Chapter 2: A Track Closer to Home
Chapter 2: A Track Closer to Home
(Train 101, bound for the first pit stop) (03:02 PM)
As Ash and his companion rest their energy at the train that was taking them to the Sinnoh stadium, the boy decided to get a little breather through the window side of the room. "Man, the view here is great. I can't believe we're already on our way to the Sinnoh league (Pika pika) Yeah, I know. I feel like it's only been a few months since I came here to the Sinnoh region. (pause) After battling all those gym leaders, trainers and competing in Pokemon contests, I'm really glad I came here, huh Pikachu? (Pika-chu)"
But as the boy looked again through the window, he quickly drew the attention of Zoey who seemed rather impressed on how the boy was doing. "It looks like Ash is really excited about the Sinnoh league huh" she gestured to Brock who was tucking his Happiny to sleep.
"Yeah, he's always excited" the young Pokemon breeder replied, "Back when I first met him, he barely knew the first thing about Pokemons. He really matured over the years. I even forgot how he looked like back then"
"He must've been one reckless trainer back then"
"Not really" Brock corrected, "He may be a little rugged at times but he always has an open mind. He tries to learn everything he can and processes them into his own original ideas. Just like some of the techniques he mimicked from you Zoey. He converted contest battle combinations into battle strategies and tactics that greatly improve his skill. Out of all the trainers I've faced, only Ash surprises me the most"
"I know what you mean Brock" Dawn added, "Ash always comes up with new battle tactics everyday. I got to admit that most of my combinations and strategy comes from observing him. I wonder where he gets it all sometimes"
"Knowing Ash, he probably just makes it up as he goes" Brock joked to which they all agreed laughing.
But their sudden laugh caught the boy's attention along with his Pikachu, "Hey, what's so funny you guys?"
"Oh nothing" Dawn waved it off. "Just thinking out loud, that's all"
"Anyway…" Brock consulted, "Why don't we check out the lounge for a minute? I hear they serve great snacks there too"
"Food? Alright, I'm there" as always, Ash was easily tempted by the food. There were only two things in this world that attracted the boy's attention: One would be food and the second would be Pokemon battles. The kid was a simple guy with simple needs to fill his heart's content. "Come on Pikachu, let's go see what they got to eat around here"
"And off he goes, like a bullet" Dawn sighed, "I guess that's Ash for ya. Always going ahead of the others without thinking about the risks that's on the other side (sigh) Oh well, I guess that's one of the good things about him. I mean, who else could run that fast when you hear the ice cream truck"
(On top of the mountain overlooking train 101)
Just right above the tracks where the train was traveling through, a group of strangers riding Staraptors and Pidgeys wearing black hoodies, long stretchy pants, and armor plate shoulder pads were watching the train as it passed. They did not look like bandits or pirates, but they were indeed lightly armed with swords and spears. In fact, they looked almost like modern day knights. As they continued to gaze upon the traveling train, one of the knights riding a majestic Pidgey wearing a white hoodie came in. A wild guess would say that this guy was their leader.
"They're here" he muttered out silently to the passing train, "Right on time as always" suddenly, his cell phone began to ring. "Hello?" he answered, "Yes we see it (chatter) No, you were right. The package is unguarded at the moment. (chatter) Right, retrieving the item is top priority, everything else is secondary, I understand. (chatter) Don't worry about the trainers, I'll make sure they go unharmed…… at least some of them that is" and with that he hung up and turned his attention back to his soldiers, "Troops, let's move out! (cheers!) For the world and for the human race!" with a single motion of his hand, the entire company began swarming up into the air in pairs of threes and fours. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of knights at that very mountain.
"Sir, what are our orders?" came a young female officer also wearing a white hoodie.
"Our orders remain unchanged" the leader of the company replied putting his cell phone back into his pockets, "Retrieve the 'Eye' at all cost. The future of our world depends on it. But I doubt having the entire company take this task is a little too much for them. We need to move fast if we want to get a step ahead of our enemies. I'm trusting you on the recovery mission Shani. Take your group and meet us at the rendezvous point after you recovered the 'Eye' I'll have the rest of the men search for the other one"
"Understood sir" the girl known as Shani replied loyally, "I won't let you down" and with that she flew off with her Staraptor, following the train tracks.
"I know you won't" the leader of the group muttered as she left, "Because if you do… none of us will live to tell about it anyway"
(Back in the train)
As Ash and his companions departed from their room, they immediately arrived at the carriage lounge where all the VIP guests were relaxing altogether. There were plenty of sofas and couches along the center of the room, but they were a little shorter than the gang had expected. These must've been only for snack time purposes and never a full course meal. There were also several coffee tables set up for small beverages and vending machines to help keep the guests full during their trip.
"Whoa, this place is awesome!" Ash yelled out as he gladly jumped onto one of the soft couches, "This place almost feels like a five star hotel room in Jubilife city"
"Yeah, I can say that they didn't spare any expense when they made this place" Brock eyed around absolutely impressed by the designs of the carriage. "Look, they even have vending machines for snacks and a café for coffee and tea. Hey, anybody want some refreshments?"
"I'll take a glass of lemonade, please!" came Ash's instant answer.
Brock then turned his head over to the girls who were standing idly by, "I'll have tea please" Zoey requested, "And I'll have apple juice" Dawn added.
As the squinty eyed boy went on to get some drinks for his friends, Dawn and Zoey decided to join Ash on the sofa to relax for a bit. After all that training they've been doing, they rightly deserve their rests. As they made themselves comfortable in their positions, Zoey decided to start a little topic to get the mood up. They needed the morale for the fights that is to come anyway. "So Ash, are you still practicing some of that combination that I showed you back in Hearthome city?"
The boy slowly got to a proper sitting position before answering, "Yeah I have. But there are still some problems with the movement. I tried using quick attack but I don't think speed is really one of Turtwig's traits. That's why I tried creating one of my own original techniques"
"That's ok" Zoey replied, "My Glameow also had problems in doing it the first time. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. Oh that reminds me, did you happen to battle the gym leader of Sunnyshore city?"
"Yeah I did" Ash answered, "He was the last gym leader I needed to beat for the Pokemon league. Here, I even got the badges to prove it" he quickly pulled out a small slim box which contained all the gym badges that he collected during his time here in the Sinnoh region. It was long and tedious work, but after much patience, training and dedication he finally made it here to the final destination for all Pokemon trainers of the Sinnoh region. The Sinnoh league…
"And I won my last contest at Sunnyshore city too" Dawn said proudly as she opened her own box which were filled with the five ribbons that she had rightfully earned from various Pokemon contests here in the Sinnoh region. "I never thought that I'd actually make it but here I am… hehehehehe. How about you Zoey? How many ribbons have you earned?"
