//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: The Story Before the Story 
// Story: A New Friend, a New Way 
// by LovelyMuse 
//------------------------------//

Eva Marks was only ten years old when she and her family decided to leave the bustling city of Lumiouse City in the Kalos Region for the more quiet and serene forest region of Almia. From the very moment she stepped onto the region that was home to the Pokémon Rangers Headquarters, Eva wanted to become a Ranger, dedicating her life to helping people and Pokémon alike. Her parents were more than willing to support their daughter, and enrolled her in Ranger School at the age of 15.

However, Eva learned early on in her education that certain… ideals, were viewed in ways that made the teen question the teachings she had received from her parents since before she could talk. During Christmas break, Eva was staying with her family and had brought up the subject after dinner the day before New Year's Eve.

"Mom. Dad. Why is it so wrong to love Pokémon like how humans love other humans?"

Mrs. Marks, who was washing the dishes at this time, suddenly dropped the baby blue plate she was drying, causing it to shatter into many sharp pieces. Mr. Marks stared at this daughter with astonished emerald-green eyes that Eva had inherited, seeming dumbstruck.

After quickly cleaning up the broken china, Eva and her parents sat on the living room couch as Eva explained to them the "lessons" she had been taught about Poképhilia and how it was the most shunned crime against nature itself. As she told her parents about the horrid videos she and her fellow peers had watched in class, anguish became clearly visible on the adults' faces, Mrs. Marks having to fight back tears.

When Eva finished, there were a few moments of silence before her father coughed uncomfortably and spoke up. "What do you think is the right thing, Eva?"

The teen looked down at her lap, an unsure expression on her face. "I… I know that there are some people who take advantage of their Pokémon's trust to do… that sort of thing, but, surely not everyone who has fallen in love with their Pokémon is bad, right?" She returned her eyes to her parents for clarity.

They both nodded, proud looks meeting their daughter's.

"Always remember this, Eva," her mother started. "Whenever you are in doubt, trust your heart, for that is your greatest guide."

And from that point on, that's exactly what Eva did. She learned the skills of a Ranger and graduated the following spring. She was assigned to the frigid Shiver Camp of northern Almia where she quickly climbed the ranks. It was during her last mission just before she had to report back to HQ to accept her Top Ranger status when she met her partner Pokémon and the one being she would spend her entire life with.

A researcher who had been exploring Almia Castle had been reported missing after failing to return to the camp three days prior. Snow storms had been more frequent and temperatures were far below normal, leading the researcher to believe something was occurring at the castle and left to investigate. When he did not return after two days, Eva was called upon to search for the scientist. Despite the dangers, Eva braved the blizzard, not wanting to let the researcher spend another night in the unforgiving storm.

After crossing Ice Lake by Empoleon, the young Ranger began to search for the missing man, squinting against the blistering wind and flying snow. The events that followed forever remained in Eva's memory.

The howling wind nearly concealed the sound of beating wings, but when it reached Eva's ears, however, she had less than a heartbeat to narrowly dodge the outstretched claws of a certain Legendary Bird Pokémon. Unfortunately, as she did so, the teen slipped on a piece of ice, causing her ankle to tilt sideways, spraining it. Eva cried out in pain as she lost her footing and began to slide down a slope, the freezing waters of the lake just below.

Yet, just when Eva would have fallen into the dark blue lake, a shadow appeared out of nowhere and caught the Ranger by the hood of her heavy winter coat, landing on a patch of fresh snow. As she was set down, Eva took several deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart.

When she managed to catch her breath, she looked up at her savior, only to find, to her utter surprise, a tall Absol, its oddly-colored amber eyes looking down at her intently, almost seeming to ask if she was alright.

"Th-thanks," Eva stammered, trying to recover from her initial shock.

There was a screech from above and both looked up to see an enraged Articuno glaring down at them. It began to beat its wings hard, summoning a strong gust of wind, while at the same lifting its head to the sky, charging an Ice Beam attack. Acting quickly, the Absol scooped up Eva onto its back with ease and leapt out of the way, just as the Articuno fired its Ice Beam right where the two had been not a split second before.

