Almost done with the revamps...I think. I might go through another round in a year or so!

Disclaimer: I own Lia and Ryu. I love my little characters. But I don't own Pokemon.

------------------------------------------------

Lia's eyelids fluttered – she was vaguely aware of light, noise, and movement. She sat up slowly, much to the chagrin of her still sleeping pokemon.

She staggered to the window and pulled back the curtain. Rain was gently sprinkling and feeble sunlight penetrated the clouds. Lia made a face at the weather.

"Rain again. Ugh. Well, it is April, after all. It's April…April…" she trailed off and flipped open her Pokenav.

"Wednesday, April 12, 2006, 8:05 AM. So it's been, uh, five days since I left? Seems like an eternity…" she murmured to herself.

Aurora drifted up to her trainer's shoulder groggily, humming sleepily, 'The nurse is calling for you.'

Just as the Ralts nestled herself on Lia, the girl turned quickly and went over to the Nurse Joy.

"How is he? Shadow, that is." she inquired, correcting her vague reference.

The nurse frowned slightly, saying, "You can see him now."

Lia's breath hitched in her chest – it couldn't be good, with that tone of voice.

She carefully pulled Aurora off her shoulder to spare her the negative feelings, but the Ralts wailed and clung as hard as she could. It took a good three minutes for Aurora to tire, and the exhausted pokemon was placed on the threadbare couch.

Lia was escorted down the back hallways of the P.C., all whitewashed and smelling faintly of bleach. All the trainers back here were silent, quietly cradling their pokemon or wringing their hands. She could faintly hear the hysterical sobs of a trainer in the far distance.

"Here." the nurse said, stopping abruptly.

The trainer hesitantly peered into a dim room with a small bed in it. Shadow was resting peacefully in the bed with a mass of thick bandages over his afflicted left eye. His small ears perked up at his trainer's approach, and he barked his delight.

Lia strode quickly to him, picking up the pokemon and hugging him tightly. She put him down and began to undo his bandages frantically.

"I…I have to see how it is. How bad it could be…" she muttered, throwing the discarded wraps to the ground.

The nurse's voice rose an octave, hastily warning, "Ma'am, I wouldn't do that! Miss, stop it now! He might be-!"

It was too late for warnings though. Lia froze, bandages bunched in both hands, staring with her mouth agape. Her arms dropped limply to her sides, dropping the wraps. Slowly falling to her knees, she tightly closed her fists and eyes, tears forming in the latter.

Shadow looked down at his trainer, confused, then back up at the nurse. It was clear, even at a distance, that his left eye was a milky blue.

"Blind." the nurse finished quietly. "Not completely, but it will take major adjustments on his part."

While the nurse continued to speak impassively about the necessary follow-up procedures, Lia looked up at Shadow, head tilted slightly to the side.

Dear god, she had blinded her own pokemon. She was supposed to protect him, to save him from the dangers that he would have faced in the wild. She had…she had…god. She couldn't even think straight at the moment.

Shadow barked softly, startling Lia. She hiccupped and wiped her eyes roughly with her arms. She couldn't cry in front of him. She had to be strong. After all, if she couldn't hold it together, how could he? She had to smile for his sake.

She had finished wiping away her tears and now proceeded to stand up. Her knees shook slightly, but she forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Hey boy, it'll be alright! It'll be…be…fine!" she forced out.

She pulled the previous bandana out of her pocket and tied it around his head, carefully securing it diagonally so the puppy could still easily see out of his right eye. Shadow tilted his head left and right, trying to get a good view of Lia.

The trainer took the puppy into her arms and nuzzled his neck lightly, whispering, "It'll be fine."

The Joy was still chattering on, so Lia just took the eye drops from the nurse and said wryly, "Thanks, I think I get it now."

Lia recalled Shadow and slipped the eye drops into her pocket as she pushed open the double doors to the central room. She was immediately attacked by Aurora, who attached herself firmly to her trainer's shoulder.

Lia laughed weakly and stroked the Ralts' head, giggling, "Ne? Did you miss me that much, Aurora-chan?"

The Ralts frowned and buried her head in Lia's shoulder. She couldn't lose track of Lia yet. She had to gain the girl's trust so she could see what she so longed to see…

The trainer went about her normal morning duties, feeding her pokemon and deciding where to go next. Lia sat cross-legged on the floor, a yellowing Town Map spread out across her lap. She absent-mindedly delivered a spoonful of corn flakes into her mouth as she traced out a path with her finger.

"Dewford, Dewford, hmm…what! Deword's an island? Uggh…" she moaned as she leaned over backwards.

