Hi! Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter! Now, this is starting to get moving a bit more and I'm getting ideas from everywhere!

I don't own Pokèmon. That privilege belongs to Nintendo.

The storm continued all night, its heavy rain lashing at the window, stopping Aria from sleeping. She looked out her window at the night sky and sighed. She would have liked to see the stars, but the storm clouds obscured them. Her father had always liked stargazing, something he had instilled in his daughter at a young age. When he hadn't been there, and she couldn't get to sleep, she had always turned to the twinkling lights in the sky, and because of the climate on her home island, the night sky was almost always clear, apart from the few and short times when it rained…

She was about to crawl back into bed, when she noticed a silhouette at the end of the garden. She squinted at the figure – it looked like her mum – but it couldn't be who she thought it was. It was raining, and the water would hurt her mum, wouldn't it? As Aria carried on looking, she realised that the rain was dodging around the figure who she was now quite sure was her mum.

Aria looked behind her with a slight start of alarm – her bedroom door had creaked open and she couldn't see who had opened it. Draigas blearily opened her eyes and sleepily drew Aria's attention to near the floor. Tani, her mother's Growlithe had crept into the room, and seeing Aria was out of bed, nudged her back towards the bed.

"But I'm not tired," she protested quietly.

Draigas growled lightly – she was tired and if needs be, she'd tie her trainer down to the bed to get her sleep.

"Okay…" Aria didn't get the full extent of the growl, but she knew that between the two Pokèmon, she was beaten.

She crawled into bed and despite herself, fell asleep almost immediately. When she wasn't woken up by Tani's customary prank in the morning, and opened her eyes, slightly confused, it took her a few seconds for the events of the past day to catch up with her.

"Draigas? How do you feel?" she asked, concerned after yesterday's battle.

Draigas fixed her with a happy gaze, before doing several swift laps of the room – she seemed fine.

Aria quickly got dressed – a rough pair of jeans and a long-sleeved forest green top, which her mother had always said it had made her look like one of Robin Hood's merry men, but Aria hadn't known what she'd meant. Now she assumed it was something from her home world.

Dashing down the stairs, she wolfed down a slice of buttered toast and gave Draigas a bowl of food. She tapped her feet impatiently as the dragon ate.

"Aria," her mother reprimanded. "Can't you be a bit more patient? You woke up only five minutes ago and you are still a whole hour early for school."

"But I want to get there early, Mum!"

"Just promise me you'll be careful…especially around Genwyn. I don't know why I'm even letting you go…I'm so worried about you…but if you become a strong trainer, then I won't need to worry…and I have this feeling that you'll never forgive me if I don't let you..."

Aria was shocked – she could tell the words had come straight from her mother's heart - something of a rarity with her. While her mother tended to be honest, she was quite guarded about her emotions. "I'll be careful, I promise. I'll use a fake surname in school, and I won't let on anything that you told me last night. And I'll become a brilliant trainer…Genwyn's only one good reason to spur me on."

"And I bet another one is to be able to beat Haru?"

"Yep! It'll take a lot of training though, but that's okay. Even if it takes all my time in school…even if it takes longer. And I'll get there early every day! After all, what good trainer spends half the morning in bed?"

"Well, you seem to have got into the spirit of things, anyway," Nia smiled. "I have something for you."

Aria's mother handed Aria an intricate necklace. It had three, small glass-blown beads strung on it, one a rich indigo, another a dark scarlet and the last, a bottle green. From these beads was a metal clasp, and in each one there was a feather. The feather dangling from the indigo bead was turquoise, short and very soft; the feather in the red's clasp was a mottled grey and fairly wide and the last feather was jet black with a metallic tip. The last feather was slightly sharp, which Aria found out as she ran her finger over it's edge.

"Using this, you can contact me and your father whenever you want. If there's something you need us to hear, or if you're in trouble, just grab the right feather and think it to us. Mine is the grey feather, and your dad's is the turquoise one," Nia explained softly.

"Wha…so it's like magic? It isn't just very clever technology? It can't possibly work though, can it?" Aria wondered, taking the necklace.

"You believed I had a power with fire and air easily enough last night," her mother pointed out.

