We waved goodbye to the shop owners of the flower shop as we made our way down Route 104 and towards the lake. The late afternoon sun shone down on us as the sun began started to set.

Arin seemed unfazed by the sun's rays, "Look at this thing!" She holds out a newly purchased watering pail shaped like a familiar pokemon, "It's a Pailmer!"

I chuckled at her childish innocence, "C'mon. We should try getting to Rustboro by sundown, 'less we want to get swarmed again."

"Agreed," Arin nods and looks down to Ralts, who was following us on foot, "Thanks again, Ralts! I don't know what kind of trouble we'd be in if it weren't for you."

"Ralts!" The pokemon cries out, smiling, as if it were happy to help.

I tap Ralt's pokeball to the side of my Styler and an info panel pops up, giving me information on my pokemon.

"Woah," Arin looks over my shoulder, "What's that?"

"Ralt's stats and info," I explain, "My styler is able to get this info from pokemon we've caught or captured in order to help us with our work."

"So, kinda like the Pokedex?" Arin holds up her own device, showing Mudkip's stats and an image of the unknown egg.

"Exactly like the Pokedex," I reply, "It also has a map and communications feature like your Pokenav."

"Wow, it's like everything combined into one," Arin beams, "I wish I had one."

"It is pretty cool," I smile, "But I worked hard for this thing. Just like you, I went to school. Then I graduated and worked at the local Ranger Base until I was finally relocated to the Ranger Union a few years later."

"What's the Ranger Union like?" Arin asks, "Almia's a much different place than many of the other regions."

"It's this big tower," I explain, reminiscing about my time there, "With a giant tree on its roof. And a bunch of Rangers would fly in and out every day on Staraptor."

"You guys flew on pokemon?! That's so cool!" Arin exclaims, "You think you can take me flying one day? Please?"

I laugh at her enthusiastic response. "Someday," I reassure her, "We haven't really seen too many large bird pokemon around lately."

"Promise," Arin says, "Promise me you'll remember."

I hold my hand in the air, "I swear."

"I'll hold you to that," Arin smiles and starts down the bridge snakes across the lake.

"I wouldn't doubt it," I follow her, making our way along the final stretch to Rustboro as the sun's setting rays dyed the lake an orange color.

"We apologize for inconveniencing you," I read off the sign in front of the gym, "The gym leader has left on urgent business and will be back soon. Please come back later. Once more, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience."

It was now the next day. We'd taken on a few battles on the bridge with a few other trainers the previous day and planned the challenge the gym the next morning. But, plans have changed.

Arin groaned, "We even rushed through breakfast for this! I thought we'd get this done, easy peasy."

"Well, these things do come up," I shrug, "Might as well take a look around the city since we got here late. We could even do some training on Route 116 before I actually challenge the gym."

"I guess," Arin crossed her arms, "I was just looking forward to an actual gym battle…"

"That reminds me," I turn to her, "Are you going to challenge the gym?"

"Me?" She points at herself, "Oh, no, I'm not. I was never going to enter the league tournament, just journey around the region."

I nodded understandingly, "Makes sense since you are looking out for what you want to do in the future."

Arin exclaims, "If we're going to stay in Rustboro, can we check out the Devon Corporation?" She points to the tall building across the street, "I saw it last time when I traveled through here on my way to Littleroot and I wanted to check it out."

"Sure thing," I say, following her, "Devon is the company that makes many of the things trainers use right?"

Arin confirms this, "Yep, I heard they rival Silph Co. They even have a device to bring pokemon back from fossil form!"

It was my turn to act surprised, "You certainly know your stuff."

"All textbook knowledge," Arin explains, tapping her head, "We had an entire chapter on these kinds of companies, I almost —" She got cut off when a stranger ran into her. I had to catch her from falling over.

"Watch it, kid," he said sternly as he walked away.

"Hey!" I shout after the stranger, but he had already turned the corner and disappeared. "You okay?" I help Arin up.

She dusts herself off, "Yeah, I'm fine. Can you believe some people?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," I scoff. I try to pay it no mind and move on. But something seemed off about the whole situation. I dismiss the thought as we continue towards the Devon Corporation building.

