Note: I'm Australian . . . so when I refer to temperature, I mean Celcius, not Fahrenheit. Thirty degress is a LOT hotter than it sounds. ^_^; Also, a lot of words are spelled differently in Australian English. We like "U"s and don't like "Z"s. =P

Chapter One - Ignition



'Turn the fans on, turn the fans on, turn the fans on!' I moaned, slumping down further in my sweat-plastered seat.

'Kit!' Amanda laughed from her seat beside me. 'It's twelve degrees! It's your jumper you need to put on, not the fans!'

'As if it is!' I objected, wiping the sweat off my forehead. 'It's gotta be at least thirty! Oh, man!'

With another moan, I leant down and lay my head on the desk, exhausted from the heat. How could no one else be feeling it? It was as if the sun were pounding into my veins; I could feel the blood pulsing, the heat building up inside me. I reached for my water bottle again and held it over my mouth, tipping it upside down. Nothing. Great, it was empty already. I was gonna die of heat soon!

Just as I was about to put up my hand to ask if I could go and get another drink, a sharp ringing sound shot out overhead, and the class began packing up. Ahh, lunch time. Even though I didn't want to go out into the sun at a time like this, I had this kind of urge to get out of the building. There was something daunting about being indoors . . . though maybe that was more to do with the fact that it was a school building than anything.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I stood up, wiping my forehead once again before picking up my backpack and heading outside. Fresh air, that was what I needed.

'Kit, are you sure you're feeling OK?' Amanda rushed up behind me. Her tone was different to before; she sounded genuinely concerned this time. 'You look really flushed, are you sure you're not coming down with something?'

'I'm OK,' I said. I wasn't feeling sick, no, just really overheated. 'I just wanna get some food and some fresh air.'

'All right,' sighed Amanda, shaking her head. 'Let's go outside. Just don't blame me when we both come down with the flu.'

As we stepped outside into the quadrangle, I took in a breath of fresh air. Ahh, this was better, at least for now. Wiping my forehead again, I gambolled over to the silver seats where my friends and I always congregated at lunchtime. Amanda followed with a sigh and a shiver.

'Oh yeah, this is better,' I nodded. 'Still hot, but it's good to be out of that cramped building.'

'I didn't know you were claustrophobic,' said Amanda.

I laughed. 'I'm not. I just feel like getting outside at the moment. Man it's hot!'

'Whatever, Kit,' Amanda just shook her head and took her lunch box out of her backpack.

We'd been sitting there for no less than a minute when a student stepped out from the door at the other side of the quad.

'Finally, someone else who doesn't shut themselves up in the boiling classrooms at lunchtime,' I said, before I'd actually realised who it was. I belatedly noticed the features of the taller, older boy: his pale skin, his ridiculously long and messy (almost shaggy - I wondered how long since he'd brushed it) blonde hair, his thin rectangular glasses, his untucked shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his hands in the pockets of his oversized school trousers, his backpack slung over one shoulder, his posture slightly hunched forward. I rolled my eyes. 'Oh, it's just Taylor.'

Russell Taylor to be exact, but everyone knew him by his surname. Perhaps one of the most annoying guys I'd ever met, he lived out on some farm on the outskirts of Spectrum City, but his grandmother lived in the apartment next to me. He stayed there a lot (though I never really knew why) and that's how I knew him so well (or maybe "unwell" would be the more appropriate term - we weren't exactly the best of friends).

Amanda let out a little laugh, and I shook my head. No matter how many times I tried to tell her what a jerk Taylor was, she never listened. She watched as he casually headed over to a nearby bench and sat down, dumping his backpack on the seat next to him (probably so that nobody would sit there). He took out his lunch and a book, and began reading as he ate.

'I don't see what you've got against him,' said Amanda.

'Ever talked to him?' I asked. 'He's an absolute moron.'

'No he's not,' Amanda grinned and lay back against the wall, almost dreamily. 'And he's so cute . . ..'

I nearly chocked.

'Are you blind!?' I exclaimed, bewildered.

Amanda laughed. 'He is! And I feel kind of sorry for him, he's such a lone wolf, he never seems to have any friends.'

'Doesn't that tell you something?' I asked. 'Besides, he lives on a farm. You hate farms. You know: old, dirty, falling apart, bad-smelling, all that other stuff you complain about.'

