Heart of Steel

by WhiteRoseLeigh9099

Sakura Simmons and Steven Stone grew up best friends. However, when Sakura was four, her parents were murdered under mysterious circumstances, sending her to live with her godfather, Professor Sycamore. What happens when these two meet fourteen years later? What does Team Magma have to do with anything? Chapter 3 has been updated.

2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.

Author's Notes: Telepathy, flash backs, Pokédex entries, and thoughts are in italics. Also, I'm sure technically Steven already had a Key Stone at this point, but in my story, he doesn't. Also, I have no idea if Pichu can actually learn Volt Tackle, so I'm improvising. This is the last chapter that I have completed so it will be a bit before I update it again. This is an updated Chapter 2. I found a few errors that needed to be fixed. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 2

The next morning found Sakura and her partners on a secluded part of the beach doing a light training routine followed by a long mediation session before breakfast. She didn't want to do anything heavy for two reasons. One: she wanted to gauge Pichu and Aron's abilities and second: she didn't want to risk any serious injuries to Combusken or Poochyena before her battle with the Dewford Gym Leader. Aron adjusted to her training style very quickly and had learned a couple of new moves. Not to mention that Pichu was already getting pretty strong. She'd already learned the move Thunder Shock as well as Quick Attack. She'd also already perfected another much stronger move Volt Tackle. Sakura also learned that Aron was a stubborn little devil. Anything she threw at him, he was determined to get past it; the harder the task, the better in his opinion. In so many ways, he was just like her.

After about an hour, Sakura called a halt and told them, "That was great, everyone. We are so ready for this battle. Aron, I know that you just joined us yesterday, but you have a lot of potential. I can't wait to see how far you go. Pichu, you did great today, baby girl. Keep up this pace and you'll be ready to evolve whenever you feel like it." Aron made a happy noise and nuzzled her leg and Pichu jumped onto her shoulder and began nuzzling her trainer's cheeks as she continued, "Now, let's go get some breakfast. I'm sure that you're all hungry." They made noises of agreement as she returned them and made her way back to the Pokémon Center.

On the way there, she got a call on her PokéNav from Steven since they'd registered the other into each other's PokéNav at his insistence. Even after all these years, Steven still had a protective streak a mile wide when it came to her.

"Where are you?" he demanded. Sakura sighed as she replied, "On my way back to the Pokémon Center. I just did my morning training session."

"How long have you been awake?" It was about nine o'clock in the morning and she'd been awake for about three hours, hour and a half training ending with an hour and half mediation. He didn't sound happy when she told him that but they quickly ended the call as she walked in the door. Walking into the cafeteria, she saw Steven with a Pokémon that she'd never seen before floating next to him, eating their breakfast, with Steven looking around every once in awhile. She waved when he saw her and she went to get some food. As she sat down, she released her Pokémon and made sure that they had their breakfast as well as making sure that they had plenty of water before digging into her own breakfast. As she was eating, she got curious, so she pulled her Pokédex out of one of the pockets of her skirt pocket and scanned it.

"Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon, and the evolved form of Metang. With its four brains, it has an intelligence rivaling a supercomputer. This Metagross is male and has the ability Clear Body. Please note the unusual coloration of this Pokémon indicates that it is a Shiny Pokémon."

Sakura looked at Steven who was watching her and said, "Awesome looking Pokémon you got there, dude." He smiled, as he chuckled and Metagross looked proud of himself, and replied, "You have have some awesome Pokémon too, Sakura." She saw that he was looking over at Lucario. She just smirked as she pulled out her Pokédex and scanned Lucario.

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. Lucario reads the thoughts of others and anticipates their movements by sensing their auras. This Lucario is male and has the ability Inner Focus."

He simply raised an eyebrow at her as he smirked and shook his head, making Sakura giggle before she remembered that she had something to give to Steven. Pulling the package out of her pocket, she handed it to him, but said, "You'll want to open that when you're alone." He raised an inquiring eyebrow but she refused to say more.

By the time they were done eating, it was after ten, so they decided to head over to the gym to see a man named Brawly about a match. When they entered Sakura saw a young man close to her age with spiky, blue haired wearing clothes better suited for the beach, talking to a girl. When he saw them, his eyes brightened when they landed on Steven. He approached and spoke, "Steven, good to see ya, man!" Steven smiled as he took the hand held out to him and replied, "It is good to see you, Brawly, I'm here because my friend wants to challenge you to a gym battle."

Brawly tilted his head to look at Sakura, who simply smiled kindly and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Brawly. I'm Sakura Simmons from Lumiose City," seeing him about to ask, she continued, "It's in the Kalos region," and held out her hand. Brawly took it with a big smile as he spoke again, "It's very nice to meet you, Sakura; I'm Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader. Come on, let's go."

Sakura nodded, and then she turned and looked at Lucario, who stood just behind her, and asked, "Lucario, could you look after Pichu for me, please?" He nodded and Pichu jumped from Sakura's shoulder to his as they made their way to the field. Lucario sat not far behind her in a meditative pose. Steven took a seat in the stands as the referee spoke, "This is a battle between Dewford Gym Leader, Brawly, and the Challenger, Sakura Simmons of Lumiose City. This will be a two on two match. The victor will be decided when either side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Furthermore, only the Challenger may substitute Pokémon. Release your Pokémon!"

"Machop, I choose you!" Brawly called out, releasing his Machop, who took a ready stance. Sakura released her Combusken, which surprised Steven. He resolved to ask her about it later. Once the referee told them to begin, Brawly ordered Machop to use Focus Punch. Sakura retaliated by telling Combusken to dodge and use Sky Uppercut. Combusken complied and her claws began to glow light blue. She then dodged Machop's attack and uppercut him, throwing him back several feet. Then she ordered Combusken to use Flame Charge and then follow up with Double Kick. Combusken burst into flames and charges at her opponent, a determined gleam in her eye. Brawly ordered Machop to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough as Combusken ran into him, burning him, and then began kicking him. The force of the two attacks sent Machop into the wall and once, the dust cleared, everyone could see that he was unconscious.

