Right there, in the middle of the dojo's main training room, was the figure of a massive enraged Charizard. No sooner had my brain even registered its presence, the Charizard let out an angered, bellowing roar, thrashing its mighty, flaming tail back and forth, and creating dizzying flashes of light that spiralled wildly across my vision. As I stood there, an icy paralysis shooting through my limbs, the huge Pokemon let out another roar that rung in my ears long after it died away. My eyes widened as the giant Pokemon writhed around, looking like it was in the grips of some excruciating pain, before stamping its giant feet into the ground, sending violent tremors ricocheting through the floor! Then suddenly, it raised its neck upwards and expelled a vicious burst of flame! I let out a scream of horror as the flames roared, shooting up in great plumes towards the ceiling. Mercifully, the flames stopped just short of the high ceiling, but within moments the burning embers fell to the ground, igniting! Within moments, the floor was ablaze! In that one panicked moment, I was rooted to the spot, completely incapable of any thought or action!

I heard screaming coming from nearby and I quickly turned my head just in time to see Nikki running up to the Charizard! I yelled at her to get away, but my protests were lost, swallowed up over the noises of the crackling flames. My eyes bulged in terrified horror and a scream caught in my throat as Nikki threw herself at the Charizard, wrapping her arms as far as she could around the Pokemon's giant stomach. She clung on tight as the Pokemon roared, snorting viciously, before it once again started thrashing around! With one swing of the Charizard's giant tail, Nikki went flying! She crashed to the ground heavily some six feet away, letting out an agonised shriek of pain. She didn't get up again.

Unable to do anything else, I screamed. "Nikki!"

All of a sudden, the burning heat shocked me back into my senses. I looked down to see the floor alight with rapidly flames and I backed off sharply, my breath catching painfully in my chest. I heard another yell and I looked up to see Jasmine come storming into the main room, pulling a Pokeball from her waist as she ran. She threw the Pokeball forward, her movements sharp and determined, but her face was a picture of fear. As I expected, I saw Mizu the Azumarill burst out of the Pokeball. Seconds later, Jasmine yelled out an order that I couldn't quite make out over the roar of the flames.

But then the unthinkable happened. No sooner was the Azumarill released that a look of agony passed over her face. With a high pitched wail that rose sharply even above the noise of the fire, her tiny arms darted upwards and she clutched her head, looking pained, before doubling up entirely. She wouldn't even look up as Jasmine called her name.

I began to swear uncontrollably. The pungent smoke was slowly thickening, belching across the tiny room, choking its way like a fist down my throat, making me cough and gag. My eyes stung and sweat stood out on my face and soaked my body. Some part of my head that was still clinging onto sense screamed at me constantly "Get out! Get out!" but I was all too conscious of the fact that at least Nikki and Jasmine were still in here, and what's more, Nikki was hurt. I looked towards the door in some vague hope, but in the spreading flames and hazy, thick smoke, I couldn't see a clear path that would enable my escape. "Oh God…" I thought, panic shooting through my veins and getting me in a stranglehold. "What's happening!?" I thought frantically, my head a jumbled mess, my thoughts crashing into each other clumsily. "What's going on?! What do I do!?"

The flames were still spreading and from instinct I started to back away, the thick, charcoal smog engulfing me. I thought of Aurora, the idea to have her help put the flames out suddenly sparking to the forefront of my mind. But then, reality kicked in and I remembered in horror that she had just been in a battle and knocked out senselessly. There was no way she could help me now.

"I have to get out, I have to get out, I have to get out!" I told myself over and over again as I felt the burning heat intensify with every passing second. But although I knew the seriousness of my situation, I somehow still felt totally dumb and blind to the danger I was in and I couldn't make my body do what I knew I had to do to escape. My thoughts crashed together in a manic blur. What was going on? What had happened to Mizu? Why was she acting so strangely!? And what was with that Charizard!? Where did it even come from?! My head was swimming with furious, perplexing, buzzing thoughts, my legs began shaking and I was suddenly afraid they wouldn't be able to support my weight any longer. My breathing became laboured, ragged and heavy and suddenly my knees buckled underneath me and they came into sharp contact with the floor. I started to cough and wheeze, my body limp and totally unresponsive.

