Chapter 1

"Sae, you're on patrol," said Joel. The Ranger leader was assigning missions, and Sae had been half hoping something interesting would happen, just for the thrill of it.

Sae nodded, then left the building, taking care to look dutiful. The sun was warm on her face, and a slight breeze blew from the south, where the ocean was. Sae was absolutely certain that it would be a good day.

As soon as she'd thought this, out of the Ranger Base came the one person who could ruin any perfect day. Aria crossed her arms and smiled smugly. "Sae, you're on patrol?" she asked.

Sae knew it would end up being a taunt, but she couldn't help but take the bait. "Yes…"

"Well, I've been asked to go to Summerland to deliver a message to Cameron. I suppose it's apparent who Joel considers the superior Ranger, right?" said Aria. She walked away, leaving Sae no chance to answer her.

Sae couldn't stand Aria. They'd been rivals since they met, and it had only gotten worse since they'd been labeled the best Rangers in Fall City. The worst part was Aria's attitude, and she reserved that for Sae and Sae alone. Sure, she acted superior to the other Rangers, but she acted the worst whenever Sae was involved.

But Aria was gone now, and Sae could focus on the job at hand. She began her patrol, on the lookout for anyone who needed the assistance of a Ranger.

It wasn't long before she heard the cry. "Ranger, Ranger!" called a woman's voice.

Sae turned, and the woman said, "My son's Pikachu climbed the clock tower, and now my son is trying to go after it! Can you help?"

"Of course," said Sae, smiling reassuringly.

She followed the woman to the Joy Clock Tower, the landmark of the town. Sae saw the Pokémon on top. She'd need a ladder, but she could climb to get it.

But the first part was rescuing the boy, who was currently trying to rescue the Pikachu himself. The ladder he used was shaking far too violently to be safe.

"Hey," Sae called, "come down! I'll get your Pikachu."

The boy looked down and noticed Sae.

"Okay," he said, but he looked scared.

The Pikachu wasn't going anywhere. It could wait. Saving the boy was more important.

Sae grabbed the ladder. "Come on, I've got it, and I've got a steady grip."

The boy looked uncertain, but he took a step down.

"That's it! You can do it," said Sae, trying to keep a brave smile on her face despite her worry.

The boy took one more tentative step. Sae took one hand off of the ladder to get a firmer hold.

And he fell, crying out, his limbs flailing as gravity took hold on his small body. He'd turned upside down. Visions of the boy's head cracking on the hard concrete flashed through Sae's mind.

There was no time to waste. Sae ran forward. She caught the boy by his legs, heart pounding in her ears, his head inches from the ground.

Blushing, Sae set the boy on his feet. Unnecessary terror had been caused for both boy and mother, all because she'd let go. The incident wouldn't leave her head. The shift of weight from hand to hand, the sudden lightness of the ladder, the adrenaline pushing her to stop imminent tragedy…it was all too much.

To redeem herself, Sae climbed the ladder, retrieving the Pokémon as fast as she could. When she returned to the ground, she couldn't help but notice the spectators gathered around. There weren't many, only a few, but a few could gossip. Gossip was a nasty little thing with bad situations. It could turn a few into some, then into many. If the gossip reached Joel, then Sae would lose the favor she worked so hard to maintain.

The boy's mother thanked Sae, the boy too dazed by his near-death experience to notice her. Was it just her imagination, or did they look less than grateful? Could the mother really be rushing her son away?

She continued patrol, anxious. Everyone seemed to be glaring at her, but how could they have heard so fast? Didn't it take some time for news to spread? Could it really take only a matter of seconds?

A small commotion by the fountain shook Sae away from her thoughts. It took a moment, but Sae realized that it was Spenser, the Ringtown Ranger leader, and another Ringtown Ranger, a girl, young, confused, and obviously new. Between them circled an irate Hondour and a Plusle, scared and running from the biting Hondour.

Sae watched, vaguely interested, as Spenser pulled out his Capture Styler. It was the device all Rangers used for the purpose of transferring calming emotions from the Ranger to the Pokémon. But he didn't capture the Hondour right away. He was talking to the other Ranger, possibly instructing her as he pressed the button to release the capture wand. He flicked the wand at the Hondour, and the Capture Disc flew toward it. A few more moments of Spenser's speaking, and then he began the real capture.

To capture a Pokémon, a Ranger had to rotate their arm, encircling the Pokémon inside the loop with the Capture Disc. A loop would appear around the Pokémon, then would become white, opaque. If looped sufficiently, the Ranger would yank the Styler backwards, making the white circle close. This would allow the capture to be completed, and the Pokémon would be calmed.

Spenser did it differently for the purpose of the tutorial. He circled the Pokémon only once before yanking backward, something that worked rarely, on certain Pokémon. The Hondour wasn't one of them. It broke out, unhappier than before.

He circled it again. The Hondour seemed irritated, walking into the strange ring around it. The circle broke, as Spenser intended. Sae wondered how long it was going to take to capture this Pokémon.

The capture began again, and Spenser looped once. The Hondour, still angry, decided to attack. It spit fire, a ball of flames speeding straight to the circle.

BOOM! The circle exploded. As customary in captures, the fire never reached outside of the loop, although Spenser's styler fizzled slightly in shock.

All part of the plan, it seemed. Spenser ended his tutorial session by brandishing his Styler and making quick work of the capture. The next step was to use an ability of the Pokémon or release it into the wild. Without a need to use the Pokémon's ability, Spenser released it.

Next, it was the new Ranger's turn. Focusing on the Plusle, she shouted "Capture on!" It was the command to activate the Styler, the one Rangers usually used. Hers was too loud, too enthusiastic, and she sounded nervous, but it worked. The capture wand extended. She stared at the Plusle, flicking the Capture wand too hard. But when she began the loops, she was a natural. The loops were quick and efficient, and the yank was timed properly. It was impressive.

The Ranger appeared genuinely shocked at her success. Sae wanted to congratulate her, but Spenser continued to speak. He guided her through the process of release, really simply a vocal command, and she released the Plusle.

Spenser looked to the sky, calling for his partner Pokémon. And it arrived, a Fearow swooping down, magnificent. So they were flying back to Ringtown? Clearly, since the new girl grabbed on to Spenser. She looked awkward. Seconds before they were whisked away, Sae spotted the Plusle grab onto the girl's leg.

And they were gone. Sae returned to patrol, the only spectator to the first capture of one of the greatest Rangers who would ever live in Fiore, a skip in her step as she walked and all her embarrassment forgotten.