Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon Ranger (sadly)

A/N: I was supposed to update this the day before Halloween because I have a full schedule that day. But it somehow slipped my mind until today. Plus I have school (the 'joy') so I'm not sure when updates will be made. Irregularly, yes, but good news: I'm about done with chapter 4.

Minami woke up with a start. Hinata's spell had worn off a few hours earlier and she had been sleeping peacefully upstairs in her room. She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes before changing to another more presentable outfit. She walked down the stairs just in time to see an elderly woman leave the shop.

Hinata saw her almost immediately. "Minami, you're up," she said. "Can you head to the marketplace to get more black nightshade?"

Minami frowned at the request. "Don't we have some in the garden?"

"Apparently they aren't ready for harvesting yet," Hinata explained. "And for my spells, they have to be harvested at half moon. Which you know is about a week away. I have a batch order and I really need that nightshade."

Minami shrugged. "Which part?" she asked.

"The whole thing. I can pick out which parts I need after that," Hinata said. "Oh, if you see Kazuki, tell him I said hi and I'm not free next week."

"Oh?" Minami smirked as she tied her hair into a simple ponytail. "Sounds like someone gotten herself a date."

"Wha-What? No! It's just that… Well… We haven't seen each other for a long time and… You know, catching up and stuff," Hinata stammered, obviously flustered. "Oh you are SO dead when you get back."

Minami laughed and skipped out of the door. "See you later," she called as the door closed behind her

Hajime forgot how crowded the town could be. Because of the King's iron fist rule, the people seemed to barely get along. And then again, this town depends mostly on trade from the sea. The port out of town served as a main business area. Sailors came to town for a look around in the Paradise Land. Personally, Hajime thought that nothing about living in Oblivia screamed 'paradise'. Returning back to reality, he decided he must have been one hell of an idiot to cut through the marketplace. It was swarming with people. He recognized a few people from the castle, pausing every now and then to return a greeting. Natsuya seemed to be equally lost. He could not blame him. The knight's training school never had this many people at once.

Finally they made it through the worst of the crowd. The brothers picked up speed to make up for lost time. They decided to stop to rest at the town fountain. "I didn't know the town had this many people," Natsuya commented.

"Yeah well, most of them are either people visiting from the port or from the castle. Not many townspeople will go to the market," Hajime answered. He stood up and stretched. "Alright, let's go." He backed right into another person. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry," he said quickly as he turned around. Instead of some random townsfolk, he saw someone he would rather not anger. "Minami?"

The magician looked right back at him. "Eh, Hajime?" she asked in surprise. "I thought…"

"Day off," he answered. "Besides my brother is going to be a knight. Awesome right?" Judging by the expression on her face, it was anything but great. He had heard of Minami's apparent dislike for anything related to the castle, but still…

She took a quick look at the younger boy behind him. "Rather scrawny," she commented. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Taking a break?" Hajime answered. "We cut through the market to the castle. The initiation for the new knights is beginning soon. By the way, where's Hitomi?" Hajime asked.

"She went back home in Almia. She'll be back next week though," Minami answered. She turned to look at the clock. "Shouldn't you guys be leaving? It's almost noon."

Both boys' heads turned into the direction of the clock. "Crap, Hayate's going to murder us," Hajime exclaimed. "You're going to the upcoming Cresselia Festival right? I'll see you there." He dragged Natsuya along as they raced down the street. Minami watched them go in amusement.

"Pfft… Boys," she smiled at shook her head. Personally, she had nothing against Hajime, other than he was part of the knights at the castle. Her main target was the King and his Council. She thought back to his brother, the one she commented had looked rather thin. He seemed kind of familiar, yet she was certain she had never seen him before. As far as she know, the knight's training school was way out of town, located somewhere near Naname Village, way out at Mironda Island. So no real surprise there. After all, she had been living in Aqua Town for nearly her entire life. Hajime lived a few minutes outside town, where his father cut wood for lumber everyday at the bottom of the valley. Figuring that she would get a headache from thinking too much, she turned towards the direction of the shop. I think Hinata said something about a message for Kazuki, she thought. I'll just drop by his place and inform Kira about my progress.

Natsuya kept looking back towards the town. "Who is that?" he asked.

"Huh? Minami? She's one of the magicians in Aqua Town," Hajime answered. "I find her one of the better magicians in town. The stuff she sells actually work for a long time. And her co-worker Hinata is the best for healing magic. Sometimes when I get the day off I drop by their place, see what's new. You remember that I told you once that I had a friend from Almia? She works there too, but she's not a magician."

"Oh," was the one-syllable answer Natsuya gave.

Hajime eyed his younger brother. "Why?" he asked.

Natsuya shrugged. "I don't know. I find her familiar, yet I've never been anywhere outside home or the school," he answered as they reached the front of the castle gates. "Wow. It's a lot larger than I thought," Natsuya exclaimed, taking in the structure of the place.