"Sienna!"

With a rush of freezing air, the heat suddenly diminished. I looked up to see two figures standing over me. I blinked, barely even recognising their presence, only making out blurry, shadow features before I was forcibly hauled to my feet. I stumbled, only half realising I was being pulled forward. My body and mind felt strangely detached and I experienced an odd floating sensation, like I was swimming through midair. The flames around me all of a sudden seemed to die away as blasts of something cold and wet splattered past me. For what felt like an agonisingly long time, I was forcefully pulled at and tugged at, my arm feeling like it was going to be ripped out its socket before I emerged outside. The suddenness of being out into the refreshing air and bright light took me totally by surprise and I whimpered as the harsh glare of sunlight tore apart my vision. I took in deep lungfuls of cool, clean air, before my body trembled and gave in and I collapsed to the ground, still coughing and spluttering. After a moment, I forced my head up to look at the dojo again, shocked to see the thick smoke still billowing out from the doors and windows. "Oh God, no…!"

"It's alright, Sienna!" I looked up to see Bailey looking down on me, his rounded face somehow still calm and reassuring, despite it reddened and covered in soot. "Don't worry!"

"But Nikki! And Jasmine and Mizu! They didn't—!"

"It'll be fine!" Bailey said again, his voice firmer. "Don't worry! They'll get them out!"

I knew Bailey knew as well as I did that we couldn't be sure if Nikki, Jasmine and Mizu would be fine. They were inside a building that was on fire for God's sake! But the look of calm reassurance on his face and the gentle firmness in his voice made me inexplicably and without any good reason, believe every single word he was telling me.

I couldn't help but cling onto Bailey at that point, desperate for some semblance of comfort. He held me securely, his big arms wrapped comfortingly around me, like I was hugging a mountain of pillows. I heard shouting and I looked up to see several figures dashing in and out of the dojo, holding fire extinguishers. After what felt like a frighteningly long time, I saw Nikki and Jasmine being dragged out by men I didn't know. I struggled, trying to get away from Bailey to get to them, make sure for myself that they were okay, but he held me back and despite my best efforts I couldn't get free.

"Not a chance!" I heard him say. He then spoke softly, almost as if he were talking to himself rather than me. "I promised Elliot I'd keep you safe and dammit I will..."

I whimpered and begged for all I was worth but he still kept me restrained. So instead, I kept my eyes stubbornly fixed on Jasmine and Nikki, watching them intently as they were moved away and forcibly sat down. Both were coughing and retching, same as I had been, but aside from that, they seemed more-or-less okay, letting me heave a massive sigh of relief. Only mere seconds later, almost miraculously, I noticed the smoke mercifully beginning to thin. I grappled with Bailey, now suddenly overcome with the fiercest desire to get away from him and towards Jasmine and Nikki, but he still held onto me tight. As I was held, I was vaguely aware of passers-by stopping, talking, desperate to know what was going on, but I couldn't pay them any attention. My attention was already divided enough, my eyes flitting between both the dojo and the figures of Nikki and Jasmine.

After an excruciatingly long wait that seemed to drag into what felt like hours, I finally saw the men who had gone racing into the dojo with the fire extinguishers come back out, alongside Elliot, Scott and my father. They were shouting and clamouring, covered in soot and coughing viciously, but amazingly, they seemed otherwise fine. And judging by the thin, pathetic wafts of smoke now drifting lazily from the opened windows, they had either gotten the fire under control or extinguished it completely. I prayed for the latter.

"Sienna," I heard Bailey say.

I looked up to his big, rounded face to see him smiling at me. He squeezed me gently as if giving reassurance, and then motioned towards Elliot, who looked to be laughing weakly, sharing some joke with my father and the other men, and wiping the soot from his glasses.

