Of Gangs and Gigaremos
This chapter is an absolute beast! It's 19 pages on my Word document! I hope you appreciate it.
I don't own Pokémon or Pokémon Ranger, savvy? On with the story!
Something is jumping on the end of my bed. If it doesn't go away soon and let me sleep I'm going to throttle it.
Just have a check, already.
I sit up groggily, half expecting there to be a Spoink on the end of my bed. Instead I'm pounced on by something small and blue.
Aw, it's recovered!
Pachirisu rubs its cheeks into me, despite firm instructions that it never should. I don't have the heart to push it off. It was badly injured, and it was partially my fault. Or, should I say, partially your fault.
...
I pat it carefully on the head, not wanting to bang its bruises, but have to gently shift it when I need to get up. It runs around like the hyper squirrel it is, fetching me things that I need: toothbrush; comb; or things I often didn't need: Lil's hairclip that must have fallen into the bag when I packed it; coupons for a diner I've never heard of.
Still, it's the thought that counts.
I enter the main bit of the Ranger Base. Oil-Stinker-Creep is still tied up, though he has bags under his eyes. He mustn't have slept well.
I can't imagine he'd sleep well tied up.
Neither would I in his position.
"So, Light, feeling rested?" Barlow asks, ignoring the smelly guy on the floor. "We just received a word from the Ranger Union. Prof. Hastings has returned from his trip, and he's on his way here." He took long enough. "He's coming to examine that strange machine. I want you to go out to Vien Forest and make sure the Professor isn't lost."
This mustn't be a mission, then.
I hardly think escorting a decrepit old man is going to be much of a mission.
Cheeky!
I do as I'm told. I'm about to enter Vien Forest when said decrepit old man wanders out of the tree line.
"I don't know whose idea of a prank it was, but that silly barrier to Lookout Ridge..." he grumbles to himself. "Who knows what they'd hoped to achieve, but a hopelessly flimsy thing it was. A chop here, a kick, there, and it fell apart as if it were made of toothpicks. A spot of exercise, that was all it was! But that dashed Wendy, suggesting she'd fly me to Vientown on her Staraptor... She said that knowing full well how I detest the very thought of flying... Tease me, will she? But, the jokes on her! Walking is the best for health, not riding everywhere. Of course, blah, blah, blah..."
Well, that took longer than I expected.
I thought he might have had something important to say. It must be this professor because he's wearing a lab coat, even though he's not in a lab. I get his attention before he tires himself out talking to himself.
"Hmn? Who might you be? A Ranger, are you?" No, the mailman. "Do you make a habit of eavesdropping on old folks like me?"
He stops his ranting to inspect me up and down, before something switches on in his head.
"Oh, wait, I remember you! You came out on a 1-day Internship! Ah, so, you've graduated from the Ranger School, and you've made it as a Ranger." No. We ran away from the Ranger School and are impersonating a Ranger. What is this guy thinking?"I'm Prof. Hastings of the Ranger Union. I'm pleased to meet you. Now, come! We'll jog to the Ranger Base!"
Hastings does indeed jog off, despite his crumbling knees, and I hear him jovially calling into the distance. I shake my head with exasperation, and Pachirisu smacks its face with its palm. I don't blame it.
We'd better make sure he doesn't get lost.
He's been to the Ranger Base before; I'm sure he knows the way. In fact, he's already there when I arrive, and is meticulously examining the machine, poking and prodding at its innards while stroking his moustache.
"Hmmhmm..." he ponders. "So, this is your strange machine... Oh, now wait... I've seen something like this somewhere. It was recently, too. Uh... That's it! I've seen this same thing on the way over here! In Pueltown! Yes, it was in Pueltown where I saw some men carrying some machines like this. I remember them struggling with one, presumably because of its heavy weight. I'd taken them to be mailboxes, but it seems I was mistaken! We'll need someone to conduct an investigation in Pueltown right away!"
I try to sneak away quietly. I can already tell how this will go.
"There you have it, people," says Barlow. "This is an emergency Mission. Luana and Light, go investigate the strange machines in Pueltown."
Damn.
You didn't sneak away fast enough!
"Pueltown is right on the other side of the Vien Forest. Just inside the town, you'll find a facility for Rangers call the blah, blah, blah..."
Let's just get this over with. I need some hot chocolate.
Speaking of hot chocolate, we haven't been home in days. Mom is probably worrying.
Now is no time to be visiting home. She'll have to keep herself occupied for the moment.
