Sheryl sat looking at her two Poke Balls, one of which contained Lilac while the other contained the Kirlia Sabrina said was destined to be hers. "Almost like it was written in some ancient prophecy . . ." she mused as she recalled the events of the last few hours. Could it really be true? Had she really sensed the Kirlia's thoughts because the two of them were meant to be together? She could hardly believe it, but Sabrina was an expert on the ways of Psychic Pokemon, so . . .

"I think I'll call you Destiny," she whispered to the Ball which held the Kirlia. She repeated the last word in her mind; it was, according to Sabrina, her destiny to train this Kirlia and that was what had prompted her to name the Pokemon Destiny. Destiny was, after all, another word for fate and it seemed that fate had brought them together, human and Kirlia. On impulse, she pressed the button which activated the Kirlia's Poke Ball . . .

"Come out, Destiny!" she called, watching as the graceful and vaguely humanoid form of a Kirlia took shape in front of her.

The newly named Destiny blinked, then pirouetted across the room, her arms held above her head. Aside from Jack Sandford's attempt to capture her, she had never been in a Poke Ball before and she was still trying to make up her mind how she felt about it. On one hand, it felt pretty bizarre to be shrunk to near microscopic size and drawn into a beam of light, but the interior of the Ball wasn't exactly uncomfortable. Rather, it was just big enough for her to curl up in while she was in her shrunken state; also, there is something about Poke Balls that renders the Pokemon within semi-conscious, yet always ready to wake up and leave the Ball if necessary.

In any case, Destiny danced across the floor as Sheryl watched her. Then, the latter thought of something. Lilac would have to meet her new team-mate; it was vital for a trainer's Pokemon to get along with each other, to learn to work as a team. The subject had been mentioned in a Pokemon Welfare class a few days earlier and, as Sheryl prepared to send her Espeon out, she recalled Sabrina's words. "Your Pokemon must work together and be raised equally," she had said. "They must form a unit, each one working with the others, and must be trained to accept their team-mates as friends . . ." Sheryl smiled to herself; there was a boy in that class whose Shuppet, Drowzee and Xatu found getting along together much easier said than done. The Shuppet had been acquired via a trade and the Drowzee and Xatu still hadn't got used to their new team-mate . . .

But that wasn't what concerned Sheryl right now; her own Pokemon were. She watched as Lilac materialised in front of her, a beautiful Espeon with light purple fur that felt like fine velvet when touched. When she saw the Kirlia, she looked at her curiously but, much to Sheryl's relief, did not try to attack. That was good; sometimes, a Pokemon (particularly a trainer's first Pokemon) could be jealous of a new team-mate. Seviper and Zangoose were especially difficult in this respect, so much so that many Pokemon training manuals cautioned against having both on the same team. But Sheryl was pleased to see that there appeared to be no hostility between Destiny and Lilac. She bent down to stroke the Espeon's head.

"Lilac," she said, "this is Destiny." She nodded towards the Kirlia, now hovering in mid-air with her legs crossed. "She'll be with us from now on, so I want you to try and be friends with her. Will you do that?"

"Es," replied Lilac, bowing her head as she watched the levitating Destiny. She had never seen a Kirlia (or any member of the Ralts line) before; they were more usually found in Hoenn. But she could sense from the aura which surrounded Destiny that this was a Psychic Pokemon like herself. All Pokemon emit faint auras, which differ in appearance depending on what Type they are, but only Psychic Pokemon have the ability to actually see these halos of light.

"Espeon?" Lilac asked as she used her Psychic powers to lower Destiny to the floor. She was asking the Kirlia if she wanted to be her friend.

"Lia." Destiny reached out her hand and touched the red jewel on the Espeon's head. The two red horns on her own head glowed as she did so and, moments later, Lilac's jewel began to glow as well. Sheryl, seeing this, smiled with relief. The two Psychic Pokemon had just performed a ritual unique to their Type, a mind meld. Using their powers, they had forged a mental bond with each other, a bond which meant they would always look out for each other from now on.

