Hello, hopefully future fans and readers! I have to admit, I've been a fan of Pokemon since I started playing it with my brother and sister when I was ten and I've been playing it ever since! I'm nineteen, soon to be twenty, love Pokemon and proud of it!

Phew…Glad I got that out of my system. Anyway, yes, I love Pokemon still, but my favorite by far are the Pokemon Ranger (mainly Shadows of Almia) and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (mainly Explorers of Sky), so I thought why not combine them into a completely outrageous, yet totally interesting story! Okay, technically, it's still the same basic storyline, but it's going to have a few more twists, a few more turns, and a lot more in-depth stuff.

I know that by the summary and title, it's gonna sound confusing and it will be at first, but as the chapters flow out, it will make more and more sense. I promise.

Anyway, I hope that whoever reads this will at least have a general interest in the story. I don't appreciate flames, but I do appreciate comments, reviews, and even constructive criticism. Okay, I don't own Pokemon (neither Rangers nor Mystery Dungeon) and I technically only own my character's identity. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

"WHOA! Look out!"

BOOM!

"Watch out! Don't fall in! Hold on!"

KABOOM!

"I…I can't…!"

VROOOOOOM!

…

"Zora!? ZORA!"

"Now, everyone," Mr. Lamont calmed the loud jabbering of the children dressed in green and blue uniform of the Ranger School on the front lawn. They all became silent and looked up to their principal with undivided attention. He cleared his throat and continued, "Today is a special day. We feel it is a good idea that if by chance you are stationed here in Almia, you may want to associate yourselves with some of its residents starting in Vientown. So, we have decided to allow you to roam the town and socialize."

"YAAY!" Many of the students cheered before murmuring amongst themselves of their excitement.

"This is so exciting!" One of the female students gushed.

"I know. We never get to leave the school!" A male student replied.

Mr. Lamont chuckled and announced to them all, "Now, be sure to have your buddy with you at all times. Go now and have fun exploring! The day's not getting any longer."

The gates of the school creaked open and even the students could hear it from a distance. At that cue, all of the students screamed out in joy as they rushed down the dirt stairs and out the gate. As soon as they did, some even slowed down to a walk and talked amongst themselves.

"I cannot believe that of all the other kids in the school, I just had to be paired with you!" A bright, platinum blonde girl shouted with a scowl on her face as she stomped down the dirt trail.

Her 'buddy', a spiky, red headed boy rolled his brown eyes and snapped as he crossed his arms, "Like I wanted to be paired up with you. It's not my fault we were the only ones without a partner."

"Hmph!" she humphed, crossing her arms in frustration. Their boots collided with the wood of the bridge going into Vientown and she said, "I sometimes cannot believe how thick in the head you are, Keith."

"And I can't even begin to tell you how sick I am of you complaining, Rhythmi," Keith replied, getting to the other side of the bridge just a step or two ahead of her. "Let's just get this done. I'm not having a day like this ruined by your mouth."

"Idiot," Rhythmi muttered under her breath.

"Crybaby," Keith mumbled taking a few, long strides ahead of the blonde girl.

"Hey, wait up!" Rhythmi called out, running to catch up.

"And we're here again, why?" Keith asked in a bored tone, sitting on the sand with his arms around his knees which sat at his chest.

Rhythmi was closer to the water as the ocean's waves pushed and pulled on the shore. Her bare feet were at the edge of where the water stopped coming in as she said, "It's a nice place to relax. Besides, it's been forever since I've been to the beach."

Keith blinked at the back of her head, "Is this the only place we'll be at today? The point of getting out was to explore more than just Nabiki Beach."

"We'll go in a few minutes," Rhythmi replied, smiling at the feeling of the cool water washing over her feet. "We don't need to be back for another few hours."

The red head sighed and shook his head, resting his chin on his arms. He lifted his head suddenly, a strange buzzing filling his hearing. It sounded a bit distant, but still kind of loud and roaring, like an engine.

"What's that?" Rhythmi looked around, also hearing the noise but not finding the source of it. "Is it a car or something?"

"Nobody's allowed to drive on the beach, Rhythmi. Not even the police," Keith retorted, standing up and looking around also. Nabiki Beach isn't exactly a large beach, but it could still take more than one glance around to find a vehicle if there ever was one.

Suddenly, the roaring became even louder for a brief second before it suddenly stopped.

"OWW!" Keith shouted, feeling a sudden weight crash down on top of him, knocking him into the sand with the weight still on top of him.

