Aurora POV

    "Shadow!" I cry, sprinting forward. I'm about to follow Shadow and Torch into the forest when Asha jumps in front of me. I glare at her and desperately try to run around her.

    "Stop," Asha says. "If Shadow wants to leave, then he leaves."

    "I can reason with him!" I insist.

    "Aurora," Dare calls, his voice cracking. "It's no use."

    I whirl around. "How dare you?" I roar. "How dare you?"

    The Absol steadies his breathing. Surprisingly, he looks ready to cry. "This is my fault," he says hoarsely, swaying on his feet.

    "Like we don't already know that!" I shout. "Shadow is gone!"

    "And he left with Dare's worst nightmare," Sapphire snarks.

    Dare pulls himself together enough to glare at the Snivy. "He's not my worst nightmare," he says bitterly. "I just don't like him."

    Everyone looks pointedly at the makeshift battlefield, covered in scuff marks and melted snow.

    "Alright, alright," snaps Dare, "so maybe I really don't like him! That doesn't make him my worst nightmare!"

    Gardevoir looks ahead. "Do not argue," she says softly. "We are trying to work together."

    Sapphire looks at the snow. "I guess we aren't trying very hard, then," she mutters.

    Shadow POV

    "Was that a bad choice?" I ask for the millionth time. "Maybe I shouldn't have left them. Do you think they're mad at me?"

    Torch blinks at me, sighing. "For the last time, Shadow, you made the right decision. And who cares if they're mad at you? They weren't exactly nice before, were they?"

    I cock my head. "Well, no. They weren't."

    "See? Then don't worry about it." He paused, then says, "but you know what I am worried about?"

    "What?"

    "That we're going in circles."

    I laugh, then realize he's serious. "Well... We aren't exactly planning where we're going. Where should we go?"

    Torch ponders. "For one, we can't go near humans, because we're sure to get caught. So... Maybe..." He trails off.

    Something pops into my mind, and I remember a Spearow named Glide. "The Spear Sanctuary!" I exclaim. "It's perfect. I mean, it's literally a Pokemon village."

    Torch brightens. "Cool. Where is it?"

    I blink, glancing at the sun. "Well, I know that it's near the mountains- wait-" I blink. "Oh! Julie is your trainer's sister, right? Well, the Spear Sanctuary is pretty much right next to where they grew up."

    "Great! So, all we have to do is go there." Torch walks a little faster. "Let's go!"

    Julie POV

    I arrive at Silver Town and sigh in realization. I should have asked Dare how long it would take- an hour, or a week? Maybe I should wait before I book a hotel, to see if they come back.

    Quietly I sit down on a bench and began looking through my bag. I pause when I realize Dare's Pokeball is in there- I smile slightly, remembering when I met Dare. Just opening a Pokeball I thought was empty and- poof!- an Absol is standing in front of me.
   
    "Absol- ab- Absol- sol!" He had said frantically, running around. I had no idea what the heck he had said until I got the bracelet.

    I lift my arm slightly so I can look at the bracelet. It's very pretty- round, dark brown beads, strung together. There's also a black square in place of a bead, which is the translator.

    "That's a nice bracelet you have there," says a voice.

    I jump and look up. A man dressed in completely black (like a total creep) is standing in front of me, his face dramatically covered by a fedora.

    "Uh- thanks?- uh-" I say awkwardly, fidgeting.

    "Would you mind if I tried it on?" He asked.

    I blink, wondering if I've ever met this guy. His muffled voice is hard to make out. "Um- no thank you." I stand up and start to walk away.

    When his hand grabs my shoulder, I whip around and slap his arm in defense. He grabs my arm in a gloved hand, and I try to yank free, realizing that he's holding the hand with the bracelet. The creepy man grabs the bracelet and pulls it off my wrist, pocketing it.

    "Thank you," he says, and spins around. He sprints away from me, but I run after him, trying to stop him, but the man soon draws ahead until he's vanished into the oak forest. I slid to a halt, panting.

    "No," I say, but nobody hears me. "No."