Tracks of Light
Chapter 12 – Not Just Yet
"Celebi! Celebi!"
A child's voice woke Ben up. He rolled over from his laying position in what seemed like tall grasses, while his eyes adjusted themselves to the great amount of greenery above his head. Twigs and stones poked at his bare arms as he shifted around, and the Ranger jumped in fright when he thought he touched something moving with his hands, and his head shot up and hit a lower branch of a tree.
While the young boy was seething about his clumsiness, a green Pokemon was conniving pranks to play on the unsuspecting Ranger. It should be returning to Ravio and be assisting the woman who arrived to battle the Oracles, but this was such a good chance to try something…
"Celebi!"
Both the Ranger and the Celebi were startled by voice in close proximity. Ravio, the young boy with blue plated armor, stood with his hands on his hips. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"
The boy noticed that Ben was here, and he gave an exasperated sigh.
"Celebi," He looked at the green Pokemon. "Miss Katrina's already here. I don't think Ben needs to be here."
Ben snapped out of his stupor, and upon the mention of that stranger's name, he quickly charged towards Ravio, and he placed his hands on the startled boy's shoulder.
"You," The Ranger couldn't remember the kid's name. "You know about Miss Katrina, or whatever she is?"
"Yeah…"
"Does she happen to be wearing a large black coat?"
"Well, yes," Ravio then swatted his hands away. "Why should I even tell you this? We probably could have asked you to go after those oracles today, but Miss Katrina's here, so I'm not sure why you're here."
"I would like to know what's going on," Ben stressed the 'know' as he gazed intently upon the boy. He prided in the fact that he was tall enough to look intimidating. However, Ravio didn't look at all fazed by his hostile demeanor.
"I really don't know what's going on," the boy responded gruffly as he turned around to the way out of the forest. "I'll just take you to the outside of the temple. Kira and Tanvir are there. They know how to deal with you."
Ben was escorted through what should have been Teakwood forest (he noticed a tree that was strikingly similar to the one he saw in the present), until they emerged upon the stone streets, exactly as Ben had last remembered it. However, something was slightly off. There were no marketplaces to awe and walk past like last time. What happened?
"Ravio!" Kira's voice got their attention, and they met up at a pair of very large iron gates. The dark blue doors were closed for the day, and Tanvir looked very frustrated from behind everyone else, looking at the door with contempt. Ravio carefully explained the situation to his surrogate parents, who nodded to every word he said, and Tanvir looked up at Celebi.
"Celebi...?" The large man questioned. "Is there a reason you keep bringing Ben to our time?"
"Miss Katrina already went ahead," Ravio tried to reason ."We shouldn't have to ask Ben to check on the temples, too. You can't open the next temple unless you finish the previous one."
"All right," Ben tried to take control of the situation. "Who is this Miss Katrina you keep talking on about? I've been taken here several times already, and I still don't know what's going on. If this keeps up, I'll have to find out eventually."
Kira and Tanvir paused and eyed the boy curiously, their minds still wondering about how they could put Ben into the plan. However, the ground shook as the large iron doors slowly came open, and the entire group stared at the dark void ahead in horror. Something heavy and metal was emerging from that darkness. Kira and Tanvir were unsettled, prepared to run if they had to. Ben knew nothing, but the dark poisonous aura was emanating from those doors…
Heavy footsteps clanged against the cobblestone streets, and a large man emerged from the shadows. He had large broad shoulders, and a form-fitting shirt, outlining every edge of his carved muscles. His pants were just the same. His head was adorned with a large metal helmet that covered the head completely, with small slits to see through and breath.
"All you temple oracles!" Kira challenged the man. "What's happening in the temples? Why did you close the door? Do you know how many people are in need of your assistance?!"
A long silence followed, and the temple oracle, unmoving replied in slurs. " I will not answer your questions."
"What are you saying?" Tanvir talked to them as if they were old friends.
"We are the ones to control the world," The strange helmet man continued. "You are the ones to be controlled."
"What are you saying?" Kira was more taken aback. "We come from the same region! Aren't we all friends? Stop making these terrible jokes!"
