52

The sand beneath the tall Palms of the beach depressed into the shape of two pairs of shoes a second before the astral forms of the two teenagers whom we happen to be following. The next second, all of the displaced molecules that had been whisked to this part of the island were yanked back to their proper ionic setting.

"…an!"

"I, can't, believe, it, worked!"

"Wha…"

"I, used teleport! Kohan squealed.

"Oh, my…"

"Ha, ha oh." Kohan eyes decided to flutter and he fell to a faint.

"Oh Kohan!" Leah stooped to keep him from landing face first into the sand. The immense psychokinetic power that Kohan had to exert to teleport both himself and Leah had rendered Kohan totally devoid of consciousness. It was too much for his mind. He had not had the time and ability to study the way the Pokémon can. "Kohan, wake up! What happened!"

"Uh, I, must have used too much. My body gave out. Did we make it?"

"Yeah. Xatu is right on the shoreline next to our boat. You gonna be able to walk there?"

"Uh. Ask me when I know where 'there' is 'kay?"

"Kohan. Are you that out of it?"

"Aunty Em, is that you? I was in this beautiful place, where…" Smack! "Oww, you didn't have to hit me."

"You're an idiot!"

"Duh. He he. You're pretty when you're pissed."

"Are you gonna be able to walk?"

"Well, seeing as your punch knocked my brain back into place, and I don't need another! Yeah. I should be able to balance."

"Good. Here, let me help you up. Xatu! Come help me! Here, place your wing under his arm. Don't fly, he needs to be able to walk his dizziness off. If it's too hard for you to walk with us, you can hover."

"You know how to do this."

"Yeah. Working in a Pokécenter teaches you how to deal with injured things."

"Thanks."

"You know what I mean, jackass."

"Hey! Ahh!"

"What?"

"I tripped over something!"

Leah bent down to look at Kohan's feet. "Kohan, I think you stepped on a…" Leah brushed off a layer of sand. "A Staryu! Oh Gods!" Leah quickly stripped off her backpack so that she could get a Potion. Xatu had released Kohan who kneeled beside Leah. Xatu had placed it's wing on the jewel to check the consciousness of the Pokémon.

"It's still alive, but barely." Leah drenched the Staryu in the Potion.

"You poor Hoshi. Does that make you feel better?" It blinked to agree. "Good. I'm glad." Leah brushed more sand away from the Pokémon so that she could pick it up when she noticed something. "Kohan, is it missing the tip of one of it's points?"

"Yeah, it looks like it is."

Oh Gods. Who would do this to a poor Staryu? It's missing at least two inches. That's horrid."

"Leah, you should catch it. If you don't, it could die out here, 'cause, I can't catch it. Besides, you could get it to trust you."

"Huh?"

"It's really scared."

"Oh. Okay." She reached back into her pack and brought out a Pokéball. "Staryu, I can take you to a Pokécenter where you can get better treatment, but I have to catch you to do that. Is that okay?" It blinked. "Kohan?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Leah enlarged the Pokéball and touched it to Staryu. The Pokéball burst open with a blast of red light and sucked up Staryu. "Good. Now to get it to a Pokécenter."

53

The only sound noticeable in the lobby was the gentle tapping of Leah's sneaker on the highly polished vinyl floor. With her chin in hand, she looked like a nervous father awaiting his child.

"Leah? It's gonna be fine. Your aunt will take wonderful care of it. It's her job, you know that."

She heard him, but her eyes never left the emergency light above the doors. "Those bastards." She whispered.

"What?"

"How could anyone do that…?"

"Leah…You know that not everyone in this world is like your family. Some people are just sick. There's nothing more to it." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "It'll be fine. Don't worry." He kissed the crown of her head to reassure her.

All she could do was sigh, and nuzzled further into his arms. She took hold of the hand on her shoulder, and kissed it. As a joke, he gently flicked her nose.

"Naowr!"

"What the fuck was that? Did you just growl?" Kohan asked, pulling away to look her in the face.

Leah just burst into a fit of giggling. "Sorry." She managed to utter. "It's a reflex. I spent too much time alone with Mauzo."

