Hello, and welcome to my first story! I'm not asking you to go easy on the critiquing just because I'm new. I'm actually asking you to be harder on me, so I can get better. So if my story's terrible, tell me! I'll try and make it better.
Thank you for clicking on this link, and now, without further ado... Let The Adventure Begin!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or anything related to that!
Part One: The World Needs Heroes
"We thank once again the hero of our city, Ranger Rex Kenzington and his partner Almos, for rescuing our city once again from the devastating flood." The mayor concluded the speech, folding the paper back and stepping down from the podium. Rex Kenzington was leaning against city hall, and waved his hand to acknowledge the crowd. The Zoroark next to him tipped his signature top-hat and winked, causing many female Pokemon to faint.
"Come on, Boss, be happy! They're all ch-ch-cheering for you," Almos whispered, nudging the half-asleep ranger. Sometimes his partner could be so inconsiderate, especially with other people and crowds. A Zoroark couldn't talk normally, but thanks to the mechanics back at the Ranger's Union, they had developed a Pokemon-translator. It took the form of a silver collar around Almos' neck, and let out soft 'bleeps' and 'bloops' occasionally. It was only a prototype though, and glitched up often, hence the 'ch-ch-cheering' By now, most of the crowd had dispersed leaving the Ranger and his partner alone in the shade.
"I would be more enthusiastic, if someone didn't wake me up at four in the morning to go train!" He closed his eyes and yawned, wishing to be snuggled up under the covers right about now. It was seven o'clock, and Rex was extremely tired. Not to mention, the minute his partner let him rest he got a call to save the town from a flood. He swore, these people couldn't keep themselves out of trouble for one minute! But it was doing deeds like this with ease that earned him the title, "Top Ranger"
"Excuse me for trying to keep you in s-s-shape!" Almos growled, folding his arms. 'A top ranger has to be ready for anything', was Almos' philosophy. Sadly, 'anything' for Rex meant doing obscure drills really early in the morning with little to no warning. Rex stuck his tongue out at the Zoroark. Almos huffed and turned away. Almos hated when his partner was mad at him, and Rex could see that.
"How about this? We go get coffee, whatever you'd like, and then I'll forgive you," Rex bribed, trying to make it up to his partner. "My treat." Almos adored coffee, but he only liked the fancy brands, which were hard to come by and were often expensive for the meager salary that the Ranger's got. After all, they were helping their Region and that is almost like community service, as the Ranger company doesn't get paid for that. Sometimes a Ranger would get money as a reward for doing a quest, but that was rare.
"As good as that sounds, you're not allowed c-coffee. You're o-only fifteen," Almos refused, shaking his head.
"Awwwwwwh! That's not fair," Rex whined, sticking his tongue out like a toddler. As old as he was, Rex still acted like a little kid. But when it came down to business, he could be pretty professional and stop a pack of Tauros without breaking a sweat.
"Life's not fair. G-get a grip," Almos deadpanned.
"Fine, Mom." Rex mocked. Almos was sort of a helicopter parent to Rex. Since Rex worked so far away from his family, Almos took on the parent roll. Almos usually felt that Rex was his responsibility, and that annoyed the boy to wits end.
"Why don't we get a bagel instead?" Rex offered, his stomach growling. Breakfast had been out of the question when a town was in peril. "I'll pay!"
"Fine by me-e," Almos responded. A bagel was a healthy-ish food choice, and one of the Zoroark's favorite. Suddenly, instead of the Fox Pokemon beside Rex, there was a short, blue-haired boy wearing a top hat. The translator took the form of a bracelet around his wrist. The blue haired boy smiled. Almos preferred his human form to any other, and pulled down his top hat with a satisfied smirk. "Let's go!"
Just as the two were sitting down in a quaint restaurant with their bagels, Rex's phone bleeped out it's "Mission Impossible theme" ring tone. "Damnit." Rex cursed, seeing that it was the Boss that was calling. He knew immediately that it was bad news. The Boss never called him, unless an emergency. "Breakfast is gonna have to wait."
"Hello Rex. I trust that the job went well?" The Boss said, kicking his feet up on the desk. He was young, maybe in his twenties, but already had some gray hair. It was all the stress of the job. Rangers were looked upon to solve the world's problems, after all, and he led the organization. After crime gangs started stirring up in Kanto, Rangers had been assigned to all other regions to stop them. It worked well... up until the Monochrome Incident.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cut the crap. Why'd you call me? I'll let you know that I'm enjoying a perfectly good bagel right now." The Boss could hear Rex's irritation through the phone.