'I guess,' said Amanda. 'But it would be kind of funky to have all those pokémon. I heard he's a really good rapidash rider.'

'Big deal,' I said, rolling my eyes. 'Rapidashes are a cinch to ride.'

'But they've got fire in their manes!' Amanda exclaimed. 'You can get really badly hurt if you don't know what you're doing. And they can be really vicious too, with those horns and the diamond-hard hooves.'

I shrugged. Rapidashes had never bothered me. I knew that they could be temperamental, and even attack humans if they didn't treat them right, but I'd always gotten along well with them.

'Anyway, you're not exactly the best person to trust when it comes to pokémon,' said Amanda. 'The fourteen-year-old girl who's scared of little Woopy.'

'I'm not scared of it!' I said, irritated. 'Woopers just get to me. They're annoying.'

Amanda laughed. 'Oh, they're "annoying", are they? Is that why you recoil in fear every time you see him?'

I turned away from her, blushing. Everyone was afraid of something, and plenty of people were afraid of certain species of pokémon. So what if I was afraid of woopers? She didn't have to rub it in. These days I even avoided going to her place, because whenever I went there either she or her little brother let out their pet wooper just to annoy me. The worst part was that no one in her family was a pokémon trainer, so "Woopy" (Amanda never was great with names) had no control over its attacks, and so every now and then it'd just start firing water guns at me for no apparent reason. That was when it really got to me.

'I don't see what's so scary about him,' said Amanda. 'I think he's the cutest pokémon in the world. And what kind of person's afraid of a pokémon anyway?'

'All right,' I said, folding my arms. 'If you're so tough, next time I see a kyorge I'll send it after you.'

'And I'll great it happily,' smiled Amanda. 'Kyorges are beautiful, I love them! It's a shame they don't really exist; I'd love one!'

'What!?' I exclaimed. 'You reckon they don't exist!?'

'Oh come on Kit,' Amanda rolled her eyes. 'You don't really believe in legendary pokémon, do you?'

I stared at her. Didn't everyone believe in legendary pokémon? Just because they were legendary didn't mean they didn't exist . . . did it?

Amanda laughed. 'You're pathetic, Kit. As much as I'd love a kyorge or a ho-oh, I'm not stupid enough to actually believe in them. People just made them up to entice kids to become pokémon trainers. I think it's sad, really, the way some trainers spend their whole lives searching for legendary pokémon. They've gotta get a grip on reality.'

I narrowed my eyes. Legendary pokémon were real, I knew it. Who did she think she was to insult them by calling them mere myths? When she did that, she wasn't only insulting the great beasts, she was insulting me. Just because she couldn't see the truth didn't mean that she had to accuse those of us who could, of losing our grip on reality.

Perhaps I was taking it too personally, but I couldn't help it . . . I just always got defensive whenever people spoke about legendary pokémon. Maybe it was the fact that she'd mentioned Ho-Oh specifically that had really gotten to me this time. Although I'd never told anyone, I had a clear memory of seeing Ho-Oh as a child. I couldn't quite remember when or where. I could picture the scene clearly, but even though I'd watched it over and over countless times in my memory, the setting always seemed so hauntingly unfamiliar.

A dark forest, dense with vegetation. A sharp cry would ring out, and then the sky would turn black, and I wouldn't be able to see anymore. I'd feel so lost, so afraid, and then I'd look up. And there, the sole entity uncloaked by the darkness . . . the golden bird with the seven-coloured wings. Suddenly I'd feel calm again, at home, at rest . . . the bird would crane its long neck and look down at me, and it would nod, and then a cloud of ash would fall from its wings. I'd watch it fall in slow motion to the forest floor, and I'd reach out to touch it, only I wouldn't see my hands, I'd only feel. I'd touch the ash, and then . . . then . . ..

'Um, Kit! Helloooo in there?'

I blinked, and turned back to Amanda. I'd gotten lost for a moment there. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. My memories of Ho-Oh were frightening, but they were also comforting. It seemed crazy, but I felt almost as if playing them in my mind made me more comfortable about the person I was.

'You totally blanked out for a moment there, Kit!' said Amanda. 'I thought you were about to faint or something.'

'Only from heat exhaustion,' I said, and forced a smile.

Amanda sighed. 'Gosh Kit, I really think you should see a doctor.'

'Whatever,' I said, rolling my eyes. But my heart wasn't in it anymore. There was something in the air. Something didn't feel right.