The referee sighed and proclaimed, "Machop is unable to battle. Combusken is the winner." Hearing this, Sakura smiled, but remained on her guard. This was only half the battle. She watched as Brawly sighed and returned his Pokémon while thanking him for his work. He then looked at Sakura and said, "I underestimated you, but you can guarantee that it won't happen again. Go, Makuhita!" He then released his next Pokémon. Sakura looked at Combusken and asked, "Do you want to go on or do you want to take a break?"

Combusken looked away from where she'd been glaring at Makuhita and looked her trainer in the eye with a determined gleam and a smirk. Taking that as a no on the break, the referee called for the battle to resume. At once, Sakura ordered Combusken to use Flamethrower. The Fowl Pokémon immediately let out a stream of flames at Makuhita, who Brawly ordered to dodge and use Arm Thrust. It did so and began advancing on Combusken. Sakura told Combusken to dodge and use Sky Uppercut. At once, Combusken dodged and her claws began glowing blue and she uppercut Makuhita, throwing him back several feet, while doing some damage.

Sakura then ordered Combusken to use Flame Charge again and she immediately obeyed. She burst into flames and charged at Makuhita, who absorbed the blow on Brawly's order. He then ordered Makuhita to use High Jump Kick. Makuhita then began kicking Combusken at close range. Smirking, Sakura then told Combusken, "Use the strongest Flamethrower that you can muster." She complied and released a stream of fire out of her mouth, which Makuhita had no time to dodge. The flames sent Makuhita straight into the wall. Once again when the dust settled, it was revealed that Makuhita had feinted. Seeing this, the referee spoke, "Makuhita is unable to battle. Combusken is the winner. This victory goes to Sakura Simmons of Lumiose City!" Sakura began to jump up and down for joy as Combusken and Lucario watched, the feeling of amusement emanating in their auras. Steven then came down to her side and said, "Congratulations. You're pretty strong."

Sakura chuckled and replied, "Just wait. You haven't seen anything yet," as she began rubbing the top of Combusken's head while telling her that she had done a great job and that she was proud of her, making Combusken grin just before Sakura returned her to her Pokéball. Brawly then approached a familiar box in his hands. He then presented her with the Knuckle Badge. After she placed it in her badge case, she bowed to Brawly and said, "Thank you for the battle," and she, Lucario, Pichu, and Steven left.

Before they went back to the Pokémon Center, they stopped by to see Mr. Briney, who told them that were a few repairs that wouldn't be done until the next morning. When they went back to the Pokémon Center, Sakura called her father and told him that she'd won her second badge and asked after Furfrou. He told her that Furfrou was doing much better. He also asked if she'd found her friend and she told him that she had. She just smiled happily as they hung up, wondering what Pokémon she would catch next. She hoped it would be a Swablu, as her mother had had an Altaria when she'd been little. And since she had a twelve Pokémon carry limit, the possibilities were endless. Even though she could carry twelve, that didn't meant she could use all of them in one battle.

Boy, had Steven been surprised at that. She simply told him what her dad had told her. When a professor in charge of overseeing a trainer feels that that trainer has shown maturity and good sense when dealing with Pokémon, that professor could then upgrade the trainer's Pokémon carry limit, though if they didn't think they were handling it well or were misusing it, they could degrade as well. When she'd gone to Unova, he upgraded her to eight, and then ten when she'd gone to Sinnoh. Then he'd upgraded her to twelve just before she left to go to Hoenn. Now don't go thinking that this was a favoritism thing happening, because he'd upgraded several other trainers as well. Thinking this over, she simply shrugged her shoulders and went to lunch with Steven and their partners. In addition, her Pokédex allowed her to transfer her partners directly to and from her ranch that her father had purchased for her just before she left for Unova, which was a new feature that had been added only recently. It allowed her to rotate her team on the go to make sure that her partners were always healthy and ready for anything that life threw at them.

Afterwards, they simply walked around Dewford Town, simply enjoying the silence as well as each other's company. Sakura couldn't help but remember how it had been when they'd been younger. When they'd first met, they hadn't been able to stand each other for weeks, until one day Steven found one of the other kids older than them bullying her. This had started what would become his mile long protective streak. Since that day, they'd been practically inseparable, at least until her parents had been killed one night while she had been staying with Steven and his parents. Even to this day, she didn't know why her parents had died, but because of it, she'd been sent to live with her godfather, Professor Sycamore, who adopted her about a year later.

As she'd grown, she'd helped him with his research and taking care of the Pokémon who lived at the research lab. Garchomp had simply adored her, though when they'd first met, she'd been wary of him because he was so much bigger than her. In time though, he'd grown on her and he was now her favorite of her Dad's Pokémon. However, even then she had still missed Steven greatly. He had been such a big part of her life and to suddenly not have him there anymore caused her nightmares. When she had one, she'd go and curl up with Garchomp. Garchomp was good at chasing away nightmares. Later on, once she'd been able to control her aura abilities, she'd read in Garchomp's aura to find that he thought of her as his hatchling. It made her blush a little at that.

But nothing had ever felt better than the pride she'd felt from both her dad and Garchomp when she'd brought home her Gible when she'd returned from Sinnoh. Especially after she told them how she'd found Gible. She'd found Gible as an egg that had been abandoned by the side of the road not long after she'd arrived in Sinnoh. It had looked like that it had been there awhile. She had been surprised when it hatched into a Gible, though she was very glad as she'd always wanted a Garchomp of her own, but was even more surprised when she turned out to be a darker blue instead of the color she was supposed to be. Her dad had explained that Gible was a Shiny Pokémon, which was rare occurrence when a Pokémon was born an unusual color and it made Gible all the more special. Just before Sakura left, Gible had evolved into Gabite. This had caused some havoc for a while until she trained with Gabite to control her new powers and strength.

