This story is dedicated to Dana, Nicola and especially Blank7 for encouragement, feedback and help with tricky things like plots. If you hadn't wanted it first, this story wouldn't have happened.

Part One A. Jirarundan: A game of two halves

I stood at the highest window of my tower looking down at the cities and fields that made up the Johto nation spread out below me, reaching all the way to the base of the mountains far beyond . . . and beyond those mountains . . . Indigo.

There was a storm raging in those mountains now. A fierce one--I could see the spear of lightning against the black backdrop of the storm cloud . . . a moment later the thunder rolled over the tower.

Most of my people would be curled up under their beds right now . . . cowering fearfully. I was one of the few who didn't share their primitive fear of storms. The few not hiding would be anxiously avoiding all high objects, not stirring from their houses . . . alone in my high tower I was the only person who courted this storm, this lightning . . .

It was power. Nature's strength at it's most tangible, destructive . . . if only I could harness it like the electric Pokémon do . . . I was working on a spell that might trap the lightning . . . in the meantime I must study the electric Pokémon, work out their secrets . . .

"Master," a quivering servant kneels to me.

"Are the Mareep trainers ready?" I ask.

"Yes Lord."

"Good." I voice the charm that allows me to travel in a split second to a place I have left a token --I must have some guide to be able to jump from place to place as I do --and appear beside the Mareep trainers, startling them.

"Lord!" They bow.

I nod. "Get on with your work."

I watch closely as they usher their Mareep towards the high hill top. The Mareep are eager. I wish I could communicate them . . . ask them what it feels like to drink up lightning as they do . . .

"Reep! Reep!" The Mareep call frantically to the lightning. And then it comes . . . a blinding crackle of light. I wince a moment, then as my eyes adjust to the brightness of the lightning I watch the Mareep's fleeces expand with the energy stored within.

Then it's over . . . the storm rolls away . . . sated perhaps by the Mareep's absorption of it's energy . . . I however am far from sated.

"Lord?"

"Inform me the next time there is a storm," I order the trainers sharply, then vanish the way I appeared. I walk the length of my room at the top of the tower, up and down brooding on what has just happened. I am no closer to solving the mysteries of lightning . . . if only I could, I'm sure I could conquer Indigo. And once Indigo is down . . . the Orange Islands would be easy and from there . . . the world? I must not get too acquisitive. Success is knowing where to stop after all.

But I'll start with Indigo . . .

"Lord? The Spearow you asked me to watch for has returned."

"Ah. My thanks, Junsa," I take the message the Spearow brought. "Leave me."

She bows then complies.

I sit at my desk. "Well now," I murmur as I unroll the report. "This is interesting."

The surface of my desk glimmers then a chessboard rises up out of it. At least it appears to be a chess board . . . when you look closely you realise the pieces have been altered to resemble certain people. I glance at a purple clad bishop and shake my head. "I knew Sakaki would go too far some day . . . " At the prodding of my mind the piece representing the former poison-clan leader melts, falling in on itself and melting. In it's place I place a plain purple bishop . . . "I'm unfamiliar with this Kojiro," I mutter to myself. I stand and bring down the most recent volume of the reports my spies have sent me on the Poison clan. There is an entire floor of y tower full of reports such as these . . . what can I say? Knowledge is power, and I want to be very powerful . . .

"A strange choice for a leader," I frown. "There is almost no mention of him in these records at all . . . I'll have to get my spies to rectify this situation immediately." I close the book--I'll add in the details of Sakaki's demise later. For now . . .

"The resignation of Ookido-hakase in favour of Shigeru . . . . no surprise there," I murmur, making the appropriate changes to my board. "Although . . . I had expected the old man to wait a couple of years more." I pick up the piece redesigned to look like the young man, now clan leader of the fire clan . . . unlike Kojiro I am very familiar with the new fire clan leader. My spies have been sending me reports on his activities since his grandfather formally adopted him and his sister Mei . . . "By all reports he should make a formidable opponent," I said approvingly. "Now, what else is there here . . . "

I have to read the next bit three times before I'm sure of it. And even then . . . well my spy was either very very confused when he wrote this or . . .

I leave my room and walk to the store room below, where I keep my less . . . interesting volumes. In one of the many histories of Indigo I own I flick through the book until I find the legend of the Pokemon Masters. When I finish it, I stare at the report again.

"Interesting," I finally murmur. "Very interesting."

This alters a great deal of things. I collect the last book of the storm clan from my library and return upstairs with it.

I ring for Junsa and demand ink and parchment be brought to me. I have a lot of instructions for my spies . . . as I wait I blow the dust and cobwebs from the storm clan volume. Opening it halfway, I read again of the massacre . . . I'd always thought Sakaki had a hand in that. Turning to a fresh page I write Toraeru Satoshi and pause.

"A Pokémon master . . . " I murmur waving my hand above the chess board and causing a new piece to be formed. "He will be a very interesting foe." I must admit, I have high hopes of this one . . . perhaps at last I have found an opponent worthy of me?

Part One B. Shigeru: A game

I frown as I study the chessboard in front of me. Satoshi's move really has me stumped. I really don't see what he hopes to gain from it . . . I move my knight to block his move then pause wondering if he has some really intricate strategy that I just don't see . . . then it occurs to me he's probably just moving pieces at random because he's bored. I sigh, and move the knight into a position where it could be easily captured.

"Your turn."

"Mmhmm." He murmurs agreement.

I sit back and watch him. He's not even looking at the chess board.

"You do realise I've made a really dumb move and that my can capture my knight," I said.

"Mmhmm." Satoshi murmurs.

"I've just won the game."

"Mmhmm."

"Takeshi's got a girlfriend."