Rhythmi turned back sharply, letting out a gasp as she got to her feet. Keith winced as he sat up, the mystery weight rolling down to his lap. Shaking his head he looked down and gasped as well.

A warm lump was sprawled out across his lap. A dirty, slightly burned forest green cloak covered whatever it was.

"Did she just fall…from the sky?" Rhythmi asked, scooting forward as she slipped her socks and boots back onto her feet.

"What makes you so sure that's a girl?" Keith looked at her strangely as she pulled on the body, flipping him or her over so that he or she was facing up.

His entire face flushed as he saw it indeed was a girl, one around his and Rhythmi's age no less, that had landed on him. Obviously she was unconscious, but where the hood of her cloak fell, a short waterfall of light brown hair with the ends looking spiky brushed down just past her shoulder blades.

She wore something simple yet very strange: a skin-tight, dark blue elbow length shirt with brown sashes forming an X across her chest, little slots holding various seeds and berries along with dark blue fingerless gloves. She also wore loose black capris that hugged her knees, and last but not least was only a pair of old, white tennis shoes that appeared to be covered in black dirt. All in all, it all appeared to be some sort of casual combat uniform.

"Did you have to roll her over towards me?" Keith blushed furiously, pushing the mystery girl more away from him.

"Oh my gosh!" Rhythmi gasped, getting to her feet suddenly. "She needs help! Be right back!"

"Rhythmi!" Keith yelled out to the blonde who had already climbed up the stairs to go into Vientown. He let out a frustrated sigh as he leaned back slightly.

"Nnnngh…"

Keith's brown eyes snapped open, their attention resting on the girl's unconscious form as it shifted slightly. She winced slightly before her eyelids made an attempt to open as she dug her elbow into the sand to push herself up slightly. Swiftly at first, her cobalt blue eyes slamming shut as she put a hand over her face to block the blazing sunlight from her eyes.

"Uggh…" she softly groaned, blinking her eyes to adjust to the light. Slowly, she took her hand away from her eyes and she looked around curiously, yet with no recognition. Her gloved hand set itself not on the sand of the beach, but on Keith's pant-covered leg, which did nothing to help the fact that his face was already as red as Magikarp scales.

He felt her stiffen, her hand gripping onto his leg as she put her chin down, her cobalt orbs now focusing sharply on him, making him shift uncomfortably as he tried to find something to distract himself.

"Uh…Hi, there," he sweatdropped as he awkwardly smiled and waved to her. "Where did you come from? I don't think I've ever seen you around here-"

And just like that, the girl was up on her feet and bolted off to the other side of the beach, her cloak blowing madly in the wind. The sand beneath her feet seemed to jump away from her as her footsteps were harsh and rapid.

"Hey! Get back here!" Keith jumped to his feet and took off after her.

Now, he had to admit that he was proud to be a fast runner, but this girl, a girl who had just woken up yet didn't appear to be injured sure seemed to be even faster. If it were up to him, he would just say that she had a good head start or that he was sitting down and was shocked at the moment. Or it could have been the blood that had rushed to his face that made him dizzy, which proved to be true as he stumbled on the stairs to Breeze Hill, the dark green fabric of her cloak vanishing over the top of the steps.

The girl, however, was not dizzy in the least as she started up the second flight of stairs of the hill. She was, however, very very confused.

Where the heck am I? How did I get here? I remember meeting with Grovyle on the beach at home and then…nothing.

And, of course, there was the boy she had waken up to. A human boy. She was definitely not where her home was, otherwise she would have arrived at the Guild by now. Not to mention that besides the fact she was turned Pokemon, she was still the only human.

She shook her head at her thoughts and yelped, her tennis shoes skidding to a stop just at the edge of the cliff ending Breeze Hill. It looked to be a very long way down. Even more further up from the ocean than Sharpedo Bluff.

"Hey!"

Her brown bangs swept from her eyes as she turned to the boy with the spiky red hair slowing down and grabbed his knees as he stopped in front of her, panting harshly.

"Man you're fast! You should see me on a good day, though. I could run circles around you!" he let out a breathless laugh, straightening himself out as a smug smirk crossed his face.

The brunette gulped audibly and backed away, the pieces of dirt just at the edge falling to the ocean under her weight.

Keith quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head as he thought, What's wrong with her? Doesn't she know a joke when she hears one?

"Uh, I wouldn't want to take any more steps back if I were you," Keith said, taking a few steps forward. He instantly halted as her shocked eyes turned nearly threatening as she threw him a fierce glare, her muscles tensing and her feet planting themselves firmly on the ground.