"Absol. Sol Absol!" The Disaster Pokémon was barking at the Ice-type, seeming to try and reason with the Legendary Bird.

However, this only seemed to enrage the Articuno further, for it fired another Ice Beam, which Absol dodged once more.

Seeing that the Absol was struggling, Eva made a quick plan in her mind and looked down at her rescuer. "Let me down! I have an idea!"

The Dark-type was hesitant for a minute, but eventually complied and set the Ranger down.

Eva stumbled as she tried to steady on her sprained ankle, but managed to stay on her feet, and lifted the bottom of her coat slightly, revealing her Capture Styler. She released it from its holster and pointed the instrument up at Articuno before calling out "Capture ON!" She clicked the center button, sending the Capture Disc flying towards the Legendary, a neon-blue line following the path of the disc.

As it began to circle Articuno, the Ice/Flying-type let out another screech and started an Ice Shard attack, summoning several large crystals of ice around it. Flapping its wings forward, the crystals shot down straight for Eva. However, before the teen could dodge, the Absol jumped in front of her and shot a powerful Flamethrower attack up at the Ice Shard attack, instantly melting right through them and hitting Articuno at the same time. The Legendary Bird Pokémon cried out in pain and was pushed back several feet in mid-air.

"Please calm yourself, Articuno!" Eva cried out, conveying her physical friendship towards the agitated Pokémon. Seeing her chance, she waved her styler, creating the sigil for a completed capture. As she did so, the loop around Articuno shrank until it fused with it, causing the Legendary to glow white for a split moment. When the light faded, Articuno appeared less upset and the blizzard came to a slow halt.

Eva sighed in relief and fell down to her knees in the snow, an exhausted look on her slightly pink face. She did, however, manage to look up at the Legendary Bird and, seeing that it had calmed, smiled.

Articuno bowed its head in thanks, before taking off, disappearing over the icy mountains. As it did so, it let out a content cry and took the storm clouds away, bringing back the dearly-missed Sun.

The young Ranger gave a silent goodbye before passing out, no strength left in her body.





When Eva came to the following morning, she learned that the Absol had brought her as well as the researcher -who had been holed up in the castle during the storm- back to Shiver Camp. When she told the story to her fellow Rangers, as well as those at HQ after a week of recovering, they were skeptical, but the data in her Styler was all the proof she needed.

As life went on, Eva and her partner - whose name she learned was Zero with the help of a friend's invention that let her understand Pokémon- traveled the regions together, helping those in need. It wasn't until the first year after they became partners, however, when the relationship between them became more than just partners.

It all started when Eva and Zero were on a mission in the Hoenn Region. After a believed brief awakening of Groudon, the region was stuck in a horrible drought. Eva -as well as several other Rangers and one particular Field Ranger by the name of Jackie Walker- were assigned different parts of the region to bring water relief. With most of the Water Pokémon having fled to damper areas, Eva had decided to borrow her parents' Pokémon. The team consisted of a Ampharos and Golduck from her father and an Azumarill, Vaporeon and Swanna from her mother.

After bringing heavy rainfall to Rustboro City and the surrounding area, she decided to make a quick stop in Petalburg to visit some old family friends. Just as she reached the outskirts of the city, she ran into Mr. Briney, another old friend of her family's, and his partner Wingull, Peeko.

"Are my old eyes deceiving me, or is that little Eva?" Mr. Briney teased.

Eva smiled as she walked up to the old sailor and gave him a hug. "It's so good to see you, Mr. Briney. It's been a long time."

Mr. Briney chuckled. "Too long, child. How are your folks doin'?"

"They're wonderful," Eva replied. "They really wish they could have come, but the drought is making it too dangerous. They did say they might visit close to the holidays though."

"That's good to hear," Mr Briney stated with a nod, then seemed to notice Eva's attire and Zero, who was at her side. "I see you've joined the Ranger Union, and you've got quite the Partner Pokémon there. I hear that most Absol's prefer to be loners, but it seems this one's taken quite a liking to you."

Eva nodded as she looked down at Zero and pet the top of his head. "Zero's a great partner. In fact, today is the one-year anniversary of when we met in Almia."

Mr. Briney gave a mischievous smile. "From the looks of things, Zero sees you as more than just a comrade."