Don't worry: I'm in no hurry to see her anyways. Luana goes to do her stupid Ranger Pose, but I grab her and drag her out the door before she can hold us up. I'm not in the mood.
You're never in the mood.
Touché. We head off to Vien Forest, travelling at a brisk strolling speed. It's a bit chilly, so I fasten my jacket up. Luana does the same.
You know, considering a few days ago we were told we could never become a Ranger, we've done pretty good.
I know. Sucks boo to them. Pachirisu runs ahead of us, pausing every few steps to let us catch up. For such a small Pokémon it moves very quickly.
Must be something to do with the electricity coursing through its body. I'm surprised its fur doesn't stand on end all the time.
Luckily Luana thinks it's just over-excited. She hasn't twigged that it's actually leading me through the under-growth.
Good. We don't want people treating us any differently just because we can't see much.
I can see those clouds rolling in.
Aww, man! That rain's a day late!
It'll probably rain while we're on our way back too. I cross the wooden bridge that leads to the part of the forest where we found Oil-Stinker-Creep and the weird machines. The trees are burned badly and the shrubs are leafless.
It reminds me of that day I irritated the Dragonite Bus by poking it with a sharp stick. That forest never recovered from its Flamethrower.
Please, don't remind me. Luana chatters about something unimportant; I just make sure I nod when I'm supposed to. I'm not actually listening.
She's talking about her Buneary. I wonder where it is?
Maybe it got hurt in the fire too. To be honest, I don't really care.
Light!
Well, I don't. I'm only being honest. We're in a new part of the forest now; one which I've never seen before. The fire hasn't touched the plants here, and the air is crisp with the oncoming rain that could've done with showing up yesterday. Pokémon run to and fro through the bushes, knocking berries of trees and scuffling with each other.
Kinda reminds me of the last Ranger School we went to.
Come to think of it, that Munchlax over there looks a lot like Murph. I try not to think of him, though. I go up a flight of steps carved into the hillside and dodge a few angry looking Beedrill.
We should take Lil' here sometime. She'd love it.
I don't think she'd like the Beedrill much.
We'll have to bring a Black Flute with us, then. Maybe Auntie can make us one.
Is that the one in Hoenn?
That's right.
I think she's on vacation in Oblivia at the moment. I've never wanted to go there myself. The name kind of puts me off. We'll have to write to her. A boy is standing by a wagon at the top of the stairs. He invites us to have a look at the view. I'm not interested, but Luana jumps at the chance to relax.
"Look, look! Isn't the view here fabulous?" She's right. It is spectacular. "This place is called Lookout Ridge. I like shouting from here...! TALK, OLLIE! It felt good to do that."
Good for you. A strange woman wanders over and starts randomly talking to us. It freaks me out.
"Do you see that construction site over there? They're putting up a tower. They say it's going to be the symbol of peace in Almia. There's a contest for naming it. How does Echo Tower sound to you?"
That's a rubbish name. They should name it after us.
Me or you?
Hmm... 'Light Tower'... 'Sun Tower'... Sun Tower sounds better.
Let's just go. I drag Luana off before she can get too comfortable. The road splits in two. Pachirisu doesn't look like it knows which way to go, either.
How did it know where to go in the first place?
Beats me. I'm not complaining, that's for sure. Luana points us south, but we have to stop when we reach a large log. We're not climbing over it, before you ask.
...
We turn back and head west. We follow the road around a bit, splashing through a few puddles made by the Rain dance last night, and eventually reach a part of the road that is paved. We must be getting close to civilisation. Only...
I can hear something. Can you?
Yeah, and it doesn't sound too good.
"Do you hear something funny" asks Luana. "It's faint but I can hear it. Is this the same strange noise you heard in the marine Cave?"
Come to think of it, we're not actually hearing anything. I put my hands over my ears to check it. The noise doesn't go away.
Let's get closer to Pueltown. If it's what I think it is, our head should start throbbing soon.
As soon as we get through the main gates into Pueltown I feel the difference. Pulses vibrate through my head, making my vision swim slightly. I give myself a few moments to adjust. This is the noise from the Marine Cave.
We're gonna have Pokémon problems again.
"Hey! Rangers! Just the people I wanted to see!"
A guy with startling red hair comes over. I'm surprised the Pokémon haven't skinned him yet by the way they're probably all acting.
"Howdy! The name's Brook. I'm in charge of the drawbridge north of this town, but that's beside the point. The point is I'm trying to make is: what's become of the Pokémon around here? Just between us, I saw something decidedly wrong. I saw some shady looking characters placing these giant... I don't know... mailboxes in town. Right after that, the Pokémon in town all went weird like they are now. There's something crooked going on!"