"Always one to the point, aren't you boy?" The Boss laughed. "But, we're talking serious business now. No more jokes."
"Fine. Now, what do you need me to do for you this time?" Rex guessed mockingly, "Stop a hoard of Mewthrees attacking the secret space station?" He laughed, even though it wasn't all that funny.
"Hahah, no. You're stopping Team Plasma this time."
Rex's laughter abruptly ended. "Wait, what?! But, aren't they the new Unovian Government? How am I supposed to take down a government?! Are you joking?"
"Rex, I never joke," The boss stated flatly. "And it's simple. You're Rex Kenzington, Top Ranger and hero in all of Almia." Rex snorted, and the Boss sighed. "Now boy, I'm not saying this will be an easy mission-"
"No shit sherlock."
"Don't interrupt me," The Boss chided, his tone suddenly deadly. He vaguely heard Almos scolding Rex as well. "But it is a necessity. We've gotten reports that Team Plasma is going to try and take over the other regions. We need you to stop it."
"But how am I supposed to hide Almos?! He's illegal property! Captive Pokemon are outlawed there, you know."
"He's got that translator, right? And he can transform into a human, right?" The Boss sat up in his desk, drumming his fingers. Rex could be so ignorant.
"Right, but it malfunctions and-"
"Just say he's got a stutter, and you'll be fine." Really, this kid could be an idiot. But, there was a reason why the Boss requested him specifically for this job. Rex did the impossible, and it was an impossible task at hand. "No other rangers will be joining you for this mission, as it would attract too much attention. Travel costs such as food and housing will be provided."
"That's all fine and dandy. But, how exactly am I supposed to get to Unova. Travel there is exclusive, remember? And Rangers are certainly not allowed in."
"True, true. But not unless you're taking a quest," The boss added slyly.
"Huh?"
"For a part of your mission, you will be accompanied by a girl named Lena Shock. Her parents are Pokemon professors form the Kanto region, and sent Miss Shock to deliver something to a close friend of theirs. While she's traveling around Unova, she'll need bodyguards. That's where you come in. You'll serve as her bodyguards for the remainder of the trip, and when the job is done and Lena goes back to Kanto, you will take down Team Plasma. There are several Team Plasma Headquarters scattered around Unova. That might be a good place to start."
"Oh come on! I don't want to babysit some-"
"The plane tickets will be provided by the Shocks, and no one will know who you and Almos are."
"But with no help?! It's im-"
"Rex. That's why I chose you for the mission. You do the impossible." The Boss was practically begging the boy. He was the only one who could do it, and even though he was immature, he could what most of the Rangers here couldn't. "Rex, you get a chance to go home, and see your mother! Unova's changed, but I'm sure your mother's still as kind as she was last year."
"Still-"
"The reward is 23.5 million Poke-dollars."
"Almos, Road trip!"
Three months ago...
"We bring you grave news here at Pokemon News Station," The reporter started, her mouth pursed into a tight line and her hair frazzled. She was standing in front of the Pokemon League in Unova. The building appeared to have a castle around it, and was crumbling a bit. Part of the castle appeared to be on fire! A redheaded girl sat with her parents on the couch, hanging onto every word the reporter said.
"It appears that- EEK!" Two men in light-blue uniforms pushed the reporter out of the way. A man, and a boy, a few years older than the girl watching the news report, took the reporter's place. One was wearing a intricate robe with eye-like designs, and a red sort of eye patch over one eye. The boy had green hair, like the man, and normal-ish clothes. He had a puzzle-cube type thing hanging from his belt. Both of them commanded the area with quiet authority.
The older man started, "Hello. I am Ghetsis, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma. Team Plasma has just defeated the champion and we are now announcing our rule over Unova."
Right about now, a big crowd had gathered, to see what was going on. At that statement, many of them shrieked and cried out in fear or puzzlement. The girl sitting on the couch leaned in, her gray eyes widening.
The man, Ghetsis, smirked at their reactions. "And. since we now rule Unova, We will proceed with our plan to liberate the pokemon from their cruel trainers. We are now giving the order for all residents of Unova to release their pokemon."
At that, the girl slammed her hands down on the coffee table, standing up in fury. "What?! He can't do that!"
"If you do not comply, you will be sentenced to prison." More shrieks from the crowd. At that, a police officer shoved his way through the crowd, looking furious. He was the chief of police in Unova, and a very powerful man at that. He had received several reports about Team Plasma and stopped them a few times, but he never believed it would come to this. And he was going to try and stop it again.
"Now see here, Ghetsis or whatever your name is. What power do you have over us? Just what makes you think you can barge in here and take over?" The crowd murmured in agreement, and the Chief of Police crossed his hands over his chest and smirked.