And at the same time . . . Ho-Oh kept flashing before my eyes. I'd watch it look at me, and then watch the ash fall from its wings, and then feel myself reach out for it . . . and then the memory would jump back, and I'd watch it look at me, and then the ash would fall, and I'd reach out for it . . . and then it would look at me, and the ash would fall, and . . . no! That wasn't where it ended! There was more than that!

I'd reach out for the ash, reach out with all my might . . . but then Ho-Oh would look at me, and the ash would fall.

The cycle repeated, and repeated, and each time I could feel myself trying harder to touch that ash, but each time I'd get close to it, the scene would start again.

'No . . .' I breathed, and got to my feet. I felt dizzy. I could see the schoolyard before me, but it was as if I weren't really there. The memory cycled and cycled, and I felt more in touch with the world of my mind than the world I saw before me.

'Kit . . .' I barely recognised Amanda's distant voice. 'Are you OK?'

I reached out towards the ash, and I felt hotter and hotter the closer I got. I could almost feel my skin burning as my invisible fingertips neared the ash . . . so close, so close . . . but the heat was getting unbearable . . . come on, just a bit closer . . . I don't know how much more I can take . . . nearly there . . . it's burning, it's too hot . . . almost, almost . . . too much, too much . . ..

There!

The hand of my mind slammed down on the ash, my fingers wrapped around it. The ash was still burning, but I didn't care anymore. It was almost as if I wanted to get burned. The heat wasn't destructive, it wasn't painful, it was soothing.

There was a crash of thunder, and the scene in my mind disintegrated as I looked up at the sky above the quadrangle. Black storm clouds were gathering, blocking out the sun and turning the sky dark. And above the deep rolling thunder, a high-pitched, almost machine-like cry was sounding.

It wasn't the cry of Ho-Oh. This wasn't the scene from my memory. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

'Kit, come on, get inside!' Amanda hissed urgently, grabbing my arm. 'It's gonna rain. Don't tell me you want to stand out here in the rain!'

I ignored her. Something was wrong. Those clouds shouldn't have been there. Something was missing, it was out of order, it was wrong. And I was afraid of what that could mean.

'Kit! What's wrong with you!? Come inside now, it's not even funny anymore!'

Amanda pulled my arm, but I yanked it back, out of her grip. Even in my dazed state, I was surprised at my strength. I was the shortest student in my grade and one of the worst when it came to sport. But I didn't have time to worry about that now.

'Fine,' muttered Amanda. 'Stay out here and get pneumonia, see if I care!'

I didn't bother to look at her, but I heard her pick up both our backpacks and take them inside. I glanced over to where Taylor had been sitting . . . the bench was empty. I then spotted a figure out of the corner of my eye, and turned to see Taylor standing at the door, his shoulders slumped, about to drop his book any second now as he stared up at the sky oblivious to his surroundings. I couldn't ever remember seeing Taylor look scared before, but at that moment he looked terrified.

He must have sensed that I was looking at him, as he straightened up slightly and turned to me. We made eye contact for a second, before I looked away, turning back to the sky.

A drop of rain fell.

I watched it drop through the air, almost in slow motion, until it landed on my hand.

It hurt. It stung like mad. It sizzled out and disappeared, but with excruciating pain. This was no normal rain.

That drop was just the beginning. I slowly turned back up to the sky in horror, and watched as the downpour started.

Each raindrop felt like a pin on fire, a sharp prick on my skin followed by a scarring burn . . . only instead of being hot, it felt colder than ice. The onslaught of raindrops drilled into my head, my arms, my back, until I couldn't distinguish each drop any longer and it was just one constant agony. Like being engulfed by fire.

I screamed from the bottom of my lungs and broke into a run. But I wasn't headed for the safety of the building. I didn't know where I was headed. I just let my legs carry me with newfound speed, to wherever they would take me. I thought I heard someone call out my name, but I couldn't tell anymore. All I could do was run.

So that was what I did. I ran down the path, I ran out of the school gates, I ran down the street, I ran past the cars and the people and the occasional pokémon, I ran past the shops, I ran past the buildings, I ran through the outskirts of Spectrum City, I ran down route seventy-two, I ran into the Genesis Bushland, I ran past the cyndaquil that rolled itself into a ball in shock, I ran past the growlithe that ducked into the bushes in fear.

