Okay , Part 1 of Pokemon Ranger: Ultimate Betrayal is here. Takes place somewhere after the end of Shadows of Almia. And to hopefully prevent any confusion, Mia is basically the female player character for the game only with longer hair in a ponytail. So as always, I do not own Pokemon or Pokemon Ranger, any of the characters likely to be found herein, or any of the places. ENJOY!
My name is Keith, I'm a Pokemon Ranger, a Top Ranger at the Almia HQ, and today is officially the worst day of my life.
Everything started out okay, a new mission with Mia, she's one of my best friends and a fellow Top Ranger at the Almia HQ. When we arrived at the mission site, everything took a turn for the worst. First Mia and I were separated, then I get captured by Heith (a former member of Team Dim Sun. This is actually the second time he's caught me while I was on a mission. I'm starting to really dislike him.) and now I'm being held captive by a guy who could have passed for Heith's twin, on the top of a mountain, which gives a lovely view of a fog shrouded forest a couple hundred miles down, with no way of contacting Mia or HQ. All in all, the situation sucks.
An evil cackling fills my ears, so I'm assuming that the guy whose employing Heith and the guy holding me captive has finally decided to show his face, you'll have to excuse my lack of enthusiasm, I don't really like the thought of dieing, being held for ransom (for a second time in as many years), or being thrown from a mountain (well, actually it's an extinct volcano, but who wants these details when they're quite possibly, alright, most likely, going to die?) almost certainly to my death.
My suspicions' are confirmed a moment later as a man in his late thirties with chestnut coloured hair and Sapphire eyes walks out of a cave opposite me. If it weren't for the positively evil aura that surrounded him, I'd bet my next pay check that he was related to Mia.
Buizel, my partner Pokemon, is making what passes as growling noises somewhere to my left, I can't say where exactly since the guy holding me captive is holding the back of my neck with one of his hands and the other has both my arms behind my back in a distinctly uncomfortable position, hence why I can't contact Mia or HQ. I'm actually somewhat surprised that Mia hasn't tried to contact me yet, but I guess she's either run into a whole lot of trouble (which wouldn't surprise me in the least), or she's found our objective and is doing what our mission dictates (this wouldn't surprise me either), either way my chances of being rescued are anywhere between slight and non-existent.
A second evil cackle drew my attention back to the man who had employed the two semi-giants behind me. "Well now, it seems that out intruders were little more than a couple of rats."
My jaw clenched at the insult, I'd been called a lot of things since I began working as a Ranger (Idiot, Moron, Kid, Rookie) but rat was a new one. And Buizel was obviously just as irritated by the insult.
A derisive snort came from a cave behind me. "I wouldn't say that your intruders were 'a couple of rats'. After all 'a couple' indicates two and I know for a fact that there were four that entered your little hideout, Andrew."
I could feel my eyes blinking rapidly as I recognised the voice that had spoken, It was undoubtedly Mia. I couldn't quite hide the relieved sigh that escaped me at the realisation that my friend had, once again, come to rescue me.
Heith was making quiet complaints, at least I assume they're complaints from his tone of voice, since he's speaking a langue that I don't understand. Whatever he's saying is cut off by a vicious hand gesture from the man (Mia had called him Andrew). Sapphire eyes were narrowed as he searched the darkness of the caves behind me, and for a moment I feel fear creep through me for my friend. As another snort, this one more amused than the first, carries from a cave across from me, I let out another sigh of relief, knowing that my friend is simply trying to confuse the three men that are gathered around me. Mia's tactic certainly seems to be working, since I've been released and have managed to make my way quietly to the mouth of one of the caves off to the left (The opposite direction is the cliff face for this level). Buizel, ever loyal, is at my side every step of the way.
A hand settles itself over my mouth as a familiar Starly fluttered right in front of my face. I send a half hearted glare over my shoulder at my friend, she's smirking slightly, and wait for her to remove the hand from my mouth. She does so while smiling, before slipping into the shadows and giggling from another cave. Buizel and I glance questioningly at Starly, whose landed on a rock near where Mia had vanished, the small bird Pokemon twitters quietly as it hops around on the large hunk of minerals, shaking it's downy head happily.
