Hey everyone! Here's the newest chapter in this story, so be prepared!
Spring had come. The last of the snow had melted away, and it was now beginning to get warm after a frigid winter. Since the seasons had changed, the students' curriculum had changed from just basic learning to more hands-on learning.
Today was the 1-Day Internships. Students were being sent to different locations for one-the-spot training. Mechanics and Operators were being sent to the Ranger Union for orientation, and Rangers were being sent to the Vientown Ranger Base. Keith, Shayde, and Xena were already prepared to head to Vientown, but were slowed down in their endeavor by Xena's Arcanine, who wasn't allowed to go with her since she wasn't an official Ranger. After some convincing and many belly rubs, they managed to get the Arcanine to lay down and wait patiently for them to return instead of rampaging and torching everything.
Now that they were on their way, the trio had the chance to talk excitedly about what they might do once they got to Vientown. Once they got to the Ranger Base, the trio took a quick look around the town and went inside, they were instantly called over by the Base Operator, who was standing at the desk. "Are you the students here for the internship? Here, take this package,". She handed Keith a large package and he held it gingerly, unsure of what to do with it. "This is a secret Mission. Take that package to Breeze Hill, which is just west of this town, past Nabiki Beach. Remember, do NOT tip it on its side. And never, EVER flip it upside down."
The trio nodded in confirmation and rushed back outside, Shayde jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh wow! This is so cool!" Keith said, punching the air furiously. "A Mission right off the bat! We better get that package delivered. Otherwise the people who need it won't be very happy with us..." Xena giggled, digging her elbow into Keith's side gently, making him bust out laughing. They all took off to the west of Vientown like they had been told, arriving at Nabiki Beach, a clean, quiet white-sand beach. A couple was standing near the shoreline, talking quietly and holding each other close. The trio walked past them to see Mr. Woodward, the local woodcarver feeding a Pachirisu, a Muchlax, and a Starly.
"Ah, Pachirisu, Pachirisu. So cute, so cute. What's wrong? What's wrong Munchlax? You're not saying you're hungry already? Ah, Starly. Go on, eat up all you like," Mr. Woodward said as he handed food over to each Pokemon, patting each on the head as he went around.
Keith and Shayde walked right up to him, leaving Xena to stay back awkwardly, trying to hide behind them. "The way you're dressed tells me you're students of the Ranger School, yes? On 1-Day Internships I would guess. Well, then, let me give you a quick quiz that you'll find enlightening."
Shayde opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as Mr. Woodward continued talking. "Here's my first question: What is a Partner Pokemon?" He asked. Keith raised his hand slightly and Woodward nodded at him to give him a chance to answer.
"A Partner Pokemon is an especially friendly Pokemon that always goes with a Ranger," he said proudly, making Mr. Woodward grin. "Correct! The Rangers I know all said they met their first Partners here at Nabiki Beach. Question two! A Ranger can have only one Pokemon as the one and only Partner?" "No. That's not true," Shayde answered, and he nodded. "Correct again! A Ranger will get opportunities to add the second Partner and more as time goes on. But you can still only have one Partner accompany you at any one time. The other Partner Pokemon must remain patient and remain at home. Now go on, and head up to Breeze Hill, you three," he said with a smile and walked past them, Pachirisu, Munchlax, and Starly trailing after him eagerly.
Xena watched him go by and waved at him as he walked past her, then ran up after Shayde and Keith, who had taken off up the hill without her. When she reached the top, they were standing near several Rangers that she presumed were from the Base. There was an awkward silence as the three just stood there, unsure of what to say because the Rangers hadn't noticed them yet. "Hellomeetcha!" Keith blurted out unexpectedly, making everyone jump. One of the Rangers, a big, burly man with a Makuhita standing beside him looked up, staring at him weirdly. "Did...you just say 'Hellomeetcha'? You nervous or something?" He asked and Keith rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, laughing nervously.
"Ah, well no need to worry. Anyway, hand over the package and be careful. Don't tip it. Hold it straight up," he said and Keith handed it over, making sure he didn't tilt it at all. "Okay. Now..." the man opened the package to reveal several packed sandwiches, "Sorry we had to trick you three. But this isn't an actual Mission, and this wasn't an important package in the manner you might think," he laughed and the students just stood there, a little stunned, before laughing with the man.
"Anyway, my name is Barlow, and this is my Partner, Makuhita," he stood proudly before being pushed out of the way by a tall man with an afro and a Budew. "You guys know me. I'm Crawford! You met me at your Outdoor Class some months back," he said and waved. A girl with long black hair and a Buneary came over and stood next to Crawford, smiling. "And I'm Luana. I just became a Ranger last year. I fell for the same trick you guys did last year, except I kind of smashed up the sandwiches because I swung the package around, so everyone had a mushy lunch."
A woman wearing a pink uniform and headband walked up last, standing next to Barlow. "I'm Elaine. I'm a Mechanic."
The students introduced themselves and everyone sat down to lunch, though the trio stayed close together instead of spreading out to talk with the other Rangers. Xena sat very close to Keith, almost leaning on him as they ate, then stopped when he turned to start talking to Luana. She turned away from him, staring off the edge of the bluff. In the back of her mind, she felt that something wasn't quite right someplace. The order of something nearby wasn't stable. It was like with the Mantine all over again, except she didn't feel any pain. Just uneasiness. A subtle sense of uneasiness that was steadily growing, and had been once they had reached the top of Breeze Hill.
