Thanks to Sethera for reviewing!

Spring

"Again!"

"All right, Tomahawk, use Wing Attack!" At the teenage girl's command a small, grey feathered hawk-like Pokemon dove straight down at its target: a brown furred dog-like Pokemon. The Lilipup was sharp, well-trained, and rolled out of harm's way and let the Rufflet's wing slap the ground instead.

"It was a good strike, but you two still need to work on co-ordination and speed," The teen girl looked up at her trainer and teacher as he criticized her from his steel platform. He had neck length black hair and bluish-grey eyes, was dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks, and wore a red ascot around his neck.

"I see…thanks, Cheren, but now we can hit you hard," The girl replied with a confident smirk, shifting her feet against the dirt. They were battling in the trainer school's courtyard which featured two arenas and a stage for Cheren to observe from. He often battled from atop it like he did that morning, "Tomahawk, go for a quick Peck this time,"

The Rufflet reacted as quickly as he could to his trainer's command and dove at the Lilipup once again. He jabbed his beak at the Lilipup's forehead several times while the dog-like Pokemon tried to back away in pain.

Cheren didn't let the assault last long, though, "Use Bite Lilipup!" The snap of the Lilipup's jaws were quick and, in an instant, Tomahawk's body as caught in the maw of the Lilipup. The Rufflet flapped his wings frantically and let out a pained squawk before he was hurled at the ground by his opponent.

"That was better, Tia. You two synced up well there for a second, but unless you know you can hold the offensive don't press it for so long," Cheren chided, his hand at his hip. Tomahawk managed to right himself and take to the air again but his trainer shook her head.

"That's good enough for now, Tomahawk. Class is in twenty minutes," As a fourteen year old girl Tia was in the senior class at the Trainer's school. Cheren taught aspiring trainers of ages 9-14, he being only seventeen himself. Any who wanted to attend school for longer would have to transfer to the school in Striaton City on the mainland.

"Good call, Tia. And good effort Lilipup," Cheren said with a smile as he walked down the steps of his stage to pet his Pokemon for a job well done. Tia did the same, reaching out with a black gloved hand to pet Tomahawk's head lightly, "Satisfied with today's training session?"

"I wish we could have done more damage but we're not getting crunched like before," Tia replied with a smirk as he teacher approached her, "So, yeah, I'm satisfied. Thanks again, by the way,"

"It's no problem. I can't let myself get rusty and there have been few challengers these days, so I'm always up for a spar," Cheren explained as he walked past Tia and towards the school, "Especially if it's with a top student,"

Tia couldn't help but beam a little at the compliment. For the past two years Tia has had some of the best grades in her class and was particularly good in actual battle. However, unlike most of her fellow students, she already owned a Pokemon: Tomahawk the Rufflet. She hatched him from an egg two years ago as a birthday gift from her parents.

"Thanks prof," Tia replied with a smirk as she walked after Cheren. She brushed some her medium-long black hair out of her eyes and dusted off her white t-shirt in a quick preparation for school. "So, want to give me a few hints on today's test?"

"You, like your fellow students, can enjoy the surprise," Cheren replied with his typical dull humour. Tia sighed and recalled Tomahawk into his Pokeball.

"Yes sir…"

Chapter 2: Tia

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" She didn't have to announce it so loudly as she entered her home but was quite happy to all the same. Her mom looked away from the tv and shot her a slight frown at her volume before smiling.

"Welcome home then, dear," Tia's mother, Katherine, replied serenely before turning her gaze back towards the television. Tia was the spitting image of Katherine, with grey eyes and medium length black hair, but Katherine's age was catching up to her and a few grey hairs were visible. It was one of the few things neither Tia nor her father were willing to joke about, fearing Katherine's wrath, "And how was school today,"

"Fun, as always. Got a chance to spar with Cheren this morning, again," Tia answered as she kicked her red and white shoes off near the hallway before walking towards the kitchen, "Dad at work still?"

