Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Master ❯ Stage Four - Embers and Smoke ( Chapter 4 )

Ember walked alone on the highway. He was dusty from his knees down from walking on the dry roads, and a hot wind tried to snatch his hat away. Even so, he felt content with his lot. At least he was away for a while, able to separate himself from a life that had gotten annoying and do what he wanted to do for a change. And right now, what he wanted to do was make tracks to Azalea Town to seek out the next Gym Leader. He took out his PokeGear to take a glance at his map, only to have its readings obscured by a large black shadow. He looked up and sighed.

"Great," he muttered. "So much for leaving my past behind me."

Hovering above him was a gleaming golden Dragonite, looking down on him with curiosity. When it realized it was being watched, it began to fly away again.

"Oh, no you don't!" said Ember. "You're not getting away that easy! Aerodactyl, I choose you!"

He unclipped the PokeBall from his belt and lobbed it into the air, releasing a shrieking grey dragon-like creature into the sky. It wheeled about to block the Dragonite's escape path and dove, attacking wildly. The Dragonite watched it with a look that could almost be called condescending, dipping out of the way at the last possible second and dealing the Aerodactyl a whap with its tail as it passed. That seemed to push the flier into a blind fury, and it turned again, screeching and slashing wildly. The Dragonite looked more annoyed than anything; it fended every attack with no trouble. Ember sighed.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "All right, be that way, then! Aerodactyl, return!"

The Aerodactyl ignored him. All of its attention was focused on the Dragonite, which was busy trying to escape.

"Aerodactyl, I said, return! ... Oh, why do I even bother? Charmeleon, Seadra, get out here!"

In two bursts of light, another pair of Pokemon joined the fray. They stared at the battle above their heads, and then looked to Ember for instruction.

"Don't worry about the Dragonite," he told them. "He's out of your league, anyway. Just get that stupid Aerodactyl back in his ball where he belongs!"

The two 'mons nodded and turned to the Aerodactyl, not even needing to be instructed. The Seadra filled the air with bubbles, drenching the Rock-type and making it difficult for him to fly. When he tried to escape, Charmeleon blocked him with plumes of fire. Gradually, the Aerodactyl was worn down enough that Ember could call him back, and he shut the ball with an annoyed snap.

"I'm going to tape this thing shut," he muttered. "Nothing but trouble! Are you two guys okay? Good. Back you go."

He ushered his 'mons back into their balls and clipped them back to his belt, next to the last unused ball. He sighed.

"This training business is harder than it looked," he said. "But I will make it work! Nobody's going to get in my way - not my uncle, not Clair... and not that white-haired girl," he added as an afterthought.

"No?" said a cold voice. "Then how about me?"

"Huh?"

Ember barely had time for a reaction before someone grabbed him from behind, pinioning his arms. He tried to reach for his Pokeballs, but he couldn't bend his arms that far, not with this unidentified person holding them in place. He struggled, but there was nothing a teenaged boy could do against a strong older man.

"That's right, fight," the person behind him whispered. "You won't get away from me, boy. Or should I call you... Ember?"

"Ember? Listen, you've got the wrong guy - I'm just a trainer!"

"Don't lie to me, kid. Disguise yourself all you want, but I'd still know that red hair of yours anywhere. Besides, one Rocket will always recognize another."

"So you're a Rocket? Then what do you think you're doing, messing with me? Don't you know what will happen to you if I get hurt?" Ember demanded.

"Nothing worse than what's already happened," said the voice. "Don't you remember me? I was with the team that was putting together the hub in Ilex Forest. I was stationed as a guard there. When the project collapsed, the boss couldn't stand that his own precious nephew had messed up, so he blamed it on us. I've been fired because of your screw-up, and now I'm going to have my revenge."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Why not? No one will see. There will never be any evidence. They'll probably never even find your body."

"What...?" Ember began. Then something very hard came in contact with his head, and he slipped into darkness.

He came around a few hours later, conscious of dampness on his clothes and bone-chilling cold. Vaguely, his brain still spinning from being struck, he wondered what had happened. Had it rained on him while he was asleep? And why did his head hurt so much? Feeling only somewhat worried, he tried to sit up - and pain shot through his leg, making him cry out. His voice echoed weirdly. At the same moment, his eyes snapped wide open and were met by darkness. Breathing hard now from pain and surprise, he began trying to take stock of his situation. His leg seemed to be bent at the wrong angle; his knee felt like it was out of joint. A number of other little bruises and cuts told him where the dark and dampness had come from. He'd been thrown to the bottom of Slowpoke Well... not a bad place, he realized, to throw someone you didn't want found. Not even trainers came down here very much, not unless they were specifically interested in wild Slowpokes, and not many were. He could lie down here for days and never see a soul, and by that time...

"I'm getting out of here," he said firmly.

He reached for the PokeBalls at his belt. Charmeleon might not care much for this damp place, but he was large and strong enough that he would be able to help Ember to safety. That was the plan, anyway, but even in the dark he could see that it was not going to work. The ball with the Charmeleon was gone! Had it fallen off when he'd been dropped? No, that wasn't likely. The balls were all clipped on tightly, and he didn't think he'd fallen hard enough to loosen all four of them... but they were all gone.

"Stolen," he muttered. "That - that - that thief took my Pokemon! And after all that work! Now I'll never get out of here!"

He sighed, dropping his head back to the cold stone. He wished he could go back to sleep for a while, maybe until his headache went away. He wondered if it would take very long to starve to death, and whether he could find a way out of here before that. He wondered if his uncle would miss him. While he was lying there wondering, a Slowpoke shuffled out of the gloom and began inspecting him. It nosed at his hat, knocking it off, and began chewing on his hair.

"Yuck!" shouted Ember, sitting up so suddenly that a chunk of hair came out, and a fresh jolt of pain ran up his injured leg. "What do I look like, a bush? Get away! Go on, shoo!"

He waved blindly in the direction of the Slowpoke and felt his hand connect with something. The Slowpoke considered a moment, decided that being hit hurt a bit, considered some more, and finally came to the conclusion that it had places it would rather be. It shambled off, carrying Ember's hat in its mouth.

"I never thought I'd ever get out of that!" Aurora sighed, stepping out of Union Cave and into the sunshine.

"Ya did good," said Laine. "Only screamed four times. That's pretty good, for you."

"I can't help it! I just don't like bats."

"So what? I don't like asparagus, but I don't scream when I see it," said Laine. She paused, looking critically at the sky. "Sun's shinin'. Was shinin' last time I was here, too."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Aurora said. She was still stinging a bit from being reminded of her weakness. It wasn't as if she was afraid on purpose, after all. She'd be happy to not be afraid if she could.

"Not that obvious," answered Laine. "You must not know much about Azalea Town. I told you it was fulla Slowpokes, right? Well, we've got a kind of joke, says that a Slowpoke's yawn brings the rain. Joke is - Slowpokes are always yawnin', and it's always rainin' in Azalea. Except... today it's not."

"Well, that's good, right?" said Aurora. "I know I don't want to be rained on again. Once is enough."

"Might be good. Might not," Laine replied. She was still staring at the sky, a crease in her forehead betraying worry. "I hope we don' have a drought or somethin'. That wouldn' be good. We need the rain."

"What for?" asked Aurora.

"Well, lots of things. It makes the Apricorn bushes grow, for one thing. We grow the best Apricorns in the world - that's why grandpa lives here. And Bugsy likes the rain - Fire-types are strong against Bug-types, and the rain gives him an edge."

"Ah," said Aurora. "So a drought would be the best time to challenge him, right?"

"Right," Laine replied. "But you're talkin' about my hometown."

"Oops. Sorry, Laine."

"'Sokay. Anyway, as long as we've gotta be here... guess I might as well show you 'round," Laine replied. "Ain't nobody who knows her way around this place better than me! Come on!"

She gripped Aurora's wrist, suddenly full of energy again, and dragged her down the hill towards the town, stirring up clouds of dust with their footfalls. Even so, the town managed to look cheerful as they approached it. The sun reflected brightly off the town's yellow roofs, and flowers still managed to bloom in multicolored clumps in every front yard. The town had an earthy look to it, with wooden houses and lots of greenery. Pokemon, Slowpokes in particular, were roaming freely, dozing in the warm sunlight. Aurora could believe that this was the place where her friend had grown up - they both had the same air of down-to-earth good cheer.