Eva felt her body go numb upon hearing this, while a visible blush became visible on Absol's face.

The old sailor laughed. "Do not fear, my dear child. I am fully aware of the Ranger Union's disapproval of humans loving their Pokémon on an intimate level, but I'm also aware of your parents' teachings and fully approve." Saying this, he scratched Peeko under the chin, who had been sitting on the man's shoulder. "The world has accepted the fact that those of the same gender can love one another, and we've known for many years that Pokémon are just as intelligent as we are, if not more so, so the idea that humans and Pokémon loving one another is sick and cruel makes me wonder what has become of this world. Do not get me wrong; I believe that there are some humans out there who use Pokémon for horrible acts and the Union is doing what they believe is right, but I have met so many trainers and their Pokémon that are always living in fear of being discovered breaks my heart. However, I believe that in time, the Union will see light, and having someone with strong beliefs in Pokémon and human equality such as yourself may just be the key to it all."

Eva was speechless, which caused Mr. Briney to laugh again. "Don't let it overwhelm you, Eva. Take it one step at a time. I'm sure that you'll one day get there, and Zero will no doubt be there every step of the way." Looking up at the sky, he added "Well, I must be off. Good luck, and send my regards to your folks." With that, the old sailor slowly headed back towards his home on the beach.

Once he was out of sight, Eva reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue and white earpiece. She slipped it over her right ear, tapped a button, and looked down at her partner. "Is… what he said true? Is that how you really feel about me?"

To any other person, they would have only heard random barking from Zero, but thanks to the small device on Eva's ear, the Absol's voice came out clear English to the Top Ranger.

"Y-Yes… For the longest time, even from the moment I saved you during that blizzard and our eyes met, I knew there was something really special about you. I had lived my entire life alone up until that point, not really knowing what it meant to care for someone, but at that moment, I wished for nothing more than to be by your side. I love you, Eva, and I don't care what the Union or anyone else for that matter thinks; the feelings I have for you are real."

Eva's eyes began to turn red as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body shook as a soft smile graced her face and she fell to her knees, leaning forward and hugging Zero's neck, careful to avoid his large horn.

"Eva?" Zero asked, clearly concerned.

"I… I'm so glad," Eva mumbled from beneath Zero's white fur, dampening it with her salty tears. "I'm so glad… that you have feelings for me. I… I also have felt a strong bond between us that seemed more than just a partnership, but I was so worried that you.. you wouldn't…" She couldn't find herself to finish the sentence and just contented to keep crying, Zero resting his head on Eva's shoulder, nuzzling her sweetly.





After pulling herself together and drying the tears, Eva led the way into Petalburg City. After climbing the small hill, she and Zero reached the temple-like building that housed the Petalburg City Gym, as well as the Gym Leader and his family. Eva took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Only to have a large explosion respond, a small earthquake accompanying it. Concerned, Eva and Zero rushed inside the gym on high alert, but the moment they saw the scene before them, they relaxed.

A Wartortle and Beautifly were beside each other on the battle field, staring embarrassingly at a destroyed bench that was against the wall. Not too far away from the Pokémon, a teenager about Eva's age with brown hair had her head bowed and was shaking it slowly, her right hand covering her eyes in embarrassment.

"Where did it go wrong?" The teen muttered to herself.

Eva smiled sympathetically and walked over to the girl, placing a hand on the latter's shoulder and forcing her to look up. "Practice makes perfect, May. Even a high-ranked Coordinator should know that."

It took a few seconds, but the brunette eventually seemed to recognize Eva, for her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Eva!" She nearly squealed as she hugged the Ranger around the neck, only to let go a heartbeat later and rush towards a door that led further into the building. "Mom! Dad! Eva's here!" She called out as she opened the door.

A few more seconds passed before footsteps could be heard coming down the hall and three individuals hurried out. Norman and Caroline's eyes lit up the same way May's did, while Max blinked in confusion, obviously not aware as to why his family was excited.

Eva walked up to the family, Zero at her side. When she was standing before them, she gave a warm smile. "It's so good to see you all again."

