Canalave was colder the next day, as though remnants of the dark events of the previous night were still blowing in on the sea breeze. They had woken up late, exhausted from their visit to the surrounding islands, and sat on the dock in the afternoon chill. Pearl was stoney-faced as usual, but Nick's smile could have lit up the darkest of caves as he stared at the glistening object in his hand. A pattern of three silver pickaxes on a gold backdrop comprised the prize, bestowed upon him by Donald for his assistance in the battle with Darkrai. The Mine Badge was his. He stroked Elekid's head with his other hand and felt it tremble from the electric vibrations. Pearl surveyed her Pokédex and map.

'Where do we go next?' he asked.

'We?' she shot back quickly, before turning away again, seemingly embarrassed by her attitude. 'Well, I'm going back to Sandgem like I said, if you want to come. If we surf around the woods south of here, we'll be there in a day or so.'

Nick followed her pointing hand to look at the trees that lined the skyline beyond the docks. They looked just like the ones that surrounded his childhood hiding place, Lake Verity, and he felt a sudden sense of home.

'Yeah, let's go back. I'll stop off at Twinleaf on the way.'

He jumped to his feet and offered a hand to Pearl to help her up. She ignored it and stood up unaided. Just as she took out Wailmer's Poké Ball, a familiar voice came from behind them.

'So, you got the Mine Badge?'

They turned to see Blake from the ferry. From beyond his forest of hair stepped Alana, stumbling awkwardly as she followed. Pearl sighed.

'Yeah, I did!' barked Nick in defence. 'We helped Donald to save the rare Pokémon, Darkrai, and he gave me it!'

'You mean you didn't even win a battle against him?' laughed the boy, his leather-clad shoulders bopping up and down as he did. 'That's no way to earn a gym badge.'

Nick was disappointed that Blake had not reacted to the news about encountering Darkrai.

'Gym leaders can give badges to any trainers that they deem worthy.' snapped Pearl. 'Battles are just the most conventional way to determine it, but what Nick did was more than deserving of one.'

Nick smiled and looked to her, but she was glaring at the other boy.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' he snickered. 'How about you battle me to see if you deserve the badge?'

'But Blake…' whimpered Alana. 'The Pokémon are tired, and…'

'Hush!' he growled, and she fell silent. 'The Pokémon are fine. Tired or not, they'll still be more powerful than Nick's un-evolved rookies.'

'But…' she continued, barely audible. Her voice was drowned out by Nick's acceptance of the challenge.

'Let's go, one-on-one!'

'I could defeat you both with one Pokémon, if you want to get involved.' replied Blake, grinning at Pearl.

'No.' was the answer.

Blake folded his arms, chuckling again.

'Well, I guess you must be too much of a rookie too. Oh well.'

Pearl, while usually possessing a perpetually cool head, appeared to snap.

'We'll shut you up!' she hissed. 'Let's go, Nick!'

Nick, hoping Pearl hadn't been convinced by the suggestion she was a lesser trainer than him, threw a Poké Ball into the air. Pearl did the same, and Vulpix and Wailmer appeared.

'Go, Gliscor!'

From Blake's Poké Ball flew a purple bat-like creature, scorpion-like claws and a tail sticking out menacingly. It spiralled into the air before descending in front of its opponents with a hiss.

'Gliscor…' muttered Nick, opening the Pokédex.

'…The Fang Scorp Pokémon.' it explained. 'This ground- and flying- type Pokémon hangs from branches by its tail and silently swoops at prey with expert flight abilities.'

'Two… against one?' mumbled Alana with sad eyes.

'Alright, here we go!' announced Blake. 'Gliscor, use Quick Attack!'

The bat shot into the air in the blink of an eye and, with a loop, dropped towards its foes.

'Wailmer, Water Gun!'

'Whaaaae!'

Water gushed from the whale's huge mouth and into the air. Gliscor effortlessly circled the fountain on its flight path.