"Where's your house?" Aurora asked.

"Over yonder somewheres," said Laine, waving vaguely at the far side of the town. "I don' wanna go there just yet. First let me show you something cool."

She led the way to a small building with a large chimney, through which large amounts of smoke were issuing. Stepping inside, Aurora found herself staring across a wide room and into a blazing inferno at the far side. She coughed as she got a sudden whiff of smoke, and Scar loudly protested the increase in temperature on an already warm day. Laine didn't seem to be bothered by it. While Aurora was still trying to adjust her lungs, Laine was shouting a cheery greeting to the men working in the smoky room.

"Laine!" said one of them, stopping what he was doing to grin at her. "Long time no see! I thought you'd forgotten all about us."

"Nah, just decided to take a hike," Laine replied. "Brad, this is 'Rora. 'Rora, this is Brad. He's the one who gave me my Charcoal Amulet."

"Pleased to meet you," said Aurora, offering a hand to shake.

Brad held up his hands, showing that they were covered in soot. "Sorry! I'm kind of a mess right now... but pleased to meet you anyway. Are you looking to buy Charcoal? For a friend of Laine's, I might give you a discount..."

"Oh, no you don't!" said the older man. "Don't listen to my helper, young lady. I'm the one who sets the prices around here. He's just a lazy bum... not to mention a flirt."

"Quack!" said a Farfetch'd, who was busy chopping sticks of wood. "Quack, quack, quack!" Aurora giggled, and the others stared at her.

"What's so funny?" Brad asked.

"He says, not only are you lazy, but you're also scared of the dark," Aurora explained.

"Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

"He says the reason you make Charcoal is so you'll always have light around."

By this time, Laine and the charcoal man were also laughing, and Aurora was trying to hide a pleased grin. Brad was staring at her.

"Who are you supposed to be? Dr. Doolittle?" he asked. "I'm going to have to glue that bird's mouth shut..."

"Rora's a trainer," said Laine. "She's good at talking to Pokemon."

"Ah! Going to take on Bugsy?" the charcoal man asked. "Perhaps we could interest you in buying an Amulet? It will boost your advantage if you have a Fire-type in your team..." He trailed off hopefully.

"Sorry," she said. "All I've got are Flying-types. They've got an advantage already."

"Oh." The charcoal man looked distinctly put-out. "Well... some other time, maybe?"

"Maybe," said Aurora. "Anyway, I think I should be going. There's still a lot to do here."

"I guess," Laine replied, unwillingly following her friend outside.

"What?" asked Aurora, stepping back into the sunshine. It was nice to be able to breathe fresh air again, and the temperature outside felt almost cool by comparison. "We do have things to do today."

"Like go to the Gym?" Laine suggested.

Aurora turned to look at her friend. "What is with you today?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, come on. You've been acting weird ever since we got here... like there's something you don't want me to see."

"Why would you think that?" asked Laine.

"Because you didn't even want me to come here to begin with. Now you're telling me where to go now I'm here. Come on, Laine, spill. What's the problem?"

Laine looked dismayed. "Well... Remember when I said I didn't really want to go back home?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't."

"Why not?"

"I just don't, okay? Sheesh, do ya hafta know my whole life story, or what?" Laine snapped. Scar glared at her, then nipped her hand with his sharp beak. "Yowch! What'd ya do that for?"

"Spear, spear, spearow. Spear, spear."

"He's got a point, you know," said Aurora.

"No, I don't," Laine replied. "You're the only one who understands him, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Aurora replied. "But anyway, what exactly did you tell your grandfather in that letter you sent him?"

"That I was goin' to Blackthorn with you."

"Right," Aurora replied. "But I'm not going to Blackthorn anymore. I'm going to be running all over Johto."

"But you'll get back to Blackthorn eventually, so I'm still goin' there with you," Laine answered.

"It's not the same and you know it."

"So?" Laine replied. "It's none of your business. Grandpa would never let me go anywhere if I asked him. He'd never let me even go into the forest if he had a choice. You think he's gonna just let me walk off into the wild blue whatever? I don' think so! Better for me to just disappear."

"And leave him sitting here for months worrying why you haven't come back?" Aurora replied. "Look, if you want to come, come, but at least tell them before you go."

"There isn' any them," said Laine. "Just Grandpa."

Aurora was stunned for a moment. Then she shrugged. "So you want to leave him all alone without even a goodbye."

Laine scowled. "Well, when you put it like that... Okay, I'll go tell him goodbye if it'll get you off my case."

She turned around and stomped off, muttering to herself. Aurora shrugged and followed.

After a long, tense walk, they finally found themselves at the edge of the town, looking up a hill at a little house. It stood against a backdrop of trees, the nearby Ilex Forest, and the front yard was full of bushes with multicolored seeds. Scar pecked at a few but decided they weren't edible. Laine led the way up a flagstone path that was nearly hidden by grass and overhanging bushes to knock on the front door. It was answered by an elderly man with a ridge of greying black hair around his mostly bald head.

"I'm sorry, but my workload is very heavy right now, so if you want to order a PokeBall-" he began, and stopped in mid-sentence as he realized who was on his doorstep. "Elaine! There you are! Great Forest Guardian, I've been almost out of my mind worrying about you... well, don't just stand there, get inside! Wait a minute, who's this?"

"Grandpa, this is 'Rora. She's a trainer," Laine explained. "She's been looking after me - her and her Pokemon. See?"

She gestured at Scar, who ruffled his feathers and squinted out of his scarred eye, looking properly dangerous.

"Well," said Kurt. It was all he had to say on the subject, but he looked a degree less angry, and he ushered Aurora inside with respect. He beckoned for Scar to join them, but the bird took a look at the enclosed space and squawked his preference to stay outside and chase bugs. Aurora patted his beak and told him to be a good boy, then turned and went inside.

Directly inside the front door was a large open space, some odd combination of workshop and sitting room, with the living room furniture jumbled oddly with a large work table and several shelves of tools and equipment. Sitting in the middle of the room was a large pile of Apricorns in various colors. That was what Aurora had expected to see in the workshop of the famous Kurt. What she hadn't expected to see was a Cubone, which was sitting next to the pile of nuts, methodically cracking them in half, scooping out the insides, and sorting the shells by color. It seemed to surprise Laine, too.

"Where'd he come from?" she asked.

"You sent him to me," answered to Kurt.

"I did?" asked Laine. "Oh, yeah, the critters we took from the Rockets! I'd almost forgotten 'bout them. But I told you to find homes for them, not keep 'em for yourself."

"I did find homes for most of them. There are only two left now," Kurt replied. "This one and I get along well enough, so I decided to keep him. He does a lot of the work I'm getting too old to do. The other one I don't know what I'm going to do with, though. He's in the back garden if you want to see him. Maybe your friend will have a use for him."

"Whatcha think?" asked Laine. "You want an extra Pokemon?"

"You can never have too many," Aurora replied. "Especially since I only have two now."

They went out back, where there was a small lawn cleared amidst the bushes (thought it was getting slightly overgrown, having not been mown in weeks). In the yard was a Machop, who was busily going through his paces, kicking and chopping at the air. He was so intent on his exercise that he didn't even look up as the girls approached.

"No wonder Grandpa doesn' want him," Laine remarked. "Machops are no good for workin'. All they wanna do is fight. You want it, Aurora?"

"I don't know," Aurora replied. "I sort of already told Scar I didn't want any Machops. He might get annoyed with me."

Hearing voices, the Machop looked up. It glanced at Aurora. It stared at Laine.

"Chop!" it squealed joyfully. It catapulted itself across the lawn to hit Laine with the force of an oncoming train... only it didn't really hit her, it threw its arms around her in a hug that squeezed the air out of her lungs. Aurora thought she heard a few ribs pop.

"Get this thing off me!" Laine yelped, trying in vain to free herself.

"Chop, chop, chop..." said the Machop happily, rubbing its head against her side like a happy cat.