"Who?"

"That's my nickname for my father's Meowth. I used to talk to him when I was home alone." As Kohan was processing the new information, the emergency room light blinked off. Leah spun around and jumped to her feet. She ran to the doors, just as Nurse Joy opened them. "Aunt Joy?"

"It's just fine, although the tip of it's point will never grow back." Nurse Joy handed Leah the Pokéball containing the healed Pokémon. "By the way, hon, how did you get here? There are no new boats at the docks." Joy looked out of the center's glass doors at the Second Seafoam Island's pier.

"Allow me to answer." Kohan suggested, walking to stand behind Leah. "We came across the Staryu as we were walking toward my Xatu, who had been guarding our boat. Xatu teleported us here."

"A Xatu. Aren't they rare in Kanto? I can only remember treating about four in the last seven years." Nurse Joy commented. "In fact…you're hat looks familiar, have we met?"

"I passed through here a few years ago, yes."

"Wow, you have really changed."

"Thank you Nurse Joy. Hey, can you tell us where we can stay for the night?"

"Well, I would suggest here, or my place, but there is a nice hotel on Second Street."

"Thank you Aunt Joy. How do we get there?"

"Well, just turn right on Main Street, make a left on Karren Road, and it's just a few blocks past the skate park."

"Skate park!" Kohan virtually jumped at the mention of the establishment.

"Yes, we have a skate park. A young woman recently inherited an empty plot of land from her great uncle, and she built a skate park. My neighbor's sons really enjoy it."

"Uhhhh! Leah!" He swiveled in place, and bent to her height to beg.

She just raised her eyebrow, and slowly nodded. "You… need… professional… help."

"…But…does that mean we can go?" He pleaded. She couldn't resist the fact that he looked like a desperate schoolboy begging his mom to go on the coolest field trip in the world.

She just rolled her eyes, and headed out the exit. "Bye Nurse Joy."

"Good bye, honey."

"Leah?" He straightened up. "Honey?" As she rounded the corner, he came to his senses and ran out of the center. "Well, are we going!" When he caught up to her, all she could do was shrug. "You're not nice!" He folded his arms, lowered his chin, and started to pout.

"Oh stop that. We need to get a room at the hotel first." She answered, keeping her eyes straight ahead, too afraid that if she turned to look at him, she'd bust up laughing.

"First? First! Does that mean we can go to the skate park second!" Kohan asked, hopping around Leah like an anxious puppy. Leah just stopped in her tracks, put her hands in her pockets, and closed her eyes. She didn't move for a few minutes, and Kohan was beginning to worry. He stopped hopping, and bent down to look up at her face. As he was studying her unchanging expression, she opened her eyes, and kissed him. "Muumf!" She released him, and he stood up, confused. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to see what you cared about more; yourself, or others. Let's go to the hotel, Kohan." She started off down the rest of Main Street until she came to the corner of Karren Road, and turned left. Kohan was still standing dazed where he was, and only woke up when Leah disappeared. He then ran after her, and by the time he caught up with her, she was almost standing in front of the skate park. He whimpered to himself as they walked past it, watching all of the local kids wipe out on the half pipe. He could kick their ass on any of the areas. But, as a loyal boyfriend, he stayed by his girlfriend's side, and walked in front of, past, and out of site of one of the only activities that has ever made him happy.

Several blocks later, Leah spotted the hotel that her Aunt Joy had mentioned, and they entered with several other young people. The lobby was humongous, and there were quite a few rooms that branched off from it, the largest, as far as Leah could see, was the ballroom, which was most likely the entire rest of the ground floor. At the moment, though, it served as the dinning hall, and there were between fifty and one hundred people lounging around or eating inside of it. But, in front of them was the check out counter, and the new trainer and her boyfriend made their way toward it, taking care not to run into the variously numbered groups of lingering teenagers. Most of them were likely to be trainers themselves. She overheard one large group talking about sighting a strange looking Gyarados off the coast, and not being able to catch it. At the counter was a very chipper looking young woman, and an equally cheerful young man. The young man was busy booking the group that had entered before Leah, but the woman was free, so they walked up to her for help.