At length, Sheryl reached out towards them and rested her hands on both their heads. Then, although she wasn't aware of it, her eyes began to glow, just as Destiny's horns and Lilac's jewel had; she too was forging a bond with the two Pokemon. Such bonds were rare, but, when they did occur, the Pokemon was almost invariably a Psychic Type - Sheryl had read of such things in her Psychic Trainer's Manual. The Pokemon's mind would, via a form of telepathy, become linked to that of its trainer; they would be able to share each other's thoughts and emotions. Then, as Sheryl stood there a series of images entered her mind . . .

She saw a scene, a grassy field of the sort favoured by trainers in search of new Pokemon. A young boy was searching in among the long grass, his eyes constantly watching for signs of movement. In terms of appearance, he was a typical trainer; he wore blue jeans and a green t-shirt, as well as a backpack on his back. The latter was grey and had a stylised picture of a Poke Ball on the flap, the fastener being where the button was on a real Poke Ball. There was something about him that Sheryl didn't like; he had a shifty look about him . . .

Or was she judging by appearances? Just because this boy had thin lips, eyes that made him look furtive and a sly expression on his face did not mean that he was a bad person. But that didn't explain why she was seeing this . . . until the Kirlia appeared. When it did, Sheryl knew at once that it was Destiny; she didn't need anyone to tell her. Nor did she need to be told that this was a scene from Destiny's past; she just knew it in the same way she knew that the sky was blue.

Then, as Sheryl watched, the boy pulled out a Poke Ball and pressed the button on the front. "You're mine, Kirlia!" she heard him say. "Fearow, go!"

There was a flash of light and a large brown bird with an enormously long beak materialised. It flung back its head and opened its beak, letting rip with a raucous cry of "FEEAARRRROOOWW!", the sound harsh and defiant. The bird looked tough; it also looked as though it was a fighter, a Pokemon trained to the best of its abilities. Sheryl had seen many Pokemon like that, of all Types, but the trait was most commonly found among Rock and Fighting Pokemon. Yet, even though this Fearow was a Flying Type . . .

Next moment, Sheryl's thoughts were distracted by a shout from the boy. "Fearow! Fury Attack!"

And the Fearow flew at Destiny, its beak aimed straight at the Kirlia's head. Before Destiny could make a move, the Fearow pecked her several times in quick succession. She cried out and tried to summon a protective Light Screen to deflect the Fearow's beak, but the bird's attack was relentless, allowing her no time to defend herself or even retaliate with one of her Psychic Attacks. "Good, Fearow," said the boy. "Now, try a Fly Attack!"

The Fearow promptly soared into the sky on its magnificent wings. Destiny promptly countered with a Thunderbolt, firing a bolt of electricity into the sky; it hit the Fearow but, though super-effective against the bird, it was not strong enough to knock it out. Seconds later, the Kirlia was knocked flying as the Fearow dived straight for her, its talons outstretched. She landed in a heap and began struggling to get up and counterattack.

But, before Destiny could make her move, the boy pulled something out of his backpack - a Poke Ball. There was no mistaking that red and white spherical object. And nor was there any mistaking that look of triumph on the boy's face as he pressed the button on the front. "Now I've got you, Kirlia," he said, taking aim with the Poke Ball. "Poke Ball! Go!"

The Ball struck Destiny on the head, enveloping her in a red glow and sucking her inside. It vibrated on the ground for a few seconds, before bursting open. Destiny rematerialised from within it and, before the boy could do anything, her eyes began to glow. Sheryl immediately recognised what was about to happen; she had seen it often enough. The Kirlia was going to use Teleport . . .

At that point, the vision faded and Sheryl was left staring at her two Pokemon, temporarily speechless. Clearly, the boy had tried to capture Destiny, forcing her to use her Teleport ability to escape. But what had brought her here, to Saffron City? Had she somehow sensed the concentration of Psychic power that permeated the Gym and the surrounding area? Or was it just coincidence that she had ended up here? Either way, one thing was certain; Destiny was now Sheryl's Pokemon . . .

"Destiny," she whispered to the Kirlia, "was . . .?"

But she got no further before she heard the voice in her mind again. "Yes, that boy tried to catch me. I escaped because I sensed something about him, something I didn't like. He's one of those trainers . . ."