Aurora laughed. "Are you sure I should keep him? I think he likes you!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I don't want him to like me! Get off!" she complained. She shoved the Machop, and it finally let go of her, only to stand a few feet away and stare at her with an expression of rapt adoration.

"What is wrong with this thing?" Laine demanded.

Aurora shrugged. "He must be one of the ones you caught with the Friendship Balls. You said they would make Pokemon like you."

"Yeah, but not this much," Laine sighed. "Darn it! I was never any good at Friendship Balls."

"I'm assuming you forgot to let the shells dry before you wired them up," said an authoritative voice behind her. Laine whirled to find her grandfather standing over her shoulder. "Drying the shells is very important... as you can see. Thought you'd take a shortcut, did you?"

"No!" Laine protested. "I just needed help in a hurry! If I hadn't done somethin', those Rockets would have hurt someone.. Me, for example."

"So he got too strong a dose, and now you can't get rid of him," Kurt finished. "Well, there's nothing that can be done about that now."

"There isn't?" asked Laine, still gawping at the Machop, who continued staring back dreamily. "That's the last thing I needed - a Machop with a crush on me."

Kurt shrugged. "You'll just have to hope it wears off. It probably will, given a month or two. Of course, I have no idea what you're going to do with him until then. There really isn't much use for Fighting-types if you aren't going to train them..."

"He'll be good for protection," said Laine. "You know, for when I go out."

"Go out?" Kurt repeated. "And just where, young lady, do you think you're going to go?"

"With her," said Laine.

"And where is she going?"

"Everywhere," Laine replied. "She's a trainer, Grandpa. She's collecting the Badges of Johto, and I'm going with her."

"No, you are not!" said Kurt sternly. "How many times do I have to tell you, I am not letting you wander off on these wild adventures? You are going to stay here where it is safe!"

"That's what you think. I don' wanna be safe, Grandpa, I wanna go out and do things!"

"Elaine, you and I have had this conversation before. I think you already know what the answer is."

"Yeah. I'm leavin' whether you like it or not."

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me!"

"Chop?" the Machop inquired. "Chop, chop?"

"He's always telling me that," Laine answered distractedly. "He wants me to stay at home and shell nuts all my life."

"I want you to stay out of trouble," said Kurt.

"Um," said Aurora, looking for a way to derail what looked like a long, ugly argument. "Did anyone notice the Slowpoke is back?"

"Huh?" said Laine. "Oh, hey, Slowpoke! When'd you get here?"

"Slow..." the Slowpoke yawned. He took a few steps toward his owner, changed his mind, and went to sleep on Aurora's foot.

"Hey, get off! You're heavy," she complained, bending down to shove him away. "Wait a minute, what's this?"

"What's what?" asked Laine, seizing the distraction.

"He's got something around his mouth. Looks like someone's hat," Aurora answered. She picked it up and studied it. It was a very familiar denim cap, with a few wisps of bright red hair still clinging to it.

"Looks kinda familiar, doesn't it?" Laine remarked.

"Looks like the one Ember wears," answered Aurora, turning it over in her hands. "Looks a lot like Ember's hair, too."

"Ember?" Kurt repeated. "Who or what is Ember?"

"Just some guy we keep running into," answered Laine. "But how would Slowpoke have gotten a mouthful of Ember's hair? He wouldn't just be sitting around letting Slowpokes take bites outta him..."

Aurora's expression clouded. "Not unless he was in trouble."

"Slow!" said the Slowpoke. "Slow... poke!"

"Spear, spear, spearow," Scar translated. Aurora nodded.

"What's he saying?" Laine asked.

"He says the Slowpoke found a cave. He's annoyed, though. Slowpokes aren't very good conversationalists."

"Was it the same guy we fought with last time I saw you?" Laine asked the Slowpoke.

The Slowpoke thought a moment, then grunted. Scar squawked, and Aurora translated: "He forgot."

"Great," Laine muttered. "All right, all right, how 'bout this? Was the guy you got this from in trouble? Was he hurt? Lying down on the ground like he couldn' get up?"

There was a long moment while the Slowpoke tried to muddle through all the questions at once. At last, it gave an affirmative nod.

"You sure?" Laine pressed.

Slowpoke nodded again.

"That's all I needed to hear!" said Laine. "C'mon, 'Rora, we're goin'. Hey, Grandpa, can we borrow some ropes and things? We might need 'em."

"Do you want me to go along?" Kurt asked.

"Nah, we'll be okay. I'll take the Machop along," Laine replied. "C'mon, Machop. Let's see if you can impress me."

"Chop!" said the Machop. He sprinted toward the door and waited eagerly for her to catch up to him. She followed behind, pausing only long enough to rummage through a closet and pull out a length of rope. Aroura watched, bewildered.

"You're awfully eager to save him," she remarked. "I thought you didn't like Ember."

"I don't," said Laine firmly, hauling out what appeared to be a first-aid kit.

"Then why...?"

"Let's just say I've got reasons," said Laine. "I'd never leave anyone alone and hurt, even him. Why? Doncha wanna rescue your boyfriend?"

"I would if I had one," Aurora replied, "but I'll come with you anyway."

"You girls be careful!" Kurt shouted, as Laine grabbed Aurora by the arm and hauled her out the door. His only answer was a slamming door, and he sighed and shook his head.

"That girl," he said. "She's her father's child, all right. There's no changing that."

"Bone, bone," his Cuebone agreed. "Bone, bone, cuebone."

"You're right," Kurt agreed, sitting down at his workbench and picking through the Apricorn shells. "It is completely nuts."

Meanwhile, Aurora and Laine were racing up the main road, throwing up clouds of dust, while Scar soared above their heads and the Machop urged them on. At last, breathing hard and sweating from heat and exertion, they arrived at the mouth of the Slowpoke Well. They stood there a moment, trying to catch their breath. Laine was the first to recover, and she stepped up to the cave, cupping her hands to her mouth and shouting.

"Hello, down there!" she bellowed. "We know you're down there, so say something!"

"Hello?" a hesitant voice called back. "Can you hear me? I need help!"

"That's him!" said Aurora. "Hang on, we're coming!"

It took a little while to suit action to words, but eventually they managed, hitching the rope to a large rock and climbing carefully into the well. The drop was steep, almost vertical, and they had to proceed slowly to keep from falling on top of each other. Even Scar was having difficulties, trying to find some way of flying almost straight down without crashing into something. He managed by making little flying hops down the well's steep sides, dropping pebbles down on the heads of those below him. At last, they reached the bottom and looked around, or tried to. It was pitch black. Laine rummaged around in her pockets and came up with her Charcoal amulet, letting its reddish light show them a deep, dark, wet cave. Aurora looked around, seeing how the amulet's light reflected off the puddles and slick rocks. She looked up and saw dozens and dozens of sleeping Zubats. She made a choking noise as she tried to stifle a shriek.

*I'm not going to freak out,* she told herself sternly. *Laine is right. I've got to learn how to not be afraid. The last thing I need is to make a fool of myself in front of Ember...*

"You okay?" asked Laine, glancing at the bats.

"Fine," Aurora replied. She didn't want to say much more; despite her resolve, she still didn't like the idea that there were all those shrieky, fanged, winged things above her head.

Laine nodded. "We'll move fast. Let's see if we can find ol' Fire-Top and drag him home. Ember! Hey, Ember, where're ya hidin'?"

There was an answer. From somewhere in the shadows, a faint, pain-filled voice echoed off of the rocks. It said, "Oh, no, not you again."

"You ought to be glad to see us," said Aurora. "We came down here to save you, didn't we?"

"Did you? I thought you'd just come to be irritating, as usual."

"Maybe we should just leave him here, after all," said Laine.

"Chop, chop!" the Machop agreed. He seemed to feel that his trainer had been insulted.

"No, we came this far," Aurora said. She was following the sound of the voice, and very soon, she came upon a damp and crumpled figure lying on the floor. He still managed to look balefully up at her.

"So, we meet again," he said. "Have you come to gloat?"

"I wouldn't have risked my neck just to come down here and insult you," Aurora replied. "Laine, come here a minute. I think Ember's going to need your first-aid kit."

