***************

They arrived at noon, as the yellow sun beat down from above and no shadows were cast onto the ground before or behind them. It was a small community, as far as cities went. More of a town really, the homes were simple and cozy and most of the businesses were family-owned. The only buildings looking as if they truly belonged in a city were the Pokemon Center and the Gym in the center of town, both dominating—not to mention towering—over the rest of the city structures.

Aurora’s steel determination melted more and more, the closer they got to Sankton. By the time the entrance of the city loomed it was all she could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. But by repeating her objective over and over again in her mind, she forced herself onward. Once inside the girl and her dragon—er, Pokemon—could only stare in awe. Aurora hadn’t been in such a community since she had been forced to leave her home, and although Stormweaver was thrilled to finally be seeing something beside the trees of his forest, Sankton City surpassed anything from his wildest imaginations.

Ash glanced around uneasily to see if his plan would work, watching people going about their daily lives on the streets. At first no one noticed the newcomers, then a few gave them furtive glances, then some not quite so surreptitious. A couple stopped and stared outright at the strange green creature riding on the girl’s shoulder as low conversations broke out among the passersby. That snapped the pair out of their reverie in an instant, and all six travelers tensed, not even daring to breathe, as they waited to see what would happen.

A young child suddenly giggled happily, pointing at the strangers and asking his mother a question. As if a spell had been broken, the city-dwellers shook themselves out of their stupor. They smiled to each other (some even giving the four humans and two so-called Pokemon kindly glances) and continued on their ways. The group heaved a collective sigh of relief and proceeded on toward the center of town. They had passed the first obstacle in their way, now they had to find Team Rocket.

"We should stop at the Pokemon Center first," Ash thought out loud. "We can ask around there if anyone’s seen them." Aurora, feeling out of her league, nodded her head readily. Better to let them lead in this place, she figured. It was a strange feeling. She was so used to being in control herself and taking care of her charges. But she knew nothing of the city, and excepted with a silent sigh that she would have to rely on their experience here.

The Pokemon Center was high-tech and busy. Inside, people of all age and description—though most were of the younger range—hurried about as though they all had important duties to perform. Along with the differing people, Pokemon of every type littered the main area where the small party entered. The wild girl recognized many of them: Spearow, Pidgey, Rattata, a Poliwhirl. But many also amazed and confused her. The rock with the big arms, for example. And the cream-colored creature with all the tails. And what was that four-legged, fiery red Pokemon with the long ears and neck ruff? Maybe Stormweaver won’t be so out of place here after all, she mused.

Ash marched boldly up to the desk that sat at the back of the large front room, Pikachu still on his shoulder and looking around at its fellow Pokemon with interest. Brock and Misty were right behind him. Aurora, Stormweaver self-consciously hiding his head in her short brown hair, followed more uneasily. It felt like everyone’s eyes were on her as she made her way to the back of the room.

"Excuse me," the black-haired trainer began politely, seeing no one at the desk. At his voice a woman poked up from underneath. Her rose-colored hair split into two neat hoops and her nurse’s outfit was immaculate. She smiled warmly at the trainer, whom Aurora saw had a humorous gleam in his brown eyes. She glanced at Brock and Misty. They shared a small smile between themselves. She didn’t understand what was going on, but felt it wasn’t the time to ask.

"Yes, young man?" the nurse asked pleasantly. Her warm voice relieved the girl.

"We’re looking for two Pokemon trainers and a Meowth who might have came in here," Ash told her. He gave her Team Rocket’s description, along with the beige backpack, leaving out any specifics of clothing.

The nurse frowned thoughtfully, her pink locks swaying. "A lot of people come in here every day, young man, and I can’t be expected to recall everyone. But now that you mention it, I believe . . . yes, three did come in, not too long ago actually, that match your description. I remember the Meowth was quite rude. They used the phone, there." She pointed to the left of the desk along the back wall. Turning to look, they saw a single phone and viewing screen in a cubicle bolted there at waist-height. "Then they demanded to know if Arin was still the leader of Sankton Gym," the nurse finished. "They certainly were rude."

Ash thanked her sincerely before turning to face Brock, Misty and Aurora. Huddling in a circle, the group discussed what their next move should be. "I bet they went to the Gym," declared Misty immediately. "We should get over there and question that Gym leader."

