The rays of the sun burst through the clouds as the world did its best to dry off from the rain of the previous days. Though still muggy out, the temperature offered a nice day for which to just be outside and enjoy the fresh air. Of course, Syria was enjoying far much more than just some mere oxygen.

About Twenty-two hours had passed since she and Leo had made love inside the small cabin. The thought of the boy continued to make the Gardevoir glow with happiness. She had never felt so complete and at peace with herself before. It was an awesome experience for the Pokémon to be a part of.

Rather than stick around with her trainer for the day, Syria had decided that she wanted to go for a long walk to take advantage of the lack of rain. Plus, she didn't feel like being yelled at by her passionate master. His plan for the day included extremely intense training for just about everyone of his Pokémon. Though she enjoyed working on battling with her friends in Leo's party, the Gardevoir didn't feel quite up to being worked viciously after such an amazing day as the previous afternoon.

In the distance the psychic-type could hear the feint impact sounds of her friends training regimen. As a matter of fact, she could almost see the flames of her close friend Caliber spurting high into the air in attempt to strike whatever, or whomever, his target may be. A smile worked its way onto her face at the thought of Caliber. Beyond Leo, the Blaziken was definitely her best friend.

Fond memories began to flow through the Pokémon's mind as she attempted to recall the many positive moments of her and Cal's friendship. He had been her very first opponent and was her second friend after Leo. At one point Syria had seriously considered trying a relationship out with the Blaziken. He was everything any Pokémon would want in a mate. He was strong, powerful, skilled, and determined enough to break most opponents quickly. On top of the obvious positives, Caliber had powerful sense of justice and honor. He often reminded her of the samurai of old that the Gardevoir's master had told her so much about.

Of all the members of Leo's team, Caliber had to be the second most powerful. The Blaziken would offer the rebuttal that Syria was the second most powerful. Both sides had arguments that were believable. Caliber was the most talented warrior in the group, had the best mindset for battle, was a natural leader, and was quick on picking up on an opponent's weakness. However, Syria had many of the same traits. In double battles, the type that Leo was most frequently involved in, she acted as a field commander for her master. All he had to do was think a strategy and the Gardevoir would relay it to her comrades without the opponents overhearing the command. Additionally, she could easily use her psychic powers to provide her partner with a clear opening to attack.

It was a fun debate that Syria liked to have with Caliber. Together they would analyze their team's performances and make judgments about each of their rankings on the power scale. Though she liked to think and make the case for the Blaziken to be the second best, the majority of the group agreed that she was indeed second. Number one above the entire team was Leo's secret weapon; the Solrock named Chestnut. The Pokémon was by and large the most powerful member of the team and could single handedly demolish almost any opponent. Chestnut was so powerful that Leo made it forbidden for anyone but Caliber and Syria together from training with it for fear of anyone getting seriously injured.

Fourth on the list was perhaps the second most dangerous member of the team; the vicious Zangoose that Leo had lovingly named Per. For whatever reason, the Zangoose was incredibly violent in battles and never held back. Many Pokémon made the poor choice to underestimate the normal-type. Of all Pokémon that she had ever encountered, Syria feared Per the most. Never did a positive thought pass through his mind. Despite her misgivings about the wrathful warrior, Leo still managed to see a good side.

Once again the Gardevoir found herself thinking about her beloved Leo. Giggles arose from the happy girl as she floated across an open field dotted ever so beautifully with the remnants of rain drying out slowly on the blades of grass. It was what made the trainer the best in her opinion. Leo's special ability to look at things in ways that were unnatural made him absolutely unique. When others saw a feral Zangoose that loved nothing more to rip and tear through everything, her master saw an energetic maelstrom that could easily either evade or dominate an opponent's attention. Similar to how most would only see a Gardevoir while Leo would see her as an equal.

A piercing screech then annihilated the semi-silence of the peaceful plain. Intrigued, Syria turned her eyes once more to the area where her team was training. As if on cue, the clouds began to split and tumble about as Leo's Salamence practiced turning on a dime. Immediately the psychic-type divulged that the scream had come from the dragon-type's attempt to combine the confusion of speed and sound into one chaotic mess of disruption. The smile on Syria's face grew wider as she saw the telltale flames of Caliber spurting high into the air to counter the confusion the Salamence had caused.

She truly loved their little unit. Syria saw the team as her family. Caliber was her brother in everything but blood while Per functioned as the crazy cousin. Chestnut was the strong silent uncle that everybody was afraid of. The Salamence was special for the Gardevoir. Being the only two females in Leo's party, it was often that they acted as sisters to one-another. They would tell humorous jokes to each other in leisure while gossiping over famous Pokémon, legends, or anything that could possibly come to mind. Rounding out her family was the goofy Aggron named Dev. No being alive had ever made Syria laugh as hard as the boisterous steel-type did on a routine basis. He was the goofy little brother that never took anything seriously unless completely necessary.