"Long day at the office for him, he said," Katherine answered, "He'll be back for dinner though,"

"Oh? All right. Likewise for me anyway," Tia answered as she put a couple slices of toast in the toaster. Katherine glanced over the back of the couch and into the kitchen, curious about what she meant, and Tia grinned, "I'm heading out to Route 19 with Landon,"

"Why's that?"

"I want to train Tomahawk a bit and he wants to catch a Purrloin," Tia explained as she cheerily spread butter on her toast. Katherine mulled on it a bit before deciding it would be fine. Route 19, compared to the rest of Unova, was rather tame. The odds were that Tomahawk would be more than enough to protect them.

"All right. Just be careful and make sure you don't travel too far…"

"I won't mom. Not like I'm headed to Floccesy or anything," Tia replied with a giggle before taking a bite of toast. She kept the slice in her mouth and rushed back over to the doorway, brushing some crumbs off her light black pants and putting her shoes back on. Katherine watched her energetic daughter with a bemused expression. She wasn't much different when she was her age, but, Tia definitely got the energy from her father.

"Take care then. Be home for dinner,"

"Will do, thanks mom!" Tia took the toast out of her mouth to reply and rushed out the door excitedly. Katherine let out a small sigh before turning to face the television. At the rate Tia was going it wouldn't be long before Katherine would have to get their neighbour, Cheria, to give Aurea Juniper a call…

"Think today's the day, meathead?" Tia asked, smirking at her nickname for her friend. Landon, the teenage boy that frowned as he followed her, was dark skinned and well-built for his age and often got attention for it from the girls at school. Tia liked to tease him about it but Landon knew better than to tease her back. Tia tried to hide it with a tomboyish attitude but, like her mother, she had a deep sense of pride for her looks. Even a compliment, if put in a teasing way like she did to him, could leave her pouty for a good twenty minutes.

"Of course, you ditz. Purrloin aren't too hard to catch,"

"What are you talking about?" Tia asked as she whirled around to look at her friend. Since it was early spring he wasn't yet wearing his blue tank top but a dark blue long-sleeved shirt instead with black shorts, "Purrloin are crafty as hell. They'll con you into being THEIR Pokemon before you catch one,"

"What, you and your birdbrain can do any better?" Landon teased back. Tia snorted but said nothing as she turned around to walk forward once again. Landon wasn't exactly good at catching Pokemon but neither was Tia and they both knew it. That was why the argument had gone like this the past few days since Landon started trying to catch himself a Purrloin.

"Hey, you two…ah, right. You've got Tomahawk," The "gatekeeper", Elizabeth, said with a smile as Tia and Landon entered the Aspertia-Route 19 gateway. Like the other regions some cities had gates to keep wild Pokemon out and gate keepers to manage the electric bulletin boards and alert the citizens if there was a situation outside the city. They were essentially clerks or secretaries, but, the kids thought "Gatekeeper Liz" was a much better title.

"Yeah. We're not going far but we may be awhile," Tia said with a smirk as she put a hand on her hip. "Landon here's going to try to catch a Purrloin, so it'll probably take hours again just for him to fail,"

"Oh would you shut it already," Landon grumbled, lightly punching Tia's arm. Elizabeth looked between the two and gave them a nod.

"Fair enough. Remember that Purrloin are crafty, Landon. They can use clever tactics and have forethought even some psychic Pokemon fail to possess,"

"I've been made aware…" Landon said, still a bit pouty from Tia's comment, but he managed to smile after a few seconds, "Thanks anyway, though,"

"No problem. You two take care and let me know if there's any trouble," Elizabeth said with a cheerful smile. The two teens gave her a nod before walking out of the gate and onto Route 19. The flowers along the route had bloomed and the trees had sprouted most of their leaves lost last fall, so the whole route looked beautiful. Tia admired the scenery while Landon walked past her and over to taller grass.

"Purrloin like the sun, so they're likely to be on small hilltops than in the shade of grass and trees…" Landon muttered aloud. Tia followed him after letting Tomahawk out of his ball. She did have to admit that Landon had done his homework on the species over the past few days. Maybe he'd actually succeed?

