Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Loss of a Leader ❯ The Apprentice Conspiracy ( Chapter 2 )

"Ember?" Aurora repeated. She stared at Bruce, hoping she had misheard. That was the only way she could possibly discount what he'd just said. Bruce wasn't inclined to exaggerate, and he didn't have the imagination to lie outright.

Unfortunately, Bruce nodded in affirmation. "It's all anyone can talk about. Of course, not everyone believes it, but there are enough people who do that it's worth keeping in mind. It's going to make trouble among the Gym Leaders, that's for sure."

"Do you have any idea who believes it and who doesn't?" asked Aurora, thinking fast. If it came to trouble, she wanted to know who her allies were.

"Yeah, that's easy enough," said Bruce, surprising her with a slight grin. "Soon as I figured out something was up, I talked Nick into sending one of his spooks out to - you know, snoop a little."

Laine grinned. "You're leanin' from me, Brucie. I like that. Shoulda thought of it myself."

Bruce beamed at the praise. "Most of us young trainers are in Ember's favor. We know he's an okay guy. I mean, I only met him a couple of times, but he seemed all right to me. It's only the old stick-in-the-mud types, the ones that have been training for years and don't want things to change, that are raising a fuss. They'd rather it be a nice, high-profile Rocket they can snipe at, and not somebody they've never heard of and can't predict. Easiest to blame it all on Ember."

Aurora frowned. "I don't like it."

"Can't be helped," said Laine with a shrug.

"But it's going to make a mess of anything that happens next," Aurora pointed out. "As long as even most of us are convinced that Ember's to blame for the trouble, they aren't going to spend any time looking for the real problem."

"Problem?" interjected a light voice. "Are we talking about problems? I can give you a few."

Aurora jumped. The voice was familiar, though not one she would have counted as friendly. It was none other than Nicholas, the apprentice Ghost Master, regarding her with his wickedly glinting eyes.

"I have enough problems, thanks," she said. She didn't even bother telling him off for eavesdropping; it was to be expected from anyone who trained with Morty.

"I know," said Nicholas, gliding over to join the group. "I just want you to know what they are. They seem like the kind of things it would be useful to know."

Laine gave him a suspicious stare. "Enlighten us."

"Gladly," he said. "I think you ought to know that some of Ember's... ehm... most vocal detractors are starting to expand their acrimony somewhat."

Bruce looked blank. "What does that mean, when it's at home?"

"Don't mind him; he likes being vague," said Aurora. "Are you trying to say they think Ember isn't scapegoat enough for them?"

Nicholas smiled slowly. "Of course not? Why stop pointing fingers once you start? After all, Ember didn't rise to power all on his own. People helped him."

Aurora paled a little. "You mean... like me? Or Laine?"

"Not you. Not yet," answered Nicholas with a dismissive gesture. "You are, after all, only the apprentice of a very low-ranking Gym Leader. Not nearly spectacular enough. No, they want someone bigger to point fingers at... and there aren't many people bigger than Ember to point at. Not that I'm not sure they won't point at you eventually... Me, too, of course," he added, flashing a sharp smile. "That will be fun."

"Who are they going to accuse who's more important than Ember?" asked Bruce. "I mean, he's the highest Gym Leader in Johto and the Rocket Boss besides. The only people who are higher than him are the Elite Four and Lance, and nobody would accuse them..."

"Lance!" Laine yelped. "Of course! He's the one who made Ember a Leader... Heck, he trained Ember himself! I'd bet my last Apricorn they're makin' up stories 'bout him right now, sayin' he encouraged this..."

Nicholas applauded. "Very good! I knew one of you would guess. Yes, some of the Leaders are not happy with Lance at all right now. They're putting their little heads together, whispering about how he trained Clair and how she turned out. She allied with Rockets, and now the new Dragon Master is the leader of Rockets. They're talking about how Lance was always too soft with them, never stomping them out entirely. Talking about how Giovanni and Lance were friends when they were young, and how he made Giovanni a Gym Leader... Amazing what a little panic will do for an otherwise sterling reputation, isn't it?"

"You're sadistic," said Aurora.

Nicholas flashed his white smile again and bowed to her.

"So, lemme get this straight," said Laine. "First people are whisperin' that Ember's got his Rockets randomly killin' people off as part of a far-fetched plan to put them in power, and now they think Lance is behind it somehow. Is that what you're tellin' me?"

"You are a jewel of wisdom," answered Nicholas.

Laine shook her head. "That's insane. They're nuttier than a stack of Apricorns. Don't they remember how many times Lance cleared out Rocket operations? If he were tryin' to help 'em, I can think of a ton of ways that would be faster and easier than this."

Nicholas smiled at her. "You forget, people will believe anything when they're frightened. These people are frightened. They've met something they don't understand for the first time in years, and they are eager to turn it into something they don't have to worry about."

"Someone is going to have to set the record straight before this goes too far," said Aurora.

"Who?" asked Nicholas. "And how? Some of these people - Lt. Surge, for example - are not inclined to listen to reason right now."

Aurora searched her mind for an answer, but could think of nothing. Fortunately, she was saved by the arrival of Daisy.

"There you are!" she said. "I was wondering where you went. They want you back at the lab - the meeting is starting again."

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," said Laine. "Keep your Pokemon out, Brucie. It's pennies to a PokeBall that a fight's gonna break out."

"I hate to say it, but she's right," Aurora sighed. "Right about now, I wish I was still in Violet City cleaning up bird droppings."

"Is that what you do all day? How glamorous," said Nicholas.

Before she could come up with a retort, he'd turned and sauntered away, leaving the rest of the group no choice but to try to copy some of his grace as they trailed behind him.

In her youth, Laine had once had the experience of being in a field full of Pikachus in various stages of evolution, and she had experienced firsthand what the guidebooks had to say about the little yellow animals: that large groups of them had the propensity of producing electrical storms. She had felt the energy tingling in the air around her, making the hair on her arms and neck stand up and her father's electrical equipment go haywire. The air in the basement of the laboratory felt much the same way; she didn't think she'd ever been in a room with so much tension in it.

"This is gonna get ugly," she whispered to Aurora. "I shoulda stayed in Azalea makin' PokeBalls."

"Stay here," Aurora replied. "When the fighting breaks out, I'll need you watching my back."

They took their seats, noting that there seemed to have been a reshuffling of the arrangement of last time. Aurora almost thought she could see a line drawn down the center of the room, putting those who supported Ember on one side and his detractors on the other. They glared at each other across the tables, while their Pokemon scampered around under their feet, growling and snapping at anyone who came too close. Scar sat behind Aurora's chair with his wings half-unfurled, as if trying to guard her from assassins. Laine had her own lead Pokemon, a Machop called Nova, standing on one side of her, with musclebound Bruce on the other. Even the normally unflappable Nicholas was surrounded by a shimmering cloud that meant his ghosts were present and ready to protect him.

Standing in the shadowed corner of the room, Lance turned to Professor Oak and sighed.