Caroline hugged the teen affectionately. "It's been far too long, Eva." She backed away slightly and cupped Eva's chin with her hands so she could see the Ranger's face. "You have your mother's looks, but your eyes are definitely those of your father's."

Eva laughed lightly, nodding in agreement. She then turned to the Gym Leader and held out a hand.

Norman chuckled. "No need for such formalities." He hugged the red-head sweetly. "You're like a third child to us."

After a couple heartbeats, the two separated and Eva finally turned to the final member of the family. "You probably don't remember me, since you were just a toddler when I was here last, but my family and yours are real close friends. Our dads actually started their Pokémon journey together when they were kids."

Max nodded. "I think I've heard Mom and Dad talk about your family before. You guys used to live in Kalos before you moved to Almia, right?"

"Yep." Eva nodded back. To the whole group she added "I just happened to be in the area and decided to swing by before joining up with the other Rangers in Slateport."

"At this hour?" Caroline exclaimed, looking to the quickly setting sun through the window.

"The plane doesn't leave till tomorrow afternoon, but I have to brief the Ranger in head of the operation back at the Pokémon Center there," Eva explained.

"You can brief him from our video-phone," Norman stated firmly. "You and your team can stay here the night, and I'll ask Mr. Briney to give you a ride to Slateport in the morning."

"But-" Eva started to argue.

Caroline, however, cut her off. "You've been working so hard, bringing relief to this drought. The least we can do is put food in your stomach and give you a nice bed to sleep on."

"Besides; it will give us a chance to catch up," May put in. "You can tell us all about your adventures."

Eva still seemed unsure, so she turned to Zero. "What do you think, Zero? You alright with staying the night?"

The Absol nodded. "Traveling at night isn't the smartest idea. Besides; I've heard from your parents that Caroline is quite the cook, and the others could probably go for some food themselves."

"Good point. Alright then." When Eva turned back to May and her family, she was met by confused expressions. Suddenly, she noticed that she had understood Zero and  still had her earpiece on. She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment and laughed. "Sorry," she apologized, taking off her earpiece and showing it to the group. "I had forgotten that I still had this on. A friend of mine from the Union made this device so that I'm able to communicate with certain Pokémom, Zero being one of them."

They all looked down at the Absol, figuring that Zero was his name, then nodded in understanding.

"Well, I better start preparing dinner." Caroline headed towards the door that led into the residence part of the Gym. "Would you be a dear and help me, May?"

The teen nodded and followed her mother.

"How many other Pokémon do you have with you?" Max asked. "I can make them some Pokémon food if I know what types they are."

"Thanks, Max." Eva pulled the Pokéballs from her belt and held them out. "Mind if I let them out?" She looked to Norman for approval.

The Gym leader shook his head. "Not at all."

Eva smiled and threw the red and white spheres in the air. "Come on out, everyone!"

The capsules opened and light poured out as five different forms appeared from them on the ground. When the light faded, the Pokémon let out happy noises upon being released, stretching their limbs to relieve their aches.

Max's eyes grew wide, looking over the beautiful Pokémon with awe, but the Swanna in particular seemed to catch his attention. He looked to Eva and asked "Did something happen to Swanna's wing-feathers?"

Eva shook her head. "My mom actually found her like that. Professor Juniper - who is the main Pokémon Professor in Unova- believes Swanna's wing-tips are blue due to something in her genetic makeup, but it doesn't seem to affect her health." She pet the top of The White Bird Pokémon's head affectionately before adding "If anything, it just adds to her serene nature. She was kinda like a mother hen while I was growing up and my parents weren't around."

"Swa," Swanna chirped, nuzzling Eva affectionately.

"So cool," Max simply stated, petting the Flying-type's head as well, earning an affectionate nuzzle of his own.





Later that night, after everyone had gone off to bed, Eva lay in her bed in the guest bedroom, staring up at the ceiling with her hands under her head. The events of the day had been nothing short of surprising and Zero's confession had really thrown her for a curve, but she was glad to know he shared the same feelings she had towards him. Still; knowing that she and Zero were committing such an act that the Ranger Union saw as an act against nature itself, worried her deeply. Would they be able to keep their relationship a secret, much less alive, despite being near the center of hatred for it?

"Absol, Ab, Sol, Sol."

