Hey there. It really is a wonder how a six-week break can do to the speed of the updates.
Don't know whether to consider this chapter a filler or not. I guess it does advance the main plot a little.
Enjoy.
"I don't even know why I agreed to this," a boy dressed in primarily simple garments respired, his voice betraying his annoyance. The black-haired teen did not really care about his appearance in general since he would much rather keep a low profile than stand out amongst a crowd. If would be hard to notice him since his outfit merely consisted of a plain grey T-shirt, an expensive-looking but ordinary wristwatch, fingerless gloves, dark blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers. A loner by definition, this suited him just fine.
He looked up and noted that he was not that far from reaching his objective. There was only a couple of metres separating him from the top of the mountain he was currently scaling. Upon further observation, he noticed two rocks jutting out above him and the boy deduced that they would make a good handholds. Nodding to himself, he braced his feet against their footholds and launched himself upwards. What were previously handholds now became footholds as he succeeded in gripping those two rocks. After he rewarded himself with a deep breath, he reached up, gripped the edge of the peak of the mountain and pulled himself up.
"Made it," he exhaled tiredly. He wiped the sweat off his brow, removed the small rucksack slung over his right shoulder and placed it on the ground. The brown-eyed teen then unzipped the pack and pulled out a mechanical device that resembled an arm-guard. Strapping it around his right arm, he activated it by pressing the middle of a star-shaped pattern on the device that consisted of six blue buttons. The small screen built into the device immediately flashed into life.
Booting System...
Connecting to Main Database...
Enter Password
9-9-9-0-1-2-3
Password Accepted
Scan Fingerprint...
Approved
Welcome back, Corporal Strife of the Pokemon Ranger Corps, codenamed 'LEADER-5'
The rookie Pokemon Ranger bit back a grumble at the sight of his codename. That was originally a nickname given to him by his squadmates after he took over as leader after an intelligence-gathering mission went awry. Leon did not even know how his superiors caught wind of that nickname but a day later, it was entered into the database as his codename. He should be glad to be the only Corporal to be given a codename but truthfully, he was not elated in the slightest. He thought that the nickname, especially the '5' part, was an insult to the members of his squadron who lost their lives.
Leon shook his head. "My sentiments can wait," he murmured sternly but if one were to listen closely, he or she would detect a sad undertone to his voice. He unenthusiastically moved the device closer so that his lips were close to the device's speaker. The black-haired boy then instructed, "Send out a number of drones and have them scan the entire perimeter of this mountain."
The device acknowledged his command as it shot out ten small, triangle-shaped drones which immediately flew over the edge of the mountain to begin their work.
While they were off doing their thing, Leon decided that it be in his best interest to take a brief respite given his condition. He sat down cross-legged and took out a bottle of water from his rucksack. The brown-eyed boy tiredly removed the screw cap and greedily drank the contents of the bottle. Suddenly, the flow of water stopped. Wondering why, Leon opened his eyes and checked the bottle. It was empty.
"I guess it's not that surprising since I'm-" He paused as he kept the bottle in his rucksack before he removed a glove and pressed his palm against his forehead. It was slightly warmer compared to three hours ago. "-still sick." All of a sudden, Leon let loose a couple of coughs; accenting his earlier statement that he truly was sick. He pulled his legs closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He groaned, "Why couldn't the call from HQ come after I found out I was sick?"
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *CLICK*
After switching off the alarm clock on the nightstand, Leon retracted his arm and, by extension, his finger back under the covers. He pushed down the covers slightly and blearily opened his eyes. Everything was blurry at first but his eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room soon enough. His eyes fixated upon the ceiling of the room. It was painted with the same tone of blue like the walls that formed the perimeter of the room.He blinked before he shifted his body to a comfortable sitting position. Like any other normal person who had just woken up, he began doing some light stretches to loosen up his body. Ever since he joined the Pokemon Ranger Corps, stretching became somewhat of a daily routine to him. With the blood in his veins flowing smoother, he grabbed the alarm clock and stared at it.
8.00 A.M.
A frown found its way across his face. "Why did I even bother setting the alarm to go off so early when it is a Sunday of all of days?" he huffed as he placed the alarm clock back on the nightstand."Force of habit, I guess." The fact that it was a Sunday meant that he and the rest of the participants of the Zenith League were free for the whole day since it had been decided that no battles were to take place on Sundays. Leon stared blankly into space as he pondered on whether he should sleep in or not. He sighed and drawled, "Since I'm currently on leave from Ranger duty, I suppose a couple more hours of sleep won't do me any harm." His mind made up, he allowed his head to crash back down onto the pillow and closed his eyes.
Fate, however, had different plans in store for the Ranger.
*RING-RIINNNGGGG* *RING-RIINNNGGGG* *RING-RIINNNGGGG*
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Leon hissed out vehemently. He swiftly reached under his pillow and pulled out his vibrating cellphone. Flipping it open, he practically yelled into the receiver, "I'm tryin' to sleep here! Call me back later, you fat useless sack of frickin' yanky panky doodle shite!"
"My, I didn't know you had such colourful language, Corporal Strife," a familiar voice on the other line commented flatly.
Upon recognizing the owner of the voice, Leon immediately jerked himself out of bed. "C-Commander F-Flynn, sir," the rookie Pokemon Ranger stammered. "What a-a p-p-pleasant surprise, s-s-sir."
"Right," Leon's superior hummed. He then queried, "Is that what you really think of me, cadet?"
Leon had a right to be sweating buckets at that moment. Commander Flynn only referred to his subordinates as 'cadets' when he was in a super serious or annoyed mood. The black-haired teen brainstormed for an excuse but managed to come up with nothing remotely acceptable. He was reduced to a whimpering mess as he decided to plead for Commander Flynn's mercy.
"N-No, of c-course n-n-not," Leon stammeringly denied. "Please forgive me, sir. Please don't s-s-suspend me or r-r-revoke my rank. Even if I'm just a Corporal, I-I have invested t-t-too m-much time and e-effort in obtaining that rank. I beg you. D-Don't punish me and send me spiralling into despair. I-I might actually attempt s-s-suicide."
His heart skipped a beat when he heard jovial laughter coming from his superior. "It's okay, son," the experienced officer soothed Leon's nerves. "I've been in this business for 40 years so it'll take more than verbal insults to rile me up. Though I gotta admit, that was a very... 'innovative' phrase if I do say so myself."
"Erm..., thanks, I guess," Leon hesitantly said. "A-Anyway, why the sudden call Commander Flynn?" The rookie Pokemon Ranger heard his superior sigh; whatever the reason behind the call was, Leon deduced that it must have been serious.
"Before I give you the reason, I want to let you know that I was outvoted," Commander Flynn told Leon. "As of this moment, you are given a new assignment; to map out the geography of Caelum Forest."
Leon was a fairly loyal subordinate and would rarely talk back to his superiors but this time, he felt that the order imposed upon him was a bit unfair. "With all due respect sir," he argued, "I'm on leave from active Ranger duty, not to mention that I'm currently competing in the Zenith League. Though this may seem like a simple task, it's actually quite risky. I heard from one of the locals that wandering in Caelum Forest for a prolonged period of time would have weird effects on my body."
