Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Power Rangers, or the concept of putting the two together. That last is owned by Yankee Blaze, which is what he now calls himself. Hooray for him.

Incidentally, there're so many Poké Rangers stories that I'm quite amazed at how large the world is progressing. Over time, the roots spread; grow; it becomes quite intriguing to note how all of it works out.

At any rate, I'm writing this now that I've finally finished this chapter. This should clear up quite a few issues, and hopefully raise some new ones… enjoy!

Chapter 5 - Solitude

"He'll be alright, won't he…?" Erynn chanced as she stepped away from the silver capsule which had risen from the ground. Blue waves of energy washed over Ash's inert body as his harsh breathing slowed: the trance of healing had him unconscious in a heartbeat.

He'll be alright… the Voice replied softly, his Psychic Shield, on the other hand, will take some time to repair.

She watched for a moment as the angry red weal across his chest where the attack had torn through his defense showed a slight hint of returning to its normal colour: she reached toward him to brush off some of the crusted blood around his arm, only to find herself repelled by a psychic force.

Don't go any nearer; you'll disrupt the flow of energy, the Voice warned her.

She looked toward the blue light, stepping back a little more cautiously. Frowning, she tried to turn to face the Voice: finding it a trifle impossible, she turned back toward the machine instead.

"What is that, anyway?" she murmured softly: she wasn't sure he could hear their conversation, but his rest deserved to be an undisturbed one; at any rate the Voice didn't have to be spoken to in order to hear.

It's a reconstitutor… those you might have seen in Pokémon Centres; only those were built for Pokéballs.

She looked toward the large machine: it hardly looked like the smaller machines she'd seen: though she couldn't expect humans to fit into a Pokéball anyway. But she shrugged the answer aside.

"That's not what I meant…" she said, shaking her head, "how does it work…?"

If recent events haven't told you as much, a large part of this universe is dictated by the pulsing of our individual life signatures. The machines you've seen… she searched for the words, they amplify that force; that quickening of life allows for rapid regeneration, and so… the Voice trailed off; an open invitation for him to continue.

"So how long will he take to recover?" she pressed on. The Voice shifted about before replying.

A night at most; that is as far as I can see. Her voice seemed somewhat subdued: Erynn guessed that even a guardian would have her moments.

But now wasn't the time for sentiment: she looked away from him, to the chamber about her. She couldn't see the Voice, but she knew it was watching. And if they were going to fight for a cause that they might get so injured for, then they deserved to know what was going on.

"Hey, Voice," she said, a little more determinedly, "you did promise to tell us what exactly is going on. Why were we attacked? Twice?" she added, looking over to her partner even as she said the words. "And what of the blue Ranger's words…? What did he mean by Guardian?"

She spoke the words with more than a little trepidation; yet at the same time she knew she had to know. The Voice seemed to sigh reluctantly: after a moment of tension, she finally spoke.

… You do know of the three Guardians of Elem, don't you…?

Erynn nodded slowly—she'd heard of them: there'd been books speculating on their existence in the past; the possibility that three Pokémon of such power had once existed.

"I… might've heard of them…"

But the implications of the question were obvious in her mind. They were no longer myth; no longer legend. Now they were real; to her, at least.

… This once was truth, that once upon a time there were three of us. This region was shaped by the hands of the mighty Aggron: it was he who carved valleys from steep mountains and plains from jagged wasteland.

… Then there was Absol; it was he who quelled the wild storms and brought an end to the rage of the sea: he held in his mind not only the power to foretell, but in his paws the ability to forestall.

… And then there was I: who was once Gardevoir.

Erynn started at the significance of the revelation: but the Voice hardly seemed to notice as she continued speaking.

… It was I who calmed the frightened souls of men: who brought the beauty of emotions to Pokémon and Human alike. The three of us worked in unison: we never came in contact with but a few mortals, simply because in power lies tainted desire.

The Voice stopped at this point: Erynn opened her mouth for a moment, making as if to question the point of the narrative, but the Voice interrupted her.

