front of her, obscuring her body except for the top of her face. She lowered her voice, adding a tremor to it, while her blank eyes stared right into Tony's, which had a mixture of confusion and awe.
"I am the X-traordinary, X-travagant, X-cellent, X. Lent!" She announced out loud, throwing the cape forward. Tony just stood there, not sure of what to do in this situation. He merely remained passive, staying absolutely still.
"And this..." she continued, pulling out something from behind her back, "... is my comrade, Lune."
What Tony saw was a puppet-like doll, hanging droopily, with one eye missing. Quickly, it perked up, looking directly at Tony and spoke in a strange voice.
"Hello, young man."
Tony knew what ventriloquism was, but this seemed like the doll was actually speaking to him. He kept up his passive facade, while on the inside he wanted to burst out of here the first opportunity he got. The girl and her doll continued to speak nonsense about excellency and other strange topics, and it seemed like forever before she stopped talking. When she finally did, she turned to Tony with her straight and unmoving face.
"Oh yeah, what's your name?" She asked.
"T-tony..." he mumbled, an edge of uncomforted strain in his voice. He slowly backed up.
"Well, Tony, Xena Lent is glad to meet you," she said, taking a large stride to the boy. Tony's eyes widened as Xena pulled out an object from her vest. It was simply a delicate blue flower. She handed it to Tony, who took it slowly. She turned back around.
"It's a forget-me-not," Xena declared. "For those who do not wish to forget me. With that, is off!" She dashed out of the luggage room, cape flying behind her, and up the stairs, leaving Tony behind. The boy stood, staring at the flower, before he heard a large crash near the stairs.
"Ow..." came a groan.
Sighing once more, Tony went to the stairs to help her.
Over the land of Hoenn...
Meanwhile, the participants in Hoenn had taken off on a private jet plane from the bustling Lilycove City. The jet effortlessly flew over the vast region, silently and quickly. The interior had large windows and a lush red carpet, with many glass tables lined up, stocked up with refreshments. Velvet couches provided people a place to rest. In the corner, a jazz group was playing a peaceful song with silky smooth tones. Matching perfectly with the environment, it provided a very ambient and quiet atmosphere.
Unfortunately, soon after the departure, the relaxing mood was broken by two adults who had gotten into some sort of argument. Initially, many people ignored their loud remarks toward each other, but after the insults resulted in some physical violence, action was taken. Currently, a large crowd gathered around the two men, who were itching to give the other a nice punch in the face. Angry remarks were hurled around, along with annoyed mumbles from the crowd.
Alicia Aliessen sought to seek refuge from the large commotion. Carrying her saxophone case with her, she found solace near the soft, soothing notes of the jazz group, who kept on playing despite being drowned out by the noise. A white rectangular board was tucked into her other arm, and tortoiseshell sunglasses rested in her chocolate brown hair. There were some leather seats provided near the jazz group, so she rested comfortably on one of them, appreciating the music. It made feel unusually cheerful. There was another girl sitting next to her with light strawberry blonde hair, wearing brightly-colored clothes, and she was closing her eyes. She seemed like she was enjoy the jazz ensemble's music as well. The girl seemed to sense Alicia's presence, and opened her eyes to meet hers. Alicia quickly looked away.
The girl approached closer, her rather uninterested-looking eyes sparked a bit. Alicia looked down. The other girl spoke, leaning on the armrest with her elbows.
"Hey... what's your name?"
Alicia shrugged.
"Not going to answer? Well, are you going to this 'special event' thing like everyone else on this plane is?"
Alicia's head bobbed up and down, signaling a 'yes'. The other girl leaned back in her chair, looking toward the jazz group again, particularly eyeing the shiny brass of the trumpet as it jigged up and down while being played. She turned toward Alicia again.
"You like jazz music?"
With a sudden jolt of movement, Alicia whipped her board on her lap and took out a black marker, making swift words out of them. When she finished, she showed the board to the girl, which said:
"Yes, I like jazz very much. I play saxophone."
"Why do you write on- oh, I see, you're mute... anyway, yeah, I should've guessed you played from your instrument case. My name's So, by the way."
A look of confusion spread across Alicia's face. Grabbing her board and marker again, she erased what she wrote and started to draw something on the board. Curious, the girl tried to peer over the board, but by then Alicia was done. She wrote in bold letters on top, "C SCALE". She drew five horizontal lines, representing the music staff. She had seven notes scribbled in, each one getting higher and higher. Around the middle one on the second line, a G note, she drew a circle around it and wrote: "This kind of So?"
Realization showed itself on So's face, and she nodded with a small smirk, although her eyes still maintained her disinterested look. On a musical scale, 'so' was associated with the fifth step up, which was G in the case of the C scale.
Alicia erased the scale from her board, feeling a bit more comfortable with his girl. She wrote once more.
"My name's Alicia."