The red head coordinator gladly pulled out her own container and showed them the fruits of her hard labor. "I won a lot of contests myself. The last contest I went to was the one near Floaroama town. Ever since you guys left for Ash's glacier badge I haven't seen you guys since"
"Yeah, we kinda took a lot of side trips during our travel" Ash rubbed the back of his head a little embarrassed knowing well that his side trips were mostly because they were either lost during their travels in the wild. "Me and Brock like to go sightseeing a lot ahehehe"
"Yeah right" Dawn mumbled silently to herself.
A few minutes later, Brock returned along with the beverages that his friends requested from him. "Here you go guys. A little treat, on me. You guys should conserve your energy for the upcoming match. By the time we get to the Sinnoh stadium, you'll have four days to warm up and practice on your techniques. I'm pretty sure that the opponents you'll be facing there will not be second rate trainers"
"Oh, do you know how the Sinnoh tournament works, Brock?" Ash said quizzled. And to everyone's surprise, the squinty eyed boy pulled out the Sinnoh guide book from his back pocket and turned its pages to the Sinnoh league.
"Well, according to the guide book that I got from the station, the Sinnoh league will consist of three rounds. The preliminary rounds which is used to round off all the trainers, the semi-final rounds which consists of sixteen trainers and of course, the final round which consists of only four trainers. It says here that the semi-final round will be a four on four battle and the final round will be a six on six full battle. I'd say the stakes for this match is pretty high"
"Whoa, that means I'll to be fighting uh…" Ash stammered and began counting with his fingers, but even that wasn't enough for him. "Ah! Who cares? I'll just go in there and beat all of them, no prob! Right Pikachu? (Pi pikachu!)"
"Well, he's certainly a lively one" Zoey chuckled feeling confused about the boy who was blabbering about his own dreams of victory. "We haven't even reached the stadium and already he's excited"
"Ahehehe… that's Ash for ya" Dawn said with a sweat drop on her back, "Never a dull moment when you're with him"
But just when they were laughing along, another voice came into the picture. "Well, I knew I heard a familiar voice somewhere, but I never thought it would be here" as the gang turned their heads around they noticed a boy probably about Dawn's age wearing a green and white T-shirt, long pants and a wicked semi-spiky hairstyle. "Hey there… Deedee"
"Kenny!?" the gang said in unison.
"Kenny, is that you?" Dawn implied, "What are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you guys the same question" the boy replied holding a grin, "But I reckon that you're probably here for the same reason as everyone else on this train huh"
"You're going to participate in the grand festival, aren't ya?" Ash knew right away since there was no other point of being on this train. "So, do you have your ribbons?"
"You bet!" the boy gladly showed them his own ribbons, "I won my last one near Solaceon town last month. Once I finished, I've been trying to find a way to the Sinnoh stadium. It's been hectic. The ferries won't take me there, the buses were always full and trying to fly over the mountains can be extremely dangerous. I had a hard time just getting back to Sunnyshore city"
"You too?" Zoey entered, "I had a hard time myself. It's been pretty tiring just trying to get through the mountain of challenge"
"So where were you during the last few days?" Dawn asked.
"Well, after I came back from the mountains, I decided to take a break in the Pokemon center" Kenny continued, "I thought that it would be impossible for me to get to the Sinnoh grand festival now, but then suddenly my mom gave me this cool ticket to the Sinnoh stadium. I mean talk about a change of luck!"
"Really? Mine too!" Dawn squealed, "My mom sent a ticket for me, Ash and Brock for this ride to the Sinnoh stadium. I guess this is something our moms have in common huh" they both chuckled it off before joining the rest on the sofas.
"So Ash" Kenny continued, "I heard that you defeated Volkner of the Sunnyshore gym. Is that true?"
"Yeah! He was the last person I needed to fight before I could participate in the Sinnoh league" he gestured to his badge pack which Kenny took the liberty of viewing. "He was pretty tough to beat. I had to put all my Pokemons to the limit and use all my combination strategies to defeat him"
"Volkner?" Zoey said slightly surprised, "You mean THE Volkner of Sunnyshore gym? But that's impossible! I heard that Volkner has never been defeated for over three years now. I thought he retired"
"He was" Brock added, "But Ash managed to convince him to come out of retirement and battle again with him. It was amazing how the two of them fought. I was so amazed that I even forgot that it was just another gym battle"
"That gym badge you got there is pretty rare Ash" Kenny gestured to the small light badge that Ash had in his container. "You won't see many of these in the Sinnoh stadium, that's for sure. You'd better take extra care of that"
"Thanks Kenny, I will" Ash replied before putting his container back in his pocket.
(Jubilife city airport) (06:20 PM)
Professor Rowan, the head scientist of Pokemons in the Sinnoh region was waiting patiently in the arrival section of the airport that evening along with all of his assistants. He was waiting for professor Oak and several other scientists from different regions to meet up with him for the discovery of the century.
After a few minutes, he suddenly noticed three figures heading his way from the arrival port. They were all wearing white lab coats like his and just by looking at their poise they could tell that these people were important.
When they finally met up with one another, Rowan gave out a slight bow to them, "It's nice to see you again, professor Birch, professor Elm and professor Ivy" he gestured, "I hope your flight was smooth"
"It was" the girl known as Ivy answered, "But I was expecting to see professor Oak here. Is he not coming?"
"He's coming but unfortunately his flight was delayed for a couple of minutes" Rowan explained to them, "He'll be joining us soon. By the way professor Elm, how goes your research on the geography of Mahogany town? I'm sorry you had to postpone it due to my call"
"That's ok" the head scientist from the Johto region replied tiringly. The weight of his backpack must've been a lot heavier than it looked. "I didn't really have much to go on anyway so I allowed my assistants to do the work for me. What about you professor Rowan? I heard that you were researching on the magnetic field of Mt. Coronet. It must be quite a topic"
"Yes it is" he nodded, "I found out that Mt. Coronet is actually a dead volcano. The ashes from its inner mountain became hardened and with that, it increases the strength of any rock type Pokemons in the area. That's why a lot of steel and rock types gather at that place all the time"
"Well, that is an interesting topic Rowan" came a new voice to which they all know very well.
"Professor Oak!" Birch and Elm said in unison.
"It's a pleasure to see you again in person professor Oak" Elm gladly shook the professor's hand the moment it came in range. "It's been a long time since we've last met like this"
"Yes, three years to be exact, right Elm" Samuel returned with a smile, "The last time I saw you was at the Pokemon research society meeting party back in the Indigo Plateau. Oh by the way, this here is my assistant, Tracey Sketchit. He's from the Orange Archipelago"
"Hi, nice to meet you all" the young Pokemon watcher greeted with a polite bow.