"He was worried about you." Bailey murmured. "Made me promise that I'd keep you safe once you got out. I know he's seen you're out, but I think he could probably use some comfort from you." He paused. "Go on, go to him."

"But Nikki and Jasmine—"

"Will be fine." He finished for me abruptly. "I'll take care of them. You need to take care of Elliot."

"But… but he looks okay…" I protested weakly, my immediate priority still hovering over Nikki and Jasmine.

"Outwardly, yes. But you should have seen him when he realised the danger you were in. He's very protective over you, Sienna. The idea that you could be in any sort of danger in any sort of way kills him, I know it does. So, go on. Go to him. Even if you just give him a hug. I think he could use that."

I felt my heart wrench viciously in my chest and I had to swallow back my tears. I looked at Elliot, my emotions trembling violently at the thought of him ever being upset or sad or worried, especially over me. That was always the worst part of being in danger, I felt. Not the impact it had on you, but the impact it had on others. I hated that. I hated putting people through so much pain and worry. They didn't deserve it and I just wanted to make it better. So, with a sob catching in my throat, I tore myself from Bailey and ran as fast as I could towards Elliot.

He didn't even see me coming and visibly started when I threw myself at him. He caught my clumsily, but then held me tight, letting out a tiny murmur as he wrapped his arms securely around me. He rested his head into the crop of my hair and his hands caressed my back softly. He let out a strange, strangled sigh. "Oh Sienna…!"

"Shhh," I hushed him, holding him as close as I could. "It's okay."

He whimpered softly. "Promise? I got so worried there…"

"I promise." I told him firmly.

"Thank you,"

And no sooner had those words of thanks left his lips and permeated the messy haze of my consciousness; a tremble ran over my soul and lost what little control of my emotions I still had. I burst into noisy tears, clinging onto Elliot like he was my last tie to the world.

It was some time later before we were allowed back into the dojo, almost evening time. I had to admit though; it was a total shock to me that we would even be able to go back to the dojo. I had expected that we wouldn't be able to go near it for days, so I was incredibly surprised when Elliot began guiding me back inside. The stench of smoke was still heavy in the air and it made me retch and gag, but we were steered into the kitchen which had all the windows open and was remarkably well ventilated. Elliot sat me down at the kitchen table, sitting beside me and keeping his arm around me. I fit snugly under his shoulder and leant my entire body weight onto him without even caring. Moments later, a trembling, quivering Nikki was sat opposite me. She was pale-faced, clutching Jasmine's hand as she was sat down. A couple of minutes later, Bailey came into the kitchen and began busying himself at the kettle, the noises of clinking cups and boiling water the only noises I dared focus on.

After a short time, a cup of hot tea was sat in front of me. I investigated the steaming liquid tentatively and took a testing sip, noticing it was beautifully sweet, just as I liked it. I took a deep, appreciative mouthful, wincing at the heat, but trying to ignore how the molten liquid burned as it slipped down my throat. The initial burn thankfully died away quickly and I was instantly warmed right to my core, a gentle calm washing over me. I took another long draught of the tea and gulped it down, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

"What… what happened…?"

The tiny voice was almost undetectable, even in the deathly silence of the kitchen, and it took me a few seconds to process that someone was even speaking. I looked up to Nikki who was clutching onto the handle of her cup so tightly I had a horrible fear it would snap off and end up drenching her in scalding tea.

"What…?" I asked, my voice sounding alarmingly croaky.

Nikki looked up briefly over her own mug of tea, before her eyes sunk back down into its light brown depths. "I said… what on earth happened?"

"I… I wish I knew." I said with the smallest of shrugs. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Nikki was biting her lip fiercely. She looked up to me for a moment, before her gaze flitted away and then stubbornly fixed on a particular spot on the table. She hesitated, taking a careful sip of her tea, wincing slightly. "I… I don't know what happened at all." She eventually said, rather hoarsely. "Blaze… he… he was so… he just went berserk!" she suddenly burst out. "I mean, he was acting a little odd beforehand; he seemed distracted and he didn't want to listen to me! But I just assumed he was tired or something! But then… then he evolved and… and… and…!"