"But that was different. It made everything make sense, it… Very deep down, I knew it, I think. It was just like…remembering…just from a very long time ago..."

"It makes sense. The power runs in the family, so perhaps there is some foreknowledge built into us," Nia smiled. "Now, try using the necklace. I need to be sure you can use it if the need comes up."

"So, I just hold the feather…" Aria brushed her fingertips against the grey feather that represented her mother. "And think?"

Nia nodded.

Aria strained and strained but nothing she thought came through.

"Try it as if you're calling out to me, but silently. And emotion…I find these things are always easier with emotion."

Aria took her mum's advice.

Mum? Can you hear me now? I suppose not. …I just wish I could get this right so you wouldn't have to worry…

"But worrying about you is my job," the older woman said quietly.

It took Aria a few seconds to truly realise what her mother's words meant.

Wait, you can hear me?

"Yes."

And you aren't just saying yes to wind me up?

"Would I do that?"

Aria sighed. Yes. Sometimes I don't know who is more childish, you or me…

"Didn't you want to get to school early?" Aria's mother interrupted.

Aria was shocked into speaking aloud. "That's right! I'll go now, then, Mum. And I will be careful…"

"That's all I ask. Keep the necklace on you and don't be afraid to use it."

"I will! Bye!"

Aria dashed out the house, taking the moist, but quickly drying, ground outside the house at a short sprint. She walked briskly on the grass by the side of the dirt road, knowing it, at least, would be firm.

Draigas followed at her heels, a couple of times going off to investigate a rustle in the wind, or a drop of water falling from the few trees they passed. The sun shone down on them. It was amazing to think it was winter, and in other parts of the world, trees were bare, frost covered any damp ground and some Pokèmon were migrating, or hibernating… On this island, it was almost constantly sunny – there was very little different between summer and winter here. Aria had read about similar places, and places that were always covered in snow.

"Snow…I don't even know what it looks like…" Aria told her companion dragon. "They say it's cold, but people still want to play in it…how weird…"

Draigas looked at her trainer oddly.

"I suppose in some respects, I've had a very sheltered life, haven't I? We will go on this journey, though. I want to see snow for myself. And proper deserts…and lakes…and caves. I want to see everything!"

Draigas circled her eagerly.

"You too, right?"

The dragon nodded her agreement.

"We'll get there someday."

Aria found herself outside the school gates with those words.

"Well, that didn't take any time at all!"

As the two entered the gates, a figure waved at them.

"You still remember me, right?" the boy asked kindly.

"I might be bad with names, but I'm not that bad. Latto, right?" Aria replied with a grin.

"Yep. So, you got a Dratini?"

"I didn't get her. We're…partners…"

"You really are one of us, then! Just about the only trainer here who doesn't see their Pokèmon as…human is Haru…but that doesn't mean he doesn't respect them. He just isn't as familiar with them…they're like...trusted warriers, not friends."

Aria nodded. "I kind of got that impression off him…"

"Oh, yeah, I heard about the 'newbie' who took him on…and I thought you looked like a smart person," Latto teased.

"Oh," Aria muttered, turning red.

"Don't worry, only the whole school knows…"

"Thanks a lot!" she said sarcastically.

"Sorry. But it was a stupid thing to do. Not that I couldn't see it coming – not with the way you were talking to Haru. So, your partner – she's fine, right?"

"I was going to go into the main building to find Mrs Hurtz. She looked after Draigas yesterday – I want to thank her properly."

"You won't find her in the main building this early. She'll probably be in the Garden."

"The Garden?"

"I'll show you – it's not far, and it's an easy walk."

Latto led Aria across the meadow that surrounded the main building, heading slightly eastwards.

It was a small meadow hidden by a dip – Aria was sure that she would have never would have found it on her own – with thick banks of colourful flowers. Mrs Hurtz, wearing a rough set of clothes was merrily pruning and watering.

"There's such a variety of flowers and plants here that almost every bug and grass Pokèmon on the island is drawn here at some point in the year."

"She's watering? But it's only just rained…"

"Some of these plants like the damp, and the ground has almost dried off already."

