Hi guys! So it hasn't technically been two days since the last update but it's almost midnight and I'm bored so here you go!

Oh, and I realized earlier there aren't too many chapters left in Shadows of Almia, and I need to start writing again. I have a list of ideas on my profile, and if there's anything in particular you guys want to read I can work on it. Either leave a review with your suggestion or PM me.

Read, review, and enjoy!

"What? Keith isn't back yet?"

I was standing with Rhythmi in the middle of the second floor of the Ranger Union. I had just flown home from Boyleland.

"I'm sorry to say he isn't," Rhythmi said.

"I hope nothing happened!" I said.

Rhythmi laughed. "Come on," she said. "You know Keith. He'll be fine. Besides, he just called us a few minutes ago."

"Really?" I said. "Well, why didn't you say so? What did he say?"

"He said he finally found out the location of the Yellow Gem, and is on his way there now," Rhythmi said. "So see? Absolutely nothing is wrong. Professor Hastings and Chairperson Erma are waiting for you upstairs. We'd better get going."

"Right," I said. I walked up the escalator with Rhythmi and entered the Operation Room. Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings were standing in the middle of the room, waiting for my return.

"Welcome back, dear," Chairperson Erma said. "Another job well done."

"So, the Red Gem was, indeed, inside the Boyle Volcano," Professor Hastings said. I nodded, pulling the stone out of my pocket. "Well done, Sparkette!"

"You should get some rest, dear," Chairperson Erma said. "I'm sure tomorrow will be another long day for you."

"No," I said. "I want to stay up until Keith gets back."

"Don't worry about Keith," Professor Hastings said. "He is also a Top Ranger, you know."

"How about this," Chairperson Erma said. "If Keith comes back in the middle of the night, we'll send someone to get you. You really need your sleep, dear."

I sighed. This was their way of saying, no, don't be stupid, go to bed. So I really had no choice. "Fine," I sighed. "I'll see you in the morning."

Keith didn't come back all night. He still wasn't back by the time I woke up the next morning. I was really starting to get worried now.

"Rhythmi!" I said. "Any word from Keith yet?"

"Not yet," Rhythmi replied. She sounded a little worried as well. "But it's still pretty early. Give him some time. Anyway, what are you doing down here? Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings are waiting for you on the roof!"

Right. I actually had something important I needed to do today. "Oops," I said. "Forgot about that. I'll go up now."

"I'll tell you if Keith calls!" Rhythmi shouted as I ran up to the roof. Chairperson Erma and the professor were already up there. Even Murph was there before me. That was a little bit disappointing.

"Sparkette!" Professor Hastings cried when I ran onto the roof. "What took you so long?"

"Don't be so hard on the poor girl!" Chairperson Erma scolded. "She's been through a lot. Sparkette, please place the Red Gem on the dais."

I nodded, and ran over to the three pedestals. I placed the Red Gem on the one on the right. The reaction was the same as it was with the Blue Gem, but this time the tree shone a bright red color.

"That leaves only the Yellow Gem," Professor Hastings said. "There's nothing to do now but impatiently await Keith's return."

"Sparkette!" Rhythmi cried, running up to the rooftop. "Professor! Chairperson Erma! We just got a report from Keith!"

"Really?" I said. "What did he say?"

"He said that he's having some trouble getting through the Hippowdon Temple," Rhythmi said. "But, there's no need for worry, he added."

Oh no. "I'm going to the Haruba Desert," I declared. "I'm going to look for Keith."

"Sparkette, I cannot permit that," Professor Hastings said. "We need you here, just in case anything happens."

"Why do you need me?" I demanded. "My friend could be in trouble! Can't you get Wendy or Sven to stay here?"

"Wendy's busy on another Mission, and we don't even know where Sven is," Professor Hastings replied calmly. Wow, Wendy was right. The cowboy disappeared. "And Keith is in the Haruba Desert. So we need you to stay here."

"Well, find someone else to watch the Union," I said. "I'm going after Keith and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

I ran off of the roof without another word. Surprisingly, I managed to make it all the way out of the Union before my next distraction.

"Sparkette! Wait a second!" Rhythmi was running out of the Union. "I need to tell you something important!"