"Well anyway Rowan" professor Oak turned his attention to the man who brought them all together here. "Shall we head for the dig site now or do we have to wait for someone else?"
"Actually professor, I won't be taking you to the dig site" Rowan answered as he gestured to the person behind him, "He will..." he pointed to a man with a long white beard and clever looking glasses "Everyone, I'd like you to meet professor Takamura of the Hearthome academy. He was the one who uncovered the Goro pedestals near Celestic town. Professor, I'd like you to meet my old college friends. Professor Birch from the Hoenn region, professor Ivy from the Orange Islands, professor Elm from the Johto region and of course you must know professor Oak of Kanto"
"It's a pleasure to meet you all" Takamura greeted, "I apologize for calling you all out here on the earliest flight possible but seeing that you are all expert in the ancient Goronian civilization, I thought that you could enlighten me on some of the artifacts that we uncovered from the ruins"
"The honor is all ours professor Takamura" professor Oak returned the shake, "I'm just excited that's all. There hasn't been a discovery about the Goronian civilization in more than twenty years now"
"Goronian?" Tracey mimicked a little confused, "I've never heard anything about that before"
"Well I'm not surprise seeing how young you are" Takamura chuckled, "Only very few know the existence of Goro and its people. You won't be able to find histories about them in public libraries that's for sure. Anyway, I'm sure that you all must want to see the site as soon as possible. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to the truck that will take us there"
But as they walked through the check in area of the airport, Tracey began to grow a little curious on what the scientists were all interested about. To attract so many brilliant minds from all around the country, could only mean that something big was about to happen. "Professor Oak, can you tell me anything about the Goronians? This is the first time I've ever heard about them"
"Well it's not easy to explain Tracey" Samuel replied, "My grandfather worked on that case about 60 years ago. He and the other scientists of his time spent countless days working on the Goronian legacy and its secrets. But since there was very little to go on, they had to close the case before they could even get started on the plan. It's been my life long dream of discovering a new Goronian history. This might as well be the find of the century!"
"Wow… this is the first time I ever saw the professor this excited" Tracey thought, "I wonder what the Goronians are"
(Back on train 101) (First pit-stop) (06:35 PM)
A few hours after the train departed from the main station, it soon arrived at the first length of the journey at a small remote town in the wilderness of the Sinnoh regions. It was a small mining town near the edge of the mountain where the soils were as hard as iron and the weather timid and dry. There were only very few irrigation ditch made around, connecting to the reservoir on the east side of town, but there was plenty enough to go by.
"Looks like this is the first stop" Ash muttered as he noted the train being put to a stop. He was looking through the window of his room and saw several more trainers entering the train's front carriage. There were also some goods and supplies being loaded and unloaded at the same time, which could only mean profit for the town and its inhabitants. "Whoa… looks at all of those trainers"
"They're probably here for the same reason as us as well" Kenny added as he joined the boy, "Looks like the competition just got a whole lot more interesting huh"
"You bet" Ash replied, "But it doesn't matter how many of them come at me. I'm gonna beat them all and win that tournament without a hitch! Me and my Pokemons are ready for anything! Right Pikachu (Pikapika!) Bring them on by the dozen, I'll take them all on!"
"That's the spirit" Brock nodded, "It's that kind of attitude that makes the tournament all the more interesting. If everyone had the same kind of experience as Ash, then I wouldn't want to miss this year's Sinnoh league for the world"
"Don't get too excited now" Dawn added, "You might burn yourself out before we even reach our destination"
"Yeah, it's best to relax now and let it all out later" Zoey agreed, "Besides, we have three days so relax Ash"
"Yeah, maybe I will" but just when Ash was about to head back to join the gang for a little R&R his eye suddenly caught a glimpse of several figures wearing oddly similar clothings. "Huh?" there were about half a dozen of them outside the train right now and the leader of the group seemed to be conversing with the train's conductor. The boy couldn't really see who they were due to the darkness, but whoever they are, they look mighty important. "Hey… who are those guys?"
Brock noticed the boy's curiosity and decided to see what it was that was bothering him. Even though his eyes were a bit squinty, he had better vision that Ash, "Hey… those uniforms. They look like…… Pokemon Rangers?"
"What are Pokemon Rangers doing all the way out in the east?" Zoey said puzzled.
"They could be here to have a routine checkup on Pokemons" the squinty eyed trainer gently put his hand over his chin as he thought of the possibilities. "I can't imagine what other reasons they could be here for. Well whatever it is, I bet it's nothing we should be worried about. Come on, let's go get ourselves something to eat before tomorrow"
Surprisingly, everyone seemed to have agreed with his idea. The gang could really use the food.
(Station waiting point)
A/N (Author's Note): The following characters come from Pokemon Ranger the game. Some are also seen in the anime.
But while the gang was enjoying themselves on a little R&R, the meeting that took place outside the train was not beds of roses. A group of Pokemon Ranger elites led by one of the most professional veterans of the company was having a little discussion right on the ramp of the train.
"Oh thank goodness. You must be Spenser of the Pokemon Rangers, am I correct?" the conductor of the train asked slightly relieved to see their uniforms and proper identification cards. "On behalf of train 101, I gladly welcome you. I've heard that you've come all the way from the Fiore region am I correct?"
"Yes, that's us" the veteran looking man known as Spenser nodded, "We've been tasked of guarding a special package which was to be sent to the P.R.I (Pokemon Research Institute) headquarters in Kanto. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. I hope you didn't encounter any problems while on your way here"
"Not at all sir" the conductor replied proudly, "But I'm just worried. Are you going to bring all of them? We were only told that there would be two rangers coming by so we didn't expect to see a whole company"
"You were told correct actually" Spenser clarified, "These two are Solana and Lunick. They're the best rangers I have in Ringtown and they can handle themselves in any situation" he gestured to the two rangers who were standing along with their Plusle and Minun. "The rest of us here will follow the train via another train that should passing here in an hour or so. After we get to the second pit-stop, we'll rendezvous with another group of Rangers just to double check our security. Do you understand?"
"Yes yes yes, the manager already explained the detail of the mission" the conductor replied, "I'll have four guards stationed at the rear carriage just in case of security breach. Officer Jenny from Sunnyshore city also came by to act as head of security. Come on board whenever you're ready, we leave as soon as the water tank is full"
"Very well" Spenser then turned his attention to his two most trusted pupils, "Alright you two, you know the mission. Under no circumstances must the package come to harm. The PRI are counting on the success of this mission. Don't let me down, but don't throw your lives away needlessly, ok?"