Suddenly, the ground under her crumbled and began to plummet towards the sea. The girl's eyes widened, giving out a startled yelp as she fell down. Without thinking, she clawed her at the grass and dirt, only to slide back towards the edge. Her eyes slammed shut as she waited to crash down into the ocean.

"Got'cha!" Keith exclaimed, diving down to the ground and clinging his hand around her forearm, her hand instinctively latching onto his own forearm. "I told you not to back up!"

She looked down at the water below, then back up at him as he attempted to pull her up. Attempt, as in, he wasn't very successful.

"No good," Keith grunted, slumping back down but still keeping a firm grip on her forearm. He sighed as he looked down at the girl, "You're not much of a talker, are you?"

"You're not much of an adventurer if you can't lift me up, are you?" The girl, speaking for the first time, mocked with a smug smile.

Keith's eyes flared with indignity, "Hey! I'm plenty strong! And I wouldn't have to lift you up if you hadn't run away!"

"Oh, don't make me laugh!" she sassed in reply. "I'm sure if you were a girl waking up in a strange boy's arms, you'd run away, too. Though judging by your upper body strength, it looks like I'm not that far off."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Keith's whole face flushed a harsh shade of scarlet.

"You're the genius who scared me off and got us into this mess. You figure it out!" she snapped.

"Keith!" Rhythmi shouted, rushing up to the top of the hill and gasped as she got a look at the scene. A Pokemon Ranger stopped next to her and saw as well, he being lanky in his red uniform, like all rangers wore. He quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head, his brown afro sagging just a bit as he saw as well. A Budew skipped right next to him, also looking confused at the sight.

Both sweatdropped as Rhythmi asked, "What the heck are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just getting a good whiff of the ocean here, Rhythmi," Keith sarcastically snapped, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

The ranger arched his eyebrows and scratched his afro as he said, "You know, we have a beach right down at the bottom of the hill."

"Yeah, well you know how the stupid ones are," the girl called up, her tone sounding bored.

Keith threw her a sharp glare but said nothing. Rhythmi, the ranger, and his Budew gasped and flinched at the sound of the voice. They rushed over, becoming even more startled at the girl hanging over the edge of the cliff, not to mention how lightly she was taking it.

"Keith! I told you to watch her, not throw her over a cliff!" She scolded with arms crossed, feeling the urge to kick him while he was flat on his stomach.

"First of all, you never told me to do anything. Second, she's the one who got us here," Keith said, not even bothering to gesture to the said 'she.'

"Well, it's still no reason to throw her off a cliff, dude," the ranger laughed, kneeling down and grabbing the girl by her underarms. He grunted as he heaved her up onto solid ground once again.

"Thank you," she smiled kindly at the Ranger then threw Keith a glare. "At least someone here has some manners."

Keith narrowed his eyes at her as he huffed and got to his feet. He crossed his arms and said, "Him? Yes. You? Obviously not."

"Why you little-" the brunette girl hissed, dark blue eyes narrowed as she took a threatening step towards him.

"Hey, hey!" The Pokemon Ranger stepped between them to prevent further conflict. "No need to cause a scene. That's my job."

"Sorry if Keith did anything to offend you…uh, didn't catch a name," Rhythmi started.

The girl, having calmed down slightly, smiled at her, "It's Zora. Nice to meet you. Three of you, anyway."

Keith looked around, not getting what she meant, "There's only three of us here."

She gave him a stare that could only be a silent 'You're an idiot' as she elaborated, "I was talking about the Budew."

"Dew! Budew!" Budew cried, hopping forward in glee to know that he wasn't ignored. However, that's what the three humans heard, not what Zora had heard.

"Thank you! It's nice to meet you, Zora!" Was what the former Totodile had heard him say.

She chuckled, "Nice to meet you too, Budew."

"Where did you come from, anyway? Rhythmi here came to me with this crazy story that you fell out of the sky!" said the Pokemon Ranger.

"I dunno," Zora shrugged. "I was out cold when it happened. One minute, I was on the beach waiting for a friend of mine, next thing I know this guy's got me sprawled all over himself," she explained, jabbing a thumb at Keith.

Keith snapped at her, a deep scowl on his face and fire burning in his brown eyes. Before he had the chance to respond to her, Crawford asked,

"Well, where are you from then? I've never seen you around here before."

"Oh, I'm definitely not from around here," Zora said, still looking around for something familiar. "I was meeting a friend of mine, but I guess he's not around here."