"Wait a minute," cautioned Brock. "Maybe we should check out the phone first. Team Rocket may have left behind some kind of clue to their plans for the eggs."
"Good point, Brock," Ash nodded. "What do you think Aurora?"

The girl blinked in surprise, as if not expecting to be asked. But she shrugged and nodded too. "That sounds good, Ash," she told him. Her voice had the tone of one who didn’t entirely understand the situation and was trying desperately to catch up. The young trainer looked at her in concern, but her duo-colored eyes were now fixed on the phone behind him. The four friends agreed to try the phone before heading for the Gym, then taking it from their depending on what they learned.

Ash, Misty and Brock hurried to the phone, leaving the wild pair to follow behind them. Aurora was about to do just that when the nurse called her over. She hesitated, not knowing if she could disobey this person who appeared to be in charge and casting an imploring gaze after her friends, but they didn’t see. Afraid to make a scene, she ducked her head low and shuffled up to the desk. Fear suddenly blossomed in the pit of her stomach. Did this nurse know enough about Pokemon to tell Stormweaver wasn’t one? But it was too late to run now.

"Excuse me, what’s your name, young lady?" the nurse asked, not unkindly.

"Aurora, ma’am," she mumbled downward. At Sango Manor, the woman of the highest position—her mother—had to be treated with the most obedience and respect in public at all times. Unsure whether or not she was suppose to here, she decided to play it to the hilt to be safe.

"Aurora, could you look up at me please?" Reluctantly she picked up her head and glanced at her through her ragged bangs with her blue and brown eyes. The nurse smiled. "Thank you. My name is Nurse Joy, and I’m very pleased to meet you. Are you new in Sankton City?"

Thinking of the ghost rumors, Aurora almost smiled. "You could say that, ma’am."

"Well, I’m sure you’ll find it’s a nice place to visit. But I’m just curious about your Pokemon. I’ve never seen one like this before. What can you tell me about it?" Now the nurse’s blue eyes fastened on the green creature sitting on her shoulder, still trying to hide behind her hair.

Aurora’s mind kicked into super speed. Her first feeling was one of intense relief. The nurse thought Stormweaver was a Pokemon! Then anxiety flooded her as she tried to recall everything Ash had said when he purposed the plan. She had to think up something that would explain enough about him to satisfy Nurse Joy’s curiosity. Afraid the silence would become suspicious, the girl launched into an explanation.

"Well he’s, ah, a new species of Pokemon. You know, how they’re being discovered all the time? This is-is Stormweaver. Yeah, a Stormweaver Pokemon. The f-first one captured . . . by me. And, uh, he’s the flying type . . . obviously. The wings, I mean. Th-that’s about all I know, for now. We’re just getting to know each other," she stumbled to a stop as Joy continued to stare at the green-scaled little guy. Feeling her eyes on him, two lime green orbs peaked through the brown strands furtively.

The nurse finally looked Aurora in the eye again. She braced herself for accusations, disbelief, more questions . . . anything except what she heard. "He’s quite shy, isn’t he?"

"Um, yes . . . he is. I caught him in the woods. Uh, a woods very far from here," she amended when she felt a thin tail slap her lightly from behind. "And this is the first city we’ve been in together." She gave Joy a tight-lipped smile. "I think he’s scared of all these people in here. That’s why I want to join my friends and l-leave." That sounded so obvious! Aurora moaned to herself.

But the nurse was smiling in understanding. "Okay then, you’d better do what’s best for your Pokemon. And he looks a little thin, make sure you feed him well. New Pokemon especially must be shown Pokemon trainers will take good care of them. Congratulations on your find!" With a last cheery wave Nurse Joy ducked back down behind the desk for a moment, then stood back up and disappeared through a set of double-doors.

Aurora sagged against the counter top, weak with relief. It felt as if a Snorlax had been lifted from her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she took one deep breath, then another. Her heart slowly stopped beating wildly against her chest like a Pidgey trying to break free. We’re going to be all right, she told herself. We’ll find our eggs, and everything will be all right again.

A sudden touch on her shoulder made her jump at least three feet in the air. Whirling, she prepared herself for anyone from Nurse Joy again to Team Rocket itself. Instead, she found herself face to face with Ash. "Don’t do that!" she gasped. Stormweaver, apparently just as startled, hissed angrily at him and thrashed his tail.