"What power, you say? Please show them." Ghetsis turned to the stoic green-haired boy beside him, a smirk playing on his lips. The boy nodded, taking a pokeball out and tossing it up.
A giant black dragon materialized in front of them. It looked battle worn, but let out a furious cry that sent most of the bystanders running.
"You see, this boy is the chosen hero of Zekrom, and Unova's new King," Ghetsis continued. The police officer gaped at the powerful dragon, trembling in fear. He slowly bowed his head, admitting defeat.
"You will receive a detailed report of the new government system later. For now, captive pokemon are illegal, and so is contact with wild pokemon. Anyone who tries to oppose us will be hunted down. Good day to you all."
The green haired man walked away, and one of the men in blue armor blocked the screen out with his hand. The girl could hear the confused murmurs of the people, before the TV turned to static, ending the broadcast. The girl and both her parents gaped at the TV, still trying to process the monumental information.
The girl was the first to break the silence, "...What the hell?"
"She's l-late..." Almos tapped his foot impatiently. "Our client is late. This is u-unacceptable." If there's one thing Almos couldn't stand, it was people who were late. The two were standing in a small park in Nuvema town. Both were extremely tired from the flight there. The jet lag and Almos' 'no coffee' rule didn't help either.
"Relax," Rex replied, resting against a tree, his eyes closed, "She'll come eventually. And if not, we're already here. We can just leave and be on our merry way." Rex didn't want to take this mission, but the 23.5 million Pokedollars was enough to make him drool at the mere thought. And anyways, he wouldn't like deceiving his client and lying about who he was. He was a honest boy and wouldn't like just ditching his client if she didn't show.
"But she's our c-cover! People will be wary of two boys from the Almia r-region and one that looks almost exactly like the Top Ranger Rex!" The blue-haired boy hissed, taking off his top-hat and twirling it around impatiently.
He turned to face Rex, and was momentarily shocked by the boy's new hair and eyes, before remembering that he had changed them as a disguise. Rex had dyed his blond hair to be a nice strawberry red color, and put in green contacts.
"I s-still can't get used to you with red hair and green eyes. It's t-too... unnatural," Almos said, biting his lip and studying his partner.
"And I'm not used to you as a human," Rex deadpanned, staring off into the distance. Rex usually was used to a Zoroark beside him, not some strange blue-haired boy, as much as Almos liked to masquerade as one. Luckily, Almos had kept his signature top hat which helped a lot in recognizing his partner.
"I'm tirrreeedd Almos!" Rex suddenly whined. "Where's our client? She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, riiiight?"
Almos nodded, "C-correct. And we were supposed to meet right her-"
"YOLO BITCHES!" A horrifyingly loud scream wrenched its way through the clearing. A few people who were taking walks in the park jumped, looking in the directions of the scream, and a flock of pidove took off in fright.
"What was that?!" Almos demanded, jumping up and glancing around. A bluish human shape suddenly flew down from one of the trees, before swinging back up to a different tree, screaming at the top of it's lungs. Rex recognized the shape to be a human girl, maybe about thirteen or fourteen with spiky red hair in a messy ponytail.
"I LOVE UNOVA!" The girl exclaimed, tossing away the vine the had been swinging on before grabbing onto another. She lept down off the branch she had been standing on, and let out a shrill scream of excitement as she swung through the trees. Vines grew all around Unova, and had a reputation for being extremely fun for young kids to swing on. It took practice, though. But the girl didn't seem to care that she was one slip up away from kissing the dirt every time. "WOOOHOOO!"
"That's so cool! I remember when I used to swing on those." Rex remarked nodding his head and watching the girl swing from vine to vine clumsily. He made a mental note to try that again, and see if he was just as good as when he was a kid. "Wait..." He noticed something about the girl's vine. It looked as if it was... getting thinner around the top, and fraying. It was breaking!
"Hey, lady! Watch out!" He panicked, running towards the girl on the vine.
She turned to look at him, "What-AHH!" The vine snapped, throwing the girl hard against a nearby tree. With a screech, her face met good solid wood.
SLAM!
For a moment there, both boys stood in shock, before Rex took off towards the girl on the ground, Almos right behind him. As Rangers, they both knew first aid, but neither of them were very good with it. "Oh Arceus, please don't be dead. There were no witnesses to see that it wasn't our fault! Please don't be dead..." Rex prayed. One false accusation would get them a one-way ticket back to Almia, and no reward money.
As he got closer, he could see that she was lying on her side with a bloody nose and a large cut on the side of her head. He quickly checked her pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he could feel a steady beat. Luckily, it didn't look like anything was broken or any major injuries.
