Chapter 8 – Opening Statement (Leon)
"Rise and shine!" The Quartermaster's voice echoed in the hallway, rattling Leon and Jacob out of their sleep. The two groaned as they tossed and turned, scrunching up their faces. Jacob pulled a blanket back over his chilly shoulder, and Leon clutched his pillow.
"Recruits, breakfast is in the dining hall. Get it while you can! We're heading out to the field in forty-five minutes for training. Get there or get'chure points docked!"
"…Hrmm, what did he say?" Jacob mumbled, turning over.
Leon turned over as well, blinking slowly. "Training…?"
Then their eyes popped open as the two sprang upright in their beds. "Oh right!" Jacob exclaimed.
"Today's our first day at the guild," Leon said, rubbing his eyes. "Yesterday was so crazy, I slept like… umm…" Leon had a strange dream last night, and his foggy mind was struggling to make sense of it.
He had dreamed of being out in the middle of the sea, surrounded by a foreboding, ghostly mist. He was on a small, simple boat filled with a few others, but they were all strangers to him. He had no clue about where they were going; they simply rode along in solemn silence.
As they glided across the waves, through the salty breeze, Leon felt a few splashes on his… feet? Before he knew it the boat itself was cracking apart, sinking into the cold, unforgiving depths. The stranger mons drifted away, floating like ghosts and vanishing into the mist. Leon was left all alone, and darkness began to fall as he touched the icy, black water.
Though that dream came to an abrupt end when Quartermaster's voice had pulled him out of his sleep.
"And if you're somehow still in bed by nine o'clock," the Excadrill continued, "you're gettin' a claw in your rear end as a motivator. You've been warned!"
Leon shook himself awake. "Anyway, I almost forgot that today–"
Jacob jumped out of his bed. "Let's get breakfast! Come on, race you there!"
"Hey!" Leon called out, smiling as Jacob took off.
He ran after him, and almost plowed into William and Corvo on his way out; they both jumped out of the way. Leon left them in the dust as he took off in pursuit of his brother, charging out into the main hall.
The two barreled down the stairs, where a crowd of other guild members glanced up and jumped aside to make way for them. Most of them were heading in the same direction– toward the door marked as "Dining Hall." They weaved their way past their fellow recruits, with Jacob just barely making it in first.
"That wasn't a fair start!" Leon joked.
Jacob laughed. "You're getting slow!"
"Ooh, we'll settle this later," Leon sniffed the air. "Can you smell that?" The dining hall was serving up crisp apples, fresh berries, smoked meats, and other tasty foods that made their mouths water. On the other side of the hall, kitchen staff moved crates of food from a pantry door to the serving line. And to the left, more stacks of crates were lined up near the wall, waiting to be moved into said pantry.
Leon and Jacob joined the ever-growing line, grabbing trays and sliding them down a long counter.
The food was on display along said counter, and some staff members served it to the recruits. Leon and Jacob happened upon a jolly-looking Aggron. "Mornin', youngins!" he greeted. "What can I getcha?"
"Hi, I'd like an apple and some oatmeal please," Leon said.
"Sho-sho, heh," Aggron placed a shiny red apple on Leon's tray, then a bowl of hot oatmeal with raisins, berries, and a dusting of brown sugar.
"Ooh! I'd like some bacon, and a muffin!" Jacob asked, bouncing once.
"That's what's up, baby." Aggron placed three slabs of smoked bacon on Jacob's tray, then an oran muffin with cinnamon-sugar crumbles.
"Nice!" Jacob cheered. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Folks call me Coach," the metal titan replied. "I reckon y'all can do the same."
"Coach…?" Leon uttered, puzzled.
"Thanks, Coach!" Jacob said. "That's a really cool name! See you around!"
"For sho'," the Aggron waved as the brothers left for a table.
After wandering around a bit, Jacob and Leon claimed one of the tables near the middle of the dining hall.
Leon first tried his oatmeal. The warm blend of grains, berries, and sugar energized him. Though what perked him up even more was simply being there, sitting in Wolfhaven's guild as a new recruit.