"I don't like this," he said. "Something is wrong here, and it's getting worse instead of better. We should call this off before it gets completely out of hand."

"But what about the murders?" asked Oak, speaking softly so that only Lance could hear him. "We have to do something." Turning a worried eye over the crowd, he added, "Some of these look like they're ready to take the law into their own hands. If you can't get them under control, that's exactly what they'll do."

Lance sighed. "Then I have no choice. I'll just have to hope..."

He stepped up to the microphone, and the babble of the crowd subdued into a nearly inaudible whispering and shuffling. Lance decided that was the best he was going to get at the moment; trying to coerce them into silence was not likely to go over well right now.

"I am under the impression," he said, putting an edge of iron into his voice, "that there has been some muttering going on. As a matter of fact, I'm getting the feeling there are more rumors than Pidgeys flying around here right now. I want you all to know that I disapprove of this. If any of you have anything to say about me or any of your fellow Gym Leaders, you can settle it face to face. Your likes and dislikes are not my concern, but the unity of this League is. If we allow suspicion to flourish among us, the results will be as devastating as any plot by our enemies. I want this whispering to stop. Either you all can conduct yourselves civilly, or I will be forced to take measures of my own." He swept a stern gaze around the room, leaving them all to imagine for themselves what those measures might be. "Now, does anyone have anything they want to say?"

From the back of the room, Whitney piped up, "Ember hasn't come to the meeting."

"That is Ember's prerogative," answered Lance. "Any or all of you can walk out of this room at this moment. I cannot command you to stay here, only ask. After the way he was insulted yesterday, I hardly blame him. I will thank you to reserve your remarks to the matter at hand, and not act like a tattling schoolgirl."

Whitney flushed and shrunk into her chair.

Laine grinned at Aurora and whispered, "I think the boss-man's ticked."

"I think you're right," Aurora whispered back, and Scar gave a quiet chuckle.

"I agree with the Champion. If I may," said Koga, "I would say that this discussion is best left to those who actually want to work with the League to see the problem solved, rather than those who insist on leaving to walk their own roads."

"That was uncalled for," said Lance.

"I think not. After all, we are a League. We are supposed to work together to solve problems," answered Koga smoothly. "As I understand it, Giovanni himself repudiated the boy for his rebellious ways, and he seems to be acting the same way now. Is that really what you want in a Gym Leader?"

Lance frowned. "I suspected that was what your problem was. Are you going to put me on trial for choosing Ember as my student? You've had three years to lodge a formal complaint. Why start now?"

"Um, excuse me," said Lapis softly, "but aren't we sort of getting off track? I thought this meeting was about trying to track a criminal."

"We know who the criminals are," Lt. Surge growled. "The same people it always is - those conniving Rocket scum! I've been telling you for years, Lance - we ought to wipe 'em out once and for all, and save ourselves some headaches!"

"And I've been telling you, Surge, that there are good reasons for keeping the structure as it is," Lance barked back. "I also have very good reasons to believe that the Rockets are not at fault for our present problems. Rocket business is primarily geared toward the acquisition of money. Random killing of trainers and abandonment of their Pokemon isn't even remotely conductive to anything a Rocket would be interested in. There is no proof whatsoever that the Rocket gang is involved."

"The Rockets are interested in building their power again," said the Sylph Co. director. "You heard what that Ember boy said yesterday - he's trying to scare us into letting them have free reign!"

"I say he is not!" Lance snapped.

The words snapped like a whip over the assembled company, stunning them into silence. All of them stared at Lance. He was clearly beyond "ticked" and building into a stormy rage. He seemed to have grown in stature, his cloak billowing around him like dark wings, his eyes flashing. He had gone in an instant from a normal, albeit imposing and charismatic, man, to something magical, larger than life. Aurora realized in a flash why this man had reigned over the League for so many years. At that instant, she would have obeyed any order he made without question.

"Now," he said, speaking softly in the silent room, "I see what is going on. This is the moment of reckoning. Speak freely with me. You doubt my judgement in choosing a successor. You believe I have betrayed you, handed you into the hands of your enemies. You suspect me of siding with those who would destroy the things I have worked hardest to preserve. I give a good man a chance to prove he is better than his background, and you vilify him. I place my trust in you, and you waste your time in mudslinging and rumor-mongering. You have been chosen as the greatest, the wisest, the most honorable, and this is how you conduct yourselves."

There was a soft buzzing, as if from a distant nest of Beedrills, just before they swarm to attack. The Gym Leaders were hissing a furious denial of what had been said. Lance gave it a moment to subside before beginning again.

"I do not believe there is one among you who is not loyal to the League. I believe each and every one of you would fight to the death for the Pokemon League and what it stands for. I'm not accusing you of anything. All I'm saying is that I expected more from you than this."

He stared around the room again, no longer angry, but wearing an expression of deep hurt and sorrow. Several of those present squirmed in their chairs.

"Now," said Lance, "if there are no more objections..."

There were guilty-sounding, half-heard murmurs. It seemed people still weren't completely willing to give up on pursuing Ember as a scapegoat. Aurora stared. How could anyone still want to suspect him after a speech like that? Yet, even as she watched, some of his more vociferous detractors were shooting looks at each other, egging each other toward objecting once again. Janine spoke up.

"Perhaps... a compromise?" she suggested, her dark eyes glinting slyly. "I will admit it is conceivable that Team Rocket is not behind this, but I do not want to rule out the chance that it is. We should have at least a token force investigating the Rockets while someone else checks for other possibilities."

Lance frowned for a moment. It was plain he was still annoyed that people weren't taking his word, but it was also plain that this might be the best solution he was going to get. He sighed.

"Very well," he said. "Someone will be sent to track Ember down and find out what he's up to. Does that please you?"

It did; the smug looks that flashed around the room told Aurora that most people thought this was going to solve their problems quite handily. She dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from slapping a few of them.

"Now, for the problem at hand..." said Lance, in a tone that said the previous argument was not going to be brought up again, "we should give some thought to protecting the trainers who are already on the road. I have given the matter some serious consideration, and I have decided that it may become necessary to temporarily suspend all Gym activities."

That got everyone's attention. An excited babble broke out, but in the hubbub, it was hard to tell what the overriding emotion was. Lance quieted it with a raised hand.

"My reasoning is twofold. For one, the primary reason young trainers travel is to have Gym Battles. If there are no Gyms available, they will be less likely to leave home. Second, closing the Gyms leaves us with our hands free to concentrate on finding the murderer."

There was another burst of chatter, but this time it sounded faintly approving, and there were a few nods. Aurora felt slightly downcast; she had been hoping to challenge a few Gyms while she was in Kanto, but Lance did have a point...

