LeDeepThought requested me to continues, so here's a new chapter. Enjoy.
"Lyra Forrest?" Keith mumbled looking around the vast green woodland. "Seriously? How did we jump regions?"
"We didn't just jump regions," Liz explained looking around the forests. "We jumped back in time."
"How could you possibly know that?" Kellyn asked.
"First of all, I'm pretty sure that was the whole point of the Trio's plot was to go back and time and stop Kate from becoming a ranger. Second, Dialga is a primordial god with the power over time. It didn't just teleport us over to Fiore for the heck of it, it sent us to the same place that the Trio forced it to send them. So for better or worse, were are in the middle of Lyra Forrest with Heath, Lavana, and Ice in a time that has some correlation to why Kate wanted to become a ranger, a time that is completely unknown to us."
"In hind sight, we probably should have asked Kate when and why she wanted to become a ranger," Kellyn told the group.
"Well, it's a little too late for that." Liz said, already putting together a course of action.
"If it helps, I know why she wanted to become a ranger," Keith shared, "but I don't know when it happened exactly."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Tell us." Keith nodded and began to explain.
"Kate was telling me about how she used to live in Fall City and how she and her friends would always come to Lyra forest to play hide-and-seek during the summer, which—by the way—means there's a likely chance she's probably hiding in the forest somewhere."
"Noted. Continue," Liz ordered glancing around the clearing. She felt extremely uncomfortable but why she felt like that she wasn't sure.
"One summer when she was eight or nine she was playing in the Forrest when a forest fire started. She said she was saved by a ranger and that was the reason she wanted to become a Pokémon ranger."
"Oh—"Liz realized why she felt so uncomfortable. "Oh! Oh no. Guys we need to move quickly."
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes, very wrong." Liz said, "Fan out and find Kate, Young Kate who doesn't know who any of you are. Capture as many water pokemon as you can along the way, and be very careful."
"You know more than you're letting on."
"I always know more than I'm letting on!" Liz called already backing away from the group. "Just find Kate. I have to head into town."
"What are you going to do?" Kellyn yelled, but Liz was already running. Liz knew this forest like the back of her hand. It didn't matter how far away she went or how long she was away from it, she could never get lost. She could never forget what it looked like, and right now it looked much different than the last time she's been her. More…alive.
Ringtown was the same as usual. A small rather peaceful place full of people of every size living alongside family Pokémon and those that came to and from the forest. Liz wanted pause to just so she could take in the peaceful atmosphere, but she was far too on edge. You wouldn't have been able to tell by looking, but there was a swell of panic rising up inside of Liz and it only became worse when she confirmed the date in the Ringtown Ranger base.
She had work to do, and she needed to do it fast. She ran to the second floor so that she could get a quick lift to Fall City while hoping that the boys would be able to find Kate in time.
"She does that a lot." Kellyn said after Liz had run off. "Just keeps the details to herself."
"I'm used to it." Keith admitted.
"Same." They both smiled, before focusing on the task at hand.
"So, Kate is somewhere in this gigantic forest." Kellyn hummed, "Somewhere in a forest full of pokemon and a group of bad guys who are out to get her. This shouldn't be too difficult."
"She liked to hide near the river, sometimes, so I'll go check that out. There was also a grove towards at the north end of the forest that she mentioned once before."
"I'll look there, then."
"We'll meet up at the life tree near the center of the forest later, okay. Contact me if you find anything."
"Same goes for you." Both boys split up, heading towards their search spot. Kellyn couldn't shake the bad feeling hovering over him. He'd seen the look that had dawned on Liz face when Keith had mentioned a fire. It was brief, but enough. Kellyn had learned over the years to never question Liz's hunches because more times than less they were usually right. Liz's actions had told him all he needed to know. Today was the day that Lyra forest burned to the ground. Today was not going to be a fun day.
Liz wasn't sure how long she had spent in the underground waterway. The jump in time had thrown off the clock on her stylus so she was guessing, but considering the fact that people weren't standing at the eastern entrance of Fall City gawking at the forest she figured she wasn't to horribly late. She's already given the Fall City base a warning about a group of criminals that had fled into the forest. Hopefully that was good enough a reason for the local rangers to keep people out of the forest.
