"OK Gallade, let's try your Slash attack, I think." His arm-swords were glowing as his trainer called the attack uncertainly. It was the right call however as he hit the Absol he was against at full force. It flew a few feet before landing on it's feet with it's horn glowing.

"Tell him to dodge out of the way before it fully charges its attack." Raz had been coaching her without an opponent all morning before they saw the Absol jump out growling at them.

"A-alright, Gallade, jump up and over him, if you want that is." Raz rolled his eyes as Gallade jumped just in time. The Razor Wind missed him completely and he landed right behind it.

"Now, follow through with it and make it sound more like a command. He's your partner and will respond to your orders because of that."

"Oh, OK. Use Slash Gallade and e-end it." He did so and they hit was enough this time to knock it down to one leg.

"Here, use the pokeball and catch it." He handed her the small sphere and she expanded it. She took aim and threw it as hard as she could. This was a good chance to catch it, but she missed completely. Kirlia saw the miscalculation and used Psychic to change the balls direction. It hit Absol and only rocked twice before signaling the poke was caught.

"Good job for your first catch. Just remember to use more confidence when battling. Your partners will respond to how you feel, so if your nervous, they will do worse then if you believed you would win even against 20 other people." He reached down and picked up the newly caught poke. He looked at it for a second, then handed it to Kira. "Congratulations, you now have an Absol."

"B-but isn't it yours since it was your ball?" She reluctantly took the ball as she said this.

"Nope. You threw it, you caught it, it's yours." He smiled at her to make it more understandable that she did well. She just saw his smile and began feeling weird inside. It was like someone had lit a fire in her and it was just beginning to warm her. "Now, if I smell what I think I smell, Zion is done with lunch. It's really good we found out he can cook so well. My meals aren't really worth the time it takes." He headed toward the camp on the other side of the trees to check.

"He really is proud of how good you got in only a day. Even though we helped you catch it, that girl is all yours, fair and square." Kirlia had walked over to Kira while trying to make her feel better. The girl just looked down at the Psychic poke and felt another odd thing. It was like the fire only not exactly. She didn't feel it as strong, it was more of how she felt with Gallade and Nami. Even Zion made her feel this way.

"Why would Raz make me feel more warm then the others? I wish they had taught us more when enslaved." She headed toward the camp suddenly realizing she was hungry too. Gallade and Kirlia stayed farther back talking about some things.

"So, what do you think?" Gallade asked walking slowly with the other poke.

"Well, all I know is that he feels a similar warmth, but isn't as confused as her. This is going to get a lot more complicated, should be fun." She smiled at her cohort while devising some sort of plan only they could see in their heads.

--

"This is great! Why didn't you say you could cook when you were eating my crappy meals?" Raz had wondered this since they discovered Zion was a great cook on the day after Kira joined him.

"You never asked if I could." Zion's simplistic reason threw Raz and everyone else for a second. Well, except Eevee, Zurtle and Gyarados. They kept eating without pause for the conversation.

"Alright, do you have any other skills we should know about?" Raz looked at Kira as she asked what he was about to.

"Well, let's list what you already know. I'm a good cook, I can speak to water Pokemon and understand them instantly rather then having to build a relationship, and I can, shall we say hold, my breath underwater for a really long time." Raz looked up at the last part. He had known Zion could do it but.

"Why would we call it anything else other then holding your breath for a long time?" Zion looked amused at the question. He just shrugged though and went to eating his food, which was actually a bowl of his stew covered with a half-pond of sugar.

"Oh, and I'm a genius. How you got along the first day without my brain power is beyo-CAKE!!" He cut himself off when Raz held up a snack cake he had for when Zion started talking with more intellect then needed. Kira saw him move the small wrapped cake out of Zion's reach each time he lunged for it and she let out a giggle.

The rest of lunch passed with talking about their trip to Vermilion, which was still 2 days away. They had enough supplies to last 5 days so it shouldn't be a problem there. Plus, they could probably get in a few practice battles to be ready for Lt. Surge. He was said to be one of the meanest gym leaders in the region.

"I still don't know who to use. All mine have such a weakness to that place. I would use Eevee, but Zurtle still hasn't got into a gym battle. At least you can pick easier, as long you don't use Zubat, the battle should be yours." Zion already figured he should use Eevee when it came right down to it. It was the smart choice and he seemed to be doing that a lot more frequently. His mind then saw him act as his sister always did. "That's it, Zurtle, your gonna be ready to take that electric loser down. I won't be like my sister and think only in type's." Raz smiled as he said that.

"That's what I think also. You said it yourself, as long as I don't use Zubat. So guess who I intend to use?" Kirlia looked at him and seemed to disapprove of his choice. He just looked at her and sighed. "I know you want to win every badge for me, but the others need to be able to try also. Tell you what, the next 2 after Surge are yours." He hoped his little friend liked the deal.

"Who are the 2 after him?" At least she was intrigued by the offer.