With the debate about Ember momentarily forgotten, the assembled company quieted down enough to talk sensibly. It was a relief; Aurora had been wondering if this crowd knew how to agree on anything, but the rest of the discussion went quite smoothly. In the end, the proposal they agreed to was very like what Lance had originally suggested. They finally agreed that the Gyms would remain open, but the borders of towns would be closed to wandering trainers, so that they could only do battle at their own local Gyms. It was not an ideal solution, but it was the best that could be done short of ordering everyone in Kanto to stay home. The meeting was declared over, and everyone walked out feeling much calmer than they'd been when they entered.

"Whew!" said Laine. "I'm glad that's over."

"So am I," Aurora agreed. "Did you see the look on Lt. Surge's face when Lance started making that speech? I thought he was going to explode for a minute there."

"Surge is wired to a short fuse," said Bruce. "Isn't Lance something, though? I wanted to hide from him when he started with his speech, and I didn't even do anything wrong!"

"He's impressive, all right," said Aurora. "Too bad he can't make them understand that this isn't Ember's fault. They're going to be wasting time looking for him when they could be looking for the real problem."

"Real problem?" said Nicholas. "Dear, Ember is the real problem. I thought we'd established that already. No doubt the forces they send to look for the 'imaginary' problem won't look in any place you couldn't hide a herd of Kanghaskhan."

"Too right," said Laine. "Man! Sometimes I just wanna go up to people and beat some sense into their heads."

"Are we going to beat someone? I'll help." That tired voice was Lapis, who had just come up from behind to join them. "I got stuck sitting at the end of the table next to Bruno, and let me tell you, that's a stressful experience. He's not happy with Lance right now, and he made sure I knew it."

"This is all insane," said Aurora. "We have a major problem on our hands, and the Gym Leaders aren't going to be doing a thing!"

"That is not entirely accurate," said a lilting voice. Aurora turned and stared, but Miyuki and Yukiko were so similar in every way that she couldn't even guess which of them had spoken.

"What do you mean?" she asked the both of them.

"Some of the Leaders are on Ember's side," said Miyuki. "Sabrina, for example. The vision of the Psychics allows them to see more clearly than most."

"True," said Aurora, "but as long as half the Leaders are fighting with the other half... I don't know. It just doesn't feel right. I can't help thinking there's going to be trouble as long as so many people are suspecting Ember - and Lance. How long do you think the League is going to hold together when half its members are suspecting Lance himself is in league with the Rockets?"

"Well, in a way, he is," Nicholas pointed out.

"You know what I mean," said Aurora. "I wish there was someone I trusted to get this job done right..."

"Who would you trust?" asked Lapis.

"Someone I knew," Aurora replied. "Someone like you guys who already knows Ember, knows he's all right, and isn't afraid to get their hands dirty looking for the real culprit."

"Then why not us?" asked Yukiko mildly.

Aurora opened her mouth to say something. Then she stopped. She smiled.

"You're right," she said slowly. "Why not us? It just might work..."

Laine stared at her. "You're hatchin' a plan. I can just hear it."

"Look," said Aurora. "We know half the Leaders on this island aren't going to do a thing to look for anyone who isn't Ember, and the other half are going to be busy watching their Gyms, so even if they aren't looking for Ember, they won't have much time to look for anyone else, either. We don't have Gyms to keep up with right now. We have some leeway to move around. Not only that, but we have the authority to stop any troublemakers we find. Who's to say we can't take matters into our own hands?"

Nicholas grinned. "Beautiful. I love it."

"I don't know," said Lapis, frowning a little. "I mean, it's a good idea, but is Lance going to allow us to just go wandering around like this? I mean, he's already just about shut the Gym circuit down..."

"Hmm..." said Aurora, thinking hard. "There might be a way around that... what if we all just picked a city and stayed in it? He couldn't really object to that. We can scatter around the continent and keep watch. One of us is bound to find something."

"That makes sense," answered Bruce.

"To a point," Nicholas said. "Still, it would be nice if one of us had the freedom to move. Our enemy travels light, moves fast, strikes in secret. The person who catches him will have to move the same way."

"True." Aurora frowned. "Hm... I wonder if one of us could... could talk Lance into giving a special permission. Something about wanting to collect Kanto Gym Badges, saying our mentor wanted it as part of our training..."

"Falkner wanted you to collect Gym Badges," Laine reminded her.

"Well, yeah," she said...

"Why don't you talk to Lance?" Bruce suggested. "I mean, you've met him before, right? He seems to like you all right. He might listen to you more than one of us."

"Well..."

"This was your idea," Nicholas pointed out.

"I guess..." said Aurora reluctantly. "Oh, all right. I don't guess he's going to kill me or anything just for asking. Does anyone know where he might be now?"

"I am under the impression," said Yukiko, "that the Champion is currently residing in one of the upstairs rooms at the lab."

"Ah," said Aurora. She had been vaguely hoping he might be somewhere distant and inaccessible so she'd have an excuse to back down. "Good. Guess I'll go talk to him, then."

"Go tell 'im, fearless leader!" Laine called after her. Scar squawked something insulting at her, but fortunately, only he and Aurora understood.

Steeling herself, Aurora marched back into the lab and began looking around for some stairs that might lead her to the upper levels. She needed to get there quickly - not because of the urgency of the situation, though it certainly did feel urgent - but because if she didn't do this quickly, she'd lose her nerve.

*Brilliant, Aurora,* she scolded herself. *So clever coming up with all those plans. Who did you think was going to carry them out, your maiden aunt? Now you're stuck with them, stuck with starting a debate with the greatest trainer on the continent. Really good move.*

"Going somewhere?" asked an aide in a white lab coat.

Aurora barely stopped herself from jumping. "What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" asked the aide. "I just saw you looking around and thought you seemed lost."

"Um - yeah," she said quickly, prompted by a tap from Scar's beak. "Actually, I am. I was sent to deliver a message to Lance the Dragon Master." Well, that wasn't quite a lie. "I was told he was upstairs somewhere, but I can't find the stairs."

"I see," the aide replied. "Yes, it is easy to get lost in this place. If you need to talk to Lance, just head down that hall over there, go through the door at the end and up the stairs to the third floor. He'll be the third door on your left as you're leaving the stairwell. Clear enough?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"Glad to be of help."

Aurora hurried to follow the directions, keeping her pace brisk but not hurried and her eyes straight ahead, doing her best to look like she belonged here and was doing something important that no one needed to bother her about. It worked, primarily because there didn't seem to be a lot of people beyond the door the aide had pointed her to. The only person she saw the entire time was Will of the Elite Four, who only nodded politely to her as she passed and gave her the kind of knowing smile that she associated with Psychics and Ghost Masters, the kind of people who tended to always know what was going on. The idea that someone as lofty as Will might approve of what she was doing made her feel a trifle less nervous.

She reached the door she'd been directed to, and there, her courage failed her. She stared at it, listening to the silence of the hall, her brain spinning with reasons why she ought to walk away and forget all this nonsense. It was possible that he wasn't even in there right now. He could have turned around and gone home as soon as the meeting was over. He might be too busy right now to be bothered by an unimportant apprentice Gym Leader. She might have even mis- remembered her directions; this might be someone else's room. Maybe she should come back when she was more certain...