'Now use X-Scissor!' commanded Blake.

Crossing its arms and bracing its claws, Gliscor shot to the bottom of the water and into Wailmer. The water-type ceased its attack as the claws dug into its thick skin. Moments later, however, the resilient whale bounced its attacker away with a pop. It soared back up high.

'Gah…' moaned Blake. 'Use Night Slash on Vulpix!'

Gliscor's claws glowed a haunting purple, and it tore downwards towards the fox, arms outstretched.

'Flame Burst!' called Nick.

Vulpix's ball of fire shot upwards. Once again, Gliscor's agile flying carried it past the attack.

'Ha! Easy!' laughed its trainer.

'That's what you think…' smirked Nick.

The fireball then split into several embers that rained down on the scene. Gliscor could no longer evade attacks with ease, slowing down to navigate the maze of fire.

'Ready… aim…' began Pearl.

'Gliscor!' cried Blake. Alana's eyes were glistening.

'Fire!'

Another Water Gun shot through the flames and hit its target dead-on. Gliscor, weak to water, fell from the sky, embers burning it on the way. It crashed into the ground, defeated.

'No… no…' moaned Alana as Blake recalled the Pokémon.

'Good work, Vulpix!' cheered Nick. 'You too, Wailmer, Pearl!'

She nodded back, patting her partner on the head.

'Okay, you asked for it!' snarled Blake. 'Go, Purugly!'

The Pokémon emerged from the ball with a flash, making a loud stomp as it landed on the ground. The steel-grey cat was bulky, with a stern face and crooked whiskers. With a whipping noise and an aggressive hiss, it wrapped its tails around its body, inflating its already large frame.

'Purugly, the Tiger Cat Pokémon.' revealed the Pokédex. 'This brutish Pokémon intimidates opponents by making itself appear larger. It is known to steal the nests of other Pokémon, and attacks using its sharp claws.'

'Doesn't sound very pleasant…' mused Nick.

'Whatever!' interrupted Pearl. 'Wailmer, use Mist!'

Clouds of dry ice began to billow from Wailmer's blowhole at a fast rate until a veil covered the battlefield.

'Purugly, quick! Use Slash!'

With a meow, the tiger cat dashed through the haze and leapt in the air, claws extracted. Emerging from the gloom, however, it found itself off-target, crashing into the ground between its two opponents.

'Purugly…' sobbed Alana.

'Ugh!' panicked Blake, his eyes flickering. 'Fury Swipes!'

It raised its razor-like claw.

'Vulpix, Confuse Ray!'

The fox's eyes glowed and the claw did not come down. Purugly froze in position for a moment, before falling onto its side. In an effort to get to its feet, it stumbled and fell again, its tails whipping violently.

'Nyaaaaa!' it shrieked.

'Wailmer, Water Pulse!'

Wailmer opened its mouth and, inside, a ball of water began to form. With a loud splash and a glow, it fired the attack at Purugly, sending it rolling backwards into the middle of the battlefield. The mist faded.

'Stop it! Stop, stop!'

The three combatants turned to Alana as she shrieked, tears rolling down her face.

'Don't hurt the Pokémon anymore!'

'Alana, we…' began Blake.

'No! It's not fair! It's not fair!'

She turned and ran down the street, teardrops splashing and leaving a trail behind her.

'Wait!'

Blake ran for a few steps, his arm outstretched, before he stopped and stared. A sad confusion had replaced his usual thuggish disposition. He turned back to his opponents.

'What did you do?' he cried.

'We… went too far.' said Pearl, solemnly.

Nick felt a jolt of guilt shoot through him. Had Blake just been talking tough? Had he ever stood a chance using one Pokémon against two?

'She said… the Pokémon… they were already tired…' he thought aloud.

'Well, come on! Forget the battle, we have to get her back!' urged Blake.

The three recalled their partners.