"Right…then why are you walking over to the tall grass?" Tia asked curiously as she followed her friend, Tomahawk perching himself on her shoulder as she did so.

"Over by the river there are a few sunny spots. I don't just want to rush up there and scare the Purrloin off. I want them to be aware of my presence so they can come to me, eager to try and con me," Tia had to stifle a giggle at Landon's explanation. She respected his seriousness, but, he sounded like one of the nature shows her father loved to watch. Tia liked them too, but, it was just too funny to hear her friend sound like that.

"Riiight…I'll follow your lead then. If the Purrloin tries to battle you I'll have Tomahawk weaken it for you," The fair skinned girl replied. Landon gave an appreciative nod of agreement before he slowly made his way through the tall grass. The pitter patter of Patrat feet could be heard as the skittish normal types ran for the bushes, likely at the sight of Tomahawk, and after looking around to see if she could find them Tia continued to follow her friend.

It wasn't long before the large river was in sight and the two slowed to a halt. Tia watched as Landon gave the area a look over, eager and hopeful to see a purple furred feline near the shore. He looked for a few minutes but wound up heaving a sigh before sitting down. There were none in sight.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Tia asked, quirking a brow at her friend's action. Landon crossed his legs and placed his elbows on his knees, folding his hands as a sort of platform for his head to rest on.

"Waiting. Purrloin like dusk and dawn more than day and night. It'll probably be a couple of hours before one actually comes out to bathe in the sunlight,"

Tia groaned at his response and folded her arms, unamused. "You sure we can't hunt for one? I mean, if they come out near the evening then they're probably resting in the tall grass or in the woods. Wouldn't you rather hunt for them and then come back here later if we fail or something?"

Landon paused and thought Tia's proposal over. There was some semi-solid logic in it, so, he decided to stand up. Tia did get good grades in the trainer school and did well in the Wild Pokemon unit before winter exams so he figured she couldn't be completely wrong about this scenario.

"Fair enough, we'll try it your way," Landon said as he stood up. Tia grinned and started to head away from the stream when Tomahawk let out a squawk. The teen girl glanced at her Pokemon to see that his sharp eyes were firmly fixed to the east, "What is it?"

"I dunno…Tomahawk, what do you see?" The Rufflet flapped his wings fiercely in response to Tia's question and left her shoulder to fly in front of her almost protectively. Tia peered out from behind her Pokemon and saw, to her surprise, a Purrloin speeding towards them, "Holy…"

"Yes, this is it!" Landon cried excitedly, grabbing an empty Pokeball from his pocket and throwing it at the Purrloin. Normally his aim was bad but the Purrloin didn't see the Pokeball coming and was struck head on by it. The ball opened up and the two teens watched in awe as the Purrloin was drawn into it by red light. With a snap the ball closed and landed on the soft grass, rattling as it shook violently.

It only took a few seconds for the ball to stop.

"No way…" Tia mumbled as Landon walked up to the Pokeball with a smug grin on his face. She dreaded what was to come.

"You'll never catch one, she said," Landon stated as he sauntered up to his friend, "They're too crafty, she said. Well guess what? I am now the proud owner of a Purrloin,"

Tia rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. Though the gloating was going to get old really fast she was genuinely happy for her friend. He had wanted a Pokemon for as long as she had, since they were five, but his parents refused to buy him one until he finished got his trainer's license after school was done. Tia was lucky when her dad brought home a Rufflet egg two years ago, so Landon had wanted a Pokemon for even longer.

"Yeah yeah…so want to let it out and introduce it to us?" Tia asked, excitement starting to root itself in her. Landon gave an eager nod and clicked the middle button on the Pokeball, letting out the purple furred feline. It gave the three of them an unamused look, rolling its emerald eyes in slight disdain at being captured, then paused before mewling frantically. Tomahawk got riled up again as the Purrloin went on like it was ranting or telling them a crazy tale.

"Uh…what's it saying?" Tia asked, confused by the frantic cat.

"How should I know?"

