Sheryl sized up the Fearow. The bird looked strong, a potentially tought opponent to beat. Then, she looked down at Lilac; the Espeon was still standing, but she was tired after battling the boy's Donphan. So there was no way she could last long against a fresh opponent, especially one as powerful as this Fearow.

"Well," she said, recalling Lilac, "if you're gonna use a new Pokemon, so am I!" She pocketed Lilac's Poke Ball, then pulled out the one which held her Kirlia. "Destiny! Go!"

There was a flash of light and Destiny materialised, her red eyes glowing in anticipation of a battle. But the boy's reaction on seeing the Kirlia was completely unexpected - instead of calling on his Fearow to attack, he pointed to the Psychic Pokemon, then at Sheryl, with an accusing finger. "Hey!" he shouted. "That's my Kirlia! That's the Pokemon that got away from me the other week!"

Suddenly, Sheryl realised where she had seen this boy before; he was the boy in the vision Destiny had shown her. Had he still not given up on catching the Kirlia? Didn't he understand that, once a trainer caught a Pokemon, the only way another trainer could obtain it legally was by trading one of their own Pokemon for it? She had caught Destiny fair and square. Destiny was meant to be her Pokemon - Sabrina had said so. And Destiny herself had said that she sensed something about this boy, something that made her unwilling to accept him as a trainer . . .

"Well, we'll see about this!" the boy muttered, pulling out a Poke Ball and throwing it at Destiny. "Poke Ball, go!"

And the Ball hit Destiny on the head. But, instead of opening up and drawing her inside, the red-and-white sphere remained closed, landing at the Kirlia's feet with a soft thud. The boy growled, his fists clenched in anger. "Think you're clever, Kirlia?!" he demanded. "I'm gonna get you if it's the last thing I do . . ." He threw another Poke Ball, but the same thing happened again.

"You don't get it, do you?" Sheryl said as he prepared to try a third Poke Ball. "This Kirlia is mine - she belongs to me! You can throw every empty Poke Ball you have, but it won't make any difference." As if to back Sheryl up, Destiny raised her arms and used Confusion to knock the boy off his feet.

"What's going on here?"

Sheryl turned round as Sabrina entered the room. Saffron's Gym Leader looked sternly at the boy she had recently defeated, then at Sheryl and her Kirlia, waiting for an explanation. One of the fundamental rules of Pokemon Gyms, and of the Pokemon League in general, was that Pokemon were not to be used to settle personal fights. And the extraordinary powers possessed by Psychic Pokemon made it especially important in their case; in the wrong hands, a Psychic Pokemon could be extremely dangerous, with the potential to cause great harm with the power of its mind. Sabrina had learned that lesson all too well.

Sheryl and the boy both started talking at the same time.

"That's my Kirlia! She stole it!"

"No, I never! He never caught Destiny in the first place!"

"I did so! That Kirlia . . ." The boy jabbed his finger in Destiny's direction. " . . . was in one of my Poke Balls!"

"But she broke out - I know 'cos she used her powers to show me what happened." Sheryl looked at Destiny, remembering how she had seen her battling the boy's Fearow, the same Fearow that was now watching the humans with a bemused expression on its face.

The boy snorted with derision. "Ha!" he scoffed. "You expect me to believe that?!" He made to run at Destiny, only to be stopped in his tracks as Sabrina turned and pointed at him. In an instant, his body was surrounded by light and he was levitated into the air. He swore loudly, but Sabrina's only response was to lift him higher.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn you into a doll like I used to do with defeated trainers," she said sternly. He did not reply. "Lesson number one," Sabrina continued. "Don't mess with psychics! We're all psychic at this Gym - if Sheryl says her Kirlia showed her a vision, I believe her." She released her spell abruptly and the boy plummeted back down, landing with a thump. Sabrina walked over to him and looked down at him, her hands planted squarely on her hips. "Now, recall your Fearow and get out!" she ordered. "I will not have people who go round accusing others of being Pokemon thieves in my Gym!"

"But . . ." The boy started to protest, only to be silenced as Sabrina pointed threateningly at him, her hand glowing. "OK! OK!" he muttered, calling his Fearow back. "But I'll be back - you haven't seen the last of Jack Sandford!"

"Oh, yes I have!" Sabrina marched towards Jack and hauled him to his feet. "You're Blacklisted!" With that, she marched towards the exit of the Gym, dragging the protesting Jack with her.

"And don't come back!" Sabrina yelled, thrusting Jack Sandford out onto the streets of Saffron City.