Rolling my eyes at the small bird Pokemon's antics I return my attention to what's happening out on the main plateau. Heith and the other large man are running in the direction of one of the cave entrances while Andrew is yelling at their retreating backs, his eyes skittering around each of the caves. As his blue eyes settle on the cave that I'm standing in I still, feeling more than seeing Starly and Buizel doing the same. Only after his eyes have moved onto the next cave do I let out a relieved sigh.
Andrew growls from where he stands on the flat area of the volcano. "I know you're there, Amelia. Come out and play, little sister."
I feel my brown eyes blink slowly at his words as my jaw falls open silently. Amelia? Little sister? Starly trills softly before taking wing and soaring out of the cave, fluttering to a halt on Mia's outstretched arm as she walks out to where Andrew stands.
An evil cackle, obviously Andrew's, floated through the air. "It has been a long time, no?" He questions.
"Not nearly long enough." She spits back, sending a meaningful glance in my direction. I quickly shake my head, knowing what she was telling me to do. I wasn't going to leave my best friend here alone with this madman when she looked so scared, the terror in her eyes wasn't exactly well hidden.
They were speaking to each other too quietly for me to hear now, edging slowly towards the edge of the cliff face, I hope Mia knows what she's doing. A violent rumble is emitted from the mountain, my eyes fly wide open as Mia moves like lightning, knocking Andrew's feet out from under him, sending them both toppling down the cliff face. I'm snapped out of my shock by the continued rumbling of the volcano, I sure hope that doesn't mean what I think it does, but I'm pretty sure from Buizel's reaction that it does.
Collecting my partner Pokemon into my arms, I sprint down the tunnel that I'm in for the lower plateau were the Staraptor should still be waiting for me and Mia. "Lets go!" I shout, jumping onto the back of one of the large bird Pokemon, using my capture styler to bring the other into the air with us, I couldn't allow it to remain their, waiting for someone who wouldn't be able to return to it.
My communicator beeps insistently a few minutes later as I circle the volcano, searching for any sign of Mia or her Starly, I activate the device in annoyance, barely stopping myself from bitting the head off whoever was on the other end. "What?" I bite out.
"What's happening out there, Keith? We can't find Mia's signal." I recognised that voice, it was chairperson Erma.
"The volcano erupted just after I got out of the tunnels. Mia was thrown over the side of the plateau we were on along with a man she called Andrew. Heith and some other guy were here too, but they scattered when Mia made her presence known. I'm doing a fly over to see if I can find Mia now." I informed my boss.
There was muttering on the other end of the small device as Erma spoke with one of the operators and someone that sounded like Isaac. "Finish your fly over, but if you don't find anything I want you back here, Keith, understand?" Erma instructed.
I wanted to argue but I knew that it wouldn't do me much good and the chances of Mia surviving the fall were slim to none, and Erma knew it as well as I did. I grumbled an agreement to my superior and closed my communicator, not wanting to be interrupted before I got back to HQ or I found Mia.
Staraptor gave a short trill of concern as I slumped against the large birds back. "She's gone." I whisper sorrowfully, Buizel squeaked and purred as he wound around me carefully in comfort, making sure not to fall off of the back of the Pokemon we were sitting on. As I directed Staraptor to fly back towards HQ I almost missed the red fabric, changing the direction that we were flying, I carefully took the fabric from the tree branch it had been caught on. It was Mia's Ranger jacket, her name and rank stitched carefully on each sleave. I held the torn fabric to me closely and did a thorough check of the area, there was only the torn jacket and a standard pack that all Rangers carried on missions this far from bases. Inside the bag were the normal items, rations, spare uniforms, blankets, but sitting carefully nestled in the side pocket of the bag, was a file that contained several pieces of paper and a disk in a very solid looking case.
My head hung low as I remounted my transport and we took to the skies again. Once we arrived at HQ I released both Staraptor and made my way up to the briefing room, my bag over my shoulder, Buizel at my heels and Mia's bag and jacket held firmly in my arms. Hastings, Erma, Isaac, Rythmi and my fellow Top Rangers were already waiting for me there. None of them said anything as I walked into the room, they could probably guess how the mission had gone from my expression and the way Buizel was sticking so close to me, he'd usually sit calmly in the corner of the room unless I asked him to do otherwise.
Once I reached the others I handed the bag and jacket in my arms to Hastings silently. He took them with a silent nod.
"The documents are in the side pocket along with a disk." My voice was strained and cracked as I attempted to prevent the tears that had welled in my eyes from falling, I was only halfway succeeding. I remained silent for the rest of the meeting.