10 years earlier…
"Leon! Hold up!"
I smirked as I raced across the streets and looked back as Lizza, Vanessa and Jasper, trying desperately to keep up with me. I laughed and shook my head.
"Not a chance, Jasper!" I shouted back, adding a little more juice to my run. "Dad's coming home, and I plan to be the first one there to welcome him home!" Laughing again, I streaked around the nearby corner as Jasper sighed deeply. I just shrugged it off and kept on running. This was going to be the first time of seeing my dad in three years, the last time being when I had been four, and Lizza and Vanessa were just two. So, it was easy to see that I was eager to see him again.
My dad, Travis Grimm, had left three years ago to fight in the Johtoen War. From day one on enemy soil, he had been in the middle of the action, bullets whizzing around him wildly and guns flaring. Once, he even had a grenade lobbed right at him. Luckily, he caught it and threw it right back, much to the surprise of the Tyrogue grunts who had tried to surprise him. It had been this incredible skill that he had as a fighter that made him promoted to captain of a small squad of elite soldiers, including Jasper's dad, Victor, and a tough Lucario sniper who Dad had nick-named 'Lucy'. The three of them had been in the harshest moments of the war, and if it hadn't been for their combined skills, the Johtoen base at Mt. Silver's peak wouldn't had fallen, and the war wouldn't had ended so soon. To everyone, my dad and his two friends were the greatest war heroes since Escalibre, the Escavalier knight from Medieval Ages. And today, they were coming home!
Smiling happily, I rounded another sharp corner and came skidding to a halt at the docks. The huge battleship, the U.S.S. Castelia, was already docked, and many soldiers were filing out. A wide grin on my face, I looked around wildly, eyes peeled for the shocking red hair and dark-tanned skin that defined my dad. Panting, Jasper came to a stop beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder for balance.
"Ha…ha…ha…Geeze, Leon…you run…way, waaay…too fast…" I smirked at him and shook my head.
"Either that, Jasper, or you're just seriously slow." At this, I received a Sucker Punch to my face from the small Zorua Pokemorph. Growling, he glared at me and smirked.
"Say that again, Leon! I dare you!" I glared back at him and clocked him with a solid Uppercut. Instantly we were lashing out at each other, fists and feet lashing against our bodies as we exchanged blows.
"Lizard-Freak!" he shouted angrily.
"Faker-Fox!" I shouted back.
"Well this is a sorry welcome home party, eh boys?"
Instantly Jasper and I froze, my fist raised and my other hand at his neck, and his hand at my neck. Simultaneously we turned our heads to the side, toward the chuckling voices to our side. Standing over the two of us, dressed in grey camo-style clothes, were three tall men. The first had waist-long black and red hair and bright yellow eyes, a Zoroark Pokemorph. The second had fairly long hair that was slicked back coolly, and had bright blue eyes, a Lucario Pokemorph. And standing between them, with a short red Mohawk and tanned skin, was my dad, Travis Grimm.
"D-Dad!" Jasper and I shouted in unison, quickly scrambling out of our fray. The three adults chuckled, and Victor leaned forward and picked Jasper up happily.
"My, look at you Jazzy," he said, smiling brightly. "You sure did grow up quickly!" Jasper just nodded and hugged his dad tightly.
"Thanks, Dad! I'm so glad you're home!" Victor nodded and turned to my dad.
"I think I'm gonna head home early. Jenny'll kill me if I don't show up soon, and I really don't feel like stayin' up late partyin', Travis." My dad nodded and smiled.
"Hey, go on ahead, Victor. You deserve a little rest." The Zoroark nodded and quickly ran down the dock towards Lower Castelia. The Lucario nodded and picked up the large dufflebag at his feet.
"I think I should head out, too. I'm looking forward to seeing my little girls again."
"Sure thing, Lucy! See you later!" The Lucario smiled and waved back.
"Same to you, Grimm Reaper!" Smirking, he ran off. Up to Upper Castelia. I watched him go and then turned to my dad.
"So that was Lucy?" My dad nodded, picking up his dufflebag and quickly walking down the docks, me walking right beside him.
"Yeah, but he doesn't like that nickname too much. His real name is Lucian, though, and I just feel that's too formal of a name for a guy like him." I nodded and looked ahead to the end of the dock, where Lizza and Vanessa were waiting patiently.
"So what was his nickname for you, then?" I asked, thinking about the name he used for my dad. He chuckled, fingering the steel dog-tags hanging from his neck.
