Back at base, all of the other rangers were glad to see Solana had already gotten her partner pokémon. They were so preoccupied that they didn't notice an old man hobble into ranger base until he spoke up.
"Oh, confound it all! I became disoriented in that wretched Lyra forest yet again!"
"Professor Hastings! It's great to see you!" Spenser exclaimed, rushing to the door to help him inside.
"Spenser, long time, no see! I trust you've been well?" the man answered. "Oh, and who is this unfamiliar face? Is this the new ranger you've been telling me about?"
"Yes, Professor. This is Solana, the new rookie." They shook hands. "Also, professor, I wanted to talk to you about the super styler you left with us…"
"Oh, yes, that. I had a brilliant idea, and I couldn't wait to share it with you, so I came all the way from Fall City by foot. Here, we'll discuss it upstairs."
"Yes, of course," Spencer replied. He turned to Solana, Murph, and me. "Wait here. I'll be back in a moment." Spenser and Professor Hastings scooted into the elevator and began to chatter in low voices before the doors even closed.
"The super what?" Solana asked, looking at us. Murph and I shrugged. I had never heard of the thing, but it sounded important.
"They keep us in the dark about anything important," Murph replied.
"So that means most things," I added. Solana smiled.
"So Spencer doesn't really like either of you, does he?"
"No," Murph scoffed. "Although, I think it's more pity towards me. Lunick is actually competent, Spencer just hates him."
"Murph-"
"Don't try to deny it. I know you're much better than me. You may get 'patrol the town until it gets dark' grunt work, but I get 'sort papers' and 'clean the bathrooms' grunt work. Maybe Spencer is afraid I'll hurt myself." He laughed. "Though, honestly, he's probably right.
We chatted lightheartedly until they returned back downstairs. Spenser called attention and we all lined up.
"Okay, rangers, this is what is going to happen. Murph, you are going to patrol around town. I'm going to the capture game outside of town with Solana to train. Lunick will escort the professor back to Fall City. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir!" we all replied. I was less than enthralled. Murph and I get the regular, monotonous jobs while Solana gets one-on-one personal training with the leader? I felt even lower than I did before. I glanced at Solana and she gave me a look of sympathy.
We all grabbed a bite to eat and headed into town together. It was a mild day, and the sun warmed our faces. The breeze was sweet with the smell of flowers. The three of us walking together—it felt right. I had only known Solana for a few hours, but we already felt close. Being with a group of friends was a happy, high feeling that I rarely experienced.
"Oh boy! Can you believe it?" Murph exclaimed with insincere enthusiasm. "I get to patrol the town! How exciting! They actually let me out of the building! What adventures do you think I'll have? Maybe, um, nothing?"
"Nah, couldn't be. Nothing happened yesterday," I replied, matching his tone to continue the banter.
"Or the day before that."
"Or last week."
"Or ever."
"For our entire lives." Solana was struggling to keep in the giggles. It felt good to see her laugh, like I had accomplished something, anything of worth, even if it was just making someone smile. It was bittersweet when we had to part. Solana was on her way to becoming one of the top rangers of our generation, while I was escorting a grumpy old man through the woods.
I knew the paths of Lyra forest by heart. I had played in the forest with Murph since before I could remember. I knew enough shortcuts that we could've made it to Krokka tunnel in record time, but the professor insisted on taking the main road. Of course there were several roadblocks and various Pokémon on the road that kept distracting the professor and delaying our trip. His jaw was unhinged the whole time, spewing endless factoids and advice for being a better ranger, like I hadn't been doing this for three years already. Yes, I know what a combusken is. Yes, I did a target clear this morning. Yes, I know how to recharge my styler with an electric Pokémon, I'm not a child, Arceus Christ would you shut up! It felt like hours had passed by the time we got to the caves.