It pains me much to recall most of this, but then it is imperative I relay this to you. Please, bear with me a little longer: we have still a while to wait.

She nodded, a trifle frustrated at the roundabout way in which the Voice – no, the Guardian, she corrected herself – was doing the recounting. Realizing how little she understood, she stepped back: almost immediately a metal stool rose up from the ground and practically knocked her into her seat: wincing a little, she turned to watch the reconstitutor as the Guardian continued her narrative.

Of course: there had to be a turning point; Absol and I had known for a long time of the warped nature of time: all things were doomed to be repeated, and past distortions in fate's web were bound to occur once more.

It started with him: it was as much as I had feared.

Erynn felt the chamber about her grow a trifle colder: despite herself, she couldn't help but feel the same sadness and loss the Guardian felt. Whether it was her empathy on her part or the Guardian's unrestrained power she couldn't tell.

Absol had always been the most unpredictable of the three of us: few humans revered him as much as they did us, simply because he was a harbringer of doom: whether he was its source or not was irrelevant.

Erynn shivered; she remembered the small town of Abysmuth: its ruined façade fronted by the single remaining statue—that of a giant Absol—had been as chilling a reminder of what had been forgotten as their first meeting with the newly-formed Team Epsilon then and there.

Even I wasn't sure when he first turned: we three Guardians met rarely, as we kept to our lands: Aggron kept his watch in the mountainous south and southwest, I kept my lands in the north and central areas, while Absol presided in the east and northeastern regions.

Erynn breathed as she recalled the cities. "The East… that's Abysmuth, Zirconium, Cadma and Odine…" At this, she paused. "Odine was…" she didn't have to finish her sentence.

Indeed, he was the one who first wondered if humans were taking us for granted. I understood how he felt, of course, but there was little I could do to change it. No matter how many disasters Absol averted, with any one that slipped through his watch, humans blamed him.

It wasn't sudden: while Aggron remained stolid in his duties and I continued to bless the people, Absol began to slip. And yet, while I saw, I was unable to change any of it: we Guardians held power over the world, but nothing over each other.

"But…" Erynn interjected, but she had been forestalled.

We had friendship, yes: but in that friendship laid a trust so deep that I never dared breach it: we believed in each others' judgement, for we were the three who founded this region. Aggron played a passive role in all of this, and to today I cannot help but believe his was the best decision of all.

Erynn turned to her fallen friend once more, emotions of sorrow creeping into her heart. Whether they were inspired by present events, or the emotions inspired by the Guardian's narrative, she couldn't tell. But she said nothing, and let her narrative continue.

As I had feared, my appeal to him came too late: he burst into a rage: not directed at me, but at the reality of humans—he saw that they were selfish beings, unknowing; unable to reciprocate. His anger was one not furious, but silent. It was so intense that even I was unable to influence it.

The air around Erynn grew charged with intensity: behind her, she heard a low moan from Ash, but she felt powerless to do anything.

The fight was as anticlimactic as it was sudden. He, who had nothing left to lose, had grown mad with a thirst for redress. The emotions of hate; of suffering and pain: they were horrible to—

The Guardian cut its narrative off as Erynn rose from the ground, the immense pressure finally lifting from her shoulders. She panted as she struggled to catch her breath: the asphyxiating mass of emotions dissipated and her muscles relaxed.

Wiping beads of perspiration off her brow, she turned to face Ash, who still lay unconscious: his clenched fist had just begun to relax: she reached for his hand only to remember the Guardian's warning.

She stepped away, instead sitting, slumped against the side of the capsule, her head bowed as she tried to consolidate the thoughts which ran through her mind.

… I'm sorry. Perhaps now was not the time…

Erynn shook her head in what might have been both a yes and no. She opened her mouth to sigh, but was interrupted by a white flash.

"Wha…?"

He's chosen a good time to attack…

What had once been an expanse of blank rock wall was now brightly lit, although there were no obvious light sources anywhere: the computer screens around the central machine blipped into life, displaying a full map of Elem even as the wall began to register what appeared to be live video footage.