"All right, all right," Laine muttered. She scrambled over to join Aurora. "And all right. Looks like your buddy's a little roughed up. Well, sit back an' let the doctor do her work. Where does it hurt?"

"I'm not letting you near me," said Ember angrily. He tried to back away, but was forced to stop as his injured leg betrayed him.

"Okay, be that way, then," said Aurora, giving Laine a wink that Ember couldn't see in the darkness. "Come on, Laine. Ember would obviously rather be left alone."

She turned and began walking away, Scar hopping obediently behind her. Laine thought about it for a moment, then followed after, beckoning for her Machop to copy Scar's example. Ember was silent up until the point when the light from Laine's amulet could no longer be seen. The threat of being left in the dark outweighed any pride he had left.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted.

"Wait for what?" asked Aurora. "You said you wouldn't let us near you, so we obviously can't help..."

"Well... any help you try to give me won't be as bad as being left behind to starve," said Ember. "If I'm lucky, maybe you'll kill me quickly and be done with it."

"Not likely," said Laine. "I'm no doctor, but I don' think I'm gonna kill you. Sit still and let me see how bad you managed to bust yourself up."

"As if I did it on purpose," Ember muttered. Laine ignored him, coming to kneel next to him and make as close an inspection of his injuries as he would allow.

"So how did you wind up down here?" asked Aurora. "Did you fall or something?"

"I'm not such a klutz as all that," Ember replied. "Someone thought it would be more fun to give me a push. I'm lucky to just have a few bumps. He wanted me dead."

The words were spoken as if it were all very matter of fact, but Aurora felt a little chill run through her. She had imagined the next few years of her life with Ember playing a role in them, and it was odd to think of someone trying to remove him from it. And how did anyone speak so casually of having someone out to kill them?

"Why would anyone want to do that?" she asked.

"Just because," Ember replied. "Jealousy, most likely. It comes from being my uncle's nephew. When I'm with him, I'm safe enough, but it seems that when I'm out in the open..." He shrugged. "I thought my Pokemon would be enough of a defense. Obviously, I'm not as prepared as I thought I was."

"You're a good trainer," said Aurora. "Falkner said as much, and he should know."

"Yeah, well, I'm not good enough," Ember answered. "Ow! Watch what you're doing!"

That last remark was addressed to Laine, who was making an inspection of his injured knee. The remark was rather unfair; despite her blunt speech and careless ways, she actually had a very good bedside manner. If Aurora hadn't known her better, she would have sworn she was in the presence of a nurse instead of a Pokeball-maker's unwilling apprentice. Aurora wondered if maybe Laine's forays in to Pokemon studies had taught her some veterinary skills.

"Can't help it," Laine replied. "You threw your leg outta joint. Anything I do to it's gonna hurt."

"Well, do something helpful, at least," said Ember.

"I will," Laine replied. "It's pretty obvious, we're gonna hafta get your leg put back together before you can get outta here. Be better if a doctor did it, but you're gonna hafta settle for little ol' me. Can you handle a little pain?"

"As if I wasn't doing it already."

"Fine," said Laine. "Hey, Machop, wanna help me out here?"

The Pokemon's eyes lit up happily, and he exclaimed, "Chop, chop, chop!" as if there was nothing in the world he would rather do.

"Great. You hang onto the boy's shoulders so he doesn't slip. 'Rora, you take his foot - that's right. When I give the signal, you pull, nice and steady. Ember, you just try to stay relaxed. I'm gonna try to push the bone back in place, and if you tense up, it's just gonna hurt worse, so trust us, okay?"

Ember looked as if he didn't want to trust them at all, but he voiced no complaints. Everyone else moved into the positions Laine had dictated and waited for her signal.

"Ready?" she said. "One - two - three - pull!"

Aurora, uncomfortably aware at how awkward the situation was, nevertheless tightened her grip on Ember's foot and pulled. Ember hissed at the pain, but kept manfully silent. For a moment, they were frozen in the peculiar tableau. Then Aurora's grip slipped, Ember's shoe came free, and she fell over backwards clutching a sneaker. Without Aurora's counterpull, the Machop also tipped over, taking Ember and Laine with him. At the same instant, there was a gasp and a loud POP! Everyone fell into a heap.

"Ow," said Laine vaguely. "Get off me!"

That last remark was addressed to the Machop, who was not actually on her at all, but seemed unduly pleased that she'd fallen on top of him, and she shoved herself away. Scar hopped over the Aurora to make sure she was all right, preening her hair. Ember sat up carefully, carefully flexing his injured leg.

"Are you all right now?" Aurora asked, getting up to return his sneaker.

"I'll live," he replied, accepting the shoe with his usual unruffled demeanor.

"A successful operation," said Laine grandly, dusting off her hands. "Congratulations! I think you're gonna live... for a little while longer, anyway."

"A great comfort," Ember replied. He attempted to get to his feet, but his sore limb refused to hold him, and he fell.

"On the other hand, you're not gonna do much walkin' for a while," she added.

"He'll be fine," said Aurora, going to give him a hand up. "Anyway, he's got to walk if he's going to get out of here. Tell your Machop to give him a hand."

Machop looked at Laine to see if it was really all right for this girl to order him around. When Laine only rolled her eyes, he decided it probably didn't matter, and he went to prop Ember up on his other side. With the help of him and Aurora, Ember was able to limp to the mouth of the cave.

There he was faced with yet another problem: how to escape? The girls had climbed down with the help of a rope, and it had been difficult enough just sliding down that thin cable in the dark. How was a boy who could barely stand up going to climb all that height?

"I think I see a problem," Laine remarked.

"I don't," Ember replied. "Don't underestimate me just because I'm injured."

"But-" said Laine, and stopped. Ember had released his hold on his supports and was walking carefully toward the climbing rope. Giving Laine a scornful glance, he took the rope in his hands and began hauling himself up by the strength of his arms. The Machop went next, offering the boy a push any time he lost his momentum, and Scar fluttered above them, calling down support in the form of his unmelodious shrieks. Laine crawled along below him, muttering to herself about the likelihood of "that showoff" losing his grip and falling on her head. Aurora silently brought up the rear, thinking. Cold as he might act, it was still hard not to admire Ember's determination. She wondered if that was why Scar was being so supportive all of a sudden.

At last, they reached the top of the climb and went sprawling out onto the dry grass, panting from the exertion of the climb. Ember collapsed against a rock, looking as if his stamina had given out entirely, but there was a desperate light in his eyes that said clearly he would have given a lot to be able to get up and run. As soon as Aurora had been hauled out of the cave by the helpful Machop, she went to quiz him about it.

"What are you looking so frantic about?" she asked. "We got you out of the cave, didn't we?"

"Yes... I suppose I'm grateful for that," he answered, "but that wasn't my only problem. Whoever attacked me decided I wasn't going to need my Pokemon anymore. I've got to get them back." He tried to get up, but a glare from Laine made the Machop shove him in place again.

"You're not goin' anywhere on that bad leg," said Laine firmly. "Not if I have anything to do with it. You go runnin' around like that, you'll fall and break your neck, and I like my patients to live."

"You don't understand!" Ember snapped. "Those Pokemon are everything to me! Charmeleon and Seadra... I raised them from eggs. We grew up together. They're the only creatures in the world that care about me, and I'm not letting someone just take them away from me!"

"Well, you're not gonna help 'em by runnin' around and gettin' yourself hurt," said Laine stubbornly. "Look, they're long gone now, okay? Ya aren't gonna find 'em. Report it to the authorities and let them find 'em for ya."

"Laine, what are you saying?" said Aurora, aghast.

"I'm trying to talk some sense into 'im," Laine said. "No, don't look at me like I'm an ogre! I know his Pokemon are important, but he's just not gonna be able to find 'em. Whoever took 'em has had a couple hours head start at least. There's just no way."

"What do you think I'd say to that if someone had stolen Scar?" Aurora retorted. "I asked you why you were going to save Ember even though you don't like him, and you said you have your reasons. Well, I've got my reasons now. There's nothing I hate worse than people who mistreat their Pokemon, and any person who would try to kill a human would do the same to a Pokemon without blinking. Ember may be a Rocket and a pain in the neck, but he is a responsible trainer - Falkner said so, and I trust him. Those Pokemon belong with Ember, and I'll give my help if he wants it. Ember?"