"She's not in critical c-condition..." Almos assessed, looking her over, "Lucky kid, that tree could have k-killed her." When Rex did nothing, Almos turned to face him, elbowing him in the gut. "She'll still n-n-need some medical help, so pick her up and let's bring her to the PC!"
Rex stuck his tongue out at Almos, struggling to pick the girl up bridal style. He eventually just flung her over his shoulder and grunted. "Ugh... Where's the nearest PC?"
"Accumula town, just a bit farther up Route One. Let's get moving." Carrying the girl was a challenge for Rex. Arcues, what had she been eating! Luckily, route one wasn't very long, and they made it to the Pokemon Center in record time, to Rex's relief.
"H-hey? Miss... Are you a-alright?" Almos said to the girl lying on the couch. They were in a fairly small room in the Pokecenter. The two were both really shocked when they figured out that it let people just stay the night for free, with free meals! The Pokemon Center used to be for traveling trainers, but now the it was just a motel for sightseers, and if a wild pokemon was hurt.
"Relax, the weird nurse-lady said she'd wake up soon." Rex sat on the chair next to the couch. Nurse Joy had wrapped the girl's head in bandages, and said something about her getting some sleep. So they rented a room (For free!) and dumped the mystery girl on the couch, as they had no idea who she was. They found no ID or trainer cards on the girl, just an old blimp ticket and some money. So, all they can do it wait.
"Yeah, I don't trust someone who has that many 'sisters'." Almos retorted, turning his attention back to the girl. She had short, frazzled orange hair in a messy ponytail, and lots of freckles across her nose. She seemed about fourteen, maybe thirteen, and was wearing a blue sweater with white ribbons on it. The sweater was much too big for her and covered her hands completely. Her head was bandaged from her fall but she also had lots of old bruises and cuts covering her legs.
"Nnnnnnnggggggugh..." A low moan escaped her lips. The girl turned her head to face the wall, gray eyes fluttering open.
"Hey! She's awake," Almos exclaimed, motioning for Rex to come over. "Hey... Are you OK? You t-took a bit of a fall when you crashed into that tr-ree." He spoke in a quiet, soothing tone, despite the stuttering, and smiled kindly.
Rex walked over to the couch. "Hi, you're in the Pokecenter right now." The girl didn't respond, but tugged at the bandages on her head. "Your head's going to be A-OK, don't worry." He assured the girl, smiling.
Gray eyes stared weakly back, assessing two waited for her response patiently. Most people after recovering from an injury talked softly and slowly, and had to process everything before. Most were in shock if they were young.
"That... was... AWESOME!" The girl exclaimed loudly, sitting up. "This region is so cool! Did you see those vines?! I could swing on them like it was nothing! Well, up until the part that it broke... but it was still cool!"
Both Rex and Almos stared in shock at the girl, who seemed like she'd just had three cups of coffee. They had been around a lot of people recovering from the hospital, and none of them have acted like this.
"Yeah, it looked like fun!" Rex said enthusiastically, before being elbowed in the gut by Almos. "But you just slammed into a tree, and it looked like it hurt, are you sure you're OK?."
"Yep! For a minute there, I felt like a pidgey, flying high in the sky," She exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the couch while grinning like a maniac. Rex smiled at her, while Almos sweat-dropped. Maybe she hit her head a bit too hard? An awkward silence ensued, the two staring at the girl.
"So... w-what's your name?" Almos offered, breaking the silence.
"Lena Shock," She answered. The two glanced at each other, their mouths dropping open. She couldn't be Lena Shock... Lena Shock was the name of their client. The one they had to guide around Unova and act as bodyguards for.
"Yep, I'm Lena, and you must be Ryan and Almos! You guys are my human shields, right?" The two sweat dropped.
"Yeah, I'm Rex and this is Almos... But how did you know who we were?" He emphasized his name, but the girl didn't seem to notice her mistake and just shrugged.
"Mom and Dad told me that you looked official. You look official. So, I just sort of guessed. And I guess I'm right then!" She smiled, and jumped up, skipping over to the door and opening it with a loud 'bang!'. She turned to face them impatiently. "Today, ladies! Let's get moving. There's a whole region to explore, and I'm ready!"
The two boys stared, but slowly followed her out of the room. As she blabbered on about something both of them really didn't care for, Rex rolled his eyes and face-palmed, already annoyed.
It was defiantly the start of a great adventure.
So... is it too long? Too short? Please, I live off your critiquing!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Bye bye! See you next time!
~Miss Optimism