'I don't know why she's like this!' sighed the boy as he began to run. Nick looked to Pearl and, for once, she returned the gesture before her ice-blue eyes fell to the ground. They took off after Blake.

Alana's tear-stained path led them into the Canalave Woods. Nick was surprised at how quickly the shore and the city streets disappeared behind the more natural landscape, although the smell of salt still lingered in the strangely balmy air. The trees stood closely together as though huddling to share secrets beneath a canopy of green leaves and flecks of sunlight. The occasional rustle in the distance and strange echoes indicated presences nearby.

'Alana!' called Blake, his voice stretching into the greenery. 'Alana! Where are you?'

He turned to the other two trainers.

'Don't just stand there!'

Nick shuffled before shouting out to the girl, feeling a little awkward. Pearl remained quiet. They stood in the silence for a few moments, listening to the echoes of their voices, but there was no response. A flutter of wings broke the still.

'Kraw!'

Looking up, they saw a Murkrow sitting on a high branch, its black feathers an unsettling contrast to the greenery. Its demeanour reminded Nick of the one he had seen in Jubilife City.

'Kraw-aw-aw!' it continued, seemingly taunting them.

'Beat it!' snapped Blake, and with an aggressive wave of his hand, the bird flew off.

'Come on.' instructed Pearl, pointing out a trail in the overgrown grass. 'She must be further in the forest.'

Blake and Pearl began to walk ahead through some thick bushes. Nick surveyed his surroundings before following. After a few steps, however, he felt a rumble from the ground.

'H-H-Hey, guys?' he began. 'D-D-Do you f-f-feel that?'

'No.' replied Pearl. 'What are you talking about?'

Before he had time to reply, he was thrown into the air as something emerged from underneath him with great force. He landed in a heap at their feet and stared back at what had erupted from the earth. A green shelled creature stood on four legs, plants sprouting from its back. It growled ferociously at them.

'It's a Grotle!' exclaimed Blake.

Nick fumbled for his Pokédex, but Pearl grabbed his arm.

'I don't think there's time for that…'

Looking up again, he saw that the Grotle was pounding at the ground with a front leg.

'It's about to…'

With a roar, the grass-type began to run at them with heavy stomping, leaves spewing from its bushy back.

'…Charge!' the three of them cried.

They turned and dashed as Grotle followed. It barged through trees, knocking the smaller ones to the ground in its pursuit. The trainers ducked and dived, with Blake the furthest ahead. Fortunately, their pursuer was slower, and Nick, with a glance backwards, was glad to see it had fallen behind. As he turned back, he felt Pearl's hand grab his wrist again, and he was hoisted upwards onto a branch. Silently, they watched Grotle approach below, looking around for those who woke it up. With bated breath, they watched it give up and grumpily stomp back to its resting place. Eventually, Blake, who was sitting on the branch of a different tree, spoke.

'Good going. Try not to stand on any other vicious Pokémon, and let's find Alana!'

Just as they went to drop from their hiding place, Murkrow descended again, this time perching on Blake's head.

'Kraw! Mur-kraw!'

He swatted at it.

'Not you again! Get out of here, you filthy featherball!'

With a peck to his nose, the crow flew away once more.

'Grrr! I'll capture you, Murkrow!' he snarled after it.

Climbing back down to earth, they continued deeper into the woods. From a dark tree hollow high above, several pairs of red eyes peered into the daylight and down at the trainers.

The daylight seemed to be fading at an unusually quick rate, a slight blue aura now filtering in from above. Blake's voice was becoming hoarse from shouting for his missing friend.

'Alana! If you're here, come out!'

Pearl clenched her fist. Nick could tell she was holding back the urge to tell him to stop shouting, but sensed her consternation over something else.

'I hope she's okay.' he offered as an ease to the tension.

'I don't get it. She's seen me battle countless times.'

Nick remembered Alana's nervous disposition, and wondered if she had been bottling up feelings she was afraid to show. Why had this battle brought them out?

'Look at this.' said Pearl, pointing forward.