She held up her hand and counted down her options. "Well, none of my pokemon can fly, and Nepti's definitely not big enough to surf us there…the only thing left's a boat…"

Lia sat up sharply and slapped her forehead in annoyance. "Of course! Mr. Briney! Geez, I can be dense at times…"

Kou snidely added, "Tor chic?" At times?, but this only earned a return to her pokeball, breakfast or not.

"Are you all finished?" Lia inquired, turning to the rest.

Faelia gave a short nod, returning to her careful, meticulous grooming. Shadow nodded awkwardly, still turning his head side to side to take in the whole room. Nepti gave a hesitant, jerking nod, never looking up once.

That's a consensus. hummed Aurora, having finished her own meal a while ago.

"Alright," said Lia, smiling in spite of the day's rough start. She recalled her pokemon and slung her bag over her shoulder, finally ready to go.

She walked to the door and tentatively held out her hand for rain – it was still sprinkling. She sighed and grabbed an umbrella from the P.C.'s stash – she wondered if anyone ever returned them. Lia fumbled with the cache, getting rained on as she tried to open it. Frustrated, she cast it like a fishing pole, only to have it pop open and startle her.

"Wah! Ugh, stupid umbrella…" she muttered.

She couldn't stay mad at it for long, however, because it was decorated with tiny Plusle and Minun faces and was really quite cute. She flipped it up over her head, brushing her wet bangs away from her forehead.

The trainer strolled along the wet, tiled roads of Rustboro to its outskirts, looking round curiously. Very few people were out because of the rain and early hour, yet the city still gave off an aura of business.

"Think we'll ever be here again, Aurora?" Lia inquired at she stepped outside the city limits.

Aurora, for her part, just shrugged and shifted a little, trying to find a comfortable pose.

The two had just reached the bridge near the Pretty Petal Shop when Lia spotted someone in the distance. He looked very familiar…

"Oh, Ryu! Hey Ryu!" she called out, waving her free arm to catch his attention.

The boy turned, and it was indeed Ryu. His gray hood was pulled up over his head, but it was doing little to keep his white hair off of his face. He walked towards her through the strengthening rain.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lia. What are you doing in Rustboro?" he asked.

"I was getting my Stone badge, see?" She produced the shining silver badge, and then continued, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, traveling – a battle here, a new pokemon there…" He suddenly paused to observe Aurora, lifting her head and turning it side to side.

"Huh. Interesting Ralts – it's got intelligent eyes. But it looks pretty weak…"

Lia indignantly replied, "What? Who are you to call my pokemon weak?!? She could be really strong for all you know."

Ryu smirked and produced a pokeball from his pocket, holding it straight out to her.

"Wanna test that theory?"

Lia gritted her teeth and said, "Grr…Aurora, show him what you're made of!"

The Ralts was mildly surprised – Lia had never used her in a battle before, yet was confident of her abilities. With a tiny sigh, she jumped off Lia's shoulder and floated to the ground.

Ryu grinned confidently, saying, "I'll prove to you that it was a fluke! Go, Hail!"

The pokeball spun through the air and cracked, finally revealing a small, blue mudfish.

"Kip. Mudkip mud…" sighed the pokemon, rather apathetic towards the prospect of battle.

Lia noted, slightly annoyed, "Why do you have two starters?"

"Didn't I tell you being the kid of a professor had its perks? Let's make this a two-on-two, just to make it more interesting." His laugh seemed to be unintentionally mocking, and it was irritating Lia even more.

"Hail, start with Water Gun!" Ryu said abruptly, and the battle began.

The pokemon swelled slightly as it sharply sucked in air, then blew out a jet of water. It cut a path through the rain, and the weather was only aiding it.

Reflexively, Lia called out, "Aurora, Reflect!" Something about battling Ryu kept her on the defense…

The psychic responded quickly with a wall of orange light. The Water Gun blasted against it, veering off to the side but shattering the wall.

'Crap, I was hoping that it would last at least two turns…' Lia thought worriedly.

Ryu, still in control of the battle, commanded, "Hail, Tackle!"

"Kip ip!" growled the Mudkip as it charged towards Aurora. The Ralts attempted to dodge, but her low speed wasn't enough. The impact sent Aurora flying back, but she corrected herself in mid-air.

"Aurora, Confusion!" called Lia. She had to be a lot more aggressive to win, and this was the first step.

Aurora's eyes turned completely blue, and soon she and Hail were covered in the mystic aura. Then, with a sudden cry of "Ral alts!", she slammed the Mudkip to the ground. The second he struggled to his feet again, he was tossed up and thrown down once again.