Ember gave her a speculative look. "You're a strange girl, Winter-Hair. I almost have to admire you for it."

"You're both outta your Apricorns," said Laine. "I dunno what your problem is, but I hope it's not contagious, 'cause I can't afford to - huh? Scar, what's your problem? 'Rora, what is that bird going on about?"

It was true that Scar appeared to be having problems. He was jumping around, screeching at the top of his voice, fluttering his wings and shedding feathers in every direction. Aurora listened a minute, then turned her eyes to the horizon. Her expression became puzzled, then fearful, prompting the others to look as well. In the distance was a dark green smudge that marked the beginning of the Ilex forest. There was another smudge, too, one that looked like it didn't belong, a pale grey-white cloud that rose slowly into the blue sky. Below it, just barely visible, was a faint orange glow.

"What in the...?" said Aurora.

"Charmeleon," said Ember. Forcing himself to his feet, ignoring his injured leg, he began staggering toward the town.

"Hold it!" Laine snapped.

Ember turned around and glared at her. "You're not telling me I can't go."

"No, I'm not," said Laine. She was digging through the first aid kit. "I know when I'm outvoted. If you're determined to go out an' make trouble, just hold up long enough to put a bandage on that knee of yours so you don' end up crippled for life or something."

"You're coming too?" asked Aurora hopefully.

"I'm not gonna let his Charmeleon burn down my forest, if that's what you mean," Laine responded. She threw an ace bandage at Ember. "Here. Put that on, and let's get moving."

Ember stared at her a moment as if she'd grown another head. Then, still wearing that puzzled expression, he began obediently wrapping the bandage around his knee. Once that was done, he turned without another word and began dashing for the village as fast as he could make himself go, not even turning to look at the two girls who followed close behind.

Just a short while earlier, the Ilex forest was dark and still, save for the movement of a single man in black. The ex-Rocket snickered to himself as he slipped silently through the trees, feeling very pleased with himself. He had felt a little nervous about actually executing the deed, and he had been very careful about making his escape, creeping through backyards and keeping to the shadows. It was only now that he was out of the town, so ensconced in darkness that no one could find him if they looked, that he was allowing himself to feel a flicker of victory. He had gotten away with it! He had taken out Giovanni's snobby nephew, and latched on to the upstart's Pokemon into the bargain! He wasn't quite sure what kind of creatures the kid had been packing, but anyone in the Giovanni family line was bound to be carrying something pretty impressive. Well, now would be a good time to find out. He pulled out the four Pokeballs and looked at them. They were all the same. With a shrug, he picked one at random and threw.

In a flash of orange light, Seadra appeared, and the Rocket grinned. Evolved Water-type - not too bad! It looked at him, as if demanding to know who he was and what he had done with Ember.

"Don't give me that glare!" said the Rocket. "The kid's gone now, so I'm your master now, understand?"

The Seadra did not understand. It looked him over with a scornful attitude, then very pointedly curled up on the forest floor for a nap. The Rocket scowled.

"Fine! Be that way, then! You'll get what's coming to you in the end," he snapped. "Now I'll see if any of your friends are smarter."

As luck would have it, the next choice he made was the Charmeleon, and it was not at all pleased to see a stranger trying to order him around. The fiery-tempered Pokemon wasn't about to take things lying down like his water-based counterpart was, either. He snarled at the usurper, showing off his claws and breathing little wisps of smoke.

"What's your problem?" the Rocket demanded. "If you want to know, your old master is gone. I took care of him myself. Now I'm your partner, and you'd better get used to it."

Charmeleon had other ideas. He spat a ball of fire at the wannabe-trainer. The Rocket dodged, and the fireball hit a shrub, setting the dry leaves and wood on fire. Undaunted, Charmeleon spat another fireball, this time hitting a clump of grass. The dry foliage caught the flames easily and held them, turning into a small bonfire. The Rocket looked around, finding himself hemmed in on two sides by fire and two more by Pokemon. Deciding that he had gotten in over his head, he tried to make a break for it, dashing past the sleeping Seadra. Unfortunately for him, the Seadra was not as asleep as all that. As the Rocket tried to run away, it turned around and fired a volley of spikes at him. One of them caught his jacket, pinning him to a tree, and no matter how he struggled, he could not get away. And all the while, the flames burned higher...

By the time Ember, Aurora, and Laine arrived, the blaze had gone from cheerful to monstrous, gobbling up the dry forest in a crazed heat. The trainers arrived at the edge of the forest and stopped, staring up at that clouds of smoke.

"Okay, this is bad," said Laine. "What are we going to do?"

"Somebody's going to have to put this fire out," Aurora replied.

"Forget the fire. I want my partners back," said Ember. Getting identical glares from everyone around him, he added hastily, "If I had Seadra with me, we could tame this fire in no time."

"So what we need is some water power," said Laine thoughtfully. "We can do that! Azalea's crawlin' with Slowpokes. If someone could convince them to get up here an' do something..."

"Can you do that?" Aurora asked.

"I think I can. Every Pokemon in town knows me, I've spent so much time studying them. They'll listen to me."

"Then do it. We'll do what we can here."

"We will?" asked Ember. He looked at Aurora and sighed. "I suppose we will. All right, Winter-Hair, you give the orders and I'll follow. You haven't killed me yet."

"Maybe someday, if I'm lucky," Aurora replied. "But I think you're right, we're going to need all our Pokemon for this. We'll have to try to find them... if they're still in there."

"Be careful!" said Laine. "I'm counting on you to get me out of this one-Ponyta town, and you can't do it if you get yourself cooked. I'm going for help! Be back soon! Machop, stay and take care of 'Rora for me!"

"Chop, chop!" he agreed, waving a sad goodbye as his trainer sprinted back to Azalea town.

Aurora and Ember turned back to the problem at hand.

"All right, fearless leader," said Ember. "How are you going to get us through this?"

"Not on our own. We need someone more fireproof to help us out," Aurora replied. "Skarmory, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, Skarmory appeared. He raised his head, taking in the situation.

Hello, he said to Aurora. Hot weather we're having.

"Never mind the funny stuff," she said. "Could you do me a favor and look in this forest and see if you can find a runaway Rocket? He's stolen some Pokemon, and we really need to get them back."

Skarmory considered the request. As he did so, he caught sight of Ember, who backed away from his steely gaze.

That's the fire-haired one, Skarmory remarked. Have you tamed him now?

"Not yet," Aurora answered. "But he's helping out today, so be nice to him."

As you wish, said Skarmory. I will find the hunter now. May I bite him if I find him?"

"A little," said Aurora. "Now, hurry! We don't have time to waste!"

Skarmory dipped his head in agreement and went clattering into the air on his metal wings. His takeoff stirred a breeze, tossing Aurora's long hair.

"Wind," Ember said thoughtfully. "That's what we need now - a good strong wind, to blow the fire away from the town."

"That's no good. It would just send the fire to burn somewhere else," answered Aurora. "What we really need is... hey, Machop! Come here a minute. I want your help with something."

"Chop, chop?"

"Yeah, whatever," Aurora muttered, wishing Laine was around to translate. "Listen, can you chop down some of these trees? We need to clear off a space for a firebreak."

"Chop!" said the Machop, in what sounded like an affirmative.

"Great! What I need you to do is take everything down in a nice straight line, so when the fire gets here, it won't have anything left to burn, okay?"

"Chop, chop!" The Machop scurried into the forest, and the sound of whacks and crashes told Aurora that he was at least doing something right.

"A firebreak," Ember said. "Very clever."

"Thanks," said Aurora. "But I'm not done yet! Hey, Scar, want to help out?"

"Spear, spearow!"

"I thought so. Ember was right, we need a favorable breeze. Can you make a whirlwind to keep this blaze under control?"

Scar nodded and rose into the sky, circling over them twice before soaring out of sight. The pair watched him go.

"Well," said Ember, "it looks like now we wait. I'm impressed with you, Winter-Hair. I'd expect a girl like you to go to pieces in a situation like this."

"If you're trying to get me riled, it won't work. It's also a bad idea," Aurora replied. "The last thing we need is to be fighting each other when we have work to do."