"I still can't believe we're here," Leon said, then took a bite out of his apple.
"Yeah! We almosh didn mae it," Jacob replied with a mouthful of muffin.
"Oh hey, don't bite off too much," Leon cautioned. "You might choke."
Jacob hurried his chewing and swallowed. "Sorry."
"It's okay. You've got a point, though. William was a big help last night."
"He sure was!" Jacob's tailflame seemed to double in size. "Maybe we can form a team with him? What should our team name be?"
"Eheh. Well, we gotta spend some time training first, remember?" Leon glanced around the hall, looking for the Cubone. "Where is he, anyway?"
"I think he's over there," Jacob pointed at the line to get food.
Sure enough William was there, waiting his turn to get breakfast. Beside him was…
"Wait a sec, is that Corvo next to him?" Leon wondered aloud.
"…Oh yeah, it is!" Jacob confirmed. "I forgot he joined up, too."
Suddenly Leon was feeling less cheerful, glaring at the Snivy's backside. "I just remembered that he's sharing a room with William, too. Hopefully Corvo doesn't try to pull anything…"
"Pull what?" Jacob asked.
Leon shook his head. "Nevermind. Let's just eat up, it's still a new day for us."
Minutes passed and the two brothers continued to enjoy their breakfast. The Totodile idly wondered what training they'd be doing afterwards. The Quartermaster had mentioned going to 'the field.' What did he mean by that?
His musings stopped when someone approached their table. Across from him and Jacob was a blue and cream colored mon with a stern, unblinking gaze. Leon set his half-eaten apple aside as he remembered who it was.
"Hey, aren't you that Quilava from yesterday?" Leon asked.
The Quilava settled his gaze on Leon as he set his tray down, giving him that same look as he did before. "Thought you were denied," he said.
He was talking more than before. Maybe this Quilava was just stressed about joining yesterday?
"Well, at first they wouldn't let him in," Leon explained, gesturing to the Charmander. Jacob had his face in his muffin again, unaware of the newcomer. "We ran a little 'errand' after that, then we got in at the last minute. Pretty nice, huh?"
The Quilava tilted his head. "Hmm."
Leon's smile shrank. Maybe this guy just was just plain-old unfriendly after all. Why did he bother coming to sit with them?
Jacob finished his muffin, leaving only crumbs all over his mouth, when he finally noticed the Quilava. "Oh hiya!" He wiped his mouth clean. "My name's Jacob, and this is Leon! What's yours?"
"…Enzo," the Quilava repeated dryly. "You're training together."
"Of course!" Jacob answered. "We're brothers!"
Enzo's expression twisted into a mix of contempt and pity. He shook his head, then stared at Leon again. "You should've joined alone."
Leon narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?" he said indignantly.
"Why would he do that?" Jacob added, though his attention was split between Enzo and his own plate.
"You need to stand on your own," Enzo addressed Leon. He glanced at Jacob, who started shoveling bacon into his mouth. "He'll hold you back."
"Mo mime mot!" Jacob tried to retort.
"What's your problem, Enzo?" Leon shot back. "We're just sitting here, and you come over here just to give us a hard time?"
"I'm giving you advice," Enzo replied bluntly. "You should take it."
Leon rolled his eyes. "I don't think you know what 'advice' is. Why don't you just leave us alone?"
A lone ember sparked out of Enzo's head vent. He stood, picking up his food tray. "You won't last here."
Leon rose from his seat. "Is that a threat?"
"No. Speaking plainly." And Enzo finally left.
Leon's old frustrations rekindled like a log crashing down on a smoldering fire, launching up sparks. They hadn't even started training and already people were judging them. He sat back down. "Screw that guy…"
"Wonder why he's upset," Jacob said, looking concerned.
"Don't pay any attention to him," Leon's frustrated look turned soft the moment he turned to Jacob. "We got this."
Jacob nodded. "Yeah… you got that right. We're the best from Bethany, and we'll show 'em why!"
