Chapter 16: Running Da Corner

"La la ta da tata lade da." Sam hummed a tune, completely off-key, while Leon's expression twisted into a grimace at the sound.

'Is she tone deaf or something?' Leon's ears felt as though they were about to bleed as he glanced toward Josh, who also grimaced in pain, unable to cover his ears for fear of Sam's notice.

"We're here!" Sam pointed to Leon who immediately let out a sigh of relief, changing his face to a smile.

"Oh thank god." Leon smiled as he turned his head toward the rundown laundry mat, 'Tony's Laundromat' only to halt at the door.

"God, you mean Arceaus, right?" Sam's eyes appeared hollow, and although Leon remained outwardly calm, his nerves screamed danger.

"Yes." Josh whispered discreetly to the side as Leon nodded his head.

"Yeah love the guy, praise be Arcueas." Leon instantly transformed into a priest as the life returned to Sam's hollow eyes, which were now filled with smiles.

"Great." Sam then turned back and burst into the door as it set off the bell atn the top.

*Ding*

"Tony!" Sam happily cheered out as Tony, who was behind the counter with a bored look, suddenly smiled.

"Sam!" Tony's face lit up with a joyful smile as Sam walked over and embraced him, the middle-aged man patting her back warmly.

"Tony." Josh nodded respectfully as Tony held out his hand, and they shared a firm handshake. 

Leon, observing the interaction, noticed the man's receding slicked-back hair, bulging beer gut, white wife-beater shirt, and thick gold chain. 

If he had to peg him as a stereotype, it would be someone you'd see in New York's Little Italy.

"How's Gloria?" Sam genuinely asked, handing over a piece of paper with some scribbles on it. 

"Busting my balls like usual." Tony had an aggrieved look on his face as he grabbed the paper before looking at the contents.

"What is this? Did you finally lose it and decide to elope while taking the chance to smuggle some stuff across the Kanto border." Tony hit the paper in disbelief after gazing at this quota.

"We've been lax in our sales so we want to make up for it in one session." Josh politely answered as Tony ran his hands through his receding hair.

"It's your funeral, but I'll give you a free piece of advice since my wife adores Sam so much. Stay away from the north side for a while cause the cops are everywhere there." Tony sighed, putting the note into a passage behind the wall.

"You guys just had to intrude into the drug market, but who am I to complain if I get my cut?" Tony shocked his head while turning back to them.

Leon, observing Tony's worried expression not for the two of them but for himself made him empathize deeply. 

He remembered his own days on the corner, especially when he had just started out in his own operation since getting caught back then was nearly a death sentence. 

Selling a brick of product might seem glamorous, a potential gold mine to the untrained eye. 

However, that was only true if you managed to sell all of it. 

If, for instance, one of your runners got caught with even half of the product, or worse, all of it, all the money you had saved to buy the whole brick would vanish. 

Then, you'd have to deal with the distributor, because bricks of cocaine don't just fall out of the sky. 

To maintain a relationship with a distributor, you have to consistently purchase a brick or they will simply cease doing business with you.

It might not sound feasible, but gangs are resilient. They form like ant hills, and when one is taken out, another pops up. While the real profit lies in the main operation, distribution can be more sustainable in the long run which is why they're not as many who produce quantities of drugs.

So after losing a brick, you'd be obligated to buy another brick, whether you had the money or not. 

This set off a domino effect as you'd have to purchase the new brick on credit, then sell it all just to make back the slightest profit. 

Eventually, you'd find yourself right back where you started, or worse, dead at the hands of the distributor, who would rather eliminate you than deal with the hassle that might follow with cutting you loose. 

However, just because they were part of the Ariados gang didn't mean they couldn't go into debt. 

Some might argue that going into debt within your own gang was one of the worst things that could happen as it could mean all the risky jobs no one else wanted would likely be pushed onto your plate.

"Whatever, you ain't rookies but speaking of rookies, who is this?" Tony gestured to Leon who waved at him.

