"Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, DUMB! Waargh! How could I be so dumb?"

Hiroshi and I share a glance. If Shigeru wasn't being so serious this might actually be funny--I mean how often do you get to see a member of the great Ookido clan berating himself?

"Have you finished?" Hiroshi asks quietly.

Shigeru glares at him, then suddenly gives it up. "Oh . . . how could I have done that to him?"

"It was a natural mistake . . . anyone could have made it. I'm sure if you talk to Satoshi he'll understand . . . "

"I tried! You saw him! He said he didn't want to talk to me!"

"Not yet. Give him time," I soothed. "Both of you need time to calm down then you can sort it all out."

"Hai. Time," Shigeru nodded and sighed, sitting down.

Hiroshi and I gingerly did the same. We hadn't really been invited into Shigeru's room --it had been Ookido-daimyo's suggestion we try to calm him down. Takeshi had been sent to speak to Satoshi . . . I wondered briefly how that was going before darting a glance around Shigeru's room. Being heir to the lord of a master-clan sure had it's perks I thought. Man, some of those screens must have cost a --

"Why didn't I see it?"

"Well . . . everyone thought the storm clan was extinct," I murmur.

"And you've known Satoshi so long . . . you'd never expect your child hood friend to be . . ." Hiroshi started but Shigeru waved our comments aside.

"Not that. How could I think he'd have hidden something that big from me?"

"Oh yeah. Well that was pretty stupid," I agreed. "I mean, this was Satoshi we were talking about. Your best friend. I'd never have done something that stupid. I'd have at least given him a chance to explain himself before I started yelling at him in front of his friends and the entire clan."

Hiroshi is waving at me to shut up.

"Well he did," I hiss.

"We're trying to help him . . . not make him feel worse!" Hiroshi hisses back.

"How could I be so dumb?" Shigeru continues.

I resist the urge to answer him.

"Why didn't I think?"

"You were pretty upset," Hiroshi says. "I don't think I've ever seen you look angrier. Even when you were yelling at me for letting the Poison-clan take off with Satoshi and Pikachu."

"Hai, I was . . . oh gods, I just didn't want to think Satoshi might be . . . "

"Storm-clan?" I say as he trails off. He groans. I share a look with Hiroshi.

"Shigeru . . . aren't you taking this whole thing a bit too seriously?"

"Hai. Aren't you happy for Satoshi? He's got a clan, the right to be a samurai, Pikachu . . . "

"How can I be happy when I might be loosing my best friend?"

"I don't follow," Hiroshi says. I'm glad for that . . . I don't want to admit that I haven't a clue either. But then . . . males . . . logic. It's like expecting Magikarp to write poetry.

"Storm-clan and fire-clan-sworn enemies, remember?" Shigeru says bitterly. "How can we be friends? We're on opposite sides!"

"Idiot!" I say, getting his attention. "Look, I'm water-clan and I'm your friend, right?"

"That's different. We've been allies for decades . . . "

"Hiroshi's from the insect-clan, Takeshi's from rock . . . both of those traditionally have allied themselves with the ice-clans and storm clans respectively."

"Well . . . "

"Besides . . . you like him, and he likes you right? And you're the next-in-line for leadership of the fire-clan while he's all but sworn in as clan-leader. If you two wanted to you could just call off this silly enemies thing like that." I snapped my fingers.

"Kasumi . . . you're right. We can . . . " Shigeru begins to laugh. "I can't quite picture Sato-chan as a master clan-leader somehow . . . "

"Sakaki's going to have a heart-attack . . ." Hiroshi begins to laugh too.

"There you go then! Problems solved thanks to Water master, Kasumi!" I bow. "So shall we go find . . .

"Shigeru! Shigeru, come quick! It's an emergency!" Mei dashes into the room.

I'm on my feet instantly as are the others . . . you only need to glance at Mei's face to know things are bad.

"What . . . " Shigeru starts.

"The South battlements! Katsura's trying to kill Satoshi!"

"Oh gods . . . " Shigeru is off at once, me and Hiroshi right on his heels. Shigeru's rooms aren't too far from the south battlements, we are the first there. Slumped against the battlement wall we find an unconscious Takeshi . . . Hiroshi at once kneels to check the seriousness of his injuries. Although and insect-clan warrior he can't fight the grass-clan tendencies that are in him still. Shigeru doesn't pause. I follow him onto the battlements, pausing beside him as we survey the scene. Katsura is lying in a heap, semi-conscious and singed. His blade is lying beside him, I gulp as I see that it is blood stained. My legs have gone sort of wobbly . . . Heck, I can't be sick. The others would never let me live it down . . .

"Satoshi? Sato-chan?" Shigeru calls. "Where are you?" He has gone very pale as he sees the puddles of red that stain the battlement. Then in a second he has his sword out. "Katsura!" he yells. "What have you done with him?"

I'd seriously hate to be the old lieutenant now. Ookido-daimyo and the rest of his warriors have arrived. Ookido-daimyo doesn't look any happier than his grandson.

Hiroshi calls me. "Kasumi, help me get Takeshi to the healer's."

Much as I would love to stay and watch Katsura get the toasting he deserves, I decide to help Hiroshi . . . Takeshi does look in bad shape. Barely recovered from the poison clan attack and now this . . . it looks like Katsura knocked him out with the blunt end of his sword.