The building was comprised mostly of stone, much like many of the other buildings in Rustboro, and was at least three stories tall. We step into the lobby and are greeted by a large glass display in the floor displaying a mural of fossilized pokemon and plants. Next to the reception desk was a small shop similar to a Pokemart that sold goods developed by Devon.

"Woah," Arin is immediately drawn towards the display in front of the shop, "Look at all the different kinds of pokeballs!"

"Might be a good idea to stock up on a few of these," I say, paying the cashier for a handful of medicines. "Thank you."

"Thank you for your patronage," the cashier bows slightly as we move on.

We approached a wall that displayed yet another mural of the history of the Devon Corporation, apparently starting from a small mining company to the industry giant it was today. There were glass cases that lined the walls, each with a product developed by Devon; an old version of the PokeNav, a pair of shoes, and some sort of scuba gear.

"Well, well, well," A gruff voice approached us from behind, "What do we have here?"

The two of us turned around in surprise and we came face to face with a bbroad-shouldered man. He had white hair and was dressed in a navy suit with a white hat on his head, a black stripe ran around the side of his hat.

"President Stone," Arin recognized immediately, "An honor." We both lowered our heads out of respect.

He raises his hand and chuckles, "No need for formalities, I'm just checking on our customers." He recognizes my unfamiliarity and reaches his hand out to shake, "Joseph Stone, President of the Devon Corporation."

I shake his hand, "Terence Carter, Pokemon Ranger. This is my friend, Arin Steele."

"How do you do, sir?" Arin shakes his hand as well.

"I'm fine, young lady," President Stone chuckles, "What brings you two to our establishment today?"

"Just taking a look around, sir," I explain, "Arin has never been here before and I've spent most of my life in Almia."

President Stone laughs, "Of course! It's great seeing people actually interested in what we do here. Most people just buy our products but pay little to no attention to all the work that's being done here."

"I'm sure it's a very hardworking establishment," I say out of respect.

He laughs again, but his expression turns darker, "Well, if this were any other day I'd personally give you a tour of the upper levels, but it seems that there is some trouble I need to attend to."

"Trouble?" Arin perked up as if drawn to the word, she looks at me, "Is there any way we can help, sir?"

"Well, I don't see the harm," the old man chuckles, "Please follow me to Route 116."

We followed President Stone, alongside a few scientists dressed in lab coats, to the inner stretch of Route 116.

We approached the entrance to Rusturf Tunnel, "What seems to be the problem?" I speak up.

"We've encountered a problem with some wild pokemon," one of the scientists explains, "We've been trying to contain the problem for some time."

All of the sudden, a huge roar made us all cover our ears. "What in the…" Arin says, wincing from the deafening sound.

"I'll say…" I squint as we approach the tunnel's entrance. Large, purple pokemon stomping around and causing a ruckus. Signs and safety tape are keeping people away from the scene.

"Exploud?" I realize, "A few of them?"

"And they've been on the rampage for a few days," another voice approaches us. We turn around to a girl shorter than the two of us. She had a black dress, red stockings, and a red bow tying her hair back into two twin tails.

"Roxanne!" I exclaim, and look over at Arin, "That's why the gym's closed."

"For the time being," Roxanne looks down, "Nothing we've done has calmed the rampaging pokemon, and we can't get any closer than this."

"Do Exploud usually show up here?" I ask, "I thought the tunnel was inhabited by lower leveled Whismur?"

"It is true that Whismur are the most common pokemon encountered throughout the tunnel," Roxanne explains, "Exploud don't usually emerge from deep within the cave without some sort of provocation."

Arin and I release our pokemon after yet another roar from the Loud Noise pokemon, "This isn't something we can handle with just our pokemon," I explain to Arin, "We don't stand a chance. The Exploud are too high of a level, not to mention agitated."

"What do we do then?" Arin has a worried look on her face.

It's then when one of the Exploud notices the crowd of people standing around the safety tape and roars in our direction, making us cover our ears yet again. This alerts the rest of the agitated pokemon to our presence. Some of them begin to charge.

"Too late!" I try to get some of the people out of the way, "Go on the defensive!"

Roxanne reaches into her bag and throws out two pokeballs, releasing a Golem and a Onix, "Protect them!"

"Torchic! Lend me your flame!" I hold up my Stylus, "Poke Assist! Go, Capture Disc!" The disc shoots out of my gauntlet, red with fire. The disc leaves a trail of fire as it circles the charging pokemon, noticeably tiring them with the heat.