Scar shot her an annoyed look, crowed once, and pecked at the door with his long sharp beak.

"Thanks a lot," Aurora muttered.

"Is someone there?" said Lance's voice from behind the door.

"Um, yes," said Aurora nervously. "Would you mind if... can I come in?"

"You may."

She opened the door, feeling a hundred times more apprehensive than she had when she'd been to visit the other Dragon Master. She had met Lance on a few occasions, the first being when he had presented her with the Rising Badge and declared her to be a Pokemon Master. He had visited a few other times over the years, to check up on various items of business with Falkner, and he'd always been very polite and pleasant to her. Even so, there was just something about him that left her fighting back an impulse to stand staring with her mouth hanging open. It wasn't anything in his looks - in her opinion, both Ember and Falkner were far more handsome, and Bruce had him beaten in the muscle department. Lance simply had a presence that was stronger than anyone she'd ever met. She couldn't image the world could hold two people like him without them crowding each other.

When Aurora entered the room, she found the Dragon Master leaning over a desk, giving studious attention to a pile of papers. A young Dratini dozed at his feet. Both of them looked up as the girl and her partner came in.

"Hello, young lady," said Lance courteously. "Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable. What can I do for you?"

Aurora perched on the edge of a nearby chair, folding her hands in her lap in an effort to keep them from trembling. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I surmised as much," he replied, with a small smile. "You are Aurora Cummings, yes? Falkner's apprentice?"

"That's right," she answered, feeling absurdly pleased that he'd remembered her name.

"I thought so. I do try to keep tabs on promising young trainers," he answered. "I presume it is no small matter that brings you here? People seldom dare to bother me with trivialities."

"I would think not!" Aurora blurted, before she could stop herself. She blushed painfully.

Lance laughed a bit. "Please, don't be nervous around me. I promise I don't bite."

"I know," Aurora answered. "Begging your pardon, but you're just a little... overwhelming."

"You'll get used to me," he answered, with a wry smile. "Certainly some of the other Gym Leaders have no qualms about standing up to me."

"I noticed," answered Aurora. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yes, I thought that might be what this was about. You are a good friend of Ember's, isn't that right?"

"Yes, sir," she answered. "As much of a friend as he'll let me be, anyway."

"A good observation," Lance said. "And I imagine you're concerned about those who don't trust him as much as you do?"

"Yes," she said. Then, with more force than she'd intended to use, "They're wrong! Ember has nothing to do with this! They just hate him because he's with the Rockets, but he's still a good person!"

"I know that," said Lance. "I am his teacher, after all. He comes to me for advice, when things get difficult enough that even he will admit he needs help."

"He does?" answered Aurora, surprised. She had never imagined that Ember would voluntarily seek help from anyone.

"What choice does he have?" Lance replied. "He is, after all, only a young man, and he has shouldered a very heavy burden. To be a Gym Leader or a Rocket leader would be enough for any one person to want to handle. Not only is Ember doing both, but he has the strain of trying to balance between the two. It is a task even I wouldn't want to undertake."

"Giovanni did it, though, didn't he?" asked Aurora.

Lance chuckled quietly. "Yes and no. He was a Gym Leader in name, but he was always concerned first and foremost with his Rockets. Ember is loyal to his team, but oddly enough, he is loyal to the League as well. It is a strain on him, trying to keep from betraying himself from day to day." He sighed. "I don't blame him for running away. He has already worked himself to near the breaking point trying not to betray the trust I've placed in him, and now he is being accused of doing that very thing. It must be painful for him."

"Somebody should do something about it," said Aurora.

"Who?" asked Lance. "Not me. This is a League, you know, not a dictatorship. I am in power only because I have managed to earn a great deal of trust over the years, and have shown a certain amount of skill at diplomacy. Sometimes getting all the Leaders to work together is like herding Abras - any move I make, and a half-dozen of them are going to go taking off in every direction but where I want them to go. Were I to try to force them to do anything, they are likely to turn on me. Do you understand?"

Aurora sighed. "I guess."

"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No," she said. "I - my friends and I - we were talking. We have an idea."

"Oh, really? Do tell."

"Well, we know Ember hasn't done anything wrong. He could even be in danger right now - one leader has already vanished without a trace, and we already know most of the League isn't going to do anything to protect Ember if he's in danger. They aren't going to look for anyone besides him to put the blame for their troubles on. Meanwhile, the real criminal is still running around doing who-knows-what. My friends and I want to do something, but we need your cooperation."

Lance's face was impassive, showing a cultured calm built up by years of experience. Only a faint glint in his dark eyes told her she might have his interest.

"What kind of cooperation are you asking for?" he asked quietly. "As I've already said, there is only so much I can do for you."

"All we want is permission to move around Kanto," asked Aurora.

"And who is this 'we' you speak of?"

Aurora began ticking off names on her fingers. "Me. Laine - Elaine Harvester, that is. Lapis Lazuli. Miyuki and Yukiko Moriyama. Nicholas Underhill. Gym Leader Bruce. You know, the young trainers, the ones who know Ember and trust him."

"And you intend... what?"

"Well, we are young. Most of us are Apprentices. It makes sense that we'd want to try our hands at the local Gyms, right? As a matter of fact, Falkner himself suggested I take the Challenge while I'm here and get some experience. For that, we're going to need the freedom to move around. Since we'll be the only trainers on the road right now, we'll have the best chance of finding the attacker out of anyone."

"Hmm," said Lance. "Interesting. Very interesting. I suppose you've considered the danger this plan presents?"

Aurora shrugged. "I can't speak for my friends, but I've been in danger before. I'm willing to take a chance. I'm sure the others are smart enough to know this isn't going to be easy. They volunteered for this. We'll all be Gym Leaders someday; we ought to be able to protect ourselves as well as anyone, or better. Besides, what kind of Leaders would we make if we were the kind of people who ducked for cover the first time danger showed up?"

For a moment, Lance said nothing, and she wondered if perhaps she'd managed to put her foot in her mouth. It wouldn't be the first time...

Then he did something that completely stunned her: he reached out and clapped a hand to her shoulder, beaming like a proud father.

"It's people like you," he said, "that remind me why I wanted to be a part of this League. If all of your young friends are so admirable, the future is in good hands."

"So you'll give us permission?" asked Aurora, hardly able to believe her ears.

"Of course. One moment..."

He pulled out several fresh pieces of paper and began writing a brief note on each of them in brisk, flowing handwriting, stamping each one with the mark of a Dragonite with outspread wings. Then he handed the stack of paper to Aurora.

"Here," he said. "Give these to each of your confederates. They give my express permission to travel the continent in order to collect the Gym Badges. Of course, should any of you happen to stumble across something relevant to our investigation..."

Aurora grinned. "It's our duty to report it, right?"

"Precisely," answered Lance. "I wish you all the best of luck."

