"He is hopeless...you know that right?" Lucian remarked to Sabine. The both of them were stood next to a tree while spectating the training efforts of Ash. "Has he shown any kind of sign that his powers are activated?" Sabine watched Ash with her arms crossed. She knew what he was missing and despite all of the incessant nagging from Ash to tell her the secret she simply replied 'it is your fire, learn how to wield it.'

Ash was trying his hardest to make something happen. Making lots of different hand gestures, body movements. He even tried to meditate like Sabine but then he realised maybe that's the psychic elemental's secret to using her power. He needed to find his own. He looked to his two 'teachers' who gave him a look which he knew meant they weren't gonna help him with this.

"Well, you and I both know Lucian, that there isn't a secret. It is a drive. A feeling. Something deep inside. I thought it might be different depending on the element and Arceus knows what the other elementals will have to do. We will all be at varying stages of power."

"Or like Serena and Ash, we will have varying stages of no power." He snickered to himself.

"Hey, we can hear you." Serena called a little to the right of the both of them. She and Bonnie were also watching Ash's training. Bonnie still kept a close eye on Lucian. "You say we have no power even though yours are locked now to so shouldn't you be training?." Serena said.

Sabine grinned. "She has you there Lucian." Lucian glared at her. "Please don't encourage her, when I agreed to come with you all, I didn't expect to be dragged into trivial concerns like this." Then he turned to Serena. "Tell you what water girl, get Ash to show off his fiery side and then I may consider your proposal of training."

"My name is Serena ghost boy." Ash frowned very slightly at this interaction. Another pulling feeling tickled his stomach. He knew it was because of Serena but he didn't know why this one made him feel angry in a way...

Sabine interjected "Alright that's enough you guys. Serena, I'm pretty sure that you need to begin your training to." Serena nodded and got up but just as she did Clemont came through the back entrance of the pokemon center and told the group it was time for dinner. Bonnie was the first to rush in even pushing past Clemont. He looked back at her and then at Serena and Ash who frowned. Lucian and Sabine didn't seem to notice as they talked about ways Ash could improve.

Everyone was sat down at the same booths as yesterday. An array of different foods, made by Clemont were dished out. However, unlike most of their mealtimes, the atmosphere was very sour. "So, Ash how was your elemental training?" Clemont asked to lighten the mood.

"Still nothing, I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or what I'm missing." Ash said disappointedly. "You just have to discover the fire within. You have to focus on something that makes you feel different, something which gives you power." Ash rubbed his chin in thought. Then his belly groaned for more sustenance. "Well I guess I know what gives my stomach power." He chuckled.

No one laughed. "Is it always like this?" Lucian asked with curiosity. "Not until you came along..." A bitter voice echoed from the stall next to Clemont. "Bonnie! That was very rude." Clemont chided, but she carried on. "Well its true, I don't like him, how can we trust him after the stuff he did and said at the graveyard." "Bonnie, that's enough!"

Clemont yelled but just as he did, Lucian stood up. "She is right I suppose. I assumed everyone was ok with me being here but if there are second thoughts... I know when I am not wanted." A stormy look found his eyes and his hair covered them just as quick. Then he walked out of the booth and out of the door.

Bonnie watched as he went and immediately felt guilty. She did not mean to say those things, they just came out. She just was nervous because of the scary things that Lucian had done. Everyone was frowning at what had just unfolded except of course for Sabine. "Just once, I'd like to be wrong... I'm gonna go after him." She began walking to the door in pursuit. Ash and Serena nodded at one another. "We are coming to." Then they followed Sabine out of the door.

"Bonnie...why did you say that to Lucian? I already told you, those things were not his fault, he was under the control of Obliternus." Clemont said softly as Bonnie looked to be on the verge of tears stained by the agony of the guilt she now felt. "I'm sorry big brother, I just... I didn't think we could trust him, he scared me... and I wanna apologise." she stuttered as the tears threatened to pour.

"Then lets follow them." Bonnie nodded to her big brother. She felt bad enough about saying those mean things, she would feel so much worse if she cost the group an elemental so early in the game. Bonnie and Clemont rushed after the rest of the group in the hopes of finding Lucian.

After around 15 minutes of exploring deeper into the forest, the group was beginning to wonder where Lucian had gone. Ash looked up. The path they were taking was just below a cliff face. The boulders on the cliff face looked in danger of coming loose at any second. "Guys, we should be careful not to make too much noise, the rocks up there look a bit loose. A landslide would be no good here."

None of them were inclined to disagree. "Are you sure he is around here Sabine?" Serena asked, keeping an eye on the cliff. Sabine glanced back. "I'm sure, like before I can sense a flicker of his element. Its much weaker then before but its there." While his focus was on the task at hand, Ash's thoughts were elsewhere.

"What did Sabine mean by what gives me power. Something that gives me strength. My pokemon? No, its a bit different. Getting stronger with Greninja's transformation is just one way. What gives me strength? What could kindle the fire within me? Maybe..."

Ash glanced at Serena. Maybe, as an elemental she could have the answer? Or is it something else about her?