"It should be Erika who uses Plant, and Koga who uses Poison, and I think I heard his is a double gym now that he leads with his daughter, but I don't know for sure."

"No deal. I want to fight Sabrina also. I've read thoughts of a lot of Pokemon that dread her Kadabra and Gengar. I have to prove whose the strongest Psychic in the region." She looked dead set to only accept that battle to make her happy.

"Alright. I was gonna use you there anyways. She is a Psychic Pokemon master, so why not use the best Psychic ever." He smirked at the reaction Kirlia had at hearing the complement. It really didn't take a lot to make her confidence boost like a rocket. She was standing with the most determined look she had ever had.

"Well, I hope you win them all. Both of you." Kira had the feeling this was the right thing to say, even though she didn't have the experience to know. From her traveling companions reactions of smiling at her, it was the right thing to say. She was beginning to get more relaxed with them, despite still fearing for their safety. "Maybe Nami was right. Maybe these 2 would respond differently. I just don't think I can do it yet. One day I will though, one day."

"Hey, earth to Kira." Zion was waving his hand in front of her face. "I said do you want to try my special super-duper-ultra-sour lemon drops. I made the recipe myself."

"Uh, sure. What is sour exactly?" Her lack of knowledge hit the young cook just as hard as it had the first time.

"The greatest flavor ever. Here!" He shoved 3 drops straight into her mouth. It took here a few seconds to react, but as the drops began melting their coating in her mouth, she found out why Raz had said no every time he had been asked.

"Blah, that's horrible. Why would someone put something like that in their mouth?" She had spit the drops out and was chugging her soda to try and kill the sourness.

"What do you mean, these are great." Zion looked at her with his cheeks puffing out from where he had put the whole bag in his mouth. She just stared at him with agitation while Raz and Kirlia laughed at it all.

--

The whole next day, Kira didn't even talk to the others. They had decided to get to just outside of Vermilion before her training continued, but that didn't bother her. She was just thinking about what she had realized the day before.

"I wish I understood. Why would someone make me feel so different on the inside? These emotions don't make sense. I need help on this. I don't think Kirlia or Absol know enough about it, and I do think a girl would help more. Maybe Zion can help me. He seemed to be a lot like his mother. Maybe I should wait until we are in Vermilion to actually ask her. I'm so confused." She looked down while trying to sort out things in her head logically, like she had been taught to subconsciously.

"You also think too loud. Me and Gallade can't even think with how loud you are." Kirlia was walking backward in front of her just staring up. They looked at each other for a moment before Kirlia stuck her tongue out to show she was just kidding. The girl just smiled at her and picked her up in a hug.

"It's nice to have someone around that can read this jumbled up mess in my head. Maybe even some of it makes sense to you." She looked at the poke hoping for some answer to things.

"Sorry. I haven't felt that way before. I wish I could help more then that but, if its an consolation, it is nice to have a human that will carry me." The little dancer laughed when she thought about it. Kira also let her mind be happy with the thoughts of this Pokemon instead of her trainer.

"I can take you on in a 2 on 2 fight anytime, and with any partner you pick out for me!" A female up ahead of the group shouted. As they approached, Raz and Zion recognized the girl the voice belonged to.

"Fine you little dork, we pick that kid with the Eevee on his head." The couple pointed behind her to the group as they made their appearance. She saw the boy and seemed to smile at their choice.

"Excuse me." She ran to the group as the couple stayed put. "I remember you from the other day. You forfeited the match so you wouldn't hurt my Aron. I never did thank you for that, or apologize for my behavior. I really am sorry for making you drop your cake." Raz nodded at her but Zion looked at her like an experiment.

"Who are you, and what did you do with the mean girl that this body belongs to?" Zion had backed away as the girl looked like she was annoyed by what he had said.

"Listen, I am sorry, but I need to ask a favor. Those 2 want to challenge me to a double-battle, and they pointed to you to be my partner. So will you please help me?" She looked at the boy with big eyes, trying to look as innocent as possible.

He looked at her trying to find a way out of it. "I guess." He didn't find one. "But you owe me all the cake I can eat if we win."

"Deal!" With that she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the field across from the other group. Raz just thought about the deal this girl just made.

"She has no idea what she just agreed to." The third human of the group looked at him wondering his meaning. "If I ever made a deal like that with Zion, I would throw the match. No one can have enough money on them to pay for that much cake."

Kira stared for a moment longer thinking things that had been on her mind all day. "I really need to talk to someone." Then she looked to the field as the match was about to start.

Raz moved to the center of the field to check the rules so he could ref for the match. "OK, this will be a double-battle with one Pokemon each and no time limit." He moved to the side so the match could begin.

"Alright, let's show her what we mean by saying no duo can beat us hun." The male of the 2 strangers said to his girlfriend it appeared. "Go Nidorino."

At the same time, his partner threw a ball up. "Go Nidorina." When their partners were released, they looked over at their opponents. "Nothing works better then a couple in battle."