Taken aback, Ash snatched his hand away from her shoulder. "Sorry," he gulped. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" repeated Aurora. "What does it look like I’m doing!? I’m standing here, letting that nurse grill me about my strange Pokemon, while you three are playing with a telephone! Here I am, praying for someone to come rescue me from—" She cut herself off in mid-sentence, realizing how loud her voice had gotten in her fear and anger and seeing the three stricken face before her. She sighed and shook her head, her voice back to its normal level when she continued. "Sorry, I got scared. That nurse wanted to know about Stormweaver, but I’m pretty sure I gave her a satisfactory answer. What did you find at the phone?"

They looked at her with concern now, but she ignored them as Brock started to recount what they had discovered. "Team Rocket didn’t leave anything around the phone, but then Ash thought of hitting redial."

Aurora brightened. "Anything?"

Ash shrugged. "Not really. It was a voice-only call, and the guy on the other end talked weird. He said he was the manager of someplace or something, then hung up."

Misty shook her head. "Boss," she corrected him. "He said he was the boss of something, but we really couldn’t hear anything other than that."

Calmed now, Aurora assimilated the information with a sober nod. "To this Sankton Gym, then?" she offered. "We don’t have time to waste standing around." They quickly agreed, and the party of six left the Pokemon Center.

Outside the wild girl paused as her blue and brown eyes scanned the busy streets once again. Peripherally, she saw Brock, Misty and Ash heading towards the Gym, rising above the other buildings not far down the street. But her attention was fixed on a sudden movement she noticed across the way. It was only a flash of something, and then it vanished into a dark alley before it could even be identified. Despite the fact that it could have been almost anything, could have been because of any person on the street, Aurora swore it had something to do with her and her friends. An eerie feeling settled around her, as if someone was watching her that she couldn’t see.

Don’t be silly, she told herself sternly. Of course there are people watching. This was a city, after all. Swarms of people passed by every moment, eyes occasionally met hers. She shook her head. She just felt uneasy because she hadn’t been in so populated an area for so long. That was all. She probably hadn’t even really seen anything. Just her eyes playing tricks. Still. . . .

"Stormweaver," she whispered, "did you see anything dart into that alley across the street just now?"

The scaled head shook back and forth on the long serpentine neck. "No," he answered, just as lowly, in a voice tinged with awe. "I was not looking that way."

Aurora turned to follow his lime green gaze. The Sankton Gym loomed over her four friends that had gone on ahead. Not wanting to be left alone on the crowded sidewalk, she hurried to catch up. The shadow cast on them by the immense structure grew darker and the air cooled as they neared. By the time the six stood before the large front doors of the Gym even Stormweaver was shivering on his dragonfriend’s shoulder. But Aurora wouldn’t let the reverence that the building seemed to inspire in visitors penetrate her shield of resolve. Without pausing she strode forward and pushed her way inside.

It was dimly lighted, and it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust. Like a photograph developing, the details of the interior eventually became clear to the small group. And they weren’t heartening. The place had a cool, pristine look to it, like a room that nobody visited but was kept dust-free nonetheless. There were no adornments on the gray walls; no plants or other cheery objects decorated the room. A dull tan carpet—totally design-less, but immaculate—covered the floor. The whole thing spoke of detached, but efficient, attention. Aurora didn’t know about anyone else, but it made her feel small and unimportant.

The only sound was the sudden whisper of something moving over the carpet as a door directly across from them opened without warning. A small, solemn-faced boy stood by the open doorway and gestured them in silently. By his posture and uniform he seemed to be a servant. Aurora, remembering the few who worked at Sango Manor and therefor the only one of them who knew how to act around one, bobbed her head in thanks and quickly crossed the room. The others followed, and they filed through the doorway into the immense room beyond. The young boy stared straight ahead, not meeting anyone’s eye, and swiftly closed the door behind them.

The room they were in now was much bigger than the front entrance and better lighted as well. A huge mat painted with white lines completely overlaid the floor. It appeared to be some sort of arena, or playing field. This must be where the Pokemon battle, Aurora thought to herself.

By silent agreement, none of the six friends had said a word since they entered the Sankton Gym. That only made the sudden, loud voice more startling as it shot at them from across the room, laced with snotty arrogance and an obnoxious whine. "Well, what do you want?"