"There's someone else? Who is he? What does he look like?" asked the Ranger, the two student Rangers looking at the strange girl shockingly.

Zora, however, shook her head, "He's not a human. He's my partner, Grovyle."

"Oh, he's your Pokemon," the Ranger rubbed his chin in realization. "Well, Grovyle are very rare around here, so if we ever spot him, you'll be the first to know. Do you have anywhere you can stay?"

Zora blinked her cobalt eyes at the four of them blankly. It was a pretty dumb question to ask her considering a) they knew she wasn't from around here and b) if she had a place to go, she would've left them the instant she gathered her bearings.

"Right, sorry. Standard question," he rubbed his hands together as he thought. And thought. And thought some more, until…

"Hey!" he snapped his fingers. "How about you two take her to the Rangers' School and keep her there until we can figure something out? I'm sure it won't be a problem with Lamont."

"Great idea!" Rhythmi beamed with a smile.

"Yeah…great…" Keith grumbled with a deep frown.

"My, that's quite a predicament you've found yourself in, Zora," Mr. Lamont murmured, though she wasn't really paying attention.

She found herself paying much more attention to her new surroundings. Of course, she had never seen anything like his office, or even anyplace like the Pokemon Ranger's School. It was all so…big. And new. And very, very confusing.

Zora sat in a chair with Rhythmi on her right and Keith on her left. Of course, another pass time aside from observing her new surroundings was glaring off with Keith. It was obvious to her that he was too arrogant for his own good and if nobody else would try to deflate his gigantic air-head, then she would have to do it herself. Assuming she would stick around, that is.

"The Pokemon Ranger said that she should stay here at the school until something gets worked out for her," Rhythmi explained further.

"Hmm. I see," Mr. Lamont tapped his fingers together as he thought. "Well, that will be no trouble at all. We would be happy to take you into our care until other arrangements can be made. Rhythmi, why don't you take her to the girl's dormitory and let her rest. I'm sure she's been through quite a lot."

Rhythmi smiled with a nod, "Sure!"

Zora blinked before slowly raising her hand, "Uh, could I ask a question?"

Mr. Lamont nodded, "I don't see why not. What is it?"

"What exactly is this place? What is it that you guys do?"

"That's two questions, genius," Keith muttered with a roll of his eyes. He grunted as Zora's elbow came into hard contact with his side.

"Now, Keith. Don't be rude to our guest," the principal then continued. "This, Zora, is the Pokemon Ranger School of Almia. This is where young children come to learn and practice to become Pokemon Rangers, Operators, and even Mechanics. Of course, it takes a lot of effort, courage, and perseverance to make the cut."

"I see," the girl nodded. "And…who exactly are those people? The Pokemon Rangers and others, I mean."

Now this caused the two children to turn to her with mixed looks. Surprise, shock, and absolute curiosity. Was she actually being serious?

"You've got to be kidding. Tell me you're joking right now!" Keith exclaimed.

"Keith, don't be rude!" Rhythmi scowled at the red-headed boy. "Don't mind him, but it's kind of hard to explain, but I bet you can find out at the library! Can I take her there, Mr. Lamont?"

"After she's had a chance to rest tonight. You can show her to the library in the morning," Mr. Lamont said with a chuckle. "You three are dismissed. Off you go, now."

So, Keith went on his own way while the two girls went up to the girl's dormitory…whatever the heck that was. As far as Zora was concerned as a Totodile (now turned human) was that a girl didn't need all that much, so why have so much space? Maybe there were just a lot of girls.

"And this is where the girls sleep," Rhythmi explained, opening a red door. Zora looked around the white, pink, and red décor. The bunk beds, the dressers, the desks, the flowers, and everything else made it small and modest, yet homey. "The bunk under mine's vacant, so you can sleep there."

"Thanks," Zora nodded as she was shown to the bed close to the window and dresser.

"So…do you want so company? Or do you want to be alone?" Rhythmi asked, fidgeting with her hands and fingers.

"If you don't mind, maybe I'd like some company later. I'd rather be alone right now, but it was nice meeting you, Rhythmi."

The platinum-haired girl smiled a bit and nodded, "Okay. Well, if you need anything, just come and find me."

When the door shut, Zora laid down on the bed, looking up at the wooden bottom of the bed above her own. She blinked her cobalt eyes and sighed deeply, mainly in boredom and with just a little bit of annoyance.

"Human, Pokemon, and human again! Will this nightmare ever end?!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up before letting them fall back down.