Her voice suddenly broke and a violent sob escaped her. Instantly I got to my feet and ran around the table to pull her into a hug. She was trembling horribly and I tried to hold her in as comforting an embrace as I could give her, hoping that I could calm her down some way or another. "It's alright," I murmured into her ear. "No-one was hurt. Everyone's fine. It wasn't your fault."

"But what happened?!" she cried.

"I wish I knew…" I admitted, feeling my own emotions twist dangerously.

Afraid I would upset myself again, I left Nikki's side at that point after double checking she was alright. Taking my seat again and cuddling into Elliot, I swallowed down another mouthful of my tea for courage and proceeded to tell everyone in the kitchen about what had happened with Dad's Poliwrath just prior to what had happened with Blaze. Jasmine was quick to intercept with how Mizu had reacted to being released, also noting how strange her behaviour had been, but Elliot seemed a little more sceptical. He was quick to pass it off as a coincidence, adamant that it was all just a string of misfortunes and nothing more. But as he stood there, fervently insisting it was a coincidence and almost having me convinced that that was all it could be, something shattered the protective bubble I had only just managed to cocoon myself in.

"It's no coincidence."

The voice from the doorway sent a violent start through the entire room, like a firework had just gone off in the tiny kitchen. Every single one of us jerked our heads up sharply to see my dad standing at the doorway, idly leaning his weight against the doorframe, looking remarkably calm in the ominous seriousness of the silence he had just created.

"What's… what's not a coincidence?" Bailey asked, his voice catching mid-way through.

"What happened to the Pokemon," Dad said with a swift nod. "My Poliwrath. The Charizard. The Azumarill. Something happened. Something affected them."

"But what could have—?"

"I don't know." Dad cut across Elliot's question, quietening him immediately. "But whatever it was, it was serious. Incredibly serious. And probably dangerous. So far as I know, it's affecting all the Pokemon in this dojo at least. No, don't try and test it." He added sternly, making Bailey freeze guiltily, one hand on a Pokeball at his belt. "Whatever this is, it seems to be affecting the Pokemon very badly. We can't tempt fate."

"So, what do you suppose we do?"

"I'm afraid there's not much we can do. Something is affecting the Pokemon and whatever it is… it's too dangerous for us to risk letting them out."

"So, we're essentially defenceless!?" Jasmine demanded, her voice pitchy and shrill.

"Essentially. Unless we can find what's causing this," Dad said gravely, impatiently slicking back a stray strand of red hair. He then sighed, broke our eye contact and turned his head away. "It's them. I know it is."

I didn't need to ask who Dad meant by "them". The insinuation hung heavily in the air, mocking me, taunting me with every second it lay there. I dared to look at Jasmine, Nikki and Elliot who all returned me identical looks of worry, fear and sadness. My heart twisted painfully in my chest again and I wanted to sink my head into my hands and cry. But I couldn't. I knew I couldn't. I had already done enough crying, the memory of bursting into tears in Elliot's arms earlier all too prominent. Now was not the time to be feeling sorry for myself. I sniffed fiercely and after a vigorous pep talk with myself, I raised my head as high as it would go. I was surprised to see everyone else with their heads bowed and eyes down, even my father. A little jolt of worry took hold of me.

"G…guys?" I murmured. "C…come on, now. We can't get depressed about this…"

No-one looked up at me.

"Come… come on!" I cried. "What are you guys doing? Now is not the time to be sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves! I know you guys better than this! Yeah, the situation looks a little hopeless but… we've been in difficult situations before! Worse than this! So come on! We didn't let it stop us last time! So why the hell would we let it stop us now?!"

"Sienna…" Elliot was looking up at me, his eyes widening.

"C…come on!" I said with as much determination as I could muster. "We're just gonna have to soldier on, aren't we?"