"We have to do something before it's too late!" Luana says, ever the valiant hero.
OK, first things first. Let's check out the Ranger Base over there. Maybe we can get some more information.
I head over to the small building in front of us. Only an Operator is inside. She says that all the area Rangers are out on duty. God knows what's more important than this. She gives mine and Luana's Stylers a quick charge up for the heck of it, and we go back outside.
Follow the pulses. They'll lead us to the nearest machine.
I don't need to: its right in front of me. I can see its luminescent red paint from here. If I remember right we need something that can Soak it. We can't use any of the Pokémon around here, either. They can't be captured.
I think I saw a Bibarel outside in the forest. Maybe that'll be of some use?
We may as well try. I head out, while Luana stays to examine the machine more closely; as if she couldn't have had a proper look at the one in our Ranger Base.
Yeah, but that one is broken. This is the first time she'll have seen one in working order.
It won't be in working order for much longer. A Bibarel is washing its face at the spring in the Vien Forest. It's harder to catch that its unevolved cousins, but isn't a challenge. I don't really expect something that came from a Bidoof to be much of a challenge.
Let's just get back to the danger, hmm?
I narrowly avoid a Growlithe tangling itself up in my legs and I have the Bibarel Soak the machine. And Luana, which is an added bonus. Just as expected the machine falls to bits. Luana gives me a peeved look, before noticing that the Pokémon still look as crazy as ever.
"The Pokémon are still acting as if they're under hypnosis. How many of these machines are there...?"
Our machine-senses are tingling. To the north!
OK, OK, keep your pants on. I hear a couple of freaks cross the overpass above us, but I don't see them. Too far away. We'd better get another Bibarel before we go any further, though.
They don't exactly grow on trees, you know.
Well, let's keep our fingers crossed then. Luckily, there is another Bibarel by the spring. Maybe they do grow on trees after all.
...?
I grab it and head to the north of Pueltown. A horde of Elekids block the way to a raised section of the town. However, another machine stands resolutely nearby. The Bibarel gets rid of it.
The Pokémon are returning to normal! 'Bout time!
The pulses are still there, though. There must be more around here somewhere. Brook charges over, praises us and says something about chasing down the weirdoes that crossed the overpass before. They'll probably be long gone by now, but I let him head off anyway. Just as long as he's out of my hair.
He's only trying to help.
Well, he's not making a very good job of it.
"That Brook... He means well, but..."
See? Luana feels the same way. I follow him, feeling the pulses intensifying the closer I get. Pachirisu shivers nervously. I wonder if it can feel them too.
Probably. The machines must operate on a frequency that affects Pokémon, but not humans. It must be pretty high for that to happen. The frequency of the waves emitted by the machines must drive the Pokémon crazy, which is why they look like they're in pain. Pachirisu is protected by the Styler in the same way that it's supposed to protect us, but I suppose there's only so much it can do.
Well, well. Looks who the little Einstein.
... Was that a compliment or a sarcastic insult?
This section of the town looks different. There are more shops and residential buildings, all of their doors and windows tightly shut. It feels like a ghost town. Pachirisu charges off and out of sight.
Great. Now what are we going to do?
Improvise; follow Luana. I can see her at least. She looks shocked, worried and slightly sick all at the same time. There must be something over there.
"Wait, what is this?" Don't ask us. "This machine is a different color. It is a different type?"
Oh.
It couldn't just be easy, could it?
We'd better go find it. We should put a bell on that Pachirisu: then we'd always know where it is.
Hmm...
I cautiously follow the sound of Pachirisu squeaking at me until I stumble across the machine. It's green. How clichéd. I tap it with my Styler, and the screen says that it needs something to Burn it.
Oh!
What?
Well, the red one was like fire and needed to be Soaked, and this one is like grass and needs to be Burned! I see a connection! But I didn't see anything like that in the forest! What are we gonna do?
Well, the Square of the town is clear. There must be something there that we can use. I head back the way I came, just knowing that something will probably be blocking the other route. Let's see what's here.
Tyrogue... No.
Chatot... No.
Rattata... Fat chance.
Growlithe... That'll do just fine. It spits balls of fire at me, hewing away at the energy on my Styler before it's captured. I make a quick stop at the Ranger Base and have my Styler recharged. Luana stops to have a chat with the Operator, so I sneak out without anyone noticing.
