Rose and Sage watched in disbelief as the now-miniature form of the electric dragon finally disappeared from sight; the storm following it. Briar wriggled in Louisa's grip; looking close to tears again.

"This sucks!" Cedar yelled, giving an unconscious tug to her Pidgeot's head-feathers. "Now we gotta go after it, wasting time and putting the island in jeopardy..."

Sage wheeled his Abmamylf to the left. "We'll have to go past the village shops towards the sea. Those who don't want to leave the main island don't have to; but we should at least all get to the hub of town." Abmamylf roared as it set off, the rest following determined.

Ten minutes later, Sage was just turning towards the beach and the row of shops opposite the paved road when the raw, acrid tang hit his nostrils; then infiltrated his lungs. "Can you smell smoke?" he asked Rose worriedly, slowing Abmamylf a fraction. Rose nodded numbly in reply.

Shrieks sounded from below. To the left, winged the form of a red-sheened dragon; its occasional contact with the ground producing small spot-fires which humans rushed to put out.

On the horizon, a yellow line of bush-fire could be seen. Philippa let out an 'eep' as the dragon angled towards them in the sky. "Uh-oh... looks like bad news for me..."

Louisa glanced down at the fleeing humans, now being pursued by the dragon. "Wait a sec... look there! See the guy in the red cloak?" She folded her wings slightly and allowed herself to freefall slowly. Pensively, Philippa gathered Briar closer.

Once on the ground, Louisa strode aggressively forward, towards the greying man dressed in red. "Hey!" she yelled. "What's the big idea?"

The man turned slowly, eyeing her up and down. "How dare you talk to me in that manner?"

"Do you have anything to do with this?" she said, ignoring the soft threat, and gestured towards the fire-breathing dragon that had now landed, close to the party.

"I am one of the Summoners," he replied coolly. "and should not have to answer politely to freaks such as yourself."

Before he had finished his sentence, Louisa had him in a death-grip - one hand gripping the front of his cloak, the other poised and ready. "What I happen to be is unimportant. However, I did ask you a question, and expect it to at least be answered."

The man laughed, a mad cackle only emphasised by the tightness at his throat, and his eyes sought those of the dragon. "They threaten the balance! Kill them!"

"All shall feel my flames." it rumbled in reply, and breathed deeply. There was a vast sound as its maw opened disturbingly, suddenly spewing flames.

Louisa whisked into the air, throwing up a shield of water as she did so. The huge head of the dragon rose to meet her, smoke billowing as it did so. "You burn, little one," it huffed. "and I know your flames. How you wish to see peace here again."

"I burn cool, red one. And I will be ice to your flame as you burn hot."

Robert cast a wondering eye towards Cedar, who shrugged in reply.

The dragon smirked. "And yet ice can be melted if the flame burns strong enough. Surely, as the river creates the forest, so the sun also creates the rainbow."

Louisa's eyes widened as she digested this. Then, clearing her throat, she continued. "I will not see peace here until I fight for it. And a rainbow cannot battle."

"Do not burn too brightly, little one," it cajoled, suddenly turning away. "You may not like the flames you create."

"Let's get going," Louisa snapped, only pausing when she noticed the quizzical expression on the faces around her. "Oh... well, that's just the way you have to talk to some dragons."

"Didn't you hear me?" the man shrieked, hands outstretched. "Kill them!"

"I cannot kill her..." the dragon rumbled; its long head swinging round to stare the human in the eye. "But I can kill the others."

Philippa started, and quickly dodged eye contact with the big creature that had now turned its attention upon her. "You'll have to take Briar," she implored, settling her down on Abmamylf. "Try and head to an evacuation shelter or something. We can get Aspen back here quicker knowing you're not in the thick of battle too."

Sage's eyebrows furrowed, but Rose had already come to a conclusion - for she leant forward and grabbed the feathery neck of the Pokémon, urging it towards the beach beyond the shops.

"Feel my flames, humans..." the dragon gloated, its throat already gurgling dangerously.

"Evasive maneuvers! Ready, go!" Philippa shrieked madly, grinning as the adrenaline caught up. Backflipping in midair, she zoomed over to Louisa and the pair shot up higher as the dragon zoned in on them. Behind them, Pidgeot trilled and darted left.

The blast of flame caught them all by surprise, its heat radiating at least a metre each way.