Luckily for Gabite and Sakura, there was plenty of space at her ranch for her and her Pokémon just outside Lumiose City, staffed with breeders and many others who helped to take care of Sakura's partners for her, both when she's there and when she was not. Her father also raised the starter Pokémon there. For the longest time, she kept Gabite with her since she had been a baby and Sakura had wanted to develop a strong bond with her, like her dad and his Garchomp. This was the longest that they'd been separated. She just hoped that Gabite was doing okay. However, she knew that Garchomp and Goodra as well as all of her other Pokémon would look after her.

HOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOSHOS

Early the next morning, before anyone else besides Sakura was awake, Steven sat on his bed, staring at the package that his Sakura had given him. Also thinking about the warning she'd given him. What in earth could she have gotten him that it needed to be a secret? Sighing, he tore open the package to reveal a stainless steel lapel pin fashioned around a multi colored stone with a double helix symbol. The stone itself was rather pretty. It was certainly unique, especially since he had never seen a stone like this one before. Except around Sakura's throat there was a stone just like it, now that he thought about it. He continued to stare at it, not understanding why it needed to be a secret. He then noticed a note addressed to him that he hadn't seen before. Opening it, he realized why.

Dear Steven,

I'm sure you're wondering why all the secrecy about this stone. Well, Steven, let's just say that this stone is very rare and very special. It is a Key Stone. A Key Stone is a component of Mega Evolution. Not much is known about it, but I'll say this. It is a gateway to unimaginable power. However, a Key Stone is only one part of Mega Evolution. A strong bond between trainer and Pokémon is also needed as well as that Pokémon's Mega Stone. Yes, each Pokémon that can Mega Evolve has their own Mega Stone, for example Lucarionite, hint, hint.

I have one of my own, but I found this one during my travels and didn't know of anyone else that I could trust with it, as my adoptive father, Professor Sycamore, now has a set for himself and his Garchomp. Many have become obsessed with the power of Mega Evolution and have used it in the wrong ways. In other words, they've gone insane because of it. Because they and their Pokémon could not handle the power that came with it.

I'm sure that you've become the strong trainer that you've always wanted to be, Steven. I know that you could handle it. But be warned. There are many who have tried to take my Key Stone from me, not truly understanding. Thus all the secrecy. I only know this much because my dad has studied it for most of his life, even then there is still not much known about it.

Oh, and one more thing. When there is a Mega Stone nearby, your Key Stone will react, no matter what kind of Mega Stone it is, so don't be too surprised if it starts glowing at some point, as there are Mega Stones everywhere.

Use it well, my friend.

With love,

Sakura

Steven continued looking at the pin with wonder. The fact that Sakura had trusted him with this made his heart melt. This answered a few of his questions. Tears pricked his eyes at the thought that even after all these years, she still had such faith in him. She hadn't changed much at all and he was determined not to let her down. Getting up, he put the pin on his blazer, which he put on and headed towards breakfast in search of Sakura, already knowing that she was more than likely not there.

Sakura was mediating with her partners at the secluded part of the beach that she'd been using for training since she'd been on the island. When she opened her eyes, she flared her aura to check out her surroundings before she recalled all of her Pokémon but Lucario. As she stood, she entered into a battle ready stance as did he. They quickly indulged in a light spar to keep up their reflexes. Things progressed this way until her stomach started growling. At this point, they headed back to the Pokémon Center. As she walked into the door, Sakura let out a surprised yelp when she was pulled into tight hug. She would have panicked if she had not have recognized the aura of the person holding her. With her aura senses, she would know Steven anywhere and it was the same with every person she that she met. When she noticed the lapel pin on Steven's jacket, she understood and hugged him back. With obvious reluctance, he pulled back and took her hand, silently leading her to breakfast.

After they and their partners ate, they gathered their things and went to see if Mr. Briney was ready to leave and since he was, they set sail. Not long after they left, Sakura decided to try to catch a water type. She and Steven sat talking, with Pichu on Sakura's shoulder, while they fished. It was almost as if something in their relationship had changed, though Sakura couldn't put her finger on what it was. It was almost as if he rotated around her, as if she was his personal sun. When she got tired, she would lay her head on his shoulder and he would wrap his arm around her waist, keeping her close to his side. She was so wrapped up in Steven that she almost didn't notice when she got a bite, but she did, and when she reeled it in, it revealed itself to be a Feebas. She had Pichu paralyze it, so that she could catch it. Once she did, she let scanned the Pokéball with her Pokédex.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. Although extremely ragged, it is a tough Pokémon that can live in almost any kind of water. Feebas is often ignored because of the disheveled appearance of its fins and body. This Feebas is female and has the ability Swift Swim."

Sakura cocked her head to the side as she dug through her backpack for her store of berries and potions. She had learned quickly to keep a small collection of both on hand in case she needed to take care of a hurt or sick Pokémon and was too far away from a Pokémon Center. Once she found the Cheri Berry that she was looking for, Sakura released Feebas and offered her the berry, which she took gratefully, curing her paralysis. Then Sakura ran her hands gently over Feebas's body, gauging her body and health with just touch. She had learned this from one of the Pokémon groomers that she'd met while traveling in the Kalos region. She asked him to teach her how to gauge a Pokémon's health and which berries to use in certain situations. It had been a great help. The groomer had offered to style her Furfrou, but he didn't like the idea very much, which both Sakura and the groomer had understood.

Steven smiled as he watched Sakura run Feebas through a few paces and a few training techniques. He knew that she was gauging Feebas's abilities and they were surprised that she already knew Dragon Pulse and Water Pulse, meaning that she was already pretty strong. Though if you asked her, Sakura would tell you that Feebas was born strong and would just get stronger as time went by; it was just the way that both of her fathers, biological and adoptive, had raised her. She returned Feebas and Pichu to let them rest and when she looked at him, she grinned at him, making his heart skip a beat.