The short figure belonging to the voice marched across the mat in their direction with the air of one who owned the world and knew it. Despite the fact that he barely came up to Ash’s chin, his expression when he neared enough for them to see it proclaimed he looked down upon them all. He had short, spiky blond hair and dark green, conceited eyes. Aurora stared at the boy in disgust as he stopped before them, arms folded expectantly; she couldn’t believe she even had to talk to this person. But if it was the only way to get to this Arin, then she would do it. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t been looking at them as if they were little more than insects. An old expression her mother was fond of saying popped up and startled her; she hadn’t consciously thought about her old life for quite some time indeed. "First impressions are the most important, because you only get to make one," her mother used to say. Well, this boy had certainly made a first impression.

"We need to speak with the Gym leader," she informed the boy with exaggerated patience. She had to forcibly reign in her temper. A sudden disturbing thought occurred to the wild girl: Was this how her new friends felt when they first met her? She could remember her own angry words and actions and winced inwardly. Now she knew how it felt from the other perspective.

The boy—who looked about fourteen or so—snorted scornfully. "And why would I want to speak with you?" he sneered.

Aurora heard a part gasp, part groan beside her that matched her plunge of despair. "You’re the Gym leader?" moaned Ash. She had almost forgotten they were with her. Glancing sideways, she saw Pikachu had jumped to the floor and looked ready for a fight. Misty and Brock stood behind Ash and herself, and all of them had the same look she felt on her own face: detestable loathing. They didn’t want to listen to this snot any more than she did.

"That’s right, and don’t forget it. Hey kid, why isn’t your Pokemon in its Pokeball? Don’t tell me you can’t even control it. Why can’t I ever get a real challenge?" muttered the Gym leader to himself. The trainer and Pokemon’s faces darkened in matched fury.

"Pikachu’s my friend! I don’t want to control it! We—"

"Hey, what’s that?" Arin cut him off pointedly, gazing at Aurora suspiciously. Or, to be more precise, gazing at Stormweaver. She felt her palms go sweaty under his ugly stare.

"This is my Pokemon," she informed the Gym leader. "And we need information about two people and a Meowth who might have come here. They stole something very important of mine, and I want it back."

Arin ignored her words after the first sentence. "Pokemon? I know every Pokemon, and I don’t know that one. What is it?" It was a command, not a request.

Aurora stiffened. "If you must know, it’s a Stormweaver, and it’s a new species. Now, did you see the ones I’m looking for or not?"

His smile wasn’t a pleasant one, as if he had a surprise to reveal that they wouldn’t like. "Oh, you mean Team Rocket?" he feigned innocence.

Misty gasped. "How did you know?" demanded the redhead.

The short Gym leader waved his hand in a dismissing way. "I was invited to join them a while ago."

"No why does that not surprise me?" muttered Aurora to her friends. Arin hadn’t heard, and continued his boasting speech.

"But, of course, I had to decline. A Gym leader has to be present at all times, to handle challenges and whatnot. I couldn’t just leave my Gym in the hands of anyone else, and certainly none of the idiots in this city. But I did promise to help the Team if they were ever passing through." His tone proclaimed that it was plainly an honor to be given his "help."

Aurora had had enough. "Fine," she snapped. "If you’re such a great friend of theirs I’m sure you won’t be giving us any information. We’ll be leaving, gladly." Arin wasn’t the only one who could play the snotty role. With a last look of disdain she turned on her heel and began marching for the door, hearing Ash, Misty and Brock right behind her.

Losing none of its arrogance or contempt, the Sankton Gym leader’s voice rang out after them, "I didn’t say I wouldn’t also help you." When they turned back with wary interest his face broke into a triumphant sneer. "If you can beat me in a Pokemon battle, I’ll consider telling you where they’re heading."

"I accept!" cried Ash immediately. He and Pikachu were still angry, and wanted to settle their score, but Arin only looked at them as if amused.

"I don’t think so, kid. I want a battle with her, with the Stormweaver."

Shocked silence engulfed the room. For a long moment no one said a word. Everyone waited for Aurora’s response, the Gym leader impatiently glowering, Ash, Misty and Brock tense with uncertainty. But the girl’s mind had frozen. How could she refuse? Pokemon were trained to battle, it was what they did. Yet, she couldn’t send Stormweaver out to fight against a Pokemon. For a split-second she actually considered it, but her mind flat-out recoiled from the idea. In her stunned state, she couldn’t put words to why, but she knew she couldn’t ask her friend to battle.