Chaos. A large group of Vio was racing through the city, attacking civilians without any sign of emotion: toys on a rampage, and definitely not child-safe. Her eyes recognized the town only too well.

"Damn it, why won't they just stay away from the innocent?" she angrily shouted: she turned to the map, which only proved what she already knew.

They were attacking Rubidium.

You should know that this is a ruse… the Forgotten rarely works in ways as common as that. With Ash out of commission, they'll have the upper hand this time.

"If I cared about any of that," Erynn answered with a strange laugh as she picked up her SP Ball, "would I ever have joined this crazy team in the first place?"

Donning her shades once more, she turned to leave.

Wait.

"Look, I don't have time—"

… How do you think you're going to get there in time?

She opened her mouth and shut it again.

There're two options. One, use Ash's Ditto. Gardevoir is out of commission because she's bonded to his White Ranger powers.

Erynn thought for a moment. "What's two?"

The Guardian seemed to pause for a moment before she responded.

Be warned: it's but a prototype… yet one I have successfully modified…

Another hidden panel revealed itself from within the ground, displaying what appeared to be a simple, gray motorbike, only without wheels. It was plain and entirely unassuming, apart from the fact that it was hovering, there were three holes cut into its side and there was no ignition, all which meant:

Quite. Try inserting your own morpher.

Erynn hesitated a moment: it was never easy to trust the life of your Pokémon to a strange contraption, no matter how safe it might have been said to be: if the device didn't work right, Arcon would be little but dust. With her heart in her throat, she inserted it.

Click.

A melodic tone sounded which resonated about the chamber: the ball she had placed into the slot glowed and lit up, the flame patterns on its surface glowing brightly: as she watched, the pattern spread from the ball to the surface of the motorbike: the tendrils of bright, luminescent colour creeping across, fanning out into increasingly intricate designs, were a beauty to behold.

As the colour crept across the seat, the pattern changed: the flat, black surface exploded in a mass of soft white fur, identical to Arcon's; and the handle-bars curved back and turned white in a perfect imitation of his fangs.

Erynn gaped at the sight, amazed by the beauty of the new vehicle.

This is a prototype of the Omnibike: its full potential has yet to be unlocked, but for now it'll work well enough to serve your purpose.

It is equipped with weapons, but these vary depending on your power. I have little practical information at the moment, so I shall leave it to you to test these out.

"It's… beautiful…" Erynn breathed, before she remembered herself. Mounting the bike, she marveled at how light it felt under her, before turning once more to look at Ash.

… I'll be back, she whispered.

It didn't matter that she had no idea how to use a motorbike: amazingly enough, the hovering bike seemed to counterbalance her weight no matter how she threw it. She had the helmet of her suit off, just so she could feel the breeze against her hair: she hugged the machine close to her body, feeling the exhilaration as she sped across the plains to the west of the Great North Road, the bike leaving no trail behind her.

She looked to the bike's dash to register her position on the positioning system inbuilt into the machine. She was already nearly there: the silhouettes of a few of the taller buildings were already visible just over the horizon. Of course, there were also the tell-tale signs of smoke, which indicated that the Vio had stopped killing and gone to razing. She bit her lip in frustration.

She couldn't help but envy the rangers in the other regions. At least some of them had teleportation.

The streets were charred and blackened: the stench of burnt metal and plastics hung in the air, shrouding the streets in a dark mist. Sounds of destruction could be heard in any direction from the main plaza, where a single creature stood.

"Come on out, Poké Rangers…"

The creature leapt down from the roof upon which it had been observing the scene. It landed silently: gracefully, befitting its feline nature. Its blue-black fur shone despite the dark shroud, but with a light that was all its own. Electricity crackled from its charged fur, occasionally discharging into the ground with a crackle.

It was a cross between a Rentorer and a Roserade: petals wreathed its forepaws, while large roses grew from either flank: these flowers were not red or blue, but bright yellow. Its malevolent red eyes glowed as they fixed upon a single tree, yet undestroyed amidst the chaos. The yellow petals of the rose fanned out and began to rotate. Slowly at first, but gradually…

Blue sparks of electricity began to course through its body: as the petals picked up speed, its fur glowed with an incandescent blue, which intensified to a blinding white until, with a roar, the creature released the immense power.