You're so antisocial.
She gets on my nerves. I leg it before they cotton on and make it back to the green machine. I only run into a wall once, too; not bad considering we've never been to Pueltown before.
... If you say so...
The Growlithe takes care of the metal offender. Its top blows off and it falls apart. It must be pretty poorly made. The Pokémon don't go back to normal, though, so there must be another machine around here.
There's only one place left.
Thank God. I travel south, avoiding the Pokémon and trying not to stand on too many flower beds before coming across the second green machine. We're gonna need another Growlithe.
Let's pick up Luana while we're at it. I don't think the rest of the team would be too happy if we left her behind.
If you say so. I traipse back, feeling the effects of being on my feet for so long on the soles of my feet, and run into Luana on the way. I grab another Growlithe and drag myself back. Strangely, Luana isn't angry to see that I've already taken out a machine without her; she just praises my ingenuity and tells me I did a good job. I stare in disbelief at her.
Stop it. You're making us look like an imbecile!
I snap out of it and Burn the second green machine. I'm getting pretty sick of this.
Too right. There aren't enough car chases or Keanu Reeves to keep me amused.
The Pokémon around here go back to normal too. A ton of Pokémon that I hadn't seen before flee the area. They must have been brought here out of their original habitat somehow. I don't pretend to understand how these overgrown mailboxes work. A couple of black blobs come out of the misty edges of my visions. They must be people because I think they start talking.
"We lost signals from Gigaremo units, and we found two Rangers!"
Gigaremo?
Who knows.
"Oh, they've gone and done it now! They're busting up our Gigaremo units! We have to let our leader know!"
They sure like to talk to themselves.
We'd better go after them. Maybe something exciting will happen for once. I follow them across the overpass, feeling the steady pulses of the machines growing stronger again. Just how many are there?
They do have to cover a large area, you know! The whole of Pueltown is being affected.
Keith would be having a field day.
Keith would be destroying the machines with his bare hands instead of sensibly using Poké Assists.
You have a point. A girl screams from beyond my field of vision, though from the way Luana reacts she can see what's going on at least. The sound of pattering feet reaches my ears, carried on the wind with the petrified cries of the girl. Or what I assume to be a girl, anyway.
I doubt a boy could scream that high.
We used to.
I try not to dwell on that.
"Hang on, Melody!" says Brook, sounding just as petrified as the girl. "There's nothing to fear now! Brook's here to save the day!"
A series of grunts follow, along with the sound of him falling heavily on his backside. I can only imagine what he's trying to do.
"Oof, darn it... Super Brook Jump!"
Ah, if only we were closer: we could see him make a fool of himself.
I'm not hearing a crash. He didn't actually make it, surely?
"Melody, you're not hurt, are you?" Melody, as in the girl who was on the bridge outside the Ranger School? "There's nothing to worry about now. Why did these things suddenly attack you anyway? So! ... Erm. I dove into the middle of this, but... Now what?"
Middle of what?
That sounds like our cue to show up unexpectedly and save everyone.
We're gonna need another Growlithe, though. Oh WHY didn't we get one before we came? Now we have to walk all the way back.
Dammit. Let's just do this thing. I go and get one, and come back without incident. It's really not a particularly interesting story that anyone would want to hear. The Growlithe destroys the machine and... nothing.
For God's sake!
I'm seriously considering just going home.
We can't. Barlow would hang us.
That's true. Let's go get another one. Only this time I do it a bit differently. I capture an Elekid outside of the reach of the Gigaremo – if that is what it's called – and have it get rid of an electric fence to the south. Easy as pie. I pass a blue machine, which I investigate. 'Electrify', huh?
Go get another Elekid! Maybe we don't need to get a Growlithe after all.
I go back to where I got the Elekid before, seeing that it has returned here after I released it last. I capture it and take it back to the machine. I get closer this time, and a line of Pokémon comes into view from behind the fog, blocking my way forward.
I wonder how the machines can make them do that. I thought they just made Pokémon go crazy?
There must be something else behind this 'Gigaremo' business. The Elekid shocks the machine and it falls to pieces in a small explosion. The fuzziness in my head vanishes, so that must be the last of the machines. The Pokémon run off and I hear excited yelling coming from where Brook and Melody were. Hopefully they haven't died yet.
"Thank you, Rangers!"
Rangers? We did all the work!
"Are you OK?" asks Luana, more to Melody than Brook, even though he's the more bruised of the two.
"I don't know what to say for myself..." he whines.