It wasn't enough to keep her out of the forest, though.
She paused at East road right before entering Panula cave in order to catch her breath. She's been running around the waterway capturing and befriending any water type pokemon she though would be helpful for the upcoming trial. She couldn't leave; however until she found the pokemon she had originally gone there for. He had taken quite some time to track down, which is why Liz had no time to waste.
After regaining control of her breathing, Liz—with her armada of water pokemon—was about to depart into the tunnels when a loud, thundering boom stopped her in her track. The noise rumbled across the air, sounding both close and far away. There were five more, each as loud and bone rattling as the last. She hadn't been able to see the lightning, but she saw the flash. Soon after she saw the smoke.
"No time to lose, guys." She called turning away from the forest and dashing into the caves. Today was the day the forest burned. From Liz's memory, the culprits who had set the fire were never found, but something about it hadn't been natural. She remembered how there had been multiple ignition points, which is why the fire spread so quickly. She remembered all the damage the fire caused. And she remembered the storm that followed.
When Liz reached the tunnels exit she came face to face with a forest that was already being engulfed in flames. It wasn't as bad it the edges, but it would get worse. It would spread. She didn't waste her time trying to put the flames out, it would be a waste of energy. She still had no idea if Keith or Kellyn had found Kate, nor would she be able to contact them to find out. The heat waves and the smoke would scramble their connection, so she didn't bother trying, she just ran. She ran straight into the fire.
"Oh?" Liz stopped in a clearing. In the middle was a group of five kids. None of them were older than ten, and they all looked thoroughly terrified. Liz couldn't blame them, the fire was stronger in this area. "You all need to get out of the forest, now!" She ordered calmly. She knew they were scared, and she didn't want to make things worse. She also didn't have time to escort them out of the woods.
"W—we tried," the oldest-or who Liz assumed was the oldest—said. "The fire spread way to fast we got stuck. We just—but now you're here."
"I can't walk you out." Liz told them all almost regretting saying it when all their faces turned whiter than a frolass. "I can't walk you out but I can give you escorts who will lead you to safety." Liz had nine pokemon with her, excluding Luca. She waved over a Totodile and a Croconaw from the group and presented them to the kids. "These two are reliable. They know the way to Krokka Tunnel and they make sure that the flames stay far away from you. Do you think you can make it on your own?" Liz received five different nods of agreement and smiled.
"Dang, You all are so brave. Be careful, and don't stop until you're in the tunnel."
"Yes, Miss Ranger," they all chimed before falling in line behind the Croconaw. Before they left, one of the boys grabbed Liz's hand.
"Is something wrong?"
"There are six of us," he explained, "my other friend, Kate, we couldn't' find her. We were playing in the area, she can't be too far, but—please you have to find her!" Liz smiled at the kid, crouching down to his level.
"I'll find her," she promised, "Now hurry so you don't get left behind." Liz didn't move until she saw the kids leave the clearing. When she was sure they were on their way she turned and took off again. Kate was in the area, and the fire was only getting stronger, which meant time was running out. She had to get creative as she traversed the forest. Trees had fallen and fire obstructed her path. Liz was thoroughly covered in soot by the time she'd made it towards the heart of the forest.
She was thankful for the water pokemon she had befriended, because without them there's no way that she would have made in progress in that fire.
In her search for Kate, Liz ran into another group of kids. A duo, actually. One was a young girl with light hair who was being carried on the back of the taller boy she was with. There couldn't have been much of an age difference between the duo, a year or two give or take.
"Can you help us?" The boy asked. His eyes blue eyes bore into Liz and she was shocked by the range of emotions in them. The innocence and the fear. The determination. "I'm Ian," he continued, "This is my friend, Elizabeth. We live in Ringtown and we can't find a way back to town."
"You're lost." Liz asked glancing around the area. It really was a good thing she'd been covered in soot.
"Not lost. Trapped. Every way we try to go is blocked off by a fire. It's like it's trying to lead us towards the life tree, but that seems to be where the fire is worst."
"It's…" Liz glanced behind her. "Of course! What a stupidly obvious plan."
