Pokemon Ranger and the Mystery of the Reverse World- Chapter 21- Countdown
"Candace!"
Volkner rushed into the Snowpoint hospital wing of the Pokemon Center to join Maylene and the others. Candace, still unconscious lay unmoving on her bed. Volkner's face was wrinkled in stress to see her, but Maylene placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Dawn here was able to at least heal her burns, but she will have to wake up by herself."
"Well, at least you guys are okay," An image of Rhythmi from the Union had appeared earlier. "Huh-crack- what's going on-crack-?"
The TV crackled into no reception and flashed to reveal the same exact cave where Kate had broken her leg, but the spiky blue haired man was in the center of the camera.
"Oh, so you beat Lavana, Kate-noob, and Keith-noob, but I have something for you two."
He held a remote with a big red button flashing on it.
"One single push of this button, and you will die. I wouldn't suggest go out of town to visit Cyrus. You see, that blondie boy is not the only one tied smidgeon tight. I believe several special people are also on the list."
Kate growled at the TV when Ice's image disappeared when Rhythmi appeared again.
"Okay, now that was weird," Rhythmi muttered on the screen. "Hey! Kate!"
Kate was getting off from her bed and grabbing her vest, as she was about to leave the door when Keith was catching her arm.
"No, Kate," Keith sharply called to her. "You can't go."
Kate immediately snatched her arm away aggressively and turned to face him.
"WHAT MAKES YOU SAY SO?" Kate was shouting at him, surprising him. She felt sorry for yelling and screaming at him, but who could be cool at times like this? "HOSTAGES ARE BEING TAKEN, AND WE'RE GOING TO GET BLOWN UP IF WE DON'T GET MOVING!"
"Because I SAID so!" Keith didn't expect Kate to explode like that at all. She never did in a long time. Never since the time when she lost the Yellow Gem and began blaming herself for being an idiot. It took hours for Rhythmi to calm her down.
"WELL, I DON'T CARE IF MY LEG FALLS OFF! MY CONCERN GOES TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP! Dawn. Let's go."
Dawn hurriedly joined Kate as she ran through the halls, much to Keith's objections. She was definitely going to hurt herself.
"Keith?! Go after her already! Not like I can help now?!" Rhythmi was shouting at Keith now from the TV. He had been staring at the empty archway with an empty expression. Keith began to run after her, but once he entered the porch, he could barely see the outline of a Staraptor flying off to Lake Acuity. He solemnly slumped as the snow pelted down hard on his face. Just like she said to him when he left her at the Solaceon Ruins. You have changed so much…
Mars remorsefully returned her Pokemon and looked menacingly at Crys and Gold.
"You may have won, but you don't know who the final hostage is. He is captive at Lake Verity, but I don't think you want to take another step because I got a remote."
She showed a remote with a single button.
"Leave this lake, and I can blow up the other lakes to their core, stay and you can join your friend here."
"How about no suggestion at all?"
The remote suddenly slipped from Mars's hand and flopped to the floor and was crumpled to bits. A blond haired girl with a long ponytail took off her sunhat that sported a pair of feathers. The last time they had seen her, she was rather short for her age, but now she had gone through a serious growth spurt that she was almost as tall as Red. The only thing that hadn't changed was her yellow tunic and black turtleneck and pants. Walking up to the three Johto Dex holders, she placed her hat back on while Mars was still standing.
"I don't think you even want to move!" the girl continued and with a short movement of her hand, the rope on Silver untied itself and was starting to unwound itself on Mars herself. She faltered to the ground with a sickening thud, as the four Dex holders stood before her.
"Wow, Yellow, you've changed," Gold grinned at her, but she sternly looked at him.
"Now's not the time for comments. I don't think the Rangers are doing okay at Acuity."
"What's so big now?" Gold exclaimed in annoyance.
"After interrogating a stray Grunt, I was able to find that Galactic has been able to set three bombs at the bottom of the lakes. Earlier, I have relayed the information to Maylene, but I think the other Healer should know by now."
"Wait, another Healer?" Crys only knew that was Oak's nickname for Yellow, but now there were two?
"Here, the person is known as "The Chosen One," but she is the same as me." Yellow handed them a picture of a navy blue haired girl.
"I don't know, but… she's kinda hot…" Gold trailed off, but was cut off when Crys and Silver slapped him at once.
"Can you save it for later?" Silver gruffly scolded him.
"Yeah. And she's way younger than you!" Crys scolded Gold as well, and then turned to Yellow. "Where are the other Dex holders?"
"Red, Blue, and Green are on their way to Valor, but back to the bombs. My Kirlia has been able to locate the bomb here, so we need to diffuse it."
"Here, use Ferligator." Silver handed his Pokeball.
"Are you okay? Professor Rowan?"
Blue was looking worriedly as the Professor massaged his arms that were left with rope burns. Then a trio of Rangers appeared at the mouth of the cavern. The foremost one was tall and burly. The other was extremely taller with a puffy hairdo. The other had black, short, sleek hair that curled at the bottom.
"Ah, Barlow, Crawford, Luana," Rowan began to speak. "I believe that we need to take care of that bomb at the bottom of the lake."
Red took a step back and then felt something strange under his foot. Lifting his foot up, he groaned in annoyance.
"Uh oh."
"Thanks, Staraptor."
Dawn called back her trusty Staraptor and looked at the water of Lake Acuity. This was not going to work. Kate took out two breathing apparatus, and handed one to Dawn sternly.
"Put this over your mouth. You'll need it."
