The Seer

The suite was luxurious and elegant. Royal purple and brown seemed to be the theme, giving it a rather regal feel. Kair sat in silence on a couch so soft she wondered how in the world she would manage to pull herself out of it. Resting after a long morning of tests and examinations, she seemed content on just remaining there.

Preferring to keep Kair close to the Dragon clan according to her wishes, Giovanni had booked out the entire hotel, which now found itself teaming with Team Rocket agents. He'd been strangely accommodating given their previous falling out…

The lounge area she now sat in was vast and partially devoid of furniture. Kair guessed it was to give the impression of space but it just looked wasted to her. A fireplace sat to her front holding in it a rolling fire and keeping her comfortable in this rested state. On top of its mantle was some sort of antique clock that indicated it was just after two in the afternoon. But it was the figure standing by the room's two double doors that interested Kair the most.

Now stripped of his coat, the 'driver' wore a plain Team Rocket uniform, though its stripes denoted his high ranking in the clan. Wavy, dark blue hair hung down past his shoulders and a steely gaze stared at the emptiness before him. It was now quite evident to Kair he'd been assigned by her father to act as her 'handler'. She mentally scoffed at the idea, but in all retrospect, given her reputation, it was expected.

"So, handler, do they give you a name?" she spoke to him for the first time since their original encounter in front of the Blackthorn city gym.

For a moment, the handler chose not to speak, but eventually Kair's fixated gaze started to rattle him. She was like her father in that sense.

"Pierce," he said with a voice so sombre it sounded like it should have come from the mouth of a man twice his age.

"Pierce," Kair nodded, toying with the name on her tongue. "It's a good agent name. Does your mother call you that or did you think it up yourself?"

He chose not to respond.

"Well this is interesting," Kair flatly replied to his silence. "Why are you here anyway?"

"It is my duty to ensure that you're always kept within my sights."

"Right," Kair's tone didn't change. "You know if I wasn't so huge you'd have your work cut out for you."

But he merely smirked. "Don't underestimate me."

"Axeeew," the young Dragon Pokémon hit the floor with a soft wail and fainted.

N's face was hollow as he watched the baby Pokémon which had been given to him by his master, Sa'lu.

"Good, but you're not concentrating," I recalled my son's Sneasal back into its ball. Apart from the Pokémon Nurse Joy had given me to assign to the safari zone on Cianwood Isl, it was the only weak member of my party. And it had just won its first battle - though its ice-type advantage was perhaps a little unfair on the boy's Dragon.

The boy from Unova withdrew his Axew and glimpsed the pokéball in his hand. There was a visibly troubled expression on his face - as though he found himself caught up in a struggle with his own ethics.

"What seems to be the trouble, N?" I wasn't sure why he chose to shorten his name to one letter.

The boy blinked away his thoughts and shook his head. "I guess… I just don't see the point in fighting them."

"Don't be put off by this. The Pokémon enjoy the battling, they see it as a way to get stronger," I filled. "Otherwise they wouldn't choose to stick with us as their trainers."

"The Axew was afraid. He didn't want to fight."

I found myself taken aback at this. He'd only received his first Dragon hours beforehand. He'd barely even begun to bond with it.

"This was its first battle, it was nervous. But with training it will learn how to properly handle itself and most importantly, you will learn how to properly handle it."

The boy sneered at this. "So it will become battle hardened. Is this what society is moulding Pokémon into these days? Turning them into tools of warfare?"

I knew where he was going. It was something I had struggled with often as a young trainer.

"Natural, Pokémon and Humans form a symbiotic relationship. We need each other; otherwise this world would cease to function."

"Or rather society as we know it," he countered. "It doesn't matter. Change is on the way."

For someone who had supposedly never trained Pokémon before, he was incredibly switched on. I couldn't help but feel this latest student of Sa'lu's was more than just a beginner Dragon trainer from Unova. "Who exactly are you?"

The boy gave me a gentle smile, his hazel eyes becoming serene and downcast. "You know, I'm still trying to figure that out." He went to say more but then stopped himself. Giving me a once over before figuring I could be trusted. "They say I have a gift."

My eyebrow rose. I'd been hearing that sentence too much lately. "Oh?"

N nodded. "It's a special ability. I don't know if it is a learned ability or of it was given to me. All I know is that I can… I suppose you could say 'read' Pokémon."

"You're in tune with them?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I can see what they see, feel what they feel. Happiness, hurt, suffering. I can hear their voices."