My voice caught midway through, but I tried to ignore it, looking pointedly at everyone in the room.

Dad was the only one to nod. "We soldier on," he echoed.

A further day passed with thankfully little incident. However, tensions were running high all the same. I felt like there was some oppressive weight hanging over the whole dojo that I simply couldn't ignore even as we worked swiftly and without stopping to repair the damage that Nikki's Blaze had caused to the main training room. The damage was quite severe in that one room, but thankfully had been contained, and after a quick inspection, the dojo had been deemed safe. After seeing my puzzlement at how quickly the dojo was inspected and deemed safe for use, Dad explained that several Pokemon Gyms and training establishments had people like that to ensure any damage was dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible to make sure it was up and running again with as few problems as possible. I wasn't really too interested in all the things he talked about though; I was just glad we had a place to stay and that there was no serious structural damage. The damaged room was quickly emptied and cleaned, a task that took the better part of the rest of the day, and we all fell into our respective beds that night, exhausted. Nothing further was mentioned over what had happened with the Pokemon, the heavy insinuations over Nathan and Helene being responsible or the puzzling questions they left behind.

The morning came faster than I ever expected. My hand stopped abruptly at my Pokemon belt as I dressed, automatically going for Meloi's Pokeball to release her in the morning as I always did. I scolded myself internally, my hand quivering. One false move at that point could have been disastrous. I wasn't sure if whatever had affected the Pokemon the previous day was still around, but I didn't dare take any chances. So, with a heavy sigh I made my way listlessly downstairs.

The mood in the dojo didn't seem to have lifted with the new day. Nikki's eyes were red over breakfast and when confronted by Jasmine, confessed to have spent most of the night quietly sobbing over the damage she felt she had caused. Before I or anyone else could intervene, Dad had cut in, saying it was no-one's fault, that now was not the time for wallowing in self pity, it was the time for finding out what exactly had caused the Pokemon to act so strangely.

"How can we do that, though?" A rather irate Elliot demanded over the table, his spoon clattering loudly into his half finished bowl of cereal.

"I know I said yesterday that it's dangerous to let any of our Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, but I was thinking that we really need to find out if we're still in danger..." Dad said contemplatively, pulling a Pokeball from the front of his training uniform. "All our Pokemon are too strong for a start, and if a big one like that Charizard is affected again, I might not have much of a dojo left." He said this with a humourless chuckle and from the corner of my peripheral vision I saw Nikki wince. He cleared his throat loudly before continuing, holding up the Pokeball. "Newly hatched Machop." He suddenly announced. "Knows no decent attacking moves. Or much of anything really," he added after a moment's consideration. "If whatever it is that's affecting the Pokemon is still here, we can use this little guy to test it out."

"Th...that's cruel!"

The unexpected outburst came from Nikki's direction as she rose to her feet, banging her fists on the table, making all the dishes rattle ominously. "Th...that Machop is only a baby! You can't put a little baby through that! Look how badly that... whatever-it-was affected a big tough Pokemon like Charizard! What would it do to a tiny little baby?!"

She was beginning to get hysterical with every word she yelled out, tears welling up in her eyes. Jasmine placed a hand on her arm, but it didn't seem to do much to calm her. She stared solidly at my father, shaking furiously, but her resolve stubborn and unyielding. I was stunned. In that one moment, in that one outburst, I felt she displayed more courage and strength towards my father than I ever had or ever would.

"I agree," Dad's response shocked me. "It is cruel. But it's cruel regardless of what Pokemon we use. But using this baby Machop means we're all in less danger."

"So that makes it okay?!"

"Of course it doesn't." Dad said, and I detected iciness in his tone. "But sometimes we have to make a few sacrifices for the greater good."

"Don't talk to me about the greater good!" Nikki blasted, her tiny, soft voice suddenly taking on a harshness I had never heard there before. "The "greater good" would never allow a tiny defenceless baby to be put in danger! Not in my book, anyway!"