"That's true. I apologize. I should know your courage by now. Perhaps it's only because I'm used to working with cowards."

"You don't sound very proud of your Rockets."

"I work with what I'm given," answered Ember casually, but Aurora thought she heard a note of unhappiness in his voice. "I have to. My uncle is expecting me to take over his work for him someday. I have to be ready."

"You can call him Giovanni," said Aurora. "I'm not that unobservant."

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Do you call all your relatives by name?"

Aurora was not to be distracted. "But you are his nephew, aren't you?"

"I'm not his red-headed step-child."

"Well, sorry," said Aurora. "I just don't usually think about Giovanni having a nephew."

"Why not?" Ember retorted. "It isn't as if he had anything to do with it. Nephews just happen, whether you want them or not."

"So you're being trained to be the Rocket Leader someday?"

"Someday I will be," said Ember, "but that's not what I'm training for. I'm training to become a Pokemon Master, just as you are."

"That's something else I wanted to ask you about," Aurora said. "That last battle we fought - why did you hold back?"

Ember gave her an opaque look. "Why do you say I did that?"

"I saw. You only took out two Pokeballs, but you had four on your belt. The rules say you're supposed to release all your Pokemon until they're all beaten. You held back."

Ember laughed. "And you hate to have anyone go easy, don't you? You and your honor. You're such an idealist. But you can put your mind at ease; I wasn't holding back - not to spare you, anyway."

"Then who?" asked Aurora.

"And she doesn't miss a beat, either," Ember remarked. "All right, if you must know, the truth is that Charmeleon and Seadra are the only Pokemon I have in fighting shape. The others, well... One is an Aerodactyl Uncle Giovanni gave me when he realized I was interested in training. He wanted me to have something powerful on my side. Only problem is, it's too powerful - he won't obey me at all, not until I get some more Badges. As for Hope..."

"Hope?"

"That's her name. She's still too weak to fight. Your Scar would have beaten her before she knew what had happened. It would have been pointless, and I didn't want to see her get hurt for no reason. Charmeleon and Seadra were a good match for Scar. It was a fair fight... So next time, don't be thinking that people are doing things just because of you."

Aurora flushed a bit, but she was saved from having to answer by the return of Skarmory. He was flying low and shrieking like a banshee, chasing a frightened man in Rocket uniform, followed closely by a pair of Pokemon. As soon as they saw Ember, they changed direction and made a dive for him, squealing and roaring their delight in seeing him again. The Rocket, taking advantage of their distraction, tried to slip away, but was stopped as Skarmory pinched his jacket collar and lifted him off the ground, letting him choke and struggle.

"Nice job, Skarmory," said Aurora. "Just stick him in a tree or something until we're ready to deal with him. Oh, and get those Pokeballs back, would you, please?"

If you wish, answered Skarmory politely. He dropped the Rocket onto the spindly branches of a nearby pine tree, forcing him to cling tightly to the trunk to avoid being dumped to the ground. Skarmory's razor beak nipped through the man's belt, depositing it and all four of Ember's Pokeballs onto the ground.

"Thanks," said Ember, going to retrieve them.

I suppose you're welcome, Skarmory answered. It turned its attention to the Rocket. You behave. The silver one has given me permission to bite you if you don't.

It was unclear whether or not the Rocket understood what was being said to him, but just Skarmory's cold eyes and sharp beak were communicative enough. He clung to his tree, screwed his eyes shut tight, and shook like a leaf.

"Now we can get something done," said Ember. "Seadra! Get out there and start putting those fires out! Charmeleon, help Machop with the firebreak!"

"You can help, too, Skarmory," said Aurora. "Go check up on Scar - see if you can't help him control the fires."

The Pokemon eagerly obeyed the orders, each taking to the sky or the forest. Their trainers made their way into the woods, doing what they could to organize the construction of the firebreak. It looked like a hopeless task. Feeding on the dry plant life, the fire had grown into a blazing inferno, and even the valiant efforts of the Pokemon wasn't enough to slow it down. The temperature, which had been uncomfortably hot even before the blaze, was nearly unbearable, and the air was filled with smoke.

"We're running out of time!" shouted Aurora, trying not to choke on the acrid air.

"Stand your ground," said Ember grimly. He looked to be in worse shape than Aurora was, his hair sweaty and bedraggled, his teeth bared in a grimace from the constant pain of his injuries. He'd been helping Charmeleon as best he could by dragging branches and fallen saplings away from the firebreak, and the strain was telling on him. "It's too late to run now."

"It's almost too late to keep going," said Aurora, surveying the small clearing that was all they'd been able to create. "We're never going to finish in time!"

"Chop! Chop, chop, chop!" the Machop shouted, jumping around excitedly. At the same moment, Scar dipped in from the sky, adding his screeches to the cacophony.

"What is it?" asked Ember.

"Laine's on her way - finally!" Aurora answered. "Hope she got some help!"

Unwilling to wait to satisfy her curiosity, she made a dash for the edge of the woods until she could see the road back to town. What she saw amazed her. Ambling along behind Laine was a wave of pink - what looked like every Slowpoke in Azalea was trotting up the path. Augmenting this battalion were dozens of brown and grey shapes that Aurora slowly realized were the Pokemon they'd freed from the Rockets. She could even see a soaring shape that was unmistakably the charcoal man's Farfetch'd. Laine ran along in front, trying to keep pace with a fleet of swift-footed Machops. She sighted Aurora and waved, flashing her usual reckless grin.

"Fear not, 'cause the cavalry's here!" she shouted. "Glad to see you two haven't killed each other yet."

"We're not that stupid," said Ember. "All right, time to get organized! Seadra, round up these Slowpokes and put them to work. Half of them can be fighting the fires, and the other half wetting everything else down so it won't catch."

"Okay, you Machops!" Laine barked. "Get to work cutting down trees! I'll show you where we're putting the gap."

"Farfetch'd, get out there and help Scar and Skarmory direct the wind," Aurora ordered. "Rock and Ground-types, you're needed at the firebreak!"

With the three of them shouting orders to their new recruits, everyone went to work. Under Laine's close supervision, a regiment of Machops did an admirable job of clearing out part of the forest, leaving an empty glen. Ember directed his Charmeleon in setting a series of carefully controlled blazes, burning out the fuel before the major fire could reach it, leaving bare and blackened ground behind. The diggers and tunnelers moved in then, digging up trenches, which the Slowpokes filled up with water. The birds hovered high above the construction, following Aurora's directions in directing the blaze. Scar swooped over her head, shrieking a warning.

"Here it comes!" Aurora shouted. "Hit the decks!"

"You don' hafta tell me twice!" answered Laine. "Machops, pull out!"

"You heard the girl! Rock- and Ground-types, retreat!" Ember ordered. "Water-types, get ready!"

"Scar, get everyone in position!" called Aurora. "Wait for our signal!"

They waited, huddled in the shadows of trees, as if the darkness could hide them from the oncoming fire. Between them and the blaze, there was only a heap of fallen trees, laid out like a wall, and then a stretch of bare earth, and then... nothing but a fire that was coming slowly but steadily towards them. The scent of burning wood was heavy on the air; the heat was almost unbearable. Aurora pulled her sleeve over her mouth and nose, trying to filter out the smoke, and Ember had put a handkerchief over his face like a bandit. It was hard to see in the hazy air, but the sounds were clear enough - the constant rushing of flames, the crackle of burning wood, crashes as trees fell and branches snapped. Then an orange light came into view, and Aurora shouted.

"It's coming!" she called. "Scar, Skarmory, Farfetch'd, get ready... Now!"

There was a rush as the wind that had been herding the fire toward the firebreak suddenly changed direction, trying to force it back on itself. Over the roar of wind, Ember and Laine could be heard shouting orders to their fleet of Slowpokes, and a solid wall of water seemed to leap out of nowhere to drown out the fire. It fought, inching relentlessly forward, but the firebreak slowed it down. It hesitated there on the border, searching for more fuel, but it couldn't reach beyond the expanse of empty ground, not with the wind pushing at it. Meanwhile, water continued to pour down, sending up walls of steam. The fire hissed, as if in rage, slowly dwindling under the deluge. Gradually, the hissing subsided, until there was nothing left but a few weak orange flickers and wreaths of smoke. Sensing the worst of the danger had passed, Ember's Seadra went splashing through the puddles of mud, spurting jets of bubbles at the remaining hot spots.