Sighing again, she sat back up and brought out her explorer's bag. It slipped her mind until now that she still had it, but at least now she could maybe snack on something. She wondered if Blue Gummis still tasted good to her as a human…

She suddenly smiled fondly as she brought out her Silver Bow. That was the first item she had gotten as a symbol of her status as a Pokemon explorer. Her aura matched it perfectly, so it would only increase her powers and nobody else's-

Zora gasped, her hand shooting into the bag before she brought out another bag. A small, brown bag that was all too familiar to her. It was Grovyle's. How had that gotten in there?

Out of sheer curiosity, the brunette opened the bag and reached inside. She froze and her blood ran cold as she pulled out a Time Gear. The only Time Gear in the bag.

"But…but Grovyle said he got all of them! How can there only be one?! Okay, let's see…" Zora shut her eyes and rubbed her head in thought. "I met Grovyle, he said he got the Time Gears, and…I can't remember…! It's all a blur!"

With a frustrated groan, Zora got up and walked towards the window. The sun was still high up in the sky, though it wouldn't be for much longer. The window did, however, have a good view of the ocean, though it wasn't the ocean she could see from her room in the Guild.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a mirror. Out of the sake of her own curiosity, she went up to it and examined herself.

"Huh. I don't look half bad," she smiled. "I wonder if I turned a few heads back in the future…"

NOTE: So sorry to interrupt, but there is something I want to forewarn you about with this next scene. This takes place in the future of the planet's paralysis at Temporal Tower with Primal Dialga. Now, while the hero/heroine and Grovyle is the only human/Pokemon pair, I'm making an exception with my story.

In MY story, all of the important humans and Pokemon (i.e. Primal Dialga's followers and the organization bent on saving the future) are partnered up. So, Dusknoir is going to have a human partner, whom you'll learn more about in this next scene. Okay, on with the story!

Meanwhile, in the distant future…

Darkness. That's all there was in that world. Darkness, despair, and fear. Time didn't flow, yet the creatures that lived there still were born, they aged, and then they died. That's all there was. With no hope, no beauty, or even any warmth and light, what else could they do but survive?

In Temporal Tower, Primal Dialga rumbled deep in his throat, almost sounding like a hiss in distaste. By the looks of sheer terror on both of the faces of the servants before him, he was in anything but a good mood.

A Pokemon and a human knelt before him, shaking slightly in fear yet trying to stay in their stances in respect. A Misdreavous and a girl, to be more precise. The girl had dark red hair that was tied in a braid reaching well down to her hips. She was also dressed in dark clothing, cloak and all that was currently the only protection she had. In the presence of Primal Dialga, though, there was no such thing.

"I-I understand that what I did was without consent, Master Dialga, but I assure you that I could have rid us of that meddling Zora! If not for that Grovyle of hers-"

GRRRROAR!

The girl and the Misdreavous cringed dramatically and remained silent. Primal Dialga narrowed his glowing red eyes at the two females and snarled at them before letting out something like a bark.

"Yes, Master Dialga. As you wish…"

The girl and Misdreavous slowly got up and backed away before turning away and fleeing before him. It wasn't until a few seconds after that a new duo entered his presence. Thankfully, his stronger and more…competent servants.

Dusknoir and his human, Jayden, knelt down and bowed their heads in respect.

"Master Dialga. You summoned us?"

Jayden was a boy now turning into a man, so his age obviously outdid Zora's by about four years. His hair was as black as the world he lived in with his partner and master, if not darker. It was shaggy and lightly covered over his amber-colored eyes that seemed to be able to pierce through anything, even steel. He too wore dark clothing that easily matched the dark and lifeless landscape.

Primal Dialga growled at the two, not threateningly but enough to show he was dead serious.

"Of course, Master Dialga. We have every intention to bring the fugitives back to finish their punishment, but of course it will take some time and planning," Jayden answered him.

The dictator-like Pokemon hissed out loud. Dusknoir then replied, "We understand, Master Dialga. We'll begin the preparations right away."

Primal Dialga's eerie glow then disappeared from their sight, which signaled that the meeting was over. Jayden and Dusknoir rose and turned away to prepare for their mission.

"Sirona, you little fool!" Jayden hissed, making the girl stumble back, her Misdreavous leaning against her for support. "Because of you, our mission has been put into jeopardy! You're blessed that Master Dialga hadn't slaughtered you on the spot!"

Sirona gulped, "I know…I apologize, Master Jayden, and to you, Master Dusknoir. I thought I had it well in hand-"

"Well obviously, you didn't," Dusknoir interrupted her. "Now, leave this to us before this becomes even more complicated."