"I'm Leon, Josh's bastard love child he had with his mistress and it's nice to meet you." Leon spoke before they could introduce him, causing Tony to flinch.

*BAM*

"Ouch!" Leon grabbed his head in pain as this time Josh was the culprit behind the aggression.

"Does everything have to be some sort of joke to you?" Josh's eyes ignited with anger as Sam cracked up in laughter.

"We're sponsoring him, Tony." Sam cleared up the confusion as Tony actually started counting on his fingers to determine how old he had to be before he laughed.

"HA, Seems like a character!" Tony leaned on the counter while inspecting Leon from head to toe without any care for the latter's opinion.

"What combat tourney did he win? Bronze or silver." Tony asked, already guessing Leon's involvement in the traditional hand-to-hand fight, while also suspecting he had killed at least one or two kids. 

Sam's smile stretched wide as she tried to hold back her laughter, waiting for the truth to break to Tony.

"He won the diamond bracket Tony and not the regular one, but the pokemon division." Josh sighed while pinching his nose as Leon raised his nose proudly into the air.

"Bullsh*t." Tony immediately refused to believe Josh's words, while Sam burst out in laughter, indirectly implying that they were trying to pull his leg.

"Why is it bullsh*t." Leon crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as Tony scoffed.

"Kid you look like a 50 pound soaking wet stick figure, ain't no way you won four straight fights against trained orphans with a potential energy or talent user." Tony immediately gave a logical response to Leon's nonsense as he scratched his head.

"He cheated." 

"HE CHEATED, BHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Both of them said the same thing but with different nuances, before Josh went on to explain how it was possible while they waited for their quota to be fulfilled. 

Sam couldn't contain her laughter and eventually fell to the floor, her knees weak, as she watched Tony's face become progressively more shocked. 

Leon shrugged, noting that it wasn't technically cheating but rather taking advantage of the poor wording of the rules. 

Josh then explained what had happened, and Leon was surprised that Tony was privy to this information, leading him to assume that Tony was at least affiliated with the gang.

"So how did you do it? How did you kill the rock user." Tony had to know, his expression filled with questions as he looked at Leon.

*Ding*

Suddenly, the metal box shifted the other way, filled with all of their requested product, causing Sam to pop up from the ground and yank the bag.

"Alright, see ya later Tony!" Sam waved, dragging Leon away as his heels dragged while showing an arrogant smirk to Tony. 

"Have a good day, Tony." Josh bowed a little, though Tony was only focused on Leon's departing figure.

"C'mon you can't leave hanging like this, Josh!" Tony couldn't be satisfied without a clear answer, but Josh only shrugged.

"Honestly Tony, I'm still baffled he survived as well." Jos turned around before waving as he walked out the door at the best part.

*Sigh*

*Tap*

*Tap*

*Tap*

*Tap*

"How you gonna just leave as the story reaches its climax." Tony had an aggrieved look while he tapped the counter.

"Tony!"

"TONY!"

"WHAT!" Tony screeched up the stairs as a vein bulged from his forehead.

"DON'T YOU RAISE THAT TONE WITH ME!" The voice of his wife, Gloria, rang out in a sassy manner causing him to sigh.

"Yes darling." Tony sighed while massaging his forehead.

"Was that Sammy?" Gloria asked while walking down the stairs.

"...."

*Smack*

"What the hell!" Tony yelled while rubbing the back of his head with Gloria's handprint forming on it.

"I haven't seen Sammy in forever since the accident and the first time she appears you don't even tell me!" Gloria put her hands on her hips while lecturing him pointing at him aggressively.

"No way, if you talk to her about it then you'll get sucked into her problems, then you'll drag me along with you, and I already got enough on my plate." Tony crossed his arms as Gloria's eyebrows twitched.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING THAT'S SO IMPORTANT!"

"I'M WORKING!"

"ALL THE TIME!"

"DO YOU THINK FOOD JUST APPEARS IN THE FRIDGE! WORKING A 9-5 DOESN'T GIVE US NOTHING IN THIS SH*T HOLE! I GOTTA BUST MY ASS DAY N NIGHT!" Tony yelled as Gloria gritted her teeth in rage..