"We're all the authors of our own stories, Nikki." Dad said calmly. "I'm not saying it's right, but it's something we have to do."

"I won't be a part of this!"

"Then you'd rather I released my Onix, then? Released my Onix, have it tear apart the dojo in seconds and hurt the people you love?"

Nikki gave a visible start. "But it's innocent..." She protested feebly.

"And a lot more innocent people will be hurt if I don't do this," Dad said decisively, before dropping the Pokeball to the floor.

Nikki let out a yell of protest, darting out from behind the table so fast that her chair toppled to the ground. But she was too late. The Pokeball bounced off the floor and opened, revealing a tiny baby Machop with big, tired eyes. Nikki stopped abruptly in her tracks as the little Machop yawned lazily and stretched its little limbs. It looked up at us, its eyes milky with sleep. I held my breath. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was going to happen…

And then the Machop began whimpering.

It was soft at first; almost unnoticeable but then it rapidly grew louder, before developing into loud, angry sobs. Nikki let out a cry, running towards the baby Machop and embracing it. But the baby Machop, no sooner was it scooped up in her arms, seemed to take offence and let out a bellow. Before I knew what was happening I heard a horrible, gut-wrenching thwack! and all of a sudden, Nikki went sprawling to the floor.

Everything happened at once.

The baby Machop was enraged. It suddenly sunk its tiny fist into the leg of the table and the wood splintered! With an almighty crash, the table buckled and fell to the ground, the plates and glasses shattering, spilling shards of piercing ceramic everywhere! I flew backwards, still in my chair, almost toppling over in the process. The last thing I saw was Elliot racing to Nikki's aid and Dad pouncing on the furious Machop, bodily tackling it into submission. By the time I had pushed myself to my feet, the Machop had been recalled to the Pokeball and Elliot was comforting a whimpering Nikki who was holding a trembling hand to her face.

Dad's eyes were unnaturally wide as he looked down at the Pokeball. "That...is not good..."

"I thought you said that Machop didn't know any good moves!" I spat as I moved towards Nikki. She was clutching at her face, sobbing, and it took some coaxing to get her calm and even more to move her hand away. Eventually, she allowed it to fall down, revealing an alarmingly large purple-red bruise spreading across her right cheek. It was beginning to swell rapidly, reddening viciously, and judging from her sobbing and crying, it stung like hell. I hugged her and then looked up at Dad, glaring.

He offered no apology for what had just happened. His face was solemn and he was acting like he didn't even see the trembling wreck of a girl next to me. "It doesn't know any good moves." He said and I detected no noticeable emotion in his voice. "That's what worries me."

"It's a Fighting type, Dad!" I argued. "It's bred to be like this!"

"It was born only a few days ago!" Dad snapped. "It's never done this before! Never! It's a remarkably docile Machop! This is the first time I've ever seen it fight!"

I stopped. "First time… ever?"

"Yes." Dad said gravely. "I've never seen it act like that before."

"So, what are you trying to say?" I demanded at once.

"Whatever this is that's affecting the Pokemon is still here. And it's screwing up their behaviour badly. It's turning the Pokemon violent…"

"I can see that!" I said, my voice catching in my throat. "You think—?"

"This has Helene written all over it," Dad said at once. "I told you, the last documented experiment I heard she was undertaking had something to do with getting control over Pokemon that already had trainers. Turning Pokemon violent like this… that's something she'd do in a heartbeat." Dad let out a long sigh, his voice now beginning to cloud with anger. "That's it! I know for sure now. We're dealing with Nathan and Helene. They've been here and they've done something to make the Pokemon act like this. And we have to assume they'll be back to finish the job."

From nearby, Nikki let out an anguished whimper.

"What are we gonna do!?" I cried at once. "If our Pokemon are like this, if they're violent, if they turn on us, what are we gonna do? We can't fight Nathan and Helene off like this!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Dad blasted at once, making me instinctively flinch. "Damn them!" he then spat, sinking his massive fist into the kitchen countertop, making several of the plates there rattle. "They hit us right where we're vulnerable! We've no way to defend ourselves! How did they do this?"