Still, Leon felt aggravated. They hadn't said a word to anybody and already someone had it out for them. Why did Enzo have it out for them specifically?
Minutes passed and the dining hall had filled up close to capacity. The empty spots at Leon and Jacob's table were taken by a Machop and a Buizel, who kept to themselves. As the brothers finished their meal, a ringing glass sounded off throughout the room.
"Your attention, please." The Guildmaster's voice rang out, and the cacophony of chatter faded out as all heads turned toward her. She stood on one of the crates to better address everyone, standing beside her was the Excadrill Quartermaster to the left, wearing a necklace with a whistle, and to her right was a Floatzel wearing a pair of glasses.
"Now that autumn is upon us," the Arcanine began, "we have our new wave of recruits to welcome. I trust that you'll all treat them well."
Nods and murmurs rolled through the hall, then the Guildmaster continued.
"While many of you may already know this, I'll repeat it for clarity's sake. New recruits have two weeks of training, followed by a test– the Wolfhaven Hunt."
At the mention of the 'Wolfhaven Hunt,' Leon felt some kind of shift in the air. It was like everyone suddenly became more excited.
"A hunt?" Jacob whispered. "What are they talking about?"
"No idea," Leon replied.
"This test," the Guildmaster explained, "will help us decide who will graduate to full-time membership. So prepare for it as best you can!"
Lively cheers filled the hall as recruits chattered about what this 'hunt' might be about.
"They're putting on pressure pretty early, huh?" Leon said.
"Nothing we can't handle!" Jacob boasted.
"To that end," the Guildmaster spoke again, "you'll begin training with the Quartermaster here–" she nodded at the Excadrill beside her, "once breakfast is over. As for everyone else, keep up the good work. There's always jobs on the board in the post office. That will be all, thank you."
As the Arcanine stepped down from the crate, the Excadrill took her place. "Alright mavericks, get your plates cleaned and wipe your mouths, cuz we're headin' out back in five minutes."
At the end of breakfast, the recruits sluggishly made their way out of the guild's back doors. It was a bright, sunny morning, with wispy clouds and a pleasant breeze. Leon and Jacob were near the front as the Quartermaster led them to the training field behind the building.
The entire field had a large dirt path circling around its edge. Enclosed within that path was an expansive obstacle course. The course had a series of wooden crates, swaying ropes, nets to climb up and to catch people, a crawl tunnel here and there, and at least a few zip lines. There was also a sizable pool of water in the center.
"Check that out!" Jacob pointed. "It's like a giant playground!"
"Let's find a swing," Leon proposed. "I'll give you a push!"
"I don't need a swing to send ya flying," the Excadrill warned. "Keep talkin' nonsense if ya wanna find out how."
Leon glared daggers into the back of Excadrill's head, though he and Jacob stayed quiet.
Within a minute all the recruits formed a line in front of the track. Leon and Jacob stood near the middle, and Leon looked around at the other newcomers. There were at least thirty of them, all humming with noise as they chattered and fidgeted.
A few yards down from Leon's right was that Quilava from earlier, Enzo, standing as still as a statue. And to the left he noticed that William stood a little ways down the other side, next to Corvo. Why would he choose to be near him?
"Do you think they'll have us run the ropes course?" Jacob asked, pulling his attention away.
"Hmm…" Leon thought about his answer. "Nah, I think it's just for decoration."
Jacob's face twisted into utter confusion. "It… whaa?"
"Yeah, it's like that saying, 'having your cake and eating it too.' You're not supposed to eat it, it's just a rental!"
"Hmpf! That's not gonna stop me!" Jacob declared, folding his arms. "Cakes are meant to be eaten!"
"Oh really? Breaking the law for cake?" Leon chuckled. "So that's what your prison gang is gonna be about. Stealing desserts."
Jacob snorted, which gave way to contagious laughter as his tailflame brightened. "Eheheh, yeah! We'll be the… 'cream convicts'!"
Leon caught his brother's giggles. "Haha! Or the 'pastry peddlers'!"
