JULIE, GEORGE, AND LAWRENCE

Lawrence was roused from his sleep by the alarm on his radio. Going over, he saw the call number was that of the Shamouti Island Pokè Centre. He quickly answered it.

There on the visual screen were two faces he recognised instantly and one that he recognised from the features, but he was thrown by the colour. It was George, John, and…

"Julie?" he asked. Cyril had warned him that her colours had changed, but it was a shock to actually see it. In place of her beautiful sky-blue colouration, her feathers were now a purple-tinged grey. Her gorgeous green eyes glared a wicked-looking red, and the feathers of her chest had changed from a pure driven-snow white to a deep purple colour. Worst of all was her face: at first blank, her expression changed to an intent gaze. There was no affection in it, no happiness, just a skull-boring intensity.

Julie gave a little cry of recognition: again, not a joyful or contented sound, but more like the sound she sometimes made when successfully filling in one of the paintings Cyril occasionally persuaded her to try doing by holding a paintbrush in her clever toes.

"She came here just as you predicted she might, Lawrence, and we managed to work out that she wanted to speak-I mean to see you."

Lawrence noticed George catching himself, and asked "Well, tell me the worst. I should know what problems we might have in advance." George nodded.

"Well, the good news is that she recognises you, and can recognise pictures of you and people with you. She wanted nothing to do with us until she saw that wedding photo with you and us in, and she could recognise us from it. She can also understand human speech, although she has so far said no words herself, just birdlike noises. She appears to have no emotions, nor recall anyone other than you from before her kidnap, and we're not sure in what light she views you. However, I think if you gave her an order, she would carry it out."

"Okay." said Lawrence. "Judging by her colour change, she and Lu have probably been through the same process, which appears to be Cipher's attempt to produce an unpurifiable Shadow Pokémon. Now I have spoken to somebody who may have a solution, a Professor Krane. We have Lu, and you have Julie, but Rachel is still missing, and we have got to find her, because from what Lu says they are not only trying this new technique out on her-though the Guardian only knows why-but they are at least partially successful."

He looked directly at Julie. "Julie." He said. She didn't respond.

"I'm not sure she recognises her name." George said. "She recognised your face but not your name, so maybe she doesn't know hers. I'll keep explaining that it's what she's called." Lawrence nodded.

"Okay." He tapped the screen to get Julie's attention, and continued speaking.

"Your name is Julie, and you will respond if anyone calls you." he said. "You will also stay where you are, with George and Tobias, and I will come and get you. I won't be coming today, and maybe not tomorrow, but I WILL come and get you. So stay with them and do as they say." He said. Julie squawked an acknowledgement.

"I'll look for Rachel and return once I find her." He told George. "Look after till I get back."

"I will." said George. "Come on, Julie, we have to go." George told her.

With a last look at the screen, she turned and followed George and Tobias out.