"I wish I knew…" I said softly.

"You think Nathan could have maybe… done something when he came to fight you that first time?" Elliot asked.

Dad rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. It's the only time he could have! But I've searched every inch of this dojo. Twice now! I've found nothing! And so far as I can tell, no-one else is being affected by this! Not even the neighbours! What are they doing?! How are they doing it?!"

"Dad…" My shaky voice sounded weak in the aftermath of his rage.

Dad looked up, his eyes narrowed slightly. "We need to find out what's going on," he said firmly. "We're sitting here vulnerable like sitting Duckletts. I won't have it!"

After that, Dad stalked out the door, muttering angrily, slamming it behind him violently. I felt the whole dojo shake as the door slammed shut, leaving the rest of us behind in its wake.

"Is he alright…?" Nikki ventured after a few long moments.

"He's fine," I said bluntly. "He's probably just gonna go and tear apart the dojo again,"

"Shouldn't you stop him?"

"Not if I value my life," I said, easing myself gently out of the chair again. "Who knows…? Maybe this time he'll actually find something?"

"I'm not optimistic," I heard Scott say from nearby, and privately, I totally agreed with him.

The night drew in quickly and efficiently, shrouding the dojo in a depressing blanket of charcoal black. There wasn't even a star in the sky. I sat, curled up, in one of the armchairs in the living room, watching the skies darken, barely even noticing as people came in and out of the main room, asking if I was okay. As the hours gradually ticked by, I found myself growing more and more agitated, my knees beginning to tremble and quiver of their own accord. No human could give me comfort, not even Elliot when he came through, sat beside me and held me for some time. I found my hand aching to hold the cool metal of a Pokeball, feel Meloi's tiny paw wrapped around my fingers. I missed the comforting presence of my Pokemon. Just them being there always made me feel safe and secure, like nothing bad could happen to me.

I sat there, pulling my legs up underneath me as the clock struck nine in the evening. But no sooner had I let out a deep sigh, lamenting how long I still had to go before I could go to bed, there came a knock at the door.

"Who's at the door at this time of the night!?" I heard my Dad rage from upstairs, accompanied by a series of bangs, clatters and vicious expletives.

Quickly, I leapt out of the chair and darted to the front door, unlocking it deftly. I seized the handle and pulled the door open, just a crack. The first thing I noticed was that there were two figures standing there on the doorstep, but the inky blackness of the night had them wrapped up and I couldn't make out any facial features. I snapped on the outside light from the line of switches by the door, all the while inquiring, as I always did to strangers:

"Can I help you?"

"Why yes, love. I believe you can."

The familiar voice, tinged with a thick accent, sent a chill of fear ricocheting down my spine. I backed away hastily, colliding with a small table, sending it and all its contents crashing to the ground with an almighty clatter. As the light spilled in, illuminating the shadow figures on my doorstep, I let out a piercing scream as my eyes touched on the prominent scar that adorned the tallest figure's face.

The scarred face broke out into a twisted, devious grin.

"Hello, Sienna Volbeda."

Author's Note

Hi guys =D

I apologise for the long wait. Unfortunately, with university deadlines and then a very bad and scary personal experience that happened during the end of September and mid October, I've simply been unable to update. So yeah, I apologise if this update is awful xP

Updates are going to continue to be slow, especially as the wonderful Sunbean has conned me into doing NaNoWriMo alongside her this month. If anyone else is doing it, let me know! I'm listed on there as OceanSpiral so yeah!

Apologies to everyone who thought Aurora was already a Walrein! =( I didn't mean to cause any confusion xP

Thanks very much to my reviewers. I unfortunately don't have the time to type out personal replies as I've got work to be doing very shortly. But thanks all the same to The Neverending Meep, WarriorSwift, ArchXDeath, MasterFreezeman, Shadow Serenity 57, TwewyReaperGirl, TCoBlackroses and Rio.

Until next time =D