"We understand sir" the boy known as Lunick saluted, "We won't let you down"
"We'll make sure nothing happens to the package" the girl named Solana replied also with a salute. "It's a promise"
"Good" the veteran knew that nothing bad can possibly happen when these two work together, but he couldn't help but feel like something wasn't right. Like something was out of place. "The other rangers and I will be following close by on a mini train. Report to me every twenty minutes after the train departs, ok? If something should happen, I'll tell the conductor to slow the train down so we can catch up"
"But sir, what about the people inside?" Lunick asked, "From what I heard, everyone inside is a Pokemon trainer"
"We can't allow civilians to be involved in this" the head ranger replied sternly, "If the threat endangers the entire train, you have permission to cut the link between the trains. But that will only be used during the most critical situation, understood?"
"Sir, yes sir!" and with that they all gave out a quick salute to one another.
"I wish you the best of luck. Rangers, move out! (Ho!)" and with that, the rest of the party headed off, leaving Solana and Lunick behind to pack their things. But before they could go on and get their bags, Spenser suddenly gave them one big hug for the road. "Be safe you two… ok?"
A slow and awkward pause rolled by as the head ranger surprised them with such a parenting act. They didn't know what to do or what to say, but they knew that he only wished the best for both of the. "Chief?"
Later, Spenser broke off the hug, "Ahem! Anyway, I'll see you later"
As Lunick and Solana entered the train with their personal belonging, they were immediately greeted by a group police officers and Officer Jenny that were tasked with the same mission as them. "Welcome aboard sir. We'll take you to the rear carriage right now" Solana nodded and followed the guards to their new post on board the train.
After a couple of minutes later, the train soon departed from the station towards their next pit-stop and hopefully they'll be able to get there without any mishaps.
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With most of the guests busy preparing for their supper, the two elite Pokemon Rangers soon arrive at the last carriage of the train only to find it well protected on all sides. "Is this the last carriage of the train?" Lunick asked as he scanned the surroundings.
"Yes sir" said officer Jenny. "I've stationed two men at the front and two more at the rear entrance just in case of a sneak attack. The top lid has also been completely sealed off, so no one can enter or exit the carriage without us knowing. To make sure that the package is safe, I also have one guard make a routine patrol every ten minutes"
"Looks like you double checked everything" Solana said impressed by their sense of duty.
"Yeah, but it's better not to get too comfortable" Lunick warned, "If you don't mind officer, I'd like to see the package myself"
"Not at all" Jenny then signaled to the guard to open the door that had been roughly chained by three locks and an automated security system. When the door opened, the Pokemon Rangers and officer Jenny took a look inside to see what they risking their lives for.
Inside the last carriage, was nothing more but an empty room, save but one single object that stood right at the center of the carriage. It was a mid-sized safe chained together with one mother lovin-lock. The safe itself was a combination safe which required utmost patience and skill to break in. And even if the perks should be able to break in this room, they would have a hard time just trying to move the safe from its position, since it was practically nailed to the train itself.
"So this is it… the super top secret package that we've been assigned" Lunick stated as he took a deep look on the safe. To think that such a small and simply object like this would actually require so much protection. "I thought that I'd be bigger"
"I know that this thing doesn't look much" Jenny nodded as she also had a feeling that protecting something this small was beneath her task, "But the object inside this safe is more valuable than everything the museum in Eterna city. The PRI really wants to put this thing in their secure base back in Kanto as fast as possible so they picked this express train"
"Umm, do you mind if we ask, what's inside?" Solana asked.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure myself. I was only told that it was extremely valuable and I should protect it at all cost. Oh, that reminds me. Here, take these" she quickly gave the two Pokemon Rangers a pair of keys which looked identical to one another. "These keys are the only spares that I have. They open the door that we came through, and the supply carriage before this one. If we're done here then I'll show you to your stations" and with that, the three of them headed off, leaving the package alone and untouched.
But right after the security force left the room, they did not know that three figures were hiding in the shadow, listening to their every word. "Did you guys here that?" grinned Jessie.
"I may have poor eye sight but I heard every word" grinned Meowth
"More valuable than everything a museum had" James finished with the widest grin. "It's bound to be priceless beyond our salaries"
"Priceless huh?" Jessie smirked, "Oh we'll put a price for it alright, all we need is just the right one" and suddenly without any warning, the three villains began pulling the safe from its standing point, in hopes of finding a shortcut of becoming rich and famous.
-Fame and fortune can be earned, but life is inexpendable-
-Unknown
(Train VIP food court) (All you can eat buffet)
When the gang decided to have a little supper that night, they only thought that they would getting a small one course meal that was highly rationed in every city. But when they got to the food court, they were showered with a whole buffet table filled with the latest delicacy of the Sinnoh region. There were fruits that ranged by the hundreds and other dishes that are not easily found on the menus of a three star restaurant everywhere in the world. Heck there were even food that the gang never even heard of before.
The food court was probably the longest carriage the train had in its entire body. There were windows that showed the views of mountains, field and ocean, tables lined out neatly, in which to serve the highest class of human society and china plates came with silk napkins rolled through along with the most expensive eating utensils money could possibly buy.
"Whoa… talk about your own life style" said Brock who seemed rather amazed of the whole place. "Whoever thought that I'd actually be sitting in a five star restaurant like this… and in a train no less"
"I'm just as surprised as you are Brock" Zoey said also amazed, "I've never seen a place like this before. It almost feels like you're in a palace"
"Yeah" Kenny agreed, "But I'm sure that a professional trainer like Ash has seen better than this. Right Ash? (silence) Ash? Hey, where'd Ash go?" but strangely, the boy in question seemed to have disappeared somewhere when the gang weren't looking.
Dawn simply pointed to the all you can eat buffet table, "Don't worry about him. He left the moment he saw the all you can eat sign" and to the girl's truth, she was right. Ash was already at the buffet table picking out what to get and what to eat.
When Brock saw this, he let out a laugh, "Well we'd better hurry or that all you can eat buffet will turn into an all you can find table"
But while the gang rushed towards Ash's location, the boy in question was already gouging down things the moment he set his sights on them. "Oh man, I don't even know where to start!" he said excitingly while wiggling his fingers picking one piece after another. "Hey, this looks nice. Oh, I've never seen this before but it looks tasty. Oh and maybe some of this and some of that, oh and maybe some of these too. How about it Pikachu?" before anyone else realize, Ash's plate was already so full that it weight about twenty to thirty kilogram. "Alright, this should be plenty. Come on Pikachu, let's go grab ourselves a table (Pika pika)"
But sadly, as the boy looked around, there didn't seem to be any tables available. Since all the trainers here were all hungry, I guess it wasn't a surprise that they were eating till their hearts content.