Lia's grip on her umbrella relaxed a little – if she could keep up a psychic battle…

Ryu waited quietly, planning his next move. He had to wait until Hail's HP was a mere sliver. Slam! Almost… Slam! Almost… Slam! There. That was it.

"Hail, activate your special ability Torrent now!"

The Mudkip got to his shaking feet and braced himself. The next psychic attack came at him but just blew over in wake of this new development. The small puddles that had been collecting on the ground were now drawn to Hail, whistling by like bullets. They gathered around him like a wide, short water spout, until the fish was almost obscured by water.

"Hail, Water Gun!"

"Aurora, brace yourself!"

The commands were issued so close together that it seemed like a blur to the Ralts. She surrounded herself with a wall of psychic energy, and seconds later she was violently jerked back by a very powerful Water Gun. The shield burst, leaving her exposed to the backlash of water that sprayed everywhere, and she was covered by the waves.

She couldn't breathe. For three horrible, constricting seconds she could do nothing but think of resurfacing, and even that was limited by her weakened body. Aurora fell harshly to the muddy ground as the wave passed her, leaving her gasping desperately and shuddering. Her head was light, and dizzying bouts of nausea passed, too. She knew what came next.

"Aurora!" called Lia as she ran to her pokemon. The Ralts had collapsed in the mud, unable to battle any longer.

The trainer glanced across the field to check Hail's condition. It appeared to be exhausted by its attack and was lying in the mud, breathing heavily with pained gasps.

"Seems like they're both unable to battle, eh? Well, onto the next one, shall we?" said Ryu happily, recalling his fallen Mudkip.

Lia nodded, gathering Aurora into her arm with the umbrella and unclipping another pokeball with her free hand.

"This one wins it, right? Then let's do it, Kou!" she called, throwing the ball out awkwardly.

The little Torchic fluffed in the rain, but smirked when she saw Ryu, "Tor or chic?" Back for more?

Ryu laughed, "Well, with that pokemon, I only have one choice, don't I? Come on Blaze!"

The Cyndaquil seemed equally displeased with the rain, but had enough focus to ignore it – unlike Kou, who was now an orange puffball.

"Kou, Scratch attack, now!" Lia commanded, beginning round two.

"Blaze, dodge-" Ryu began, but Kou had already crossed the field and slashed her claws across Blaze's face.

"Hmm, so you've trained…" noted Ryu rather dryly.

"What did you expect? Now Kou, don't leave a gap in the offense!" Lia replied.

The bird rushed in with another attack, but this time Ryu was quicker on the draw.

"Blaze, Quick Attack!"

The Cyndaquil rushed quickly to the side and slammed into Kou, who rolled and got to her feet quickly.

Both trainers issued commands quickly, and the two starters attacked as fiercely as possible. They were both highly competitive, neither willing to back down. Of course, at this exhausting pace, both pokemon were weak after a few minutes of battling in the rain.

The storm seemed to be ending, but Lia still clutched her umbrella firmly as she called, "Kou, Fury Swipes!"

"Blaze, counter it with Ember!" yelled back Ryu. It was exhilarating – Lia was a good opponent, and he preferred his battles so close that even he didn't know what would happen.

Kou half stumbled, half ran at Blaze until she was within range. She jumped up and slashed rapidly at his back, but he flared his back flames to scorch the bird. She slid off to the side and re-struggled to her feet, face burnt and raw. Blaze, on the other hand, was suffering from a lacerated back and various bruises. They faced each other, battered and gasping for air, yet neither would back down for a second.

Lia grimaced – she knew Kou couldn't take much more of this. She reluctantly held up the hand containing Kou's pokeball, sighing, "Kou, re-"

Suddenly, she was cut off. Sparks of light were appearing and gathering around Kou and Blaze in a symmetric circle. The lights multiplied and swirled upwards until both pokemon were covered in the unearthly glow. They seemed to be growing, changing in size…

Lia dropped her umbrella and her hands flew to her mouth – Kou and Blaze were evolving.

The lights faded and the two newly evolved pokemon faced off once again. Their previous wounds seemed smaller on their new bodies. Kou, for one, was much taller. She had gained long, clawed tipped arms and her head feathers curved back beyond her shoulders. Blaze had also grown a lot, increasing in size and fire power, as was shown by crests of flame along his head and hips. His eyes were open now, and they were intimidating crimson orbs that met Kou's evenly.

Ryu had nonchalantly flipped out his Pokedex in the meantime, and he was just putting it away now.

"Interesting development, eh? Let's see how it plays out – Blaze, Tackle!" he called.

The Quilava launched itself at Kou, raring to try out this new power. Kou still was breathing erratically – a Tackle attack wouldn't be good.