Arin’s impatience wore out. "Well?" he snarled. "Why are you hesitating? Unless you’re afraid?" Seeing her face darken he grinned nastily. "That’s it, isn’t it? You couldn’t train your Pokemon if your life depended on it, and so your fabulous new species is a weakling. You won’t fight because you’re afraid I’ll hurt your poor little lizard. Why, I bet you haven’t won a single—"

"I accept!" The humans in the room gasped, even Arin, because the words didn’t come from the supposed Pokemon trainer but from the small green creature, his long face contorted in fury, on her shoulder. Before anyone could act he leapt to the floor, spreading his emerald wings, and entered the ring with his head held high. "Call your Pokemon to battle, Gym leader," challenged Stormweaver.

To his credit, the short blond boy recovered quickly. He wiped the shock off his face and replaced it with cool derision as one would put on a mask. Then he returned to the other side of the room smoothly, taking his rightful place as Aurora hesitantly stepped up to hers. Casting one look back, the dragon saw her mismatched eyes begging him to reconsider, but Stormweaver had only two thoughts in his mind: That this human knew where his unhatched siblings were being held, and that his honor was in question. He gave her a brief smile to try to reassure his dragonfriend, then returned his attention to his opponent.

When Ash realized what was happening, he thought fast. Before the match could begin he whipped out Dexter and rushed forward. "Here." He thrust the small machine into Aurora’s hands, but she only stared at it dumbly. Things were moving way too fast for her; she couldn’t think, she couldn’t act! "Use it!" he hissed, then retreated so he wasn’t in the way.

Arin held a red and white Pokeball in one hand, studying his opponent from across the mat. For all his obnoxious attitude, Arin was still a good trainer. He couldn’t have become a Gym leader if he wasn’t. He could tell, just by looking her over, that the girl he was about to fight was afraid. Too afraid to give her Pokemon good commands, which only bolstered his already swelling self-confidence. But the strange gleam in the lime-colored eyes told him this wasn’t going to be an easy match. Well, first things were first.

"Do you know the rules for competing in a Gym battle?" he demanded.

He saw a moment of doubt on her face. Oh, this was going to more fun than he had first thought. He only grinned in anticipation when her slightly hesitant voice insisted, "Of course I do!"

Too fun, and too easy. With a cry of, "Pokeball, go!" he threw his challenger into the arena.

There was a blinding white light as the Pokemon was released. When Aurora’s sight cleared, there were two fighters in the arena. At first all she could think was that a tank had somehow appeared on the mat, but then the tank shifted its stubby legs and tossed its head impatiently. She gasped; that thing was a Pokemon! As the gray-plated beast inspected its opponent—who was less than half its size—with beady eyes from under heavily armored brows, Aurora briefly closed her eyes. No more thinking about what had gone wrong, no more berating herself for letting Stormweaver get into this situation. Pushing all her feelings away, she grabbed the rational part of her mind and dragged it to the surface. Think clearly, act now, and feel after. "What is that?" she demanded of the Pokedex, opening her brown and blue eyes again.

The hand-held device beeped. "Rhyhorn," it informed her. "A rock/ground type Pokemon. Its attacks include Horn Attack and Slam. Its heavy armor protects it from all but the strongest attacks."

"Right. Stormweaver!" she called, "Rock types are weak against water, and ground types are weak against flying. Take off and Mimic water attacks!"

Arin didn’t even wait for her to finish speaking. "Rhyhorn, Horn Attack, go!" The massive Pokemon lumbered forward with amazing speed, its nose spike lowered and ready to spear the small dragon. Stormweaver froze for a moment, caught off guard, before leaping hastily into the air. The Pokemon jerked its head up as it charged under, trying to catch him. He felt the whoosh of air caused by the large horn slicing by just under him and yanked his tail up. That hesitation had almost cost him, and the battle had barely begun!

The gray Pokemon skidded to a halt and whirled to face the hovering dragon. Stormweaver waited for a glimpse of the glaring eyes, then sucked in a deep breath and summoned a Hydro Pump. Those watching couldn’t recall afterward exactly where the water came from, whether from his jaws or his front claws or somewhere around his chest, but suddenly gushing water shot from the hovering creature to hit the grounded Pokemon full in the face. A bellow erupted from the gray tank and it sank to its knees under the onslaught.