Dawn obediently took it and placed it over her mouth. Swimming down to the bottom, the two found a crag in the island's bottom and entered it. Because they reached a dry cave in the crag, the two took off their Micro Aqualung and stuffed into their pockets.
"Whoa… how do we diffuse a bomb this complicated?" Dawn exclaimed as she observed the numerous wires and plugs that filled the cave."
"Oh, I didn't know that it was dry here!"
Gold took off his Micro Aqualung and looked at the wired bomb. Silver looked at it carefully and then scowled.
"Oh, great."
"What?" Yellow and Crys were getting worried.
"The countdown," He grimly looked back at the timer. "It has begun."
30 seconds…
Kate was busily looking through the coils of red and blue wires while Dawn was panicking.
"Which wire?"
"The red one!"
"There are like hundreds of them!"
"Ugh… let me see it!"
29 seconds…
"Chuchu, Thunderbolt!"
Yellow commanded her Chuchu to overload the circuits, but nothing happened. Gold was getting frustrated, Crys was worrying herself, and Silver was back on the wires again.
28 seconds…
Solana and Lunick were busy helping the people in Celestic Town evacuate, with the help of the Elite Four.
27 seconds…
Barlow, Crawford, and the three Kanto Dex holders climbed from the water and scuttled to the bomb's timer. Green quickly pulled a toolbox and began to debug the procedure.
"How long does it take?" Crawford looked at Green.
"I don't know."
26 seconds…
Kate finally found the debugging wire, and was struggling to pull it. Dawn tried to help her as well. But the wire slipped and the two hit the ground hard.
"Aw! We lost it!"
25 seconds…
"Found it!"
Silver was cutting away when Crys jerked him away.
"You're going to electrocute yourself! Take this glove!"
24 seconds…
Cynthia quickly approached the Pokemon Center of Veilstone, only to be encountered by a Nurse Joy who had a panicking voice on the phone.
23 seconds…
Wendy quickly swooped down on her Staraptor to help a girl on the rooftop of a little house. Sven was suddenly getting messages from Linda to get to Veilstone as quickly as possible.
22 seconds…
"Twenty-Two?!" Dawn exclaimed in fright. "How will we ever find that wire?"
21 seconds…
Wendy and Sven were quickly evacuating Jubilife City. The two looked at each understandingly and checked their timers.
"We have to go now."
20 seconds…
Kellyn and Spenser were busy helping people leave Pastoria City. Time was running short. Then Kellyn suddenly got a message from Rhyth that Galactic HQ were at Veilstone and need some investigating.
19 seconds…
Keith continued his descent down the lake, and then resorted to using Buizel to propel him down faster. This was much deeper than the Sea of Wailord.
18 seconds…
Lucas's Infernape jumped from roof to roof carrying several children while Machoke and Electivire followed a family in its arms. Maylene and Lucas were at the bottom for assistance.
17 seconds…
Too little time…
Silver was struggling to get the wire off, and Gold was rushing to help his friend.
"Gosh, why do they have to make this so hard?"
16 seconds…
A black haired boy with a girl who looked exactly like Dawn were rushing from Veilstone with a Cynthia and a spiky brown haired man on a Garchomp and a Salamence. Their faces were filled with worry as the Piplup in the girl's arms whimpered at the boy's Pikachu.
"Ash, will we be all right?"
"Yes, we will be…"
15 seconds…
Jenny and Looker searched the final rooms of Valor Lakefront as everyone was leaving the Five Star Restaurant. Time was falling away and dying.
14 seconds…
Rhythmi was shouting on the phone to give instructions to Aria while Linda was typing in codes for Elita on the field. Isaac focused himself on the computer as he typed in a series of hack codes to finally break the walls of the system.
"Isaac, find the timer program!" Hastings shouted to him as Vatona and Nage were trying to find stabilizers.
13 seconds…
"Ugh…"
Kate groaned as her aching arms were limply dangling. Dawn was almost electrocuted, so she stayed back. She couldn't do it anymore, she must stop…
NO! YOU CAN'T STOP! She rushed to the platform again, and pulled at the wire.
12 seconds…
Keith was a mile away from the crag in the island. Come on, get faster!
11 seconds…
"Solana! Where are you going?" Lunick shouted at the running Ranger.
"I need to check on the rest of Celestic Town! And Lunick…" She approached her long time partner and looked sadly into his eyes. "If I were not to come back…"
"Then you can still remember this." Lunick grabbed her arm, and kissed her passionately before they pulled away nervously, and Solana ran off. (I know it's too classic but bear with me. They like each other anyway.)
10…
Barlow was ordering Makuhita to break the control platform.
9…
Cynthia and the three kids looked overhead at Lake Valor as they hovered on the Garchomp and Salamence.
8…
Kate was still straining herself. Must try harder! Just do this for yourself, and Keith, and everyone you hold dear…
7…
Spenser was carrying the final person to leave out of range. Kellyn was speeding off to Mount Coronet.
6…
Keith was a few feet away from the crag…
5…
"Almost got it!" Green was tearing away at the rubber cover and was about to cut the wires.
4…
"Aria, just do it now! Now's not the time to be sassy with me! Do it or else!"
Isaac turned his attention to his girlfriend, for he had never her this serious.
3…
Silver was about to cut away the final sinew of string as Crys, Yellow and Gold looked on hopefully.
2…
Kate strained at the wire, and Dawn took out Riolu in retaliation.
"Focus Punch!"
1…
OPERATION TIMER COMMENCE.
BOOM!