"Kou, uh, er, some sort of kicking attack! Your legs are stronger, right?" Lia stuttered. Being from Johto, her lack of experience with Hoenn pokemon was obvious.

Kou, not quite sure what to do, held out a leg to stop the attack. Blaze slammed right into it, but the Tackle stopped completely – hardly any whiplash. She grinned at this prospect, and following up, she released him and kicked him twice in the side in rapid succession. Blaze fell to the side, then got up again, coughing. He glared at her from the side as blood trickled out of his mouth.

Lia winced, then said, "Ryu, let's just call it a draw and-"

"No! I'm not ready to give up, and neither is Blaze! Let's try the special attack – Fire Wheel!" Ryu shouted back. He gritted his teeth nervously – Blaze had never been able to pull off that attack, not in the months and months that they practiced…

Blaze inhaled sharply and the spots on his back burst into brilliant flames. Then, with a coughing exhalation, he threw out a twisting, snake like flame. It formed itself in a ring around him until his image was distorted by the intense heat – the rain within a three feet radius vaporized into steam. Then, with surprising speed for such an injured pokemon, Blaze blitzed forward and slammed into Kou.

The Combusken reeled back, a look of shock plastered onto her face. She stumbled a few steps backwards, then went over. It was apparent that she was making every effort to get back up again, but her muscles wouldn't respond.

"Com bus!" she shrieked. "Com bus ken!" 'Get up! Get up dammit!'

"Kou!" Lia cried out, running to her pokemon. Shifting Aurora out of her arms and onto the ground, she knelt down by her starter and checked her condition.

"Ah, low health and a burn…just stay there, Kou-chan, don't move…" Lia said worriedly, rummaging through her bag for a cure. "Oh…oh no! I don't think I have the right…"

Suddenly a bagful of Potions, Antidotes, Burn Heals, Paralyz Heals, and various other items were dumped at her feet. She glanced up at Ryu and hesitantly said, "What's all this?"

"Think of it as your consolation prize." he replied with a cheeky grin.

Lia blushed in humiliation and began to spray the cures onto Kou and Aurora, muttering, "You don't have to rub it in. I know I lost."

Ryu squatted down in front of her and taunted, "Lia-chan, do you know why you lost?"

He was really testing her patience, and it showed. "Don't take that condescending tone with me. It's because my pokemon aren't strong enough."

Ryu laughed and tapped her on the head, correcting, "No, your pokemon are strong enough. The problem lies in you."

Lia looked up, a bit shocked by his words. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it shortly afterward.

"Think about it. Kou was fighting really hard out there, and she had no intention of giving up. So when you say, 'Let's call it a draw', you're probably upsetting her, right? Your heart isn't into this trainer thing enough. You gotta work harder." he chuckled.

Lia narrowed her eyes and looked down. It was true. She hadn't been all that motivated as a trainer, and had always felt pushed into it by everyone around her. But she wanted to be something more than that. She wanted…

"I…I want to be the strongest trainer. I want to be so strong that I can beat you, Ryu, and all of the other gym leaders!" she cried loudly. Was she actually crying? She had hardly gotten worked up over anything this much in her life.

Ryu smiled, "Heh, atta girl. I look forward to it." He patted her on the head and stood up, looking towards the sky. The rain had stopped and it was turning out to be a sunny day after all.

"Well, I'm off. Us elite trainers need to stay on the move, you know?" he said with a quick wave.

Lia nodded and returned Kou, finally placing Aurora back in her usual spot. She adjusted her bag and her bandana a little, then sighed heavily – what an emotionally taxing day. And it was only noon…

Before the boy's footsteps had entirely faded, Lia called back without turning, "Hey Ryu? Thanks."

He was probably smirking to himself – it seemed like something he would do.

--- --- ---

Lia continued down the path, and several hours later found her through Petalburg Woods and on Briney's fishing boat. It seemed a little small and crude, and it wobbled when Lia stepped on it.

"Uh, Mr. Briney? Are you sure this is safe?" she said, legs trembling a little.

"Aye, it's safe as anythin'! She's just a wee bit old, that's all!" the captain replied cheerfully.

When he stepped in, the boat sank a little more noticeably, and it worried Lia. But the sea was calm and the breeze was wonderful – she could tell that they were heading for the more tropical part of Hoenn. She giggled in spite of herself and nuzzled her Ralts, who hummed in contentment.

She turned and said, "Let's go, Captain Briney! The sea awaits!"

The old man chuckled, "That it does, lassie, that it does."

With a sputtering whirl, the engine came fitfully to life and propelled the small boat onto the open sea and towards the waiting Dewford.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please review! You shall get Kou cookies! Ah, but carefully, they bite.