"I only speak the truth!" The suddenly incensed temple oracle bellowed. "Ah, you recall the woman who had gone through these doors a while ago. She hasn't come back, it seems…"
Ravio lost his temper and charged at the man, but Tanvir's strong arms held the young boy from imminent peril. Ben stood in front of them protectively. He was sure the man would try to fight or send a strong Pokemon at them, so he had to be ready.
"You fiend!" Ravio wrestled and kicked in Tanvir's grip. "What have you done to Miss Katrina!? She's not hurt!"
"I fail to see how you think differently," The armored man pointed to his head. "The Steelhead can use this mysterious armor to use a Pokemon's power any way we like! Your hero is no match for us. Those with no such powers, must how down to us!"
The man pumped his fists in the arm and waved them as if he were summoning something, and Kira and Tanvir backed up against each other, keeping Ravio nearby and behind Ben. The Ranger was hearing dark pulses of low noises coming from the temple as the Steelhead sang a deep incantation that he couldn't understand with Celebi's language fix.
Several Empoleon emerged from the temple and lined up behind the Steelhead as he continued his incantation, and a lone Piplup that hobbled in front of its master. Ben was focused on the large penguins that were most likely to barrel at them in huge jets of water anytime soon. He could handle difficult Pokemon, but many at the same time meant trouble. Also, he was supposed to keep the people behind him from harm.
With a flick of the wrist, the Steelhead sent the summoned Pokemon straight at the party, and Ben quickly jumped into action. He swerved behind the first Empoleon that came at him, and unleashed his Capture Disc upon the large bird. As soon as he finished, he dodged a ball of water and went on to the next one. However, he noticed that some of the Empoleon were already retreating without his assistance, until he heard loud battle cries from behind him.
Kira and Tanvir making strange circular movements with their arms at one Empoleon, essentially snapping it out of its stupor and sending it back to the temple. Ravio did well in staying behind the lines, making his own movements, though not as refined as Kira and Tanvir. With support, Ben blew through half of the Empoleon with ease, until the Steelhead didn't relinquish.
"I have more!" he shouted and with a sweep of a hand, more Water Pokemon emerged from the gates. Kira and Tanvir watched in horror at the influx of Pokemon, Ben staggered back, uncertain as if whether or not he would even win this battle. The Steelhead laughed at their shocked faces, taunting them for their weaknesses until a large slash interrupted the clamor.
The Steelhead was cut off mid-sentence, and stood in the same place for a few seconds, before dropping to his knees and then to his face, his arms flopping down to the ground after his body. The helmet split into two hitting the cobblestone, and the oracle's true face was revealed, a sturdy but benevolent man. The small army of Pokemon, now released, hurried back into the temple or scampered back into the forest where they came from. Everyone blinked in surprise at the sudden conclusion, and looked back at the doors where their savior should have come from.
Soft catlike footsteps made their way out, and revealed a woman in black, her face grim, and her brown hair catching the light air that blew out of the doors. Ben was ways away from the stranger, but he couldn't believe his eyes. So this was the Miss Katrina Ravio was talking about and the one who burnt Amun's Mansion down. Just the person he was looking for…
But his face caught on to the pallor when all he could see was someone he knew before. He remembered how she towered over him back at the Academy when she came for their outdoor class, and how she broke into his cell back at the laboratory for him. She was everyone's older sister at the Academy when things become peaceful after Dim Sun's fall, and then she was gone from the face of the planet.
"K-Kate…?" Ben stammered, his legs giving way. To think that he of all people would find her here…
The woman didn't change face as she stepped past the fallen Steelhead, the tails of her coat fluttering behind her feet. Ravio and the others gasped in relief, and the little boy ran towards her. The woman gave the smallest of smiles and bent down to give him a hug, reassuring him that she was all right, and the oracle she had gone up against was okay, too. She took a long time to approach Ben, just as much as he was anxious to talk to her.
"Well?" Kate's voiced came out as lower than the last time they've met (five years ago?). She looked grim as she spoke, as if the past few years had not been kind to her. Her face was splattered with a large red scar that ran down the right side of her face, and one of her eyes didn't even look real anymore. Ben was at a loss for words. He shouldn't have seen her first. Keith wanted to find her, and who knows what might happen if he told the news to his teacher.
"W-Why…?"
