Sheryl had been returning from the Pokemon Centre with her Espeon, Lilac, when it happened - a strange sense told her that there was a Psychic Pokemon in need somewhere nearby. She did not know why or how it happened, only that, ever since she could remember, she had been able to sense the presence of Psychic Pokemon. It was one of the factors in her decision to become a Psychic trainer and it was what had ultimately led her here to Saffron City.

The "waves", as she always called them, were coming from the alley behind PokePizza, but she couldn't yet tell what Pokemon was sending them. All she knew was that it was in a bad way. Then, she heard it, the triumphant yowl of a Persian. And the voice belonged to a Persian she knew only too well, the Persian who had threatened her not long after she arrived in Saffron. One night, unfamiliar with the city, she had taken a wrong turn and found herself being confronted by a hissing fury.

Thanks to Lilac, Sheryl had managed to fight the Persian off. But she was not eager for a repeat encounter; that Persian was powerful and he did not like intruders. Humans and Pokemon alike were fair game as far as he was concerned . . .

Then, she sensed the "waves" again; whatever Pokemon the Persian had cornered was calling for help telepathically. She had to do something. "Let's go, Lilac!" she whispered, pulling a Poke Ball out of her pocket. Lilac, named after the light purple colour of her fur, appeared in a flash of light and waited for Sheryl's orders.

"Follow me!" Sheryl called, running in the direction of the alley.

As it turned out, Sheryl and Lilac got there none too soon. The Persian, his fur standing on end to make him look more menacing, was standing over a small green-and-white Pokemon which lay prone on the ground. The latter was one Sheryl had seen in pictures but never in real life; it was a Kirlia. And, from the look of it, she was in a bad way. What had happened to her? Surely she hadn't got into this state just from battling the Persian.

"Hey!" she called to the powerful cat Pokemon.

The Persian, who had been about to fire a Shadow Ball at the Kirlia, looked up with a start.

"Persian, that's not fair!" Sheryl went on. "Can't you see that Kirlia's too weak to battle?!"

The Persian's only response was to open his mouth and let rip with a deafening Screech Attack. "Lilac!" Sheryl called, struggling to shield her ears against the piercing high-pitched tone. "Do something!"

Lilac did not need telling twice. Her dark blue eyes glowing from within, she sent powerful waves of mental energy in the Persian's direction, causing him to stagger suddenly. "All right!" Sheryl cried excitedly. "Confusion!" This move was a great favourite among trainers of Psychic Pokemon; it had the effect of "scrambling" a Pokemon's brain and causing it to lose concentration in battle. Sometimes, that loss of concentration was so great that the enemy Pokemon's Attacks backfired on it.

The Persian at first seemed unaffected by Lilac's Attack, although it did distract his attention so that he stopped his Screech Attack. He looked up, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Espeon. Then, he prepared to turn his wrath elsewhere, starting with a Fury Swipes Attack. He extended his sharp claws and made to slash Lilac in the face, but, before he could do so, he slipped, too Confused to aim straight, and went flying into a nearby wall.

"Good, Lilac," said Sheryl. "Now, use Psychic!"

In response, Lilac focused her energy, her eyes glowing as she stared at the stunned Persian. The latter rose into the air surrounded by a purple glow, hovered there for a few seconds, then came back down to earth with a bump. He did not get up, but that wasn't what concerned Sheryl right now. The Kirlia was. Stepping over the prone Persian, she ran to check on the Psychic Pokemon.

As Sheryl picked her up, the Kirlia opened her eyes for a moment. Then, the effort of even that small task proving too much, she passed out again but not before Sheryl sensed her thinking two words. "Help . . . me . . ."

"Help me?" thought Sheryl, puzzled. She had never actually sensed the thoughts of a Psychic Pokemon before; Sabrina had told her that human-to-Pokemon telepathy was extremely rare, even among trainers of Psychic Pokemon. Indeed, Sheryl had thought her ability only extended to sensing when a Psychic Pokemon was in danger, so what was going on here? Were she and the Kirlia somehow destined to be together?

"Es espeon!"

The sound of the impatient call from Lilac brought her to her senses and she realised the question of what this meant would have to wait. Right now, the Kirlia needed seeing to; she was clearly in a bad way, although Sheryl could not yet tell why. Maybe, she would find out later - if her picking up the Kirlia's thoughts hadn't been just a one-off. "Come on," she whispered, cradling the quirky-looking Pokemon in her arms. "I'll get you back to the Gym."