"Oh man… it looks like the place is packed full (Pi--ka)" Ash noted as his little Pikapal looked over his head to see if there was any table left. "What am I gonna do with this now?" just when he thought of going back to his room to finish off his plate, the boy suddenly noted a figure waving at him from one of the tables. "Hey, who's that?" the guy waving at him seemed to stand out among the rest of the trainers here. He was wearing a green garb, a green feathered hat, and on his side, rested a golden harp that was shaped into a Mew, the mythical legendary Pokemon. "Is that? Is that…… Nando!? Hey guys, look, it's Nando!" As notified his companions as he approached the table.
"Hello Ash, it's nice to see you again" said the young man known as Nando, "I must say that this is quite a surprise for me. I didn't expect to see you again until the Sinnoh league"
"I could say the same for you Nando" Ash replied while taking his seat, "Are you a VIP in the train as well?"
"Yes I am" came his instant answer, "An old friend of mine gave me this ticket back in Sunnyshore city. I was having a hard time trying to find a way to the Pokemon league and I even thought that I would never get the chance to compete in it. You could say that this is like a pot of gold landing on my lap. (pause) Oh, but please join me. It's pretty lonely when you eat alone in such a big restaurant. I could use the company"
"Ash already helped himself" Dawn chuckled, but Ash simply ignored her. "So Nando, which one are you gonna compete in? The Pokemon league or the Sinnoh Grand Festival? Since you were able to get all eight badges and five ribbons, I'm sure they'll ask you to compete in both"
"Well… actually you're half correct Dawn" the young harpist replied as he showed them his own treasures. "I do have five ribbons but I'm afraid I'm one badge short to compete in the Sinnoh league"
And this of course, caught Ash's attention. "Huh? Why? What happened? Didn't you get a badge from Sunnyshore city?"
"I'm afraid not Ash" he sighed, "I challenged the gym leader, Volkner nearly six times ever since I got to Sunnyshore city and I could not get through his tactical thinking at all. It was like I was fighting against a wall that could not be torn down by simple means. I planned to challenge him again yesterday, but he already left for the Johto regions for some annual call"
"Man, that's rough" Kenny commented, "But Ash, didn't you win a badge from Volkner when you got there?"
"Really?!" Nando stated slightly amazed, "Did you really defeat him Ash?!" the boy nodded back before showing his badge to him.
"Yeah… he was kind of tough, but my Pokemons pulled it through for me" the boy added. "That was probably the toughest battle I had up to date. I even thought that I might've lost the second time"
"You battled with him only two times… and won" again, Nando was left speechless. He really thought that Ash and him were equally match in every aspect of battle and coordinating tactics, but he realized now that he was already far behind. "I see……… I guess I really don't stand a chance against you Ash" he stated like he was just defeated, "I'm going to have to train my Pokemons harder next time and perhaps next year, we'll meet in the Sinnoh league"
"Hey, I'll be waiting for you at the top Nando" Ash gave out one of his trademark smiles in reply.
And while the gang continued to have their normal evening supper, Zoey began to hear some whispers coming from the next table nearby. Apparently a kid probably about six or seven years old and his big brother were watching them from the corner of their eye. "Huh?" when the two of them realized that were discovered they quickly returned their eyes back on their table.
"It's him, it has to be" whispered the little brother
"No it can't be" said the elder one, "He can't be found this easily"
"But he looks just like him! He has to be! (pause) I'm going to ask him" and with a move that surprised even his parents, the little kid hesitantly approaches the table Ash and his friends were in and muttered silently. "Um… excuse me"
"Hmm? (Pika?)" Ash noticed the little boy twitching his thumb, "Uh… can I help you?"
The little kid blushed slightly before asking, "Umm… you wouldn't be the Pokemon trainer… Ash Ketchum, would you?"
Ash seemed rater confused on how the kid knew his name, but decided to answer honestly instead, "Uh… yeah… I am" he replied.
In that instant, the kid's eyes grew as wide as saucer plates and sparkles came out of them, "I knew it! I knew it! You're the famous Ash Ketchum! Wow, I can't believe I'm seeing you in person. This is incredible! I saw your battle in the Hearthome double battle tournament a few months ago. You were awesome. And that time you competed in the Wallace Cup contest near Veilstone city. Wow, everyone thought that you were a full time trainer, but instead, you're the whole package!"
"Umm… thanks?" Ash didn't really know how to react to this since it would probably be a first for him.
"Oh and was that rumor about you true?"
"Rumor? What rumor?"
"About the thing that you defeated Volkner, the undefeated gym leader of Sunnyshore city! Is it true? They say that the guy remained undefeated for almost two years now!"
"Uh well…"
But suddenly, Dawn answered it for him, "Yup that rumor is true. Ash even has the badge to prove it right here" she quickly took the small container from Nando and showed the kid the small badge at the edge of the box. When the little guy saw it, his eyes widened even more if that was even humanly possible.
"Whoa, the rumors were true! You really are an awesome trainer! When I grow up, I want to be just as strong as you Ash!"
"Uh… thanks (Pika…)" Pikachu simply let out a small sweat drop as he too was a little new to fame.
"Hey, you must be Ash's strongest Pokemon Pikachu" the kid continued, "I want to have a Pikachu too when I start out my journey. When I grow up, I'm gonna challenge you to a battle Ash" and without even waiting for a reply, the boy rushed off feeling a little better that he managed to talk to his idol.
Ash simply rubbed the back of his head again feeling a little embarrassed about the whole situation, "Wow… I think I got myself another long time rival" he said jokingly.
"It's more like you got yourself a fan" Nando corrected.
"Well since he's been on TV for so long, I guess it's not a surprise to see Ash get a fan or two" Brock added with a smirk, "Looks like you're finally getting famous Ash. Better look out, because the crowd's only gonna get a whole lot bigger in the future"
"Really?" the boy chuckled, "I don't think I'll ever be used to fame. But I got to say that this was a surprise. Who knows maybe we all have fans out there somewhere"
"Hey, don't sell yourself too short Ash" Zoey complimented, "You've been working really hard, ever since you started on your Pokemon journey. Whatever you make out of it, I still think you deserve that kid's compliment"
But just when the two of them laughed in agreement with one another, Dawn suddenly began to get that strange feeling again deep within her heart. Her chest was pounding and a sudden ticked off vibe began to emanate from her face. She couldn't explain why, but seeing Ash and Zoey act so friendly together made her grip her eating utensils tighter than usual. Heck, if she actually put more force into it, she might've just break her butter knife in half.
"Hey Dawn, you ok?" Kenny noted his childhood friend a little quieter than usual, "You were out for a while there"
"Huh? Oh sorry. I guess I'm just a little nervous about the grand festival" she lied. Her mouth was saying it but her mind was off somewhere else. "This is my first time after all"
"Hey, you're not the only one" Kenny replied holding his chin up. Zoey and I are probably the same as you. We're all nervous, but that doesn't mean we can't relax and enjoy, right?"