I turned to her. "What do you need to tell me?" I said, bitterly. "That Professor Hastings sent you to drag me back into the Union?"

"That's not it!" Rhythmi said. "Well, that's technically why I'm here. But that's not what I wanted to say. And I'm not going to drag you back. I wanted to tell you that Chairperson Erma and I are going to try to convince the Professor to approve of you going to look for Keith. So don't worry. We'll figure something out. Honestly, I'm a little bit worried about Keith as well."

"Thanks, Rhythmi," I said. "And don't worry about Keith. I will find him."

"I know," she said. "Because he would do the same for you. Now get going! Find that idiot before something happens to him!"

"I will," I said. "Call me if anything happens, all right?"

Rhythmi nodded. "Of course I will!" she said. "Now go! We'll make sure we clear this up before you get back!" Rhythmi turned, and ran back into the Union.

"Rhythmi… thank you," I said. "Pachirisu, let's go to the desert!"

I think Keith got to the Haruba Desert by taking a boat. I technically could have flown to Pueltown, but I wasn't really thinking straight. I honestly couldn't think straight. The only thing on my mind right now was Keith. I really hoped he was okay…

"Pokemon a go-go!" Oh, I guess the Go-Rock Quads were rehearsing. Maybe I should stay for a little bit. It might help me clear my mind.

I ran up to stand in the back of the crowd at the bandstand. Billy pulled out his bass and did a crazy bass solo. "Hey, people, thanks for the turnout!" he said. "And this is only a rehearsal! I have good news to share with you! Clyde's returned to the Go-Rock Quads!" Finally!

A woman in the front row cheered loudly. "Yay Billy!" she said.

"They're finally back as a four piece band!" the man next to her said.

Garrett did his guitar solo. "The Go-Rock Quads' Clyde has returned with new lyrics for the Almia Region!"

The third boy on the stage, who I assumed was Clyde, did a drum solo. "Yo, music fans!" he said. "A cure for your worries! I had to cool my head after getting sick from the lyrics provided by Altru Inc. But hey, hey, I'm back and better than ever! I met this old lady in Pueltown, and she told me this awesome fairy tale! That was the inspiration I needed! I wrote this fantastic song about it!"

"But you'll need to wait to hear the full song!" Tiffany said. "It's called the Song of Vantonage! We can't wait for you to hear it!" Vantonage… where had I heard that before?

"You have to keep this a secret, though!" Garrett said. "Especially from Altru's VIPs! That's a promise to keep!" Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't want to talk to Altru's VIPs anyway. Unless Isaac counted as a VIP. Him I wouldn't mind talking to.

Suddenly, the entire crowd gasped. Blake Hall was walking down the path, coming toward the bandstand. Oh no. Time for me to leave!

I started to exit the bandstand, but Brook, the pink haired bridge operator, stopped me. "You might want to hear this, Ranger," he said. "So stick around."

Great. Now I couldn't leave. Wheeler walked through the crowd, clearing the way for Blake. "I'm so sorry to disturb you when you're clearly enjoying yourself," Wheeler said. "Mr. Blake Hall, the magnificent president of glorious Altru Inc, will now take the stage. President Hall wishes to deliver what will surely be a historic speech."

Did I really have to stay? I did not really want to hear this. "Now, please, everyone," Wheeler continued. "Clear the way please."

Everyone automatically ran to stand on the sides of the bandstand. Well, Brook had to drag me, but oh well. Wheeler walked up to the Go-Rock Quads. "Clear the way, please," Wheeler said.

"What's this all about?" Clyde said, crossing his arms. "No one said anything about this."

"Oh, I do apologize," Wheeler said, although he didn't really sound like he meant it. "We would just like a little bit of time."

"Well, alright then…" Clyde said. He and his siblings stepped back to stand on the sides of the bandstand. Two Altru employees walked through the crowd. Each one of them went to stand on opposite sides of the bandstand.

"Have you memorized the lyrics our president wrote specially for you?" the male employee asked.

"Um…" Garrett said. "The Dream Energy, was it? Yeah, we've got it memorized, absolutely."

The employee walked onto the stage. "You don't know how lucky you are," the female employee said. "You get to sing our new image song."