Aria watched the plants swaying slightly in the little breeze that came into this little dip. But one plant near Mrs Hurtz was moving in the direction against the wind. On closer look, it wasn't a plant – it was her Roselia! It said a few words, and Mrs Hurtz turned around to see them.

"If it isn't Latto! And Aria too…how is Draigas?"

"She seems fine. We came to thank you."

"I was happy to help – think nothing of it! Anyway, Latto, are you ready for the exercise today?"

"I said yesterday – the group that gets me will have an easy time of it. I'm not a battler by nature, and I only have the two Pokèmon. Even then, I don't think Rika – the Surskit I caught yesterday – is up to this. It's potentially two against six… Not that I meant to complain, Miss…"

"I know…but it'll be their first exercise – you have far more experience than them. I just feel sorry for the poor team that gets Haru…"

"Excuse me," Aria said, feeling the fool. "I don't know what you're on about…"

"Of course, they haven't explained to the newbies yet," Latto realised. "Everyone else got told yesterday."

"The first years – or newbies, as Latto so sensitively put it – have got a team building exercise this morning. You'll be split into groups of six and given instructions on how to get to a certain point where a trainer from the higher school will be waiting. Between you six, you have to try and beat the trainer."

"And a group will have Haru to beat?" Aria asked incredulously. "I don't envy them…"

"There is a chance it could be yours…about one in three…"

"Oh," Aria sighed heavily, the memory of yesterday's crushing defeat coming back to her. "Well, at least I wouldn't be alone…"

"Anyway, you'd better come with me back to the main building," Mrs Hurtz said. "Latto, you know where to go, don't you?"

"Yes, Miss. Good luck, Aria!" Latto left, heading – as far as Aria could tell – towards the shore.

"Aria…there's a good motto for everyone studying here at Saralli Caira to follow," Mrs Hurtz started, walking up the incline towards the building. "Expect the unexpected. If you do that…you won't get caught off guard here."

"If…if I do get Haru…what can I do? It's impossible for us to beat him as we are…"

"Your compassion is your greatest strength. Haru…you know he isn't all human. So, he can't attach himself to Pokèmon in the same way that we do. He can come across as cold, but he just sees them in a different way… They are physically stronger than you are, but they don't have the same security and compassion your Pokèmon will have…"

Her eyes misted over as her Roselia nudged her petals against her mistress' leg. This snapped her out of her dreamy lecture.

"Ah, my point was, you have a good emotional bond with your Pokèmon already. And I'd take this opportunity before school to train up, if I were you."

Aria nodded. "But…isn't it a bit like cheating? You giving me this advice but not everyone else?"

"Some people have got a greater background with Pokèmon than others. Other people have a skill with certain types of Pokèmon. Would you say that is cheating?"

"N…no…but…"

"Go along and train – you have about quarter of an hour, and Draigas seems in perfect fighting condition."

Draigas chirped in agreement, resting her head on Aria's shoulder.

"Okay! And thanks again!" Aria said happily, before running off.

Mrs. Hurtz was right – Aria had fifteen minutes and she was definitely was not going to waste them. She wandered across the grassland, but it seemed so quiet…where were all the Pokèmon? Suddenly, there was a rustle of movement in the long grass, and a Starly stepped out into the open.

"Go, Draigas!" Aria commanded, adrenaline flooding her system in anticipation of the battle.

The dragon flew into action, her serpentine body twisting lithely as she growled.

"Attack with Dragon Rage!"

Draigas fixed an angered gaze on the small bird as it flapped and twittered in fear, but never getting co-ordinated enough to fly away. Small, unnatural flames gathered at Draigas' mouth before shooting off to hit the bird Pokèmon. It attempted to dodge the attack, but the stream of fire tracked it until it hit.

The Starly reeled in pain, uttering a feeble cry before falling to the ground, unconscious, but not too badly harmed.

"We…we won…" Aria said numbly. "Strange…I thought it'd be stronger…actually, aren't Starly meant to be slightly bigger than that?"

Suddenly, an enraged Staravia swooped down, attempting to clutch at Draigas with her talons.

"Uh-oh – I think that might be its mother! Draigas, Wrap!"