"I seriously doubt that some superstition would prevent you from doing your duty, son," Leon's superior chuckled.
"Why can't you just send another Ranger here, sir?" Leon asked.
"I did suggest that we do that," Commander Flynn informed Leon. "Unfortunately, there are no other Rangers within a 50-mile radius of your current location so you've been handed the job by default. Believe me, we would've have assigned this job to a more experienced Ranger but we want the info about Caelum Forest in HQ's database as soon as possible."
The brown-eyed boy's curiosity was piqued as he prodded, "If you don't me asking, why the sudden urgency, sir?"
"After the whole fiasco with the Pokemon Pinchers, we thought things would settle down for awhile," Commander Flynn respired tiredly. "Once again, we were wrong. We have received numerous reports about Legendary Pokemon being captured again. I can't really verify the authenticity of these reports but based on what happened last time, we can't afford to take any chances. It is vital that we receive the data about Caelum Forest's geography quickly."
"Sir," Leon whispered gravely, "you don't think that there's really gonna be a war in Caelum City, do you?"
"There is a possibility of that happening," Commander Flynn answered. "That would be the worst-case scenario. We need to make preparations, just in case. Anyway, do you accept your given assignment, Corporal Strife?"
Leon hung his head down in defeat. "Roger that, Commander Flynn," he exhaled meekly.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down, son," Leon's superior praised. "I expect all the data to be transferred to the main database by day's end. Good luck."
"Thanks," Leon replied unenthusiastically before he pressed the red button, effectively cutting off the connection with his superior. He dropped the cellphone onto the bed and was about to proceed to the bathroom to freshen up until something shiny near the alarm clock caught his eye. Leon promptly strolled over to the nightstand and picked up the aforementioned item. The item was a small silver star he received in recognition of his services in the Pokemon Ranger Corps. Coincidentally, the award was called the Silver Star.
Instead of gazing upon it proudly, he stared at it with disgust. "I'm already having a bad enough day as it is," he spat out. "The sight of you just makes it worse." He then placed the award back to its original position on the nightstand, trudged into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
He pressed his back against the door and took a couple of long, deep breaths. As he made his way over to the sink, he noticed that he had trouble walking in a straight line. "I'm probably still sleepy," he mused. He exhaled a shaky breath before he plugged the sink's drainage outlet and turned the faucet in a clockwise manner which resulted in water coming out of it. Leon then cupped his hands, scooped up some of the water that was accumulating in the sink and splashed it on his face. When he opened his eyes, he automatically positioned his gaze towards the mirror. Upon staring at his reflection, Leon noted that something was wrong.
"Why is my face flushed red?" he wondered as his sights lingered on his reflection. Quickly drying his face with a towel, he immediately pressed his palm against his forehead. He retracted it a second later. "Oh no, not now." He jerked open the drawer and took out the medical thermometer supplied by the hotel management. He gave it a few shakes before he inserted the tip into his mouth under the tongue.
"Please don't let me be sick, please, for the love of Arceus, do not let me be sick," Leon chanted in his head. He checked the clock on the wall and noticed that five minutes had passed. Steeling himself, he took out the thermometer and peered at the reading.
"Perfect," he deadpanned. "Bloody frickin' perfect."
Leon closed his eyes and shook his head. His cephalalgia was getting worse by the minute. He did not have any time to ponder about it as the drones he sent out returned. The Pokemon Ranger sluggishly held out his right arm and watched as the drones attached themselves back onto the mechanical device. He did not bother bringing it closer so that he could see the information displayed on the screen. Rather, he settled on listening to device's monotonous voice.
"Transfer to main database complete," a distinctly feminine voice stimulated his sense of hearing. "There is only 90 per cent of the forest you haven't covered yet. Good luck."
The eighteen-year-old wanted to seriously smash the device into oblivion but managed to reel in his anger. There was really no point in taking out his frustrations on an inanimate object. Combing his hair with his fingers, he shakily stood up and observed his surroundings.
"Now that this section of the forest is done," he thought aloud, "there's just the small matter of me getting down from this mountain." He walked over to the edge and peered downwards; it was long way down. "Hmm..., I might be stuck here for awhile. Way to go, Leon. Way to go."
If there was anything Seishirou took pride in, it was his ability to be prepared for almost any situation. This allowed him to always be one step ahead of those looking to pull one over him. Seeing their flabbergasted expressions upon them finding out that they had been outsmarted filled him with a sense of smugness and a little bit of accomplishment. He viewed himself as slightly above the average human but nothing more. People tend to interpret his aloofness as him having some sort of superiority complex while in actuality, it was not true in the slightest. Seishirou was not beyond helping other humans but considering his unique circumstances, he would rather have them solve their own problems before coming to him for assistance. It was not as if they had any choice since all encounters were predetermined by fate; at least based on his belief. If those encounters inevitably led up to a meeting with the mysterious teen, then he would not blame those people for cursing their luck. His line of trade was not exactly 'consumer-friendly'.
However, there were those rare days whereby you may discover Seishirou to be in a state of dilemma. If you do discover him in that state; run. Run as fast and as far away as you can because he would often drag other individuals - without their consent - to 'help' him solve whatever problem he was facing. To be honest, they do not, no, could not help him actually. They would love nothing more than to help but Seishirou simply tuned out their voices. Ironically, instead of easing Seishirou's suffering, Seishirou was the one who was making them suffer. Today was no different.
"Hmm..., what should I wear to the oh so grand opening of Starlite Articuno?" Seishirou mused as he rummaged through his very large wardrobe with Caedes looking on with exasperation.
The amber-eyed Pikachu was inwardly cursing himself for allowing Seishirou to catch him off guard. His Trainer had been acting strange ever since Seito handed him a plain-looking envelope the day after his matches. Caedes detected a familiar scent on that envelope but he just could not put his finger on it. Anyway, up until an hour ago, Seishirou had been sending him very devious looks. The Mouse Pokemon was initially very suspicious of Seishirou's mannerisms but ultimately dismissed them as another part of his overall eccentric behaviour. Based on his current predicament, he obviously came to regret that decision.
"Seishirou," Caedes murmured scornfully. "Why couldn't you have dragged Aqua into this mess? Despite her being a tomboy, she's still a girl. She's bound to be more... 'fashion savvy' than me."
For that little comment, Caedes got a dress shirt right in the face.
"I take offence to that," Seishirou muttered as he tried on another dress shirt. "You should be more mindful of what you say, Caedes. Had Aqua been in this room, she wouldn't hesitate to Ice Punch your crotch. Should I inform her of your faux pas?"
A shiver travelled down Caedes's spine as his brain registered Seishirou's threat. "No," he replied meekly.
Seishirou smirked in amusement. "Then be a sport and assist me instead of berating yourself for being caught up in this so-called 'mess'," he requested. "The sooner you help me resolve this dilemma of mine, the sooner you may leave. Does that sound appealing to you?"
Caedes sighed and hung his head down in resignation. "Fine."