The dust settled as the petals slowed to a stop. The blast had thrown the monster a few feet back. It had obliterated the tree entirely. It had also destroyed three buildings, six Vio, and a large amount of pavement.

"That ought to get their attention…"

The sounds of destruction were less apparent now. Getting to its feet, the creature tilted its head toward the sky and issued a single roar. A summons to the Vio to return, and a challenge to any ranger who dared approach.

"And now for the main course…"

With a strange sound that might have passed as a laugh, the creature stalked off towards the Rubidium Gym.

The single ranger crouched from above, waiting for the right moment to attack. The monster the ranger now knew as Luxrade approached, an army of Vio surrounding it.

No matter… I'll just go for the head…

The exact trajectory, the exact timing, everything had been set in place. That Luxrade would eventually come to the Gym was something the ranger had known would happen. And now…

"Now! Bow of Solitude!"

He jumped off the roof of the building, somersaulting over Luxrade and releasing three bolts of blue energy directly at it before landing, taking out two of the Vio with him as he did. The chances that Luxrade would have set up an electrical field negating energy attacks had been high, and he wasn't disappointed.

Brian barely had time to think any more as the remaining Vio set upon him; he parried two blades with his bow before countering with a well-aimed kick.

"Interesting… the Blue Ranger, I see… where're your comrades?" Luxrade seemed amused rather than worried as it stood away from the fight.

"… Don't need them," he grunted, crashing his crossbow into a Vio's skull and simultaneously spin-kicking another, "I can definitely handle you on my own…" he kicked a third Vio in the chest, using the momentum to get away from the mob, "Blue Hail!"

He back-flipped as the rapid-firing icicles propelled him further back: he bent a knee and brought a hand to the ground to steady himself. The ice crystals skewered the four foremost Vio: in another moment they were ashes in the wind, and the icicles clattered to the ground, shattering.

"Impressive…" Luxrade murmured, although he hardly seemed worried as the next group of Vio charged forward. Running forward, he brought his bow up to his shoulder again. It was only a moment later he realized that something was wrong.

"Too late…!"

Luxrade roared once more as the electricity it had been gathering throughout the conversation was finally released. A beam of blinding white energy rushed towards him, a silent blast which obliterated the few Vio in its way and ran right through him.

The agony of impact ripped through his body, white sparks arcing across his suit as the pain intensified. In the single second that seemed like eternity, he was helpless; trapped in the blast of the attack.

And then it was over: he fell to the ground, barely conscious, and aware of the numb sensation which was typical of paralysis. He cursed silently despite his fatigue. His suit had protected him from the worst of it, but no more. At least he'd taken down all the Vio with him…

"Foolish human: do you really think the power of Water could defeat me, a monster born of Grass and Lightning?"

He could just see, out of the corner of his fading vision, the creature that approached him now. Its roses were glowing once more; perhaps a final attack to finish him off? Perhaps…

The roses spun once more, releasing a stream of deadly petals. A moment later, a blast of fire had burnt them to ashes.

"Looks like I'm just in time!"

He started as he heard a voice he recognized: she sounded both angry and happy, a mixture he couldn't quite put his finger on. As he wondered where the voice came from, there was a strong rush of wind, and then a pair of purple-lined black boots appeared in front of him. He looked up to confirm what he already knew: the owner of the boots.

"Erynn Fyrre… you're late."

The ranger in question turned to look at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Thanks for taking care of my Gym, but I'll handle the rest from here…" stepping in front of him, she removed her morpher from the bike and faced Luxrade.

"Interesting… so his girlfriend's come to help…" Luxrade taunted.

Erynn made a face. "You're the one who tried to destroy my city, aren't you? For insulting my dignity – no offense," she added to Brian, "and destroying my favourite restaurant…" she set her helmet back over her head before running towards the creature.