A wooden sign jutted at a slight angle from the ground. It was damp and mossy in places. On the dark, rotted wood, however, the message was still legible.

FOREST EXIT

In the direction of the arrow was a pathway of bent and broken grass. Pearl bent down to observe it.

'Looks like a fresh trail.' she mused. 'Maybe she followed the sign to get out of the woods.'

'I… guess so.' replied Blake.

'Then let's follow it.' smiled Nick, enjoying the small sense of hope that had washed over them.

They began to traipse through the growth. Parallel lines of trees outlined the way, and seemed to get closer together in an arrow shape.

'This is an odd formation of trees…' mumbled Nick. Neither of the others responded.

Eventually, the three of them stopped to take in the sight ahead. Light was shining through a gap in two trees that formed an arch, almost like a natural door. It seemed to be an otherwordly white, but Nick reasoned that his eyes had adapted to the darkness of the woods.

'Come on.' ushered Blake. 'Maybe she's outside.'

Picking up the pace, the trio ran into the light. At a close range, Nick found it to be blinding. When his eyes had re-adjusted beneath burning eyelids, he opened them to find that they were not outside, but in a small clearing. Huge trees stood pressed against each other, forming a solid wall around it through which no light shone.

Where was the light coming from? he wondered.

Another thought stole his mind as he looked at the leafy ceiling of this natural room, and made him jump in fright. Attached to it, apparently asleep, were several winged insect-like creatures. Wide yellow wings heaved slowly as they breathed, the red-tipped antennae on their heads twitching occasionally. He held the Pokédex to them, only for Pearl to interject.

'Nick! Don't…!'

'Mothim. This bug- and flying-type Pokémon stays on a constant search for honey. It will steal honey from other Pokémon and attack those who try to stop it with dust from its wings.'

At this last sentence, red eyes opened wide and wings slowly began to flutter.

'Uh oh…' gasped Nick, realising his noisy error.

The Mothim dropped from the ceiling and into a flying formation, staring down at those who had interrupted them. Flapping their wings violently, purple dust cascaded towards them.

'That's Poison Powder!' exclaimed Pearl. 'We have to run!'

'Again?' cried Nick indignantly as he was pulled away.

They squeezed through the archway at speed, followed by the Mothim, their droves pouring out of their hollow in a burst of purple spores. Nick did not dare to look back, but he knew they could not run forever. There was no way that they could escape the creatures through such a dense forest. Suddenly, however, he felt his fear surge from his head and into his stomach as his foot met the ground at an awkward angle. With a twinge of pain and an undignified dive, he fell and skidded on the ground, face down in the grass and dirt. He looked up to see the others looking back at him, still moving forward at a slower pace, Blake the furthest ahead.

'Get up!' came Pearl's voice over the hum of approaching wings.

Flipping onto his back, he saw the Mothim draw closer. They stopped above him and, with vicious flaps of poison-covered wings, they dropped towards him. From behind his shielding arms, he heard his companions' voices, then felt flames lick at his hands and an odd pulse make his temples throb. Braving from behind tight fingers, he saw several Mothim fall to the ground and others retreat in the direction they had came. Still dazed, he clumsily got to his knees and turned to see Kirlia and a chimp-like creature with smoke rising slowly from its orange fur.

'Good job, Monferno.' said Blake quietly as he returned it to its Poké Ball.

Nick was in the middle of deducing that the Pokémon had used a fire-type attack and that Kirlia had used Psychic when Pearl dragged him to his feet in anger.

'Way to nearly end us!' she growled. 'You're lucky we were able to fight off so many of them. The last thing we want to do is start disrupting and angering the creatures in the forest, so come on.'

She stormed ahead. Blake kept his eyes on Nick, who followed her sheepishly.

'T-Thanks…' mumbled the latter.

They had not questioned the misleading sign that had led them into such danger until they reached it again. They were distracted from any discussion of it, however, by the sight that awaited them.