The words rolled out of his mouth like water, and Kate's eyebrows rose, surprised at his question. She understood his words perfectly, but her answer wouldn't come back at him. Ravio stood between the two, making the connection quickly. The boy knew better than to ask the woman of her relation to Ben, and he quickly tugged at her sleeve. The two didn't have much time here in the past, so business should come first.
"Miss Katrina," Ravio's voice piped up. "What about this temple oracle down here?"
"Oh," Kate responded, glancing back at the unconscious man. "I must have knocked him out pretty badly. You should take him to your local doctor. He won't be up for a day or so."
"That oracle..." Tanvir joined in. "He looked as if he was under a spell or something."
"That seems to be so," Kate nodded. "The two oracles I've seen so far behave the same way. I can't get much out of them because they seem to disappear after I defeat them."
Ben's stomach jumped. There was more of these guys? He hoped none of these Steelheads exist in the present time…
"Controlling the world and mistreating Pkmn..." Kira shook her head in shame. "Those cannot be the words of the temple oracles. Now I'm worried about the Pkmn inside the temples, too."
"I am investigating these temples to the best of my ability," Kate answered coolly. "At least we have gathered the general behavior of these Steelheads."
"We should not rely on someone from another time," Tanvir sighed. "We should be the ones to solve our problems... Unfortunately we aren't strong enough."
"There is nothing wrong with asking for help. I don't have much to do at the moment, and Celebi has the power to travel to specific times."
"True," Kira agreed. "But… what about him?"
All eyes were laid upon Ben, and the young Ranger cringed under their scrutiny. Kate remained expressionless as she looked at Ben, judging his abilities with a quick glance. But he felt left out of this. He couldn't understand why Celebi would go great lengths to bring him here again if they were just going to kick him out.
"I'll deal with him later," Kate answered. "Our time slot here is running out. I'm sorry I didn't stay long enough."
"It's nothing," Kira smiled. "We're here to make sure the village doesn't get damaged, so we'll wait for you tomorrow."
Kate returned with a respectful nod before exchanging glances at Celebi, who brought them back to the empty courtyard of Amun's Mansion.
Ben was quickly greeted by Koa, who jumped into his arms and worriedly squeaked at him. Ben petted his partner Pichu and made eye contact with Kate, who was standing some distance away from him. He had many questions to ask now that he's seen her, and he wanted to tell his teacher that she was here, and help ease the unhappiness Keith had been through. Something! Just say something!
"I want to help, too, Kate," Ben resolved. "I've been brought here before, and I want to understand things through."
The former Ranger said nothing in response as she eyed him again. Yes, he has grown considerably, and she could see that Keith had taught him well. But he was still young. One look at him and she could tell he was inexperienced. He already had a mission already.
"Not possible," Kate shot him down. "You have your own duties to fulfill against the Pinchers."
"Then why aren't you helping?" Ben shot back. "You can go back anytime with Celebi. You said so yourself, right?"
The boy had guts speaking so familiarly with her, Kate thought. She had her reasons. Seven capable people should be enough to take down the organization. Basil and Ice already had the plans to take them all out. They just needed to feed the Rangers the information and everything would be fine. She wasn't needed for this operation. But Ben thought otherwise. [1]
"You were there, weren't you?" the young boy hypothesized. "You were there at the Wireless Tower with us, right?"
"And why does it matter, Ben?"
"It does! You just suddenly disappeared five years ago, and I thought we were going to work together! Rhythmi cried for months, and Keith hasn't smiled very much since then. You're already acquitted of all charges!"
Kate didn't say anything as he ranted through about how much her acquaintances suffered since her absence. She understood the pain they went through, and waiting was agonizing. But she had to take it.
"The first thing you should ask me is about the mansion," Kate pointed at the burnt house. "Not my intentions. Keith promised to wait for me when the time comes. Let him be and worry about yourself."
Ben held back another barrage of reckless words, and agreed. Indeed, he should be more concerned about the mission, not Kate's personal affairs. Before he could ask, Kate was already walking away down the dirt path.
"Kate!" He cried after her. The woman stopped, and turned to face him to give him a final warning.
"Time flows like a river. Time flows and it eventually... Ben. Never about the past to anyone back. Some of those who hear such things may try to change the flow of time. And do not speak of me anytime after this."
