Chapter 035

Though Mordred wasn't too happy about it, Leon agreed to Yamato's request to summon additional personnel before he and several other members of the Kazama Agency relocated to the Second Floor to begin work on the settlement. Leon also convinced the nearly 3m-tall Arcanine he encountered near the northern coast to essentially become their guard dog in exchange for delicious and cooked food, so it wasn't long before a small but well-fortified fortress began to take shape around the entrance portal.

"I want an Arcanine...!" exclaimed Mordred, slamming her hands on the table separating her and Leon in the fortress's command room.

Raising his nonexistent brows, Leon asked, "You really like fluffy animals, don't you...?"

"That's not what's important right now!" contended Mordred. "I've been looking for a swift and powerful mount to serve as a replacement steed, and the Arcanine is a perfect substitute! Take me to the area where you found the one guarding this fortress! I'll find and break one in myself...!"

"Oh, if you're looking for a horse, there's actually a herd of Ponytas and a few Rapidashes living in the plains to the northwest," stated Leon. "Their design is similar to a horse and a unicorn, but they have fiery manes that burn anyone who hasn't earned their respect or trust."

"..."

Sitting in her seat, Mordred stared back at Leon with half-lidded eyes and a grumpy look on her face before admitting, "Fine...I like fluffy things. Are you satisfied? Now, take me to where you found the Arcanine..."

"Unfortunately, according to the Arcanine here, it hasn't seen another of its kind in many years..." explained Leon, causing Mordred to deflate and slump on the lounge as if her soul was escaping her body.

"But there are a few Growlithe, the pre-evolved form of Arcanine," stated Leon. "They're also super fluffy, and if we can locate a Fire Stone, you can evolve it into an Arcanine on the spot."

Rising to her feet and slamming the table a second time, an especially vicious smile adorned Mordred's face as she shouted, "You fop-doodling lard churner! Don't mess with me like that...!"

Undaunted by Mordred's outburst, Leon adopted an imaginary smile and replied, "Consider that payback for some of your teasing." Then, rising to his feet, he extended his left hand and asked, "You ready to go? We'll be riding there on the Arcanine since the entire pack will attack if we show up without it. Growlithe are among the most loyal Pokemon, but they're also territorial and will hold a deep grudge against anyone who harms one of their own."

Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, Mordred pointed out, "The exit is to your left and my right. You need to extend your right hand if you plan to escort me, fool..."

"And here I thought I would never miss your formal speech," mused Leon, retracting his left and extending his right hand. He hadn't actually planned to escort Mordred to the Arcanine's typical sunbathing spot, but since she didn't appear to be against it, he led her by the hand and arm through and out of the fortress, drawing several gazes, stunned looks, and quite a few stares of envy as they passed...

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In the process of acquiring not one but three Growlithes for Mordred, two males, and a female, Leon also learned that a group of Vulpix lived not too far away. He couldn't help recalling the Professor Harkness video when he thought of them, but while all the Vulpixes in the group were female, there were fortunately none capable of speech. Thus, while they originally only set out to acquire a single Growlithe, Leon and Mordred returned with five Fire-type Pokemon as the latter, naturally, couldn't pass on the chance to add something as precious as a Vulpix to her rapidly expanding collection of fur babies...

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"Care to repeat that...?" asked Leon, his imagined expression a flawless deadpan.

Closing his eyes and exhaling through his nose, Yamato repeated, "A few days ago, Gakuto encountered a wild Vaporeon, and the two had sex. He left it where he found it, but earlier today, it presumably tracked his scent back to our camp before passing out in his room. He's now freaking out as it looks like the Vaporeon is preparing to lay an egg..."

Surprising Yamato immensely, Leon said, "It should be fine. According to the manual on Pokemon Breeding, the egg is always the same species as the mother, regardless of the father's species. Just have Wanko teach him what he needs to know to prevent similar incidents in the future."

"This is a surprise..." remarked Yamato. "I half-expected you to banish or try to imprison him, so I came here to do damage control. Are you really okay with this?"

Shrugging, Leon answered, "Not really. But I discussed it with several people, including Wil. They convinced me to play things by ear, so we'll see how things play out. Just keep a close eye on Gakuto and have him do the same for the Vaporeon. I'll check on them in a few weeks to see how the latter feels via possession."

"Then, since you're in such a 'forgiving' mood, I have other news..." said Yamato, causing Leon's shoulders to slump as he asked, "Let me guess, someone's pregnant...?"

"We're not entirely certain just yet, but that certainly appears to be the case," confirmed Yamato. "As for who, it's a girl named Kaede Utsumi. I was told that her period hadn't come and that she's been experiencing symptoms of morning sickness for the past two weeks."

"I doubt she'll be the last, so I'll discuss it with Mordred and a few others before selecting someone to do a mass summoning," said Leon. "I'm sure Rosanna is familiar with at least one midwife..."

"I sincerely thank you for your consideration..." said Yamato, bowing his head low and respectfully even though Leon had permitted him to forget formalities when they were speaking in private.

"If anything, we should be thanking Kaede and whoever the father is," argued Leon. "There's no better proof that this is a place where people can start anew and build new lives than welcoming new life into it. Well, human lives, at least...I can't in good conscience congratulate Gakuto or his Vaporeon for their little...misadventure. If anything, I would prefer to keep it under wraps..."