'Kaw!'

Murkrow stood on the sign, grooming its wings, indifferent to the fact the trainers were there.

'You!' snapped Blake, adopting a defensive stance. 'You're the one doing all this! That's it, Murkrow, time you were taught a lesson!'

He released Monferno from its Poké Ball again.

'Use Flame Wheel!'

The Pokémon somersaulted high into the air, a ring of fire igniting around it as it darted at the crow.

'Kaw…'

Barely focusing, Murkrow lifted its wing, which seemed to extend. It took Nick a moment to realise it was a shadow that was creeping from its black feathers. It formed itself into a sinister hand-like shape, feeling no burn as it grabbed Monferno and threw it towards the ground. Blake reacted quickly and recalled it before the crash.

'What was that?' gasped Nick. The shadow had unsettled him, having reminded him of their encounter with Darkrai.

'It looked like a Sucker Punch.' replied Pearl, who was, for once, using her Pokédex. 'It always hits the enemy first if they're trying to attack the user.'

Nick looked at the bird. It caught his eye and he felt his body tense, as though he was frozen to the spot. It suddenly started cawing loudly, flapping its wings and throwing its head back, as though angered by Blake's attack. Its shrill call reverberated around the trees, each echo louder than the last one until there was a constant cacophony that pierced the trainers' ears.

'What's happening?' cried Nick, covering his hands with his ears.

'I don't know!' shouted Pearl. 'It seems to be some sort of sound attack…'

'Look!' interrupted Blake, pointing upwards.

With dread rising inside them, Nick and Pearl gazed up at the branches of the trees. Countless Murkrow were appearing from nowhere, shrieking like the first one.

'There must be hundreds of them!' he moaned.

'Let's go! My ears can't take this!' replied Nick, his head throbbing.

Once again, the trio started to run through the trees.

Disorientated by the din, stumbling, tripping and grazing themselves on jagged branches, they eventually found themselves deeper in the forest. This part had a different feel; the air was imbued with a cold stillness, the branches were more knotted and crooked, and the terrain uneven and dark. The Murkrow had stopped crying, but the echoes still lingered somewhere in the wilderness. Exhausted, the trainers fell to their knees, gasping for breath.

'What's… this… place?' panted Blake, surveying the new surroundings.

The three of them looked up to take it in, but one thing in particular caught their attention: a colossal tree that stood before them, inconceivably wide and towering high above the others.

'I've never seen a tree like this…' mused Pearl, closely inspecting its bark. It was smooth, the wood almost with a glow, as though it had been fashioned to appear different from the rest of the trees. Suddenly, from high up and just discernible over the crows' ringing, a voice spoke.

'Blake…'

They looked to the source. Hanging out from a hollow several yards up was Alana. Her face was dirty, cut and bruised, as was the arm that motioned down to them.

'Alana!' cried Blake, his voice fearful. 'Alana, I've found you!'

'Go…' she croaked.

'What?' they asked in unison.

'Go…' she said again, gesturing them away. 'Run… Get out of here…'

'Alana, what are you talking about?' asked Blake, his voice growing softer, his tough demeanour waning.

'You need to go… before it comes back…'

Before they could ask, there was another cry, similar to Murkrow's but much louder, gruffer and angrier. Turning around, the trio found themselves having to drop to the floor, narrowly avoiding being struck by a long wing. The creature it was attached to circled the tree, stretched its wings and legs out with another caw, and perched on the ledge of the hollow, pushing Alana inside.

'Hey, that's a…' began Blake.

'…Honchkrow.' said Nick's Pokédex, finishing his sentence. 'This dark- and flying-type Pokémon claims dark forests as its territory and commands flocks of Murkrow to attack those who intrude.'

The boy narrowed his eyes and pointed at it.

'So you're the one creating these illusions! It was you who kidnapped Alana!' he bellowed. 'Give her back!'