The urge to join her comrades burned within the psychic-type. She loved the feeling of working cohesively with her family to better each and every one of their strengths. However, Syria knew she'd be useless in battle today. Her mind was everywhere but on the present, specifically on Leo. So, they'd have to go one without her for once. It probably wasn't all that bad. Leo was a wonderful trainer and was definitely giving the team a run for their money by himself.

More thoughts of her master ran across Syria's mind. As hard she tried, there was no shaking the loop that continually led back to her lover. The Gardevoir saw this as a negative; she didn't want to dwell so much on their relationship that a fault would become evident. Things were perfect the way they were. Unfortunately, the very second the word relationship crossed her thoughts the psychic-type knew she had found a fault.

What would they do now? It was possible that she and Leo could continue their love undaunted by staying out of the public eye, but that wasn't like her master. He thrived on attention and fought ferociously to let the world know he was the best there was. With all of that attention, the media would surely smell blood in the water if they caught wind of a story like she and Leo. An aggravated growl escaped the normally contained Gardevoir. The thought of their love ending solely because it exists enraged her. Other options included two unthinkable choices: just ending their relationship immediately or Leo giving up his dream and staying out of the public eye.

Syria couldn't do that to the team. She couldn't allow her master to quit. They had all come so very far and overcome so much that it would be a sin to end it. Caliber and Per would be particularly angry. They both wished to become stronger. Should Leo give up and stop his own adventure, the two warriors would surely abandon their master. Per would definitely leave as soon as the word quit left their trainer's sultry lips. Nothing less could be expected of the brash Zangoose. As for Caliber, the thought of quitting was dishonorable and would disgrace him. He'd continue by himself and search for someone knew to train him. Chestnut wouldn't care, hell, Syria wasn't even aware if the Solrock had emotions to care with. The Salamence would probably wish to be set free in order to be with others of her kind. Only Dev would remain with Leo, Chestnut, and the Gardevoir. That was a life that she didn't want. Cal was too important for her to so selfishly thwart his chances at achieving his dream.

Their only other option was to end the relationship. Syria's heart ached at the thought. Only one day ago her greatest dream had come true and now it seemed fit to end right before her eyes. Would it even be possible for the group to stay together with that amount of tension? Leo would probably lose a lot of himself if they ended it. The boy was young for a human; his emotions were powerful and tended to drive his actions. So, such a sudden end would be catastrophic for the trainer.

Rather than focus any longer on the depressing topic, Syria turned her eyes to a flock of Beautifly that had descended upon a patch of flowers. Peace returned to the psychic-type's mind as she allowed the natural flow of nature to sooth her turbulent soul.

Voices sounded off in the distance, opposite of Leo of course. The Gardevoir concluded that trainers were making their way through the route just as her master had planned to do. Despite the probability of a confrontation with the humans, Syria merely ignored the voices. So what if she was mistaken for a wild Gardevoir, a somewhat rare phenomena to encounter? It wasn't like she could be caught or anything like that. To her knowledge, that's how Pokéballs worked. Once you were captured, it was impossible to be caught again unless released.

Though not worried for her well being, a tinge of anticipation hung in the love-struck Gardevoir's mind. Leo's training was causing a ruckus that was probably easy to see from up to a mile away. It could attract the attention of the people walking nearby. If there was one thing she loved in the world, besides Leo, it was battling by her master's side. However, the condition her body was in from the night before had rendered her almost useless for battle. So, should she show up in time to join in on the battle against the wandering trainers, Syria would find herself of almost no use. On the flip side, she could just ignore it altogether and hope for the best. Should she remain absent, the Gardevoir feared having to explain her missing the battle to the team. A task that was daunting to say the least.

Nobody in their family had even the slightest clue as to what happened on the previous day. Syria hadn't even considered what they may think of her increased intimacy with their master. There even stood a strong possibility that jealousy could result from the union. Both the Salamence and the Gardevoir were well aware of the strong attraction the Blaziken held for his comrade. The dragon-type personally believed that Syria and Cal were a perfect match, further concluding that their offspring would be absurdly powerful. Despondency fell over the psychic-type as she attempted to come up with what to say to Caliber.

Sharp eyes followed the movements of the Salamence as she twirled, dove, and flipped through the sky at a breakneck speed. Occasionally she would bellow out a screech to further disorientate the Blaziken that was in hot pursuit. Each attack was getting closer and closer to successfully hitting the elusive Salamence. The training was good for the both of them. Caliber was getting much needed accuracy testing while the Salamence attempted to refine a brand new technique. While the flashy display of fire and speed took place in the sky, the battle on the ground was getting dirtier by the minute.