It was only after she had left the alley, still cradling the Kirlia (which was about the same height and weight as a small human child) that Sheryl wondered why she had decided to head back to Saffron Gym. Normally, an injured Pokemon would be a matter for the Pokemon Centre, but, then again, Saffron Gym had been a centre for Psychic research (both human and Pokemon) for years. Sabrina was the most gifted Psychic trainer in Kanto; her Kadabra was extremely powerful and so was her Haunter.

Sheryl, who was nearly thirteen, had not been at Saffron Gym at the time, but some of Sabrina's older students said that their Leader had not always been the friendly and sociable young woman she was now. Once, she had been a loner with no interest in anything except honing her powers; it was even said that she liked to use them to play tricks on defeated trainers, a few of whom had ended up being transformed into dolls. Then, a boy from Pallet Town challenged her and the Haunter which had tagged along with him from nearby Lavender Town made her laugh for the first time in years. Her humanity restored, Sabrina ceased to be the ruthless Gym Leader that everyone feared and Saffron Gym was consequently not the eerie place it had been once.

But Sabrina was still an expert on Psychic Pokemon, so Sheryl felt sure she would know the best course of action to taking regarding the Kirlia. So, with Lilac running beside her and the Kirlia cradled in her arms, she left the alley and headed in the direction of the Gym.

Presently, Saffron Gym loomed in front of her, standing tall and majestic in the summer afternoon. As usual, there were two guards standing at the main entrance, tall men in suits with badges stating their names and the fact that they were official guards of the Gym pinned to their shirts. Their job was to guard the Gym and keep troublemakers out; it was not unknown for members of Team Rocket to infiltrate Gyms and attempt to steal the Pokemon within. The second they saw Sheryl approaching, they automatically prepared to challenge her, to ask her what she was doing, but they relaxed when they saw she was wearing the uniform of Sabrina's students: a purple t-shirt and black leggings.

"Hello, Sheryl!" one of them called. "How's your Espeon? I heard it was defeated in a battle with a pretty powerful Pidgeot."

"Fine," Sheryl replied, nodding towards Lilac, who was currently standing at her heels. "But there's something else - this Kirlia's pretty beat up. Could one of you go fetch Sabrina?"

But the guard shook his head. "Sabrina is currently in the arena; she'll be out as soon as the battle's over."

"But bring the Kirlia in," his companion added. "You can wait with it in the lobby."

Realising there was nothing else she could do, Sheryl nodded and stepped over the threshold, Lilac following behind. She entered a long corridor lined with doors to various classrooms, all dedicated to the training of Psychic Pokemon. In the room nearest the entrance, several people were honing their own psychic abilities (which would enable them to form a closer bond with their Psychic Pokemon) while, in another, a young woman was explaining the advantages of using Psychic Attacks. Sheryl caught the words "If you can control the opponent's mind . . ." before hurrying past.

She did not stop walking until she was right outside the door to the main arena. This was currently closed, a sign bearing the words Gym Battle In Progress displayed prominently. But that didn't stop the sounds of the battle from reaching Sheryl's ears; Sabrina seemed to be using Kadabra, her opponent a Bellossom. Sheryl looked down at the Kirlia in her arms and hoped the Saffron Gym Leader wouldn't be too long - she really needed her advice.

Meanwhile, she decided she should at least try to bring the Kirlia round. Recalling having stashed a Revive in her pocket for emergencies, she fished it out, unscrewed the lid and sprayed the contents on the Pokemon in her arms.

The Kirlia slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking into those of a human girl. Instinctively, she tensed - memories of Jack Sandford and her desperate escape from him were still fresh in her mind - and tried to repel the girl with a quick Psychic Attack. But she still wasn't fully recovered so all she succeeded in doing was producing a faint purple glow around her body.

"It's all right," Sheryl whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you." She nodded towards Lilac, now standing patiently by her side; the Espeon looked as serene and unruffled as she always did, her purple fur well-groomed and shining with life. "See? Lilac - that's the Espeon - doesn't mind my company."

The Kirlia made no reply, but she knew without having to be told that Sheryl was telling the truth. One of the main advantages of being a Psychic Type was that you could sense another being's thoughts and feelings - and Sheryl's thoughts told the Kirlia she would not have to worry about this human exploiting her. Jack Sandford on the other hand . . .

"Sheryl . . ."

Sheryl looked up with a start - there was no-one in the corridor except herself and the two Pokemon. For the second time that day, she wondered what was going on. Why was she suddenly "hearing" voices in her head? She was as sane as she had been that morning . . . Or did insane people not realise they were insane? Was being around Psychic Pokemon all the time beginning to affect her mind the way it had once affected Sabrina's?