They reached Slateport around lunch time on the third day after they set out. Sakura and Steven separated after lunch since he had some errands to run on his own. She was wearing her pink dress. The first thing that Sakura did was get her partners to the Pokémon Center and get them checked out. While they were being examined, Sakura called her father to let him know how she was doing and where she was headed next. Once they were done there, they headed to the Oceanic Museum in search of Captain Stern, having been told that he'd be there by one of his associates, since the parts had to be delivered to him and him alone. Only to find the place swarmed with goons dressed in red outfits, similar to the thugs that she'd fought in Oldale and Rustboro. Not quite sure what was going on, but being extremely wary, Sakura pulled out her sapphire blue hooded dress coat that she wore during chilly conditions or when she was competing in a contest and wanted to hide her identity from her backpack and put it on, pulling the hood over her head. When she got upstairs, she met an old man and approached him, asking him in a very low tone, "Are you Captain Stern?"

He nodded and replied, "Yes, but who are you?" Sakura smiled lightly as she pulled the package that she'd been asked to deliver out of her backpack, and answered in the same low tone, "I have a delivery for you from the Devon Corporation."

His eyes lit up and he replied, "Oh, those are the parts that I ordered. Thank you!" Sakura smiled kindly as she handed him the package, but with her aura enhanced senses, she stiffened when she felt two of the men from downstairs approach them.

"We'll take those, old man!" Sakura turned quickly to find two of the men from downstairs, some of the ones wearing red, standing not far away, with Pokéballs in their hands. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura placed her hand on one of the Pokéballs on her belt as Lucario jumped in between them, growling a warning.

"You're going to have to get through me and my partners first!" Sakura shouted, letting out her Absol. The men sneered as the man on the right released a Corphish and the man on the left released a Poochyena. The right man ordered Corphish to use Bubble on Absol and the left man told Poochyena to use Bite on Lucario.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere. Absol, use Dark Pulse!" Sakura ordered. Lucario sent an orb of aura energy at Poochyena, forcing it back into a wall. Once the dust cleared, everyone could see that Poochyena's eyes were swirls. Absol opens her mouth and a light purple orb surrounded in black and purple circles appears inside it. She then fired a beam of black and purple circles from the orb inside her mouth at Corphish, throwing it into the wall next to Poochyena. Unlike Poochyena, however, Corphish was able to get up. The right man the ordered it to use Crabhammer. Sakura retaliated, saying, "Absol, use Shadow Ball!" Absol created a dark purple ball from her mouth and sent it at Corphish. When it collided with Corphish, it sent the lobster back into the wall, though this time it didn't get back up.

The two men growled as they returned their Pokémon and said, "The boss is going to kill us if we don't get those parts!"

"I was wondering what was taking so long. It doesn't take long to get some measly parts and you lose to a little girl?!" an angry voice demanded. Looking behind the men who'd challenged her, Sakura saw a man dressed in all in red, differently that the two goons that she'd just battled. The only thought running through Sakura's mind was "This man totally has the creepy scientist thing going on." The man then ranted and raved about how he was Maxie, the leader of Team Magma, and he kept going on and on about how they were going to enlarge the land masses. Sakura listened with horror on her features as she thought, "If Team Magma wants to enlarge the land, then what on earth does Team Aquawant?" Steven had told her what little he knew about both Team Aqua and Team Magma, but from what he'd told her, it seemed as if Team Aqua would do anything to stop Team Magma.

"My guess, Mistress, the opposite," Lucario replied as he and Absol growled at Archie, warning him not to come any closer to their beloved trainer. Over time, Absol had picked up Lucario's protectiveness of their trainer and as the bond between Sakura and Absol had grown stronger, Absol only protected her more fiercely. After all, Absol had once had another trainer before Sakura and they'd abandoned her in an unfamiliar region. It had taken a long time before Absol trusted that Sakura would never do the same. Sakura spoke again her voice steady despite not feeling very confident at that moment, silently wishing for Steven, "Nature is balanced as it is, Maxie! Only a fool tries to mess with it!"

"Of course, you are so young that you truly do not understand our goals," he commented, almost as a lament, leaving with his goons, leaving behind a shaken and horrified Sakura. She stared after him with wide eyes, hardly believing that someone could wish for something so evil. Sure, she's met some really bad people before, but never had she met anyone like that. Didn't he realize that millions of people and Pokémon would die if their wishes came true? Did he really not care?

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Absol bumped her head against her trainer's shoulder, bringing her attention back to her dark type. Sakura began rubbing her head, emitting feelings of pride in her aura, while giving her a small smile. She then turned to Captain Stern and asked him if he was alright. He quickly reassured her that he was fine and made a call to his boss to notify him of what happened. Sakura recalled Absol and she and Lucario escorted the Captain back to his colleagues before heading back to the Pokémon Center, where they found Steven out front with a worried look on his face as he paced. When she saw him, she ran to him and buried her face in his chest as his arms came around her. They stayed like that for awhile as he rubbed his hand up and down her back, offering her the only comfort he could. He then led her to the double room that they shared as it had been the only one left. He sat down on the edge of one of the beds and pulled her to him. They stayed silent for a little while longer until he heard her mutter, "How could they? How could they?"

"I don't know," he told her. He'd panicked when he'd gotten that call from his father, telling him what had happened at the museum. He absolutely hated that she'd had to face Maxie alone. She had to have been so scared and confused. He, along with Team Aqua leader Archie, had been giving the League and the Officer Jennies fits for the last few weeks, stealing Pokémon and whatever they felt they needed for their plans. Though most of the time, it was Team Magma as Team Aqua seemed to want to stop them. Until now, they'd had no real idea of what their plans might be. He only wish that Sakura hadn't have been involved.

"They need to be stopped, Steven," she told him, "Millions could die if either of them have their way."

"They will be," he replied, "But you don't have to worry about that." Sakura pulled back to look him in the eye and shook her head while saying, "It's my job to protect Pokémon, Steven," he opened his mouth to object but she didn't let him as she continued, "No, Steven! There's one other thing that you don't know. After I left, I learned that I have the ability to use aura the same way my Lucario can. I'm an Aura Guardian." His eyes widened. He knew what that meant as Cynthia had told him many of the histories and legends from Sinnoh when they'd met. She'd told him the legend of a man named Sir Aaron who could use the power of aura, though she'd also told him that true Aura Guardians were all but extinct.