The way he spoke, it sounded like he had already been trained in the Shadow Arts. But he hadn't… Then it hit. "You… you're a Dragon Seer?"

The boy blinked, casting me a confused stare. "What?"

"Only elders in the Dragon Clan can be Seers, N. So again I ask, who are you?"

"He is my nephew," the voice interrupted us from behind.

I reeled on my feet to face the old Dragon Master who had since stepped into the gym.

"And if you know what's good for you, you will do well to not repeat these matters outside of these walls."

I was beyond shocked. Firstly Aisha and now N? This had to be more than a mere coincidence.

"Sa'lu, you can't keep a Seer away from the clan like this."

But the woman merely shrugged. "It's not my place to make that decision, Lance. That is left up to the boy's father and I am only following orders."

I snorted at this. "Since when have you been one to take orders, Sa'lu?"

She chuckled. "You have spirit young Champion. I can see why my granddaughter finds you so appealing." She then turned her attention to include her nephew. "I think that's enough Dragon training for today Natural."

The evenings in this place brought in an icy, ocean wind that would recklessly howl through the castle walls. The smells of salt and rotting wood permeated through the air and stung my nostrils. And I had to wonder how on earth Sa'lu could possibly tolerate living in this place. A single candle on the bedside table flickered in the darkness that seemed to engulf it. It gave me just enough light to be able to see the book in my hands, but yet left my feet in the dark.

There really wasn't much to do in this place except train and read - which was the point of the facility in the first place. Other than to feed and care for them, I still hadn't been given access to my own Dragons. In fact, the only Pokémon I had on my person was the young Sneasal Karen had given me. It sat curled up beside me just under the blankets and watched me with interest as I flicked the cracked and yellowing pages of my book.

I'd found it on a dusty old bookshelf across the room accompanied by other, just as mouldy books. It was the name 'Aisha' in a child's scrawl on the front page that had caught my interest. The story was a familiar Dragon legend, namely the story of the Light Dragon - a supposed guardian spirit that was sent to watch over the Dragon Clan. It was stories like this that I would someday be reading to my own son and daughter.

"Kair," the thought suddenly impacted. I hadn't spoken to her in days. Before Sa'lu had sent her goon after me… and my run in with Team Rocket…

"Shit!" I cursed, immediately leaping upright from the bed. Team Rocket! They were after me, meaning they were after Kair also! I had to expect the worst had happened by now and Giovanni had her.

Was she safe though? Surely he wouldn't do anything to harm her this late in the pregnancy. He had to have at least a shred of Humanity left in him. I needed to find out. Pulling myself from the bed and shoving my way back into my boots, I tore from my allocated bed chambers and made my way to Sa'lu's office.

She wasn't there. A lamp on her desk kept her workspace lit, and a cup of tea that had since gone cold patiently awaited her return. Several papers that lay scattered about the desk caught my attention. Rounding her office chair, I sided up to the old wooden desk for a closer inspection. They were charts and satellite images that mapped out Blackthorn city and the Dragon Holy Lands.

"What are you up to old woman?" I frowned but it was the loud bang of a door swinging shut that caused me to jump upright.

The loud clatter of footsteps hurried down the hallways and I took the chance to reel away from the desk to stand by the fireplace, pretending to be absorbed in a large, Dragonite coat of arms that hung on the wall above the mantle.

"Lance," Sa'lu appeared in the door of her office and offered me a stare of frustrated confusion. "What do you want?"

"I want to know that Kair is alright," I quickly reverted my mind back to the original purpose of my intrusion.

"Kair?" she gave me a confused stare. "Lance, I would rather refer to my granddaughter using the original name she was given."

"Aisha then," I growled and rolled my eyes. "Giovanni sent his goons after me, leaving me to assume that they were after her also. I want to know that she is safe."

"She is safe in the company of her father yes," Sa'lu confirmed, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. "No harm will come to your children. But I have other pressing issues at hand. Natural has… run away." Her low toned hiss indicated that this hadn't been the first time the kid had attempted to defy her.

"You can't expect he'd get very far," I replied, glimpsing the darkness outside. "How did he even get off the island…" the thought hit me before I even finished my sentence, "He stole on of your dragons didn't he?"

"Psssh," Sa'lu leered. "My dragons wouldn't listen to him, no matter how much he forces his 'Pokémon whisperer' ability on them. He took your Dragonair."

"Son of a-!" I cursed.

The old woman's laughter echoed off the stone walls of her chamber. She pulled several pokéballs from her belt and tossed them in my direction. "Be a good boy and go fetch him for me."