"Kenny's right" Ash agreed, "There no use worrying over things that we can't control. Just relax and everything will be fine. Pikachu and I are also gonna take it easy from now on (Pika pikachu)"
"I guess you're right" Dawn flatly agreed, "Worrying won't solve anything now, would it?"
"Let's just enjoy our time now" Brock recommended, "Besides, we still have two days left to go before we get to the Pokemon league"
(Outside the train)
But while the gang were enjoying their time inside the train, they did not know that they and the other passengers on board were being watched from the outside, by a group of strange knights riding on flying Pokemons. They seemed to be here on a mission but they kept their distance from the train. They were using the cover of darkness and the sound of the winds to cover themselves from prying eyes and unwanted ears of attention.
"Status report" said Shani, the leader of the small platoon.
"We've spotted a lot of guards on the rear carriage ma'am" the knight explained briefly, "They seem to have a system of twelve men at the rear end of the train and from what our spies collected, there are only two Pokemon Rangers inside the train. The others are following behind"
"Well then, that means we only have about ten to fifteen minutes to finish the job" the girl grinned from ear to ear as she scanned the train looking for an easy way in and out, but sadly there were none. The guards on every side of the train and the top side were monitored by a survalance cam from the security room at the center of the train itself. However it wasn't getting in that was the hard part, but actually the getting on board. With the train traveling at least 60kph, it was hard just trying to keep up with it.
"What are your orders ma'am?" the knights asked ready to take action on the first order given.
Shani looked at them for a minute and smirked, "There's too many of them for us to take down. We'll commandeer the VIP rooms and the supply carriage. I want a jammer stationed nearby so that they won't be able to communicate with each other. Got it? (nods) Alright, we attack the train in one hour!"
"HO!"
(Back inside the train) (08:13 PM)
After the gang was finished with their supper, Ash decided to get in bed early so he can wake up tomorrow fresh and energized. "Man… what a meal" the young Pokemon trainer burped out silently trying not to be rude among his friends. "I'm so full, I think my stomach was going to explode. I don't think I can fit another bite (Pika…)" Pikachu agreed rubbing his stomach as well.
"Oh I think you'll be able to find a way to get more in" Dawn teased, "That all you can buffet turned out to be an all you can eat after all teehee. I'm actually surprised that you didn't finish it all and left some for us" they all laughed in agreement.
"I see" Nando said slightly amazed, "From what Dawn's saying, you must be a real food lover Ash"
"I can't really tell if he loves the food or he just loves eating" Kenny added and again the gang laughed. Ash would've countered in a way, but he simply didn't have energy to talk anymore.
But just when the gang were about to head back to their respective rooms, Dawn suddenly bumped onto one of the Pokemon Rangers that was too busy looking at the ceiling. "Oh I'm sorry" Dawn bowed apologetically, "I've been bumping onto a lot of people lately"
Ash was about to help out the girl, but when he saw the Ranger's face he quickly knew who it was. "Solana?" he muttered.
The young Ranger noted her name and looked right back at the boy, "Huh? Ash? Ash Ketchum, is that you?" after scanning the boy's face for the moment, Solana immediately recognized him, "It is you! How ya doing Ash?"
"Just great Solana" the boy replied with a small handshake. Hew then noticed a Minun on the girl's neck, waving cheerfully at him. "Hey there Minun, long time no see. Hey Dawn, you remember Solana, don't you? We met her near Veilstone city some time ago"
"Oh right, back when we were chasing Team Hunter J and that Riolu" the young coordinator instantly recognized her with a blink of an eye.
"Hey, what about me?" came another voice which Ash, Brock and Dawn recognized as well. When they turned their heads around they came across Lunick, another one of the Pokemon Rangers. "I was the one who helped you guys after all"
"Oh everyone" Solana cooed, "I'd like to introduce you to my new partner, Lunick. Ash, I think you've met before, am I right?"
The boy in question nodded, "Yeah, you were awesome back then. How's Riolu doing by the way? Is he doing well?"
"He's doing great Ash" Lunick smirked back, "He's currently staying at one of our safe zones near Canalave city. The professor is looking after him until he's ready to be sent back into the wilds. How about you Ash? I haven't seen you on TV since last week on that all you can enter contest near Sunnyshore city"
"Yeah, I've been doing a little training for awhile" the boy replied, "It's just that there's so many things happening right now and with the Sinnoh league coming, you could say I'm on a little break"
"That's understandable. So you guys must be here as VIPs. You guys are lucky, the tickets here don't come cheap you know"
"That's alright, my mom got me these tickets" Dawn answered back waving her hand, "So what about you guys? What are you here for? Are you going to the Sinnoh stadium for a reason?"
"Well actually, we're here on a mission to promphhhh!" Lunick quickly covered the mouth of his partner before she could blabber anymore about their top secret mission. "Hey Lunick, what was that for?!"
"This is supposed to be a secret mission!" he replied in a stern tone. "You can't just go telling people what we're doing here!"
"Oh come on now, this is Ash we're talking about" she cooed innocently, "I think he's already overqualified as a Pokemon Ranger elite, don't you think? You have to admit that without his help, you would still be in the rookie part of the ranger corp. tee hee hee"
"Solana…" Lunick groaned.
"Ok ok… sheesh. Talk about touchy" the girl said grouching, "Sorry guys, but this is kind of a secret mission we're on. So I can't really tell you about the details"
"Wow… a top secret mission" Kenny said with sparkly eyes, "It must be something really important"
"Anyway, wanna join us for a cup of tea?" Brock offered, "I bought some tea bags from the station before we left so we could have a nice relaxing evening"
"Sorry but we're…" Lunick was about to decline but Solana beat him to it.
"We'd love to Brock!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Brrrrrrrrrrrr…………………
That was the sound of a drilling operation happening at the rear end of the train. Even after so many hours of hard labor, Team Rocket did not surrender the idea of getting the safe out of the train to ransom it for a huge sum. Though their mind was filled with greed their hearts still rang with honor and pride of becoming the best members of Team Rocket. They did not care what was inside the safe nor how much they got for the ransom. All they wanted out of the whole operation was the fame and notoriety that came with it.
While James was still busy drilling through the hard structure of the safe with his combustion powered drilling machine, Jessie decided to take a little break along with Meowth for a nice cup of coffee. They had spent the first hour trying to hammer it, cut it and breaking it, but none of the process worked. Jessie even entertained the idea of even blowing the darn thing up with dynamites but that would only blow them off as well along with whatever item that was inside. They had several sticks of dynamites with them, but they were used during emergency purposes only.