"You are?" he asked, looking incredulous. She nodded as her eyes began to glaze over blue and in her hand was a small blue sphere, similar to her Lucario's Aura Sphere attack. He simply stared at it as she allowed the sphere to dissipate. She then explained that she hadn't mentioned it before because her dad had told her to tell no one, lest someone tries to use her for something that negates her true purpose which was to protect humans and Pokémon alike. He then pulled her back into his arms, reassuring her that he didn't care. He wouldn't have cared if she'd been psychic or if she had a third eye. That made her giggle, which was what he'd been aiming for. He would do almost anything to get that solemn look off her face. He smiled as he led her to dinner. They talked and laughed as their Pokémon ate around them. However, as she was eating, she felt a lot of pain and despair in the area. That would be normal since she was in a Pokémon Center, but the pain wasn't coming from any of the Pokémon in the Center. Steven watched as her face went from smiling to harsh and cold as she returned all of her Pokémon save Lucario and Sakura got up and ran out of the cafeteria, her Lucario following quickly after her. Steven quickly returned his Metagross and went after her.

He was able to catch up with her in time to see her stop at a mouth to an alley. When he stood on her left, opposite Lucario, he saw what brought her out here and he was horrified by what he saw. A young woman was beating on a small, quadruped, fox-like Pokémon. It had yellow pelt, brown, pupil-less eyes, large, pointed ears with darker yellow insides, and six light orange tails with curled tips. The little one also had curled locks of light orange fur with bangs on top of its head. The remains of a smashed Pokéball lay nearby. They could hear the woman growling that the Pokémon was weak and useless as well as pathetic, making Sakura's eyes narrow angrily.

Apparently the little Pokémon had just lost a battle against an Oddish. Sakura watched as the woman raised her hand to strike the little fox again, but she ran forward, grabbing hold of the woman's wrist, and threw her away from the little Pokémon that she knew was a Vulpix as she ordered, "Lucario, use Heal Pulse on that Vulpix!" Lucario did as he was told and began healing what he could on Vulpix as Sakura turned back to the woman who gotten up, with a scowl on her face while demanding, "What the hell are you doing?" before paling at the cold glare on Sakura's face.

When Sakura spoke, her voice was just as cold and harsh as her glare as she said, "People like you disgust me. How you even think that you have the right to put your hands on that Pokémon, I'll never know, but I can tell you this. You won't be doing it again." The trainer went red in the face as she approached Sakura, intending to slap her. Steven moved to stop her, but Sakura dodged her while tripping her, making her fall over and land flat on her face. Looking down at the red faced girl, Sakura sneered, "If anyone is pathetic, it is you," she then looked at Lucario who told her, "The Vulpix is still badly hurt. I did what I could, but she needs medical attention to make sure there are no internal injuries."

With another glare at the trainer on the ground, Sakura spoke, "Lucario, use Psychic on her to bring her along. I don't want her disappearing before I speak to Officer Jenny." Sakura then slowly approached Vulpix, who shrunk away as she attempted to touch her. She then pooled a little bit of her aura into her hand as she laid it on the little Pokémon's head, letting Vulpix know that she just wanted to help. She then let Sakura lift her gently into her arms, and she held her to her chest as she went as quickly as she dared back towards the Pokémon Center.

Lucario followed, still holding the trainer still with his Psychic attack, Steven following shortly after. Once Nurse Joy saw the little Vulpix in Sakura's arms, she jumped into action and worked to heal her. She then demanded to know how Vulpix had gotten into that condition, which Sakura and Steven quickly explained and Officer Jenny was summoned. Once the story was told again, Officer Jenny took the trainer away to be processed and charged for her crime. Still a little angry, Sakura and Lucario went through a full on spar session to work out her aggression. They didn't return to the room until late. That night, Sakura slept fitfully. The scene with that little Vulpix kept running through her eyes, but in her dreams she never got there on time.

Sakura was silent the next morning at breakfast. It still upset her greatly that someone would treat their partners that way. Sure, she understood that not all people treated their partners with the same respect that she did, but still. She sighed and realized that she was going to have to get used to it. The thought made her appetite vanish and she got up to put her tray away. She then went to the desk and saw Nurse Joy.

"Good morning, Nurse Joy," Sakura greeted with a small smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. When Nurse Joy looked up, her eyes lit up and replied, "Good morning, Miss Simmons. That Vulpix that you brought in last night seems to be doing just fine and will be able to leave in a day or two, as long as she's allowed to rest. Her wounds looked worse than they really were. Would you like to see her?" Sakura nodded. She then led her into a room where she saw the Vulpix laying on a medical table with some bandages wrapped around her middle. She looked to be sleeping, but when Sakura entered the room, her head came up and she gave a happy cry of her name.

"Hello, Vulpix. I'm glad that you're going to be alright," she told her, as she took a seat next to the bed that Vulpix was laying on and started rubbing her head just behind her ear, making Vulpix purr happily. Sakura's eyes softened at the sight as she spoke, "You know, Vulpix, I hope that you don't believe a word that girl said last night." Vulpix tilted her head slightly in question as Sakura continued, "You are not weak. You are not useless. If anything, she was useless, not you. Anyone who ever calls you that is only compensating for what they lack."

"Vulpix," she replied, doubtfully.

"No, Vulpix, I mean it. My biological dad told me once that there is no such thing as a weak Pokémon. That Pokémon are born strong and only get stronger as time passes," Sakura told her, smiling at the memory of her dad watching her play with his Meowth and her mother's Growlithe as he smiled in the background. Growlithe had been only a baby since she'd hatched only a week before her parents had passed away. Sakura had always wondered what had happened to the little Puppy Pokémon since she hadn't been found.