For a moment, Sheryl wondered what Destiny meant by "those trainers". The answer came almost at once as Destiny read Sheryl's mind and sensed what she was thinking. "He cares nothing for his Pokemon, only about winning," Destiny explained with a touch of bitterness. "I was just a means to an end for him, another Pokemon to add to his list. And I sensed that he would never have anything more to do with me after I got transported. Well, he might have taken me out long enough to evolve me into a Gardevoir, but I couldn't live like that, not as a pawn in someone else's game . . ." She trailed off and floated up to the ceiling.

Watching her, Sheryl began to wonder something else. What caused trainers to take the attitude that Pokemon were there solely to give them glory? Something about their personalities? And could such a trainer ever be persuaded to change his or her attitude? Sabrina had been changed, had learned what it was to be human, to be someone other than the ruthless trainer whom everyone feared. But, Sheryl knew, most people did not change overnight; before joining Sabrina's Gym, she had lived next door to a boy named Warren, who was a keen Pokemon trainer but could never accept defeat. If another trainer defeated him, he would furiously accuse that trainer of cheating and call them every rude name under the sun. Then, he threatened to set his Jolteon on a young woman who had defeated him - and the young woman reported him to the Pokemon League Authorities. That had been two years ago and Warren had been suspended from the League ever since.

And, as it turned out, Sheryl would meet the boy who had tried to capture Destiny. And, when that time came, it would set in motion a series of events which would change her life.

For the next few weeks, Sheryl's life continued as normal. Like the other trainers in Saffron Gym, she continued studying the ways of Psychic Pokemon, all the while working to hone the skills shared by both Lilac and Destiny. The two Psychic Pokemon became close friends, often working together to practise their Attacks. Psychic, Confusion, Shadow Ball, Protect and many other techniques all featured in both their repetoires. And they could often be found with Sheryl in one of Saffron Gym's practice rooms (the main arena was only used when Sabrina was facing a challenger) battling each other, working on developing their abilities.

And that was what they were doing one afternoon, nearly two weeks after Sheryl found Destiny. They stood facing each other across the room, each waiting for a command from Sheryl . . .

"OK, Destiny," Sheryl said to the Kirlia. "Let's practise your Shock Wave! Lilac, be ready to counter it!"

Destiny brought her hands together as electricity began to arc out around her. Bolts of lightning shot out from her body in all directions, as Lilac stood watching, preparing to make her move. The jewel on the Espeon's forehead glowed as she watched Destiny's Shock Wave getting closer and closer . . . Suddenly, an invisible forcefield appeared in front of her - Light Screen. This technique was similar to Reflect, in that it deflected incoming Attacks. But, while Reflect worked best against physical Attacks, Light Screen was most effective against Special Attacks. And, if the lighting conditions were right, you might be able to make out the faint glow which gave the Attack its name.

In any case, Destiny's Shock Wave, instead of striking Lilac directly, hit the Light Screen and ricocheted off at an angle. As the bolts of lightning were deflected back at the Kirlia, she quickly used Teleport to dodge out of the way and prepared to follow through with a Psychic Attack.

But, at that moment, Sheryl stepped in to stop the battle. "OK," she said, pulling out Lilac's and Destiny's Poke Balls. "I think we can stop there. Lilac, good use of Light Screen. Destiny, you did fine too." She pressed the buttons that activated the Balls. "Take a rest, OK?"

Instantly, both Lilac and Destiny were enveloped in the red light coming from the Balls and drawn inside.

As Sheryl headed in the direction of her room, she happened to pass the main arena just as the door opened and a young boy stalked out, a furious frown on his face. From the way he was muttering and swearing under his breath, it was clear what must have happened; he had obviously tried to take on Sabrina - and lost. Even though Sabrina no longer used her telekinetic powers on her opponents, she was still a tough opponent and few challengers (even those who did succeed in winning the Marsh Badge) left Saffron Gym without at least one injured Pokemon.

"That damn witch!" Sheryl heard the boy mutter. "Who does she think she is?!" He mimicked Sabrina's voice. "I'm sorry, but you're not ready for the Marsh Badge yet. Come back when you've trained a bit more." He switched back to his own voice. "Huh! I thought this would be a walkover for my Poochyena."

"Hey!" Sheryl called to him. "What's up?!" There was something familiar about this boy, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.