Just then, another disc shoots out from behind us, leaving a trail of tall grass and slowing the Exploud even further. I turn in surprise. No, it couldn't be.

Behind us, running closer was a familiar face from back at the Ranger Union.

"Luther!" I focus my attention back on the rampaging pokemon, "What are you doing here?" I say through gritted teeth.

"Same reason you are," his partner, a Grovyle, assisting him in the capture, "Just helping out!"

He reaches our side, out of breath since he was running for so long, "How's it going?"

"Not the time," I say, "Roxanne's taking care of a few of them. I'll go for the one on the right, you go left."

"That's no way to talk to your commanding officer," Luther retaliates, but still goes left.

"You're not my commanding officer anymore," I reply, "and you're forgetting that I outrank you now!"

"All talk," he smirks, "Let's catch up after the capture."

"Agreed," I put my hand in front of Arin, "Stand back, this could get dangerous."

Arin nods and takes a step back, holding Mudkip in her arms. Torchic stands next to me, assisting me with the capture, and Ralts stands behind me.

"Ralts, I need your help," I whip the capture disc around, dodging another auditory attack, "Can you do that?"

The feeling pokemon nods and holds her hands up to lend me her psychic power.

"Alright! Stop them in their tracks!" I shout, "Poke Assist!" The flames around my capture disc burn out and are replaced by the purple glow of Ralts' psychic power, freezing the rampaging pokemon in their tracks.

I pump my fist in the air, but I know our job isn't done. I look over at Luther who seems to be doing fine, ensnaring an Exploud with vines sprouting from his capture line. Roxanne also seems to be holding her own with her Golem and Onix taking on two Exploud.

I retract my capture disc and let it charge up before shooting it out once more, "Power Charge! Let's finish this!" A brighter beam of light follows my capture disc, circling the trapped pokemon. But before I can finish my capture, the Exploud breaks free from Ralts' psychic trap and roars, breaking the capture line.

I groan as the disc shoots back to me, but I noticed something strange when that Exploud roared. I shot my disc upwards and the Exploud looked up following it's trajectory. There was a small device attached to it's chest, in the center of the Exploud's circular stomach pattern.

"Luther! Roxanne!" I call over to the two battling their own agitated Exploud, "There's something controlling them! Go for the device on their chests!"

Roxanne tilts her head and notices the device, "Golem, Rock Blast! Onix, Iron Tail! Aim for the chest!" The Golem launches a boulder at the rampaging Exploud, nailing it straight in the chest, crushing the device. Onix swipes at another Exploud with it's tail, also crushing the small device.

Luther also takes notice of the device and commands his partner, "Grovyle, Leave Blade!" The Wood Gecko pokemon throws sharp leaves at the agitated pokemon, knocking the device off.

"Ralts, you too! Disarming Voice!" I command as the fairy type attack hits the Exploud, knocking it back and disarming the device. Heh.

Immediately, the Exploud start to calm down. They look around in confusion as if they had no idea they were responsible for so much damage. They begin to wander back into the cave from which they came.

"Finally!" Luther sighs, sounding relieved and taking a seat in the grass, "My stylus almost ran out of energy. Those auditory attacks are really tricky to dodge…"

"You could've told me you were coming," I offered my hand to help him up.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were here," He takes my hand and stands back up, "Who's this?" He gestures to Arin who had walked up behind me.

"This is Arin Steele," I explain, "I met her on the way to Littleroot to meet the Professor. We've been traveling together for a little bit. Arin, this is Luther Yahto, my former mentor at the Union."

"Nice to meet you," Luther extends his hand to shake.

"Likewise," Arin shakes his hand with a wide smile.

Roxanne approaches the three of us, "Rangers, I thank you for helping out. I don't know what we could've done without you."

Arin rubs the back of her head, "Well, I didn't really do anything. These two did most of the work."

"And not just that, but you did take on two of the wild pokemon yourself," I point out.

"That still doesn't diminish the feat the you two performed," Roxanne smiles, "Thank you again."

"It's really no problem," Luther waves his hand, "The most important part is we stopped them from causing any further damage."

"Speaking of damage," I say, walking over to one of the scientists who is studying the crushed device laying in the grass, "What is it?"