"You're a ranger right?" Elizabeth asked. She'd had her head buried in Ian's shoulder but looked up when she spoke.
"I am," Liz answered with a small smile, "and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. She looked at Ian, "To either of you. That is a promise."
"You have a way to get out of here?"
"No, but I know how you two can get out, but for now let's find a more open area. Ian had been right. Liz hadn't noticed it since she'd been getting help from her befriended pokemon, but the fire was almost leading you straight to the heart of the forest, towards the life tree.
When the three of them reached one of the many clearings that spanned the forest, Liz was ready to send them on their way with two water pokemon. It was the same situation as before, she couldn't help them out of the forest, but she could give them escorts. It was obvious that they knew how to get out, they just were obstructed by the fire.
"I'm going to give you two of the pokemon with me," Liz explained when she figured they were in a safe enough area. "They'll douse any flames that are in your way so you can bet back home safely."
"What about you, don't you need their help?"
"I'll be okay," She glanced back at her party smiling at the largest of the group, "I've got enough water power to take care of myself. It's more important to me that all of you two get out of here—"Liz stopped. There was a tension in the air that she had only just picked up on. It was layered over the heat, but it was there and it couldn't mean anything good.
"Is everything alright."
"Probably—"she heard a low growl from across the clearing, "not." She finished. She saw its eyes before she saw the entire body. Red and glowing through the blaze. "Electricity," she realized. The tension she had felt was actually static electricity. "Both of you stay back!" She ordered as the Luxray entered the clearing.
"W-what is that?" she heard from behind her.
"A pokemon who is not native to this Region." There was only one reason why a Luxray would be in Lyra forest, and that would be if it was brought here. Liz though back to the flashes she'd seen at East Road. It had been lightning, that struck the forest and it must have been the work of this Luxray, but it did not look happy. Something was definitely wrong.
"Is it okay? It looks hurt." Elizabeth said.
"It looks like it wants to hurt us." Ian added sounding more worried about him and his friend than the condition of the pokemon.
"I won't let that happen." Liz had challenged worse than this. Heck, she'd just captured Dialga before being thrown back to this time period. She would make quick work of this. She did make quick work of it. She captured and calmed down the raging Luxray before it could cause any harm to her, the two kids, or itself.
"That was—"
"Amazing!" Elizabeth chimed, "That was so cool!"
"T—thank you." Liz, needless to say, wasn't used to getting praise for simply doing her job. The Luxray she had captured stuck around. She was certain that- while she had captured it-she hadn't necessarily created any bond, just calmed it down. Still, The Luxray walked over to Liz's side nudging its head against her arm as if to say thanks.
"Do you think you can help me?" She asked looking at the electric pokemon. Luxray was certainly big enough to do what Liz was thinking of, and strong enough. "Get them back to town." Liz pointed to Ian and Elizabeth. The Luxray looked at the kids before nodding its head. It approached the kids slowly before kneeling down and allowing them to climb on his back. Once both were safely on his back, Luxray rose back to his feet.
"Like I said before, this guy is not native to this region," Liz explained to Ian, "While he is smart, he doesn't know his way around the forest so you'll probably have to help him out." She lifted up a totodile from her party and placed her in Ian's lap. "This little guy will help you out with any fire that might get in your way."
"Thank you," Ian said, "really, thank you so much."
"Just doing my job! Make sure you look after your friend!"
"Always!" Ian assured before Luxray took off into the forest.
Once more, Liz continued on her way. Ian, had been right about which way the fire was directing them, which probably meant that if she kept moving forward she would find exactly who she was looking for.
Getting to the Life tree was a lot less difficult once she found the path she needed to take. The huge clearing that surrounded the monstrous tree-which rose higher than any plant in forest-didn't seem as effected by the fire. The flames were slowly consuming the area around but, for the most part, the clearing was free of almost all traces of flames. This would be the perfect place to hide out if you're trying to avoid the fire and a logical place to flee if you believed the rumors surrounding the place.
Liz jogged up to the roots of the tree. There were pokemon huddled around the trunks base as well as in the branched, however, one of those pokemon, wasn't actually a pokemon.
"Kate!" Liz cheered when she noticed the young girl. The Burnette looked up, a face full of tears.
