Chapter 1
 
"Will you hurry up?" I yelled looking behind me. 
 
"I'm coming already jezz!" Rio Aang said. I smiled as he walked up, huffing and 
puffing. Rio wasn't really much of a runner, but I was! 
 
"Look at that view," I said as the sun started to set slowly. The sky was filled 
with colors, red, pink, orange, white; it was beautiful. He walked up beside me.
 
"Yeah," he whispered. I looked at him, his jet black hair blew in the wind, his 
sky blue eyes shining watching the sun set. He was tall, well, taller than I 
was. He was always taller than me. I smiled at the thought. He wore a tight 
black T-shirt and basketball shorts, with white sneakers. Not very fashionable, 
but he looked good; even cute. 
 
"You OK?" His voice woke me up from daydreaming.
 
"Yeah! Fine!" I said. I could tell that I was blushing, he smiled and laughed. I 
punched him playfully on the arm. 
 
"Hey!" he said rubbing it. I rolled my eyes and he laughed again. "Your getting 
better and better with that arm, Aya," I stretched my arm I hit him with, my 
metal one. It was true that my arm was getting better, I could feel it. But in 
my heart, it just reminded me of my brother and that terrible night I lost him 
forever. 
 
"Aya?" Rio asked concern in his voice. 
 
I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I'm fine, just remembering," I said with a 
small smile.
He smiled back, sadness in his eyes. He knew what I was talking about. "Come on 
lets go," 
I started to walk back down the hill, than stopped. "Umm Rio?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"How long should it take us to get to Sliverdale?"
 
He scratched his head. "Oh, about two hours,"
 
"TWO HOURS?" I wailed falling to my knees. Than I got an idea. "I know!" 
 
"Oh, no. NO AYA! You know how I feel about-"
 
I reached for my belt with all my Pokeballs and smiled. "Go Arcanine!" I yelled 
as I threw the little ball in the air. A flash of light covered the Pokemon that 
came out. "Hello Nine!" I said as Arcanine came up to me and licked my face, I 
petted its head. 
 
"Aya!" Rio yelled his hands on his hips.
 
"What?" I asked petting Arcanine on the head not looking at him.
 
"You know how I feel about that, that thing runs!" Rio said pointing to Arcanine 
like he was some alien. 
 
"Your just scared! If you would give Arcanine a chance, you guys could be good 
friends,"
 
"Yeah right," Arcanine growled, Rio yelped. I smiled and got on Arcanine. 
 
"Coming?" I asked my hand outstretched. He grabbed it and Arcanine was off. His 
paws pounding of the grass and I kept laughing and yelling 'faster nine! 
Faster!' and Rio held onto me tight. I felt warm inside, in my chest. I blushed, 
what is this feeling? I thought. 
 
    Nightfall came, the night was clear, not even a cloud in the sky. The night 
air was warm as we rode into Sliverdale. It wasn't a big town, well kind of. The 
streets weren't packed, small shops and stores on each side of the streets, 
people going in and out. 
 
"Where do you we should go? I don't see a Pokemon Center anywhere," I said 
looking around.
 
"Neither do I," Rio said looking around too. I scratched Arcanine's ears, he 
growled in thanks and walked on, people stopping and looking at us. We rode in 
silence for awhile till Rio found a center. We walked in, no one was at the 
desk.
 
"Hello? Anyone here? Hello?" I asked looking over the desk. Nothing, not a 
sound.
 
"I don't like this. Its too quiet Aya, you feel anything?" Rio said looking in 
his bag, reaching for something. I closed my eyes tight, trying to find even a 
sign of the shards. I felt something and got off of Arcanine. 
 
"Something's here, whatever it is, they have one of the shards," I said reaching 
in my pocket and a necklace rattled in my hands, I felt it melt in my hands and 
form into a long sword. 
 
"Do you think its Team Rocket?" Rio asked finally done looking through his bag, 
in his hand a small necklace like mine. 
 
I put the sword at my side. "No, I don't think so. This force, its stronger,"
 
He nodded and like mine, the necklace in his hands melted but his, into a huge 
sword, with the sign of fire on it, he put it on his back and walked up by me. 
 
"Good work Nine, you can rest now," I said with a smile and returned Arcanine, 
he growled thanks and disappeared into his ball. 
 
"Ready?" Rio asked looking at the double-doors to the emergency rooms. I nodded 
and we pushed open the doors and ran through. As we ran, I started to feel a 
little dizzy.
 
"Rio the-" A blast of fire stopped me from finishing, I dodged to the right, Rio 
dodged to the left; then I heard a voice I really didn't want to hear.
 
"Well, well look who we go hear!" a high and cold voice said mockingly. 
 
"Yes it seems we have some visitors, Sela," another voice said, this voice 
lower, bolder. Two figures appeared through the fire, a woman and a man, Pokemon 
at their sides. A Alakazam with a the man, a Flareon with the woman. The man was 
tall, taller than Rio. He had short spiky blonde hair, and jet blue eyes. He 
wore long black pants, and a black tang-top with a huge 'R' on it. He wore  jet 
black boots, like Rio's hair.  On his arm was cross with a 'S' through it. The 
woman was shorter, than the man, but taller than me. She had short red hair that 
was in two pigtails on her head, she had dark hazel eyes. She wore a tight white 
tang with a 'R' on it, just like the man's; and a white mini skirt with high 
socks and white shoes. Around her neck was a key with a dragon around it. 
 
"Won't you two ever give up?" Rio asked reaching for his sword on his back. The 
woman laughed.
 
"You are so cute Rio! Just wrap yourself up, I'll take ya!" Sela said with a 
wink. 
 
"You wish!" Rio said jumping in the air, his sword behind him. I reached for my 
sword, watch out Rio, watch out I thought. 
 
"Too slow," The man yawned and his Alakazam jumped in front of Sela and blocked 
Rio! Sending him backwards! 
 
"Rio" I said rushing over to him. The man laughed.
 
"Aya, why won't you forget about him and join me? You know you want me," he said 
outstretching both his hands. 
 
"No way Ferio!" I said getting up, my sword in front of me. He frowned and 
smiled.
 
"That's OK, I'll steal you away one day," he said with a wink. 
 
"Enough playing around! Where is the element shard? I know you have it!" I 
yelled clutching my sword tight. 
 
"Heh, your not stupid are ya girl?" Sela said holding up a small crystal shard. 
The shard! I thought and without thinking I jumped forward and slashed her arm, 
blood everywhere. Sela screamed in pain and held her arm. "How dare you little, 
Flare Double Fire Blast, NOW!" she screamed and her Flareon jumped in the air 
and a huge of blast of fire started to come at me. I tried to move, but I 
couldn't! I was frozen! I looked over at Ferio and saw that his Alakazam was 
freezing me! Oh man was I in trouble.
 
 
Well? Good? Bad? Please R&R! E-mail me at NMSLadyPanther@aol.com
Thanks!
-Aya-