Eva turned to look at Zero, finding his amber eyes looking back with hope. The teen reached into her jacket pocket on the chair by the bed and pulled out her earpiece, then placed it over her ear and turned it on. "What did you say, Zero?"

"We aren't alone, you know," Zero repeated.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you and I aren't the only team in the Union that are in love."

Eva's eyes grew wide. "There's another team that's in a relationship!? Who!?"

"Do you remember Abby Trombly?"

"Of the Poképhilia Unit!? You mean she and Kasai are together as well!?"

Zero nodded. "Kasai and I have shared a few small conversations, in one of which he slipped his relationship with Abby. He was so worried that I would report them, since he knew about the device you have to understand me, but I told him that I had feelings for you, and well… he helped me sort some of my thoughts out and summon up the courage to tell you." The Absol blushed as he said this.

Eva smiled and, getting off her bed, kneeled in front of Zero and took his head into her hands, placing a kiss on his forehead. She then looked at him directly, realizing for the first time that his unique amber-colored eyes were stunning beyond belief. "I'm glad you did." She returned to the bed, but scooted as close to the wall as she could and patted the empty space.

Zero's eyes lit up and he eagerly joined his love on the bed. He curled up so he was facing Eva, looking at her gorgeous emerald-green eyes.

Eva pulled the blankets so it covered their lower bodies and placed an arm over Zero's neck. "Good night, Zero."

"Good night, Eva."





After that night, Eva and Zero's love continued blossom, right under the Union's nose. Abby and Kasai had approved of their love and the two teams spent much of their time together when they weren't on any missions.

Two years after Zero's confession, however, Eva's career was cut short. It was during what seemed as a simple case of Pokémon abandonment and the Pokémon was causing a small disturbance is a highly-populated area. The location just so happened to be Lumiouse City, so Eva was more than eager to return to her birth-town and show Zero where she had spent her early years of youth.

There would be no time for sightseeing, though, for the moment Eva and Zero arrived in Lumiouse, the ranger found out that the situation had gone very south. According to local law enforcement, a group of teenage punks had harassed the Pokémon that Eva had come to help - an Elekid- and ended up chasing it to the top of Lumiouse Tower. To make matters worse, a strong wind had started to pick up in the city, risking to blow the Electric-type off the structure. Clemont, the Gym Leader, was failed to reach due to being on a journey with his sister and two other Trainers, so access to the building was extremely limited, as the robot substitute was of little help.

Eva and Zero managed to reach the upper part of the tower with the help of a Skarmory and quickly found the Elekid shivering against the wind. When the Electric-type first saw the duo, it grew nervous and edged closer to the edge.

"Don't be scared, Elekid" Eva said as softly as possible but loud enough so the Pokémon could be heard her over the howling of the wind.

The young Electric Pokémon looked at Eva with frightened eyes. "El?"

Eva gave a sweet smile and got to one knee. "My name is Eva and this is my partner, Zero." She gestured to her partner, who dipped his head in greeting. "I know you're scared and confused, but Zero and I are here to help you." She pointed to her earpiece and added "This device let's me understand you, so can you tell me what happened to you?"

Elekid sniffed and did his best to dry his watery eyes. "T-Those mean humans chased me. They threw rocks at me. It…. it really hurt." He rubbed his left arm were several cuts were clearly visible.

He sounds real young, Eva thought to herself. I wonder… "Elekid; where are your parents?"

Before the tiny Pokémon could answer, a different voice screamed out, this one being female.

"Get away from him!"

Eva looked up to see an Electivire appear from out of nowhere and land protectively over Elekid, a very unhappy look on her face.

The Electivire glared at Zero menacingly. "What did you do to my son, filthy Dark-type!?"

Zero kept his calm demeanor. "There is no need to jump to conclusions. My partner and I came here to help Elekid."

Electivire seemed unconvinced. "You can't fool me! You Dark-types are all the same; cold-hearted and always picking on the young and weak. Well I won't let you go unscathed!" Electricity started building up around the mother's body, crackling with dangerous energy.

"There's no need for violence," Eva tried to reason. "Zero is very kindhearted and would never hurt your son. We can have Nurse Joy take care of his wounds and take you both somewhere safe, away from the dangers of the city."

