RETURN TO SHAMOUTI

Their journey took some time, and as a result they did not reach Shamouti Island until it was almost dark. Lawrence landed the machine, and had to restrain himself from going down in the lift till everyone else was on it. Once the lift went down, neither he nor Lu showed any restraint, Lawrence leaping from the lift when it was still a couple of foot from the ground and setting off at a run towards the Shamouti Poké Centre, Lu making for the nearest bit of sea. Cyril winced, wondering what Mrs Lugia would say at the state of Lu. Cyril was carrying Rachel in his arms, and fancied that being with her Pokémon had helped her. She seemed to show some recognition of him, and had once briefly reached out for him when woken by a loud noise. Cyril carried Rachel into their house, the three Ashes and Lawrence's three children following, and he sat her in an armchair, leaving the sofa to the Ashes. He went out to prepare fruit juice for them, as they waited for Lawrence, Julie, and hopefully Lu, to return.

Lawrence burst into the Shamouti Poké Centre at a run. John was on duty at the desk and immediately waved Lawrence over, flipping up one part of the counter to let him through. In the back room sat Julie, with George and Donna by her side. George was giving her something to drink, while Donna was giving her feathers a wipe down with a damp cloth. Julie saw him before George or Donna, giving a little cry and standing up.

Lawrence went over to her, not allowing her altered colouration or the red of her eyes to disconcert him. He opened his arms and pulled her to him in a hug. She didn't respond in any way, and when Lawrence released her, merely gave him a slightly puzzled look. Lawrence sighed, and said "Julie, come with me." As he turned to leave, she dutifully followed. He took her to Cyril and Rachel's house, and took her into the front room to join the others.

Rachel spotted her as she came in, and she stood up, and reached out towards her. This was significant, because it meant that she recognised Julie. As she had shown no recognition of Cyril or anyone else before, it was a good sign.

It was Julie's reaction that was not good. She stared at Rachel for all of three seconds before pulling back her head, half-opening her wings, and drawing a deep breath.

Lawrence noticed it in time. "Julie, no!" he said. She relaxed, folding her wings again, although it appeared that Rachel had noticed too, and assumed a defensive-aggressive posture-wing-arms out, head tucked in and down, but leaning forwards and ready to spring. Cyril moved to her side and stroked and muttered soothingly to her. She relaxed under his caress, and he managed to get her sat down. He noticed her skin was hot and dry again, and went to get a wet cloth to wipe her down with.

Julie, in the meantime, was looking at Rachel again, and then moved to look at a photo, this one of Rachel's marriage to Cyril. Julie was in the picture, in a specially made white dress. It consisted of a long single piece of cloth down the back, which divided at the back of the neck. The two pieces of cloth came over the shoulders and then crossed over to cover the breasts and then fell to conceal the hips and legs, and was belted with a simple red cloth scarf, tied and left hanging by her side. She looked at it, noticing Lawrence, Cyril, George, John, Donna and the Ashes in it, then seemed to relax. Lawrence relaxed too. It seemed that Julie had accepted that everyone else in the room were friends.

The three children approached her tentatively, reaching up to her with their little wings and resting their faces against her body. She did not react as she usually would, by curving her wings around them or lowering her head, but neither, Lawrence was relieved to see, did she attack them, or react in a threatening manner.

It was an hour later that Lu returned, accompanied by his mother.

Lu has told me what has been going on. I would like him to accompany you, for if you find a way to reverse the process he has been through, he and I would like him to be there so he can be returned to normal as soon as possible. she said. Lu came in as Cyril opened the door to allow him in. The parent and child Lugia gave each other one last look before Lu turned back to the others in the room and the mother Lugia spread her wings and flew back out to sea.

The sun had now set, so they could make no further progress until tomorrow. Lu chose to stay with Cyril and Rachel, and Lawrence took his children, Julie, and the three Ashes to the guest house that Rachel's mother ran for some food and a bed for the night, planning to be up bright and early the next morning. The journey to Orré would take as long as their return that day.

Lawrence could only think of one possible answer to the dilemma of how to deShadow Rachel, Lu, and Julie. He would take them to the official scientific expert on purification: Professor Krane.

If he couldn't find an answer, then nobody could.