Tomahawk squawked and started to fly off in the direction the Purrloin came from, said Purrloin following him swiftly. The two teens didn't hesitate to run after their Pokemon, calling for them as they sped down the dirt path of Route 19. This chase lasted for a few minutes before the teens skidded to a halt and stared in shock at what their Pokemon had run to find.

"Holy Zekrom…"

There, in the middle of the dirt path, lay a young lady. She was dressed in a charred orange jacket and wore a green beret that was similarly burned. Tia continued to stare as Landon rushed over to the lady and turned her body over. He eyes were closed and her breathing was slight, but she was alive all the same.

"Tia, help me out here!" Landon shouted, panic making his voice loud and sharp. Tia snapped out of her stupor and rushed over to her friend's side.

"Is she okay? She's breathing, right?"

"Yeah, yeah she's breathing," Landon replied as he unzipped the lady's coat. Tia shot him a suspicious look briefly before Landon rolled his eyes, "I'm checking to see if she's burned like her clothes,"

"Right…think a Pokemon did this?" Tia asked as Landon finished opening the orange jacket. There was a white blouse and a black undershirt beneath it that weren't burned which meant, most likely, that the lady wasn't harmed at all either. The two sighed in relief before Landon started to hoist the lady up.

"No clue…maybe she was caught in a house fire over in Floccesy and was on her way here to seek help," Landon said with a grunt as he managed to pull the lady onto his shoulders, "Being a meathead's good for times like this, 'cause she's a big girl…you know, in all the right places,"

"I knew you were just being a perv earlier," Tia said with a slight eye roll, attempting to keep herself calm by joking. It was still startling to see a young woman unconscious in the middle of the route, even if the woman was seemingly unharmed. Still Tia couldn't disagree with Landon. As the young lady was obviously older than Tia she was obviously more…developed. This woman was still quite curvy despite that though.

"Just trying to keep the mood light…I guess…" Landon muttered as he started to walk back towards Aspertia. "We've got to get her to Aspertia right now and bring her to the clinic. Grab her bag Tia…Purrloin, come on!" Tia had to hand it to Landon: he was good in a situation like this.

Tia walked over to the beige back that was beside the lady when they found her and bent over to pick it up when she noticed that neither Purrloin nor Tomahawk had budged an inch. She looked up and saw two strange figures slowly approaching her. They were both cloaked in black and wore plain silver masks with three slits for eyes and a mouth.

Just looking at them sent a chill down her spine.

"Good, you noticed us," One man said with a chuckle as he and his partner stopped. Tia stood up slowly while Tomahawk moved in front of her protectively, Purrloin hissing at her side. She heard Landon's footsteps as he walked back towards her, "And the boy did too. Now, set the girl down and walk away. You've seen nothing, so tell no one,"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Tia replied with a frown. Landon was silent at her side and he studied the two in front of them, "You can tell us who you creeps are first,"

"Oh? The girl thinks she's in charge!" the partner exclaimed before letting out an amused laugh. The other man chuckled as well before stepping closer to the two teens and their Pokemon.

"See, we knew this woman would come here. We were prepared. Pity she managed to deal with our other partners…but lucky for us she collapsed here," He said with a chilling calm, "So we are acquainted with this woman and, as such, better suited to take care of her,"

"Again, not happening," Tia said between gritted teeth. She still felt nervous about the two men and it was beginning to turn her fear into anger. Something about them, besides how creepy they dressed, didn't sit well at all with her. Tia judged by the expression on Landon's face that he didn't like them either, "So why don't you go bug off?"

The two men were silent, the shorter one even stopped laughing before walking up to Tia briskly, "Listen, you little bitch. Unless you want to wind up in a morgue then how about you shu-" His enraged rant was cut off by Tomahawk flying straight at his chest. The man let out a cry of pain as Tomahawk stabbed him several times with his beak before flying back in front of Tia.

"Whoa…" Landon muttered while Tia couldn't help but smirk a bit. Rufflet were known for their fierce bravery so it wasn't too surprising to her that Tomahawk was so quick to defend Tia even from verbal assaults.