"Your stupid Gym Leader, that's what's up!" The boy glared at her. "Two Pokemon each, we agreed - my Poochyena and Kingler against her Kadabra and Haunter. I thought Poochyena's Dark Type made it a shoo-in. But, no! Kadabra got both my Pokemon with Disable; they couldn't move a muscle. Huh!"

Sheryl wanted to say something, to suggest that he followed Sabrina's advice and trained his Pokemon up before he tried for the Marsh Badge again. But there was something about this boy that she didn't like. He seemed like the sort who couldn't stand losing, who positively hated the idea. No, he was trouble - and Sheryl knew it. And . . .

Her thoughts were cut off by the boy's next words. "You're one of the trainers here, aren't you?"

Sheryl nodded, her hands automatically straying in the direction of the Poke Balls in her pocket.

"Then I challenge you to a battle!" His tone was arrogant, tinged with an overwhelming certainty that he would beat one of Sabrina's underlings even if he couldn't defeat Sabrina herself. Sheryl hesitated; Pokemon League rules said that all challenges had to be accepted unless you had a valid reason for refusing, but she was reluctant to fight this boy. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about him . . .

"Not wimping out, are you?" the boy asked snidely. "Well, if . . ."

That did it for Sheryl; there were few things she hated more than being called names. "You want a battle?!" she shouted, pulling out Lilac's Poke Ball. "You got a battle! Lilac, go!"

There was a blaze of light and Sheryl's loyal Espeon burst out of the Ball.

"We'll each use two Pokemon," said Sheryl, who wanted to get this fight over with as quickly as possible.

"Fine!" the boy said shortly. "I choose . . . Donphan!" He threw a Poke Ball and a large, powerfully built Pokemon that looked a lot like an elephant appeared. With hide like armour, a powerful Rollout Attack and sharp tusks, a Donphan was hard to beat and Sheryl knew she would have to watch what Lilac was doing . . .

"Donphan!" shouted the boy. "Horn Attack!"

In response, the Donphan pawed the floor and charged at Lilac, ready to ram one of his sharp tusks into the Espeon's side. Sheryl thought fast. Seconds before the Donphan's Attack hit home, she called on Lilac to counter with a Confusion. Lilac's jewel glowed as she emitted powerful Psychic waves, which knocked the Donphan flying. The Ground Type Pokemon grunted as he landed, then staggered to his feet. The boy grinned triumphantly.

"Ha! Don't expect Donphan to give up that easy!" he said. "Donphan! Use Rollout!"

As Donphan got into the Rollout position, its body forming a near-perfect circle, Sheryl thought fast. Rollout was a very powerful Attack, which increased in strength the longer it went on, and she knew she had to act fast if Lilac was to stand any chance of beating it. "Lilac!" she shouted. "Tackle Attack! Try to knock it off balance!"

Just as Donphan began to roll towards her, Lilac ran at him and rammed him in the side. Stunned by the sudden impact, Donphan stopped in his tracks and started looking around for his opponent; meanwhile, Lilac took the opportunity to power up with Calm Mind. Then, she used Swift, bombarding Donphan with glowing star emitted from her jewel and making it impossible for him to launch his Rollout. "Good!" Sheryl called, watching as Donphan struggled under the barrage of stars. "Keep it up!"

"Not so fast!" the boy countered. "Donphan! Body Slam!"

And Donphan tried to ram Lilac again. But Sheryl was ready for this and quickly told the Espeon to use Double Team. In an instant, Lilac was surrounded by doubles of herself, all seemingly solid even though they were quite literally thin air and could be destroyed in an instant. Still, this would hopefully distract the Donphan and cause him to waste time and energy attacking the fakes. And that was what he did - launch Attack after Attack at Lilac's clones, causing them to vanish one by one but never once getting a hit on the real Lilac. Meanwhile, she was preparing for her next move . . .

Without warning, Lilac let loose with a powerful Psybeam, striking Donphan full on the flank and knocking him flying. He landed in a heap and did not get up despite struggling to do so for a few seconds. The boy growled under his breath, then, realising Donphan could not fight any longer, recalled the Pokemon and prepared to send out another.

"I choose you, Fearow!" he called as he threw his second Poke Ball. There was a flash of light and a Fearow materialised, a Fearow which Sheryl had seen before.