Chapter one – Hell

August 16

Kanta stood victorious again, holding his head high as the heat from his Heatran, Cadfael, and the static charge from Fiera, his Luxray, began to slowly subside, his opponent's Pokémon laying fainted on the ground as always. Two strong Pokémon who had fallen victim to the flame of a volcano and the intense lightning that came with the presence of Cadfael and Fiera, and it hadn't helped the opponent's odds that one was a Grass type and the other a Water.

The brown haired trainer sighed and looked to the other trainer apologetically as he stroked Fiera's mane, the fierce glare that he received in return however made his gaze grow a bit colder.

The younger trainers in the Hoenn Battle Tower were always a shame to beat, saddened and angered as they were, and he had made far too many of them fall from whatever height that they had reached, and after all of the fights against them, he always felt a little guilty.

As Fiera stretched, letting out a rather loud yawn, Kanta took notice of the time. It was already ten PM, and considering that he had been up since five AM, it felt as though it was getting to be very late.

He was so close to the top of the tower that he could taste his victory over the Frontier Brain of the Battle Tower, Anabel, and they would both have to fight seriously this time. But Anabel was yet another young trainer. He thought to himself, why? Why do I seem so old in comparison to those that I battle? Am I just getting too old to be a nomadic trainer? Maybe I should settle down and become a Gym Leader soon... These thoughts had filled the wanderer's head for quite a while.

"Thanks you two, you did great." He said as he returned his Pokémon to their balls and walked over to the young boy who was currently trying to push his Shiftry toward the large elevator and sighed. "Why not use it's Pokéball like you did with your Sharpedo?" He asked, trying his hardest to make himself sound friendly to the boy.

"He doesn't have one!" The boy screamed, whirling around to face Kanta directly, allowing the scarf that all ninja children wore to swirl with him, a feeble attempt at intimidation. "And it's your fault that he's like this! You hurt him!" The boy yelled, looking at him fiercely with his hands balled into fists. He threw a punch that showed off the training he had received, but as he swung, Zahrah leaped from her Poké Ball with a barrier ready, blocking the boy's attack with a curved wall of shimmering light.

When the boy's fist collided with the spherical barrier, he was sent flying to the left by his own momentum. He landed flat on his face, too surprised by the sudden appearance of a Gardevoir protecting her trainer from harm, to somersault and keep himself unharmed as well.

Kanta looked down at him and both he and Zahrah cringed as they heard his faint sobs. Their empathetic link that caused Zahrah to feel everything that the he felt may have saved Kanta a slightly broken lip, but it also caused Zahrah to feel the pang of guilt that Kanta felt as the boy cried on the ground.

"Kanta, should we help him?" Zahrah asked him telepathically. The look she gave him held no suggestion, simply the question to which he could only reply: "No, that would only serve to harm his ego further." He said aloud, his voice but a whisper to his Pokémon, not wanting to allow the boy to hear him.

The trainer yawned and turned to leave, turning back to Zahrah briefly as he neared the door. She stood over the boy, softly stroking his hair, trying to take the boy's pain away and make him feel safe, the boy's response however was simply an unfriendly scowl. "Come along Zahrah, there is nothing more that we can do." He said as he turned back to the door, Zahrah rushing to his side so that she would not be left behind.

He had defeated his 63rd opponent in a row, and he needed to rest if was to take Anabel down. Kanta and Zahrah made their way to a local hotel at which he had paid for a room through to the end of the month. She blushed lightly as they walked and she put her hand in his, causing Kanta to chuckle slightly.

His Gardevoir's link to him was incredibly strong, but her slightly romantic advances he knew to be a simple mimicry of what she had seen in the romantic movies that she had seen with his mother. She couldn't understand that there was a more powerful link to a person than she had with him, so she equated it to love, something that both vexed and intrigued Kanta.

Could a Pokémon fall in love with a human? It's not exactly something that I could ask Professor Rowan. Even Elm or Birch would think me crazy if I asked something like that. He thought curiously before realizing that Zahrah could hear his thoughts.

"Of course a Pokémon can be in love with a human!" Zahrah mentally screamed at him. He cringed at the odd kind of sound that he felt rather than heard. She crossed her arms and looked at him angrily, her psychic energy coming off of her in waves. Her expression softened and the waves ceased when Kanta had to close his eyes from the headache that her unintentional Psyshock gave to him. It wasn't anything life threatening, but it was painful. She was immediately apologetic, and began healing him needlessly after a few seconds.

"I'm fine Zahrah, it's just a slight headache. And you didn't mean to, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have thought about that." He said, trying to get his rather fragile Pokémon to cease her worrying. "I'll be fine, I just need to get back to the hotel and rest." He explained shaking the cobwebs from his mind and smiling. Whether it was love as she believed, or just a strong psychic link as he did, Zahrah did care for him.

Kanta checked his Poketch, pressing the button three times to reach the analog clock. "Hm. 10:10, cool." He remarked, as he grabbed Zahrah's hand and continued walking. And he could feel Zahrah's happiness spike, not through the same psychic link that she had, but simply by the way the air felt. He just shook his head slightly and kept walking.

As they reached the hotel, it was obvious that Zahrah too, was a bit worn from the day's activities. It had been a long day for all of them. A long week really. Defeating 63 of the Hoenn League's greatest trainers was a tough job to take on for anyone, and most did the battles one or two at a time, Kanta had done seven every day using only Cadfael, Fiera, and Zahrah. Each battle had been harder than the last, but his Pokémon were all estimated at level 100, the highest level that each of his Pokémon could become. They were the strongest they could ever be, with each of their specific attributes raised to the highest level that they could reach. He allowed Cadfael and Fiera to join Tia, his Salamence, Claire, his Roselia and Sakhr, his Milotic under the tree that they had chosen to sleep under.

