Chapter 4

Once Jack had reached Phenac City, he took Geranium's advice and checked out the Pre Gym for some training.

He walked casually up to a group of guys. "I'm looking for Justy," he stated. A dark haired guy in a long sleeved shirt broke away from the stunned group.

"Can I help you?" the man asked, a charismatic smile on his face.

"You can if you're Justy. I was told you set up battles here for trainers?"

"Yeah. I take it you want to train a bit?"

Jack nodded, once. "I need to get Bella stronger. We're..." he glanced at the Pokemon uncertainly. How much should he say? Geranium hadn't specified. "We're traveling around Orre, and I don't want to come out second best in a conflict with Team Snagem," he said, finally deciding less was more.

Justy didn't seem to suspect a thing. He laughed. "Yeah, that would suck, right? Okay, I'll help you out." He pointed to the arena in the center. Go stand on the left side of that arena. You'll face a string of four trainers. Between each battle, I'll ask if you want to keep going, so there's no excuse for allowing that Umbreon of yours to get hurt, okay?" Jack nodded, smiling. "Well, go on, then!"

TWO HOURS LATER

Jack sat curled in a chair at the Pokemon Center, staring broodingly at the door to the exam rooms. That was...

...Well, his first thought was humiliating, but then he realized it shouldn't be. He was top dog in Pyrite Town, but Phenac City had different trainers, ones he hadn't been battling for so long he could predict their moves in his sleep. A learning experience, he decided, and a tough one at that.

He had had an easy enough time with Botan. He used a similar strategy to a kid he used to fight back home. Actually, he had gotten all the way to Gwin, and then...then Bella couldn't take anymore. She had been tired, but willing to continue, and had gamely faced down Gwin's Geodude, only to be crushed in one move by her Rhyhorn.

Nurse Joy approached him. "Is Bella okay?" he asked anxiously, jumping to his feet.

Nurse Joy smiled. "Your Umbreon is just fine." She handed him Bella's Pokeball. "Just wait until she's a little stronger before you go facing any more Rhyhorns, okay?"

He nodded and thanked her before leaving.

He didn't think he could face Justy again so soon, not with the memory of his furious and disappointed face still fresh in his mind, so he decided to go to the Mayor's office to ask if there had been any recent incidents with Team Snagem.

He was halfway there when he heard a little girl screaming. At first he froze. All he could picture was Cora, lying in bed, split lip and black eye-

-and then he was moving, towards the scream, legs and arms pumping, but he couldn't seem to move fast enough for his own liking, it was like a nightmare-

-and then he reached them.

"Le Roi," the girl wailed. Arceus, she couldn't be more than five. What kind of a creep could do this? "No, you can't have him. Give him back! Le Roiii!"

"Hey," he shouted angrily. The perp looked up, grinning vilely, his Murkrow still free.

A Murkrow?

That was the creep who attacked his sister!

"What d'you want, kid?" the Snagem goon asked lazily.

"What do you think you're doing? Give her back her Pokemon," Jack demanded angrily. He thought rapidly. Was Bella up to this battle, so soon after a defeat? She really needed to rest...but did he have a choice? It was his duty to fight Team Snagem now.

"No," the man said coldly. Then he grinned. "Not like you can make me," he goaded the boy.

No choice. "Bella, Shadowball!" Bella burst onto the scene with a howl, already building the energy for the attack, and released it at the bird.

"Dodge and Shadow Rush," the man commanded, suddenly serious.

Arceus, his sister was right; when the crow moved, he could see its evil black aura streaming behind it. But how? He had never seen these things before. "Dodge and Bite, Bella, quickly!" The Umbreon slid sideways and turned to Bite the bird's wing as it passed. It screamed in outrage and pain. "Release and Return!" The bird shot away, Bella letting it before she shot after it and hit it full force, surrounded by a white aura. The Murkrow wheeled away, unable to focus.

Time to see if this device worked. He popped an empty Pokeball off his belt and enlarged it, holding it in his gloved hand for a moment. He watched, amazed, as the ball turned pure white with the outline of a flame etched into the top half.

No time to wonder at it' he threw it at the helpless bird. "Purity Ball, go!" The bird was captured with a burst of white light.

He watched with baited breath. According to the professor, only the very strongest Pokemon would be able to escape a Purity Ball, just like only the very strongest could escape a Snag Ball, but he couldn't help but worry as it rocked. Finally, with one last angry shiver, it stopped moving.

Bella batted it to him as the Snagem perp clenched his jaw. Jack couldn't help but smile as he picked it up. Then the ball disappeared with a shimmer. He blinked.

"It doesn't matter," the perp snarled. "I have another Pokemon for you to battle. Go, Shadow Rush!"

He gasped as the dark light formed and solidified into a familiar shape.

"Thorn?"