Ben took a while to absorb what she had said before she was out of sight. Koa gazed off curiously after the woman. It recognized this woman a long time ago. She had visited Dolce Island with her brother and she liked the Pokemon there… It looked up at Ben, who was still pale from the recent events. He looked conflicted with feelings, but pulled himself together to head back to Tilt Village where Blue Eyes was held.
Ben was greeted by a very relieved Murph, who swept him into a big bear hug. Both Koa and Ben suffocated from his grip, and they were gasping for breath when he let them go. The Chief of the Union then began to ramble about what had happened a while ago.
"I've been questioning Blue Eyes aboard the Union, you see," he babbled. "It looks like this is going to take a while. Well, you see, Keith just arrived a few minutes ago, so he's in the interrogation room… don't worry, Ben! Ice is in the room with him, so Blue Eyes won't get killed."
"Good," Ben nodded cautiously. His teacher was a complete beast when interrogation came around, and Ben never did such a good job at restraining the redhead. He felt uneasy about the mention of Keith now that he had seen Kate. She had discreetly asked him to leave her out of the reports, so how was he going to explain the burning mansion?
"Well, this is good news we should tell Rand," Murph grinned. "Thanks to you, we managed to catch their leader. We might be able to find out where your friends are! And we might know Summer's location as well."
The Ranger looked up at Murph again. Summer… now that he realized that she had been taken captive for a few days already, he wondered how she was enduring this wait. His heart fluttered at the mention of her name, and he felt empty at the memory. She must have thought he was dead. Even if Red Eyes saw him again at the bridge, that man might have never told Summer that he was alive…
"The Pinchers' leaders are red and blue, right?" Murph continued to ramble. "That means we're well on our way to completing this job! I can't believe we caught the bad guys' leader, even though we just looking for Amun's book. Well, we're going to have a problem with that…"
A door opened from the Union, and from the harbor, Ben could see Keith emerging from the cabin in the ship. His eyes were livid, and his shoulders were weary as he made his way towards them. Murph's face fell into a grimace as Keith approached them. The redhead noticed Ben and Koa and nodded respectfully at them.
"No use," Keith explained irritably. "That woman is cheeky, although she did confirm everything you said about what happened at the mansion."
Ben blanched at the realization. Does that mean Murph mentioned Kate appearing, too? Keith's a pretty smart Ranger, so he'd easily figure out who that was…
"We'll have to file a report soon," Ben tried to skim over the subject quickly. "Do you want us to go, Murph?"
"Yes, please do," Murph nodded. "Rand needs to be up-to-date about what's going on here. Keith, please accompany him."
Keith readily complied and walked alongside Ben up the hill to Big Booker Bridge. Buizel had rejoined its master and was now playfully teasing Koa as they walked along, much to the Pichu's dismay. Ben was as tense as his teacher, but all for very different reasons. The silence between them was so stifling; he wished Keith hadn't gone with him, even if Raikou would make him motion-sick from speed again. Ben watched his teacher's face contort with confusion. Perhaps the man didn't know that the stranger was Kate. It could easily be a vigilante who came from Orre to hunt down poachers, not just Kate…
"You should summon Raikou out now," Keith suggested to his student. "There's no one around, so we should get back as soon as possible."
Ben did as he was told, and they all mounted the yellow tiger as it appeared before them. Within seconds, Raikou took them across the bridges and right at the front gate of Basil's home. Keith was not at all perturbed by the ride, and Ben himself was clinging fearfully onto the Pokemon's fur, but this time, the tiger was so fast, Ben didn't even have time to get motion sick.
The two Rangers dismounted gingerly, and Ben released the Pokemon, and they made their way up the tower. Well enough, Basil and Nema were outside to greet them, their faces beaming and unfazed by the recent disasters. They settled themselves in the living room of the house, while Basil went off to get refreshments. Nema was very hyperactive today, and she was constantly poking at Ben about his recent Styler Mode. Basil had taken the liberty of explaining the parts of it to Nema, and the young girl quickly understood things, much to everyone's amazement. Rand wasn't kidding about his genius daughter, after all.
"How is the Styler working? Show it to me for a second," Nema grabbed at Ben's arm and looked over it quickly. "Yep. It looks fine."