"No!" Arin screamed in rage. "Shake it off, Rhyhorn! Get out from under there!"

The Rhyhorn struggled, but couldn’t overtake the weakness flooding its body from the pressure of the water. Stormweaver started to give a wild cry of triumph. It trailed off into one of distress when he realized he was running out of strength. As the water slackened and finally slowed to a trickle the Pokemon tank slowly pulled itself back up, and if it was glaring at the dragon before it was seething with fury now. It had underestimated the tiny creature when it had first seen him, it wouldn’t again.

"Rage Attack!" exploded Arin. "Slam that insect!" Stormweaver watched the Pokemon intently. But he was still surprised when it shot forward with another burst of amazing speed and actually leapt into the air straight at him!

"Duck!" he faintly heard Aurora yell, but he was preoccupied with preserving his life. Snapping his wings shut, he fell . . . and the Rhyhorn fell right on top of him.

The breath was pummeled out of him as he hit the ground, trapped under the behemoth’s front foot. Black stars danced in his vision, and through them he could see the wrath in the Pokemon’s red eye, inches from his own. For the first time since the battle began, Stormweaver was afraid.

Pushing through the emotions, he tried to think. Had to think, had to act. His first instinct was to use Fear; he didn’t want to hurt this Pokemon. Dragons and Pokemon had always had an understanding among themselves. But Fear would send him into the trance. They would be at a stalemate, one too afraid to attack and the other unable to. His only option left was Mimic. But Mimic what?

The Rhyhorn continued to hold his gaze with its own. It started to lean its weight forward, pressing Stormweaver further into the mat. The dark stars expanded, covered most of his sight. He struggled to draw a breath into his body as the Rhyhorn had struggled to escape his cascade, with as much success. Far away a voice was crying, "Call him back! Call him back!" It wasn’t Aurora. Must be one of his new friends. . . .

"Stormweaver, come back!" Aurora screamed in anguish, watching the dragon trapped beneath Rhyhorn’s heavy foot. Dimly the rational part of her mind told her he couldn’t come back, obviously. But her emotions had swarmed back up and left no room for reason. "Come back!" she called again. "Come back!"

Ash, Misty and Brock couldn’t interfere. There were rules to a Pokemon battle and they were trainers, had to obey them. But Aurora wasn’t really a Pokemon trainer. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t know the rules. Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and tried to gain her attention. "Aurora, you have to give up! You have to forfeit the match!"

The girl whirled, gratitude shining in her eyes through her numb haze. Spinning around again to face the Sankton Gym leader, the girl opened her mouth to shout. But someone cut her off.

"No!" The voice was weak, smothered, and pure defiance. A dry crackle filled the air over the battle arena, then a burst of yellow light. Stormweaver’s newly acquired Thundershock enveloped the damp Pokemon tank eagerly. It wasn’t very large or particularly strong, but it was an attack brought on by desperation. The Rhyhorn roared and recoiled, releasing the dragon.

Stormweaver was a flash of green lightning himself. He shot out from under the Rhyhorn as soon as he felt the pressure leave his body. Too weak to take flight again, he ran across the mat as fast as his shaky legs could take him. His immense opponent had been stunned, but was by no means defeated. Stormweaver ran to gain time, to put distance between them, and to think.

Arin’s sneer dropped off his face as the green streak fled across the mat. He had thought it was funny, watching all the kids crying for their poor, little Pokemon. And that trainer was so stupid she didn’t even know how to end the match! So stupid she didn’t even command her Pokemon correctly, but let it fight by itself. Well, Arin wasn’t going to give his fun away so easily. So much for new species of Pokemon.

But the flying lizard had gotten away, Arin had to give it credit. It might actually have become famed, like the Legendary Birds and Mewtwo, if it hadn’t gotten stuck with such a crummy trainer. Apparently this Pokemon was like a Ditto, could use the attacks of other Pokemon. Arin had faced a Ditto before, and he had won! This wouldn’t be any different. "Okay, Rhyhorn, Body Slam again, now!"

Again the Rhyhorn charged. The hulking giant ate up the precious distance Stormweaver had made in moments. Glancing behind him, the dragon saw the Pokemon coming up fast and spun on his tail. Hoping for anything to confuse the brute, he dived forward. Only a last minute roll enabled him to avoid the pounding feet, and this put him behind the Rhyhorn. Despite his heavy panting and lapsing strength he was about to summon a Water Gun when a fabulous idea came upon him. With a leap and a bound Stormweaver launched himself into the air, coming down squarely on the Rhyhorn’s back!