"I'm… not quite sure…" The scientist puts on a pair of gloves before picking up the oddly shaped device. He turns to President Stone who had approached us, "Are you sure this is the tech we salvaged?"

I pick up the device that Ralts knocked off and studied it. The device was mostly intact. "Wait a second…" I turn the center of the device and the casing pops off, revealing a familiar circuitry. A dark colored crystal sits in the center and seems to be the source of the the device's power. I turn to Luther, "This is Miniremo tech."

Luther groans, "Again? I thought we dealt with this."

"You're familiar with this technology?" A scientist approached me, Arin tailing behind him.

"We've seen it before," Luther explains, "Back in Almia."

"They seem to be revised versions of Miniremos," I add on, further disassembling the device.

"Mini-what nows?" Arin tilts her head to the side.

"Mi-ni-re-mos," I pronounce slowly, "A miniaturized version of the Gigaremos, devices used to control pokemon against their will. They were developed by Team Dim Sun—"

"Dim Sum?"

"—Dim Sun, to take control of Almia. I thought we stopped them years ago."

"We recovered this artifact from a shipwreck," one of the scientists explained, "It was subsequently stolen from the Devon Corporation building as we were trying to study it."

"Artifact? No, this is a weapon," I hold the intact device in my hand, "Anyone who gets a hand on this tech is dangerous."

"This needs to be reported to the authorities," Luther explains, "Tell them to keep an eye out for any suspiciously angry pokemon. If they're able to reverse engineer Gigaremo tech they could even turn pokemon against their own trainers…"

"Arin and I will keep an eye out as we continue our travels," I say, turning to President Stone, "Any idea who stole this from you?"

President Stone shook his head, "We're conducting our own investigation. At first, we thought it might've been someone from either Team Magma or Aqua."

I look at Luther, "That can't be good."

"We did bump into a strange guy on the way here," Arin reminds me, "That rude dude crossing the street in front of the gym?"

"We'll look into the incident further," President Stone says, "We will report the event to the police and see if they picked up anything on their surveillance."

"Anyways," Roxanne speaks up, "Rangers, we thank you again for your help in this endeavor. I will be returning to the gym for the time being."

"Indeed," one of the scientists continues, "We will return to Devon to further investigate the nature of the device."

We wave the two groups of people as they return to the city. Now, all that's left are the three of us.

"So Arin," Luther turns to her, "How'd you meet Terence? I can't imagine him approaching a girl like you."

I elbow him in the gut, "Actually, he saved me when I tried to rescue Ralts here." Arin explains, gesturing at the Ralts standing by my side.

He rubs his chin while I change the subject, "So, Luther. Why are you in Hoenn?"

"Ah you know," Luther waves me off, "Work stuff. And by that I mean they asked me to be stationed here in Hoenn because they heard of some suspicious activity. Looks like they were right."

"They certainly were," I smirked, "It's been good seeing you man."

"You too," we bump fists.

"You're traveling on your own?" Arin speaks up.

"Yes ma'am," Luther tips his imaginary hat, "Maybe I'll tag along some other time, but for now, this is good bye."

We wave good bye to Luther as he runs off, his partner trailing behind him. Now it was just Arin and I standing on Route 116. It seemed almost too quiet now compared to the intense battle that had just taken place.

"He was your commanding officer?" Arin suddenly brings up.

I facepalm and chuckle to myself, "Yeah, he was. Those were simpler times back then."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"That's…" I look up to the sky which was beginning to clear, "That's a story for another day."

End of Chapter 4

A/N: Hello! Thanks so much for reading the latest chapter! Please feel free to leave any feedback, good or bad. This chapter will come out a bit later than I had planned because I've been a bit busy for the past week. But excuses aside, more characters! I'm planning to introduce at least one more OC but I'm not really sure where or when. I did say we'll be in Rustboro this chapter, and we were! Just no gym battle. That's for the next chapter! And also people are going to point out that Terence couldn't even handle a swarm of Shroomish, how was he going to handle high leveled, agitated Exploud? Well, from experience, swarms of pokemon were definitely more difficult to capture because they'd constantly be running around and breaking your capture line. And not to mention all the spores he would've inhaled at the scene. That's all I have to say. Please give the story a follow since, as evident from my late upload, I don't have a set upload schedule.

Anyways, again, thanks for reading and 'till next time!

-AS