But while James busied himself with the manual labor, Jessie began to dream of what she was going to do when she got her hand on the ransom money. "Hmm… I wonder what I'll get first with the money?" see, told ya so. "Maybe I'll buy myself a nice theater back in Varidian city. After that I'll take a tour around the world, becoming an all star signer at the same time"
"And while you're doing that, I'll be enjoying myself at the salon for a change" Meowth pushed his own imagination in the picture bubble altogether. "After that I'll go to my own private hot spring and let the water melt me off like a bag of tea in a hot cup of water"
"Well while you two are busy doing your thing, I'll be off to the Pewter city Yoho factory" James added.
"Yoho?" the mascot said quizzled, "Isn't that the old soda that old people use to buy during their childhood? Why in the world would you want to buy that?"
"Because Yoho drinks are no longer being sold around" the blue haired villain explained, "And that means that their bottle cap is absolutely impossible to find! After I bring the factory back in business, I'll be the only person in the world to ever have a Yoho bottle cap in his collection! Mwahahahahaha! I'll be the envy of bottle cap collectors world wide ahahahahaha"
"All that trouble just for a single bottle cap?" Jessie groaned. "Remind me to hire a professional psychiatrist when I come back from my tour" but then suddenly, James constant drilling onto the solid safe suddenly began to bear fruit. "Huh? Is that sound, what I think it is?"
"It looks like my drilling lessons finally paid off!" but before James could even read for the safe, Jessie laid a punch onto his face, sending him to the wall.
"Get lost buster! You had your share of the fun drilling, so now it's my turn to open the chest!" as she slowly opened the contents of the chest, all three members began to get the same sweaty feeling deep inside. Their muscles tightened, their sweat glands worked overtime and their focus was completely centered on the small opening.
And when the safe was fully opened, the special hidden item inside the giant safe was nothing more… but another smaller safe which was equally dense to the first one that they broke through. With the mere sight of another lock, the trio face fault on the floor altogether. "Is this some kind of sick joke!?" Jessie yelled out furiously, "What about my ticket to fame and fortune!? My one way trip to stardom!? Open up you stupid thing grrrrrr!" the girl was so mad that she even tried to open the second safe with her own bare teeth. "James, get back to drilling, now!"
(Time skip) (09:10 PM) (VIP carriage)
It was quiet that night in train 101. The passengers were sleeping peacefully, the train was progressing smoothly and the echoes of the wind passed through the windows gracefully. It was a perfect night for sleeping and a perfect night for courting (HEY!) Oh sorry…
When the lights were finally put off by the security system, Ash and his companions almost immediately hit the hay sack so that they could wake up early for breakfast. But during that peaceful moonlit night, our young hero seemed to be having some trouble going to bed. "Oh…… man" Ash groaned. He had recently went to the rest room due to his growling stomach and had been staying there for almost five minutes top. "I must've eaten something really bad during the buffet, my stomach is going all nuts on me (groan) (Pikachu) Oh… man…" but just as the boy was about to head to his room, he suddenly noticed someone coming out. "Huh?" and for some reason his reflexes told him to hide away from sight, less he becomes a suspicious character. "Hey, was that… Zoey? (Pi… ka?)" he muttered silently to himself. The red head girl was in her aqua blue PJ but something didn't seem right about her.
Usually Zoey would resonate a powerful feeling around herself. Like some kind of aura that makes you feel like you want to admire her. She had that kind of power but the only thing bad about it was that because she was unconsciously doing it.
Having curiosity take over him, Ash decided to follow the girl just to make sure that she wasn't going anywhere dangerous. At first he only thought that she was going to use the rest room for a minute, but when the girl entered the food court carriage, he began to grow a little more worried about her. "Hmm? I wonder what could Zoey be doing in here? (Pi ka)" he asked himself as he followed not too far behind. Not wanting to surprise the girl with his own presence, the boy opened the connecting door slightly and took a little peek through the small opening.
The red head coordinator was sitting on one of the many empty tables that were lined up. She sat down and allowed the moonlight to shower her like a graceful beam from above. She didn't really have anyone to talk to so without opening her mouth, the girl turned her gaze to the beautiful view of the outside world for some relaxation. Right now they were passing through a small forest patch near the edge of a cliff. The train was traveling a semi-zigzag route to the second checkpoint and hopefully there wasn't going to be any mishap along the way.
After a few minutes of starring through the window, Ash decided to join in to see what was wrong. "Hey Zoey" he greeted almost too normally which startled the girl.
"A… Ash? Pikachu? What are you doing here?" she stammered.
"I was taking a little stroll before I go to sleep" came his almost true answer. "But when I saw you here, I thought I might join ya for a little chat. If you don't mind"
"What? No no no, not at all" again the girl stammered, "I was just thinking that's all"
"About the grand festival?" he said while taking his seat. His Pikachu on the other hand simply took the center table.
The girl jolt back slightly surprised, "How'd you know?"
"It's written all over your face" he humored, "But it's ok. Everybody gets nervous on their first big debut. I remember May when she first got into the Hoenn grand festival a year ago. She acted like she was going on her first contest battle or something"
"But she made it to the second round, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but that was because she knew exactly what to do during stress" Ash explained turning his eye over to the window overlooking the beautiful view, "She was really talented when it came to contests and I'd say that she'd actually make a great rival for a real Pokemon trainer"
"You sound like you're the one who trained her" Zoey chuckled back, "She did say a lot of things about you back during the Wallace cup last month. I can't remember all the details but she said that you were her mentor"
The boy rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed, "Oh really? She didn't say anything like that to me"
"Tee hee… you still have a long way to go if you're going to understand girls Ash" Zoey cooed, "Sometimes we just find it hard to admit things to boys"
"I guess you'll need to tell that to Brock" they soon broke a laugh together which silently echoed through the room. "So which part of the grand festival were you thinking about Zoey?" the boy asked finally. "Are you thinking about the Pokemon appeal or the contest battle?"
"Actually, I was thinking of both" she replied honestly. "I don't really know which part of the contest I really excel in. I try thinking of appeals, but I don't really know which combination I should use. The Pokemon battles also worries me. Whenever I go on stage I always think… will my Pokemons be strong enough? Are the crowds happy with my combinations? Who's winning? That sort of things"
Ash opened his mouth slightly amazed. During his first impression of the girl, Ash thought that she was head strong, confident and extremely talented in battles, but here she is admitting that she has her own burden and high expectation of herself during battle.
"I know it's ridiculous for someone like me to be thinking that huh?" Zoey continued, "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up"
"No, I think it's great to be thinking about that" Ash replied which surprised the girl. "Back when I first started my Pokemon journey. I also wondered about those things too. Even today I still worry if I'm good enough to make it through the cut of the preliminaries. But then Brock gave me one good advice that I still keep saying to myself today (pause) Give it your best (Pika pika pikachu!)"