Without speaking, Gloria swiftly turned around while swaying her hips before walking up the stairs.

"I HOPE YOU LIKE THE COUCH BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE YOUR SLEEPING TONIGHT!" Gloria yelled as she made her way upstairs while Tony rubbed his face.

Tony hated fighting with Gloria but couldn't help but love when she walked away which caused him to heave out a sigh. 

*Sigh*

"The things I do for love-...…and that ass." Tony sighed as he pulled out a cigarette from his back pocket.

Meanwhile on the sidewalk, 

Leon was following behind Sam and Josh until they both suddenly stopped, gazing towards the side at a run down corner.

"Alright Leon, let's see how much of a natural you are." Sam suddenly handed a couple of vials to Leon. 

The vials were glass, only a pinkie length wide though the contents were that of an ethereal purple dust that glistened in the light.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't complain, instead looking at Josh, who didn't even acknowledge him.

"Fine, but don't be too surprised." Leon arrogantly spoke as he confidently strolled to the corner before pulling out a pokeball.

"It's 10,000 a vial." Josh spoke as Leon called out a pokemon though the one he called out surprised Josh.

"Ferret!" Ferret cheerfully cried as she fell into Leon's arms.

"Alright Ferret, I need you to listen closely." Leon said as he inspected the small vials of purple dust in his hand.

"Furret!"

5 minutes later…

Leon stood on the corner with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall as a tweaker shivering in the shiny sun started inching closer to him.

"Save the introductions, do you got the cash?" Leon swiftly stopped the addict's questioning, making his presence as intimidating and confident as possible to show that he wasn't someone who could be pushed around.

"Y-yeah, I got the cash." The malnourished tweaker hesitantly spoke while handing Leon a wade of cash.

"How many."

"T-three vials."

Leon didn't care for the drug addict's words as he immediately started counting the wad of cash, causing the tweaker to become a little anxious.

"Do you think I'm a liar-"

"Yeah I do, so shut up teh f*ck up and let me count." Leon coldly spoke while squinting his eyes causing the tweaker to flinch.

'8, 14, 23, wow does he think I'm a punk.' Leon wanted to bust out laughing since this tweaker either counted wrong or mistook him as a sucker. 

*Whistle*

"Fur fur fur fur." Furret rushed over, looking toward Leon while seeing him blink twice causing her to nod her head.

"Furret." The tweaker quickly understood as he smiled though once he saw Furret hand over two vials, he instantly became livid. 

"This isn't three-"

"Yeah it's not, it's two." Leon interrupted him with a sneer, gazing at the tweaker eagerly pointing at the two vials.

"What, can't you count cause I can and that wasn't 30 but 23." Leon crossed his arms, gazing away as the tweaker held out his other hand. 

"Give me my change!" The tweaker anxiously shouted, trying to puff out his chest in an effort to make himself look big.

"Furret tackle." Leon scoffed at this gesture as the tweaker's eyes shrunk.

"W-wait-"

*BAM*

"URHG!" He grunted in pain, but instead of holding out his hands to break the fall, all he did was clutch the two vials tighter.

"Looks like I was right, you're a filthy liar and you can count." Leon stopped right before the man's face but instead of bracing for a beating, he once again chose to hold the vials tighter.

"I-I'm sorry I just thought that-"

"Yeah I know, you thought since I'm a kid you could take advantage of me." Leon finished his sentence with the true intent of his actions as his face paled at Leon's smile. 

"Too bad reality is often disappointing." Leon's smile was contrary to his eyes, which showed how cold he truly was. 

*BAM*

Leon landed the foot of his cheap sneakers into his gut as he coughed out a painful shriek before shaking his head.

"Look at what you did, now I'm all worked up but I think a gift of three thousand pokedollars should soothe my nerves." Leon massaged his neck, showing he wasn't going to be lenient and give back the money, especially after warning him before.

"Yes, yes, I'm truly sorry!" The tweaker saw the olive branch suddenly dangle above him and immediately grabbed it, and once he did, Leon lifted his foot.

