Okay, it's been far too long since the last update. Seriously, this needs to be done. Problem is, I'm not sure how to work all my ideas together. Part of the reason is that I made Ash and Anabel confess a little too quickly. Didn't think that one over too well.
Ah, well. Let's see how all this plays out.
The morning after Leon and Sarah had met Cardinal Chang and Miss Temple, Sarah was still thinking about what they had said. It was indeed reassuring that there was a resistance group, but Leon seemed adamant about not trusting the two newcomers. What was more, Ash actually agreed with him.
"Greed is not someone to be taken lightly. I think that the entire story is plausible, but we don't know enough about the whole situation. You can do what you think is best. As for those two that you met, I've heard their reputations, so they might have been telling the truth. Still, it's better not to trust them," Ash had said.
Now, Leon and Sarah were gathering information from Celestic Town. There was another reason why Leon chose the town for his base. It was because the town elder had an extensive knowledge of old myths and legends. Ever since Leon had established tenure in Celestic Town with his house and the Master Firesect's café, he had gone to the elder's house to hear to learn about ancient stories whenever he visited, thinking that they would be useful in his life as an agent of Aura Psychicorum. The tales didn't help in the long run, but Leon still went nevertheless, not only because he enjoyed the stories, but also because the elder was not as spry as she used to be, and so Leon took it upon himself to help her with certain chores around her house, in return for more stories.
And so it was that Leon and the town elder were on friendly terms, and he could always ask her for advice. She was like the grandmother he had never had. And so he did not hesitate to go to her house with Sarah, but this time, he was after a specific legend when he knocked on the door.
The person who answered was not someone Leon or Sarah could have expected. There was no mistaking the long, blond hair that cascaded down to the woman's waist, the sharp eyes behind the gentle smile, or the black clothing she always wore. "Cynthia," Leon breathed.
The Sinnoh Champion frowned. "That outfit…what business do you have here, Aura Guardian?" she asked.
"You know who I am?" Leon asked, mildly surprised.
Cynthia smirked. "I wouldn't forget such an outfit…the one who beat me wore the same thing, only in blue. It catches the eye," she said.
Leon chuckled. "Oh, yeah, Ash beat you. I forgot about that. But let's not talk about that right now. We need to speak to the town elder. My name is Leontus Firesect, and she is Sarah Isecolt," he said.
"The second Salon Maiden of Kanto? Why are you here?" Cynthia asked, genuinely surprised.
"It's a long story, but we really need to talk to the town elder. There's an old legend that we have to ask her about," Sarah asked.
"Grandmother! A Mr. Leontus Firesect is calling for you!" Cynthia called. Leon raised an eyebrow. Cynthia was the town elder's granddaughter?
"Leontus? Let him in! I'm feeling well enough today!" an old woman's voice answered.
Cynthia did so, leading the two young trainers into the living room. An old woman greeted Leon and Sarah with a smile, and the two bowed in return. "It's good to see you again, ma'am. This is Sarah Isecolt, a childhood friend of mine. Please don't make any jokes about how we might be dating," Leon introduced.
"I won't," the elder reassured. Both of them breathed an audible sigh of relief. Then the elder continued. "I honestly do think that you two would make a great couple."
Leon and Sarah were about to spout pointless denials again, but then they saw the serious look on the elder's face, and both of them looked away from each other, blushing.
"Why are you here, Leontus?" the elder asked.
Leon got straight to the point. "What do you know about the legend of Casshern and Lyuze?" he asked.
Both the elder's and Cynthia's eyes widened. "What do you want to know?" the elder asked.
"We heard that they were sealed into the heart of the Tree of Beginning. If that's true, then what happens if that seal is broken?" Sarah asked.
"The legend that you ask about is very old, and even I struggle to recall it. However, there is one thing that I do remember; when the first Darkrai and Cresselia are released from their seal, something else comes about," the elder said.
Leon and Sarah glanced at each other, and then back at the elder. "Like…?" Leon asked, circling his wrist in a "go on" fashion.
"Any calamities? Giant weapons? Is Arceus going to come down and cause the apocalypse?" Sarah prompted.
"It's nothing good. Unfortunately, all I can remember about this is that one must never break their seal under any circumstances," the elder said.
"…I see," Leon said.
"I apologize for being unable to help you, but I cannot remember any specifics," the elder said.
"No, no…you just confirmed what we thought. No matter what, Casshern and Lyuze must never be released," Sarah said.
"Yes," the elder agreed.
"All right. Thank you for your time," Leon said. He and Sarah turned to leave, but Cynthia called out to them.
"Wait! There is something else that I know Grandmother forgot!" she exclaimed.
"What? Anything would be useful, really," Leon encouraged.
"That there is a trinity, and that life and its opposite will be sealed in different locations," Cynthia said.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "That quote was from the story itself. How could I forget? Are you suggesting that it might have something to do with the seals?" he asked. Cynthia shrugged. "All right. Thank you."