"Mmhmm."

I sighed. "Satoshi, if you don't want to play chess you don't have to."

"Huh?" He blinks at me then smiles. "Sorry Shigeru. I was trying to pay attention . . . "

"But that's not one of your strong points is it? I know Magikarp with a longer attention span than you." I said, a little annoyed. "Why'd you come then, if you're not even going to do stuff with me?"

"I don't know . . . " Satoshi stands up and walks across to the window.

"Pika?" Pikachu hops up to take his seat and gives the chessboard an interested glance.

"Satoshi?" I question. I hope I didn't go too far . . . we don't get to see that much of each other as it is. I should be just glad he's here . . . we both have a lot of duties as master clan leaders and it's rare we get to see each other . . .

"I guess I came just because I like to be with you, even if we're not doing anything," Satoshi says now sitting in the window. "The fact that Matisse-san isn't here is also a bonus."

"He's still giving you a hard time?" I ask sympathetically. I'm thankful that grandfather considered me mature enough to take on the responsibilities of clan leader without appointing me a 'tutor' like Satoshi is stuck with . . . then again, the council is enough to deal with.

"Uh-huh. It's always can't do this, can't do that, a proper storm-clan leader should do this," Satoshi sighs. "We never get to do anything fun."

"Pikachu," Pikachu sighs in agreement.

"Well then just order him to stop it," I say.

"You think he'd listen to me?" Satoshi blinks at me.

"Of course. Who's the leader of the storm clan, him or you?"

"Pika-pi!"

Satoshi chuckles. "I believe that was a rhetorical question, Pikachu."

I smile too, glad he's cheered up some.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu attracts my attention.

"Well?" I ask. I'm a little bit wary of Pikachu, having been on the receiving end of his thundershock a few too many times.

"Pika!" Pikachu picks up Satoshi's knight and moves it a few spaces away.

"Um, Satoshi?" I say, for lack of anything better. "Pikachu just moved your knight."

"Hmm?" says Satoshi. "Oh, I guess she wants to finish the game for me. You don't mind, do you?"

"Satoshi, Pokémon can't play chess."

"Pika!"

"Pikachu can," Satoshi says, still looking out of the window.

"You taught her?"

"Nope. You did. Remember last winter when you first started teaching me how to play? She was sitting on my shoulder for all of that. And when I got home we used to play to practice." Satoshi sighs. "She always won."

"I still don't think I believe this," I say, moving my Knight.

"Pikachu," Pikachu mutters frowning, studying the board intently.

"She's very smart," my friend says defensively.

"I won't dispute that," I say. "So how've you been lately?"

"Busy," Satoshi makes a face. "It's fuss fuss fuss at the moment. Kanna of the Ice clan is visiting us. Matisse-san said it'd be taken as an insult if we didn't receive her properly so I have to be drilled in etiquette, nice things to say to people and proper storm-clan leader behaviour."

"I'll never see why you always make that sound so bad," I answer as Pikachu makes her move.

"That's cause you're you and you know all that stuff," Satoshi says sounding disgusted. "If they had a prize for perfect clan-leaders you'd win it. You know the correct way to greet ambassadors from people you don't like very much and how many forks to use at a five course banquet . . . "

"You'll get the hang of it," I assure him, turning back to the chess game. Ouch. Why didn't I see that? I had to get my bishop out of there . . .

"How did you manage to convince Matisse to let you visit me, then?" I ask as I weigh my options.

"I didn't," Satoshi admits. "I told him I had to go upstairs to get my paperweight for special occasions and then climbed out a window. Pidgeot flew us here."

I sigh. "You know, I think I may be beginning to see why you have so many problems with Matisse." I pick up my bishop. Pikachu's cheeks begin to crackle lightning . . . I put it back down, the sparks die away. I pick the piece back up again. Pikachu begins to spark. I return the piece. I may have a problem here . . .

"I don't think I'll be in that much trouble," Satoshi says. "All he wants me to do is look through the messages we've received this week. I need to sort them and decide which ones have priority for the meeting tonight."

"That takes me all day!" I say surprised. "How many assistants do you have?"

"Pikachu and that's it. We can do the mail in a couple of hours."

"You let Pikachu sort your mail?" I repeat.

"Uh-huh," Satoshi frowns out the window. "You know, I think there's a storm coming."

"Big?"

"Pikachu."

I ring a bell for a messenger. "How?" I ask as we wait.

"Oh it's easy. We put all the messages in a big pile on the floor and then Pikachu smells them."

"Smells them?" I repeat weakly.

"Oh hai. See the ones he likes, we read and take to the meeting. The other ones we leave for the council to deal with later."

I laugh. "That has to be the most--"

"My lord?" The messenger.

"There's a storm on the way. See to it that all the clan Pokémon are secured inside and that anything that might be damaged is brought in."

The messenger nods but doesn't leave straight away. "A messenger has just arrived from the storm clan. Matisse-san wonders if you might know where the storm lord is? He's needed back at the stronghold."

"Thank-you," I nod to the servant and look at Satoshi. "Well . . . "

"I know, I'll have to go back," Satoshi made a face. "Come on, Pikachu. You can finish your game with Shigeru some other time."

"Be careful," I tell Satoshi and Pikachu as they climb out my window onto Pidgeot's back.

"Don't worry!" Satoshi assures me carefully. "We're good with storms. We'll be okay."

"I was more worried about the two of you surviving Matisee's ill temper," I tell him. "Bye!"

"See you later!"

I return to my table and the unfinished game of chess. I snort as I sit down. Letting Pikachu play chess . . . and sort his mail. I bet Matisse doesn't know about that . . . although . . . it does have it's appeal . . . "Arcanine!"

Next