Briefly, Fiera shot Zahrah a glare that spoke a message that even the densest person could understand, but only a psychic like Zahrah could fully comprehend. Zahrah heard what Fiera was thinking, and couldn't help but take offense. "I'm watching you, and I can see you wherever you go."

"You may have been here longer, but I get to sleep in his room while you sleep under a tree." She replied angrily. Fiera turned up her nose at Zahrah's rather bold statement and went to rest on the grass.

Looking quizzically at both of his female Pokémon, Kanta walked to the room, Zahrah so tired that she needed to use him as crutch. He checked his watch again, 10:32. It was late. He unlocked the door and walked in, looking around to find a note from the manager on his nightstand.

As Zahrah walked over and slumped onto the bed, which she had claimed on the first night, Kanta read the note. It was just another notification of a battle request, a ten year old girl, fresh out of New Bark town had come by looking for a Pokémon master to test herself against, and someone that had defeated both the Sinnoh and Hoenn league Elite four, their Champions, and had claimed five of the Frontier Medals already, was the perfect choice. A great Pokémon "master."

He cringed at the term. Why was it that these children loved that title, loved having people call them that. Pokémon master, bah. He had never agreed with any of them. Master implies slave, and his Pokémon were his friends, they were equals in his eyes and he didn't want to be above them. He gripped the note and tossed it into the trash, a bit annoyed. He sat on the bed and sighed, exasperated.

Zahrah hugged him from behind briefly and as she embraced him, for just a moment, he too could feel all of the emotions that she felt as the red protrusion on her chest pressed against him. She lied back after that moment had passed, too tired to even sit up straight any longer. "Just lay down. Ignore it, all of us know that you would never call yourself our master." She spoke directly into his mind, her voice sounding as sweet as a bell.

Meanwhile, Fiera watched angrily through the walls of the hotel, utilizing her X-ray eyes, her tail swishing back and forth, jealousy stinging her heart. Her ability made her stronger against other girls, but it also made her quick to envy. "Dammit." She growled and grumbled.

"Hm." Cadfael moaned as he lifted his head. "What's wrong now?" He asked sleepily.

"She's doing it again!" She snarled, whirling on him.

"Doing what?" He asked as he rolled heavily.

"She's hugging him again!" She barked.

"So?"

"SO?"

"Shut up..." Sakhr interrupted with a cold hiss.

"What do you care?" Cadfael continued, ignoring his groggy friend's order, but continuing at a lower volume.

"I was his first Pokémon! She has no right to embrace him like that."

Cadfael rolled his eyes. "It's not like they're breeding."

Suddenly, Sakhr slithered in front of Fiera. "Would you please be quiet? We were all asleep before you all got back." He stated plainly. He was a large Pokémon, even for a Milotic, and his glare was intimidating to most, but Fiera was proud of her power, and she was not most Pokémon.

"Go away Sakhr!" Fiera growled. "I'll use Thunder Fang on you quicker than even Tia can move!"

"And as usual, I would simply take that attack and more." He declared.

"Guys. Guys." Claire interjected. "You don't need to hurt each other."

"Yeah. I mean, who cares if Kanta and Zahrah wanna get it on." Tia said with a heartfelt laugh.

"You are not helping Tia..." Claire said, puffing out her cheeks.

This time, Fiera and Sakhr spoke as one, the only thing that changed was the pronoun used. "S/he would never do that!" Both glared at the other.

"Everyone... Can we please go to sleep?" Cadfael asked, stepping between his best friend and the only other guy on the team. Kanta had a way with Pokémon, but he was nearly incapable of finding male Pokémon, something that bothered both Kanta and the Pokémon that he had dubbed his "lord of battle."

"Thank you." Sakhr said coolly as he coiled loosely around the tree.

"Bu-" Fiera began.

"Just go to sleep honey, it'll be fine." Tia cut her off and laid down on a patch of earth that she had clawed to make a softer spot.

"Stop calling me honey. I'm nothing close to a Combee's food."

"Shh.." Cadfael said as he pushed Fiera over playfully and laid down beside her. "It's not a big deal, she's always been close to him. It was a fated meeting."

"That's the problem." She said coldly. "She's wrong about how he feels, and she shouldn't be as close as she is to him... I've been with him longer..."

"Are you 'in love with him' too?" Cadfael asked, using a rather sarcastic tone to denote that he already knew the answer.

"Of course not," she replied. "it's just that she makes him uncomfortable, and acts like she's something more special to him than the rest of us. And she's wrong."

"Well then she's just wrong. No point in worrying about it." Cadfael said with a smirk. "Just sleep."

"Please!" Said Sakhr with a hiss.

Back inside...

As Kanta turned to her, she slipped under the bedclothes, covered her face, and pulled one of the large pillows under her head, embarrassed as she always was after those embraces due to her bashful nature. In turn, Kanta pulled one of the pillows off of the bed for himself to use. Zahrah had claimed the bed after all, so he slept on the floor.

"You're right, I know that you are." He said as he tossed the pillow to the most spacious area of carpet in the room made too small by some of his clothes that he had left strewn about. "I just... Forget it." He continued with a sigh as he took off the gray t-shirt of which he owned five, tossing it into, or at least, near the hamper before continuing into the restroom to brush both his teeth and his shoulder length locks.

Kanta yawned as he returned after a few minutes, and was about to lay down when he heard Zahrah, who had fallen asleep almost instantly, suddenly awake with a start. She looked at him with fear in her eyes and said only one thing: "Run."

Right then, everything changed.

Everything, went to hell.