"Ah, you guys are back?" Leanne came into the room. "Dinner will be ready in a few hours. Rand is still at the Wireless Tower. Did you come back early, Keith?"
"Oh, no," The redhead shook his head. "I was called to Mitatonga in the middle of work. I came back with my student here. Rand will have to be filled in later, and he's coming home late."
Blue Eyes sighed in discontent as she waited patiently for someone to come in, preferably one of her men who might have subdued that redheaded Ranger who had little control of his temper, the blue haired man she remembered as some crime lord back in Almia, and that large regular salaryman. She had learned that the man was Murph, and of all titles, he was the Chief of the Ranger Union. The woman questioned herself why such a man was chosen for such a demanding role. The man was terribly skinny, lacked proper exercise to even perhaps stand straight. [2]
She was surprised that such a boat had such class. This room was actually an office, with a true desk and the flag of the Ranger Union in the back. Blue Eyes were rather impressed by what tidiness this man had, judging by the nice, crimson and gold carpet that had not even been marred by seawater, the feel of the leather chair she was sitting in (she rather liked the arm rests), and a very well organized desk. She only met important men with very dazzling faces, but messy offices, and she immediately regretted about even having any interest in those men.
The relatively dark cabin room was opened, and Blue Eyes looked up from her seat behind in front of the desk. Behind her place, the regular man who was supposedly the chief of the Ranger Union stepped in, with that blue haired former-villain sneaking a small word to him before standing outside. Murph (she was forgetting names) strode calmly across the small office and settled in his chair from behind the desk, as if he had truly belonged there. Blue Eyes was still in disbelief that such a weak-looking man would become the chief, and she remained slightly slouched in her seat.
"You name is Blue Eyes, correct?" Murph's goofy grin sunk into a plain, unemotional blankness. "Your alias, I mean."
"Yes," Blue Eyes straightened in her chair, not expecting that sudden drop in temperature of the room. Did this man read her mind about him being weak? He was really exerting pressure on her at the moment. She gave off a wary presence to him, hoping she could counter this strange feeling.
"Well, introductions?" Murph suggested.
"I already know your name, Murph," Blue Eyes answered blandly. "You are the supposed chief of the Ranger Union."
"Supposed?" the man didn't seem at all offended. "Now what makes you say that?"
Blue Eyes raised an eyebrow at the man. Wasn't he supposed to be asking her questions that the Rangers was unable to get information out of without killing her? Something was amiss.
"You're weak," the woman said blatantly. "You lack proper muscle, you were bumbling around and stuttering like simpering fool when you arrived on the boat. What kind of place is the Ranger Union if a man like you is the chief?"
"It runs quite well, thank you very much," Murph shrugged off the complete insult. "I don't remember getting scared of the ship, since I rode it here myself. Do you see me stuttering now?"
Blue Eyes didn't say anything back, as Murph continued.
"I guess we know what's about to happen."
"Of course," the woman huffed. "I'll escape this place. Starting with you."
She leapt out of her seat and lunged across the desk at Murph, he stayed in his seat, unsmiling. Her hands were reaching out for his throat, hoping to knock him out so she could beat up the guy outside and get out, however, her hands stopped in the process of unwinding, and she was suspended in the air, right on top of the desk. The Pinchers' leader broke into cold sweat as she realized that she couldn't move, and she was floating in the air. Murph hadn't moved from his place, but he was very triumphant, with that smug smile on his face that enraged her.
"Please, take a seat," Murph sounded like he was taunting her. "We have to be civil in discussions like these."
Blue Eyes turned around, and much to her surprise, a Slowking was hiding behind the chair, its eyes glowing ominously. Had the Pokemon used Psychic on her? It was skilled, to even stop her from moving any part of her body, yet keep her inner systems functioning properly.
The Master wishes to speak, the Slowking spoke [3], So please do hear what he has to say.
"Y-You…" Blue Eyes averted her glare back at the Chief, who didn't seem to mind as she was wrested back into her seat. The effects of Psychic were taken off of most parts of her body, except for her ankles and wrists.
"As a high-class criminal from the deepest parts of Orre," Murph grimaced. "I expected you'd try to attack me physically. Though, do tell me about yourself. What family do you come from?"