"Vulpix!" she cried, this time demandingly, bringing Sakura back to the present. Sakura looked at her in shock, not quite understanding what she wanted. She asked, "What's wrong, Vulpix?"

"I think she's telling you that she wants to come with you," a voice replied from behind her, making her yelp as she jumped in her seat. Looking behind her, she saw Steven standing behind her, a smug smirk on his face and Feebas in his arms, with Lucario sitting not far behind her with the rest of her Pokémon. Sakura turned back to Vulpix, who was looking at her expectantly, and asked, "Is that true, Vulpix?"

"Vulpix!" she replied happily. Sakura locked eyes with Nurse Joy who said, "If you use a Heal Ball, it should be alright, after all, she's mostly bruised with no broken bones," with a smile. Sakura's face lit up as she dug around in her bag, having kept a few Heal Balls in her first aid kit just in case for situations much like this one. She'd actually caught Furfrou with a Heal Ball. It had been the recommendation of the Nurse Joy in Lumiose City to keep a few on hand, just in case.

After rummaging in her backpack, she pulled out one of her Heal Balls, shouting, "Ah, ha!" making everyone around her laugh. She then turned back to Vulpix, while saying to the others, "If you think that's funny, you should meet my Piplup or my Oshawott." She then looked Vulpix in the eye and said, "Okay, Vulpix, you ready?" as she held out the Heal Ball, which Vulpix touched with her nose. She then disappeared inside it, it shook once before dinging, signaling that Vulpix hadn't tried to escape at all. Sakura then let Vulpix back out and allowed Nurse Joy to look her over to make sure that everything healed properly, which it had.

Vulpix sat on the table, looking like she'd never been hurt. She then jumped into Sakura's arms and nuzzled against her shoulder. Nurse Joy proudly pronounced that Vulpix was now in perfect health. Sakura returned all of her Pokémon except Lucario, Pichu, and Vulpix, who climbed up onto Sakura's shoulders and draped herself over them like a scarf, while Pichu jumped on top of her head.

Sakura then pulled her Pokédex out of her pocket and scanned Vulpix.

"Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. Its six tails are extremely beautiful. As it evolves, it grows even more tails. Vulpix uses powerful flame attacks. This Vulpix is female and has the ability Flash Fire. Please note that the unusual coloration of this Pokémon indicates that it is a Shiny Pokémon."

Sakura then flipped through the information on her new Vulpix to find that she knew Flamethrower, Confuse Ray, Fire Spin, and Quick Attack. Sakura was pleasantly surprised. After all, it seemed that Vulpix was quite young. To have her know Flamethrower at such a young age was amazing. It also made her scoff at the idea that Vulpix was weak. That trainer really was an idiot to not see a Pokémon's true potential. Vulpix's loss to that Oddish must of been due to that trainer's incompetence, not Vulpix. She gently rubbed one of Vulpix's ears, making her purr happily. She quietly took Vulpix off her shoulders and pulled out a bright blue hair ribbon. It had been a gift from Steven when she'd turned three, after all, he'd know that blue was her favorite color. She then tied it into a pretty bow around Vulpix's neck, like a necklace. She could tell that Vulpix liked it by the happy cry she gave out. When Steven had seen it, he'd smiled in fond remembrance as she picked up Vulpix, who immediately returned to her former position.

Afterwards, Sakura and Steven went and gathered the rest of their belongings from the room that they'd been staying in, returned the key, and set off, hoping to find a place to camp for the night or make it to the next Pokémon Center before sundown. On their way, several trainers challenged Sakura to battles, mostly three on three, which she won. She continuously used Aron, Poochyena, and somewhat Vulpix, so that they could get some battling experience. Mostly Poochyena and Aron though, as she was planning on using them as well as Combusken in her battle with Wattson, the Mauville Gym Leader, since he specialized in electric types. She knew that because Steven had told her about the gym leaders and the Elite Four that she hadn't battled yet. All but the Sootopolis Gym Leader, whose name he told her was Wallace. Steven had already told her that he was the Champion, but had asked Wallace to temporarily take his place for a little while. He explained that that was because Wallace was the closest he'd come to a best friend since her, which she respected and didn't ask anything else. Though, she did make him promise that when it came time for her to challenge the Elite Four, and if she made it that far, that when it came time for her to challenge the Champion, that the battle would be between the two of them. Normally she'd try out Pichu, due to her special ability, but she was still a little young for gym battles since she was just over a week old. Though she'd gotten a lot stronger in that week, thanks to Sakura's training.

They found a clearing not far off the route that they were taking with a stream nearby. As there was still some time to get some training in, since none of her partners were seriously injured during the battles, at least nothing that she couldn't heal herself or a good night's rest wouldn't fix. During the six years that she'd spent training at the Shalour Gym with Korrina, she'd also done a few healing courses with Nurse Joy. She'd wanted to be ready in case something happened while she was traveling and she was too far from a Pokémon Center. She thought that it would come in handy one day and it had more than once. She ran her Pokémon through their paces, working on improving their agility as well as their reflexes as she had them lob attacks at each other, forcing the others to dodge them. The two strongest were definitely Lucario and Absol, which was a given as they'd been with her the longest, who toned down their attacks as not to hurt the others or her as she was participating as well, launching aura spheres, creating barriers, and dodging the attacks of her Pokémon. Steven sat up in a tree, simply watching in fascination at her training techniques. He'd looked at her as if she'd been crazy when she started, until she told him that because of what she was and how she'd been trained, she had to train herself just as hard as she did her Pokémon. And it worked. Not a single one of her partner's attacks touched her. She was able to dodge with grace and even style of all things. She moved with a speed he'd never seen a human being accomplish before. He could see that she'd been trained in some kind of martial art and so had her Lucario, as he watched them spar with each other. She was also teaching it to her Combusken, much to the Fowl Pokémon's delight. The fire and fighting type was a natural and learned quickly.