"Thank you, sir," said Aurora.

Sensing that her interview with the Champion was at its end, she murmured a polite goodbye and hurried out of the room. As soon as she was safely in the hallway, she closed the door, then slumped against the nearby wall to catch her breath. She hadn't realized until then just how fast her heart was going.

"Fear fearow?" asked Scar curiously.

Aurora gave a giddy laugh of relief.

"I can't believe how well that went!" she said. "Can you believe it? He actually touched me! I thought I was going to pass out! How does Ember stand being around him for any length of time? I think it would be like standing in the noonday sun twenty-four hours a day."

"Fear, fear, fearow, fear."

"I know, I am being silly," Aurora replied. "It's a good thing Laine isn't around, or she'd never let me live it down. Come on, let's find the others and tell them the news."

She found the rest of her "confederates" hanging around a small garden located not far from the lab - an innocent enough place for a crowd of young people to be relaxing on a sunny day. No one would suspect that any of them were planning anything; the twins had struck up a debate with Lapis and Bruce about the relative merits of Steel versus Rock Pokemon, while Laine sat and scribbled in her trusty yellow notebook and Nicholas meditated in the shade of a tree. When Aurora appeared, she sat down next to Miyuki, to all appearances simply interested in the discussion, and Laine and Nicholas ambled over to join the rest of the group.

"So?" asked Laine eagerly. "How'd it go?"

Aurora grinned. "It couldn't have gone better! Lance was very cooperative. He's worried about Ember, too. He's given us all permission to go wherever we need to go." She passed around the sheets of paper Lance had signed. Bruce began reading his aloud.

"'I, Lance, Champion of the Pokemon League and Leader of the Elite Four, do hereby authorize Gym Leader Bruce to travel freely on the continent of Kanto.' Yeah, sounds pretty official to me. Look, its even got his seal on it. I can't imagine anyone arguing with this."

"Me neither," said Lapis. She laughed. "And after this is all over, I can tell all my friends I've got Lance's autograph. They'll be jealous."

"You mean you have friends besides your Skarmory?" asked Nicholas teasingly.

"You be quiet," said Aurora. "I'd like to see you talk to Lance with that cocky attitude."

"Now we are authorized to travel," said Yukiko, folding the paper and slipping it inside his jacket. "We must choose destinations, yes?"

"Good idea," said Laine. She pulled a map out of her bag and spread it out on the ground. "We're here," she said, pointing at Pallet Town. "That's a pretty good distance away from everythin'. We're gonna hafta do some travelin'."

"Pewter City isn't that far away," said Bruce, trying to read the map upside-down. "I'd like to go there. Bet my Fighting Pokemon can handle Brock's Rocks with one hand tied behind their backs."

"Of course," said Laine. "You're trainin' a Hitmonlee; he'll just use his feet."

"I volunteer to go to Ceruelan City," said Miyuki. "Perhaps the young lady Gym Leader will be more open with another like herself."

"Then I will go to Celedon City," her brother replied. "I do not believe the Gym Leader there cared greatly for our friend Ember; one of us ought to be watching there."

"I think one of us ought to be in Vermillion City," said Lapis. "That Lt. Surge sounded like trouble to me. I'd feel better if I was keeping an eye on him, and he might trust me a little. After all, some Steel-types are Electric, too."

"Saffron City should be safe enough under Sabrina's care," said Nicholas thoughtfully. "That leaves me a choice of Fuchsia, Viridian, and Cinnabar."

"So which is it?" asked Laine impatiently.

Nicholas grinned. "None of them. If I may, I would like to go to Lavender Town. It is infamous for its ghosts. I may be able to pick up some information from them."

"Good thinking," said Aurora. "I guess that leaves me and Laine..."

"I'm goin' wherever you are," said Laine.

Aurora stared at her. Laine grinned, the old reckless expression she knew from their early acquaintance.

"What?" she said. "Didja think I'd let you run off on your own? Nah, you'll get in trouble if someone ain't watchin' you. I think that someone oughta be me, seein' as how I've got some experience. It'll be just like the good ol' days when we were bustin' up Rockets together."

Aurora smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. So," said Laine, briskly changing the subject, "where are we goin'?"

"Cinnabar Island," answered Aurora promptly. "That's where Blaine was last seen. If we go there, we might be able to find some clues as to what happened to him. After that, depending on what we find, we can either keep going towards Fuchsia by way of the Seafoam Islands, or we can back up and head for Viridian City."

Laine nodded her agreement. "Great! Sounds like fun."

"So, we're all decided, then?" asked Bruce. The others nodded determinedly.

"We'll all have to keep in touch," said Lapis. "We should all exchange phone numbers before we go. Aurora can be our coordinator, and keep us all updated on what's going on."

"Why me?" asked Aurora, taken aback.

"Because you're the leader, featherbrain!" said Laine. "You cooked up this whole escapade, didn' ya?"

"Well, yeah..."

"And you're like an apprentice spymaster already, right? You're supposed to be good at keepin' up with what people are doin', right?"

"Yeah, but..."

Scar whapped her with his wing. She jumped, startled, and then laughed.

"All right, all right!" she said. "I get your point! I guess I don't mind being a coordinator. I don't know about being a leader, but..."

"You'll work out somethin'," said Laine confidently. "C'mon, already! I'm ready to hit the road again!"

"All right," said Aurora. "Everybody, watch your backs! If you see anything even a little suspicious, call and tell me!"

The others nodded their agreement. They entered each other's numbers into their PokeGear telephones. Then, solemnly, they stood up, clasping their hands in the center of the circle for a moment. It was the sealing of a pact. No matter what obstacles arose, Ember's name would be cleared, and the true criminal would be brought to justice.

The first obstacle arose before Aurora and Laine had even left the town. Though Aurora knew in her mind that there was a reason why the city was called Cinnabar Island, she hadn't seriously considered what that meant in terms of travel. She stood by the edge of the water, staring out at the endless blue waves.

"Well, this feels familiar," she said. "Don't you wish people would build bridges or something?"

"Whatsamatter, Rora?" asked Laine. "It's just a little water."

"Yeah, but none of my birds can swim," Aurora pointed out, "and I can't Fly to somewhere I've never been. The last thing I need is to get lost in the middle of the ocean."

"Not to worry!" said Laine, flashing her manic grin. "Yours truly has arranged for transportation!"

"Really?" asked Aurora, cautiously enthusiastic. Laine had mentioned getting some new Pokemon; perhaps one of them knew how to Surf. On the other hand, she'd always had her Slowpoke, who was technically capable of swimming them across the water, but it would be a difficult and wet journey if the two girls had only him to rely on.

"Sure!" said Laine. "I'm a traveler, remember? I gotta be able to handle a little water once in a while, so I taught one of my favorite Pokemon to Surf. He's gotten real good at it."

"Who is it?" asked Aurora.

"Hang on; I'll show ya."