The two started laughing themselves silly, until the Excadrill blew his whistle.
"Alright everyone." He silenced the crowd, marching in front of them. "I'm not one for speeches so let's make this quick. You all are here because you're the bravest, toughest, and smartest mons from wherever you happen to come from." He stopped for a moment, seeming to roll his eyes. "Or at least, you like to think you are…"
Leon wondered if he was referring to him and Jacob.
"But our training," he continued walking, "will weed out those who are unfit to be here."
"Ooh, I'm so scared," Leon quietly deadpanned.
Jacob snorted again.
"It will separate the strong from the weak, the wheat from the chaff, and, blah blah blah blah blah." The Quartermaster closed his eyes and shook his head. Some of the recruits traded confused glances.
"Look, I don't need to remind you all that this won't be easy. This isn't summer camp with your buddies, or breakfast at Palkia's Intergalactic House of Pancakes."
The brothers giggled, along with about half of the other recruits.
"This is the Wolfhaven Guild. You're all smart enough to know what to expect here… probably. But to make sure we're all on the same page, I'll get'chall caught up."
The Quartermaster turned to face the crowd.
"You're all recruits, which means you still gotta earn your place in our guild. Your first two weeks here is a crash course. Do good by us, and you'll get points. Screw up and you'll lose 'em. At the end, you all get tested by the Wolfhaven Hunt." He flashed a small smile. "Whether you pass and join, or fail and drop out, all depends on how many points ya got in the end."
He turned his back on the recruits. "Not everyone's gonna make the cut," he said grimly. "'Specially since there are so many of ya."
"They're really playing hard ball, huh?" Jacob muttered.
"We'll play harder," Leon whispered back.
"And one more thing," the Quartermaster faced them again. "Look at the recruits to your left and right…" Leon did so. Some looked pretty tough, like an imposing Electabuzz. Others were only trying to look tough, like a shy-looking Buizel.
"They might look a bit gruff, like they'd make life here hard for you," Excadrill continued, walking down the line.
As if on cue, the Electabuzz started zapping the Buizel beside him, chuckling as the orange weasel struggled to stay composed.
"Pfft, what a jerk…" Leon muttered.
"If you're worried about your peers bullying you here…" The Quartermaster stopped in front of the Buziel and Electabuzz. "Don't."
He stomped the ground, causing it to erupt with Earth Power– right below the Electabuzz, launching him up and forward.
"Eh-wahh!" the yellow creature bellowed, then promptly crashed onto his back. He then yelped as the Quartermaster pinned him down with a foot to the chest.
"The only bully allowed around here is me!"
Almost everyones stepped back at the sudden show of force. The Electabuzz struggled underneath his pin, much to the Buizel's amusement.
Leon smiled, too. That was some swift justice.
"Anyone else feeling big today?" the Quartermaster asked, keeping his tone cool and casual.
"Throwing your weight around the recruits again, Quartermaster?"
Everyone turned their heads as a newcomer walked out from the back door. It was a tall and slender mon, with a cream-colored midsection contrasting their blue and black limbs. The spikes on the back of his hands glinted in the sunlight.
Leon felt a tap at his side. "Bro," Jacob whispered. "Is that…?"
Leon nodded. "A Lucario," he affirmed.
"Wow…"
"I'm doing my job, Aleister," the Excadrill replied. He tilted his head down at the still-struggling Electabuzz. "Wanna help?"
The Lucario shook his head. "No more than what I agreed to. And the Guildmaster would like me to remind you to not get overzealous like last year."
Leon felt a tap on his side.
"Is this normal?" Jacob wondered, sounding a little afraid.
"I don't know," Leon answered. "But it's not like they're punishing that guy for no reason. We'll be okay."
After a few seconds, the Quartermaster spoke again. "Alrighty then, I've made my point." He took his foot off the Electabuzz, who stood up and sauntered back to the line with his head hanging.
"By the way, I ought to introduce myself proper." The Excadrill jabbed a claw at his chest. "Name's Flint. Call me that, or Quartermaster. Whatever works."
