Leaf constant looked over at Emily. Even though she was picking out the herbs Leaf had told her about, she knew the look on Emily's face.
"Emily, he'll be alright." Leaf told her.
"I know, but he's almost always in a life or death situation." Emily replied.
"That's war for you, girlie." A Charizard told her.
"What if it doesn't have to be that way?" Emily asked him.
"You're asking a uncountable number of Pokemon to put up their pride." He asked her. "That's wishful thinking."
Emily sucked in her breath before stalking off and Leaf spun to face the guy.
"Why did you say that for?" Leaf asked him.
"I was speaking my mind." He replied.
"She's been through a lot, I know the idea is impossible but isn't it what you guys are fighting for?" Leaf asked him.
"We until we die, it's unstopping cycle." He replied simply.
"It's doesn't have to be this way." Leaf told him.
"I'll believe it when I see it." He told her.
Leaf huffed before resuming to pick the herbs that Emily had left.
Emily walked straight to the outpost and she almost ran into Lucius who was hobbling around like an old man. She hugged him tightly and was glad as she smelled his fur.
"Could ease up a little, some of my ribs are broken." Lucius told her.
"Sorry Lucius, but I'm just glad you're up and around." Emily told him.
"I'm not fully healed, but the medics here did the best they could with their limited supplies." Lucius replied.
"Lucius what did you do to yourself back there?" Emily asked him.
"My tattoo is one of a pair, the other person has transformed his in a Legend mark, and he is the true leader of the Freedom Fighter." Lucius replied. "Until I transform mine as well I can't tap into the mark's full power. You look tired maybe you should get some sleep."
"I'm okay, but could you teach me how to fight." Emily asked him. "I mean I know a lot of the basics but I usually just use my abilities to mentally persuade people to leave me alone."
Lucius nodded as he put his arm around Emily's shoulder and guided to one of the bigger tent in the outpost and they went inside everyone that was sparring got down into a kneeling position. Emily saw Lucius nod and everyone got to their feet again.
"They do this on their own; if they want to do something I let them." Lucius told her.
Emily just nodded as she followed him onto the arena floor and when she got there she noticed everyone was staring at her; some people were whispering to each other. Lucius put his hand up and everyone quieted down and looked at him.
"Everyone, this war is getting worse by the day, more of our brothers and sisters are dying on the front line in every continent. I need everyone to remember that we are doing this for a good cause." Lucius told them.
Eventually everyone in the room nodded and mumbled something incoherent. When everyone cleared out of the tent Lucius tossed Emily a wooden staff and she barely had enough time to block his swing with it jarring the bones in her arms. Soon she got the wind knocked out of her from a hit to the stomach.
"Your enemies will never go easy on you, so neither will I." Lucius told her. "Also, I know you can defend yourself."
"Still doesn't mean you need to try to collapse one of my lungs." Emily told him as she slowly got to her feet.
This time she was able to deflect some of his swings aimed her from the waist up but he swiched it up and swept her feet right from under her.
"You need to stay observant." Lucuis told her as he helped her to her feet.
"I'm just not used to this." Emily told him.
Lucius gently kissed her lips before leaping backwards and wailing away at Emily with millions of blow per minute. She was getting better at figuring out where his attack would come from but she still wasn't perfect at it, but soon time seemed to melt away and when they finally stopped people started to cheer.
"How long had we been sparring?" Emily asked Lucius as her adrenaline wore off and she started to pant.
"From the looks of the shadows… I'd say three and a half hours." He replied as he started to stretch.
"Are you even tired?" Emily asked him.
"No, I know how to conserve energy for when I need and I also know how to move without using so much energy." Lucius replied.
He wrapped his arm around Emily's waist to help her walk better due to her abdominal pain, but didn't help when Leaf hugged them both tightly.
"What happened to you Emily? I swear to Arceus; Lucius if you're the reason she hurt I'll tan your hide." Leaf threatened him.
Lucius laughed before replying. "She was the one who wanted me to teach her how to fight."
Leaf looked from him to Emily and back to Lucius.
"Oh yeah, dinner will be in 5 hours." Leaf told them.
"We'll be there on time." Emily told her.
"At least wash up afterwards." Leaf told her.
"Of course I don't want to be sweaty when I get there from this." Emily replied.
"No, I mean after what you two are going to do when two get back to your guy's tent." Leaf replied.
Emily looked shocked by what Leaf had just said. "That's not all that we do!"
"I can see it both of your eyes though, but neither of you want to bring a child into this world with it being the way it is." Leaf replied. "I know how you, it's tough trying to raise those two with Soul gone all the time."
Lucius nodded as Blaze and Ice ran over talking quickly about something, and even though Leaf and Emily could really tell what they were saying Lucuis sucked in his breath.
"Where is it again?" He asked them.
After they repeated the location Leaf took Emily from Lucius before he sprint out of the tent the edge of the forest, and when Emily and Leaf got there he was already into his third round of CPR. Soon, a group of medics came by and ushered him away while they took over. After a while the medic walked to Lucius and muttered something to him and he collapsed to his knees and started punch the ground and yell. Emily stumbled over to him and when she started to fall he caught her.
"Is everything alright Lucius?" Emily asked her.
"You're all I have left." Lucius told her, but his voice sounded distant.
"That's your sister?" Emily asked her.
"Yeah, I guess sneaking around in the dark did nothing to help her." Lucius replied.
Emily pulled Lucius into her as they move his sister's dead body to what Emily could only guess was the funeral home.
"She was only thirteen and they killed her, they killed an innocent little girl just to try to get to me." Lucius whispered his voice now.
"Come on, why don't we get you cleaned up." Emily told him.
Lucius followed her back to their tent so that they could get some extra clothes but his movements were practiced as if he was in autopilot. When they got to the bathing pool no one was there which Emily was happy about as she stripped down and then helped Lucius out of his clothes. She had to basically push him into the water to where he was up to his shoulder, which due to her height was difficult. Then she started scrub his back and front with the soap and sponge and then she had to push him back up to his shoulders in water. By the time he was washed she was breathing heavily.
"You know… it's easier when… you help." Emily told him between breaths. "You must weigh a good 195 pounds and without assistance you're almost impossible to move."
Emily handed Lucius the sponge and soap, but he didn't move.
"Lucius I know she was the last of your family and it hurt, but I don't think she'd want you hold it in. Leader or not you, you have to cry sometime or another." Emily replied. "You still have me, you have Leaf I'm positive she see as family after you risk your life twice for her son and they look up to you. For you not to cry it doesn't strength it more than anything shows that you don't care."
At that Lucius' whole wall crumbled and he just hugged Emily as ten years of tears flowed out of his soul. Until now, Emily could feel the secret sadness radiate off of him like a heat wave, but now she felt it slowly ebb away to where it was almost gone leaving only the new pain of his lost sister. After that Lucius kissed Emily passionately and at first she didn't really know what to do, but soon she just melted into his body as his passed over her whole figure feeling every curve and bump of her body before he started to wash her.
"I love you Lucius." Emily told him.
"I love you too Em." He replied.