There was, however, no sign the dragon had risen to meet them as they continued towards the coastline. Behind them, Cedar followed with Robert in tow.

"I sure hope we don't find the worst when we get there..." Louisa sighed, and cast a knowing look at her friend.

"So do I." Philippa replied, and quickened her pace.

Aspen woke to the calls of late afternoon. There were several twittering cries from the trees that encircled her, but as she lifted her head from the tree-litter and regained her balance from the foetal position she had been in, the cries ceased.

What a headache she had! Her eyes smarted as she blinked furiously to try and clear the throbbing pain at her temples. Somehow she had no memory of anything since midday. Where were her family? Oh - that was right... the dragon had carried her here...

Stumbling away from the shrine, she entered the forest determined to find her way back to the main island... somehow.

She reached the open beach in a few more minutes of trudging through forest, and was delighted to see her two newly-made friends circling the boundaries of the island - perhaps scouting for any sign of her.

After waving, they set down lightly in front of her, grinning. "Hi," she said weakly. "Where are... is it Cedar? and the others? What happened to mum and dad? and Briar?" Get your priorities right! she thought a second later. Briar meant the world to her no matter how they squabbled.

"Your parents and sister are fine; they're back at a shelter on the main island. Cedar is just over there looking for you. Let's go catch up with her."

Cedar looked up and smiled when Aspen came into view. "Hey! Good to see you're okay."

Aspen nearly gagged in response when she saw what Cedar had been studying. "What...?"

At her feet were the strewn remains of her father's Watthorn. Its head and neck were perhaps the only recognisable part of its body. Hair and fur lay scattered across the sand.

Cedar, with a strange expression on her face, suddenly 'double-took' at Aspen, and stood hurriedly, walking over. "Woah... you leave for like a second and something like this happens?!" Suddenly urgent, she peered into Aspen's eyes.

Aspen, startled, backed away. How could they possibly think she had... "No! I didn't kill him!"

On all four faces, a look of confusion entered - until Cedar laughed. "Nah... I didn't mean the Pokémon... I'm saying that you're the Light Princess!"

"Sorry?" Princess?!

Louisa looked to Cedar. "I don't think they use that particular word here. Aspen - what we're saying is you're a Light Elemental. Cedar has been searching for her opposite for ages."

"Get lost!" Aspen scoffed, then wondered why a look of pained hurt crossed their faces. "I mean... you can't be serious." An Elemental? Apart from sounding weird; what did that actually mean?

"They are wrong. All wrong." came a sneering voice from the trees. The same Pokémon she had faced earlier walked towards them and stood. "She has no more Elemental ability than any other human here. I am the Light Elemental."

Slowly, Philippa's gaze grew stony. "You're a Light Pokémon? You look more like a Dark Elemental. That's a Dark symbol on your forehead."

Its hackles rose as she finished. "I am more that just a Light Elemental! I hold the power of all Elements within me. I am all-powerful."

"But... I'm sure I felt it within Aspen. Why would an all-powerful Pokémon bother using a human anyway like that anyway?" Cedar asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Silence!" it roared, the spines clacking as it bounded up to Aspen. "Look, and listen. Her mind and body are perfect for a receptacle of extreme power. Need I demonstrate again?!"

"I don't want y-" Aspen began, starting to feel annoyance at being talked about for so long, but she couldn't finish. Its eyes bored into her; and she was once again floating in golden light.

A voice echoed through the beams of warm sunshine. <<Hah! It has been... so long...>>

Louisa watched in horror as Aspen's eyes fluttered - then turned a startling aqua colour which brightened constantly. Beams shot from her fingers.

"You see?" laughed the Pokémon. "I can't believe nobody has ever tried this before! It makes it so easier!"

"Stop." Louisa grated, well aware of her fists clenching in anger. "Release her now."

"She is right, Omneon." a low growl came, announced the arrival of yet another Pokémon from the forest. "Again, you risk your life with your foul misdeeds. I have no misgivings against tearing your throat open: the Balance be forgotten."

"There was never any balance," Aspen croaked, in a voice that was not her own. "It was always you that was stronger!"

"Stop this ridiculous struggle for endless power, brother! Let her go! What you have done, you have done. Let not your animosity grow. I will not allow you to endanger the Great Balance anymore than you already have..."