"Give it… your best?" Zoey echoed.
"Yeah! No matter how big or small the battle may be, you always have to give it your best!" Ash raised his fist up as a gesture of what he was saying, "Because when you give it everything you've got, at least then you'll know that you're a winner by heart. Even if you do lose, knowing that you've given out everything you have, is enough for me. If you don't give it your all, then you'll never know your full potential. That's why every time I go into battle, I will always remember to give everything I got no matter how strong my opponents are"
For some bizarre reason, Zoey couldn't find a logical comeback for that barrage of wisdom. She felt slightly stunned and for the first time she actually felt like she actually wanted to admire the boy. She always thought that her determination was unrivaled by any other trainer she had encountered along her journey, but after hearing Ash's own ray of courage, she felt like she was just a torch compared to the boy's bright and shining sun.
-Do your best, because you can't do any better than that-
-Race Drivers: The Grid-
"Give it my all huh" the girl said again giggling, "Yeah… that does sound like a great advice. Thanks Ash… I feel much better now"
"Hey, what are friends for?" the boy chuckled. But just as they laughed together in peace, Ash's stomach began to growl hungrily which made him blush embarrassingly. Pikachu gave out a small sweat drop. "Oh…… ahehehehe I guess all this talking made me a little hungry (Pi pikapi)" even though the boy had a whole buffet served up to him, he was still hungry. "Wait here, I'll go and get us something from the vending machine. Come on Pikachu (Pika)" and with that he walked off to the nearest vending machine which was conveniently placed next to the connecting door.
And while Ash was busy picking the treats from the machine, Zoey couldn't help but look at the boy's back with googily eyes. The boy really did know what to say when she was down; even though he doesn't have the slightest clue what was bothering her. It must've been another one of his hidden talents to be able to inspire and encourage others to do their best in life. But while she was busy admiring him from behind, a small enchanting voice crept up to her ear and whispered a tingle phrase to her head.
"It… is time…"
"Huh?" she instantly jolt her head around slightly frightened. "That's odd. I thought I heard someone" but it was practically impossible for someone to be standing next to her because the only thing there was a window and beyond that was a cliff that led straight to a small forest. Unless a person can float and travel about 60kph, then that would be something to see.
"Hey" Ash called as he put touched a can of soda onto Zoey's cheeks which caused her to flinch slightly from the cold. "Here you go. You like strawberry flavor right?"
"Oh… thanks Ash" she gladly took the drink and took a deep gulp before turning her attention back to the view. The voice that she heard a few seconds ago completely forgotten.
As Ash returned to his own seat, he quickly pulled out a bag of chips and lay it on the table so that they could share it. Though the food and beverages were kind of cheap, anyone who would look at them now would say that they were either on a date or a honeymoon.
(VIP carriage)
"Haa…" that was the sound of Lunick sighing as he walked into the VIP lounge for a routine checkup patrol on the passengers. He and Solana decided to Rock-Paper-Scissor to see who goes on the first shift of patrol. "Man… I can't believe I lot… again!" he groaned. "I'm so asking the chief for a raise after this mission is over" but just when he was about to move on to the food court, his communicator suddenly began to beep signaling him that someone was trying to get in touch with him. "Hello, ranger Lunick here. Who am I……… chief?"
"Hey Lunick" came Spenser the head Ranger. "You didn't radio me the last hour so I was getting kind of worried. Is something going on there?"
"Not really" he replied, "Other than it's completely boring around here" that was what he thought. "Solana and I are taking turns with guarding the package. I'm doing a routine patrol right now and nothing much to report about. Oh by the way: we also met some friends here in the train. A Pokemon trainer named Ash. He and Solana look like they're acquainted"
"Ash?" Spenser repeated the name in a question like form, "As in Ash Ketchum (nod) Well talk about lucky. Some of my old colleges have high recommendation about him too. I was supposed to find him in the Sinnoh stadium but it looks like he came to me instead"
"Do you know him sir?"
"Not in person but all of my friends says that he's a ranger at heart. Tell him to meet with me on the next pit stop on the way. I have to give him something"
"Understood sir…" but just when they were about to continue their conversation, a transmission suddenly got cut off. "Huh? Hey, chief, are you there? Hello? Oh come on, don't tell me that this thing is busted again" but then suddenly, he noticed a shadow passed right through his body. Quickly sensing danger, Lunick quickly leaped out of the way before the attacker could make a surprise attack on him. "What the?!"
In a blink of an eye, six mysterious figures wearing black hoodies and carrying medieval weapons broke through the sky liner up top and landed skillfully on the ground. "Get him!" said the leader of the group.
Seeing that these guys weren't friends, Lunick grabbed the hardest object his hand could acquire (which happens to be a vase) and smashed it onto his attacker. "Don't take me lightly just because I'm a kid" knowing full well that he was outnumbered and outmatch the boy did the only thing that could ensure his survival. With a swift motion of his hand, he slammed his fist onto the fire alarm system which quickly activated the sprinklers in the hallway. "Try and catch me now!"
With the alarm sounded, the young ranger made a quick tactical withdrawal back to the supply room to notify the rest of the guards of the situation.
(Engine room)
When the alarm sounded, officer Jenny quickly got out of her seat and pulled out her radio. "What's going on? All units fire alarm at the VIP carriage, get the passengers out of there now!" however, there didn't seem to be a reply coming from her radio. All she got in return was some static sound and feint voices. "Security room, check in? Supply guards? Anyone?" but again, nothing but static sounds. Not wanting to take any chances with this, the young officer moved out, "You three, come with me. We're going to the package!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Conductor!" Jenny turned to the driver of the train, "Slow down the train a little bit so we can regroup with the other Pokemon Rangers, just in case"
"Yes, of course officer" the conductor agreed before tuning down the speed of the engine. "Alright, we're down to 30kph. That's our half speed right now"
"Good, alright let's go men!"
And when the police officer was gone, the conductor quickly let out a small sigh of relief. "Oh boy… and to think that my train record would stand out" but his sigh soon became a yelp as he felt a sword tip plucking at the back of his stomach. "Eeeep!"
"Tune the speed up to 70kph…… now" the knight ordered which the conductor gladly complied. How he was able to get in there without the officers knowing was beyond him. When the train speed went up, the soldier knocked the conductor out with a simple hit on the neck. After tying him up he turned to his high tech ear phone communicator. "Lieutenant, the engine room has been secured"
"Excellent" came Shani's voice, "Team one and team two, are in position. Begin the operation. Seal the entrance to VIP carriage"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Ma'am, what about the food court?"
"Destroy it…… it'll buy us some time to extract the package out of the train" she replied, "Use the explosives that we brought along with us. Once we have what we came for, we leave immediately. Anyone stuck behind will be left behind"