The Dratini shot after the angered bird, pining the Staravia's wings to its body using her own snake-like form. Draigas squeezed the bird with as much strength as she could muster.

The Staravia writhed in the vice-like grip, pecking all she could reach and forcing the dragon to let go.

"Thunder Wave!" the human commanded.

Draigas panicked – she'd never used Thunder Wave before, even though she had the ability to – and she was worried. She slinked around the bird, trying to feel the electricity in her mind. Meanwhile, the Staravia flapped her powerful wings and created a whirling vortex of wind, sending it towards the dragon.

A bolt of electricity escaped Draigas in her panic and infused the whirlwind. Giving a screech of dismay, she shot away from the whirlwind, which was now crackling with electricity. The whirlwind slowly went round in a circle before making its steady way back to where it had come from – the Staravia.

It was the bird's turn to screech – this time in pain, as its attack rebounded back on her. Draigas finished her off without being told – using another stream of those unnatural flames a dragon could conjure.

"Well done, Draigas!" Aria smiled.

The dragon returned to her trainer, gently winding around the girl's neck and catching her breath.

"You'll be okay to keep fighting in a minute or two, right?" The girl checked, concerned.

Draigas nodded eagerly.

Trainer and Pokèmon continued training for ten minutes until the melodic bell from the main building rang across the grounds. The two, slightly breathless, made their way back to the school's looming concrete tower.

A small group of the people she'd met yesterday was already there, and within five minutes – during which, she healed the small scrapes Draigas had obtained with a potion – all of her year had gathered.

A new teacher appeared to talk to them. He was taller than Mr. Reese, and solidly built. He looked in his late forties, with greying unruly hair and a wild beard. Quite frankly, he was scary…but not intimidating. A Mankey beside him gave a strange grin, which made Draigas shrink into Aria's shoulder slightly.

"I'm Mr. Harrier, for you lovely people who don't know me. I'm sure I'll get to know you all personally in a few months. I teach Myths and Legends. Now, I've been told to split you into groups and give you your instructions," he had a gruff, yet forcibly jovial voice.

He gave the children a looking over while he made up his mind.

"Hmm…you with the Poochyena. You're leader for Group One."

The girl Aria knew as Rhiannon nodded slightly with a slight grimace.

"And you two with a Dratini each. What's your names?"

"Aria," she said quickly.

"Zero."

"Aria, you're leading Group Two. Zero, you're Group Three's leader."

Aria's heart sunk – she was a lousy leader and she knew it.

Ten minutes, her team mates and her were outside. There was Seig, the boy with the unnatural-feeling Eevee; Wraith with her Eevee; Fossil with the cute Phanpy; Ebony, the cat-person, with her Vulpix; and Pasqua, with the giant seeming Tropius.

"Okay, the instructions read: 'Make your way North for a hundred paces, then head East for forty-two paces. There are instructions left on the Silver Birch.'"

"That doesn't sound too difficult," Seig pointed out.

"Yeah, but…how far is a pace?" Aria wondered.

"Oh! I know! It's like…" Pasqua took a large step, her legs almost split. "…this, right? Right?"

"Not that big…" Seig said, exasperated.

So, with that in mind, they set off.

Aria knew it would take them a few minutes to get there, and she thought it'd be a good idea to get to know each other better, especially for this battle that she knew would be at the end.

"How about we each tell everyone one thing about us that everyone else doesn't know?" she suggested.

"Alright!" Pasqua exclaimed excitedly. "Um…I get really hyper on sugar!"

"Just out of interest, have you had any sugar this morning?"

"Nope."

The group boggled. How could she be so hyper normally? And it was first thing in the morning, too…

"Alright, my turn," Wraith said, ending the silence. "I sometimes have dreams of ruling the world…they're fun…"

"O…kay…moving swiftly on…my greatest ambition is to go on a journey all over the world!" Aria announced.

"That sounds like a good idea. It's a bit tricky to get off this island, though, isn't it?" Ebony asked.

"Yeah, the ferry only comes a few times a year. But if I get a large enough Pokèmon with Fly, or Surf…"

At this, Draigas drew all attention towards herself with an excited yelp of a sudden idea.

"You're saying you could? As a Dragonite?"

Draigas nodded happily, glad that her trainer understood.