Despite Caedes's best effort in assisting Seishirou, the Pikachu had to endure another hour's worth of 'torture' before his Trainer finally came to a decision on what to wear to his acquaintance's restaurant. Upon Seishirou announcing that he had found the right outfit, Caedes fell down on his back in fatigue. Caedes would love nothing more than to electrocute Seishirou but he was simply mentally exhausted. Even if the Pikachu had some excess energy to spare, he knew that he would be wasting his time because his body would literally prevent his attacks from hitting Seishirou. He vaguely remembered that the last time he sent an Electro Ball flying towards the sapphire-eyed human, he lost control of his body which instantly teleported in front of Seishirou and knocked the Electro Ball away with Iron Tail. After that, Caedes experimented with different attacks and yet they all had the same end result. He ultimately stopped attacking Seishirou altogether and resigned to the fact that his body - it was not exactly his but that story is for another time - cared for Seishirou too much to see him hurt. The Mouse Pokemon blinked and returned to the present. He then craned his neck and eyed Seishirou who was busy sprucing up his outfit in front of a large oak-framed mirror.
Seishirou smiled as he gazed upon his reflection. At that moment, one could say that he was as close to feeling giddy like a little schoolgirl as he could possibly get. He was wearing a black V-neck shirt under a white jacket outlined in black. The jacket had rather long coattails and its collar was upturned. He also wore white gloves, a black sash in a manner similar to a matador around his waist and a white hakama. He lifted it up slightly to reveal dark blue boots with white soles. For some odd reason, the boots were armoured and were futuristic in appearance.
"Though I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable in fashion, no one has a better fashion sense than obaa-chan," he said in revered tone. Seishirou averted his gaze from the mirror to the exhausted Pikachu on the floor. "Remind me to thank her, Caedes. I sent her the drafts of this outfit only yesterday but I never expected to receive the finished product five hours later. She truly is a remarkable person."
Caedes's eyes snapped open as he lifted his legs and flipped himself up to a standing position. He glared at Seishirou while he questioned, "Are you telling me that you already had an outfit in mind way before you forced me to endure two hours of torture under the pretence of helping you search for that outfit you're wearing right now?"
"Maybe, maybe not" was Seishirou's vague reply.
"Why did you keep it in the wardrobe when you could've separated it from the rest of your old formal clothing?" Caedes queried through clenched teeth. "What the point of you faking a dilemma, huh? Do you enjoy tormenting me? What about all that talk at the stadium about you caring for my well-being?"
Seishirou pinched the bridge of his nose and murmured, "All of those questions are too irrelevant for me to answer. I'm not liking your attitude, Caedes. You're always questioning things instead of just going with the flow. I value you as the leader of this team but as an individual, you're slowly losing my respect."
Caedes clenched his fists and stared at the ground, unable to come up with a suitable retort.
"I see," Seishirou whispered laconically. "If that is all you have to say, then I think we're done here." He swiftly turned away from Caedes, grabbed a metallic suitcase and sauntered over to the door. He reached for the doorknob but suddenly stopped. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Caedes still had not moved an inch. The sapphire-eyed teen resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he frankly spoke, "If you're going to stand there like a statue, make yourself useful and clear up this mess." He then exited the room; feeling no remorse about the way he treated the Pikachu.
The Mouse Pokemon flinched when he heard the door slam shut. He broke his eye contact with the floor and surveyed Seishirou's bedroom. Articles of formal clothing from dinner jackets to neckties littered the room. An unfamiliar emotion suddenly crept into his heart; sadness. He clenched his chest and winced as his heart throbbed with pain.
"W-Wait just a damn minute," he gasped. "I shouldn't be experiencing this emotion." The Pikachu drew a sharp intake of breath as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. He shakily wiped them away with his arm and fearfully pondered, "What's happening to me?"
He was so caught up in his own little world that he did not notice the Pokemon behind him. She had been trying to get Caedes's attention but so far she was unsuccessful. Even when she decided to up her game and use more 'creative' words, the Mouse Pokemon remained as silent as a Noctowl. Getting irritable, she raised a paw and smacked Caedes's shoulder.
The Pikachu's reaction was instantaneous as he let loose a gasp of surprise and spun around to face the one who snapped him out of his thoughts. He inwardly groaned. The Pokemon standing in front of him was not only the most vocal in Seishirou's entire team of Pokemon but also the most observant. Caedes was seriously contemplating on committing suicide at that moment.
"Are ya deaf or something?" Aqua accused him in her usual frank tone. "I've been tryin' to get your attention for past five minutes. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today 'cuz I would've resorted to singeing your fur with Scald if ya continued to ignore me." Without warning, she grabbed the Pikachu's left arm and pulled him closer; so close that their snouts were almost touching. She narrowed her eyes as she studied Caedes's face. The fact that the fur below his eyes was slightly damp did not escape her scrutiny. She curiously queried, "Have ya been... cryin', Caedes?"
"Ridiculous," Caedes scoffed as he snatched his arm back. "You know full well that I'm incapable of displaying such weakness. Seishirou said so himself."
The Buizel reminded him, "Nine years. Seishirou said that nine years ago. Back then, he was an emo punk who cared nothing more than the strength of his Pokemon. He's matured since then." She then cajoled, "There's nothing wrong with admitting that his evaluation about ya may have been wrong. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he has reevaluated his opinion on a number of things. He's just too damn prideful to admit it."
"You should also know that there's nothing wrong with admitting that your observations may not be all that accurate," Caedes retorted. He turned away from Aqua and began to pick up the clothing littered on the floor.
Aqua raised an eyebrow; perplexed at his actions. "What are ya doing, Caedes?"
"Executing an order courtesy of His Majesty," Caedes grumbled.
The Water-type Pokemon crossed her arms and tapped her right foot. "Alright, there's definitely something on your mind so spill it." Before Caedes could counter her order with a suitable retort, Aqua added, "Don't cha bother tryin' to deny it. If ya do, I'm just gonna keep on houndin' ya 'til you talk. It'll save us both a whole lot of trouble if ya spill the beans right now."
Caedes kept silent as he concentrated on folding a white dress shirt. It was difficult given the fact that he had such tiny fingers but that did not stop him from trying to accomplish his given task perfectly.
"Don't test my patience, Caedes," Aqua warned him.
Despite her threat, Caedes continued to ignore her in favour of folding another article of clothing. Just when she was about to resort to force, she heard him whisper, "Why?"
Aqua frowned. "Why what?"
The Pikachu stood up and slowly turned around to face Aqua. He had a solemn look on his face. "Why does he seek to make me feel miserable all the time?" he asked her. His eyes drifted to the side. "Forcing me to help him search for an outfit despite the fact that he already had one in mind, blackmailing me into reorganizing all the books in the library in alphabetical order. Do you need more evidence to support the fact that he treats me worse than the rest of you?"
"I hardly think him giving ya some chores is a sign that he treats us better," Aqua said flatly. "Ya do know that he has a few screws loose. Yer not the only whose fallen prey to his sadistic sense of humour. It may sound a little unfair but that's just the way he ticks. I learned to take my 'torture sessions' in good stride 'cuz it's just a waste of energy to be mad at him. I've come to enjoy them actually. They're great for relieving stress."