"You'll pay! Claws of Loyalty!"

As she approached Luxrade, twin claws sprouted from her clenched fists: the flames left a blazing trail behind her.

"Interesting…" the creature spoke: he seemed less sure of himself this time. "Magical Leaf!"

The yellow petals of the roses detached themselves, their beauty belying their razor-sharp edges. Erynn ducked as the first salvo approached, rolling under them only to realize that they were magical for a reason. She winced as one of them caught her on the arm.

"Feh… I never liked roses anyway…" she turned to face the remainder of the petals as they approached, "Red Ember!"

She crossed her palms together and released a stream of flame that burnt the projectiles to a crisp. She barely had time to enjoy her small success before she was tackled in the back.

"Ugh…!" she gasped as she fell: Luxrade had taken advantage of her preoccupation to force her to the ground, leaning both its forepaws into her chest. "You sure are persistent!"

The creature didn't respond: instead, the roses at its side began to turn again. Its forepaws began to course with electricity, causing her to wince in pain as the shocks coursed through her upper body. Her arms and legs were all pinned to the ground; she cursed under her breath at her predicament.

"What…?"

The monster staggered as it fell back: Erynn's chest heaved as she got to her feet, finally able to breathe again. She turned to her injured comrade to confirm what she already knew: taking advantage of the surprise crossbow-attack, she turned and ran towards the confused creature.

"Time to pay you back double!"

With a cry, she brought her fist back, bringing it down hard against the creature's vulnerable flank: as it jerked in pain and wheeled to face her, she scored two bloody scratches against its face before ducking under to avoid a swipe of its massive claws.

With a stifled cry of exhilaration, she clipped it under the chin before rolling to a side as it grew more frenzied in its attacks.

She dodged another clumsy blow easily as she cut across its shoulder, leaving a burn where she had buried the claw in it. Electricity coursed through her each time she landed an attack, but it discharged any power Luxrade might have had.

In one fluid move she brought a leg up over its head and executed a heel-drop, using the momentum to jump out of its reach. She paused as she watched the tired monster struggle and lose the battle against its fatigue, massaging her chest to try to relieve the pressure she still felt from its attack.

"You put up a good fight…" she conceded, "but just remember one thing.

"This is my city: its people are my friends and its beauty is my memory. So while I'm here, you're never going to succeed…"

As she spoke the words with a furious intensity, she brought both palms across her chest: they glowed once more with an incandescent flame.

"Red Ember!"

And in a burst of fire and a roar of defeat, Luxrade was no more.

She fell to her knees as she powered down and demorphed. Looking over to her fellow ranger, she saw that he'd done the same.

"I guess we're even…" she ventured.

"You could say that."

There was silence. Though they were all on the same team, there seemed to be some indefinable rift between him and the rest of them.

"… Well. I guess we should be getting back; before the residents come out and spot us, anyway…"

She looked toward the sky, watching the black mist slowly spiraling upwards: she tried telling herself that everything was alright, that she'd successfully stopped what was happening, but

"You should know it's not going to be that simple."

She started at his statement, so unexpected in its delivery.

"… It's time to go."

His tone was final; it held no room for any more speech. Nodding slowly, Erynn entered the code into her wristgear, paused, and then hit the button.

White winds came to claim her: even as her sight became obscured by the blinding light, she saw Brian still lying prone on the ground. He wasn't moving an inch.

"Wait…! Aren't you coming…?"

By degrees, he got to his feet. With a wan look behind his glasses, he waved as the winds took her away. His whispered words were the last things she would hear before her return.

"… I'll find my own way back… somehow."

A/N: Took me long enough…

Yeah; I finally took the time to finish a chapter I've been writing for… quite a few months. Kinda surprising, really. That I actually finished it, anyway.

That said, I'm not sure if my style hasn't slipped: I haven't written in quite a bit. I hope it's still somewhat up to par… at any rate, I probably will be pretty busy the next few weeks, so if I do get another chapter up, you can compare something or the other then.

Ah well. Now that it's over, I've got to think about what's going to happen next. See ya'll later!