Stomping around in the middle of a clearing was the massive form of the Aggron Dev. His training was centering on balance. Ducking in and out of each massive swing was the feeble form of the ferocious Per. He didn't really have an aspect to train on. In fact, Leo probably would've let the Zangoose take the day off but Per wouldn't have any of that nonsense. So, he just took off like a whirling dervish of claws and fangs after the huge steel-type. It was rather impressive to watch Dev perform some sort of bastardized dance maneuver in attempt to crush his assailant. Avoiding each hit while simultaneously landing five or more strikes was child's play to the Zangoose.

Pride swelled within the boisterous boy as carefully analyzed each movement his Pokémon made. The Salamence was doing wonderfully in her display of grace and power. It took real skill to keep unscathed against Caliber. Though not landing any hits, the Blaziken was more than impressive with how close his missed shots were to hitting. Long range accuracy was possibly the only area in which the fire-type needed improvement in and this new exercise seemed primed and ready to better everyone involved. The normally foolish Dev was doing good not to lose the seriousness of the situation as he spun about like a clumsy ballerina. Per was doing a great job in assuring that the Aggron remained on his toes.

Though intensely focused on the action in front of him, Leo's mind fought desperately to stay off the subject of Syria. He knew she needed some training, in her last battle she missed a thunderbolt and that was unacceptable, but the thought of his prized Pokémon did terrors for his concentration. That's what he needed right now; concentration. Leo needed to work out this issue by himself. During the night the young trainer was plagued by nightmares surrounding the thought of just what would happen should word get out he had sex with a Pokémon. It could ruin him.

The dream consisted of his family publically disowning him, his little sister becoming sick of him, and his rival being disappointed in him. It wasn't unheard of for Pokémon and humans to mate, but the practice was strictly taboo and highly frowned upon by the public. Of course it didn't matter to the boy that his parents would disown him, they were never there in the first place. However, Leo wasn't sure he could deal with the loss of his sister's respect. In a way, his sister was a personification of every trainer in Hoenn. She wasn't very easy to impress. What finally won her over was when Leo took on the champion and nearly won with just Chestnut.

A shiver ran up the boy's back as he considered the impact his decision would have. One choice could ruin the relationship he had ever developed with human, one of the only two positive ones he has ever had with another of his kind. Another choice would break the heart of his beloved Syria and potentially tear the team apart. However, there was one option that Leo was favoring; secrecy. All he and Syria would have to do is keep their relationship unknown to the rest of the world.

Of course that was only the negatives of the relationship. Now that Leo could be intimate with his new lover, he would never have to feel the heartbreak that Flannery brought about in him. Syria would never betray her master; it was a trait the boy had noticed early on. Her loyalty was never at question and she would gladly defend the boy with her very life should it be threatened. The Gardevoir was the absolute greatest thing to happen to Leo. Together they wouldn't fail, there was absolutely no way they would let each other down.

Thoughts of the angelic form of Syria danced throughout Leo's mind. Her slender legs locked around his waist, pulling him further into her with passion overcoming all inhibitions. Drops of sweat beaded his brow as every thrust ushered him into a world of fantasy never before experienced. Every other second she would utter his name telepathically in vein attempts to communicate to him her graciousness of the love he was giving her. And never once during Leo's vivid memory did it occur to him that he was being watched fervently by very impatient eyes.

"Goose Zan!"

Broken away from the heavenly images of the goddess that had stolen his heart, Leo glared down into the icy stare of Per. "Why aren't you training with Dev?" Though his question came with a demanding tone, it was clear that underneath the obvious façade lay a surprised boy who was angry at being taken back to reality.

With a huff the Zangoose crossed his arms and nodded towards the area it and the Aggron had been fighting. Curious as to Per's behavior, Leo looked to where the Pokémon was directing his attention and beheld the sight of Dev laying on the ground. It was almost humorous that the massive steel-type had been felled by the comparatively smaller Zangoose. What humor was to be had was crudely stolen away by the fact that Dev had failed to withstand his foe's assault. Sighing in exacerbation, Leo brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly to signal his team.

It took only a few seconds for the Salamence to land perfectly before her master. Exactly one second later Caliber was at her side on one knee in respect to Leo. Practically dripping with anticipation, Per casually walked to stand on the other side of the dragon-type. Seconds continued to pass as the large Aggron bumbled around like a crazy fool. Giggling then began to arise from the line as the Salamence found the display funny to watch. Not as obvious as his prior opponent, Cal merely chuckled to himself; Per, on the other hand, vastly disliked the antics of the goofy Aggron. "Zan Zan goose!"

