Prudence and Piper Halliwell woke up as their sister, Phoebe Halliwell, stopped the van. Prudence asked, "Where are we now and why are we stopping?" Phoebe looked over her shoulder and replied, "Prue, we're in badly need of gas. I stopped here, at a gas station, in the town of - get this - Village of Fire."

Phoebe's sisters raised their eyebrows. "Village of Fire?" asked Piper, thinking Phoebe must've gone crazy after 4 hours of driving.

Phoebe nodded and silently pointed to the sign in front of the store: "Welcome to Firegas Station!"

Prue sighed. Piper rolled her eyebrows. Phoebe shrugged.

Prue got out of the van and said she'd go over and look at the gas prices. She looked. She walked back to the van and stratched her head. She told her sisters, "Apparently this town IS a village - the price for half a tank of gas is 'something made from fire or represents fire.'"

Her sisters turned to look at Prue. "What?"

She shrugged and pointed to the sign that stated the price for gas. Phoebe and Piper looked. Their eyes widened. Indeed, it stated that half a tank of gas cost something made of fire or represented fire.

"Oy." Piper and Prue nodded, agreeing with Phoebe's phrase.

"May I be of assistance, Strangers?" asked a young man that had walked up to the van.

Prue looked at the guy and said, "Certainly. Can you explain exactly what the price of gas is?!"

The young man blinked and then answered, "You must hail beyond the Moon Mountains. The price of gas in the Moon Mountains is relative. Here, we'll fill half your tank for something that's made from fire or represents fire, like a mineral stone, or a rock with precious minerals inside. Diamonds, quartz, olivine... or a symbol of fire, such as a talisman shaped as a sun or flame."

Prue raised one eyebrow. Piper frowned and asked, "Half a tank? That means a full tank would cost, like two quartz stones or something?"

The young man nodded. All three sisters frowned. They needed gas, but what did they have that would pay the fee?

Phoebe got an idea and got out of the van. She walked around to the trunk, opened it and started to rummage around. Prue and Piper stood there looking confused. A few moments later, Phoebe emerged, carrying something in her palm. She opened her palm and showed the objects to the man, saying, "You said stone or mineral. These earrings are blue topaz, with Austrian crystals lined around it. There are two, so would that get us a full tank?"

The man dropped his jaw. He grabbed Phoebe's wrist and caressed the stones with his other hand. He looked at Phoebe and replied, "Blue topaz? These are very rare in the area! This will not only get you a full tank of gas, they will also get you six foods or drinks of your choice from the market inside the Station!"

Phoebe smiled and said, "Then I think I'll take that deal." She dropped the earrings into the man's hand. Prue and Piper smiled, happy that Phoebe had managed to do something right for a change and get a bonus out of it. Prue said, "I'll do the gas, you and Piper do the shopping."

The man said, "The gas is right over here. Why don't you fill 'er up while I take your friends into the store?"

The girls giggled. Prue explained, "Oh," she stole a look at his name tag, "Aaron, we aren't friends. We're sisters."

Aaron looked surprised, then nodded, saying. "Now that I think about it, I do see the resemble." He smiled.

Phoebe said, "I'm hungry! Let's do some food shopping." Piper nodded and turned toward the station with Phoebe right behind her. Aaron followed after making sure Prue knew how to do the gas.

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

The van sped along the one-lane road, making good time toward Crescent Pass, where the sisters were to stay the night. Piper was driving, listening to her sisters laugh and joke over how cheap the gas had been.

"Sheesh. I still can't believe that Aaron actually fawned all over my hand - just for a pair of topaz stones!" exclaimed Phoebe, still laughing over the matter.

Prue nodded and said, "That village sure was weird. I mean, did you see the sign over that strawberry stand?!"

Piper cut in, saying, "Oh do you mean the sign that said, 'Come get strawberries! Ours are cooked ripe by the Sky Flame!'? Weird sign!"

Phoebe said, "Only if we'd been able to show that gas guy your Charmander! He'd would've freaked out!"