"Family?" Blue Eyes laughed mirthlessly. "We belong to no family. We do things for ourselves. We don't listen to anyone."
"We," Murph raised an eyebrow. "You mean you and your organization of Pinchers?"
"Me and Re-" Blue Eyes caught herself in her mistake. How had she even let that slip? She was usually very careful with her words, and to think that this bastard of a man had gotten her to speak out the things she didn't mean to say, she was beginning to feel defeat. She bit her lips firmly to avoid saying anything more. Murph seemed to take the hint, and he got up from his seat and went out for the door.
"I hope this is more than enough to accommodate for you stay here," Murph's smiled slightly as he turned back from the door. Slowking followed after its master, but its hold on Blue Eyes restraints were still as strong as ever.
"Don't treat me as your guest," the woman snarled back.
"I-I mean…" Murph stammered for once (was he in a split personality?), and he straightened up. "I mean, you'll be staying here as long as I see fit. Until I have enough information out of you, you'll have to remain here on the Union."
The door closed behind Blue Eyes, and the woman sat straight ahead, frustrated by her shortcomings. She could see that this man was the type of man who would pick at her bit by bit, even with the smallest iota of information, and he would be able to bring her down to her knees and make her talk. She had to plan ahead against this man, even if that meant staying for a while. Her superiors wouldn't too happy about her absence, but they'll understand that she was going up against one of the most powerful men in their enemy ranks.
She couldn't see what time of day it was. Murph had left no clocks, no windows, and no walls where she could hear anything from outside. Blue Eyes was trapped. She gripped the cloth arms of her chair irritably. Getting out of here won't be happening anytime soon.
Soon, she heard the door behind her creak open and close silently, no footsteps accompanying it. The Pinchers' leader froze in her seat, and with some concentration, she could hear light feet walking across the room, faster than it should sound. This was by no means Murph. The man would have stumbled or strode in loudly like he owned the place.
"Who came to see me of all people?" She challenged the newcomer. "You came to get me out?"
"No, not at all," A woman's voice sounded from behind, and chills began to run down Blue Eyes's spine. She hadn't heard this person for a while. The last time they met in the rancid streets of Orre, but that was four years ago, when that woman had only begun as a mere bodyguard for a powerful mafia family. Their acquaintance was only four days full, but in Orre, that was enough to know each other.
"So it's you," Blue Eyes turned around to see exactly the woman she had been guessing. "What brings you here?"
"Questions," Kate took a seat beside the desk. "About how you and your brother's doing. Murph won't be back for a while, so we have all the time here to talk."
The blonde woman for once gave a smile. They were old "friends," after all.
"Go ahead."
"Well, what happened?" Basil came back, eager to hear what had happened. Keith said that he didn't know and looked at his student to explain the situation. The Ranger nervously recounted almost everything, and received looks of doubt and shock from his audience.
"You caught the Pincher's leader Blue Eyes?" Basil beamed. "That's amazing! Now we may finally be able to figure out what the Pinchers are up to! And Murph's here, too! He must have been worried about all of us.s"
"Rand will be happy about this!" Leanne exclaimed. "Although, that book…"
"I-I'm sorry, Leanne," Ben bowed his head down in shame. "I should have gotten to the library quicker…"
"Oh, no," Leanne tried to comfort his anxieties. "Don't say it's your fault. I'm sure you tried your best to get to the book. However, that book was sought after by the Pinchers, too. Since they don't have it either, we should be glad that we were able to stop them to some extent."
"The book…" Basil muttered. "What was the name again?"
"Murph said it was 'Legends of the Oblivia Region,'" Ben tried to recall. "It was written by Amun."
"That book?" Leanne agreed. "I've heard rumors about it, but it really exists."
"It still does."
Everyone turned to Basil, who had said it. The boy realized what a blunder he had caused, and shrunk away from the scrutiny.
"What do you mean?" Keith asked in bewilderment. "The fire destroyed the entire house with that book."
Basil shifted uncomfortably before finding ease in speaking out.
"Ice and I… have been visiting the islands for a while…" He said tentatively. "We did come here to research more about making the resort when we bought Sophian Island, and… we came across Amun's mansion when we were exploring the islands two years ago."