After she had decided that they'd trained long enough, Sakura called Steven down and asked him if he would like to meditate with her. He'd looked at her strangely for a few seconds until she explained that it helped her with not only her aura abilities, but it allowed her to stay calm and focused during a battle. He then asked her to show him, making her smile. She then told him to release his partners from their Pokéballs. She hadn't been surprised, even though she'd only seen Metagross, who was happy to see her. His Skarmory stared at her and she stared back, her gaze unwavering, before he looked away. She then took a seat and he copied her, their partners gathered around them. He told her that when he'd started his journey this time, he'd only brought Metagross and Skarmory with him, leaving the others with his dad. She told them to clear their minds of all thoughts, to relax and focus only on their breathing. After awhile she could sense Steven's frustration that he wasn't getting it, so she enveloped him and his partners in her aura, which allowed to them to calm themselves and clear their minds. They sat like that for about an hour, but before long the grumbling of their bellies told them that it was dinner time. They quickly ate and went to bed. Steven lay in his sleeping bag a couple of feet away from hers. When he looked over, Sakura lay on her side facing him, her Pichu and Vulpix curled up on top of her side. Her Lucario sat sleeping against a tree trunk near her head. Absol curled herself around Sakura's back and Combusken had curled up in front of her, her arms wrapped around Sakura's knees with Poochyena was curled up in her arms. Her Aron was sleeping up against her stomach, but her Feebas was sleeping in her Pokéball which she'd thought would be better for her. She looked beautiful as she slept with the moon casting its light across her skin.

They'd all gotten a lot stronger, especially Feebas. She'd since learned Ice Beam and Mirror Coat. Attacks that would definitely come in handy in future battles. Now she working on teaching her Iron Tail and Hidden Power. Aron had learned Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, and Protect. Currently she was trying to teach him Iron Tail with Feebas as well as Shadow Claw. It seems as though that Iron Tail was one of her favorite attacks as several of her other Pokémon, including Lucario, Poochyena, and Pichu, knew it too. Poochyena now knew Bite, Roar, Double Team, Hidden Power, and Incinerate, in addition to Iron Tail. She was now working on teaching him Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball. Pichu had grown a lot for only being a week old. She'd learned Thunder Wave, Light Screen, and Nuzzle, though Steven didn't know what that move was. She hadn't used it in battle yet, but he was curious. He'd noticed that she spent more time training than other trainers that he'd met. From what he'd seen, she spent a lot of time working with each Pokémon individually, as the strength of her bond with each of her Pokémon was astounding. Her partners adored her. He'd asked her about it once and she'd replied, "My partners are only as loyal to me as I am to them. And as you know, I am very loyal." He hadn't had any idea what to say to that. Steven closed his eyes and went back to sleep, a feeling of peace coming over him.

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Sakura gritted her teeth. It had been a few days since they'd left Slateport. While she and Steven had been traveling to Mauville, many trainers had challenged her to battle. She'd won some and lost others, but she hadn't been upset by those losses. She'd taken them as learning experiences as she always had. But this trainer, a hiker by the look of him, kept boasting that he had never lost a match. He'd also taken one look at her and dismissed her as beneath him. It was people like that set her teeth on edge and pricked her temper.

"Hey, I challenge you to a battle!" she called out. He looked her up and down again and scoffed, making her retort, "If you're all that, then prove it!" pulling out her Feebas's Pokéball. His humiliation would be all the worse if he lost to an opponent that he had underestimated. That caught his attention and he released his Magby. She then released her Feebas, making the hiker sneer. She raised her eyebrow as Steven, who was acting as the referee, called for the battle to begin.

"Let's end this fast, Magby! Use Ember!" The hiker ordered. Magby then opened it mouth and sent flames towards Feebas.

"I know that we can do this, Feebas! Use Water Pulse!" Sakura called out, remaining calm as Feebas created an orb of water and intercepted the Ember attack. Before the hiker could react, Sakura ordered, "Dragon Pulse!" Feebas opened her mouth and release a multi colored stream of energy in the shape of a dragon at Magby, shoving it back, much to the hiker's dismay as he growled, "How could such a stupid, pathetic Pokémon know such a powerful attack?!" This made Sakura gasp in indignation and Feebas flinched. It had been her greatest fear that her trainer would think her pathetic and weak, that she would release her, because she wanted to stay. In just the last week that she'd been with her, she'd been treated with more love and kindness than she had been her entire life. Grinding her teeth angrily, Sakura snarled, "Don't you dare talk about my Pokémon like that!"

Everyone in the area, including Feebas, stiffened at the unhidden fury in Sakura's voice as she continued, an angry sneer on her face, "You might think that Feebas doesn't look like much on the outside, but I know that she has more strength, courage, and beauty than you do in your pinky finger!" This made Feebas's heart swell with love for her trainer and tears of happiness form in her eyes, because she could sense that her beloved trainer believed every word she spoke with all of her heart. Her trainer would never send her away and believed her to be beautiful. Because of that, she was able to believe it for herself. That was when it happened.

Feebas began glowing with a bright white light and her body got bigger and longer. When the bright light went away, it left behind a serpentine Pokémon with a primarily cream-colored body. It had red eyes with long, pinkish antennae above them. In addition, there were long, hair-like fins above its eyes, which began to thin and thicken towards the tips. Those eyebrows extend to almost half of the serpentine Pokémon's body length. On top of its relatively small head was a straight spike. Running down either side of its neck were three black dots, similar to gills. Its lower body was a patterning of blue and pink, diamond-shaped scales outlined with black. The tail consisted of four large, blue fins with pink ovals in their centers. Each of the tail fins overlapped the next slightly, causing it to resemble a fan. A little bit in shock, Sakura absentmindedly pulled her Pokédex out of her skirt pocket and scanned the Pokémon left behind.

"Milotic, the Tender Pokémon, and the evolved form of Feebas. At the first sign of fighting, Milotic will come up from the bottom of its lake habitat to calm any angry feelings. This Milotic is female. Upon evolution, Milotic has gained the ability Marvel Scale and has learned Water Gun, Aqua Tail, Aqua Ring, Dragon Tail, and Disarming Voice. The moves Iron Tail and Hidden Power have also been mastered."