"You shits shouldn't have let that happen…" The shorter one practically snarled as he clutched his chest with one thick black gloved hand and a Pokeball in the other, "Kill 'em, Tranquill,"

"Solosis…" The taller, calm one stated as the two released their Pokemon. The shorter one released a bird with beautiful grey plumage and fierce golden eyes. The taller one now had a lime green Pokemon that was surrounded in a spherical green jelly substance. Tia and Landon recognized them as Unova native Pokemon and knew they're typing from their classes.

"This isn't good…" Landon muttered as he glanced at the unconscious lady on his shoulders. If they could win the battle they stood a small chance but Landon had no experience with Purrloin. It'd be up to the feline to show off what moves it knew.

Tia an Tomahawk, while nervous, were in their element on the other hand.

"Let's go then. Tomahawk, Wing Attack on the Tranquill!"

The Rufflet darted forward but his charge was cut short when the Tranquill slammed into him at high speed. Tomahawk let out a cry as he staggered through the air but managed to keep himself upright while the shorter man laughed once again.

"You'll need to be faster than that! Again Tranquill!" Before the bird could launch another Quick Attack Purrloin leaped up and scratched its chest with a hiss. The larger bird winced at the pain, some blood trickling from the wound, and let out a caw as Tomahawk gave its face a smack of his wing, "Damn it!"

"Nice work Purrloin, now use Scratch again on Solosis!" Landon cried out, recognizing the move Purrloin had just used.

"Protect, Solosis!" Unfortunately the feline's claws bounced off a spherical green shield that formed in front of the psychic type.

"Kill the cat Tranquill!" Tia recognized that this could be her chance, for the short tempered one was pissed off by the Purrloin's interference earlier.

"Fury Attack!" Tomahawk flew at the Tranquill's side and rapidly jabbed his sharp beak at its neck, intercepting it on its path to Purrloin. The larger bird tried to slap Tomahawk away but couldn't put an end to the onslaught as the attack drew some blood from puncture wounds. "Keep at it!"

"Confusion," Tomahawk suddenly stopped and winced, shaking in the air. The Solosis took on a pinkish glow while it assaulted the Rufflet's mind with intense psychic energy. Tia gasped while Tomahawk was immobilized and then flinched when Tranquil swatted him out of the air with a fierce Wing Attack.

"Tomahawk, no!"

"Purrloin, move in to protect Tomahawk!" Landon roared. The Purrloin leaped over to its fallen comrade, who was struggling to get up, but was also smacked down with a powerful Wing Attack from the Tranquill. The larger bird breathed heavily but was ultimately still capable of fighting while the Solosis was untouched.

Tia stared in horror at her semi-conscious Rufflet and Landon's fallen Purrloin. It was clear the two were outmatched and out-powered…but they couldn't just hand the woman over. These guys that wore masks and cloaks had to have something to hide, and they didn't even tell them their names.

"You two lose. Now, hand the woman over…" The calm one stated while the shorter one laughed madly, his Tranquill strutting around the two Pokemon.

"N-no way…" Tia was a little relieved when Landon said this, happy her friend still felt the same way about the situation, "Who are you guys?"

"It doesn't matter, you shits! Now if you don't want my Tranquill to kill you and your Pokemon you'll hand the bitch over!" The shorter one snapped. Tia bit back a scream when the Tranquill kicked Tomahawk in response to its owner's wrath. She couldn't let them have the lady but there was no way she could let them kill Tomahawk. The Tranquill went to kick Tomahawk again and Tia threw down the lady's bag before making a step towards the Pokemon.

"No!" Then she heard it. Twin familiar clinks. It was the sound of a particular metal bouncing off the hard ground. Tia and Landon's eyes snapped down to see a pair of Pokeballs roll out of the bag, twin rectangular devices next to them. One device was black with white trim and designs while the other was white with black trim and designs.

Pokedexes?

The two didn't hesitate to grab the fallen Pokeballs and hurl them towards the two men. There was no way of knowing if they had Pokemon in them, but, they had to try.

It was now or never!