"And I am Aleister," the Lucario formally introduced himself. "As a guild mentor, I will help oversee your training from time to time. But I will work more closely with you once you finish your first two weeks of training, assuming you pass."
"Now with all the formal stuff out of the way…" Flint clapped his claws together. "We can get down to training. Showtime!"
The physical training began with warm up stretches and exercises. There was a wide variety to accommodate mons of different body types. Leon and Jacob had no trouble keeping up, loosening their muscles and quickening their heartbeats. By the time the warmup was finished they were sweating a bit, but they were pumped.
"Alright everybody, time for the real test," Flint announced. He beckoned them toward the course in the middle of the dirt track. "You all are gonna run the ropes course, three at a time."
As a demonstration, Aleister ran the course himself: jumping across crates, scaling walls, and swinging from ropes, among other things. He blitzed through in less than a minute, to the delight of cheering recruits.
"Get through as fast as you can," Flint explained. "Fall off too soon, and you lose points. Those who get the best times will get points and something special, later on."
The Lucario leaped off the last platform of the course, landing on the grass. "I trust you can handle the rest from here, Quartermaster. The Guildmaster needs me elsewhere for the rest of today."
Leon nudged his brother. "He said that he works with recruits after the two-weeks training, right?"
"Maybe he can teach us some stuff!" Jacob replied.
"Exactly what I was thinking," Leon smiled. "We could take lessons from him together."
"Yeah!"
The Excadrill let Aleister be on his way. He then rolled out a piece of parchment. "Come on up when I call your names."
Leon and Jacob stood on the sidelines as he watched other recruits run the course. Like the Lucario from earlier, they'd mantle up crates, scale rock walls, and swing from ropes, albeit not nearly as fast as he did. Of course, that didn't stop the crowd from cheering them on and wincing when any of them fell off.
"Next up… Leon, Jacob, Enzo!"
"Looks like we're pitted against each other," Leon said. "Be careful, alright?"
"I'll be fine!" Jacob replied. "May the best one win!"
Enzo walked past them to the starting line, not saying a word.
Leon hurried to join him alongside his brother, and the three stood before the obstacle course. Ahead of them laid a dirt path with some logs to jump over. After that came the crates that they'd have to climb…
Flint counted down. "Three. Two. One…" He blew his whistle, and they took off.
Leon stormed ahead, churning up mashed earth beneath his feet as he ran. He bounded over the logs, leaping into the air and landing back into a run over the dirt. Enzo kept the same pace, though Jacob fell behind slightly. A few more jumps and they reached the wooden crates.
The first few crates were easy to scale, needing only short hops to climb. They gradually became taller and farther apart. By the fourth jump, Leon had to take to get a running start. With a far leap he soared across the gap, grabbing onto the tallest crate.
Meanwhile, Jacob had caught up to his third crate. He mimicked his brother and took a running start… But his claws scraped the wood just below the edge, and he fell onto the sand below.
"Jake!" Leon called. "You okay?"
"Yeah!" he hollered back, climbing back up the shorter crate. "Don't worry about me, keep running!"
Leon snapped his head back and saw Enzo, who had already cleared the next obstacle– sliding down a smooth, steep slope in front of the tall crates. At the end of the slopes were a set of dark tunnels, looping around in a U-shape.
Leon balanced himself, left foot forward and held his arms out. He slid down, making his feet warm from the friction. At the bottom he dived and rolled over the stone ground.
Behind him, he heard Jacob grunt as he latched onto the crate. He turned his head back to make sure Jacob had managed to climb over, which he did.
So Leon ran ahead and was quickly blinded in the dark tunnels, holding his hands out to feel his way through. As he tried to navigate he bumped into the walls with his hands and feet, knocking him back every now and then. After half a minute he spotted an orange flame.
"Jacob, that you?"
No answer. The flames flared and vanished several times over a few seconds, making it clear that it wasn't Jacob's tail, but Enzo's vents. The Quilava was pulling further ahead.