"Fortunately, only the Arcanine noticed the Vaporeon approaching before she entered Gakuto's room," assured Yamato. "As for Gakuto himself, he's pretty freaked out and at least superficially ashamed of what he did, so I doubt he'll go around bragging or advertising that he's the Eevee's father."

"Then, unless you have something else to discuss or report, let's conclude this discussion here," suggested Leon, rising to his feet as he remarked, "I may not have a body, but this conversation has tired me..."

"I'll try to bring more good news the next time we meet," said Yamato, extending his hand for a handshake, a gesture Leon reciprocated before seeing the brown-haired youth to the door, closing it behind him...

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*rumble* *rumble* *thoom*

Having received reports that a storm was building across the sea of the Second Floor's eastern coastline, Leon forcefully possessed a Zubat and compelled it to flap awkwardly in the direction of a massive storm system that was gradually encroaching the entire horizon. His original plan was to use Shino's Pidgey, which had evolved into a Pidgeotto over the past few weeks, but as there was a very real chance it could die if the Zapdos hit it with a lightning bolt, he settled for a more 'sacrificial' vessel.

*KKSWOOOWAKIKAWA*

Hearing a sound similar to a power line snapping, Leon compelled the Zubat to continue forward as he directed his gaze skyward to a bright yellow figure circling overhead, disappearing in and out of the billowing black clouds it presumably had a hand in creating. He only got a glimpse of it from several hundred meters away, but that was enough to convince Leon he had found what he was looking for: the Legendary Bird regarded as the Lord of Lightning, Zapdos.

Seemingly noticing Leon as well, or, more accurately, the Zubat, a bolt of golden lightning abruptly shot down from the clouds, causing the former to feel a painful, paralyzing sensation while his unfortunate vessel was all but reduced to ash. The sudden loss of the Zubat caused Leon to fall out of the sky, plummeting toward the increasingly tumultuous sea below, but he wasn't too concerned as the paralytic effect quickly wore off, allowing him to teleport back to the coast where Mordred and the members of the Frontier Expedition Squad waited.

Instead of pulling out his mechanical body, Leon possessed Mordred's, causing her to tense slightly before asking, 'I'm guessing you found it...?'

'Yeah, and it completely one-shot the Zubat despite the stats granted by my possession,' answered Leon. 'I'm worried that, even with the Rubber Bracelets prepared by Wil and Rosanna, it may be too powerful to face in the open...'

'Then we'll track it back to its lair once it completes its flight,' supplanted Mordred. 'We already knew something like this might happen, so don't be so dour.'

Without waiting for Leon's response, Mordred shouted, "Full retreat! We're returning to the fortress to evacuate the others!"

Acting as Mordred's second-in-command, Kisara promptly repeated, "Full retreat! Return to the fortress!" at the top of her lungs. Some of the newer recruits appeared frustrated and disappointed, as they had been looking forward to their first 'authentic' battle against a Floor Guardian, not the weakened version that spawned every month after the initial kill, but they knew better than to question Mordred's orders...

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"It's like the end of the world..." noted Leon, standing atop the fortress's reinforced outer wall as a storm worse than a hurricane raged overhead and the water level across the Floor continued to rise, leading to rampant flooding and compelling countless Pokemon to come out of their burrows and seek higher ground without accosting one another.

"We may be better off retreating and then using the next three months to expand our search beyond the coast," expressed Mordred, unbothered by the frigid rain as it evaporated the moment it touched her.

"Go ahead and give the order," said Leon. "Once everyone else is gone, I will open this gate to let those seeking shelter inside. Afterward, I'll head out to rescue those who are stranded or in trouble. I doubt I'll be able to save more than a handful, but that's better than nothing..."

Raising her right brow, Mordred asked, "You expect us to retreat while you, our Lord, stay behind to conduct search and rescue alone? You're looking down on us."

Shaking his head, Leon replied, "There's a girl named Kaede who will be giving birth in a few months. Don't ask me to explain why, but I feel it's a matter of paramount importance that we welcome new life into this world before losing a single person. I will apologize as much as you want later, but please, just this once, allow me to be selfish and idealistic..."

"..."

Though she didn't like it, Mordred responded to Leon's heartfelt request by turning and leaving. Many of the Frontier Expedition Squad wanted to remain and help out, but by faking that Leon was possessing her, Mordred managed to convince them to withdraw. After that, Leon believed he was the only person left in the fortress, but the moment he began opening the heavy gate, a set of large, slightly scarred, and exceptionally calloused hands appeared to make the task considerably easier, accompanied by a grandfatherly voice stating, "Looks like you could use a hand, young man."

"I would prefer it if you retreated with the others, but my instinct tells me you won't be convinced as easily as Mordred..." replied Leon.

"It's the privilege of the elderly to do as they please!" responded Hayato, followed by a barrel-chested laugh. Then, as he knew it was pointless to argue, especially while lives were on the line, Leon set out into the flood while Hayato, using methods the former could scarcely imagine, sprinted across the tops of trees to assist elsewhere...

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