"You knew about that book?" Keith asserted. Ben could see that his teacher was beginning to get angry about this, and hoped that nothing bad would happen.
"We did," Basil apologized admittedly. "I… I guess I should have told you earlier, but… we… we have the book with us…"
"You have it with you?" Nema jumped excitedly. "So that book in the library was a fake copy?"
"No," the young entrepreneur shook his head. "I meant that… we spent two full summers archiving the entire library... into our computers here. We thought it should be preserved, all that information…"
The room fell silent altogether and many things began to make sense to Keith and Leanne. No wonder Basil and Ice must have known so much about these Emblems and how they made the Sign Mode program so quickly. Just how much did these two keep from everyone?
"I-I'm sorry…" Basil apologized. "We meant to keep it a secret because of certain circumstance… but with the situation as it is now, we shouldn't be keeping this information to ourselves…"
"Basil," Keith's voice was firm. "I don't approve of you withholding information from us after all this time… but thank you."
"Thank you?"
"That's right," Leanne smiled at the young boy. "You've compiled a full database of the library that we can use exclusively. The Pinchers have lost the game again this time."
"Smart move, Basil, and Ice, too," Ben smiled at his friend. They could decide a more fitting punishment for Basil later, just now that they had the resources they needed, they were satisfied.
Leanne wanted to see more of the scanned books, and Basil happily led her down to the office where the computers were kept. Ben could hear gasps of awe as Leanne scrolled through the pages in amazement.
"The writing is really small and cramped, "the archaeologist marveled at the continuous streaming of pages. "Looks like a thick difficult-looking book. But I will have finished reading it before you know it."
"Oh, really?" Basil smiled. "Ice and I aren't anything close to archaeologists, so we never managed to read any of the book…"
"Well, you've got me, so this isn't a problem," Leanne glanced back at the pages. "It's not going to be that easy. Either Amun was a very strange person or half of the book is written in Oblivian ancient script. It may take a little while, but I'll try to read it."
"Thank you, Leanne," Ben exclaimed, and the woman grinned before deciding to get to work. She told Basil that she wouldn't be able to help for dinner that day, and the young boy gave both Ben and Keith a knowing smile. Keith had little problems with helping with dinner (he lived alone and made his own food) *, and Ben was not so bad himself. They followed Basil to the kitchen and were assigned to chopping vegetables. Keith was quick and clean on the cutting board and he finished his share soon. Ben was slightly behind his mentor and he wondered just how much restraint Keith had to use on that knife.
They were waiting for Basil to return from downstairs (he had gone to the basement for something), and Ben noticed that Keith was very deep in thought, his eyebrows knitted together and his arms folded on his chest. Buizel's whimpers and teasing for some fun weren't getting to him, and he hadn't moved from where he had stood when he finished chopping the vegetables.
"Ben," his voice was low, and firm.
"Hm?"
"Did you notice something?"
Ben gazed skeptically at his teacher, not sure as to what the Ranger meant.
"Sorry," Keith shook his head. "I mean… remember anything from what Basil had said back at his office with Leanne?"
"About the book?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "He sure put a lot of planning, archiving all the books from the mansion digitally in case the mansion was destroyed."
"And," Keith followed up quickly. "He had said that he never read these books because they were in ancient script."
"Well, he could have gotten a translator."
"True," the redhead agreed. "But… my brother, Ed, he was called here a while ago, in these five years…"
He trailed off, and Ben realized what had been done. Everything fell into place, why Kate was here, how she got around, how Basil finished the program in advance. It all made sense. The young Ranger averted his pale face away from his teacher, hoping that the man was too deep in thought to realize how strange he was acting. So Basil knew that Kate was here…
"I'm back!" The front door opened and Rand stepped into the house, kicking off his dirt-ridden shoes and slipping to clean slippers. He trudged into the living room and noticed that Keith and Ben were in the kitchen.
"Oh, you two are back already."
"Welcome back, Rand," Ben smiled appreciatively. "Basil, Keith, and I are making dinner right now. Leanne's downstairs with Nema. She seems to have gotten to something that can help our mission."