"'Relieving stress'?" Caedes echoed speculatively. "Hardly. With each passing 'torture session', I find myself growing increasingly frustrated. I think he's intentionally taking advantage of my dislikes. If he is going to put me through those sessions, the least he could do is to give me something physical to do. Just look at you. You have no right to complain 'cuz your 'torture sessions' involve physical labour which suits you just fine. Me? He treats me as though I'm like his personal secretary or something."
"What are ya gettin' all whiny for?" the female Buizel chastised Caedes. "Ya get to spend some quality time with Seishirou. I should be the one to be complainin', not you."
Upon hearing her statement, Caedes let out a morose chuckle. "I do believe Seishirou cares about me," he began, "but I think his longing for him eclipses his feelings towards me. It's sad but it's the truth. 'Sides, I'm not even supposed to exist."
"If yer not supposed to exist, then why are ya here, standin' right in front of me?" Aqua asked bluntly, getting increasingly agitated with the Pikachu's glum attitude.
"I'm just a replacement," Caedes replied sullenly. "Once he comes back, then I would have served my purpose. Seishirou would have no more need for me. My existence... shall become obsolete. I honestly don't mind. As long as Seishirou's happy, then I-"
The sight of Caedes casually admitting that he was worthless repulsed Aqua so much that she snapped. Thoughts of reason were flushed out of her mind as she clenched her left paw into a fist.
*BAM*
Caedes did not know what hit him. Despite having a sixth sense for danger, the negative emotions rendered it useless as Aqua scored a heavy blow to his jaw, sending the Pikachu stumbling and falling backwards. He turned his head to the side and spat out some blood. To be honest, the Mouse Pokemon was surprised that the punch did not dislocate his jaw. After all, in terms of physical strength, very few could compete with Aqua. According to the prideful Buizel, she only considered Champion-level Pokemon to be worthy opponents. Caedes traced his jawline and attempted to get up; the key word being 'attempted'.
Aqua was not done with him; not by a clear mile. The Pikachu saw fit to push her over the edge and the Buizel was bent on showing Caedes the repercussions of his actions. She promptly pounced on the Mouse Pokemon and straddled his waist, effectively cutting off any chance of Caedes escaping. He started to protest and struggle wildly; mostly due to the awkward position he was in. Unfortunately for him, he was quickly pacified as Aqua slammed a paw on his chest and released a low but menacing snarl near his face. The Buizel grinned malevolently when she detected a small ounce of fear in the Pikachu's eyes. Only two other Pokemon had managed to instill fear in Caedes and Aqua was proud of the fact that she too had the ability to do so.
The amber-eyed Pikachu felt a steadily escalating sense of foreboding as his gaze was fixed on her eyes. Her normally round pupils had become mere slits. He knew that there was no reasoning with Aqua when she was in this state but he decided to chance it nonetheless. "A-Aqua," he uttered with a neutral tone, "could you-"
He would regret that decision almost instantly as a solid punch connected with his right cheek. The force behind that punch was so great that the whiplash effect he felt was equivalent to one suffered when a car rammed into a steel wall. The only difference here was that his head snapped from side to side instead of forwards and backwards. Once his head returned to its original position, Aqua then backhanded Caedes's left cheek with the same amount of force. This not replicated the earlier blow's result but also busted open Caedes's lower lip. The yellow fur below his mouth was slowly starting to turn red as it absorbed the blood flowing from his underlip. Despite this, Aqua did not let up on her assault. In her view, Caedes had not suffered enough yet. She immediately grabbed two fistfuls of the fur on Caedes's chest and jerked his upper body towards her. At the same time, she pulled her head back before she snapped it downwards.
*BANG*
As a result of that headbutt, Caedes's head smashed onto the floor and splintered the wood flooring. It took all of willpower right then and there to not expel a cry of pain. He absolutely loathed to show any form of weakness, especially to his own teammates. The Pikachu inwardly groaned. He was positively sure that Aqua's headbutt had granted him a concussion.
"Now I know why she drinks ten glasses of milk everyday," the Mouse Pokemon mumbled under his breath. He hesitantly lifted his eyelids by a fraction but he immediately went wide-eyed at the sight that greeted him. Aqua had a paw cocked back and it was surrounded by wisps of light blue energy that swirled around it. They suddenly solidified and encompassed her paw in a spike of ice. The tip looked very sharp and ready to pierce his soft flesh.
"No, don't do it," Caedes attempted to reason with the Buizel.
Aqua callously replied, "Save it." She promptly raised her paw highly and swung the ice spike towards his face.
Caedes shut his eyes and resigned to the fact that he was going to die.
*SMASH*
The Pikachu furrowed his brows in confusion. If a sharp object was about to pierce his skin, it was not supposed to sound like a hammer smashing into a mirror. In fact, there should not be any sound at all except his scream of agony. That was the other thing that left the amber-eyed Pikachu completely stumped; he was not screaming. He did not even feel the ice spike enter his flesh. In a calm manner, he opened his eyes again and immediately caught sight of Aqua who was exhaling ragged breaths. He found his head gradually turning to his right as he trailed the length of Aqua's right arm. The Pikachu sucked in a sharp intake of breath when he realized just how close Aqua came to killing him. About three quarters of the ice encompassing her paw ended up being shattered while the paw itself was embedded into the floor.
"If there is one thing hate above all else in this world," Aqua snarled, gaining Caedes's attention, "it's humans or Pokemon who don't give a damn about their lives. Do you expect me to just stand there and watch you spout utter nonsense and feel sorry for yourself? So what if you weren't born into this world via natural means? You should consider yourself lucky to even be given a chance at life, you ungrateful prick. A replacement? Give me a frickin' break. All your thoughts, all your feelings; they are yours alone. You are not some kind of clone, Caedes. You are your own individual. What does it take to make you realize that?"
At the risk of being pummelled again, Caedes wisely kept his mouth zipped and listened to Aqua's lecture.
"Do you want to know the real reason Seishirou's always present during your 'torture sessions'?" she directed a question towards him. Taking his silence as a 'yes', Aqua elaborated, "If you're thinking he's just there to make your life a living hell, then you're dead wrong. He wants to spend some quality time with you, Caedes. To get to know you better, to strengthen his bond with you. You think I don't know that Seishirou longs for his presence? I've seen the faraway look in his eyes. Seishirou misses him so much that it's hurting him but at least he's making an effort to move on." The Buizel suddenly lashed out her left arm and pressed her paw down on Caedes's throat, making him gag slightly. "As for you, you go out of your way to complain about everything Seishirou does. How do you think that makes him feel, hmm? He's not a machine, Caedes. He has feelings and emotions just like you and me. If you ask me, the way he treats you is pretty much justified."
The Pikachu's ears drooped down slightly. He felt bad about the way he behaved in front of Seishirou earlier. Not only that, he now regretted about rejecting Seishirou's attempts to better their relationship; even if he was ignorant of the sapphire-eyed human's intentions at those times.
Seeing Caedes's remorseful expression was enough to make Aqua lift her paw off his throat. She then pulled her right paw out of the floor and curled it into a fist. "You have no idea how close I came to killing you; not just today but on multiple occasions in the past. It would take just a single-" She momentarily stopped speaking and lightly rapped the left side of the Pikachu's chest with her fist. She resumed, "-punch to the heart and you'll die a slow and agonizing death. The only thing that's holding me back is my promise to Noctis. Xander and I..., we promised him that we would do our best to support you but you are making it rather difficult for us to do. Talk to Xander. Has he got some issues with you. Don't make us break our promise. Noctis would be severely disappointed. Change, Caedes. This is the only piece of advice I'll give you. I won't be so forgiving next time. Understand?"