"Scram, and tell your friends that this is me being nice if I see that sh*t pulled on me again. I'll become even more violent." Leon warned, flicking his head to the side as the coward ran away before he didn't see what Leon considered violent.

"Good job Furret." Leon smiled, reassuring Furret's efforts as he patted her head.

"Fur fur!" Furret happily laughed as she slithered up his arms before nuzzling against his neck.

"Alright, same plan, we have to fill out this quota." Leon patted Furret as she nodded her head.

"Furret!" Furret hopped back into the nearby alley as Leon took out a vial, the purple dust swaying carelessly all around like splashing waves.

'What the hell is this stuff?'

The day went smoothly, though there were a couple more times when he was tested. However, an attack from Furret usually made them come to their senses. 

True to his word, Leon became more aggressive with each tweaker that tried to shortchange him or force him.

"Ret et furret." Furret spoke to Leon, indicating she didn't have any more vials to which Leon nodded before returning her, much to her sadness. 

Unlike when they were in the medical room, Leon had kept the Pokémon in their Poké Balls, which made Furret greatly saddened at not being able to curl up next to Leon at night though it would have to stay that way for a while until he was able to leave bay 23.

"I know, but just hang in there." Leon gently caressed Furret's soft head as she nuzzled against his hand, until she returned to her Poké Ball.

"What do you think Joshy?" Sam curiously asked, gazing at Josh who had a serious expression.

"He's too good." Josh concluded, squinting his eyes while becoming immediately suspicious of Leon as Sam nodded in agreement.

"Do you think he's a spy?" Sam tilted her head with curiosity though Josh didn't immediately agree.

"I honestly don't know." Josh shook his head, scratching the back of his head in contemplation.

Leon's dealing seemed easy, but that was because he did it so effortlessly. Working the corner was supposed to be challenging and extremely strenuous for newbies. 

The tweakers were the main problem for most newbies, as they were the epitome of crazy, always trying to get a fix in whatever way they could. 

Be it through force, broken promises, or downright theft, tweakers would do anything to get even a little more drugs to satiate their unyielding nerves.

So, upon hearing a newbie was dealing, tweakers from the neighborhood quickly started to flock towards him which is why Josh and Sam had him go first. 

However they couldn't ever have assumed that Leon would diffuse, pursue, and downright punish anyone who tried to deviate from the status quo. 

Many things pointed to him being a spy, and now factoring in how he worked the corner, it only made Josh more suspicious. However, his gut told him that Leon wasn't a spy at all which only served to make him feel more troubled.

"Should we report this to Ivan-"

"No, I can already tell Ivan is looking for an excuse to either groom the kid or kill the kid and I don't want to give him up yet since we'll still benefit from sponsoring him." Josh shook his head, denying Sam's proposition in hopes of better future yields. 

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm, ok." Sam hummed then shrugged before wrapping her arms around his and rubbed her cheek on his leather jacket.

"Then what should we do?" Sam looked up as Josh continued to put his hardened gaze at Leon.

"Watch him for now since if we report him and he ends up not being a spy, then we'll get punished." Josh pinched the bridge of his nose at how unfair Ivan could be sometimes before sighing.

"What if he is a spy?" Sam curiously asked the question that appeared in her mind.

"Then he'll be another orphan kid labeled in the newspaper as a victim of gang violence." Josh's few words spoke volumes as they started walking toward Leon.

"Hey kid, return to the barracks before sun down." Josh suddenly raised his voice to Leon who showed a confused expression.

"What do you mean-"

"Listen squirt, we're giving you a break." Sam chimed in, though her eyes were only focused on Josh.

"Wow, thanks." Leon's sarcastic tone didn't escape the two, but they didn't reprimand him since the truth was that they wanted to be alone.

"Cash." Josh remembered, holding out his hand which made Leon click his tongue. 

"Greedy bastards." Leon whispered before pulling out multiple rolls of Pokédollars and giving them to Josh. 