Aspen jerked. "Without even trying... you always were the stronger..." And she collapsed, the light in her eyes disappearing as she crumpled.

Omneon turned to the other Pokémon. "Don't try to deny it, 'brother'. With her, maybe, I had a chance..."

Without warning, the unnamed Pokémon turned to the human group. "You, perhaps, should not be hearing this. You should not be here to witness such an unimportant argument. Go and struggle yourselves, where you are needed."

Its eyes glowed. Cedar gasped as she felt the Dark power take hold, and then she and all the others found themselves in a gigantic grove, empty and dead quiet.

And then Philippa gasped rapturously. "Oh!" Her face brightened as she turned a full 360 degrees viewing the large space bordered by trees. "I think... maybe... oh! It's unbelievable!"

For the first time since Aspen had met her, Louisa smiled and added drily, "Looks like she's gonna start hugging some trees."

"You know me too well..." Philippa sighed, as she waltzed over to the nearest trunk. "Isn't it amazing?" she said to it, gazing up at its leaf cover, then her arms encircled it. "Of course, it makes sense now that I've seen Minami's enviroment, but I never thought I'd live to see the day!"

Something clicked in Robert's head. "If it wasn't for Serebii," he said gruffly, annoyed at being kept in the dark all the time. "you wouldn't have lived to see it. Now can we be informed as to what 'it' actually is?!"

But Philippa's happy expression didn't change at the rebuke. She turned towards them, moving serenly. "I felt it as soon as we were transported here. And once the trees told me everything... well, this is the Silent Grove, the birthplace of the One Tree. We stand on hallowed ground.

"It's a legend that has been around since the beginning." Philippa continued. "But no humans know about it because it really only circulates around trees. In fact, I think that all young trees aspire to be the One Tree. Sorry for not telling you before. I thought it wasn't important. But somewhere down there..." she pointed to the center of the circle of moist soil. "there's a very, very special seed ready to sprout and become the One Tree."

"And then?" Cedar asked, arms crossed.

"Then, Minami will be even more special. And the land will be blessed by its power."

"Hmmm..." Louisa looked sceptical. "Well it doesn't really help, does it? I mean, we're hardly going to wait around for a tree to grow so it can save Minami and stop the dragons from causing havoc. I think I've got a better idea; and one that's a bit quicker."

She raised a hand to the sky. "Karda!" she shouted, rolling the 'r' slightly. "Venir!"

The roar of greeting made Aspen close her eyes instinctively. Where sun had streamed a second earlier, there was now shadow, as the huge form of the pearl-white dragon descended; its wings buffetting the ground.

Louisa smiled as she inspected her large friend. "Bonjour, Karda," she murmered, then continued in French. "Do you know me?"

Karda mantled; the hackles of his shoulders extending dramatically. Evidently the memory curse had no effect, as he swung his big head around and stared at her with a worried expression. "You should not have brought me here, Dragonling," he rumbled, also in French. "You know not what you have done."

Taken aback, Louisa stepped forward. "What do you mean? I thought you could have those puny things for lunch!"

He chuckled gravely. "The only way to annull the twelve powers is to bring them together. Without unity, all the powers can do is cause chaos. You do not understand? The only way I can help is to betray you."

"Don't you dare say that." Louisa hissed in return, eyes burning. "I know you would never betray me."

"But still they come, to be united." he replied, distractedly looking to the skies. "Au revoir."

Using his powerful limbs, which rippled with muscle, he launched himself from the grove and into the air. Screeches came from all directions as the humans craned their heads to watch. Out of the twelve that Karda had mentioned, Philippa only recognised the Flora, Fire and Earth dragons.

Slowly the differently-coloured dragons came closer, congregating around Karda and yammering loudly. Karda glowed, and on cue they began to fly in a circle around him. Tail-tips met with chins as they seemed to connect and be bound in the circle.

We are here to honour the age-old custom that will never cease.
Slowly the Elements come together; joining, creating a binding which enfolds us all...
Each takes their place...

The swirling colours of the maelstrom were making Aspen giddy. The dragons had been flying faster and faster for about a minute until all shape was lost in this undefined circle of energy. As she watched, the circle grew to include Karda, and finally condensed into a perfect sphere of sparkling emerald. Its eyes opened.