"And what can I do for you two?" Asked the young woman. She whipped out a pen, seemingly from midair, and held it just above a piece of paper.

"We would like to book a room here for a couple of days if we can." Leah answered, watching the woman scribble something on the paper.

"And what type of room would you like? We have honeymoon suites, business suits, family suites, single trainer suites, and multiple trainer suites."

"Uh, I think a single trainer suite will do. How much for three days?" Leah asked tentatively.

"A three day stay will have you at…" She continued to scribble on the paper. Leah was starting to get annoyed by the sound. "20,000 Poké-dollars. This is including three meals a day. Will you be paying cash, or do you have a membership card?" She finally looked up from the paper. Leah tried to take a look at the writing, but it was so jumbled that she couldn't make heads nor tails of it. So, instead, she took off her backpack, and fished around inside for her wallet. Since her parents were some of the most well known Pokémon nurses in Kanto, they made a lot of money, and had given her plenty to start off with.

After paying for their room, and getting the keys, Leah and Kohan made their way to the sixth floor, by way of the elevator. Yet again, there were more groups of variously aged trainers, several of which looked like they could have been her own father. At the end of the hallway, near the story washroom was their room. Leah unlocked the door, and walked past the threshold. It wasn't a very fancy room, but it was spacious. There was a balcony directly in front of the door, and just to the right of it was the bathroom. It encased a very large open shower, which could be converted into a bathtub. The single queen sized bed was on the opposite side of the room, to the left of the door. A wardrobe was positioned next to the bed, closest to the balcony, and the other side of the bed was a work desk with a tiny wooden chair. At the foot of the bed was a rectangular wooden chest, but it didn't look like it opened. Leah set her backpack at the foot of the bed, and sat down on it to take her shoes off.

It was then that she noticed that Kohan hadn't said a word since she had walked away from him. So there he stood, right in front of the closed door, looking down at his feet. She had never seen him that sad before, of course, she had only known him for a few days, so that could have been another factor to it. It was then that she realized that she knew almost nothing about his life. She had told him about her family, but he never even mentioned his. Maybe she should bring it up? It would be something to talk about, anyway. "Kohan, would you tell me abou-"

"I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat." Even before Leah could answer, Kohan had opened the door, and was walking down the hall. She hurriedly slipped her shoes back on, and raced out the door, almost forgetting to lock it, just in time to catch him in the elevator. By the time they had reached the lobby, Leah was officially worried about her darkly clothed friend. The dining room had just begun to serve dinner, and it was only when she could smell the food did Leah realize she was hungry. It was set up as a buffet, and they walked down the line, grabbing this and that from the long table at the end of the room. After getting their plates full, and their drinks, the pair walked off toward an empty table closest to the door. They ate in peace, but Leah noticed that Kohan's plate wasn't nearly as full as it should have been. She had seen him eat before, and it was usually twice what she normally ate, but tonight it didn't really seem to be anything at all. If he truly was hungry, it sure wasn't the same hungry that he had been in the past. After they had finished, the deposited their plates on the 'to be washed' tray, and exited the room. They passed the same cheerful couple behind the reception desk, and the woman even waved at them. Leah hesitantly waved back, and was glad to see that Kohan had caught the elevator before it had closed.

The way back up was just as silent as the way down, only this time there were more people in with them. When the doors opened, Leah, Kohan, and the other riders stepped out, most going to the right, but as Leah and Kohan turned left, they accidentally ran into a very shapely woman that was a little taller than Leah, but just shorter than Kohan. She was carrying a black duffle bag that seemed full to bursting, and an equally full suitcase. Leah was knocked back a little, but so was the woman. Because of all the extra weight she was carrying, she nearly toppled over backwards, but Kohan grabbed her shoulders just in time. "Are you alright?" Kohan asked. The young woman brushed her long purple bangs from her face, and quickly nodded yes.