Josh received the rolls, nodding to himself, before tossing one of them back to Leon and stuffing the rest into his pockets.

"Only-"

"Be grateful, usually when you're in your trial period you're supposed to get nothing." Josh interrupted his soon to be ungrateful remark causing Leon to slick his hand through his hair.

"When will it be over?" Leon asked while pocketing the money, showing a slightly perturbed look as if he had an invisible leash on him.

"It's not that simple Leon." Sarah chimed in as she finally turned her gaze to him.

"Dumb as it might be, in order to have more freedom you have to be recognized." 

"But didn't I-"

"No, you only proved you were worthy of joining the gang but you never proved you were loyal." Sam answered, making Leon frown at this constant jumble of madness that was the Ariados gang.

"Well, eventually you'll get your chance." Sam shrugged before pulling Josh away.

"Leon don't be stupid because if you don't come back after sun down, then I'll have to hunt you down and you don't want that." Josh didn't hide the threat laced between his tone as he walked away with Sam. 

Leon scoffed at this lovey-dovey interaction between the two before he turned around, making his way in a particular direction. 

Eventually, they made their way out of sight, prompting Leon to turn around, pull up his hoodie, and duck down.

After a while, he arrived in a familiar alleyway, where he removed the hoodie and as soon as he did, four figures walked out.

"Leon, you scared us man." Ace chuckled with his signature fern, plopping down on a nearby shabby looking crate.

"Sorry about that Ace, it's just that your alleyway borders the Noctowl so I wanted to be cautious." Leon put on a cheerful smile to ease the tension, though everyone except Ace was on edge.

"Then I take it, some congratulations are in order for joining the Ariados gang, but if you came here to recruit us we're not interested." Ace interrupted Leon's visit wrongly, assuming he came here to recruit them.

"Ace, I'm here for business." Leon attempted to pull out one wad of pokedollars only to see the three flinch.

"Guys chill out, it's Leon." Jet waved his hand before nodding to Leon, who pulled out a wad of Pokédollars. 

Tossing the wad to Jet, who promptly snatched it out of the air before unrolling and counting the bills.

*Whistle Noise*

"What do you need?" Jet laughed heartily at the cold cash, smiling but it became wider after Leon pulled out another wad and threw it to him.

"I need to know the current situation within Blackthorn about the Noctowl gang, association, and the blackthorns." Leon saw Jet take the cash with a confused look, but after hearing him, the realization set in.

"Aye listen, I get that it's hard to escape the association since they're everywhere but you gotta stay away from that disgusting blackthorn clan." Jet immediately tried to dissuade him, as it seemed like Leon was slowly entering waters he should never venture towards.

"Jet, I'm a paying customer. Now provide me with the services I just paid for." Leon chuckled at the bubbling, gloomy atmosphere.

"Do ya have wax in yer ears? Jet's trying to help ya!" Smellersbee couldn't stand Leon's attitude towards Jet and immediately jumped in between the conversation.

"Smellersbee is right, the blackthorn is a clan who cannot be touched. Much like those association bastards." Sneers showed a disheartened expression upon a topic that seemed completely out of reach for people like them. 

Smellersbee's breathing became ragged, Longshot closed his eyes, and Jet's iconic smirk twitched as a fiery rage suddenly reflected deep within the depths of his pupils.

"You guys really hate the association huh?"

*BAM*

"HATE!" Smellerbee started seething in anger while knocking over a garbage can to the side.

"Smellersbee." Jet suddenly spoke out causing Smellersbee to halt in her tracks, she nodded her head while making her way back to his side.

"Leon, we don't hate the association." Jet shook his head, holding a single finger as a gaze of contempt filled his eyes.

"We loathe them." Jet's voice was cold, laughing out to mask the pain and hatred constantly swirling around his heart. 

"What's the story behind that?" Leon scratched his chin in amusement, thinking that the story might give him more insight into all the dirt beneath the association's heel.

"That information is gonna cost you." Jet made a money gesture with his hand while smirking, making a joke from the pain as Leon laughed.

