"Ryuu! You mean you still haven't found a girlfriend yet? You have got to be kidding me!" Sighing, the brown-haired boy leaned back and stared at his older sister. She was calling from his hometown back in Violet City; Ryuu was in a small village near Lilycove City. Chocolate-colored eyes narrowed and he muttered, "So what? I have better things to do then have girl follow me around all the time."

"You are impossible! Oh well, at least you're dedicated to your dream." smiling, the girl looked to one side and waved. "See ya! I hope you have fun traveling!"

"Thanks. Bye." Sighing once more, the sixteen-year-old tugged at the neck of his uniform, wishing that he could tell the truth to his family. Although Ryuu was in Hoenn, he wasn't trying to become the best fire Trainer that ever lived. Oh no, he was stuck in a gang of freaky thieves and gangsters, living a life of crime.

"Yo, Ryuu! Quit yapping and move it!" one of his fellow thieves called, glaring at the young man. "Yeah, I'm coming…" Standing up, the Trainer adjusted the black outfit he wore and pulled his facemask up. The tight suit was all black, and the mask covered the lower part of Ryuu's face. Pulling on a black ball cap, the boy headed out into the main area of the base where the others were waiting.

"Finally! Right mates, here's the plan. Mick, Jay and me will go through the front gate and hold up the guards while Vince, Ray and Lee will go in the back. Ryuu, I want you to set fire to the bushes in another part of town and rib the storage area while everyone's fightn' that fire. Got it?" Ryuu nodded and the band set off, the main group heading in one direction, Ryuu in another.

The dark sky made perfect cover for the teen as he crept up to his assigned building. Peering around, he made sure he was alone before he called out his Pokémon.

"Ok, Blaziken, use Fire Punch on my signal!" Ryuu hissed as the fire Pokémon nodded and turned towards the surrounding bushes. While the bird-like Pokémon was powering up, the fire Trainer moved out of the bushes and up to the side door of the warehouse. Picking the lock with ease, he slipped just inside the door and gave a fain whistle. The flames on Blaziken's wrists leapt into existence as the fire type ran through the bushes, lighting part of it on fire. It then circled back to it's owner and was stored inside it's Pokéball.

Moving farther inside the building, Ryuu clicked on a penlight and shone it around. Seeing the outline of crates, he nodded and went to the nearest one. Hauling the lid off it, he peered inside, pleased to see the rows of Pokéballs; each containing a rare Pokémon.

Shifting so that he was kneeling beside the wooden box, Ryuu took a small text messenger from his pocket. Typing for a moment, he sent the message to the leader of his gang and settled down to wait.

"So you think you can just waltz in here and steal all the Pokémon eh?" came a male voice from the darkness. "Foolish child."

Startled, Ryuu leaned forward to get up, only to realize that he was tightly bound in a invisible web.

"What the…who are you?" the teen cried, glancing a round wildly. The large room was shrouded in utter darkness, the only light being emitted from Ryuu's flashlight. A laugh came from the rafters of the building seconds before a man landed in front of the bound thief, an Ariados beside him. Blinking, Ryuu realized why he couldn't move. Ariados must have used Spider Web to tie him up!

"My name is not important, boy." the man replied, kneeling down at clicking off the flashlight. Squirming, Ryuu tried to break the steel-like thread that covered him from the neck down. Failing, he relaxed and tried to think of a way to escape. Although he was tied up and stuck to the box, he might be able to use his Pokémon…? Stiffening, the teen felt his only Pokéball being taken away.

"Only one? Well, this makes things easier." the other male mused, shifting around in the darkness. Ryuu stiffened again as the other male ran his hands down the boy's back, pausing to do something every couple of seconds. Realizing that he was free from the box but still tied up, the teen tried to roll away.

"Not so fast, kid. You're not going anywhere." Ryuu struggled against the man, desperately trying to free himself. "About your little group…I'm afraid that they won't be coming to rescue you. See, they got caught. Lucky that you came here, hmm?" chuckling, the male lifted Ryuu up and walked over to another part of the warehouse. Setting him down on something soft, the man held Ryuu down as he cut some of the bindings away.

"What do you want with me?" the teen asked, starting to feel slightly scared. His only protection was gone, and this was starting to seem all to familiar…

"Nothing important. All I want is for both of us to have a good time."

"A good time…?" Ryuu echoed, wondering what was going to happen next. The men in the band of thieves he had been with had often used him as a toy, forcing Ryuu to spend the night with one (or more) of them. Did this man want the same thing those thieves had?

"Uh-huh." the man replied with a soft chuckle, placing his hands on the teen's shoulders. Realizing that there was now ay he was going to get out of this without cooperating with his kidnapper, so Ryuu relaxed into the soft bedding, deciding to let the man do what he wanted to do.

"Good boy…you made a wise choice in deciding to go along with me. Since you did so, I'll try and be gentle." the stranger whispered in Ryuu's ear; hands slowly moving down the teen's body. Breathing slowly, the male tried to blank out the man's touch and the soft whispers. With the gang, he had been able to do it quite well, but the skill wasn't working tonight.

The teen shifted as his ball cap was taken off, followed closely by his facemask. Next came the tight black shirt; then his belt. Finally, Ryuu's skin-tight back pants and matching slippers were eased off and tossed away. Hearing the man move around, the boy's eyes clamped shut as a small lamp was suddenly turned on.

"There…now I can see what you look like, kid." Slowly opening his eyes, Ryuu gazed into the face of his captor. The other male was about 25ish, with fern-green hair in a buzz cut. A black patch covered his right eye, and his remaining one was a deep blue colour. Multiple scars ran across his chest and arms, and a ruby ring sparkled from his left hand. Like Ryuu, the man only had his boxers on.

"Now…where was I? Oh yes, I remember." Smiling softly, the male leaned down and embraced Ryuu, pulling the teen closer to him.

- - -

"Hey, kid. Wake up." Pulled from his dreams by the soft voice, Ryuu lay still am moment longer, thinking about the night before. It had been…bliss. Unlike other encounters with the gang members, this man had been gentle; almost as if he knew Ryuu had been hurt in the past. Finally opening his eyes, the male sat up and looked around. The pair had spent the night behind a row of crates, nestled on a soft blanket and a few pillows.

"Heh, over here." Turning in the direction of the voice, Ryuu saw that the man was already dressed and was waiting for him to do the same. Scrambling into his night outfit, the teen joined the other male at the back door. Holding open the door, the man pointing off towards the forest.

"I left your stuff there, kid. The next town is about half a day's walk from here. Good luck on your journey. Hope we meet again." That said, the man shut the door behind Ryuu.

"Uh…" the boy stammered, wondering what had just happened. Shrugging, he picked up his stuff and heading in the direction the man had indicated. Ryuu was determined to get his life back on track, and become the greatest Fire Pokémon Trainer in the world.