Dev stopped flopping about and shot a look over his shoulder to the stubborn normal-type. His eyes shone with pure innocence. "Gron?" Looking like a said excuse for a turtle, the Aggron rolled back onto his back and rocked side to side whilst never breaking eye contact with the Zangoose. "Aggro Ag?" The pitiful display actually managed to get Leo laughing along with the Salamence and Blaziken.

His patience lost, Per extended a claw and menacingly began to charge at the steel-type, "Zangoose!"

"Per, stop it!" Once the savage Pokémon heard his master's command he stopped on a dime. Though Leo would've loved to allow the Aggron the time to goof off, Per was right. This was training time, not play time. "Both of you get over here now!" He hated having to yell at his team, but sometimes it was the only way to get anything done.

Sighing sadly, the Aggron moved quickly to be in line with his still chuckling team. Satisfied that his trainer had caught on, the Zangoose crossed his arms once again before calmly getting back in line. Dev stood in absolute silence with a dominating sense of guilt hanging on his shoulders. Seeing how browbeaten the poor Aggron was, the Salamence nudged him in the arm with her head. The steel-type turned his head slightly to see what it was the dragon-type wanted and was met by the comforting smile of his friend. Personally, she agreed with the Zangoose regarding the training, but she didn't think it was necessary to be so serious about everything.

A smile grew onto Leo's lips as he observed the token of compassion the Salamence was offering the Aggron. It always did his heart good to see his team caring for one another. "Ok guys, time to get serious again. Dev, as improved as you have gotten, that was a pitiful display you put on back there. I know you can much better than that. How do you expect to even touch your opponent if they're the size of Per? Furthermore, your technique was heavily unbalanced. You let him land basically every single hit he attempted." Once again the Aggron hung his head in shame; however, this time he deserved it. "And Per, good job out there buddy. You might want to work on your approach a bit, but otherwise you're fine." This brought him to the two mature Pokémon on the left of the line. "Cal, I couldn't ask anything else of you. You didn't land any shots on her, but she was specifically trying not to be hit, so good job. Benson," at hearing her name the Salamence stood tall and proud. She was more than ready for some compliments, "you did well yourself. Try barrel rolling when you dive next time, it'll give you more options to come out of the dive with and it presents a harder target to get a direct hit on."

At this point the boy began to wish for Syria to be there once again. He wasn't used to not giving her positive feedback during a training session. His thoughts ran wild with what she could be doing, if she was having fun, or if she was hungry. It had been a few hours since breakfast and the time for lunch was steadily approaching. However, this wasn't the time to get his head lost in the clouds of thought, there was training that needed to be done.

"Alright, Dev and Benson, you two will go at this time. Benson, go on the offensive this time. I want to see that speed of yours applied to a more aggressive situation. Dev, work on your damn defense. I don't want her knocking you out. If she lands more than ten big hits on you, then I swear I will make you regret it. I want you to try grabbing her if she gets close. She can't do too much damage if you pin her to the ground. And remember, deflection is the key if you can't get a hold of her." Suddenly rejuvenated with energy, Dev nodded in acknowledgment. Leo could tell that the Aggron wasn't going to let him down this time.

"Goose Zan Za goo?" As if on cue, the Zangoose began raising hell. He wanted a piece of Benson. She had been flying around at high speeds all day and Per was absolutely dying to be the one who knocked her out of the sky. So, understandably upset at being robbed of his chance, the Zangoose chose to try and change his trainer's mind. "Goo goos Zango!"

A drop of sweat fell down the side of Leo's head as he watched Per throw a tantrum. "Don't you worry Per, you'll get something. You just need to learn to be patient or I'll just put you back in your Pokéball and we'll call it a day for you. Sound like a plan?" Faced with the threat of being re-stored in the accursed sphere, the Zangoose shushed himself to the extent that he was left muttering quietly under his breath. "Good, I'm glad to see you're listening. Cal, do me a favor and knock some sense into him. I don't have a regime for y'all to follow or anything, so just freestyle and try not to kill each other." With a nod the honorable Blaziken accepted his orders without question.

Not wasting any time, Per immediately charged towards the Blaziken with his claws extended. Expecting the Zangoose's premature attack, Cal back flipped out of the way with the greatest ease. As soon as the two hardy warriors were out of the way, Benson took off into the sky to build up speed. Taking down the huge Aggron was a task that was harder than it looked. The huge Aggron shuffled into the middle of the field and look cautiously into the sky for his attacker. Playing defense tended to get scary for the steel-type.

Admiring the speed at which his team had burst into action, Leo stood with his head held high. "Maybe now we can get something done."