"Cheeky."

"You have to be if you want to live on these streets." Both of them laughed after that interaction before Leon took a seat on a dirty trash can.

"Alright Leon, If you really want to know then I'll tell you-"

Compared with the Ariados gang, the Noctowl gang has more information since they aren't as ruthless as the Ariados gang. 

From how Jet described it, they had an arms open policy in a sense where they recruit anybody who wants to join though there are some rumors swirling around that they kidnap orphans like the Ariados gang. 

Second, unlike the Ariados gang they primarily deal with drugs since the Ariados basically monopolized the trafficking of pokemon in blackthorn.

However, the reason for the recent bad blood between the two gangs was wholly attributed to the Ariados gang as they started to deal and intrude into the Noctowl gangs market resulting in the standstill today.

Though there was one piece of news that Jet imparted about his own gang: they were evidently developing a new drug which made the Noctowl gang on edge.

"Finally, there is word on the streets that they're developing a new tactic to defeat the Aradios gang, but that's all I know." Jet shrugged after seeing Leon's frowning expression, knowing he would want more.

"Don't look at me like that, I honestly don't know much about the inner workings of gangs since I forbid anyone from getting closer than second hand whispers." Jet shook his head, knowing his eyes and ears were more important than more details as Leon understood since anyone wouldn't want their comrades to get kidnapped.

"Now I'll get into the notorious Blackthorn clan which even had the city they reside in named after them." Jet tried to hold back the disgust threatening to bubble up to the surface at even the mention of this despicable clan.

"Like many other ancient dragon clans, the blackthorn clan have a legend where they were gifted a power that is deemed today, Draconic aura." Leon raised an eyebrow while leaning in closer since this topic intrigued him.

"Draconic aura has many uses but the single most valuable trait it has is the ability to bond with dragons 100x easier than normal ruffians like us. Dragon types are very prideful in a sense where it is very hard for non draconic users to bond with them unless raised from an egg. This singular trait allowed the blackthorns to capitalize on the unused power of dragon types and dominate the pre-association era." Jet first informed Leon with the most common knowledge located with textbooks that Leon sort of understood.

"Though instead of joining their home country during the war, the blackthorns betrayed Johto and sided with Kanto allowing for the association to almost bring Johto to its destruction." Leon became even more intrigued at this while crossing his fist in front of his face while tuning in even more.

"Of course, the association portrays it as a noble act, but that's all bullsh*t. The blackthorns saw an opportunity to grab even more power and didn't hesitate to betray their own kind." Jet seemed very disgruntled at this topic, to the point where he seemed to get lost in the conversation about it until he realized his own shortcomings.

"Anyways, this city was established for the blackthorns personal use along with a gym that is considered the most notable in Johto, but in reality, this is their gift that the association bestowed upon them." Jet then had a ugly frown while gazing at his own reflection before looking up.

"This place is just a center that allows the blackthorn clan to do whatever they want and get away with all horrible atrocities you can think of.'' Jet leaned against the wall before looking up into the sky.

"Now this is where I'll get into what you paid for, unlike their noble dragon appearance. The blackthorns are a f*cking disgusting clan that should be purged from the very soil they proudly walk on." Jet clenched his fist tighter as his fist shook furiously.

"Sex trafficking, murder, and anything you can fit into the word disgusting is what that clan gets away with on a daily basis, but what's worse is that even if you stand up to them you'd lose." Je then closed his eyes, recalling the horrible power they wield.

"All blackthorn members are born with Draconic Aura, it's in their DNA to be born the best and Dragon pokemon aid them because of the so-called blessing." Jet then opened his eyes as Leon was rubbing his chin.

"The clan members have a history of basically torturing the citizens of Blackthorn City. There are rumors that the patriarch gets off on kidnapping woman and raping them, but the prominent theory was when the Patriach kidnapped a genius water energy user who would birth the next head of the clan and unparalleled genius, Clair Blackthorn." Jet then scratched his head while shrugging.