Leon tried to follow the light, but lost sight of it within seconds. He stomped, groaning in frustration.
But just then, another orange light appeared– behind him. Jacob scampered his way up to Leon.
"Hey, are you lost?" Jacob asked.
"Not anymore," Leon smiled. "Let's go."
Together, the brothers navigated through the tunnels, avoiding collisions with the wall thanks to Jacob's tailflame. Soon they saw daylight spilling in, and they rushed toward the exit.
As they popped back outside, the first thing Leon saw was a vertical rock wall. Enzo was right at the top, clambering over the edge.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Leon called as he leaped up the wall.
"Right behind you!" Jacob called as they both clung to the jutted stones.
With each limb he thrusted upwards Leon felt gravity fighting him, trying to push him back down. He was careless and nearly lost his grip a few times, but made it more than halfway up. Though it was risky, he planted his feet on some solid rocks, then pushed himself up with a big leap… He grabbed onto the ledge!
Kicking his legs, Leon flailed and rolled himself over the top of the rock wall. After a quick breath he pushed himself to his feet, seeing the final stretch of the course.
Straight ahead was a wooden platform with a zipline. But between him and the platform was a long gap with water down below, and it was too far to jump across. Off to the side was a wall, elevated above the pool– three of them, one for each racer. Each wall had a sturdy rope anchored to it, dangling from the top.
Leon snapped his fingers as he clicked it together. He had to grab the rope, then run back and forth across the wall to clear the gap. And off to his right, Enzo hadn't yet jumped for his rope…
With a second wind Leon rushed toward one of the ropes, grasping it tightly. He took a running start, leaping and planting his feet onto the wall. Once secured, he clutched the thick thread and ran across the vertical wood, going back and forth to build up momentum.
On the fourth run he finally let go of the rope, swinging away from the wall as he soared over the water below.
The sound of collective gasping filled the other recruits watched him soar…
A moment later, he landed smoothly on the platform. The silence broke out into a chorus of cheers, and Leon couldn't help but crack a smile. After balancing himself, he risked a look back.
Enzo was on the wall. It seemed like he was being extra careful, probably because of the pool beneath him.
"See you at the finish!" Leon called, waving back.
A short stride later and he had his hands on the zipline's handles. The finish line was on a patch of dirt at the bottom. His win was in the bag–
"Aah!"
Leon pulled his hands away as he heard a startled yell. Leon snapped his attention back toward the wall-run. It was Jacob, hanging from his rope with one hand. His other hand was flailing as he struggled to grab a hold, and his grip was getting loose…
In a snap decision, Leon steeled himself and ran back toward his brother. The Charmander's fingers were slipping, there's no way he could help Jacob grab the rope…
So Leon leaped into the water. He landed with a splash! And the pool was about waist-deep to the Totodile.
A moment later, Jacob's grip slipped off of the rope and he fell–
–right onto Leon, who bucked under his brother's weight, but kept him from landing in the water.
"Wha–" Jacob's eyes widened in surprise. "Leon?"
"It's alright, I got you," Leon said, steadying his stance.
Behind them, Leon heard the noise of a handle sliding down a cable. There was no mistaking it– Enzo was riding down the zipline.
Jacob's tailflame dimmed. "Bro, you didn't have to…"
"It's fine," Leon assured. "C'mon, let's get you to dry land."
"So," the Quartermaster began. Leon, Jacob, and Enzo sat on the sidelines as he addressed the three of them. "You two–" he pointed at the brothers, "made it far enough to not lose points. Even though ya jumped off, Leon, I'm givin' you a point for watching out for your buddy."
Leon smiled and his short tail started to wag.
"Enzo," Flint continued, "you get five for finishing first. I'll tell ya more about that 'something special' later. That's all for now, gotta start the next group." He turned his back on the three, returning to the crowd of other recruits.
Beside Leon, Jacob's head and tail both slumped. "Are… you okay, Leon?" Jacob asked sheepishly.
"Yeah, of course," Leon replied. They had given it their best shot, and they weren't penalized at the end. Sure, a win would've been better, but not at the cost of Jacob's safety.