"Is it over?" asked Aurora, trying to peer through the hazy air.

"Looks that way," Ember replied. "You would be the one who'd know for sure. Ask your birds."

"Oh. Right. Scar!"

The bird fluttered down, squawking exuberantly. Aurora grinned.

"He says it's okay!" she shouted. "The fire's out!"

"Awesome!" Laine squealed. "We are so cool!"

The assembled Pokemon began jabbering happily to each other, celebrating their victory. Aurora hugged Scar until he squawked in protest, and Skarmory allowed himself to be kissed on the tip of his beak. Ember was less demonstrative, but his Pokemon seemed perfectly pleased with a smile and a few words of praise before being returned to their PokeBalls. Laine got a hug from her Machop, and for once, she didn't seem to mind.

"Ya did a pretty good job," she told him. "Maybe I oughta give you a name. How 'bout I call you Casanova? I can call you Nova for short, an' it'll still sound cool."

Aurora giggled as the Machop preened, seemingly flattered with his new name.

"That's perfect," she said, looking speculatively at her own partners. "Hm. Maybe I ought to think about giving Skarmory a name. You wouldn't object to me calling you 'Rusty,' would you? It would remind me of how we met."

She was half-afraid that the metal bird would be offended, but it seemed he had a sense of humor. He made a ringing noise, like a bell being struck, that sounded in her mind like laughter.

I accept, he said, provided that doesn't mean you think you can leave me this way. He fluttered his wings creakily, showing off the red-brown splotches.

"Of course not," she hastened to assure him. "I'll get you cleaned up as soon as we get to Goldenrod City, so I can buy the supplies."

"Such silliness, giving them names like that," said Ember. "They're not pets."

"You gave yours a name," Aurora reminded him. "You said her name was Hope."

Ember blushed. "Well... she's different."

"Really? How?"

He was saved from having to answer by the sound of approaching footsteps and voices. Turning toward the town, they could see a group of people moving through the forest. Aurora recognized Kurt and the two men from the Charcoal forge, as well as several others.

"Elaine!" Kurt shouted, as soon as he caught sight of his granddaughter. "What on earth are you doing out here? You go running through the town stirring up every Pokemon for miles around, and then... what in blazes went on here?" he finished, stopping short at the edge of the firebreak.

"A blaze," said Ember dryly. "Which you would have known about, if you'd been paying attention."

"Don't talk to him like that! That's my grandfather," said Laine. "And he's a better guy than you, even if he does wanna make me stay home and shell nuts."

"A forest fire?" asked Kurt, looking around. "What possessed you to be in the woods during a forest fire? You could have been killed!"

"We were safe," said Aurora. "Well, mostly. But we had Scar and Skarmory and Nova and Ember's Pokemon and, well... everyone, really."

"A lot of good a few Pokemon would have done against a real wildfire!"

"Actually, they did a lot of good," said Ember. "Just see for yourself."

"What's going on here?" said a new voice, as a young man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. He was no older than Aurora and Laine, but he carried himself with authority, and the crowd parted for him respectfully.

"Ah, Bugsy!" said Kurt. "I didn't know you were here."

"I thought something had to be up when I saw all the Pokemon leaving town, so I got my things together and came to investigate," answered the boy. "What has been happening? Whatever it was, it appears to have been very wet."

In response, the girls went into an explanation telling of Ember's attack by the Rocket, the stolen Pokemon, the fire, and their plans to save it. The only thing they left out was Ember's involvement with the Rocket gang, making it sound as if he'd simply been in the wrong place at th wrong time.

"We left the Rocket up in the tree," Aurora finished. "We didn't want to, but I don't guess he'll be coming down anytime soon. He thinks my Skarmory will bite him if he does."

Bugsy grinned. "The police will take care of him. Don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him... but we ought to see about making sure you three get the same thing."

"What?" asked Ember, looking nervous.

"I didn't mean putting you in jail!" Bugsy laughed. "I meant, we need to make sure you get what you deserve. The forest might have burned to the ground if it hadn't been for your courage and quick thinking. Here."

Reaching into a pocket, he took out three sparkling objects and held them out.

"Badges?" asked Aurora.

"They look real enough to me," said Ember, picking one up.

"They are real," said Bugsy. "As far as I'm concerned, mastering a forest fire requires just as much skill as a Pokemon battle, or more. You all deserve Badges."

"I don't know about that," said Laine uncertainly. "I was barely even here - I'm not a trainer..."

"Take it," Aurora advised, taking one of her own. "It can't hurt you."

"Oh, well, all right then," said Laine, taking the offered Badge. "Maybe it'll help me take care of this lunkhead Machop."

"Chop, chop!" said Nova, as if he'd been paid a compliment.

Meanwhile, the charcoal man and his apprentice were surveying the burnt part of the forest with dismay.

"Well, this wood is ruined," said the charcoal man, "but the rest of the forest is safe, and I'm grateful for that. I'd like to do something to repay you three."

"You don't have to do that," answered Aurora. "A Badge is more than enough repayment."

"Are you sure?" asked Brad. "I could still give you that Charcoal."

"It wouldn't do me any good," Aurora replied. "Give it to Ember. His Charmeleon will like it."

"Oh," said Brad, looking disappointed. "I guess you're right."

"Quit trying to impress the ladies," his boss said. "Though you're right, it would be fitting to give them something useful. How about this?"

He offered Aurora a familiar looking box with a notch in it: a HM. She accepted it gratefully, storing it away in her Pokegear.

"That's the Cut HM," he informed her. "You'll need it later when the terrain starts to get rough."

"Thanks very much!" said Aurora.

"What about me?" asked Laine, sounding indignant. "Don't I get something?"

"Yes," said Kurt. "A nice long talking-to about jumping into dangerous situations!"

"Grandpa!" she wailed.

"None of that. Come on, Elaine. We're going to have a chat. Excuse us a minute," he said to Aurora and Ember. He latched on to his granddaughter's ear and began leading her away. The crowd, sensing a spectacle, followed behind, leaving Aurora and Ember standing alone in the forest.

"Well," Ember offered after a while. "That was interesting, wasn't it?"

"It was," Aurora agreed. "You know, you did pretty well. You're going to be a great leader someday."

Ember gave her a quizzical look. "You think Rockets can be great leaders?"

"I guess," said Aurora. "Falkner told me Giovanni is a great leader. He says that in his way, Giovanni actually does us all a favor by keeping the Rockets in line."

"You really admire Falkner, don't you?"

Aurora nodded.

"Why?" asked Ember. "I thought you were most interested in the best and the brightest. Why else the obsession with being apprenticed to Clair? Falkner is the most junior of all the Gym Leaders, as far as respect goes. Beginning trainers beat him all the time."

"That's because he holds back for them," Aurora replies. "He keeps a few low-level Pokemon to compete with new trainers, but he raises more powerful ones, too. He showed me his aviary - he's got a Xatu and a Fearow in there! But that's not why I admire him. See, I grew up in Goldenrod City. You know about that place, right?"

Ember nodded. "A favorite base of operations. You wouldn't believe some of the things that are hidden below your feet there... but go on."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me about the Rockets. I know. I've seen them. I know what happens to the Pokemon they use. It just made me sick to see the poor things... there's nothing I hate more than a trainer who mistreats their Pokemon, and nothing I admire more than one who can treat them like friends and partners. Falkner understands that. He understands a lot of things, I think - about Pokemon and Humans. And he believes in me. That's worth a lot."

"It is," Ember agreed. Very softly, he added, "I could envy you for that."

"What do you mean?"

"You have someone to support you. I don't have anyone. Maybe my uncle, but he doesn't really understand. He seems to think I can inherit respect - that people will look up to me just because I'm his nephew. He does things like giving me that Aerodactyl, putting me in command of things I'm just not ready to control. But even if he could make people respect me, I wouldn't want him to. I want people to respect me for what I'm worth, not for the sake of someone who has nothing to do with me."