"Don't worry - you're not hallucinating. Although, if you want, I could conjure up a few illusions for you."

Sheryl gasped, recalling something she had once read about Kirlias. It was said that they had the power to create illusions by distorting the air around them, forming mirages. But you couldn't hear a mirage, could you? She looked at the Kirlia again, gazing into the creature's deep red eyes, noting how they seemed to be staring at her. That, however, didn't bother her; she was used to the mysterious ways of Psychic Pokemon. No, it was the voices in her head that were the real worry.

"Yeah, it's me, the Kirlia," the voice said again. "And you're not going mad. This is a power you've always had, only . . ."

Just then, the door to the arena opened and a young girl walked out. She was dressed in an outfit consisting of a green t-shirt and black capri pants, with a belt purse round the waist for holding Poke Balls. In her hand she held a small orange disk, a Marsh Badge, the reward for beating Sabrina. Like all trainers who had beaten a Gym Leader, she seemed to be wrapped up in her own triumph and did not notice Sheryl or the Kirlia.

Sheryl waited until the girl had gone, then pushed open the door to the arena. She walked in, noting, as she did so, the signs of a recent battle. There were petals scattered over the floor, doubtless the result of a Pokemon using Petal Dance, as well as three scorch marks. But it was impossible to tell what Attack had made the latter; there were several possibilities, mainly Attacks of the Electric or Fire Type. Not that it mattered too much as the arena would be tidied up before Sabrina's next challenger arrived - what Sheryl wanted to see was the Gym Leader herself.

"Sabrina?" she called. "You there?"

A light went on at the far end of the room to reveal Sabrina sitting on her throne with her Kadabra beside her. "I'm here, Sheryl," she said, smiling. Since regaining her humanity, she had done her best to be friendly with her fellow trainers to atone for the years of mental isolation. Never again, she had vowed, would she let her powers take control of her. "What's up?"

In reply, Sheryl motioned the Kirlia forward. "Mainly this," she replied, nodding towards the Kirlia. "I found this Kirlia in town today and . . . Well, anyway, I've got a strange feeling about it and I thought, since you're an expert on Psychic Pokemon . . ."

Sabrina got up from her throne and walked over to Sheryl. Sometimes, she hovered in mid-air instead, but she mostly did that to impress her challengers. "That I might be able to explain it?" she asked, even though the look in her eyes said she already knew the answer. "Well, why don't you tell me about it?" She quickly recalled Kadabra and turned to leave the arena. Sheryl followed her.

Sabrina listened in silence as Sheryl told the story of her encounter with the Kirlia and her apparent ability to sense the Pokemon's thoughts. Such talents were rare; trainers of Psychic Pokemon did tend to develop special bonds with their Pokemon, but cases of human to Pokemon telepathy did not occur very often. She herself had such a bond with Kadabra, a simbiosis of emotions, but this was not the case with all Psychic trainers. And, until now, she had never suspected that Sheryl could form such a bond. The girl was gifted at sensing when a Psychic Pokemon was in danger, but that was the extent of her powers. Or so it had seemed . . .

"Sheryl," she whispered at length, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder, "there's only one possible explanation for what you've told me."

"What is it?" Sheryl asked, confused. This was getting decidedly weird, even by the standards of Psychic Pokemon.

"This - you and this Kirlia belong together. I cannot read its thoughts in detail, but I can sense that it doesn't want to be trained by anyone else. It's almost as if you two were . . . destined to be together."

Sheryl's eyes fell on the Kirlia, who was standing serenely beside her. Destined to be together? She recalled a similar feeling not too long ago, but it had mainly been idle speculation. Her main reason for seeing Sabrina had been to ask her what should be done about the Kirlia - and, it seemed, she was getting her answer. "Are . . . are you s - sure?" she stammered, still barely able to believe it.

Sabrina pulled out a Poke Ball and tossed it to Sheryl. "Throw it. If I'm right, the Kirlia should stay inside it, regardless of its health level."

Sheryl gripped the red-and-white sphere, pressing the button which activated it. Surely, this couldn't work - she had used a Revive on the Kirlia and that should have healed her enough for her to break out of Poke Balls. "Here goes nothing . . ." she muttered, tossing the Ball in the direction of the Kirlia. It hit home, sucking the Kirlia inside in a flash of red light. Then, it landed on the floor and shook briefly before closing with a resounding ping.

"I guess that settles it," said Sabrina, smiling. "Sheryl, congratulations - you have a new Pokemon."