"I saw some bad-looking people walking to the harbour," says Melody, being helpful for once.
"They went to the harbour? Let's go after them!"
Do we have a choice?
Of course not. Brook takes Melody home, so at least they won't get in the way now. There's only one place we haven't been yet, so the harbour must be that way.
Did you not just hear Luana? She just told us that herself!
I must have just assumed she wasn't going to tell us anything useful.
LIGHT!
I go down the steps and walk along the path. The salty smell and spray of the sea becomes more evident the further I walk. At least I'm heading in the right direction. However, the pulsing becomes stronger too. I'm started to get really sick of these machines.
Where do you think we go now?
Let's try to the north, between the crates. If there are any bad guys, they'll probably be hiding.
Keep your ears peeled then. You know how bad our eyes are.
I dodge the loopy Pokémon and head north. I start to doubt that they're still here when muffled voices reach my ears. I flatten myself to the nearest crate; unable to see where they actually are, hearing Luana do the same behind me.
"Some no-good Rangers are going around wrecking the Gigaremo units..."
"It's because we took so long installing them... It's not our fault they're so heavy..."
So they are called Gigaremos! Prof. Hastings will be glad to hear this.
Luana shoves me out to confront the suspicious gang. Luckily, she follows. I don't want to get into trouble all on my own.
It never stopped us before.
That's when we knew what would happen.
"Excuse me, but who are you people? Can you please explain what exactly those machines are?"
Doesn't she know? Bad people don't like politeness! Pity we didn't bring a shield with us; we could probably use it.
"Y-You vandals! What do you have against Gigaremo? Treat things with respect!"
Not when they look like ridiculous miniature carnival rides.
"Who are we, you ask? We're Team Dim Sun! We're a criminal syndicate with dreams of world domination! We came to Pueltown for blah, blah, blah..."
'Dim Sun'. What losers.
It's even worse than the Go-Rock Squad back in Fiore.
A guy with bright red hair, who seems to be in charge of the rest of the group, steps forwards and starts scolding his underlings.
"Whoa! Why'd you tell them anything?"
He has a point.
Well, I'm not complaining. A dude grovels for mercy, tries to pin the blame on us, and sends a horde of Rattata to 'finish us off'. I almost fall asleep during capture: it's that easy.
Well, why didn't you let me do it! I never get to do anything these days!
"I underestimated you, but this time, it's for real!"
What now? Kakuna?
I'm not expecting much.
"Go, Toxicroak!"
Oh.
Meh, I can handle this. The Toxicroak comes over, but there's something in its eyes that make it different from the other controlled Pokémon: an intelligence they didn't seem to have.
Like the Tangrowth.
This is a Poison-type too. Just as long as we don't end up in hospital again, we'll be fine. I launch the Capture Disc at it, only for it to jump away as soon as it gets close. We have a brief game of cat-and-mouse before I get a few loops around it.
The Toxicroak takes in a deep breath, the sack under its chin growing to enormous sizes, and exhales a stream of poison gas at me, not the Capture Disc. I abandon the attempt and leg it out the way before I can inhale any of the noxious gases. Resuming the attempt, I chase it around the harbour with the Capture Disc.
Where is Luana in this?
I'm doing just fine without her! The Toxicroak stops on top of one of the crates to spit poison at me. Most of it misses, but some lands on my jacket, bubbling and hissing as the fabric is eaten away. I hastily discard the jacket, accidentally throwing Pachirisu to the ground, who I'd forgotten was sleeping in there.
Quick! Use it!
I point at the Toxicroak, and Pachirisu gets my drift. It lets out a massive spike of electricity; stunning the Toxicroak and making it drop to the floor, where I finish the capture with much relief.
That's my Light! And Pachirisu was great too!
At least we weren't too badly hurt. Pity about the jacket.
Uh oh.
What?
The bandages! They're on full show now!
Let's just hope they're all too busy being humiliated by a Rank 2 Ranger to notice them. Luana included.
"That's enough!" bellows the Admin. "It's a waste of time to engage them! Sound the retreat! But we have to take the Gigaremo back to the hideout! It's heavy, but the punishment for failure will be heavier still!"
They make a hasty retreat, somehow managing to lug the Gigaremo with them. They hop on an awaiting boat and speed into the distance.
It's a pity we can't fly.
Or swim. Maybe we should learn?
Sounds like a plan.