"However lucky for us, the blackthorn members never go to the slums unless there is a beautiful boy or girl that catches their eye since we're basically trash to them." Jet then looked at Leon's appearance and nodded his head.

"Don't take my words as an insult to your masculinity but Leon, you have a very soft appearance that would make those pervy blackthorns go crazy so you should watch out until you grow up a bit more." Leon had a disgusted expression, making the others chuckle.

"They also have a very huge influence in the association since they are one of the signature families that is basically in charge of everything that transpires in the association that involves Johto so I wouldn't apply for a driver's permit yet." Jet gave a warning to Leon who simply gave him a thankful nod.

"But even if it's outside Blackthorn, we aren't even formally recognized by the association since technically we are under Kanto." Jet frowned before clenching his teeth before looking at Leon. 

"That means that no matter what monstrous thing they do, as long as it's within Johto it won't matter since they'll get away with it after pulling a couple strings cause we're just second class citizens in their eyes." Jet sighed, and like an echo, the others had a downtrodden expression.

"I don't know if you know this since I haven't asked how you became an orphan, but have you ever wondered why there are so many orphans entering the slums?" Jet suddenly asked a question Leon hadn't really thought of.

"No, I haven't really thought about it." Leon showed a look of surprise after realizing that the number of orphans piled in the slums was very out of the ordinary.

"It's because of those blackthorn bastards and the f*cking Johto association." Jet's words caused Smellersbee to furiously walk away knowing what he was going to say.

"Around cities there are small villages that depend on each other, the villages pay the cities for protection and the cities receive vast amounts of tribute which is why trainers are always wanted, however." Jet took a deep breath, trying to muster up the courage to talk about this touchy topic. 

Despite his adult-like demeanor, Jet was only sixteen years old and still harbored a lot of childlike emotions as well as huge resentment that constantly weighed down on his heart.

"Recently, there is a rumor that the association has been purposely letting the blackthorns kill off villages though this reason is still unknown." Leon had a look of realization once he heard this. 

He had been wondering why someone as charismatic as Jet would settle for a mere information gatherer, but he had it all wrong. 

Jet wasn't an information gatherer because he had to, but because he wanted to find the reason behind why the association was letting the villages near the cities die.

"You all are from those villages aren't you." Leon put the dots together while inquiring while Jet had a sad smile.

"That answer is gonna cost you." Jet tried to chuckle but it came out as dry and half hearted.

*Sigh*

'Of course it is.' Leon pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down something on it before walking over to Jet.

"Listen Jet, you have done a lot for me and I appreciate it so take this." Leon handed Jet the piece of paper to which he grabbed it.

"A phone number?"

"To be exact, my phone number. If you guys ever get into serious trouble, call me and I'll see what I can do." Leon didn't know why he was doing this, but maybe it was because he saw himself in Jet. 

When he was younger, he hated the system that was put in place for orphans like him and his brother, causing great resentment for the government to form. But after a while, he got his own revenge but that was another story for a later date.

"Leon you don't have to worry-"

"Jet don't be stupid, once the gang war comes into full swing. The chances of you guys being forcefully recruited will almost triple and if you don't want that to happen, call me." Leon interrupted this false sense of security. 

He looked over to the side over at Longbow, who stared deep into his eyes and as moments passed, but after a while, they each nodded before Leon turned back to Jet.

"Like you said, we're cut from the same cloth and I don't want to see you end up in a river." Leon's cheeky smile formed, prompting Jet to hop off the crate he was sitting on.

"You're a real character Leon! I'm liking you more and more!" Jet joyfully slung his arm around Leon who rolled his eyes.

"I'm not doing this cause I care but because-"

"Yeah, yeah, because you owe me. Ha, we're really alike you and I." Jet only laughed more while Longbow cracked a smile from the side.

"I would ask you to join us but I can see you have your own ambitions that don't really match with ours." Jet pat Leon's shoulder while letting out a deep sigh of regret.

"For now I don't." Leon smiled, causing the regret to fade away from Jet.

"Do you need anything else Leon?" Jet inquired while raising an eyebrow and Leon rubbed his chin.