The Pokemon tank stopped short in surprise. Its head twisted first one way, then the other, looking for its opponent. It turned in a circle, still to no avail. Only the furious shout from its trainer, "Above you, Rhyhorn, on your back!" finally clued it in. Craning its neck, it managed to glimpse lime green eyes and an exhausted, laughing grin mocking him.

Rhyhorn raged, ran around in circles, twisted this way and that. Stormweaver held on for dear life, his claws scrabbling over the thick plates of the Pokemon’s back. Then it tried leaping into the air to disengage its rider. A furious buck that would have made a wild stallion envious finally threw the smaller creature off. But he didn’t come back down. Using the added boost, Stormweaver managed to remain air-born, though he felt his wing muscles burn with the strain. Ignoring the stabbing pain, he increased the tempo of his wing beats and invoked a Sand Attack. The sudden wave of sand slammed into the gray tank on the mat. The blast pushed it back several paces, eyes closed again the force and the stinging particles.

This was most fortunate, for Stormweaver found he couldn’t keep the attack up for very long at all. As the gale of coarse grains vanished as quickly as it had come, the dragon’s wings refused to work for him anymore. While the Rhyhorn blinked blearily in confusion Stormweaver half-glided, half-plummeted to the ground directly where it had been standing moment before. He eyed the Pokemon warily, noticing it was breathing heavily too. The emerald dragon heaved a mental sign of relief even as he gasped for breath. He had been beginning to think his adversary as invincible as the tank it so resembled!

Both battlers had halted in their attacks, too weary to continue on. They locked eyes and waited for the moment the other would make the first move, both secretly grateful for the chance to rest. But Arin had had enough of waiting. He drew a deep breath, ready to order another Horn Attack, when something took him completely by surprise. His competitor was racing out onto the mat!

Aurora heard Ash whisper, "Get back!" as she began to run out into the arena, but ignored him. Forget the stupid battle rules, this had gone on long enough! Interposing herself between the fighters, she faced Arin challengingly—which meant she had her back to the Rhyhorn. Stormweaver glared at it dangerously through the girl’s legs, but the Pokemon didn’t seem the least bit interested in her. After a swift glance of annoyance at being interrupted, the Rhyhorn returned its gaze to its opponent.

"Enough of this, Arin!" Aurora called out strongly, surprising both of them with her loud, sure voice. "We’re not getting anywhere with this. Both our Pokemon are good fighters, equally matched! Having them beat each other into a bloody pulp isn’t going to prove anything. Let’s end this and call it a tie." Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Stormweaver and the Rhyhorn stared at the girl, stunned.

Arin was more than stunned; Arin was speechless. This . . . this went against every rule and moral fiber of what Pokemon battling stood for! You didn’t just end it in the middle and call it a draw! Sure, you could forfeit, but that wasn’t the same thing at all! What did this girl think she was doing? It had been obvious she was a bad trainer, obvious she had lied when she said she knew the rules, but did she know anything about Pokemon training at all? And how did this idiot catch a brand-new species of Pokemon, one that fought well even without commands? It just wasn’t fair! Why, what Arin himself could do with a Pokemon that powerful. . . .

Aurora took the Gym leader’s silence as an affirmative. "Then it’s settled," she stated firmly. "A tie. Good match, Arin. You’re Rhyhorn fought really well. Now, where did Team Rocket say they were heading?"

The blond-haired boy finally found his voice. "Wha-what? Just wait one minute. You can’t call a draw!"

"Why not? Why can’t we both just say our Pokemon are good fighters and leave it at that?" A small note of nervousness crept into her voice. She had been hoping to pull this off quickly, before Stormweaver was seriously hurt. But this boy didn’t seem to share her feelings.

"You just can’t!" He sounded as if he was trying to explain something to a very small child. "It just doesn’t work that way. You can’t interrupt a Pokemon battle unless you’re giving up. And you certainly can’t call a tie. . . ." Arin’s offensive voice trailed off and an abstract expression crossed his face. The patronizing look melted into an ugly smile. Aurora took a step back. The Gym leader had just thought of something. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew she didn’t like it.