I ran into a huge clearing, and that was where I stopped.

I took a moment to steady my breathing, then looked up at the sky. The rain had stopped, and the sky was calm. I breathed a sigh of relief. I still felt the pain from the downpour of rain, but the heat inside of me had gone. I was cold now. A shiver rushed through my body, and I crossed my arms tightly in an attempt to keep warm.

Just when I was beginning to get my peace of mind back, that strange high-pitched cry screeched out above me, and I had to cover my ears to try and block it out. I turned my attention to the sky, and my expression dropped.

Two huge winged beasts were hovering directly above me. The larger one, a sleek, white, winged sea monster, was pulling its long neck back, its jaws wide open as if charging up an attack. And the smaller one . . . I fell to my knees in awe. There it was . . . the golden bird with the seven-coloured wings . . . right above me.

But something wasn't right. It wasn't graceful, it wasn't majestic, it wasn't regal . . . it was beaten-up, it was tattered, it was flapping its wings lopsidedly as if it couldn't stay in flight for much longer. No . . . I shook my head in horror. This couldn't happen . . ..

The white sea monster threw its head forward and launched its attack; a huge beam of golden energy that hit its adversary with tremendous force. The bird screeched in pain as it beat its rainbow wings with all its might in an attempt to throw the attack back . . . but it wouldn't be powerful enough, it wouldn't be.

'No!' I screamed, leaping to my feet. 'Ho-Oh!'

The legendary pokémon managed to shoot a look down at me for a split second. But the look wasn't the same one as the one in my memory of Ho-Oh. It was pained, desperate, moribund. I shook my head, feeling the tears well up in my eyes and unable to stop them from falling down my face.

'Ho-Oh . . .' I breathed.

The phoenix let out one last screech, before the flames spilled out from its beak, falling onto its feathers. They sparked to life and flared up, consuming the bird's body. Where the mighty Ho-Oh once hovered, a huge ball of flames now floated, one giant flying inferno.

And then the flames died down, and all that was left was a ball of ash. My eyes were fixed to it as it floated down towards the forest floor and settled on the ground before me.

Ho-Oh was gone.

I collapsed to my hands and knees, heaving with sobs. Ho-Oh . . . Ho-Oh . . . what happened to you? Why did you leave me? Why? I'm nobody without you . . . I'm just a nobody with no purpose in life. Even though I never really knew you, you were the only one that made me feel right about who I was. I can't go on without you . . ..

I reached out and clutched the ashes in my hands. Ho-Oh . . . why did you leave?

I slowly became aware of the ashes in my hands solidifying, forming a shape. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and forced myself to open my eyes. And there in my hands was a small clear rock, with a tiny red flame burning inside of it.

I blinked back my tears and stared. A fire stone. But . . . how? And why? Was this how fire stones were created; from the ashes of the legendary fire bird? I swallowed. What were the chances of my witnessing a thing like that . . . the battle between the two great flying beasts . . . the creation of the fire stone from the ashes of Ho-Oh . . . ? It had been my memory of Ho-Oh that had brought my here, and that couldn't be a coincidence.

The fire stone began to grow warmer, and I grasped it in my cold hands, feeling the warm energy flow through my body. The fire at the centre of the rock glowed an unusually bright red as the inferno of power sparked to life. Why was it reacting so strongly? I had seen pokémon trainers hold a fire stone before, and the rock never sprung to life like this, not until it was used on an eevee, vulpix or growlithe . . . or at least placed near one.

I could feel the fire flowing down my fingers, my body temperature steadily rising as the burning sensation ran through my veins. The fire, the fire . . . I felt it enkindle something in my heart, and the blaze rose up, overcoming me. The burning consumed my mind, my conscious thought lapsed into a whirring conflagration, all I could see were the flickering flames, fighting for my life. I lost awareness of the stone's physical presence, as it if had disintegrated, burnt to ash in the incinerating inferno.

My hands felt different, I could feel them changing. My fingers curled over and seemed to disappear, the backs of my hands became naturally warmer. I felt my arms and legs pull towards me as if shrinking, as I fell over from lack of energy. I didn't have the strength to cry out as my face was torn out of shape, my nose thrust forward, my ears pulled up and back. I became aware of a set of extra weights at the back of my legs, and collapsed under the horror of the experience.

Just as I fell unconscious, the fire died down.