"Oh, that was a name he came up with after our first battle. Anyone who came close to me I would take down wildly and mercilessly, either with the AK-47 I was carrying, or with the basic Marine-class battle knife they issued to me when I enlisted. After he saw me fighting, he made the joke that I was probably gonna be the next God of Death. The nickname 'The Reaper' just kind of stuck after that." I smiled and looked over at the girls, who were now running up to him.
"Daddy! Daddy!" they cried to him, wrapping their arms around his legs and smiling. He chuckled and picked the two of them up, one in each arm.
"My my, these can't be my little girls! They're much too big now!" Lizza giggled and pushed Dad's chest mock-angrily.
"Daddy, it is us!" My dad laughed and shook his head, setting them down again.
"I know, I know! Hang on, I have gifts for you two!" The girls instantly smiled and looked at each other eagerly. Smiling, my dad reached into his duffle bag and produced two silk dresses, in the oriental style. Smiling, he handed the blue one to Lizza and the red one to Vanessa. "Those are yukata from the Johto Region. Or, they're kimonos…I can never get those two right!" Vanessa smiled and nodded.
"Thanks Daddy! Come on Lizza! Let's show Mommy!" Nodding, the two little Scraggy girls ran down the street back to Lower Castelia. My dad chuckled, then looked to me.
"Don't worry, I didn't forget you, Leon." Smiling, he reached into his bag and produced a large black knife with a black sheath. He looked over it for a few minutes before handing it to me. "This is my battle knife I used while I was in the war. It's saved my life more times than I can count, and when you're old enough to use it, I'm sure it will do the same to you." I smiled and fitted the sheath to my belt, instantly feeling the heavy weight on my side. Suddenly, I felt his hands slip something cool around my neck. Frowning, I looked to see his two shining dog-tags hanging from my neck.
"Your dog-tags?! B-but, Dad—" I started, but he shook his head.
"They are to remind you of me when I am gone, Leon. Now that I'm back, there's gonna be some changes to the old Grimm's Garage. We'll probably end up having more customers than ever before. We'll probably end up being successful, and end up better off than the rest of Lower Castelia. And when people see someone else succeeding while they're losing, they see it as an insult, and they will do whatever it takes to snuff out that ray of sunshine. When that happens, I want you to take care of the family if I or your mother can't. And if someone challenges or hurts our family, and I'm not around, I want you to defend it. Remember, anything someone else starts, you can finish. But, if you need the strength to push through, you'll have these to remind you of me, and hopefully they'll be enough to help you push through every obstacle that is thrown in your way."
I slowly nodded, and Dad smiled. "Good. Now, let's go home. Maybe Mom's making spaghetti!"
Smiling, we departed into the night.
Present day…
I smiled as I slid my fingers over the dog-tags that had once been my dad's. Then, sighing, I slipped the chain over my neck for the first time in five years and slipped the battle knife onto my belt. It was time for work.
It had been a week since Broken had raped Lizza, and though she was shaky, she was far from being as bad as Vanessa was now. Still, I wasn't going to let that bastard off the hook so quickly. Which was why I was standing in Djin's bathroom, dressed in new, plain black leather clothes. Not a single piece of skin was showing except for my head, which was soon going to be hidden under an unmarked biker's helmet. Nodding, I slid the helmet on and walked out.
Lizza, Vanessa and Sly looked over at me, smiling, Sly giving me a thumbs up. I nodded and walked over to Saber and SmogBomb who were guarding the front door to Djin's apartment.
"You guys gonna be good here tonight?" I asked, frowning. Saber nodded and smiled confidently.
"Don't worry Skulls. The entire gang has this place guarded. Even if those Bladz freaks think to come by here for your sisters, they're gonna be met with fourteen sub-machine guns. Trust me, your sisters are safe here."
I nodded and patted him on the shoulder, then walked out the front door, down the stairs, and out into the street, where Djin and two black motorcycles were waiting. Like me, he was wearing black leather all over and had a black helmet on his head, keeping his identity secret. Nodding, he hopped onto the bike and looked at my waist.
"The knife? Why aren't you carrying Hades?" I shook my head.
"The shells are unique, used only by me. If the police find them, which they would, they would know it was me. The knife, there's less chance they'll know it was me." Djin nodded and turned on his bike. I quickly sat down on the bike beside him. Sighing, I looked at him again. "You know, you don't have to come along, Djin." The Zoroark stopped and pulled his helmet off, then looked at me. And, for the first time in a long time, I saw a deadly seriousness unlike anything else he's ever felt.
"Of course I have to come. In case you forgot, those bastards killed my mom and dad on that day five years ago, too. They tore both our lives apart, and now we're gonna make them pay." Scowling, he pulled the helmet back on and revved the bike up. I nodded and soon we were driving off into the darkness.
It was time for revenge.