Laine reached for her belt and opened a PokeBall. There was a flash of orange light - lots and lots of orange light, far too much for a Slowpoke to have caused. It was not a Slowpoke at all. It was...

"Roadblock," said Laine proudly, "the amazing Surfing Snorlax."

"Surfing... Snorlax?" Aurora repeated, mildly stunned. She stared at the mountain-like Pokemon before her, thinking he looked like he'd sink like a stone if someone dunked him in the water.

"Sure!" Laine replied. "I got the idea from the weird old dude who gave me the HM. He was training a Rhydon. They can Surf, too. Just read the guidebook."

She thrust a book in Aurora's hands, which proved to be a listing of assorted TM's and HM's and which Pokemon could use which one. Sure enough, the listing for "Snorlax" indicated that he could indeed learn to Surf.

"I see," said Aurora. "Still... why him?"

Laine shrugged. "Dad was doin' a paper on Pokemon who learn moves against their type. I wanted to finish it up for him."

Aurora nodded; that made sense. Nothing meant more to Laine than completing her deceased father's work.

"Anyway, I talked Roadblock into helpin' me a little," Laine continued. "He likes it. He weighs less in the water, so it takes less effort to move around. Roadblock's in favor of anythin' that takes less effort."

Aurora shot a mistrustful look at the Snorlax, who appeared to have gotten bored of the conversation and fallen asleep. Then again, Snorlaxes had a reputation for falling asleep any time, whether they were bored or not. Laine caught the expression, and then caught Aurora, grabbing her wrist and dragging her toward the somnolent Pokemon.

"C'mon," she urged. "It's safe; I've done this lots of times"

The two of them scrambled up onto the Snorlax's back, clinging to his thick fur. They settled themselves in as comfortably as they could. Then they waited. The Snorlax, predictably, did nothing.

"I think he needs a jump start," Aurora commented.

In response, Scar flapped over to the Snorlax's rear end and pecked him sharply. Roadblock let out a bellow of pain and surged forward, forcing the girls to hold on for dear life. He splashed into the water with a force that drenched everything for several yards around. However, once he'd paddled into deep water, he settled into a steady stroke that carried them smoothly across the water. Much to Aurora's surprise, the large animal floated like a cork, and his broad back meant that the girls were safe from being splashed, even on the ocean waves.

"What do you know?" said Aurora. "It works!"

"Toldja I knew what I was doing," said Laine smugly.

They sailed easily across the calm water, enjoying the sunshine and fresh salt breezes. Scar amused himself by chasing Magikarp, just barely not snapping them up in his long beak. Laine produced a collapsible fishing rod and began trolling for whatever might be out there. Aurora simply watched the waves slip by, pondering the turn life had handed her.

*Well, now I definitely have an excuse to collect Gym Badges!* she thought. *It's the perfect cover for me to walk around and see what everyone is up to. Not only that, but I get to do it while there's someone out there trying to kill me again. Lucky me. Just like old times.*

Just like old times, except... in the old days, she'd always had Ember dogging her trail, getting in her way, watching her back, but always somewhere close by. Now he was gone - who knew where? Objectively, she knew he was probably safe. He was supposed to be one of the greatest trainers in Johto; he wasn't completely helpless! Nevertheless, it just wouldn't be the same knowing he wouldn't be waiting for her somewhere to offer his help and advice just when she needed it most, all the while pretending he didn't care less what happened to her.

*But maybe he doesn't care anymore,* a little voice in her mind whispered.

Aurora frowned. What was she thinking? Ember was still her friend, wasn't he? Only... he hadn't quite been acting that way lately. He had always sprinkled their conversations with insults and barbs, but they had never been as sharp as he might have liked to think they were. No matter how he had spoken to her in the past, she had known that behind his prickly facade, he really wasn't as bad as he pretended to be. Now, though, there was something different. The last few times she'd spoken to him, there had been nothing behind his voice but iron, nothing to tell her that he didn't actually mean his thinly veiled insults.

*Did I do something to make him angry?* she wondered. *Or is he just changing?*

Maybe he was. After all, they hadn't been able to have an extended visit in three years - almost anything could have happened to him in that time. Maybe the pressure of having to manage all his responsibilities had left him without the energy to devote to her. After all, he had far more important things to worry about than the feelings of one silly girl...

*As if I wanted him to feel anything for me!*

True, Laine might tease her about her friendship with Ember, but she didn't have any thought that it might ever be anything but a friendship, and a distant one at that. One just didn't get close to Ember. He didn't seem to want anyone close to him. Besides, she was going to be a Gym Leader someday; she couldn't afford to get but so close to the leader of the infamous Team Rocket. Just look how much trouble Lance was in now just for training Ember for a few months! Even, by some wild twist of fate, they did come to care about each other as more than just friendly rivals, it would never work out.

*And why am I so worried about him anyway? If he knew I was fretting myself into knots over him, Ember would probably laugh himself sick.*

She put any thoughts about the missing Rocket firmly out of her mind, instead turning her attention to the horizon. From Laine's map, Cinnabar Island hadn't appeared to be that far from Pallet Town, so she kept a sharp lookout for any sign of it. Within a few minutes, she thought she could make out a dark speck against the horizon - a speck that slowly grew into a sizeable bulge, which gradually revealed itself to be a mountain of black rock. A pale wisp rose above it, a wisp that she had previously mistaken for a cloud. Now she thought it might be steam.

"Is that a volcano over there?" she asked Laine.

Laine jumped. "Raticates! You just made me lose that Staryu!"

"Sorry," said Aurora. "Hey, Laine, look over there and tell me if I see what I think I see."

"The volcano? Sure," she answered calmly. "I thought you would have known about that. It's been there for years. It erupted some six or seven years back."

"Seven years back, I was still playing with dolls," Aurora pointed out.

"Oh," said Laine. "Yeah, so was I, come to think of it. Anyway, the volcano blew its top and buried Cinnabar Island. Just about wiped it off the map. Old Blaine, he had to close down his Gym, on account of it had burned up along with everything else. Poor guy had to do his Gym Battling out of a cave on Seafoam Island."

"You don't think there's any chance it could blow up again, could it?" asked Aurora, nervously eyeing the tendrils of smoke.

Laine shrugged casually. "I dunno. Maybe. It hasn't done anythin' but smoke since the last time it blasted off, so I guess odds are pretty good we'll be safe."

"Good," said Aurora. "Even so, let's not stay any longer than we have to."

"I'm with you there," Laine replied, folding up her fishing gear and putting it away. "I'm not wild about Cinnabar Island. Dead depressing, bein' around all those burned up buildings."

Roadblock reached the docks and splashed his way onto land, dripping wet. As soon as he had all four paws on the ground, he shook himself like a dog, spraying wide plumes of water in all directions and completely soaking his passengers. Aurora squealed, Laine shouted a few choice words, and Scar gave a raucous squawk. The Snorlax, unperturbed, plopped his considerable bulk onto the warm sand for a well-deserved nap. Still wiping water out of her eyes, Laine slid down his back, followed closely by her friend. She whipped out his containment Ball and called him back.