Honchkrow growled and stretched its obsidian wings, releasing a flurry of Shadow Balls. They crashed around the group, clearly off-target, as though they were intended to be a warning and not an attack. Several Murkrow began to appear in the treetops, gazing down like spectators at an amphitheatre.

'If you won't let her go, I'll take her back!' continued Blake. 'Yanma, go!'

The Poké Ball ascended into the air and opened, revealing a long dragonfly-like creature. Red stripes adorned its delicate wings that carried it to the top of the clearing.

'Use Silver Wind!'

With rapid movement of its wings, it threw up a shower of shining dust that began to descend on the large crow. Before it made contact, however, a lightning-quick Wing Attack shot a burning gust of wind through the haze, striking Yanma and knocking it to the ground. Blake caught it in his arms.

'Gah…'

'Don't you know that bug-types are weak to flying attacks?' snapped Pearl. 'If we want to defeat a Pokémon like this, we need to use strategy!'

'Let me give it a try!' announced Nick. 'Go, Elekid!'

His electric ally appeared in a burst of sparks.

'Thunderbolt should take care of it!'

Elekid clenched its pulsating fists and released the bolt from its horns. Honchkrow, however, raised a wing and from it came a Sucker Punch shadow. The hand grabbed the lightning, which turned to a mystic purple colour, and threw it back down. It landed on Elekid with a crash that sent a gust blasting through the trees. Nick struggled to stay standing.

'Elekid!'

The little Pokémon was on its knees, its eyes closed and its arms trembling. The bolt had evidently been too intense to absorb.

'Return…' said Nick solemnly, recalling it to its ball.

What can I do now? he thought. Nosepass won't be able to reach that high, Vulpix could accidentally start a forest fire, and Skorupi… well…

'Shellder!' he blurted. 'Come on out and use Icicle Spear!'

The bivalve shot out of the Poké Ball and fired the white-hot ice from its horns. With a wave, Honchkrow turned its Sucker Punch into a large, defensive wall. Nick watched as the icicles dissolved and split as they crashed into it.

'Keep trying, Shellder! More power!'

The little Pokémon's shell tightened in concentration, its long tongue waggling from side to side in a comical fashion. As amusing as it looked, the trainer hoped that it could muster enough power to break through. The spears grew bigger and burned brighter as the spiralled into the air.

'Hunn-kraw! Hunn!'

The black bird shrieked as it held back the stronger move. Icicle after icicle bounced off of the black force field until suddenly, with an unsettling tearing sound, one penetrated it and crashed into Honchkrow. It fell backwards into the hollow, and there was a scream from the prisoner.

'Alana!' cried Blake. 'Are you okay up there?'

There was no reply. Honckrow fluttered back onto its ledge and with an angry flurry of feathers, formed what remained of its defences into a black orb. It hurled to the ground and, with another crashing blow, sent Shellder flying into the air.

'Use Aurora Beam!'

The water-type's tongue began to glow with the seven colours of the rainbow, but it was too late. Murkrow's Night Slash ray tore across the clearing and sliced into it with a horrific sizzling sound. It began to plummet and landed in Nick's arms. He stroked the burn mark across its top shell.

'You did great, buddy…'

'This isn't good.' spluttered Blake. 'I'm out of Pokémon.'

'Me too.' replied Nick. 'Or at least, none of my others will be of any use.'

With no other words, they turned to Pearl. She did not look back, but answered them all the same.

'Wailmer is too tired from earlier, and Honchkrow would be expecting any ice attacks that Empoleon could do…' she said solemnly, almost to herself. 'I can't use my grass-type, it's too young to battle, and Kirlia…'

'What about Kirlia?' asked Nick excitedly. He expected Pearl to have a plan like always.

'Kirlia is a psychic-type.' snorted Blake, seemingly angry at Nick's unawareness. 'It's weak to dark-types, and can't hurt them either.'

Nick looked to the trees. Honchkrow was getting angrier, and the Murkrow were calling loudly again. Something bad was going to happen.