Sakura stood there in shock as Milotic turned her head towards her trainer with a smile on her face, which was returned with exuberance and she began emitting feelings of love and pride in her aura, making Milotic cry out her new name happily. The hiker looked shocked too, but recovered quickly and growled, "It doesn't matter. We'll still beat you and your pathetic Pokémon!" His Magby cried out its name as he ordered it to use Fire Spin, to which it complied, sending a swirl of flames that surrounded Milotic. Sakura calmly told Milotic to use Water Gun to douse the flames. The Tender Pokémon happily complied, sending out a stream of water out of its mouth. Then Sakura ordered, "Use Aqua Tail, Milotic!"

Milotic's tail was then surrounded by water as she slammed it into Magby, the force of which threw it into a tree. Once the dust settled, it was revealed that Magby's eyes were swirls. Seeing this, Steven declared that Milotic was the winner. The hiker returned his Pokémon and glared as he gave Sakura her reward for winning, vowing that he didn't understand how he lost to such a pathetic trainer. Sakura simply sighed in annoyance as she went to her Pokémon and began rubbing her head, which made Milotic let out a happy sound as Sakura congratulated her and told her how proud she was of her before returning her to her Pokéball.

Leaving the aggravating hiker behind, Sakura and Steven continued on their way, with Sakura muttering under her breath about stupid people. Hearing this made Steven chuckle, which made Sakura look at him and demand, "What in the name of Arceus is so funny?" with an irritated look on her face.

"I really don't know why you let the things people like him say bug you so much. You're a great trainer. You know that," he replied, looking a little bewildered. Sakura sighed. In truth, even she didn't truly understand why, but she didn't like being dismissed as unimportant. She'd had several people tell her that she was dumb and pathetic. That she should try for something smaller, that her dreams were unattainable. Not only that, he'd called her partners pathetic and stupid. Say what you want about her, but never insult her partners. Sakura knew for a fact that her Pokémon were very intelligent. She moved on without replying and he dropped it, sensing that she really didn't want to talk about it at the moment.

Camp was quiet that night as they lay sleeping, both lost in their own little world.

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The next morning found Sakura and her partners doing mock battles with each other. Lucario with Absol and so on, while Sakura meditated, over-seeing everything with her aura sense. She was about to call a halt for the morning when she felt pain and fear, coming from the forest. Getting up, she spoke, "Everyone continue until I return."

"Do you want me to accompany you, Mistress?" Lucario asked. Sakura simply shook her head and left. When she found the source of the pain and fear, she came upon a flock of Spearow attacking what looked to be a Swablu and a blue Pokémon that she'd never seen before. Summoning an aura sphere, she threw it at the tree, scaring off the Spearow. Once she was sure that they were gone, she slowly approached the two Pokémon. At first they flinched back, but she gently flared her aura, letting them know that it was okay. She quickly healed all the scratches left by the Spearow. While she did that, they showed her that the Spearow had attacked because they'd been trying to get some berries from their tree. She then pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the little Pokémon.

"Swablu, the Cotton Bird Pokémon. Swablu loves cleanliness and is quick to wipe off any unclean surface with its cotton-like wings. This Swablu is female and has the ability Natural Cure."

"Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Mudkip uses the sensitive radar receptors on its headfin to determine what's going on around it. In a pinch, it can brandish enough power to crush rocks. Mudkip is one of the three Pokémon new trainers can choose from in the Hoenn region. This Mudkip is male and has the ability Torrent."

Sakura was about to get up and head back, because she felt Lucario's aura flare with concern, but she heard both little Pokémon's stomachs rumble with hunger. Her eyes softened as she gathered them both into her arms and carried them back to camp, where Steven had just finished getting breakfast ready for everyone. She then set up two bowls for Swablu and Mudkip, who quickly ate.

Steven looked at her curiously and Sakura quickly explained what had happened. He just gave her a smile along with a shake of his head. Once everyone was finished eating, they began packing up camp and recalling their partners to their Pokéballs. Once that was done, Sakura had expected Swablu and Mudkip to return to the forest, but they stood there looking at her expectantly. She sighed as Steven smirked.

"You two wanna come with us?" she asked the two small Pokémon. Mudkip jumped into her arms with a cry of "Kip, kip, Mudkip!" While Swablu simply flapped her wings and landed on Sakura's shoulder. She promptly nuzzled the side of the girl's head. Shifting Mudkip into one arm, she pulled out two Pokéballs, one an all red Cherish Ball and the other an all white Premier Ball. She tapped Mudkip's side with the Premier Ball and Swablu with the Cherish Ball. They both disappeared inside of the balls, which shook once before dinging. She smiled as she placed them on her belt and they got on their way.

As they walked, Sakura pulled Swablu's Pokéball and would just stare at it with a small smile on her face. Steven looked at her and asked, "Why are you looking at Swablu's Pokéball like that?" She looked at him and replied, "I've always hoped that I'd catch one."

"Why?" Sakura just smiled sadly as she told him, "My mother had one." An understanding look appeared on his face and he smiled. He knew that Sakura missed her mother dearly. Before she'd left, she'd wanted to be just like her. When he'd told her that she looked just like her mother, but with her father's eyes, an extremely sad look came over her features and he'd known. Sakura had been very close to both her parents. Their death had taken a great toll on everyone who'd loved them, but Sakura in particular had been hit hard. Weeks before her departure, she had stopped speaking and had barely ate. He'd been so scared that he was going to lose her the same way she'd lost her parents. It was what had made her departure to Kalos even harder as he'd thought that he'd never see her again. Closing his eyes against those thoughts, he thought, "She's here now and wherever she goes, I go."

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Sakura's Current Party (In Order of Capture)

1. Lucario

2. Absol

3. Poochyena

4. Combusken

5. Aron

6. Milotic

7. Vulpix (Shiny)

8. Swablu

9. Mudkip