"Roadblock's a great Pokemon," she commented, clipping the Ball back to her belt, "but you don't know what smell is all about until you've been around a wet Snorlax."

"I'll take your word for it," said Aurora, trying to wring the water out of her clothes.

Laine caught her expression and shrugged. "Oh, well. Look on the bright side - it's so hot out here, we'll dry in no time flat."

"Speak for yourself," said Aurora, who was now woefully regarding her sodden hair. The silver-white cascade was her pride and joy, her one real beauty as far as she was concerned. To that end, she cut it only just enough to keep it from dragging the ground; unbound, it hung down to her ankles, and drying it without the aid of a hair dryer and a great deal of brushing could take hours.

"You need a haircut," said Laine, who's own glossy black hair was neatly confined into two practical buns.

Aurora tried to squeeze the seawater out of her braid. "Right now, I'm seriously considering it."

They set about exploring the island. It was a stark contrast to the grassy, tree-lined Pallet Town. After the destruction of the old city, a few plants had managed to make a comeback, but most of them were tough, scrubby things that could survive in the rocky soil and hot sunlight. Few of the flowers that were blooming in the town they had just left could have survived more than a day on the shores of Cinnabar Island; if the heat didn't bake them, they'd be poisoned by the salt water. Most of what could be seen was black rock and sand alternating with the reddish- brown stone that had given the island its name. It might have just been Aurora's imagination, but she almost thought she could smell a hot mineral scent coming from the volcano that loomed high above her.

Nevertheless, there were signs of life. A few buildings had been erected, built up out of the rock that was so plentiful here. They had a more permanent look than wood could have given them. If the volcano wanted to destroy the island again, it was going to have to work a little for its victory. Aurora picked out the local Pokemon Center, a shop, and a few buildings that looked like they might be dwelling places, and off in the distance, a much larger structure that might or might not have been a Gym. There were few people in evidence. All that could be seen from the docks were a young man loitering around the shop and an old woman sweeping her walkway.

"You're right," said Aurora. "This is depressing."

"Yeah," said Laine, peering around. "Y'know, there used to be a great big lab here, years ago. It got ruined in some kinda accident, though, an' it looks like the volcano finished the job. Too bad. I kinda woulda liked to look around."

"Let's look around over there instead," Aurora suggested, pointing to the large building she had sighted.

"Why there?"

Aurora shrugged. "It's the only place in town that looks interesting."

"Good point," said Laine. "Don't guess we'll find out too much interestin' hangin' around the local Pokemon Center."

"Fear fear fearow fear," Scar commented.

"What do you mean by that?" Aurora asked.

"Fear fear fear."

"What's he sayin'?" asked Laine curiously.

"Something about people not minding their own business," Aurora replied. "I don't think he's talking about us, though."

"Fear fearow fear."

"He says there are Pokemon hanging around that are too interested in us," said Aurora. "I think he's jealous. As far as he's concerned, he's not my Pokemon, I'm his human."

"Fearow!"

Laine took out her binoculars and looked around in a circle. "Well, I hate to argue with you, Scar, but I don't see anything around here but water an' rocks. Any Pokemon who wanna mess with us are gonna hafta come out of hidin' first."

"Fearow fear fear fear."

"Well, if they're cowards, that just means they won't want to cause us a lot of trouble," said Aurora. "Come on, let's go."

They began to walk, their footsteps crunching softly on the black gravel road. The people of the town regarded them curiously, stopping what they were doing to stare at them. And why not? This was obviously a place where very little happened, or even had the potential to happen. They might as well take what entertainment they could from speculating about out-of-town trainers.

Even so, Aurora felt a little uncomfortable with the attention. She was used to having people in the stadium of a Gym watching her, but that was different. When she was battling, she could focus all her attention on battle strategy, and not worry about a bunch of barely visible faces who watched her beyond the spotlights. It was another thing entirely to have people peering out from behind their curtains at her, as if they suspected she might be a dangerous criminal. The pressure of those unseen eyes made her skin prickle. She jumped as she thought she saw a flash of motion.

"What was that?" she said.

"What was what? I didn't see anything," said Laine.

"I just saw something. Something small and light just ran by," said Aurora, still staring around to try to find it.

Laine shrugged. "Probably just some local Pokemon. Maybe a Seel. They're light colored, and they don' live far from here. Don' worry about it."

"Maybe you're right," said Aurora reluctantly, but she didn't feel particular comforted. Scar didn't look like he liked that explanation, either; he continued ruffling his feathers and glaring around as if he hoped to find something to peck. Then again, she told herself, Scar might just be reacting to the possible presence of a Seel who might know Ice moves enough to hurt him. One never could tell with Scar. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes peeled for the pale shape she'd seen, but it didn't appear again.

At the far side of the island, the path stopped in front of a sizeable building. It was built entirely of reddish stone, its roof slated with the darker volcanic rock, and its outside was graced by two huge statues of rearing Arcanines who served as gateposts. A freshly painted sign was staked out in front, and Laine hurried closer to read it.

"Cinnabar Island Gym," she read, "also known as the Quiz Gym. Sounds right up my alley. The useless Pokemon trivia I know would fill a book."

"Write one," Aurora suggested. She was still eying the building. It was actually larger than her home Gym, and more elaborately decorated. The outside walls seemed to have been carved with figures of assorted Fire Pokemon, and the arch over the door was crowned with a gleaming model of Moltres worked with gold and red glass. The overall impression, she thought, was rather gaudy. She wondered if Blaine had tried to make up for losing his old Gym by making the new one as spectacular as possible.

Her musings were interrupted as the door of the Gym opened, and a young man stepped out. He was dressed from head to toe in crimson and gold, elaborately patterned so that the costume seemed to flicker like flames when he moved. That, added to his flyaway blonde hair, made him look very much like an overgrown Magmar. He gave both girls a haughty look.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "This a Gym, not a tourist attraction."

"That's good, 'cause we ain't tourists," said Laine, her drawl deepening the way it always did when she was annoyed. "For your information, Mr. High-and-mighty, I happen to be a famous Pokemon researcher, and my friend her is an apprentice Gym Leader. I think we have as much a right to be hangin' around here as anyone. Who are you, anyway?"

The young man looked as if someone had done something rude and disgusting in front of him. He glared at the both of them with fierce amber eyes that reminded Aurora of Scar in a very bad mood.

"For your information, young lady," he said (earning an indignant look from Laine; the man couldn't be more than three or four years older than either of them), "my name is Brand. If you want anything else out of me, you'll have to fight me to get it."

"Why?" Aurora demanded. "We aren't doing anything wrong. We have permission to be here from Lance himself. We're just trainers collecting Badges."

"All the more reason to fight me," answered Brand. "This is, after all, a Quiz Gym. We don't give answers here, we ask questions. If you want information, you'd better come prepared to earn it."