"You say that now, but we'll show you soon enough." She pulled out a ball and looked at Zion with a smile. This actually startled the boy by the difference in her from before. Now he was convinced to looking to see if she was a different person with the same voice, but he hadn't really noticed her clothes or anything before. Now he saw that she was dressed quite well. She wore black boots that worked well with her jeans of the same color. She also had fingerless gloves that were purple and, unlike Kira's, came only to the wrist. She was also wearing a purple shirt under a blue leather jacket that went well with her purple eyes and hair that she had in pigtails. She saw him staring and blushed a little. "What?"

"Nothing, just noticing your clothes. You have almost as good a fashion sense as me." He laughed at the comment while she giggled a little.

"Are we gonna do this today?" The 2 across the field said this at the same time and looked aggravated.

"In a hurry to lose? Fine with me, go Shinx." The tiny electric kitten came out with sparks coming off it's entire body.

"Go Zurtle, time for a warm up." His partner came out and stared down the Nido's with as much ability as he could.

"Begin!" Raz yelled when all were released. Instantly the Nido's began charging toward their opponents.

"Zurtle, use Water-Gun on Nidorina." He released a strong burst of water from his mouth and knocked the target off course, but it was obviously a tough one and the attack did little damage. "Wow, we may have some trouble here."

"Naw, Shinx use Shock-Wave." The cat unleashed a blast of electricity that hovered just above the ground in a cone shape toward the opposing Pokemon.

"Heh, this isn't even a match dear. Nidorino, use Fissure and take them out." He stomped the ground and, at first, did nothing. A short second later a crack in the earth opened up and headed toward his opponents while also stopping the Shock-Wave.

"Zurtle, Water-Gun the ground to avoid the attack!" The turtle did so, and landed on the other side of the huge hole that the crack had turned into. Shinx wasn't as lucky.

"No, Shinx!" The poke had caught the full force and was knocked out instantly. Rayne fell to her knees and returned her partner to it's ball.

Zurtle looked at it just before it returned and got angry for the poor thing. "It was just a baby, and they used such an attack! HOW DARE THEY! I'll avenge you little partner." As Zurtle vowed this, and Zion looked at him with fear of his anger, the turtle began to glow.

"He's evolving to win for Shinx." Zion saw his partner was evolving out of determination to help his new friend he had only just met. When the glowing had stopped, Wartortle had taken the place of the Squirtle that had just been there. Kira watched in aw from next to Raz and Kirlia who she had moved next to when they battle had began. They were all amazed by the evolution actually.

"Alright, let's get revenge for your little buddy Zurtle. Use Whirlpool." The poke started spinning on his tail while water was coming out of his mouth and was forming in a tornado of water around him. When fully charged, the water began glowing. "Now take care of these 2." The tornado responded to the command and began chasing the opponents around. It caught up to Nidorino first and pulled him into the water while it continued chasing Nidorina. She might have gotten away, if not for running toward the hole her partner had made earlier. When she stopped, the whirl was close enough to pull her in with Nidorino.

"OK, end the whirl." The pool died down and threw the 2 Pokemon form it at an incredible speed. They landed with a big thud and didn't get up or even attempt it. Raz held up his arm that was on Zion and Rayne's side.

"The Nido's are unable to battle, Rayne and Zion are the winners." The couple returned their partners and walked off in a huff. Zion ran out to Zurtle and hugged his newly evolved buddy.

"Great job, no way will we lose to Surge. I'm gonna fix you the best meal ever buddy, with a big cake for dessert." The turtle appeared elated by the idea of food and started jumping up and down happily. Rayne just looked at the 2 of them and smiled.

"He must be a great trainer for his Pokemon to have outdid mine twice. Next time I'll show him how good mine really are. I will be champion of this league." Rayne's thoughts went to a vision of her holding the Indigo League Championship.

"Hello, Rayne. I said do you want to join us for a victory dinner?" Zion was in front of her knelling down since she was still on her knees.

"That would be nice. You think you could make pie instead? It is the greatest dessert in the world." Zion stared at her as if she had sinned against Arceus.

"You mean second greatest, cake will always be the best." This time she stared at him with the same look.

"Cake has nothing on pie. Pie is truly the greatest." She stood and tried to stare the boy down.

"Cake."

"Pie."

"Cake!"

"Pie!"

The 2 continued all the way to camp. Kirlia went after them with Eevee and Zurtle to make sure it didn't turn ugly. Raz just smiled and held out his hand to help Kira get up from her sitting position. She took it, all the while thinking, "Why is the warmth hotter when I touch his hand? I am so confused."

--

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and all the others. Thanks for the reviews and all the OC's sent in so far. Bye.

;Yochan gets up and starts walking out of the room;

Kirlia: Wait wait wait. You just made it clear that Kira has feelings for Raz. Don't you think you should say more to the readers?

Yochan: Nope, bye. ;Leaves;

Kirlia: ;Sigh; What an odd author. Oh well, hope you all enjoyed and the next chapter is in the works. Bye.