Prue shook her head. "Nope, Aaron would've been fried. You know how my Charmander is."

"Good point. How about your Flareon?"

"I think Aaron would've liked my Vulpix better. Speaking of Vulpix.." Prue fished a ball out of her coat pocket. It grew bigger and Prue said, "Come on out, Foxy. Time to get some fresh air."

A ruby red energy beam came out of the Pokeball and a small fox-like creature matrialized. "Voo!" the Vulpix said, happy to be out. Prue smiled and nodded at Foxy. Foxy was her Vulpix.

Phoebe started and said, "Oh. Better let Nightflap and Charmer out too." She took two Pokeballs out and let the red beams go. Out of the Pokeballs came two Pokemon, a Zubat and a Meowth. "Nightflap, Charmer, enjoy the air, but don't distract the driver."

Nightflap, a Zubat and keen on flying, said, "Zu! Bat!" She flapped around for a bit and then hung upside down on a clothesline hanger inside the van. Charmer, a Meowth, meowed and jumped onto the floor, playing with a yarn Phoebe had given to Charmer.

"Voo! Voovoo!" Foxy was asking Charmer if she could play with her.

"Meow, meowth!" Charmer answered, granting Foxy permission to play with the ball as well. They formed something of an animal version of soccer with the yarnball on the floor. Prue and Phoebe watched with pride.

It had taken them a long time to train their Vulpix and Meowth to play together peacefully.

Piper suddenly saw a lake and decided to take a bit of a detour. Prue noticed the deviation and asked Piper what she was doing. Piper responded, "I think all the Pokemon need a break from their Pokeballs and that lake looks isolated, perfect for my Pokemon."

Phoebe nodded, remembering that Piper's Pokemon were water Pokemon. Prue agreed.

A few moments later, Piper went off the road and stopped the car. Everyone got out of the van and walked to the waterfront.

Piper took out all of her Pokeballs and said, "Come on out, Seahorse, Coral, Vapora, Snowyice, Magic, Dragonling. There's fresh water just waiting for you!"

A Horsea, Lapras, Vaporeon, Seel, Magikarp and a Dratini came out of their Pokeballs and promptly demostrated their happiness by splashing Piper. Vaporeon came out of the water and rubbed against Piper's leg.

Phoebe laughed, and then set her other four Pokemon free: Windchaser, a Pidgeotto; Joker, a Gastly; Starshine, a Staryu; and Psiwing, a Psyduck. They came out with a flutter of wing and psi jump. Windchaser and Joker took to the skies right along with Nightflap, and Starshine and Psiwing joined Piper's Pokemon in the water.

Prue said, "Better give Charmer and Foxy some Poke-friends!" She took out her other five Pokeballs and set her Pokemon free: Flame, a Flareon; Sorcecer, an Abra; Firetail, a Ponyta; Sunfire, a Charmander; and Alleypup, a Growlithe. "Guys, play nice. And Sorcecer, no tricks, please."

Sorcecer whined and begged to play tricks. Prue shook her head. They had a telepathic argument. Then Joker came down and offered to battle with Sorcecer. Prue considered, then looked over to Phoebe. Phoebe, a psychic, knew what was the problem and nodded to Prue, saying, "Yes, Joker can train with Sorcecer. They do need the training, and Joker's a Gastly, so he won't really be hurt by Sorcecer's powers." Prue agreed and allowed Joker and Sorcecer to train by battling.

Both Pokemon were happy and set to battling immediately.

Prue watched the Pokemon battle. 'Sorcecer is getting better, if she's able to pin Joker down like THAT,' she thought. Just then, Joker got the upper hand. Prue thought, 'Figures. Joker's a ghost. Who can pin down a ghost for long?'

Prue and Phoebe watched Joker and Sorcecer fight for awhile. Sorcecer won the battle, naturally. After all, she was an Abra.

Half an hour later, the Pokemon were recalled into their Pokeballs and the sisters set on their way once again, to the Wildwinds mansion in the East Andes.