"Well, it'll be a while yet…who's next?"

Fossil spoke up. "I didn't actually pass the entrance exam…"

"What?"

"My aunty works here, so they let me in…"

His Phanpy took this as a cue to curl himself into a ball and roll into his master's legs, making him fall over.

"Oww…"

"I think your Phanpy can tell…" Aria observed. "Anyway, anyone else?"

"I bet you want to know about the ears, right?" Ebony said, tugging on one of her feline ears.

"What made you think that?"

"It's just that everyone comments on the ears…" Ebony explained, her tail's tip flicking from side to side with an annoyed air.

"I think they're awesome!"

"But…how did you get them…if it's alright to ask…"

"I must have been born with them. Or I got them when I was very small. I can't remember not having them…"

"I want to be a Neko-jin…" Wraith grumbled under her breath.

"Well, Seig? You haven't answered yet."

"Um…"

Willow, the Eevee, nestled closer to Seig – almost hiding herself from view – as the boy tried to think of an answer.

"I…I...hey, is that the tree we've been looking for?" he said suddenly, diverting the attention off him.

They followed his gaze, and yes, it was a white-barked tree, and hanging from one of it's uppermost branches was an envelope.

"How are we meant to get that?!" Ebony wondered incredulously, looking up at the envelope.

"A Neko-jin should like climbing trees, right?" Wraith reasoned.

Ebony's ear twitched in annoyance. "I get stuck up trees!"

Draigas poked her trainer with her tail to get the human's attention.

"You could get it?"

Draigas nodded.

"Are you sure? It looks pretty high…"

Draigas gave her trainer a scathing look. She was a dragon – heights didn't faze her. Besides, she could fly. She shot up into the higher reaches of the tree, and tugged at the string with her mouth, until it frayed and snapped. Triumphantly, she handed the letter to her trainer.

Ripping it open, Aria read, "North-east of the Surskit's home and south of the forest border."

"That's rather vague…" Seig commented.

"Not really. There's only one place that I know of here that Surskit appear, so if I find that first…" Aria trailed off when she noticed her classmates staring at her.

"How do you know where this place is?"

"I came here early both days and yesterday I found it while wandering around. I only know it has Surskit there because Latto caught one," she explained matter-of-factly.

"Any other nuggets of information you'd like to share?"

"We're going to have a battle at the end of this," Aria informed them. "Against someone in the upper school…"

A moment of silence passed while they digested this information. Then…

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Fossil said.

"Yeah, let's go. Aria, you know where to go, so we'll follow you."

Aria led the way through the forest. Occasionally, a breeze ruffled the treetops, sending a thin scattering of water from the previous night's rain on the children, but they hardly noticed, and Aria, deep in concentration was all but dead to the world. Left at this tree, right at another…she couldn't even rely on Draigas for help remembering…

She smiled to herself – she hadn't realised how much she'd come to depend on the dragon in the last two days…although the first day now seemed like a lifetime ago…

Aria was only sure she was on the right track when she heard the quiet trickle of water.

"This way," she said happily.

She followed the trickle to a pond – the pond where she'd met Latto.

"This is the place. So we want to go north-east from here, which is…" Aria considered, finally pointing to her right somewhere. "That way, right?"

After the other's checked the position of the sun and worked it out, they agreed that Aria was right and continued walking.

Suddenly, a small clearing came into view. It was ringed by trees on all sides, and dotted with small wildflowers. But in the centre, stood a blue skinned figure with a smirk.

"So...we will be battling Haru, after all…"

Long chapter, I know! Also, I've decided to get rid of the vote system, as I have certain events that need to be done in a certain order (yes, there is an actual plot to this from the beginning – normally I just start writing and the plot sorts itself out – Jade is an example of a character where that became a good thing, but Stephen's an example where that became a bad thing. For those who don't know or can't remember, Jade is Wraith's mum and Stephen is Haru's dad.)

So, after around chapter 9 or 10 it'll be Seig's turn to take centre stage, and then I have plot! Glorious plot!

Okay, please leave me a review! And if you know me in real life, I would like more than one word reviews – criticism…anything? Keeping everyone in character? Please?!