Loud stomping came from behind everyone, and they all turned to see a young man standing there, out of breath from charging straight up to them. "H-Help! Pokemon..on the beach..they have my girlfriend trapped!" He cried out, obviously very distressed. "What's going on? What happened?" Crawford asked, standing up. "I..I'm not sure! Pokemon just came up out of nowhere..they all seemed really agitated and they tried to trap me and my girlfriend, but I managed to get out of there..oh no..she's still stuck on the beach! I have to go do something!" With that, the man went running back down the hill just as fast as he had come.
Barlow got up and grabbed his Styler, looking around at everyone. "Okay Rangers. Sounds like an Emergency Mission. To Nabiki Beach! Move it! You three kids, you come too!" They all nodded and followed him down the hill to find chaos on the beach below. The Pokemon Mr. Wodward had been feeding earlier were now running around the young man's girlfriend, keeping her trapped in one spot. Woodward himself was standing there, looking confused. "They're friendly and docile usually! They're not like themselves!"
Xena watched as the girl tried to back up, but the Pokemon followed her, trapping her up against the cliff. "Please! Somebody! Help me!" The girl yelled out, pressing herself further against the rock wall behind her. Shellos were now coming onto the beach, making the area look like a circus gone wild. "Okay everyone! Crawford, you come with me and try to capture the Shellos! Luana, Shayde, Keith, and Xena, capture the Pokemon going after the girl!" Barlow yelled and charged in, everyone following quickly, instantly starting Capture. Luana went after the Starly, Keith the Munchlax, and Shayde the Pachirisu, leaving Xena without a Pokemon to Capture. She tried to stay out of everyone's way, and in the middle of Shayde, Keith, and Luana dealing with their Pokemon, she snuck in and got the girl away from the wall and safely out of the way of everyone to ensure she wouldn't get hurt.
Once everyone had finished capturing their Pokemon, the boy ran up and hugged his girlfriend, who hugged back, almost in tears. "Thank you all for helping save my girlfriend!" He exclaimed, just about ready to cry himself. "We heard strange noises from the sea..we noticed a big cargo ship pull away and disappear over the horizon. And then, all of a sudden, I was surrounded by Pokemon...I think they were scared of the cargo ship," the girl agreed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Well, whatever it was that happened, I'm just glad to see you folks are safe," Barlow nodded, sighing. "Crawford, Luana, do a sweep of the beach. Just to make sure we didn't miss anything."
They both nodded and set off to start checking for anything suspicious, and the captured Pokemon were released. When Shayde tried to release her Pachirisu, it just sat there, staring up at her innocently. "Surely they've taught you how to release Pokemon already, right?" Barlow asked and Shayde nodded, confused. Xena walked over, leaving the couple to keep loving up on each other, and knelt down by the Pachirisu, petting its fur. She watched it carefully, frowning. "I think...it's gotten attached to you. It doesn't want to leave. It wants to be your Partner," she said, straightening up, "Is that right, Pachirisu?" It squeaked happily and climbed up Shayde's leg, clinging to her shoulder for dear life and refusing to let go when she tried to pry back off. "Well you can't keep it as your Partner because you're not a Ranger. You'll have to release it for now," Barlow said and the Pachirisu looked sad, letting out a small squeak of sadness before hopping off of Shayde's shoulder and scampering into the nearby bushes and disappearing.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you guys will see each other again. You met on this beach, and those that meet here are destined to be friends, remember?" Crawford asked with a big smile. "Yeah. You're right. I just know I'll see it again someday. Maybe after I become a Ranger, I can look for it around here," Shayde nodded and Xena punched her shoulder playfully. "I think it'll seek you out as soon as it can, so you'll be seeing it really soon. It really liked you, Shayde. You'll definitely see it again."
"It's getting kind of late you three. You'd best be getting back to school before it gets too dark. Don't want you getting lost in the middle of the night," Barlow said gruffly and the students nodded, realizing that the sun was already beginning to set. The day had flown by without anyone realizing it, and it was going to get dark very soon. They said their good-byes to everyone and waved as they wakled away, heading back into Vientown and through it to get back to school. On the school bridge, they bumped into Rhythmi talking to a Pachirisu, who was sitting in the middle of the bridge, seemingly waiting for something. "Hey, that's the Pachirisu from the beach, Shayde," Keith pointed out and its ears perked up at his voice, then ran right over to Shayde, who cuddled it lovingly. "I'm really sorry little guy, but you can't come back with me. You have to stay out here in the forest for a little bit longer," she mumbled sadly and it let out a whimper before hopping out of her arms and offering a small flick of its tail as a good-bye before trudging back off into the nearby shrubbery. "It knows that it has to wait, but it doesn't want to. Be prepared for it to show up on school grounds to visit you each day," Xena said quietly and Shayde nodded, sighing. "Man, I can't wait for us to all be Rangers. It'll be so fun to work together," she groaned, stretching. "And I could be your guys' Operator too! Though after today, I'm sure I'll be put somewhere else because it seems like all the Ranger Bases around already have Operators..." Rhythmi said. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll learn more soon and hear from Bases that will need us," Keith patted her shoulder lightly, "But right now we really need to head back. I don't want to get in trouble for being late any more than anyone else." With that, all of them sprinted back to school, narrowly missing the deadline before they would've been very late and would have gotten yelled at by Kincaid for "running in the hallways" after everyone was already in bed.
Well this chapter felt very long. The next will probably be a little shorter. Or longer. Depends on what exactly I'll put in. And how many details go into it.