"...alright, Alicia," So said after much consideration. "Seems you like music, so do you also like-"
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crashing noise. It seemed like one of the people who were arguing crashed into a table, knocking over several table ornaments and silverware in the process. One woman screamed. A shower of glass fell on the floor, looking almost like sparkles in the chandlier light. Maids rushed in, gathering brooms to wipe up the debris. Due to the accident, the men who were arguing looked like they decided to end the conflict for now. With their final glares exchanged, they walked off in different directions, with Alicia and So watching.
"Quite rowdy, aren't they?" A male voice rung through the air, causing the two girls' heads to turn around. Standing next to the chairs was a slim man, dressed in a eloquent black-and-white suit with matching tie, probably in his early twenties. His blond hair was smoothly combed backward. In his left hand he held a glass of dark wine. He turned to the girls with his hazel eyes.
"You two are pretty smart, staying away from the mob," he continued, gazing back at the crowd. "Yup, definitely smart..." He remained quiet, drinking his wine, before muttering to himself under his breath.
Alicia and So turned to each other, exchanging glances. They continued to stare at the stranger, who was alternately taking drinks out of his glass and talking to himself. The two girls kept looking at him and waiting for him to go away. After a while, the man broke the awkward silence and turned to look at them, a lofty smile on his face. He set his glass down.
"Alright, alright, you two, I'll take autographs," he said smugly, opening his palms in front of him. "Next time, you don't have to be so shy." He reached for a golden fountain pen in his pocket.
The two girls exchanged glances again. Who was this man...? So took it upon herself to inquire.
"Uh, who the heck are you to sign autographs?"
The man was taken aback, a shocked expression on his face. He quickly put the pen back in his packet. His mysterious demeanor was instantly shattered.
"Woah, woah, woah... you two don't know me? This must be some kind of mistake..." the man muttered, clearly flustered. "Here, maybe if you see my profile..." He stood sideways for a second, before blabbering out, "How 'bout now?"
Alicia shook her head. The man sighed, immediately slumping over, ruining his combed hair. Straightening himself up, he took a rectangular object from his suit. A DVD with his face on it.
"Come on, it's Fin De Siècle that hit movies last fall! The epic journey of an elder brother, his younger sister, and a rather annoying Wailmer. I, Isaac Icarut, was cast as the main character! It was a hard job, but I managed to do it!"
Alicia and So remained clueless; their faces made it evident to Isaac. He sighed.
"Forget it..." Isaac sighed. He sulked and walked away, head down, leaving a Alicia and So with blank looks on their faces.
On the island off the coast of Hoenn...
The plane from the Hoenn, the cruise ships from Kanto/Johto, and the second plane from Sinnoh all arrived at different times. Due to the lesser distance, the Hoenn plane arrived first, followed by Kanto and Johto. The last to arrive was the faraway Sinnoh plane. The contestants flocked to the rather small island. All they could see were trees, mountains, and other rugged creations of nature. Where was the special event taking place?
Don't tell me it's some kind of survivor island reality TV show crap... July Rhodes thought, dragging his suitcase behind him. He scowled- something he did quite often- and looked around to the other contestants, all walking in different directions. He spotted a boy near him and walked over.
"You," July said loudly to the boy. The boy jumped, startled, before looking around and finding July. His black hair was messy to the extent it looked like was done purposely, and the tips were dyed blonde. He wore a scarf and a gray and purple striped sweatshirt. Upon making eye contact with July, the boy looked down shyly.
"Y'know where to go?" July asked. The boy nodded, and pointed in the distance. July looked around and saw nothing. He wondered if the boy needed an eye check.
July walked closer to the boy. "You sure?"
The boy nodded.
July looked once again, though he saw nothing. He feigned deep thought, before brightening up. Surely those acting lessons must've paid off...
"Hmm... yeah, that's it," July pretended to recognize the location. He turned back to the boy and gave him a pat on the back. "Nice job! You pass. What's your name?"
The boy hesitated before answering.
"Ren. Ren Carstairs."
"You pass, Ren," July continued his mock excitement. "Now, I'm testing how good you are at guiding. Try to lead me there."
Ren nodded, still looking down, and walked forward. July followed, letting his muscles relax as he sighed, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.
"Master Ceil?"
The boy looked out one of the large windows at the crowd in the distance, reclining on a chair.
"Master Ceil?"
"Apologies, Desmond," Ceil said, twirling a white king in his hand before setting it down. He stood up from his chair, facing Desmond.
"The preparations are all set. Would you like to come down to meet them?" Desmond asked.
"...Yes, the guests would be disappointed if they didn't meet their host..." Ceil smirked. He took a step forward.
"I'm sure they would be quite delighted with what I have to propose."
Thanks for reading.
A/N: Fin De Siècle is a story by author Kyuuketsuki Fang, who granted me permission to use it for Isaac's movie. Check it out if you haven't done so.
OC Credits: These were the first five people who sent in their OCs. Listed by order of appearance, not submission.
Tony Faraday- Book is here
Xena Lent- Kyuuketsuki Fang
Alicia Aliessen- Jigglypuff's pillow
So- xXKaminari-TsubasaXx
Isaac Icarut- Me
July Rhodes- Me
Ren Carstairs- Happy2BeMe