Jacob didn't seem to buy it. He still wore a guilty expression and looked away. "I'm sorry, it's my fault…"
"Hey, hey…" Leon reached out, gently putting a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Don't say that. It's only the first test, and we didn't lose any points. Besides, I care about your safety more than winning."
"That's why you lost," Enzo cut across.
Leon's soft expression hardened into a sinister glare as he turned to face the Quilava. "Who even says something like that? What's wrong with you?"
Enzo seemed to recoil a bit, though his face remained stony. "I said he'd hold you back."
Leon glanced at Jacob, who looked twice as guilty as before. His anger at Enzo doubled in turn. "He is not holding me back–"
"You lost." Enzo interrupted with the same, flat tone.
"Oh Arceus, who caaaares?" Leon shook his head. "We get it, Enzo. You won a practice race, congrats. You want us to throw a parade for you?" He could feel himself heating up, like his inner-water was boiling.
Enzo suddenly looked puzzled, as if he took Leon's offer seriously.
"Hey, bro?" Jacob spoke up. "I don't think we should fight."
Leon turned to him and saw worry on his face. His own expression softened. "It's okay, Jacob."
"I'm trying to help," Enzo stated.
At those words, Leon was genuinely convinced that Enzo was gaslighting him. "Seriously?" He rolled his eyes. "I don't think you know what 'help' means."
"Listen," Enzo approached Leon, standing off to him face to face. "You're the only one you can rely on. Don't let others hold you back."
"How can you even say that?" Leon replied, astonished. He could understand being selective about who to trust, but going solo all the time, no matter what?
Enzo turned his back. "Can't argue with results." Before either Leon could retort Enzo was already walking away.
Leon curled his hands into fists. "You're crazy for wanting to go at it alone."
He felt a hand on his shoulder: Jacob's. He stared at Leon with an almost pleading expression.
"It's okay," Leon repeated, softening his tone.
"I don't want us to get in fights…" Jacob said meekly.
"I'm not trying to, Jacob." Just then, Leon saw movement on the obstacle course. "Hey, look, it's Will and Corvo!"
The Cubone and Snivy raced through the course with a Machop. They were on the final stretch, leaping away from the wall-run section and onto the zipline platform.
Corvo landed first, but the Machop was a moment away from overtaking him.
In a split-second, Corvo moved so quickly that anyone who blinked would've missed it. He shot out a vine, yanked himself over to his competitor, and dived in front of him.
"What's he doing?" Leon wondered aloud.
The Machop collided with Corvo. He only stumbled a bit, and kept running as if he didn't notice running into a Snivy. But Corvo appeared to be trampled, and rolled off the platform into the edge of the pool below. His crash shattered the surface of the water, making it blast up like a fountain.
The crowd reacted with astonished gasps.
"Oh no you don't!" Flint shouted as he ran ahead and blew his whistle. "Penalty!"
The Machop, riding down the zipline, blinked as he landed. "Wait, what?!"
"You're disqualified!"
"Hey wait a second!" Leon spoke up, running towards Flint. "He didn't do anything wrong! It's that Snivy," he pointed at Corvo, who was still lying down in the water. "He threw himself in that guy's way!"
"Prove it," Flint said flatly, crossing his claws.
"'Prove it?'" Leon echoed. "I saw it happen!"
"I did too. I saw 'em pummel that Snivy to get ahead, now I'm doing my job."
Flint turned back to the Machop, who had climbed back down, and pointed backwards toward the main building. "Guildmaster's office, now," he demanded. Then he turned back on Leon. "And that'll be the same on you, if you keep tryin' to cause a ruckus."
Leon's rage boiled within him as the Excadrill walked toward Corvo in the water. Were they seriously going to let Corvo get away with cheating?
William had dropped down as well, checking on the Snivy.
The three of them talked, though Leon couldn't hear what they were saying. But once they were off the course and out of the Quartemaster's sight, Leon could swear that he saw Corvo flash a mischievous smile.