'You're our last chance.' announced Pearl, holding a Poké Ball forward. 'Kirlia, try with all your psychic ability!'

The little dancer emerged, poised and graceful.

'Confusion!'

No sooner had the Pokémon's telekinetic waves begun to rise towards Honckrow that they were dissipated by the black hand again. It opened its fist and slapped itself down onto Kirlia, passing through its body and leaving a dark aura around it. The psychic-type shivered and moaned as the super-effective attack took over its body.

'Kirlia!' called Pearl. 'I know it hurts, but you have to try to do something! Try a Teleport attack!'

It took the Pokemon a few moments to react, but it eventually disappeared in a flash. Seconds later, it reappeared in the air above Honchkrow, but its movement was slowed, still imbued with the dark attack. It lunged at the crow, only to be whacked down to earth by a Night Slash. It managed to slow itself with its power, landing gently on the ground, at the edge of defeat.

'Kirlia…'

Honchkrow opened its wings. They could have blocked out the sun.

'This can't be it…'

The flocks of Murkrow were louder than ever, as though baying for blood.

'You were a brave Pokémon. You battled for us…'

The daylight began to fade. A Night Slash was forming in Honchkrow's wings as it eyed the three trainers and fallen Pokémon.

'…until the very end.'

Kirlia's eye opened and time suddenly seemed to freeze. Nick saw Pearl take a step back, her mouth open in surprise and her eyes open wider, as though suffering from shock. He had never seen her with such an unreserved expression before.

What…? she thought, as the colours of her world inverted.

She looked down at her Pokémon. It looked back at her with pleading eyes. She could not hear the birds cawing or her companions asking if she was alright. A wind blew past, and she felt a force approaching. Turning to determine its source, she saw a blazing ball of slight approaching slowly. It tore through the scene, affecting nothing but the dark-type Pokémon. The Murkrow squawked and flew out of sight, and Honchkrow, its Night Slash dissolving, was enveloped by it. Her eyes whitened and the scene faded away.

I can't…

Nick and Jay were facing each other. A cloaked, skull-faced creature stood between them.

What is…?

She was looking at the ocean. Something large was fading into the horizon. A teardrop hit the ground.

Where…?

A dark room. A glass cylinder stood smashed, green fluid covering the floor.

Kirlia!

She was flying over Sinnoh, speeding towards Mount Coronet. Another white flash.

'Pearl!'

Landing back in reality, she looked back at Nick and Blake.

'What's the matter? Are you alright?' asked the boy.

She didn't answer, but looked at Honchkrow, preparing its final attack, and the Murkrow laughing at her exhausted Pokémon. It suddenly opened an eye and a feeling of intense déjà vu took over her.

'Do it now, Kirlia!'

The Pokémon sprang to life. It began to twirl, faster and faster, and its body shone. A tower of light ascended from its body, through the treetops and into the sky. Then everything went still again, save for Honchkrow raising its wings to fire its attack.

'We need to run!' gasped Nick.

'Alana!' exclaimed Blake.

'No!' interrupted Pearl. 'It's going to be alright… now!'

A breeze confirmed her statement. From through the trees came a light that chased away the Murkrow and crashed into Honchkrow.

'Hawwwnn-kraaah!'

The whole forest seemed to shake and the light covered everything in sight.

'You did it.' smiled Pearl. Kirlia's eyes were the only things she could see.

A few minutes of blinding white and silence passed before their vision returned. Honchkrow lay defeated at the bottom of the tree. Alana looked down from the hollow.

'Is it… over?' she whimpered.

Blake nodded at her.

'It's over.'

'What was that?' asked Nick, breathless from what they had witnessed.

'I think it was… Future Sight.' she replied quietly, allowing her Pokédex to continue the explanation.

'Future Sight. This powerful force can be used when a trainer is able to tap into a psychic connection with a Pokémon. Together, they are able to predict and plan an unexpected attack that will happen in future. It is also capable of hitting Pokémon that are usually immune to psychic-type attacks.'