The Thunderbolt Pokémon turned to Eva, realizing for the first time that she was there. "Are you a Ranger?"

Eva nodded. "We only want what's best for Elekid. The humans that hurt him are going to jail for what they did, so you don't have to worry about them anymore. Please believe me, Electavire."

The electricity surrounding Electivire started to settle and her eyes grew slightly softer.

"You have no reason to distrust us," Zero pressed on and took a cautious step forward.

However, this was a mistake as the protective mother grew rigid once more and stared darkly at Zero. "Don't you come near us!" She yelled and threw a Thunderbolt at the Absol.

"Zero!" Eva cried as she did the only thing she could think of and threw herself in front of her partner. Taking the full attack directly to her chest.

The Disaster Pokémon could only watch in utter horror as the love of his life let out an earsplitting scream as the Electric-type move pierced her like a dagger, before collapsing to the ground.

Eva felt numb as she slowly slipped out of consciousness, barely hearing Zero scream her name in anguish.





Eva survived the experience, but the extensive damage led to complications with her heart. Like any law-enforcement, she received a medical discharge from the Union and was honored back in Almia for her actions as a Top Ranger. For the first several months following the accident, Zero blamed himself for what happened, but every time, Eva insisted that it was her choice to risk her life if it meant saving him.

Although she would still help around the Command Center at HQ for small tasks, for the most part, Eva suddenly had a lot of free time on her hands, causing her to go into a sort of depression. That was when Cynthia and Iris had taken her to Unova and have her help Professor Juniper with her studies. Eva was glad that the two League Champions had stepped in, for it gave her and Zero more private time together, plus the fateful meeting of Gene and Belle had been a big bonus.

Some time had passed before Eva decided that she wanted to start a new life in Sinnoh with Zero; though her true motives to moving to the region were only known to a few, as there was a rumored underground railroad for Trainers and their Pokémon that shared true and pure feelings for each other and needed a place to lay low when law enforcement was on their tail.

They moved into a small cabin not too far from Twinleaf Town, Lake Verity but a few short meters away, and quickly set up shop. Eva and Zero would offer food and shelter to refugees and help them with getting to the next safe house or even transportation off the region. Of course, Eva had to keep the fact that she was a former Top Ranger secret, for she would quickly lose trust to those that so desperately needed her help, another reason for which she moved to Sinnoh.

It was a sunny day when everything would change. It seemed like any other day; Eva was hanging up laundry, taking advantage of the warm sunshine and slight breeze so she could prepare for the next set of guests, as she had received a telegraph from a friend in Oreburgh City that "A very delicate package was on its way and would arrive within the next day or so." The network that Eva was part had long-since resorted to using Bird Pokémon to send encrypted letters between its members, as conversations on phones could be easily recorded and/or traced.

Zero was playing with some younger wild Pokémon, if by playing meant letting them climb all over him and bite at his tail and fur. Still, the Absol had a grand patience with kids and enjoyed seeing them having fun. However, something seemed to grab his attention and he suddenly got to his feet, causing the little ones on his back to tumble to the ground. He sniffed the air and seemed to listen to the wind, almost as if trying to pinpoint something off.

Eva took notice and walked up to her partner. "What's up?" She rarely these days didn't have her earpiece on her ear, and this day was no exception.

"Something has happened," Zero replied, an almost nervous tone in his voice. "I can feel it coming from Mt. Coronet, deep within."

Eva's eyes grew wide as a thought occurred to her. "Could it be the Sky Pillar?"

Zero did not respond and instead turned towards the direction of the lake, then darted off.

"Wait up!" Eva called as she rushed after her partner. She weaved around the densely packed trees and soon saw Zero at the lake side, staring at it intently. The young woman quietly joined him and kneeled, placing a hand on his back. "What's wrong?"

Zero shook his head. "Lady's Mespirit's presence; I can't sense it."

Eva was speechless. Mespirit was missing? What could it possibly mean?

Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness came over the two of them. As they fell into unconsciousness they didn't even hear the words that seemed to be spoken through their minds.

"Rest now my children, for when you awake a whole new world shall be your home."