"Yes," Caedes answered softly. "I can't promise that I'll change completely but at the very least, I'll try to be more open-minded."
Satisfied with the Pikachu's response, Aqua's pupils dilated back to their original state as she stood up and took two steps backwards. She then reached down and helped Caedes get back on his feet.
"Here, ya look like a mess," the Buizel bantered as she handed Caedes a white towel. "Welp, since I'm here, I might as well help ya." She walked past the Mouse Pokemon and started folding the clothes like a pro. Given her tomboyish and rough demeanour, it was understandable if people thought she to be incompetent at doing housework while in actuality, she was quite good at it.
Caedes opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. Sighing, he closed it back and pressed the towel on his lower lip to stem the bleeding a little. "Aqua," he called out to her softly.
Aqua glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
"...Thanks."
The Buizel's eyes widened a fraction. That word was not synonymous with Caedes so to hear it coming out of his mouth gave her quite a shock. Nevertheless, she quickly regained her composure and replied, "Yer welcome."
A rare smile crossed Caedes's expression as he moved forward to carry out his given task, inwardly grateful for Aqua's help.
"Do make haste, Master Eclipse," Alfred urged his employer. "I'm sure you know that there's no running from this."
Eclipse assured his butler, "There's little need for worry, Alfred. I won't back down from something as insignificant as giving a speech. Besides, even if I did run away, you always seem to be able to find me no matter where I am. I wouldn't want to needlessly burden you." The silver-haired teen swept his hair back with fingers before he flipped his hair. He then looked at his reflection in the large birch-framed mirror in his bedroom and nodded to himself, satisfied with the way his hair turned out. He preferred his au naturel hairstyle over gelled or coiffed hair. In his opinion, people with gelled or coiffed hair were trying to hard to make themselves look presentable.
"I appreciate your concern over me, sir," he replied in his usual frank and honest tone, "but it is simply my duty as a butler to solve any problem that's burdening you. If I cannot even accomplish that, then I'm not worth my salt."
The emerald-eyed boy rolled his eyes at Alfred's last statement. The old man had so many variations of that phrase that it almost made his head spin; 'almost' having a greater importance when compared to the other sixteen words. Eclipse had Seishirou to thank. His many dealings with his enigmatic acquaintance in the past built enough resistance to make him immune to most people's eccentricities, even his own butler.
"Ready the limousine, Alfred," Eclipse ordered. "I need a moment by myself."
"Nerves, sir?" Alfred asked.
Eclipse clicked his tongue. "Do I need to repeat myself, Alfred?" he answered his butler's question with a question of his own.
"Of course not, sir," Alfred responded. "Don't take too long. The launching ceremony is due to begin in exactly one hour." Alfred then exited the room to carry out his employer's given order.
Once Eclipse was sure that Alfred had left, he looked at his palms. They were shaking slightly. He hated it when his butler was right. He then looked at his reflection again and straightaway noticed that one loop of his bow tie was not symmetrical with the other one. Thinking of it as a way to help him forget about his upcoming task, he untied the necktie and thought about the instructions on how to tie it back.
"Let's see," he thought aloud. "First, drape the bow tie around your neck and grasp the ends. Second, cross the longer end over the shorter end. Third, pass the longer end up through the loop, forming a simple and loose overhand knot. Fourth, grasp the loose end and fold the end back to form a loop that is pinched between your thumb and index finger. Fifth, drop the left end of the tie over the front of the bow. Sixth, form a new loop with the left end, just as you did with the first one. Seventh, position the new loop over the front loop facing the opposite direction. Finally, tighten the knot by pulling the two loops together and straighten the bow tie."
His gaze found the mirror again. The bow tie was tied perfectly which made Eclipse mentally pat himself on the back. He raised his hands so that they entered his line of sight and smiled when he found out that they were not shaking anymore. Grabbing a black dinner jacket - specifically chosen by Alfred - hung over the chair beside him, he slung it over his shoulder and ambled towards the door. He reached for the doorknob but stopped when he felt vibrations coming from inside the left pocket of his slacks.
"Only one person would send me a message at a time like this," he muttered as he reached into said pocket and took out his new cellphone. After Seishirou's brother - in his opinion - hustled him of his old and very expensive cellphone, he wanted to get a cheaper one but Alfred persuaded him to buy the newest model to preserve his facade as a stingy and pretentious rich kid. Eclipse failed to see the logic behind the rule that if one was rich, his purchases should be items that befitted his status. He flipped it open and looked at the screen that read 1 MESSAGE. Two choices presented themselves to the silver-haired teen. He could either view the message or delete it. In a very surprising move, he chose the former option. The message immediately popped up on the screen. He read:
Good luck with your speech, Eclipse. Hope you enjoy yourself.
~Seth~
Eclipse's lips quirked upwards a bit as he read the message for a second time. Texting a quick reply to the younger teen, he pocketed the cellphone and walked out of the room.
"No sense in keeping Alfred waiting."
Eating out never really appealed to Seishirou. To him, it was just simple logic. He considered himself to be a very good cook so he saw no need for him to eat food prepared by other people. The sapphire-eyed teen tried to keep an open mind but it was difficult for him to do so when the food served at every restaurant he had visited so far in his nineteen years of existence failed to meet his standards. His dissatisfaction would often lead him to storming into the restaurant's kitchen and giving the chefs a piece of his mind. He would rant that the food was bland, undercooked, too spicy or swimming in garlic. The other patrons would of course take note of Seishirou's complaints and decided to be more critical as they tasted the food again; inevitably, they discovered that he was right. They gradually stopped coming to those restaurants which meant that the restaurants - without customers - had to be closed down. In a nutshell, restaurants and Seishirou do not mix well together.
When Seishirou received an invitation from Eclipse to dine at Starlite Articuno, he first thought of declining but ultimately decided against that. Eclipse was one of the few humans who had an established friendship/rivalry with Seishirou. Though they were far from being best friends, Seishirou saw no harm in attending the event. It had been quite awhile since Seishirou had some one-on-one time with Eclipse. The former was willing to overlook the fact that they were not actually going to be alone. He could just tune out the other patrons' voices.
Following the directions stated in the invitation card, he soon reached his destination. The exterior of the restaurant impressed him slightly. Starlite Articuno was built using a modern combination of Carrara marble, polished granite, concrete, wood and quartz crystals. A sign - carved out of ice crystals - fixed atop the restaurant depicted an Articuno with its wings spread out. The ice-carved Articuno's wingspan read STARLITE ARTICUNO; two glass doors were located beneath the sign. As usual for this kind of ceremony, there was a red ribbon tied in front of the doors. Seishirou's lips twitched in amusement. The sight of Eclipse cutting that ribbon with a wide and fake smile on his face would be the perfect blackmail material.