Later…
Leon and Sarah were once again eating at Master Firesect's, but this time, Leon was thinking about what Cynthia had suggested. "Life and its opposite…which means that there's a creature of death sealed elsewhere, and Casshern and Lyuze are balancing it out…those three represent the trinity…"
"No." Leon was jolted out of his reverie by the short, terse word from his partner as she stabbed at a piece of brisket with her fork.
"What do you mean?" Leon asked.
Unfortunately for him, Sarah took the rules of table manners very seriously for herself, and would not speak until she finished chewing. Leon sighed in exasperation and annoyance when she finally swallowed. "I agree with you that there is another being besides Casshern and Lyuze; that would form the trinity. But Leon, death is the easy answer to the opposite of life. In fact, it's too easy; if a being of death were the answer, then Casshern and Lyuze, as well as that being, would be that much closer to being released. Besides, what makes you think that the two of them represent life in the first place? What makes you think that they don't represent its opposite?"
"What do you think is the opposite of life?" Leon asked.
"Normally, I'd say death too, but using the mindset that Casshern and Lyuze represent life's opposite…in this case, the answer is dreams," Sarah said.
"Dreams? Dreams are the opposite of reality!" Leon exclaimed, incredulously.
Sarah stared at her partner from across the table. "But what is reality but life itself, Leontus Firesect?" Leon sighed inwardly. This was Sarah's "philosophical scholar" mode. When she was like this, she was quite forceful and willing to debate her ideas in a cool, crisp fashion that was as sharp as a set of daggers. Even so, Leon knew his friend well enough that when she was like this, her words should at least be listened to. And she made a fair point already.
What was reality but life? Anything that happened in life was within the scope of reality. Leon began to see where Sarah was coming from with this. There really was no point in debating her answer; she was more often right than not. Even so, Leon was hesitant to put faith in her answer.
As if sensing his doubt, Sarah continued. "Casshern and Lyuze are the first Darkrai and Cresselia. Both of them are beings of dream; they create dreams. One of them corrupts dreams and the other purifies them. Besides, Darkrai is often associated with death, while Cresselia is associated with life. The quote said that life and its opposite were sealed in different places; if Lyuze also represents life and Casshern death, then the two of them can't be opposites in this situation."
Leon folded his hands and rested his elbows on a table to create a platform for his head to rest on. It was his thinking position. "Dreams, then…and we already know what the trinity is…but wouldn't this way of thinking eventually lead to how that group of rebels just wants to free Casshern and Lyuze so that they could consequently free a being of life? If that's the case, then why have they been acting so amorally? They took hostages and destroyed Verdanturf," he reminded.
"People will do a lot of crazy things when they're either in love, completely insane, or fanatical. When you think about a being of life, you might think about something that can revive the dead. Maybe that's their motivation," Sarah suggested. "Besides, they didn't kill anyone with that attack on Verdanturf. Frankly, if this were all they did, I would let the whole thing play out so that I could see their motivation. But they also sent two homicidal maniacs and forced two old friends to fight each other on top of targeting my best friend. Now I don't care why they're doing it."
"And there's another question. We've been considering how they want to use Anabel to break Casshern and Lyuze's seal, but there's one thing that we've neglected to think about. Remember, it was why I came back in the first place. If they only want her to break a seal, then why did I hear a bunch of the top brass talking about sacrificing Anabel?" Leon asked.
Sarah's mouth opened a little. "Are you sure you heard them use these exact words?" she asked.
"They specifically said, 'The Lilac Maiden will be sacrificed as a vessel to bring the goddess Tenebris.' However, all we've been thinking about are Casshern and Lyuze. Breaking a seal doesn't require sacrifice, just a lot of mental power. These things contradict each other. What do they want? What are their motivations?" Leon asked.
"Do you think there's more than two factions in this battle? Maybe there's the cult that wants to bring Tenebris; another mysterious faction that wants to release Casshern and Lyuze, and in turn, the third being; and us, the rebels who pose a threat to both sides because we just want to protect Anabel," Sarah suggested.
"Maybe." Leon put his head in his hand. "Dammit, there are more unanswered questions than I'd like!"
"The best thing we can do now is finding the Seven Sins. I think we should give Miss Temple and Cardinal Chang another chance. They are the best lead we have on Greed, after all," Sarah said matter-of-factly.
Leon thought about it for a few seconds before sighing, resigned to his partner's suggestion. "I guess there's no better way to go about it. Besides them, we have no leads." He sighed again. "All right, I guess we have no choice…"
Sarah smiled as Leon turned to call their waitress. "Kirsten!"
The young woman soon appeared. Her face was as impassive as it normally was, but her eyes reflected genuine jubilance when she looked at Leon. Kirsten was quite a bit older than Leon at twenty-three, but Sarah couldn't help but feel a little jealous whenever Kirsten or any of the other maids gushed at the sight of Leon.