"A tie, huh? Well, I do have more important things to do today, and you’re hardly worth any more of my time. All right, I agree. And to show how much I appreciate you letting me battle with a new Pokemon, I’ll even tell you where Team Rocket was heading. It’s not my problem, after all, if someone’s after them. I’m sure they can handle four little kids and their measly Pokemon. They headed down to the harbor around Sunset Lake, warehouse C-5 if I remember correctly. I’m sure if you hurry, you can catch them." The blond Gym leader turned away as if they were no more concern. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I have Gym leader stuff to attend too."

As if he had been summoned—though no one had heard or seen Arin do anything—the small boy who had let them in opened the door again, startling Ash, Misty and Brock. He gestured for them to leave, but first they waited for Aurora to gather Stormweaver up and join them, returning Dexter to Ash as she did so. As emotionless as a statue once again, he waited for them to file through and closed the door, stepping inside the Sankton Gym leader’s room and leaving them alone. As the door swung shut they heard the unmistakable sound of a Pokeball retrieving its Pokemon. Then all five of her friends turned on Aurora and exploded with words.

"What in the world gave you that idea? You can just. . . ."

"Did you hear how that creep talked to us? I should go back in there and. . . ."

"Pika pika!"

"I don’t like the way that Arin suddenly agreed to help us. . . ."

"You should have let me finish that battle! I could’ve kicked—"

Aurora held up both hands to fend off the torrent. When she finally got them quieted she first turned to the creature once again on her shoulder. "Stormweaver, that fight had gone on for long enough. I really didn’t think he was going to tell us anyway, and in any event we don’t have time to delay. Or have you forgotten that our little adventure has an objective?"

The dragon looked away guiltily.

Feeling much more like herself now that she was back in charge, Aurora returned her attention to the others. "And I realize what I did wasn’t exactly by the book. There’s nothing to be done for it now. I don’t trust that character either but he’s given us the only lead we have, and we don’t have the luxury to question it. We’ll head for the waterfront and see if we can find them. I keep getting the feeling we’re running out of time." No one missed the tiny hint of desperation in her tone.

Waiting for their reaction, she suddenly became aware that she wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing after all. Maybe they should ignore what this person said. There obviously wasn’t any love lost between them, and he didn’t have any reason to tell them the truth. Should they ignore Arin’s words and look for more clues by themselves? Would they waste too much time going to check the warehouse at the lake?

Her self-doubts turned her gaze inward, trying to study her turmoil from every angle, so she didn’t notice when Brock pulled out his map. As he unfolded it Ash and Misty peered over each shoulder, and Pikachu was again on its trainer’s head. They studied the paper for a moment, and then the older boy spoke. Aurora started at his words. "Sunset Lake’s on the north side of town," reported Brock. "If we hurry we can get there in ten minutes."

A grateful smile broke over Aurora’s face, her duo-colored eyes thanking them without words. Her friends were still with her! The thought melted her hesitancy like butter in the sun. Friendship was something she had gone for too long without—except for Stormweaver of course. She hadn’t known how comforting it could really be.

The wild girl drew herself up to her full height. "Right. Then let’s go." Determination had returned to her eyes. She marched across the plain tan carpet purposefully, the rest of the small group falling into line behind her. Striding out the front door of the Sankton Gym, without once looking back, her mind was so centered on their destination and what might await them there she completely forgot about the hint of movement she had seen outside the Pokemon Center.

But Stormweaver hadn’t. Remembering the question his dragonfriend had asked him, he looked around quickly as they emerged into the open air. Amazingly, he did spot something: a small flash of orange and white that vanished into the throng of milling people on the street when he turned his head in its direction. In and of itself it wouldn’t have added up to much. It could have been a child or a pet or some other thing abounding in the city. But coupled with Aurora’s observation earlier, that it seemed to be waiting for them outside of every building they entered, and vanishing before they could get a good look at it, made the dragon highly suspicious. Why was thing, whatever it was, following them?

Aurora was already walking away, and so Stormweaver didn’t have a choice whether or not he was leaving too. Craning his neck for one last look, he convinced himself the thing was truly gone. Whatever it had been, now was not the time to bring it up. They had matters that were more important to attend to now. An angry shame burned in the dragon. He had been enjoying the battle a little too much. He had forgotten his three siblings were in the hands of the enemy. He tried not to think about what might be happening to them. And he had been having fun! With a harsh mental reprimand, he forced his attention back to his five friends and their conversation.