Krokka tunnel had a somewhat dangerous feel to it. Rickety wooden beams held up the walls, and daunting pokémon scuttled around in the shadows. But as a ranger, I naturally wasn't afraid. I had been down this way many times before, and I knew all the twists and turns. But, of course, Professor Hastings saw a rare pokémon and rushed ahead, chattering the whole time. I stayed back a ways and rested for a bit, which was my first mistake.
As the ground began to shake, a feeling of dread rose in me. Pokémon ran away in fear as the ceiling fell in with a deafening thunder. I reeled back to dodge the falling rocks, scraping my elbows on the rough ground. When the dust settled, there was a mountain of rocks separating me from the professor.
"Professor! Are you alright?" I called over the pile of rocks, praying he could hear me.
"Who are you people? Stay away from me!" I heard him shouting.
"Grab him!"
"Find the super styler!"
Even from the other side of a mound of rocks, I knew professor Hastings was in trouble. I could hear the unseen assailants beating him and the professor crying for help. Panicking, I looked for another way around. I saw a small, wooden fence blocking a side cave — probably a way around. Normally, you might've needed to use a weak target clear to get through it, but I instead jumped over/knocked it down in my rush. Sprinting through the passageways, I could hear the fight echoing through the tunnels and knew I was going in the right direction.
I finally emerged on the other side of the collapsed ceiling to in time to see two menacingly dressed people fleeing the scene. I only got a glimpse of them, but they seemed to have dark, matching uniforms. One held the professor's package in their arms, and they ran off towards Fall City, leaving the bloodied body of Professor Hastings on the ground.
"Hey! Stop!" I shouted, running after them.
"Oh, look! A little ranger!" one of them laughed.
"Don't worry, I've got it covered," the other replied.
They fished a remote out of their pocket and pressed a button on it. The ground began to shake again, and I stopped. The professor! What if the rocks fall on him? I turned around and ran back, and just in time. The rocks were actually situated directly over me, and if I hadn't run for the professor I would've been crushed. I dove to the ground as rocks fell around me, covering my head and squeezing my eyes shut. Finally, the rumbling stopped and rocks stopped falling.
"Lunick? Where are you?" Professor Hastings coughed weakly. I looked up. It was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. The horror of being buried alive and having limited oxygen struck me, and I knew this was no time to be paralyzed with fear.
"Professor, stay where you are!" I called, struggling to keep my voice from cracking. I pulled my styler out of my pocket and flipped the capture top out, using the glow to see. The air was earthy and heavy with dust, making it even darker than usual. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust before I saw the huddled body of the professor, a little dusty, but not crushed underneath any rocks. I rushed to him to see what kind of a condition he was in, but then I heard a tremendous, earth-shaking roar. I aimed the light towards the noise to reveal a gigantic rhydon crawling down the pile of rocks.
"The cave-in must've agitated it!" Professor Hastings cried. "Quick, calm it down!"
For the record, up to that point, I had only ever captured tiny pokémon in Lyra forest. This monster took up a greater part of the entire cavern that we were trapped in. I made a timid attempt at drawing a circle around the beast, but it destroyed the capture line immediately. I had no pokémon with me to use a poké assist. So I did the thing rangers do best; I communicated my feelings to it. It's not uncommon for a ranger to have an internal dialogue with a Pokémon while they are capturing it. Whether or not it had any effect was still in question, but it made me feel like I was making a better connection.
Rhydon, listen. I drew loop around it. It snapped at the capture line and I scribbled it away. I know you're scared. I'm pretty freaked out too. I drew another loop. The pokémon glared at me, growling warily. Those people took something important, and they hurt my friend. We're both trapped, so we need to work together to get out of here. I drew a few more lines as it growled its disapproval. Please. I need your help.
Capture complete.
The rhydon made short work of the mound of rocks before it scrambled back into the cave. I helped the professor up and had him lean against me as we finished the journey to Fall City. But before we exited the cave, I saw the rhydon look back at me with what seemed like a smile and a surprising amount of understanding.
Thank you, rhydon.