"So that's why you ran away?" Aurora asked.

Ember nodded. "If I can master the Gym Challenge, then people will know I'm more than just a spoiled little boy that Giovanni's taken a liking to. If today taught me one thing, it's that not even my uncle is powerful enough to make his minions respect someone. I want to prove I'm powerful enough to make them respect me."

"Well, I respect you," said Aurora.

"Yes, because your precious Falkner said so."

"No," said Aurora. "I respected you before I even met Falkner. I knew when I met you that you were someone powerful. Falkner just told me what I already knew. And you showed me again today that I was right. You've got everything it takes to make a great trainer."

"You're lying to me," said Ember. "The only times we met before you met Falkner was when you made a fool of me back in the caves."

"It wasn't your fault you lost. We ganged up on you. You did just fine in a fair fight," said Aurora. "You know what I told Laine after we escaped? I told her I was glad to have met you, because every great trainer needs a great rival."

"Rivals, hm?" Ember repeated. "Is that what we are? I'd wondered. All right, if every great trainer needs a rival, and since I intend to be great, then it stands to reason that I need a rival of my own. To be properly villainous, I suppose I should say it's a pity I have to settle for a little girl like you, but... somehow, I don't think I shall be underestimating you again after today. Very well, then. Here's to a long and profitable rivalry." He offered his hand to shake, and Aurora took it gravely.

"So," said Aurora, "will you be heading to Goldenrod City soon?"

Ember gave her his enigmatic smile. "If you think I'm going to be traveling with you, you've got another think coming. Rivals travel separately, and then meet to have dramatic battles once in a while. Besides, I'm not walking anywhere for a while, not with this bad leg. You'll just have to make do without a rival until I've healed up a bit."

"Ah," said Aurora.

"Yes," said Ember, "and I think I've been sociable enough for one day. So long, Winter- Hair. I'll catch up to you in Ecruteak."

"I'll be waiting for you. See you around, Fire-Top."

Ember waved a casual goodbye and walked as gracefully as he could back towards town, vanishing into the trees. Aurora decided she might as well let him go - after all, he'd promised he'd come back soon, so she simply sat and thought for a while. After a few minutes had passed, Laine returned, grinning from ear to ear. Aurora noticed a couple of subtle changes: her friend now had her Badge pinned proudly to her shirt, and there was a pair of PokeBalls clipped to her belt.

"Let me guess," said Aurora. "You won the argument."

"Yup!" Laine replied. "I think I've finally got him convinced I'm not gonna go out an' get myself killed. Actually, I think he just figured out I wasn't going to let him win, so he gave up. Went around muttering about how I'm my dad's kid, which is okay by me. I wouldn' wanna be anyone else's kid, would I? But 'Rora, I'm finally gettin' outta this town and seein' things again! Ain't it great?"

"Yeah, that's wonderful," said Aurora, grinning back.

"Hey, where'd the wonder boy go?" Laine asked. "Don' tell me he skipped out again."

"He did," Aurora replied, "but he promised he'd meet us again in Ecruteak Town."

"Oh, he did?" Laine repeated. "What would he want to do that for, huh?"

"Because we're rivals. Why else?" answered Aurora. "But if I keep talking to him, maybe one of these days he'll figure out we can be friends, too."

"Friends?" Laine repeated. "Now, wait just a cotton-pickin' minute there. When did this happen? I guess reminding you what he is won't help."

"What, that he's a Rocket?" Aurora replied. "I don't think that's really what he is. I think he's more like Scar, in a way."

"Spear?" Scar inquired.

"Don't act all insulted!" Aurora replied. "He's got the wrong person training him right now. What he really needs is a good influence."

"What you really need is a good head-shrinker," Laine replied. "You're nuts, talkin' about that guy like he's some kinda charity case."

"He's not that bad!" Aurora replied. "You just need to talk to him some."

"Well, we're not gonna do it here," said Laine. "If he said he'd see you again in Ecruteak, then we wanna get there as fast as possible, right? And now that I've got permission to be goin' places, let's get goin'!"

Aurora grinned. "All right, you win! Let's see if we can get out of this forest before nightfall."

"Now you're talkin'!" Laine agreed.

So the two of them began their journey again, following the trail deeper into the forest.

Meanwhile, Ember was leaving the forest, on his way back into the town, walking slowly to spare his sore leg. He was just wondering if it would be worth the indignity of releasing his Charmeleon so he'd have something to lean on, when his phone rang. He looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then decided it would be better not to take chances. He darted off the trail and into the deeper shadows.

"Hello?" he answered impatiently.

"Hello, Ember," answered a cold female voice. "My Dragonite tells me you attacked it today."

"I was within my rights," answered Ember, turning on some frost of his own.

"That's what you think. Your uncle has been entirely to lenient with you. I think it's time you learned some discipline."

"I could say the same for you, Clair. What was the idea of sending out that Dragonite at all? I've seen it twice in the last two days, so you can't tell me no one else did. You're supposed to be covering for Team Rocket. That means you're supposed to be discreet, not letting your dragons turn up under every rock and bush."

"I hardly think one dragon could be under every rock and bush."

"No, but he's hardly inconspicuous. I'd have thought the last thing the illustrious Dragon Master would have wanted would to have anyone find out what she's up to. Do you really want to be traced back to us? We certainly don't want to have you traced to us. I'm going to have to tell my uncle about this if it keeps up - and if he doesn't already know."

"Giovanni can stay out of this. It has nothing to do with him or his Rockets. It's a private matter."

"Then keep it private," Ember snapped. "If I see another of your dragons running around, I'm going to report it."

"You'll do no such thing," she replied. "It has nothing to do with you either. As a matter of fact, you should even approve of it."

"I don't approve of anything you do, and you know it."

"Oh, but this is different," she answered. "If you must know, I'm keeping an eye on that white-haired girl, the one who spoiled your game in Azalea Town."

"What for?"

"No reason. Call it a premonition," Clair replied. "She worries me, that's all. I don't want to see her take it into her head that she can derail people's plans whenever she feels like it, so I'm watching her. If she looks like she intends to make trouble..."

"What?"

"I'll stop her."

"Stop her how?"

"By whatever means I deem necessary," she answered. "Why are you worried. The girl is your enemy, too, isn't she?"

"She's my rival," Ember answered, "and she's not your enemy. She admires you. She's not going to do anything against you."

"Be that as it may, I'm going to watch her," Clair replied.

"You're a paranoid."

"And you're annoying. If I catch you interfering in my business again, I will make sure my Dragonite knows he has my permission to do whatever it takes to stop you."

"Indeed. And I'll make sure Uncle Giovanni knows you've been threatening me."

"Not without letting him know where you've run away to. He's in quite a state. He won't be happy with you when you come home."

"When I come home, I'll have the Badges of Johto - Kanto too, maybe. He won't mind me coming home then."

"Perhaps. But until then..."

"Until then, I can take care of myself. Even against you."

"You shouldn't have to," said Clair. "Just stay out of my way and let me do as I please."

Ember hesitated. "All right. I can see I have no choice... right now. Later, I promise, things will be different."

"You don't like me, do you, Ember? Why not? Your uncle never had a problem with me."

"My uncle is old enough to be led around by a beautiful woman, and conceited enough to believe he isn't. I'm glad I'm young enough to know better. I can look at you objectively, and see that there are men among my Rocket gang that have more honor than you, and people with scarcely two Badges to their names who are better trainers. Why should I want anything to do with you?"

"Because I make a very bad enemy," Clair replied. "Goodbye, Ember."

There was a click as she hung up. Ember sighed and folded his own telephone shut.

"Well," he said. "This looks ominous, doesn't it? Well, my rival, I hope you're as worthy as I think you are, because I'm not going to be able to bail you out of this. For now, you're on your own."

He shrugged and walked back to the path. If there was nothing he could do, there was no point in worrying. Fighting a limp, he trudged back to town, lingering a moment to look at a Slowpoke on the side of the road, snoozing on the soft grass. It yawned widely as he passed, and memory of the legend made him look up. Sure enough, dark clouds were rolling in.

*Yes,* he thought, with grim satisfaction, *we are definitely going to have a storm...*