"He'll be all right," Healer Joi says. "But what a thing to happen!"

"What will happen to Katsura?" Hiroshi asks.

"The council will try him. He's up for insubordination, defying the clan-chief, breeching clan-protocol . . . it's exile at the worst, demotion at the least."

"He's already been demoted," Shigeru has joined us. "He'll be kept imprisoned until he's tried." His face is flat.

"Serves him right!" I say angrily. "The complete and utter ba--"

"But what about Satoshi?"

"Da kid's alive . . . Da bug says he left with Charizard and Pikachu, going to find Matisse . . . " Meowth comes in, with the rest of the Pokémon looking . . . thoughtful behind him.

"Here that, Shigeru? Satoshi's alive . . . why not be thankful it wasn't worse?" Hiroshi's attempt to comfort fails.

"Hai . . . he's alive." Shigeru seems ill at ease. "Kasumi, Hiroshi . . . can I ask you a favour?"

I don't think he's willingly asked for our help before. I'm speechless.

"Oh . . Hai, Shigeru! Anything we can do for you!" Hiroshi says. I manage to nod enthusiastically.

"As my grandfather's new second-in-command I won't be able to leave the fortress to look for him. You have no such ties. Would you . . . mind . . . just to check, you know, that he's all right?"

"Of course!" I answer.

"Hai. When we see him we'll also mention how much his friend cares about him," Hiroshi smiles. Shigeru looks extremely grateful.

"You two are friends. I'm honoured to know you and share your company."

Have I gone red? I fear I have. "Awww, Shigeru . . . . you say the sweetest things."

"I wonder where Matisse would take Satoshi though? It's not as though they have a clan-stronghold . . . " Hiroshi muses.

"Geru-chan?" Mei has returned. "I have some papers for you. They were left with a messenger. I don't know what they are . . . "

"Give them here . . . " Shigeru sigh as he unrolls the scroll. Then gasps. "Who . . . who gave you these?"

"I don't know . . . what, is it bad news?"

"No . . . not at all. Look."

I jump up to stand by Mei as she turns the papers over . . . "Wow . . . those are good. They look just like him . . . who did them?" They are pictures, inked with skill. In them Satoshi's smile has been captured . . .

"I don't know . . . there's a note but no name," Shigeru says helplessly. "Wait . . . the traveller he must have . . . if only I could find him! I should thank him . . . pay him . . ."

"Shigeru-san," Hiroshi has picked up the note and reads it aloud. "I heard about what happened-- that Satoshi is gone. I know you are friends so I thought you might appreciate these. They can never replace the real thing I know but you might like to have something to remember him by." He pauses, turning the paper over. "That's it. No name, nothing."

"But . . . "Shigeru is frowning. "When we met this guy I was disguised. I mean how could he know who I was . . . unless . . ."

"We were spied on?" I say.

"We're spied on now," Shigeru's face tightens as he folds the papers away into his obi. "Excuse me. I must summon the fortress guards."

"Shigeru . . . do you really think . . . " Mei trails after him.

I look at Hiroshi. "Wow . . ." is all I can say. I never imagined that we might have been . . . I mean . . .

"It makes sense. I mean the attack in the forest . . . I'd wondered how they knew. And Sakaki-san was never going to give up the Pikachu easily . . . "

"If this guy whoever he is knows that Satoshi is gone, do you think that means Sakaki knows?"

"Almost definitely," Hiroshi frowns. "We're going to have to look for Satoshi straight away tomorrow morning. He doesn't know the danger he's in."

"Hai . . ." I nod agreement. "Let's get to bed now. We have to be ready to leave."

But the morning had other ideas.

"Hiroshi-san," a messenger approached us as we readied our mounts--the fire-clan had graciously permitted us the use of two Ponyta.

"Hai?"

"A message for you from clan-leader Akira. Your immediate return is requested."

"What???" Hiroshi grabs the scroll. His face tightens as he reads it. "The full clan meeting," he says in explanation before going into a couple of expressions I never expected to hear from nice well behaved Hiroshi . . .

I'm similarly put out. "I forgot . . . I'm going to have to return to Cerulean and prepare everything. Stupid sisters won't raise a finger to help of course . . . What horrible timing!"

The full clan meeting . . . every clan leader or representative must be there. I know I have no choice . . . there is no one I can deputise to. Stupid stupid sisters! Hiroshi has obviously no choice either . . . disobeying your clan-leader can lead to loss of samurai status or even of clan . . . his situation as an outsider in his own clan makes things still more precarious for him.

"How are we going to warn Satoshi?" Hiroshi says.

"Bulbasaur!" The grass Pokémon waddles up to him. "Bulba-bulba-SAUR!"

"You're . . . you're going to find Satoshi? You mean that?" Hiroshi blinks.

"We all do!" Meowth says. "We decided . . . we like da kid."

The Squirtle all nod behind him . . . Caterpie squeaks . . . Charizard has already left.

"You really want to . . . you don't want to return home?" I ask the Squirtle. I'd already recognised them as those stolen from our clan last year . . . Meowth had been similarly imprisoned and they'd joined forces to escape. They nod. "Okay then. Take good care of him when you do find him!"

"Take care of yourselves . . . " Meowth gives us a wave then discovers the others have already left . . . "Hey! Wait for meeeee!"

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