Jack scowled as the door to Saffron Gym closed in his face. He would never get a Marsh Badge now - and it was all because of that stupid girl who had taken his Kirlia. Blacklisting was a practice only recently introduced by the Pokemon League; it allowed Gym Leaders to refuse challenges from any trainer who had previously caused trouble in their Gyms. And Jack knew what that meant. He was barred from Saffron Gym for life, branded a trouble-maker. He was unlikely to get back in unless he wore a disguise and, even then, Sabrina was bound to see through him thanks to her psychic powers.

Since there was nothing else he could do, he headed to a nearby snackbar and, after ordering a Coke, sat down to think things over. He did not care what Sabrina or anyone said - that Kirlia belonged to him and he was going to get it. But how? It was now in the hands of one of her students and he was not allowed back in the Gym. Could he lie in wait for her and steal the Kirlia next time she was in town? Probably not - that Espeon of hers was pretty tough, tough enough to beat his powerful Donphan. "There has to be a way!" he muttered. "I have to have that Kirlia!"

"Excuse me?"

Jack looked up as a young woman approached his table. She was about nineteen or twenty, slim with straight collar-length red hair framing a pretty but somewhat sharp face. She was wearing black leggings and a grey anorak, the latter zipped up to her chin. "I couldn't help overhearing," she went on, sitting down in the seat opposite Jack's. "You said you were after a Kirlia? One of the Hoenn Pokemon?"

Jack nodded. "Yes - one which supposedly . . ." He snorted with derision. " . . . belongs to one of the students at the Gym here. But I saw it first so . . ."

She took his hand in hers. "If you want that Kirlia so badly, I can help you get it."

"How? I already got kicked out of the Gym for trying to take it."

"There are . . . other ways," the young woman replied, handing Jack a piece of paper. "I have what you might call . . . special training in these matters . . ." She lowered her voice to a whisper, forcing Jack to lean close to her in order to hear what she was saying. It all sounded very hush hush - was she a spy or something? But Jack was so determined to get that Kirlia that he would do anything, no matter what it involved. Whatever it took for him to add the Psychic Pokemon to his collection, he would do it. "By the way," the young woman's word distracted him from his thoughts, "I didn't get your name."

"Oh, Jack," he told her. "Jack Sandford."

She got up to go. "You may call me Jade. And I suggest you read what's on that note." Without saying another word, Jade departed, leaving Jack clutching the folded piece of paper she had given him. The fact that she apparently knew to help him seemed almost too good to be true - and, had he not been so set on catching that particular Kirlia, he might have questioned her motives more closely - but she seemed sincere enough. So he unfolded the note and read the words written on it:

Meet me in the alley next to the PokeMart. Come alone.

Later that night, Jack, following Jade's instructions, crept down the alleyway next to Saffron City's PokeMart. The lights were still on in the Mart itself (it was open twenty-four hours a day) but there was hardly anyone about at this time of night. Right now, the only customer was a woman with an Oddish perched on her shoulder, who seemed to be doing some late-night shopping. But that wasn't what concerned Jack; the only thing on his mind was meeting Jade and finding out what she had to say. It was dark in the alley, the only light being that emitted by nearby streetlamps, and Jack was constantly on edge, listening for the sounds of nocturnal Pokemon.

A feline screech came from nearby - most likely a Persian since the sound was too low-pitched for a Meowth. Then came the sound of squeaking and scurrying, suggesting the presence of a rodent Pokemon of some description. Elsewhere, a dustbin fell over with a loud clang, followed by the yelp of a Vulpix, then the angry voice of a male human yelling: "Go on! Get out of here!"

Jack was so busy listening to the sounds of the night that he didn't noticed when someone joined him, until he was alerted by a sharp cough. He turned and saw her, Jade. She was still wearing the trousers and anorak she had been wearing at their earlier encounter, but she had now added a black baseball cap to her outfit. The peak was pulled down, but there was no mistaking her enigmatic voice as she spoke to him. "You took your time," she said. "What kept you?"

"Sorry. I wanted to make sure I wasn't followed." Jack looked at her expectantly. "So, what's the plan?" he asked her, feeling a tingle of excitement at the thought of finally being able to get that Kirlia.