A small stage had been set up in front of the restaurant. There were three steel chairs arranged in the middle of the stage - one of them was already occupied - and a marble rostrum occupied the front right corner of the stage. The grey-haired man occupying the chair was clad in a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and black tie. Seishirou guessed that he was most probably the Master of Ceremonies or someone involved in the city's administration. Ten rows of ten chairs were positioned neatly opposite the stage; Eclipse having reserved a chair for him in the front row. The latter strolled over to his seat, ignoring all the curious looks that were directed at him.
"It's not my fault that these people are unable to comprehend the higher level of fashion," he drawled in a patronizing tone. He soon reached his seat, eyes immediately drawn to the pamphlet lying innocently on the chair. He also noted that the chair on the left and right of his own were unoccupied. Mentally thanking Eclipse for his thoughtfulness, Seishirou placed his metallic suitcase under the chair, picked up the pamphlet and sat down.
Browsing through the pamphlet, he found out that Eclipse did not actually came up with the idea and concept of Starlite Articuno. Rather, the brains behind the highly successful restaurant chain was a Mr. Carlos Damian while Eclipse became the co-owner about three years ago. To be honest, Seishirou thought that the idea of Eclipse opening up his own restaurant to be highly ludicrous even before he came across the evidence that supported his conjecture. Why would Eclipse bother opening up a restaurant if the fool did not even have a passion for food? In any case, Seishirou resumed his browsing and found out that the first Starlite Articuno - which would become the main branch - was erected in Viridian City, Kanto. Despite the massive competition, the restaurant did very well and the food received rave reviews from renowned food critics such as Ruth Reichl from Gourmet and R.W. Apple, Jr. from The Castelia Times. The restaurant continued to perform well in the years that followed and now had two Michelin stars under its belt. Despite this, it was still considered second best to Petrus; a three-star Michelin ranking restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay.
Seishirou furrowed his brows. "What is the point of admitting that your restaurant is second best?" he flabbergasted. "There's a fine line between humility and stupidity but this Carlos character is just plain idiotic." He then mused, "Then again, very few restaurants could compete with those owned by the Gordon Ramsay. This move would portray him as a man who just loves to cook and make people smile; thus convincing more customers to eat at his restaurants. Hmph, whatever. Compared to Gordon Ramsay, this guy's just another face in the crowd." That opinion sounded rather biased because it was. Other than his grandmother, Seishirou only considered Gordon Ramsay's cooking skills to be better than his own.
He adjusted his glasses before he read on. The success of the first restaurant prompted Mr. Damian to start branching out into different cities and subsequently, into different regions. To ensure the people's satisfaction, Mr. Damian adjusted the menu of each restaurant to fit their respective locations. For example, the Starlite Articuno in Snowpoint City used many ingredients which served to increase a person's heart rate and thus keep them warm in the cold environment. Currently, Mr. Damian had ten restaurants: four in Kanto; two in Johto; three in Hoenn; and one in Sinnoh. He did have one restaurant in Unova but it was closed down due to unspecified reasons. Seishirou could not shrug off the feeling that Eclipse played some part in the shutting down of the restaurant. He made a mental note to query Eclipse about that later. Despite that minor setback, the other restaurants kept going strong. Mr. Damian had by then garnered enough reputation to be featured in many food magazines. Seishirou was so deeply engrossed with reading the pamphlet that he did not register Eclipse's arrival and the fact that it was already ten minutes into the ceremony.
"Now then, on behalf of Mr. Carlos Damian, I would like to invite Mr. Eclipse Silverline to give his speech and officiate the opening of the Caelum City branch of Starlite Articuno," the grey-haired man announced. His announcement was succeeded by applause from the attendees as Eclipse made his way over to the marble rostrum.
Seishirou automatically glanced up at the stage when he heard Eclipse's name being announced. He saw Eclipse scanning the crowd before the latter's gaze connected with his own gaze. The silver-haired teen smiled and nodded at Seishirou which prompted the sapphire-eyed boy to do the same.
Eclipse adjusted the microphone and gripped the opposite sides of the rostrum's slanted top with his hands. With a deep breath, he began his speech. "A very good evening I would like to bid to the Master of Ceremonies, Mr. David Fisher, the Mayor of Caelum City, Mr. Jacob Sanchez and all members of the audience. My name is Eclipse Silverline and I am the one of the owners of this highly successful chain of restaurants. Before I begin, I would like to give you all a message I received from Mr. Damian last night. He said, and I quote, 'I would like to sincerely apologize to the citizens of Caelum City for not being able to attend this event as I am currently on my honeymoon with my wife. I'm sure that some of you won't be so quick to forgive me but I can assure you this; as soon as my honeymoon period is over, I shall make it my top priority to visit Caelum City. I can't wait to see your smiles of joy when you taste the food. See you soon.'." The audience clapped, glad that Mr. Damian was at the very least remorseful at not being able to attend the launching ceremony. Eclipse resumed, "Starlite Articuno began as one man's dream. This man had a vision. To the naked eye, this world seemed perfect but in truth, it is full of conflicts. There shall always be those in society who seek to bring chaos to this world. Their reason? Power? Money? Control? Regardless of their reasons, they are all the same. Their presence fuels the strife in the world. Strife begets sadness. Mr. Damian disliked seeing the sorrowful expressions on people's faces so he sought to relieve people of their sadness; even if it was only temporary."
The fact that Eclipse's fingers were tightly gripping the sides of the rostrum did not escape Seishirou's observation. Either Eclipse was very nervous or very annoyed that he had to speak in such an unnatural manner. In Seishirou's opinion, it was most definitely the latter reason.
The co-owner of Starlite Articuno went on, "One of things that can bring joy to people is food. Food can grant us brief respite from sorrow and sadness. It can empower us; make us feel good about ourselves. Positive emotions are essential for people to have in order to overcome the sadness slowly plaguing this world. Mr. Damian knew this and sought to make his dream a reality. Although he had to endure many hardships, he kept reminding himself that if he failed, he would not only be letting himself down but also the general public. This restaurant behind me is a testament to Mr. Damian's hard work. He does not care for money or profit. He does not want to be appreciated. All he wants is for you to smile and overcome your sadness." He paused as the crowd applauded loudly. Eclipse kept on a straight face. He did not care whether the crowd was receptive to his speech or not. The emerald-eyed just wanted to get it over and done with as fast as possibly. "With that said, I declare that the Caelum City branch of Starlite Articuno to be open for business."
The attendees cheered loudly as Eclipse went back to his seat. The silver-haired teen was once again replaced by Mr. David Fisher. "Thank you for that speech, Mr. Silverline," the Master of Ceremonies extolled. "Now, I would like to once again invite Mr. Silverline to cut the ribbon."
Eclipse stood up and walked over to the ribbon. Alfred then approached him with a silver tray. On it was a pair of scissors which Eclipse grabbed without hesitation. Just as he was about to cut the ribbon, something random occurred.