"Darn it!" exclaimed Brook, who has suddenly appeared. "They're getting away! Who knew they came be sea?" Well, this is a port town, with the Puel Sea right next door. It's only common sense. "My raising the bridge was a wasted effort. But there's nothing to worry about. I may not look it, but I'm one fine swimmer, if I may say so myself. I'll catch 'em, and haul 'em back, boat and all, as my gift to you!"
He throws himself into the probably freezing water and paddles off after the boat at all the speed of a sleepy Magcargo.
Aww, it's the thought that counts.
A random fisherman comes over and starts talking to Luana. I get bored and sit down, my feet just dangling short of the water, Pachirisu in my lap. It purrs and snuggles in closer, somehow not having gained the right amount of sleep after its all-day nap.
Brook at 12 O'clock.
I offer him a hand, which he gratefully accepts, and I drag him back onto dry lands. He looks like a drowned Rattata, and disappointed to boot.
"It's not possible!"
"Pueltown's knows for this salty sea breeze and Brook here."
"Boy, I'm glad Brook came back safely," states Luana. So am I: we'd have had to drag his sorry butt back here, and we can't swim. "I have an admission to make: I've never had a mission this dangerous before. We sure have a lot to report to the Ranger Base, don't we? Let's fill them in over voicemail while we go back to Vientown."
I head off, Brook and the random fisherman waving us off. On the way back a man waves us down and asks for our help. He asks us to get rid of some crates, which he feels are spoiling the beauty of the landscape.
We may as well help him. We haven't really got anything better to do.
I suppose. The crates are similar to the ones back at the Ranger School, so I suppose a good Crush will deal with them.
But there's no Bidoof around here.
We'll just have to improvise. Luana leaves to go back to the Base ahead of us, leaving me to get to work.
That Happiny will do the job. Let me do this!
Fine.
I run over and nab the Happiny. It smashes the crate up into lots of little pieces for me: I wonder where all its strength comes from?
A Pokémon never reveals its secret
Uhh... OK then. One left. Hopefully we can find another Happiny around here somewhere.
It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
Luckily, there is another Happiny. The remaining crate is left in tatters. If that guy isn't happy with that then he should have done it himself.
I think we should tell that guy we're done before swanning off, or he'll throw a fit and we'll get demoted or something.
'Kay. I saunter back at an easy pace to find the guy pacing slightly, looking anxious. There might be something more to this rate business than he's letting on. He thanks us for clearing the boxes away, and the Styler starts beeping at me.
Finally, rewards!
Angel appears on the screen eating what looks like a bag of salted peanuts. She waves at me and offers me one. I turn her down. Allergies.
Oh, for crying out loud...
She puts the bag down and brushes the crumbs off her mouth before speaking.
"Hey, Light! We just got word that you've done a quest. But, don't you have other things to do?" She has a point, you know. Barlow is waiting. "I'll send you your rewards now. Don't go spending it all in one place."
Her face disappears and I receive some kind of Power-Up. I have no idea what it does, but just as long as it helps me stay alive, I'm fine with it.
Barlow is going to kill us if we don't get back soon.
OK, OK, I'm going! I wave goodbye to the man and charge off. The feeling of the wind in my hair is rejuvenating. I run so fast that Pachirisu has a hard time keeping up!
Is this more the speed you wanted?
...
By the time I reach Vientown I'm about to pass out. Who knew we were so unfit! I catch a breather and straighten out what's left of my uniform before entering the Ranger Base. Luana puts her drink down on the counter and stands with me in front of Barlow.
"We're reporting back for duty."
"Oh, hey, good going, you two! ... Luana? Why the long face?"
"Like I reported before, I'm upset those five Team Dim Sun creeps got away," she huffs. "What makes it worse is how they also got the one remaining Gigaremo machine..."
"You're being too hard on yourself," Barlow consoles her. "You two did more than enough for a rookie and a second-year Ranger. What does concern me is this Team Dim Sun. What are they about? Anyways, you two have done well. It's Mission Clear."
Score one for the big guys!
"Prof. Hastings and Elaine are taking apart that Gigamori machine... What's that? Gigaremo, and not Gigamori? You know what I meant. I just need to get that Giga part right." I'm confused. You're not the only one. "You're got to be bushed. Do you want to rest up a bit?"
Of course! Do you think we have enough time for a visit to Chicole Village?
Nah.
Aww, man. Lil' is gonna disown us.
She'll have to get over it. We'll see her someday. Besides, our feet hurt. If only you hadn't gone charging around like a lunatic.
It was an experience!
Let's just hit the hay.
I'm right behind you.
You're in control, you moron!
Oh, yeah! What a novelty.