"Who are—"
"A pokemon ranger," Liz answered instantly. She looked down at her cloths and laughed, "I swear I am a ranger under all this ash and soot and I have been looking all over for you!"
"How did you know I was here?"
"How? I ran into some of your friends earlier on. They got out of the forest safely, but you were still in here. I'd turn in my stylus if I hadn't been able to find you."
"So you're here to save me."
"Yes," Liz answered. "I'm here to save you and to save this entire forest. This is a special place for a lot of people and pokemon, I can't simply let it burn to the ground." Liz pointed over her shoulder to the large blue pokemon that had been trailing her through the burning forest. He wasn't very nimble, but he was powerful and was exactly what was needed. "This is Feraligatr. He's going to douse this blaze."
"How?" Kate asked. Her tears had stopped now and she was watching Liz with an amaze curiosity. Liz just smiled at her. That was another job of a ranger. Sure they kept the peace between people and pokemon, but they also distracted people form the situation if need be.
"There's this wonderful move that most fully evolved water Pokémon can learn. It gives them that ability to create rainstorms at will," Liz turned to the big jawed pokemon. "Feraligatr, use rain dance!" The pokemon nodded his head in understanding before stomping both feet into the ground and roaring into the sky. Almost instantly dark clouds began to form overhead spiraling out towards the edges of the forest. Soon there was just smoke and darkness, but then the rain fell.
It was slow at first, but slowly picked up speed, creating a down pour that was almost hard to see through, but that didn't stop Kate. She ran around the clearing with all the other pokemon dancing as the rain fell and extinguished the flames, saving the forest and everyone still in them. After a few minutes the rain began to slow until it ended all together and the clouds dispersed as if nothing had ever happened. There were still remnants of smoke from the fire, but for the most part it was all blue skies and sunshine.
"There," Lis said, "Mission complete. Thank you for saving the forest, Feraligatr." Again the large pokemon nodded in Liz direction before heading on its way.
"That was awesome!" Kate yelled, running over to Liz. "I had no idea that pokemon could be so powerful and—well amazing!"
"There are a lot of things pokemon can do. They can help you out in situations that you couldn't handle yourself, or they could be your best friend." Liz crouched down to Luca who had been sticking close to Liz this entire mission. "Pokemon are very powerful, and are very kind. Treat them with respect and they will do the same for you."
"You, are so cool." Liz recalled something Keith had said earlier. He'd talked about the reason why Kate had wanted to become a ranger, how she'd been saved by one during a fire. Liz couldn't help but smile as she watched Kate continue to skip around the clearing with the other pokemon who'd taken refuge by the life tree. Turns out Kate wasn't the only one Liz had inspired to become a pokemon ranger this day.
"Hey, Kate. I think we should get you back to your family. No doubt they're worried sick and there are some bad people in this forest that I think we should avoid."
"Bad?" Liz moaned when she heard the voice. "The only bad person I see here is that snot nosed little brat that you think you can protect.
"Lavana," Liz greeted. "Of course it had to be you. Why couldn't it have been Heath? I could out smart or out run Heath. Well, I can probably out smart you."
"Outsmart me? Ha! As if I would let you do that. You have hell to pay, ranger, for what you did to my make up!" True enough the glamour the pink haired villain had dawned was smeared all over her face.
"I suppose you should have gone for a waterproof mixture then?" Liz suggested. "I mean, I assumed you would have learned your lesson by now."
"You're about to learn what happens when you mess with me when I am MAD!" Lavana yelled before pulling out some machine that Liz had identified as a miniremo. A large cat emerged from the shadows on Lavana's call, causing Liz to step away.
"Oh for the love of—Entei? How?"
"Are you scared, little ranger?"
"Scared of you? No. Scared of Entei? Also no. You clearly don't know who I am and what I am known for." Liz exclaimed as she prepared herself to capture one of the legendary cat pokemon.
So the life tree isn't actually a place in the game, but it is in the fanfiction. Hope this was up to par with expectations. It's been a while since I actually wrote anything for this story, but i hope you like it.
NaturalAthlete
PS. excuse my horrible editing. I tried.