"Hold it right there!" someone from the audience shouted. Said someone saved everyone the trouble of searching for him as he stood up. Even if he did not stand up, his choice of outfit made him stick out like a sore thumb. He was wearing a blue V-neck shirt with rolled up sleeves, ripped jeans and brown sandals. On a lesser note, he also wore an apron which was stained with dry blood. A butcher, perhaps? Maybe, if he brought along a cleaver with him instead of a chainsaw. Before anyone could question him, he powered up his chainsaw and swung it around a couple of times.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZ*
Chaos ensued as the other attendees went scrambling and chairs went flying. Even the Master of Ceremonies and Mayor ran with their tails between their legs. It was strange that there were no security personnel present at an event where the Mayor was a VIP. Sooner than later, things quietened down. Of the original hundred people who attended the event, only four remained: an annoyed co-owner of a restaurant; an amused butler; a crazy man with a chainsaw; and a bored audience member whose attention went back to his pamphlet.
"Do you have a need for a psychiatrist?" Eclipse asked flatly. "I happen to know a couple of good ones that would be glad to treat your mental disorder."
"Shut up, rich kid!" the crazy man yelled while brandishing his chainsaw menacingly at the emerald-eyed boy. "You have some nerve building your restaurant here. I will go out of business for sure."
Eclipse stared at the man through half-lidded eyes. He really did not need this right now. "Why not just relocate to another location in this extremely large and spacious city?" he suggested.
"No way!" the man shot down Eclipse's suggestion. "My restaurant has been operating here for four generations. You think you can just waltz in here and steal my customers? As if, ya snotty punk!"
Eclipse massaged his temples. He could feel a headache coming along. "Shouldn't you be putting the blame on Mr. Damian?" Eclipse countered. "I'm more or less a sleeping partner."
"Who cares?" the man retorted. He then screamed histerically, "Ya won't be gettin' me customers! No, ya won't! No, ya won't! I'll burn and destroy this restaurant! Die, you bastard!" He suddenly broke into a sprint, intent on shredding Eclipse's body in half.
"Walking stick, Alfred," Eclipse requested calmly.
"Certainly, Master Eclipse," Alfred obliged as he handed over a black walking stick to Eclipse.
The co-owner of the Starlite Articuno brand lifted the walking stick and pointed it at the oncoming threat. It was in fact a hollowed-out tube with a single gas-fired bullet and an electric trigger concealed just beneath the handle. The bullet had been specially modified. It would not just kill a man. It would tear him in half.
He fired. The man's left hand was blown out of existence in an instant. The chainsaw, without the extra support, fell and shredded part of the man's right shoulder before wedging itself into the ground. Before the man could even scream in pain, Eclipse appeared right in front of him and swung the walking stick through the air, using it like a sword. The white handle slammed into the man's throat and he crumpled.
Eclipse sighed as he held out his walking stick to his butler who had appeared by his side. He ordered, "Take care of this mess, Alfred."
"Consider it done" was Alfred's quick reply as he took back the walking stick from Eclipse. The butler then adjusted his white gloves before he took to the task of dragging the man's unconscious form to the nearby police station, leaving behind a trail of blood.
The emerald-eyed teen dusted off some imaginary dust from his shoulders before he turned around; a familiar person entered his line of sight almost instantly.
"So much for the grand opening of the Starlite Articuno," Seishirou teased.
Eclipse frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. He said, "I could care less about whether today's launching ceremony was a success or not." He then scrutinized Seishirou from head to toe. The silver-haired Pokemon Trainer commented, "Interesting choice of clothing. As always, it contrasts perfectly with mine."
"You're right," Seishirou drawled in agreement. "For some reason, the black-and-white theme has a rather prevalent presence whenever you and I cross paths."
A halfhearted glare was sent Seishirou's way. Eclipse mocked, "Isn't it fate?"
In return, Eclipse received one of Seishirou's signature smiles. It was good-natured smile overall but it contained elements of mystery and mockery. Instead of responding to Eclipse's jab at his philosophy on life, Seishirou asked, "Is my invitation still valid?"
"Hmm...?"
"You did invite me to dinner after all," Seishirou reminded his emerald-eyed acquaintance. "Do you intend to go back on your word?"
Eclipse closed his eyes and scoffed, "Of course not. I did say that Starlite Articuno is open for business." He then opened his eyes and gazed at Seishirou, amusement reflected in his emerald orbs. "I hope you don't mind a quiet atmosphere."
Seishirou smirked. "Restaurant for two, huh?"
Eclipse gave Seishirou his own smirk. "Sounds appealing, right?"
"Shall we?" Seishirou posed him a question.
"After you," Eclipse answered.
"What shall you two gentlemen be having this evening?" a brunette waitress asked politely.
Seishirou looked through the menu several times and was impressed. There were about 50 items in total; not too little and not too much. It would lessen the pressure on the kitchen but it would not allow the kitchen staff to slack off either. The nineteen-year-old found his gaze wandering about the interior of the restaurant. The walls were painted in soft tones of blue and green which had the effect of making the space more open and airy. He then looked at the silverware. His fork, spoon and the handle of his knife seemed to be made of gold but the gold colour could have just been sprayed on for all he cared. At first glance, he could tell that his plate was made from the finest china.
"I would like to have the Asparagus and Broccoli Soup for an appetizer," Eclipse ordered. "Entree-wise, I'll have the Classic Sirloin. As for dessert, I'll take the Chocolate Souffle. Give me a bottle of red wine."
The waitress nodded and jotted all that down in her PDA. She then looked at Seishirou. "You, sir?"
Seishirou propped an elbow on the table and rested his head on his palm. Without taking his eyes of Eclipse, he ordered, "Creamed Mushroom Soup, Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs, Cheese Cake and white wine."
"Got it," she said. "I'll be back with some garlic bread." The brown-haired girl then left.
Eclipse sighed and grumbled, "Still keeping with the black-and-white theme, I see."
Seishirou chuckled. "Of course." He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. Leaning back into his chair, he wondered aloud, "Aren't you going to tell me how someone like you became the co-owner of Starlite Articuno?"
"...Short or long version?"
"Normally, I'd go for the long version," Seishirou told Eclipse, "but I think I will go for the short version."
"Whatever," he stated. "While I was training my Pokemon, we accidentally broke a window of one of his restaurants. I was still immature back then so even though Mr. Damian had a right to be angry at me, we got into a heated argument. To resolve the issue, we agreed to have a Pokemon battle."
Eclipse's guest raised an eyebrow. "The stakes?"
The emerald-eyed teen glared at his plate and mumbled, "If I won, I would be granted full ownership of Starlite Articuno but if I lost, I would have to pay for the damaged window."
"That hardly seems fair," Seishirou deadpanned.
"I thought so too," Eclipse agreed as their waitress arrived with some garlic bread. He promptly grabbed a piece from the small basket and took a bite. His face scrunched up for a moment. "Too much garlic. Anyway, I contemplated on losing but the thought of losing to a restaurateur did not sit well with me at all. We battled, I won. I realized the severity of the situation almost immediately. I haven't a clue on how to run a restaurant and I wanted to remain a Pokemon Trainer. He took notice of the dilemma I was in and came up with a compromise. I would become a sleeping partner in his business and the profits shall be split evenly between us. That's it."
"In conclusion, he granted you a steady and continuous income of money," Seishirou surmised. "That's how you were able to afford your butler's services, right?"
Eclipse merely nodded. He grabbed the jug of water and poured some into his glass. He emptied his glass in three gulps.