Nick gasped at her.

'You… saw the future?'

She did not reply. She wasn't sure of that herself. She just continued to smile at her psychic ally, who had picked up on her love and bestowed the power on her.

'Kirlia, help her down.' she ordered, pointing up to the tree.

Alana floated a few inches from her resting place and descended slowly to the ground, where Blake ran to her, checking the wounds on her body.

'Why did you run off like that?' he scalded. 'What did you think you were doing?'

The girl jumped back from his grasp.

'The Pokémon!' she cried, tears forming in her eyes. 'I couldn't watch the Pokémon get hurt anymore!'

Nick looked at Pearl. Her eyes regarded the girl with understanding.

'Hurt the Pokémon…?' asked Blake, confused.

'The way you battle! The way you push them!' she continued. 'Pokémon aren't supposed to fight like that!'

'She's right.' added Pearl, stepping closer to them. 'You used your Pokémon like mere tools for battling. It should be about working together, teaching them and having them teach you.'

Blake stood speechless, his mouth open slightly.

'We were wrong too,' she continued, motioning at Nick. 'We should never have accepted a two-on-one battle. We let emotions get in the way of what was right. If you can't be rational, you can never be a good Pokémon trainer.'

Nick looked at his feet, suddenly overcome with remorse. Blake looked into Alana's wet eyes.

'I'm… I had no idea you felt that way.' he sighed. 'I'm sorry… I guess I focus too much on winning, and making myself seem powerful.'

Alana adopted a more stern face as a single tear ran down her cheek.

'It's not you who is powerful.' she said, speaking in tones much firmer than those of her usual nervous manner. 'It's your Pokémon who make you strong. But they can't be truly strong without you either.'

Blake nodded and swallowed hard, as though fighting back tears.

'Alana, from now on we'll treat the Pokémon well and train them right.' he smiled. 'And I'll let you have a say in how we do that.'

The girl smiled at him and more tears fell as they hugged each other. Feeling slightly awkward watching them, Nick approached the unconscious Honchkrow, wary that it might wake up and attack.

'Is it alright?' he asked as he and Pearl knelt down to it.

Pearl, rather bravely, grasped onto it, inspecting its wings and plumage. She gently rubbed damaged areas of its body and, after a few minutes, withdrew a spray bottle from her bag.

'It will be fine, it just has a few minor injuries.' she stated. 'This potion will cure it in no time.'

'Perhaps it's best that we leave before that happens.' laughed Nick sheepishly. He was secretly tempted to catch the Pokémon, but reasoned that it was too dangerous to attempt to train it.

'We could learn from the Murkrow.' said Pearl, as she draped an old blanket over the dark-type. 'They led us into traps when our frustration got the best of us. Only when we kept cool heads could we defeat them. It's the same as Pokémon training. You need to persevere along the right paths.'

Seemingly at the mention of paths, daylight began to flood in from the shadows. Beside the monolithic tree, Nick suddenly spotted a worn old signpost that had evaded their attention in the heat of battle. It read:

HONCHO HOLLOW
Travellers please progress at haste so as not to disturb the creatures living here.

CANALAVE CITY LAKE VERITY

'Looks like we've found our way.' he smiled. Pearl, who was stroking Kirlia affectionately, agreed with a nod.

'We're going back to Canalave, and then on to Veilstone City.' announced Blake, before quickly turning to Alana. 'If… that's okay with you?'

The girl grinned and nodded.

'Take care of yourselves.' smiled Nick. 'Next time we meet, we'll battle fair and square.'

'And you'll be the one to lose.' laughed the boy. 'Thank you both.'

With a friendly wave, their new friends turned and vanished into the wilderness. Returning Kirlia to its Poké Ball, Pearl stood and walked ahead.

'Well? Come on.' she said, her face turning to stone once more. Nick grinned and followed.