Sarah was surprised at Leon's next order: "Have two more brought chairs here. I'm expecting company soon. If necessary, I'll call them here myself," he said. Kirsten glanced at Sarah for answers, but Sarah only shrugged, confusing Kirsten even further. "Kirsten!" Leon's sharp call reminded the waitress of her duty.
"Hai, Leon-sama." The waitress bowed, and in a moment, she and another maid dragged two more chairs over, both of them earning a small smile and a word of thanks from Leon.
When the maids left, and Leon was certain they were out of earshot, he made his move. "All right, get over here and let's talk things over," he called, his eyes drifting toward the partition that separated their booth from the next one over. Sarah quickly realized what was going on when she heard two sets of footsteps.
Cardinal Chang and Miss Temple appeared and sat down in the other two chairs. "How long have you been listening in?" Sarah asked.
"From the very beginning," Miss Temple said.
"You knew, didn't you?" Chang asked, directing the question to Leon.
Leon nodded, and at Sarah's glare, he explained himself. "I wanted them to know our motivations and thoughts on the whole situation. If they truly weren't working for Greed, then they would have stayed. If they were, then they would have left to tell their boss that two protectors of the Lilac Maiden were here. I know it's a flawed test, but even so, I think we should at least ally with them."
"I've been thinking that from the start," Sarah sighed. She turned to the newcomers. "So, what did you think about our analysis?"
"There's nothing we can add. Like you, we don't know enough about the situation, either. What we want to know is why you separated from the Lilac Maiden," Chang murmured.
"Divide and conquer. It's not a very sound strategy, but it's effective enough when you're dealing with multiple enemies. We separated to take out each of the Seven Sins," Leon explained.
"And we've already succeeded in defeating Sloth and Gluttony," Sarah added.
Miss Temple and Cardinal Chang looked at each other and nodded before looking back at the younger fighters. "Come with us. We want to take you to Greed's lair," she said.
"If this is a trick, I will do my level best to kill you both," Leon threatened.
"It isn't," Miss Temple assured.
The four of them paid the bill, left the café, and released their Flying Pokémon. Cardinal Chang had a Noctowl, while Miss Temple had a Pidgeot. With Leon on Aerodactyl and Sarah on Togekiss following, the two older fighters led the way to the cold route leading to Snowpoint City. It was ideal, really; anyone who made a lair there would be very difficult to find.
Cardinal Chang lighted down in front of a building, about three stories tall and ridiculously wide. Leon and Sarah's eyes both widened at the sight; the height was rather average, but the building's length was such that it looked to be hunkering down at a comparatively low height. In that way, it was enormous.
"Let me guess; we're outnumbered and he's waiting for us," Leon said.
"Most likely," Miss Temple said.
Sarah was shivering; it was very cold, and she had only brought three thin layers. Leon had prepared for this. "Here. I had this prepared last night for you," he said, offering her a beautiful long white coat with thin golden designs. Sarah accepted the coat and found that it was quite formfitting, but an open seam at the back bottom area allowed for freedom of movement. It was thick enough to offer warmth, yet light enough so as not to hinder her movement.
"Thank you," Sarah said. Leon smiled and nodded before taking her arm and following Cardinal Chang and Miss Temple.
Before they even reached the front door, however, Leon sensed an energy blast being fired at them, and quickly put up a barrier. Cardinal Chang seemed able to sense it as well, and put up his own barrier just as the blast hit Leon's.
Leon was surprised to see that the Aura was green, but it was far more powerful than he expected. "Who's there?!" he demanded when the blast resolved.
"Thank you…for inviting yourselves to my humble abode," a whispery voice echoed.
The front door opened to reveal a tall man, dressed in green like Leon. However, his hair was styled wildly, and long bangs hung down all around his head. His eyes were sharp and menacing, and his face was pinched and narrow.
When Leon saw him, he gasped and began to back up in fear. Sarah looked at him in concern before she realized that he was afraid. "Leon? What's wrong?"
"Greed!" Chang growled, activating his sword.
"Chang! Are you certain that he's the one who killed your teammates?" Leon demanded.
"He is! I will never forget that face! I remember…he was holding me up by my neck and whispered: "I am Greed. If you want revenge, then come to Route 217. My lair is there. I will not attack you until you attack me, so feel welcome to find it…" I would never forget that!" Miss Temple insisted.
"That was a lie. He…he's not Greed!" Leon declared.
Now all three of his allies were beginning to feel the first stages of trepidation. "What…?" Chang rumbled dangerously.
"That's not Greed." The man at the front door began to grin as Leon revealed the peril that he, Sarah, Chang, and Miss Temple were in.
"That's Envy!"
Yep. Instead of Greed, Leon now has to fight the third-strongest member of the Seven Sins. I wonder how he'll get out of this one?
In any case, this is my first update of the New Year. I know this chapter seems a bit rushed, and I truly do regret that.
Please leave a comment below.