The waitress returned again, this time with their appertizers and bottles of wine. The unique thing about the soups offered at this restaurant was that they were served in sesame seed buns instead of bowls. The two teens immediately noticed that the waitress had given the wrong bottles of wine; Eclipse got the bottle of white wine while Seishirou received the bottle of red wine. The solution to this problem was clear to both of them. In unison, they unscrewed the bottles of wine and poured them into their respective glass goblets. They then switched goblets. Problem solved. The two friends raised their goblets to each other before they tasted their wine.
"Adequate, I guess," Seishirou remarked.
Seishirou's acquaintance hummed in agreement. He casually scooped up a spoonful of his soup and inserted the spoon into his mouth, allowing the flavour of the asparagus and broccoli to slide down his tongue. "It's been nine years since you retired," Eclipse stated. "What have you been doing with all that free time?"
Seishirou gazed at his reflection in his wine. He swirled the contents of the goblet as he thought of a suitable answer to Eclipse's question. Placing the goblet back on the table, he looked at Eclipse and vaguely responded, "I've become a merchant."
"What's your line of trade?" Eclipse prodded.
The sapphire-eyed teen smirked and answered, "Wishes."
Eclipse eyed him speculatively. "Am I supposed to believe that?"
Seishirou shrugged as their entrees arrived. "I could care less about whether you believe it or not," he drawled. "You've always known that I'm... different from most humans so when you think about it, it's not all that impossible."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Eclipse said as he sliced his sirlion steak into smaller pieces. His statement brought out a chuckle from Seishirou. The emerald-eyed Pokemon Trainer pursed his lips and gave Seishirou a half-lidded glare. "What's so funny?"
Seishirou put his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers. He regarded Eclipse with amusement. "Tell me something, Eclipse," he purred in a slightly seductive way. "You've met my brother, right?"
Eclipse huffed and shook his head. He murmured, "I could never forget that little devil even if I wanted to. He left behind a very big impression."
The grin on Seishirou's face grew wider, making Eclipse very uncomfortable. He suddenly asked, "Were his lips soft and moist?"
That question caught Eclipse off guard. He dropped his knife and fork in shock. The shell-shocked co-owner of Starlite Articuno slowly looked up and met Seishirou's gaze. All traces of humour were gone from his guest's expression. Seishirou was now regarding him with utmost seriousness.
"N-Now now, don't you dare accuse me of outraging his modesty," Eclipse warned him. "He was the one who came onto me. I-"
"Just answer the question," Seishirou interrupted.
Eclipse's face started to go red with embarrassment. He looked down at his steak and clenched his fists as he meekly answered, "...Yes, they were."
A smile replaced the frown across Seishirou's features. "Good."
Eclipse spluttered and almost choked on the piece of steak he was chewing. "How is that 'good'?" he asked in bewilderment.
"It just means I'm feeding him right," Seishirou happily stated. "Anyway, let us deviate back to the earlier question. Upon you meeting Seito, he conducted some business with you, am I right?" Seeing Eclipse nod his head, Seishirou continued, "What did you ask him to do?"
"I asked him to give you that invitation card," Eclipse answered truthfully. He added, "He wanted my cellphone as compensation for his services."
Seishirou grasped his chin between his thumb and index finger before he queried, "Did something... out of the ordinary happen after that?"
Closing his eyes, Eclipse thought deeply about what had happened after his first match. Alfred picked him up from the stadium and they went straight back to the mansion. He trained his Pokemon for a while before he had a very filling dinner. He then retreated into his bedroom to wash up before going to bed. Normally, he would read the daily newspaper before retiring for the night but on that particular night, he felt more tired than usual. He practically trudged into the bathroom before he started to undress himself, starting with his gloves. Upon removing them, he literally stopped breathing as he gazed at his right palm. There was a diagonal cut on it and blood was oozing out of the wound.
Eclipse opened his eyes and informed Seishirou about the strange incident.
Seishirou nodded and took a bite of his cheese cake. "And what did my brother say would happen when the wish and price aren't of equal value?"
The silver-haired teenager's eyes widened as he recalled Seito's cryptic warning.
"According to my onii-san, the punishment involves blood. The balance of the universe has been affected so compensation in the form of either the client's or the granter's blood is required to restore the balance."
Eclipse snapped himself out of his reverie and looked at his guest who was busy enjoying his dessert. His gaze then travelled downwards to his own dessert. The chocolate souffle had sunk. Expelling a sigh of agitation, he raised a hand to request for another chocolate souffle.
After washing down his cheese cake with two goblets of wine, Seishirou reached into his jacket, pulled out a packet of cigarettes and placed them on the table. He initially thought of bringing his kiseru but decided against it in the end because he was afraid that he might accidentally drop it. The cigarettes were home-made and thus were free of any carcinogens. It also explained why the packet did not have a symbol of any notable brand of cigarettes.
Seishirou took one out and produced a lighter with a snap of his fingers. "Do you mind?" he asked Eclipse as he fiddled with his lighter.
His host shrugged and gave him the green light. "Go ahead."
Seishirou put one end of the cigarette into his mouth and lit the other end with his lighter. He sucked in, letting the sweet, slightly vanilla taste of the tobacco roll over his tongue. The enigmatic teen then formed a 'O' with his mouth and blew rings of smoke into the air.
The other occupant of the table eyed the cigarette with distaste as he took out a handkerchief and started fanning it across his face. Even if the cigarettes were home-made, Eclipse did not want to take any chances.
"Something against smoking?" Seishirou asked in a bored tone.
"No," Eclipse denied. "I just see it as a sign of weakness."
"I see," Seishirou muttered. He reached for his metallic suitcase under his chair and laid it flat on the table. Giving it a 180 degree spin, he slid it across the table towards his host who caught it easily. "Your request," Seishirou informed Eclipse as he tapped ash into the ash tray.
Eclipse reached into the left breast pocket of his dinner jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Putting them on, he asked, "Combination?"
"Six-six-six," Seishirou responded.
*CLICK*
The suitcase seemed to be a voice command device. Eclipse braced himself and opened the suitcase. He was immediately assaulted by a dark purple light but thanks to his sunglasses, his eyes did not suffer any damage. He gazed at the object inside the suitcase and permitted himself the rare luxury of a genuine smile. After he closed it, he placed the suitcase on the floor and slid it underneath his chair.
"The price?" Eclipse carefully queried.
"You learn fast," Seishirou remarked as he placed a tape recorder on the table. He then pressed the red button that had the word 'REC' displayed on it.
Eclipse frowned as a smirk appeared on Seishirou's face.
The merchant of wishes drew on his cigarette. The tip glowed.
"Information. That's the price."
Quite happy with this chapter. From the speed of the update, you guys could probably tell that I enjoyed writing this chapter compared to the last one.
Leon Strife belongs to Soldier of the Future. (To those curious, Leon looks like a black-haired version of Kellyn from Shadows of Almia, not the anime. Therefore, he looks very youthful and cute for an eighteen-year-old)
Eclipse Silverline belongs to KingFatMan25. (For some strange reason, I keep imagining Eclipse to be a taller version of Toshiro Hitsugaya. Am I the only one who thinks so?)
If you guys are free, a review would be much appreciated.
Arigatou and sayonara.