Jade held up her hand. "Wait! Before I tell you, you must know something." With that, she slowly began to unzip her jacket, revealing the top she wore underneath; the latter was the same shade of black as her trousers and, on the front, a large red R was emblazoned. Jack gasped; he had been told what that R signified. "Yes," Jade said calmly, seeing the shocked expression on his face, "I am from Team Rocket - that's why we have to be so secretive." She zipped her coat back up and paused for several seconds before continuing. "Sure, people say we're crooks and thieves, but we like to think of ourselves as offering a service - Pokemon stolen to order."

Jack digested this information in silence. It was true he had been warned to watch out for Team Rocket members, that all anyone from that organisation cared about was causing trouble and capturing Pokemon they had no right to capture. For all he knew, Jade might be after his Pokemon. But, if that was the case, she surely would have knocked him out and made off with his Poke Balls by now; she wouldn't be standing here talking to him. Even so, he decided to keep a Pokemon on standby just in case . . .

"You can put that Poke Ball away," Jade said as Jack pulled out the Ball containing his Zangoose. "I'm not here to fight you; I'm here to help you get what's rightfully yours. Now, here's what I want you to do . . ."

Saffron Gym had closed down for the night; the doors were locked and all the humans and Pokemon within were asleep.

In her room, Sheryl lay in bed with Lilac curled up at her feet. The Espeon was curled into a ball, her flank moving rhythmically as she slept, her forked tail twitching occasionally. Destiny sat on the windowsill, looking out over the city and mentally going over the events of the day. She had hoped she'd seen the last of that boy, but his appearance at the Gym and his reaction on seeing her told her that he hadn't given up on catching her. Would he ever give up? True, he had been ejected from the Gym and ordered not to come back, but what was to stop him from trying again when Sheryl took her outside?

Since it was summer and the weather was warm, Sheryl had left the window slightly ajar. Destiny smiled to herself as she felt the light breeze against her skin and thought of the events of the past few weeks. She recalled Jack's attempt to capture her, the aura of untrustworthiness that he gave off, the moment she Teleported to Saffron, her encounter with the Persian . . . Suddenly, she was distracted from her thoughts by a face at the window, the face of a young boy, a face she recognised.

"Wave bye-bye to your so-called trainer!" he said gloatingly as he pushed the window further open and grabbed hold of the Kirlia before she could cry out or resist. "'Cos you're mine!" It was Jack Sandford, riding on his Fearow. He smiled triumphantly as he pulled a sack out of his backpack and stuffed Destiny inside, before tying it shut - at last she belonged to him. Their mission accomplished, he and Fearow flew off into the night.

Inside the sack, Destiny tried and tried to use Teleport to get out. But it did not work and she remained resolutely trapped. This, however, was hardly surprising; a Pokemon could only Teleport if it had space to do so - and space was seriously lacking in this sack. She sighed and decided not to waste any more energy trying to get out; instead, she would use her Psychic powers to try and alert Sheryl, the girl with whom she had formed a special bond, the girl with whom she was meant to be. "Sheryl!" she thought desperately. "Help!"

Down below, Jade watched Jack flying on his Fearow, holding onto the bird's neck with one hand and onto a sack with the other. The triumphant posture he displayed was all she needed to tell her that his mission had been successful and that pleased her. Being a Team Rocket member, she had had ulterior motives for helping this boy; it was her mission to watch out for trainers who would do whatever it took to get a Pokemon and she had found such a trainer in Jack Sandford. He wanted that Kirlia and he had done whatever it took to get her - just what Giovanni needed.

The first thing Sheryl noticed when she woke up the next day was that something was missing.

At first, she couldn't place it; everything looked the same as it had last night. Her posters were still on the walls, her books still in her bookcase, her ornaments still on her shelf. And Lilac was at the bottom of the bed like she always was. So what was missing? All her belongings seemed to be here and her Pokemon . . . It was when she thought of her Pokemon that Sheryl realised what was missing - Destiny. The Kirlia was nowhere to be seen. Usually, she would be dancing round the room or perched on the windowsill, but there was no sign of her. What could have happened? Where could she be?

"Lilac," Sheryl whispered to her Espeon, "Destiny's . . . gone!"

"Es espeon!" Lilac had sensed the Kirlia's absence from the moment she woke up and it troubled her. For, when two Psychic Pokemon form a mind meld, they become extra sensitive to each other and, right now, Lilac was picking up Destiny's panic call. It was faint, coming from somewhere outside Saffron, which probably explained why Sheryl hadn't sensed it; her ability to detect Psychic Pokemon only extended over a limited radius. Even Lilac, with her greater range, was having trouble focusing on the Kirlia's thought patterns and pinpoint where they were coming from. All she knew was that Destiny was in trouble.