"Oh, that's good," Rand nodded, surprised, curious, and impressed at the same time. "Well… I just got back from the Wireless Tower. Unfortunately, repairs are unfortunately taking longer than I thought. "
"Oh, so we'll be cut off from the Union for a bit longer," Ben pondered. He seemed to answer everything, while Keith stayed still, not responding, and still lost in his thoughts. Basil returned quickly into the kitchen, sending Rand a quick hello. Dinner went smoothly as usual, and the evening debrief started shortly after. Leanne had gone off to a quiet room in the house to read the book scans, while Nema, after much persuasion, was able to join everyone in the office. Ben was asked to tell everything that had happened, and the reactions were just as expected.
"The Chief of the Ranger Union is here?" Rand dropped his jaw. "I-I didn't think the situation was this bad."
"It isn't," Keith drawled. "He managed to come here out of the sheer reason that we had lost communications. The man gets caught in emotions too easily, he sometimes makes irrational decisions."
"If that's so, then I worry about the Ranger Union's well being," Rand agreed worriedly. "But it's been standing for many years as it had been before. I'm sure things are fine as they are."
"So," Basil tried to direct them back on the subject. "We should talk about the Wireless Tower."
"Oh, right."
Rand described certain points that they should know. So far, they had the people and Pokemon to fix it (courtesy of the hospitable Cocona Village), but progress was slow. Windy heights like the Wireless Tower were dangerous. With the strange absence of the usually abundant Staraptor, reconstruction won't be easy. However, whoever was involved in the operation should know about this.
"I wrote a report of everything that happened up to this point," Rand spoke to Ben. "So I hope you can relay this to Murph from Union."
The man held out an orange manila envelope, written neatly on the blank side as if he was going to ship it to Almia, literally.
"I don't think we need a letter," Ben spoke up.
"But," Keith tried to reason. "We should bring it with us anyway. We're going tomorrow, so we might not remember everything from today."
His student agreed and willfully took the envelope to his hands delicately as if it were made of glass. After the meeting, he and Koa returned to their designated bedroom for rest. Keith, of all people, decided to stay up to do something, probably take a few rounds to make sure no one would try to bomb Basil's house or something. They all had faith in the complexity of the security system, but machines weren't absolute. Someone had to look out for attacks.
He lay in bed restless for another hour, his mind plagued by who he met, who he thought about, who he wanted to see. He was worried about Keith. How much was his teacher getting on to the fact that Kate might be here? How much did he know? What was Kate doing here of all things?
His mind was filled with Summer's name everywhere whenever he thought of something. Red Eyes thought he had died in the fall. Did he tell Summer? The girl wouldn't take that well at all. How long had it been, a few days? He couldn't bear to believe she had persevered these agonizing days believing that she was alone. He could imagine finding her in the same cell he had once been in, curled up into a pitiful ball and whispering his name, or anyone she knew better. He even wondered if he could even get her back, perhaps ask Keith to propose a deal to get her back. Nonetheless, he wanted Summer back, where she could be the one to listen to what he had been wondering but never speaking out loud about. Koa always brightened his day, but he wished Summer would be here to give him a hug and tell him that everything will get straightened out.
He felt his little Partner rolling on the pillow in its sleep, and the young Ranger too felt compelled to close his eyes and dream of pitch black for the rest of the night.
NOTES:
[1] Other than a pretty bad way to wrap a chapter together, I originally didn't plan on Kate showing up before Ben like this at all (she was supposed to come out later), but with the extra plot complications, and more webs of deception, I guess bringing her out and having Ben know of her presence won't be so bad.
[2] Major correction: Instead of being pretty fat, Murph will terribly skinny (he's been described as slim back in the first story), so I'm just following through with it. He not that bad-looking, but he's so normal (and skinny), that he's pretty nondescript and usually underestimated or ignored. I'm guessing as the chief, you sorta get your own custom "uniform" so Murph wears classy suits because he can (that's the only thing that will keep my crack ship alive)
[3] Murph had a Slowpoke as his partner in the first game. It's gotten more badass. Also, Slowkings are known to be highly intelligent, capable of understanding and speaking the human language.
* Calling back to the time when Kate really sucked at cooking and Keith had to help her make something decent.
A/N: More crack pairings, because I can, and they're fun to write about. I'm gonna really milk out this part for all its worth for development (so expect another chapter of fluff).