"I'm sorry." She replied in a very heavy accent. Leah tried to place it, but couldn't. The young woman flashed a beautiful smile towards Kohan, and then at Leah. Her face was exotically pretty, and for a split second, Leah felt jealous, but the look on Kohan's face was anything but longing. As she turned to continue walking, Leah could see that the rest of the woman's hair had been pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head, and was raven's black. She was also wearing a large black backpack. Once she had disappeared into the elevator, Leah felt safe to voice her opinion.

"She must be tired from carrying so much luggage."

"No."

"What?" Leah asked, turning away from the elevator to stare at Kohan. "What did you say?"

"I said no. She's used to carrying that much, maybe more. Her shoulders are pure muscle. She may not look it on the outside, but she's been around. She's been traveling for a while now. Non-stop it seems like." Kohan responded before taking off for their room. Leah stood staring at his back for a second before sprinting to catch up to him.

"You got all of that from just touching her shoulders?"

"I know people, Leah. I've seen more of this world than you will ever know." They reached the door to their room, and he just stopped. She was about to ask why when she remembered that she was the one with the key. She unlocked the door, and they walked in. Kohan picked up his backpack and strolled into the bathroom, and locked the door. He walked out again, half an hour later, hair dripping, and dressed in a large black t-shirt, and dark green boxers. He dropped his backpack at the foot of the bed, and sat next to it to dry his hair. Rather than bother him, Leah followed suit, and exited twenty minuets later, similarly dressed in a long white t-shirt with light blue Eevee silhouettes all over it, and baggy pink shorts. She placed her backpack next to his, and proceeded to comb her hair. Kohan had already laid down on the right side of the bed, with one arm under his head on the pillow, and the other resting on his stomach. When she was done, Leah put her hair back in a low ponytail at the base of her head, and laid down next to him, on his right. They lay there like that for several minutes as the sun went down outside before Leah spoke again.

"Kohan, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"No." He replied.

"Tell me what happened. When you left, why you left when you were nine."

Kohan just stared straight at the ceiling. When he did speak, it was in a monotone voice. "It was my ninth birthday. We were downstairs, in the living room. My mother in her chair, next to me, on the floor in front of the coffee table, and my father was in his chair in front of the TV. I had already opened the presents from my father and his family, and was almost finished with my mother's gifts. The last gift was from my mother and her niece. It was oblong in shape, and it took me only a few seconds to rip the expensive looking paper off. At first, I wasn't sure what it was, but then I turned it over, and recognized Sabrina's trademark Eye. I sprang up and yelled, 'Oh wow! An official Sabrina's Gym cap!' This hat." He pointed to his well-worn black cap that was resting on the chair next to the desk, on top of his leather jacket. "I rushed to my mother and gave her the biggest hug. I was so absorbed in my happiness that I didn't notice that the TV had been turned off. I didn't hear my father get up, and walk to stand behind me.

Only when I felt my mother tense in my grasp did I know something was wrong. I released her slightly, and in doing so allowed my father to see the hat in my hand. He snatched it and threw it towards the fireplace. I held my breath as it headed for the hot flames. Either by sheer luck, or my mother's help did it miss, and it fell to the floor. My father…then took my arm and proceeded to throw me in the same direction. I tumbled to the hearth, and burned my hand stopping the fall. I got up, grabbed my hat, and scrambled to the corner next to the fireplace. Once I got there, my father proceeded to shout at my mother. 'How dare you bring shit like that into my house? You know I despise those pests'." Kohan's tone never faltered. Although he was repeating the horrible shouts of his father, he didn't even raise his voice. This scared Leah a little. " 'I may have overlooked your family when I married you, but this crosses the line. Get up. Get up now.' He used his mind control to make her stand. I, on the other hand, sat frozen to the floor." Leah could see tears welling up in his eyes, but he remained still. "My mother obeyed, but I could see the pure fear in her eyes. Then I looked at my father. His eyes were plastered on her, but they…they were glowing. When I saw them, my heart started to race.