"Can you look into something for me?" 

"Of course, what do you need?"

Leon whispered something into his ear, causing Jet's eyes to widen. However, the smile only widened as time passed.

"Here's the down payment, if you find what I asked then I'll give you double." Leon handed his last remaining wad of cash to Jet who graciously took it from him.

"You do know it'll take awhile to find what you're looking for, right?" Jet didn't want to get Leon's hopes up.

"Time isn't the problem but the quality is."

"Man, has the Ariados gang rubbed off on you this much?" Jet nudged him, making Leon shrug his shoulders.

"I've always been like this Jet." Both of them smiled before they laughed in unison again.

"Alright Leon, I'll keep a special eye out for a brother of the same cloth." Jet patted his back before walking back to the crate.

"I'll see you later, Jet." Leon waved goodbye to Jet who nodded his head with a smile.

"Don't be a stranger Leon, not every visit has to be business." Jet showed a toothy smile, while Longbow gazed at Leon and nodded his head.

"You two, I'll drop by for some lunch later." Leon waved once more before turning the corner.

Once Leon left, Jet's smile slowly started to fade as Longbow side-eyed him until he placed his hands in front of his mouth in a contemplating manner.

"No, we need to wait, I already casted the bait." Jet's eyes were sharpened as he gazed at the place Leon departed from.

"Although we don't know much about him, I got this feeling that he's right when he says we're cut from the same cloth." Jet calmed down until he saw Longbows' reasonable worries.

"I'm also surprised at his development but not suspicious, he had been bullied by Tyson his whole life and after we left it only got worse. Then once he snapped, it probably changed his whole outlook on life which is reasonable since we all changed from our homes being destroyed in front of us." Jet had already analyzed Leon, and his change seemed reasonable from his own logic and experiences. 

Longbow watched the corner for a long time before nodding his head and turning around.

"Now let's get to work."

Leon gazed up at the sun, still shining in the air, and started walking towards his next destination. It wasn't particularly set in stone, but the object of what he wanted was clear: a place to train. 

Walking deeper into the depths of Ariados territory, he put on his signature jacket to counteract any bad occurrences. 

There weren't any difficult encounters, only a couple of nods from his fellow members, before he arrived at an abandoned building.

"This should be good." Leon nodded while looking around before taking out two pokeballs.

"Teddiursa!"

"Furret!"

Leon didn't even have to speak, as both of them understood and jumped out of their prolonged confinement.

"Fur fur fur!" Furret happily jumped into Leon's arms before snuggling her way all around him until she rested on his shoulders.

"Who's the cutest pokemon in the world~" Leon scratched Furret's chin causing happy squeaks to sound out from the furry pokemon.

"Furret!"

"Yes you are, you are the cutest pokemon." Leon smiled, baby talking towards the pokemon that was softer than his Egyptian cotton sheets in his past life. 

"You're a good little pokemon, unlike a certain fursack." Leon underhanded comment jabbed at Teddiursa side as he clenched his side.

The ends of Teddiursa's mouth twitched as he watched his trainer actually comforting another being without pretending.

"What, I'm allowed to like cute things?" Leon had grown very fond of this slinky scarf of a Pokémon, to the point where he sometimes missed her around his shoulders.

"Teddiursa." Teddiursa scoffed at this, making Leon's eyebrow twitch.

"You'll understand later, you're still immature to appreciate things other than fighting."

"Teddi!"

"Are too."

"TEDDI!"

"ARE TOO!"

This went on for another minute until they both got fed up with arguing with each other, prompting Leon to grow annoyed and take out something from his bag. 

Teddiursa tilted his head at the familiar object, revealing itself to be a Pokégear, as Leon opened it up.

"Pretty cool right, I got it off all of you and Furret's hard work during the matches." Leon's words made Teddiursa scrunched his brows before his paws ignited in flames.

Until his eyes suddenly widened, dropping to his knees at the sight slowly appearing before him as drool started to seep from his mouth.

"Teddiursa?"

"Yeah buddy, this is your gift."