"Can I trounce him? Please, Rora?" asked Laine, her hand reaching for a PokeBall. It was a measure of how annoyed she was at this condescending treatment that she was actually begging for a battle; normally she avoided fights.

"Me first," answered Aurora. "You can have what's left of him."

"Big words for a little girl," said Brand. "Should I take that as a challenge accepted?"

"No," said Aurora. "I'll issue this challenge. You've offended the honor of my friend and of a Pokemon Leader-in-training. You deserve to be taught a lesson. As is my right, I challenge you to a battle of honor."

Brand laughed. "Well, you don't lack for spirit. All right, step inside and let's get this over with. If I'm lucky, I can wrap this up before tea-time. Though I might not need that much luck," he added, giving Scar an appraising glance. Scar hissed at him.

They stepped inside. Brand led them up and down a confusing set of hallways, structures that seemed to lead in one direction just to double back and go back the way they'd come. The only explanation she could find for this setup was that there seemed to be a number of doors receded into the walls which could apparently be used to block off sections of the hall. Was this something to make it more difficult to intrude in the Gym? Perhaps to filter out curiosity seekers from the serious trainers? Or did this have something to do with the "quiz" mentioned in the sign? Whatever it meant, Brand ignored it all, bringing her all the way to the end of the maze without incident. In the end, she found herself standing in a surprisingly plain room marked out with the lines of a Gym battle floor. Brand swept over to the far side of the room without looking to see if Aurora was taking her place or not.

"All right, let's get this over with quickly," he said. "Magmar, go!"

The flaming beast leaped from its Ball and attacked without hesitating. Fortunately, that was one of the advantages to keeping Scar outside of a Pokeball. He was able to retaliate instantly, driving his opponent back with a Swift attack. The Magmar tried to dodge, but to no avail. For good measure, Aurora ordered a Pursuit, forcing her opponent even further into a corner, where a Drill Peck put him down for the count. Scar flapped back to his partner's side, preening smugly. The whole attack had been so quick that he hadn't even scorched his feathers. Brand looked surprised.

"So, you do have a skill or two," he said. "Very well, let us try something more challenging."

He opened a second Pokeball, releasing a Magcargo. Aurora frowned a bit. Being part- Rock, it was resistant to quite a few of her Pokemon... but not all of them. After a swift mental calculation, she recalled Scar and sent Moondancer onto the field.

The little Pokemon, eager for battle as always, danced with delight at the sight of her slow-moving target. She flitted around the playing field, seeming to vanish from time to time and appear on another side of the room, never staying in one place for long enough for the Magcargo to even get a good look at her. She danced playfully around his head, yipping and tossing her tail, making the creature thoroughly dizzy as it tried to follow her movements. The moment she was sure it had no idea where she was, she switched to attack mode, striking with her sharp teeth everywhere she could land an attack. It finally realized what was going on and tried for an attack, but Moondancer was quicker. She gathered herself for a leap and slammed into him, ignoring his fiery heat and rock-hard shell, to throw him against the wall. Her job done, she added insult to injury by kicking sand on him before trotting back to Aurora for a few words of praise.

By this point, Brand was looking furious. Even before Aurora had properly collected her Umbreon back into her Ball, he released a flaming Rapidash, a fantastic specimen of its kind that seemed to fill the whole room with its radiance. Aurora forced herself to stand her ground and not back away from its scorching heat.

"This is going to call for some finesse," she murmured.

She snapped open a PokeBall to release a swift, flitting shape - her Crobat, Frightful. It flapped around and around the Rapidash, letting out echoing shrieks that confused it. It attempted to attack, stumbled, and fell badly in a tangle of long legs. Frightful took the opportunity to dive at it, attacking in the style of a true vampire bat, going for the animal's unprotected neck. That lasted as long as it took for the Rapidash to collect its wits and get to its feet again. Taking that as his cue, Frightful slapped the horse in the face with his wings, disorienting it just long enough that the bat could retreat to the safety of his PokeBall.

"And for my next trick...." said Aurora.

She opened a second Ball, releasing her Murkrow. He sized up the situation, gave a raucous laugh and went to work. Like Moondancer, he had the ability to move around nearly undetected. Unlike her, he also had a taste for being insulting, and he shouted out an assortment of aspersions as he flitted around the room. After a Night Shade attack and a few well-placed pecks, the Rapidash finally gave up the battle. Blabberbeak strutted around the empty field, fluttering his tailfeathers and shouting insults at Brand until Aurora withdrew him. Brand scowled furiously, but no one could argue with the fact that he'd been beaten.

"Very well," he said with bad grace. "I accept that you do have some talent, and I apologize for any insult I may have given you."

It was Aurora's opinion that he didn't sound very apologetic to her, but she didn't think goading him was going to make him behave any better.

"Since you have beaten me," he continued, "law and custom dictate that I must present you with the Volcano Badge."

Aurora just barely managed not to react, though Laine's jaw dropped open in surprise.

"You're a Gym Leader?" she yelped.

"Of course," he said, flashing a look of irritation. "Did you think I was some paltry junior trainer who just happened to be hanging around?"

"Well, yes," said Aurora. "I was under the impression that Blaine was the Leader here."

Brand looked somewhat uncomfortable. "If you must know, I was Blaine's apprentice. He left the Gym to me a few days ago and took off."

"You mean... Blaine isn't here?" she asked carefully.

"No," said Brand, sounding annoyed. "Why? Did you have something you wanted to ask him?"

"Not... exactly," she replied, thinking fast. "Do you have any idea where he might be now?"

"He told me he was going to a meeting in Pallet Town," answered Brand. "To the best of my knowledge, that is where he is."

"I see," answered Aurora. "Thank you for telling me. You've been quite helpful."

She accepted the Badge he handed her, along with her forfeit, and left the Gym in a thoughtful mood.

"Well, that was a big waste of time," said Laine. "Well, I mean, you got a Badge and all, but still, we don't know anything we didn' know already."

"Yes, we do," answered Aurora.

"We do?" Laine repeated. Scar squawked curiously, as surprised as she was.

"Yes," Aurora replied. "We know that Blaine installed a new Gym Leader before he left."

"That's not such a big surprise," said Laine. "I mean, Blaine's been around a long time. He's probably ready to retire by now."

"Maybe," said Aurora. "But right before this meeting? And without telling anyone - even Lance?"

Laine frowned. "You're right. That does sound kinda screwy. You think maybe he was plannin' to disappear?"

"That's exactly what I think," Aurora replied. "The question is, where? And why?"

"D'ya think he has somethin' to do with all this mess?" asked Laine.

"I think his disappearance has something to do with it," said Aurora. "He could be in on it... or he could have been threatened, and felt like he had to vanish before he got hurt. Or it could be just a coincidence. We need more information."

Laine nodded. The two of them walked silently back toward the docks, discussing their future plans in low voices, as if they were half-afraid someone might be listening to them.

Someone was. And, slipping silent and unseen through the shadows, something followed.