Hajime laughed. "Yeah well, it has that effect on all newcomers. Come on, I'll take you straight to the waiting room. Hayate will brief you guys about the rules and stuff," he said, leading Natsuya in. So Natsuya finds Minami familiar, he thought. May be due to that a suppressed memory is trying to make itself known. Minami was one of the people he found whose name contained the word 'Nami' in it. He had looked up people who had lived in Aqua Town and never moved. He dropped by one day and was really surprised to see Hitomi there as well, as he had not seen her ever since he moved from Almia. He had his suspicions that Natsuya was from this very town as his father had found him at the bottom of the valley. Near the top of the steep slope was the borders of the highest part of the town. He would be surprised if Minami turned out to be one of the people who used to know Natsuya pre-memory loss. All this time he had known the girl magician, she had a volatile personality, often causing tornados to sweep him up if he even dared to put any moves on Hitomi. Other times, she acted friendly, even showing him some things she was working on. Sometimes he could not, for the life of himself, imagine how Hinata and Hitomi put up with her constant mood changes. Come to think of it, she never asked for his brother's name, nor did he actually tell her. He made a mental note to ask Minami the next time he saw her.

"Hajime!" a voice in front of him suddenly shouted.

Hajime lost his footing for a while before looking up. A tall man with white hair and a long white coat with red designs at the base of it glared down at him. "Commander Yuuki," he greeted, quickly standing straight up and saluting.

"What're you doing here?" Yuuki asked. He caught sight of Natsuya. "Newcomers waiting room is that way. You got one minute before Hayate loses it."

Hajime glanced at the direction Yuuki was pointing at. "Thanks, sir," Hajime said as he bowed. "Come on, hurry." He tugged Natsuya's arm and they tore down the hallway. He got a feeling he would get chewed out by Hayate all the same

Meanwhile…

An old man with white hair and moustache watched the town from the balcony of the lab where he worked at. He let out a sigh. Forced to work here and develop spells based on the King's orders, it was really not the ideal environment.

"Shinbara sir?" asked a timid voice behind him.

The old man turned around. "Oh, Prince Herio," he greeted as he bowed. "What can I do for you?"

The young prince was nervous, Shinbara observed. He fiddled with the hem of his light blue top and he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. "It's just that… I heard my father is planning another conquest," he finally said.

Shinbara's eyebrows knitted together. "On Almia again?" he asked.

Herio nodded. "Well, I didn't exactly hear him say it, but the Council was talking about it as they were leaving the throne room for midday break," he explained. "I… I don't want to see him going village after village. It all started when he successfully got control of Aqua Town. And now he even has Fall City in Fiore and Pueltown in Almia! All of them main cities for the region! What more does he want?"

Shinbara laid a comforting hand on the prince. "Believe me, if I was capable of stopping him, I would have done so a long time ago," Shinbara told the prince. "It is beyond my power, however, to put a stop to the King."

The prince looked up at him in shock. "But how?" he cried. "You are the most powerful magician in all the regions!"

Shinbara stood up again. "True, but if what I suspect is right, King Euron is using a power beyond that of most powerful magicians," he explained. "I am, pitifully, short of the power to oppose that power. You remember Kira?"

Herio nodded. The young oracle for the castle was banished for reading an oracle that prophesized the King's downfall. "What about Kira?"

"Kira was no magician. However, she does contain a small part of the ability to stop the King," Shinbara explained. "Kira utilizes the power of Cresselia, Goddess of the Moon."

"I know that," Herio said. "She uses the moonlight to read fortunes."

Shinbara nodded. "Yes. Kira's Guardian is Cresselia. She can channel Cresselia's powers through herself and use them. But Cresselia is only a small part of the overall power to oppose King Euron. People who can utilize the powers of Guardians are usually magicians who found an element that they are proficient in. But not all magicians are able to command the power of a Guardian. Such an example, is I myself. Throughout my years, I have practiced all kinds of magic, and yet to receive a Guardian."

He thought he saw a small light of hope appear in Herio's eyes. "So all Guardians must be present to stop my father?" he asked.

"In a way, yes," Shinbara said.

"So… Are there any magicians in town other than Kira who can use the powers of a Guardian?" Herio asked.

A faint smile crept across Shinbara's face. "I thought you would never ask," he said. "In Oblivia itself, I can sense the power of no less than six people who use the power of Guardians. And I believe, those who not yet found a human host are looking for one. After all, they wouldn't stand for The King abusing the power of his Guardian like this."

"What kind of Guardian is my father using?" Herio asked.

"That I do not really know," Shinbara answered. "I'm still in the midst of finding out which Guardian is that powerful to conquer so much in so little time. Say, Your Highness. What village is the King planning to raid next?"

Legend:

Naname Village – Tilt Village
Hitomi – Kate (Shadows of Almia)
Hayate – Spenser
Yuuki – Garrett
Shinabara – Hastings
Herio – Ravio