My mother began to walk toward me, and only when she was almost on top of me could I move. I crawled across the floor like a frightened Ratata, and ran up the stairs to my room, but I tripped in the last step. I turned to look behind me, back into the living room. My mother was standing directly in front of the fireplace. I could not see what she was doing, but I could hear the grinding of metal." Tears began to flow from his eyes, and Leah could almost feel the hurt emanating from his body. She shifted to lay her head on his shoulder. "I got up, and ran into my room but before I could get there, she started screaming. Under her screams, I could hear a sizzling and I could smell burning flesh. I knew what he was doing to her. That sent me into my room, and to my closet. I pulled out my backpack, and started throwing random pieces of clothing and other things into it. Then, while I could hear them moving, I ran into their room. It was as ordinary as any other bedroom, no one would have ever guessed who slept there. I ran to he dresser, and scooped most of her jewelry and perfumes into my pockets. I opened her boxes and took more. Then I found her wedding ring, the one my grandmother had worn, hanging on a chain on the mirror. I climbed onto her chair and unhooked it. I was about to place it on my neck when I heard breaking glass. It startled me so much that I nearly fell off the chair. I jumped down to search her closet.

She had told me about a gift that she had been working on for my sixteenth birthday. I was hoping to find it, but I had no clue what it looked like. I moved their clothes out of the way, and looked at the floor. There, under the tails of my dad's coats, was a lumpy, package, rapped in pink tissue, and tied with string. I had no time to think, so I just grabbed it and ran back to my room. My mom was screaming louder by now, and it was in intervals. I think she was cutting herself with the broken glass. I shoved the package in my backpack, zipped it up, and ran to my desk. There was a hidden drawer in the leg. It was hard to see because of the engravings. Mom had given it to me. I opened it and pulled out it's contents. My mother would often give me a few dollars, to spend on candy or whatever, and I would save it until I wanted something. This time I had saved up twenty bucks, but I also had a few Crunkle Bars in it. I shoved it all into my pockets, and ran to my window. I knew how to sneak out so that my father wouldn't know. When I hit the ground, it put me right outside the kitchen window. I couldn't help but look in.

My mother was lying on the ground, in a puddle of her own blood. Shattered glass all around her. My father was standing over her, a knife levitating in front of him. 'Take it. Take the knife, Johanna. You have disobeyed me for the last time, do you hear me?' Reluctantly, my mother took hold of the knife." By this time, Kohan's tears had fallen to mix with Leah's on her cheek. Her hand sought his, and he grasped it with full force. "I could not break my stare. I just stood there, and watched as my mother drove the butcher knife through her heart, and severed her spine. I let out the loudest scream that night. My father lost his concentration, and his control over her. Like it mattered anymore. He turned around to face me, but when he tried to control me, I ran. I ran south of our house, into a mini forest. I just kept running. I was getting whipped and slashed by branches, and I tripped over trees roots, but I just kept running. I came out of the forest to find that giant bridge, you know, the one between Lavender Town and Fuchsia City? Well, I continued on that bridge, which took me a damn long time, and by the time I stepped foot off of it, I was dead tired. I figured my dad would either not care, or would only look in the forest, so I just collapsed at the foot of the bridge. When I woke up, it was well into the next day. I ate one of the Crunkle Bars, and continued to walk towards Fuchsia. Before long I ended up in their forest.

I kept to the path, but being the little kid that I was, I just had to check out the sides of the path. So I left the path, and wandered into a small clearing. I sat down to rest some more, and I must have fallen asleep again 'cause next thing I know I sit up screaming for no reason. When I realized what had happened, I shut my mouth. For a minute nothing happened, then a buzzing sound filled the air. Since I had been so sheltered from Pokémon, I had no clue what was going on. The noise grew, and seemed as if it were coming from every direction. Then I saw them. Fifty or so Beedrill flew out of the forest, straight at me. I panicked and ran back to the path. They followed me. I was so scared. Even more scared than when I thought my father was chasing me. No matter how hard I ran, they kept gaining on me. I was nearly out of the forest, but the end never came. They caught up to me, and attacked. I was knocked out. I woke up sometime later, because of a throbbing pain in my arm. I stood up, and stumbled the rest of the way out, cradling my arm. It had a giant gash, and was bleeding really badly. But the thing that scared me was the thin purple line threading its way up my arm." Leah gasped. She knew by that description the Kohan had been poisoned. She also knew that no matter how good the treatment is, its useless if not administered within a time limit. But obviously Kohan was all right, unless his wonderful presence was a beautiful illusion. "No. I am here. I'm no illusion." Color rushed to Leah's cheeks, and she pressed her face into the base of his neck to hide. "You're warmth feels good. And you're heartbeat is reassuring. Somehow, I found my way into Fuchsia City.