"There!" Bonnie yelled. Ash was snapped out of his thoughts. They all followed Bonnie's gaze to another part of the cliff face which was lower down. Around 10 feet up on a rock platform sticking out was Lucian. He was sat with his back to the wall and his hood down.

"Lucian!" Bonnie called. Lucian head slowly came up and a look of surprise flashed across his face but was quickly replaced with an emotionless stare which gave nothing away about his thoughts of the group coming to look for him.

"I was under the assumption that I was not wanted to be a part of your little quest..." He glowered at everyone. "You know that we need you Lucian, don't be like this." Sabine said casually. "Need is a very different concept to want! Do you want me or need me!?" He rose his voice even more in his apparent anger.

"Its probably not a good idea to shout." Clemont pointed out. "I care very little about your opinion Clemont!" Clemont winced at this. Bonnie didn't like Lucian shouting at her brother but she knew it was her fault. She stood directly below his platform. "Lucian! Stop it!" Bonnie shouted up to him. Lucian made his way to the edge of the platform to stare down at this challenger.

"What do you want Bonnie? I thought you didn't trust me?" Bonnie began to get teary eyed. Lucian continued anyway. "You didn't like me, you don't want me here so why are you here little girl?" His tone was harsh and seemingly unforgiving. "TO APOLOGISE!!!" The tears burst forth and the guilt and words all poured out like river.

Lucina's eyes widened in surprise. He was not expecting that. " I wasn't fair to you! I treated you horribly, I was mean to you!" Lucian looked up to see the rocks shifting slightly. "Bonnie?" Bonnie did not waver however. "I never gave you a chance to show your true self!" Lucian glanced at the rocks and then at Bonnie. He had to act. "So, I'm trying to say IM SORRY!" The rock fell loose and toppled to the ground directly above Bonnie.

Lucian leaped off his platform down to the little blonde girl. Bonnie looked at the floor for a split second as a shadow appeared to get bigger. In that same split second she looked up as two shapes hurtled down towards her. She closed her tear stained eyes and braced for what will no doubt be her end. The final sound she heard was her brother calling her name in vain.

Lucian landed atop Bonnie and shielded her as the stone goliath of a boulder hit the floor with a resounding thud. Serena threw herself into Ash's chest so she didn't have to look at the scene in front of her. Did not have to accept the fact that her friend had been crushed. Ash held her in his arms tight and stared in disbelief at the boulder.

Clemont fell to his knees in a state of shock, then he brought his body down forwards to the ground and began to cry. He cried like he had never done before. Such a deep sense of loss did he feel that he was beyond wishing her back. He wished that it was he who had been removed so unfairly from this world. Sabine simply stared at the rock unfazed.

A  few seconds of silent grieving aside the sounds of Serena and Clemont's sobbing passed. Then Ash spoke up. "Wait... Serena look!" Ash's voice echoed with rising hope. Seeing how this was unfitting of the situation, Serena looked away from the mark of tears she left on Ash's top at the rock and her eyes flickered with surprise. A moment passed and so to did Clemont.

The rock had begun to glow faintly. A dark aura of purple. Then a hand reached out of the rock as if the thing was growing limbs. The hand was then connected to an arm, then a shoulder and finally a head. Bonnie's head. Her leg came out of the lower half of the boulder. Within a moment she was completely out of the boulder utterly unharmed. Lucian then followed, phasing out of the boulder  a tad quicker then Bonnie.

"How did you-" Bonnie began but was quickly interrupted when two familiar arms enveloped her. "Don't you ever, EVER do that again do you hear me?" Clemont whispered weakly holding Bonnie very tightly. "I was so worried about you, your my sister, if I lost you..." Bonnie smiled at her big brother. "I'm still here big brother, thanks to Lucian." She directed another smile at Lucian who nodded to her.

Serena, who was still hugging Ash, smiled with care at Bonnie evidently relieved she was alright. Bonnie nodded and then gave one glance to Ash and then back to Serena. She then smirked. Serena, knowing what this meant pulled away from Ash gently with a blush. Ash wasn't hesitant to let her go... but there it was, that tugging feeling once again. What was it?

Clemont stood up in front of Lucian. "Lucian, thank you so much I don't know how you did it, but you saved my sister. You saved Bonnie." He held out his hand. "I don't know how I did it, it just happened. And I was glad that I could do it." He shook Clemont's hand. "I trust that she would do the same for me..." He said. And for the first time, he and Bonnie exchanged a smile of pure friendship and trust.

"Well done Lucian. Looks like your powers aren't as locked as you thought." Sabine offered which made Lucian chuckle. "No I suppose not." A thought was passed between the two of them in that moment. A silent agreement. Now they were both sure what gives the elementals their power...

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I am beat. I say we relax for the rest of the day." Ash sighed. He was still grinning though. The group began walking back. "Hey Ash, don't think you have gotten out of training, you either Serena!"  Sabine called to them. "Fine, but can we at least eat first?" Everyone laughed this very Ash style request. Now they were laughing as a whole. There was now no tension between them. Though the quest has only just begun...

Looks like the group finally trust one another. Lucian's abilities are developing at a steady rate. Stay tuned to find out if Ash and Serena can master their own elements. Hope you enjoyed and to quote another author I know. Stay Awesome!!!