Sometimes I wonder why no one came to my aid; other times I wonder how I made it to the Pokécenter. Your aunt, or cousin, or whoever she is nearly lost it when she saw me. The last thing I saw was her beautiful face. I woke up a week later, in the ICU of Fuchsia General. I looked at my arm, and it was covered in bandages. I heard the door open, and Joy walked in, carrying my lunch. 'I'm glad you're awake.' I just smiled. 'What were you doing in that forest without a Pokémon? You could have lost your arm…or worse.' She sat down on my bed, and handed me the tray. I wolfed down the food like it was my last meal. 'Glad to see that you are all right. Were you going to Pallet?' I could not understand her question, and she just laughed. 'To get your starter Pokémon and license silly. You are ten, aren't you?' I nodded. I wasn't about to get sent home. 'You needn't go there to start anymore. All you have to do now is go to your Pokémon Center, and have the resident Joy contact Professor Oak. Then, all you need to do is take a test, and he sends you your Pokémon, Pokédex and a copy of your license. If you would like, I can call him for you?' I agreed. I talked to the Professor, and passed the test, surprisingly, but when it came time for the authentication of my license, well lets say that at the time, my age was two digits instead of one." For the first time in the whole story, Leah spoke.

"You lied on your age?"

"What else was I to do? Tell the truth and get sent back to my father? I had asked the Professor for a special Pokémon, because I'm psychic, and he was adamant that I should start with the normal starters. But in the end he caved, and sent me Gastly. After being discharged, I had no clue what to do, so I wandered the city. It was late before I realized that I had nowhere to sleep that night, so I sought out the Pokécenter. I found it just before lights out, and was lucky enough to find an empty bed. When I woke the next morning, I couldn't seem to leave the bed. My mind was racing over the past two weeks. In the span of fourteen days, I went from having a mother, father and a home, to being a homeless orphan. That's when I remembered the package. I sprung out of bed and split open my backpack, revealing the pink, lumpy combination of tissue and string. I lifted it out and set it on the bed. With expert fingers, I untied the knot, and the tissue fell away, revealing a soft, shiny, black leather jacket. I unfolded it, and when I put it on, I noticed two things. One; it was way too big, and two; it smelled exactly like her. I put my hands in the pockets, and felt a piece of paper. It read. 'Dear Kohan, I love you dearly son, and I hope that I have finished this in time. I hurried with all of my power to finish it. I hope you were not there my love. I am forever with you, my son. Johanna.' She knew she was going to die. I don't know how, but she knew. I went to the store to buy some food, but I could only buy one days worth. I came back to my room, only to eat it all. I left again later to scout the city some more, when I passed by the Pokémart. I knew I would need things to care for my Gastly, but I had no more money. Somehow, a boy lent me some…but that's another story in itself. It's late, and we both need rest." He turned his head slightly to look at Leah, the first time since his story began. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Leah asked in response, looking back into his eyes. She could see the tears welling up in them again.

"Do you mind if I cry?" His voice wavered as he waited for her answer.

At first, she didn't know how to respond, but then it came to her. "Yes. You may." It seemed to her that a dam had burst somewhere behind his eyes, and as he exploded into a fit of sobs and weeping, he curled into a fetal position next to her. All she could do was curl her own body around him in a hug of protection. As she thought of things to say to comfort him, she laid her cheek on his, and kissed his ear. "I know how you feel Kohan." She whispered. "I know how much it hurts to loose someone." Try as she might, she could not comfort him. There was only one thing that could calm him. One thing that she could say to make him feel safe. And she hoped to the Gods it worked, for his sake. "Kohan, I love you."