"Uh, well, thanks for that," Tiffany said. The female employee walked onto the stage as well. A few seconds later, Blake Hall walked onto the stage. I know I was probably imagining it, but I'm pretty sure Blake flashed me a smile on his way up.

"Greetings, ladies and gentleman!" Wheeler said. "I present to you today none other than President Blake Hall of Altru Inc! He has graciously taken the time so that he may talk to you in person."

"Wheeler…" Blake said. "Stand aside."

Wheeler jumped. "I- I do beg your pardon, sir!" he said. He ran to stand next to Tiffany. I kinda felt bad for her… "And now, I humbly do present the president of Altru Inc, Mr. Blake Hall."

"Ah, good day, ladies and gentleman," he said. "I'm Blake Hall, and I'm the president of Altru Inc. Our history is the history of Almia. Altru has grown alongside you. Our partnership with you, fellow citizens, will soon reach seventy years. It's true, our seventieth anniversary since founding will soon be upon us. On that day, to commemorate Altru's birthday, I will reveal a secret to you. A new dream energy that will do away with our thirst for oil once and for all! It is clean, efficient, and effectively limitless in supply. Truly, it is the energy of dreams! I assure you it will be exciting!"

There was a long pause. No one knew how to react to Blake's speech. Wheeler noticed the silence, and started cheering as loud as he could. Blake smiled, satisfied.

"I, Blake Hall, hereby promise you a bright future for the Almia Region!" Blake continued. "On Altru's birthday, we have planned a massive commemorative event! I hope to see you all there!"

Blake Hall did a little bow, then walked off the stage. "I especially hope to see you there, Ranger," he whispered as he walked past me. Wait, what? I stared at him as he walked away, followed by his assistants. Did Blake actually say something to me? Or was I imagining it? I honestly hoped I was imagining it.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. I needed to go to the Haruba Desert. Keith needed me. But of course, I had no such luck. The four members of the Go-Rock Quads were walking up to me.

"Sparkette!" Tiffany said. "No Keith today?"

"Umm, he was busy," I said slowly. "And I should probably get going now, too. There's something very important I need to do. Sorry I can't stay to watch your rehearsal."

"We understand," Garrett said. "We probably weren't going to rehearse anymore, anyway."

"Mr. Hall really killed the mood," Billy said. Yeah, he kinda did. I did not like that man.

"So you're the Ranger I've heard so much about," Clyde said. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Clyde," I said. "But I really need to go now. I'm sorry."

I ran out of the park before they could stop me. I heard them talking about me as I left, but I wasn't really that interested in what they were saying. I think they also mentioned Keith's name.

Pachirisu and I ran all the way to the Pueltown port. We walked into the sailor's inn, and I called, "Hello? Is there anyone who can give me a ride to the Haruba Desert?"

A man wearing a yellow sailor suit stood up from the table. "I can take ye," he said. "We'll get there in no time on the S.S. Haruba. Come with me."

I followed the sailor out of a door in the back of the inn. We walked along the dock, and we stopped at a small motor boat. Pachirisu and I climbed onto the boat, followed by the captain. I sat down on one of the seats, and Pachirisu sat on my lap. A few moments later, the boat started moving. The boat moved pretty quickly, so it shouldn't take too long to get to the desert. Which was good, because I needed to find Keith. And get back to the Union before Professor Hastings gets too mad.

Unfortunately, my good luck didn't last long. A few minutes into the ride, a giant column of water erupted from the ocean, nearly hitting the boat. The boat skidded to a stop, and we ended up over a darker patch of water.

"What was that?" I asked, as the captain emerged from the engine room.

"I don't know," he admitted. Another pillar of water shot up from somewhere under the surface. "But it's not safe to continue until the waters die down." Well, I needed to continue now.

"I'm going to go check it out," I said, pulling on my micro aqualung. "Maybe I can stop the eruptions."

"Wait, you can't be serious about going down there!" the captain said.

"Yes, I can. I have a very important mission in the Haruba Desert, and the sooner the eruptions stop the sooner we can get there, right?" I replied.

The captain sighed. "I guess I can't stop you," he said. "Just be careful, Ranger."

"I will," I said. "Can you watch my Pachirisu? I'll be back soon." I hoped I would, anyway. Before the captain or Pachirisu could complain, I dived into the ocean.

The Almia Sea was usually very peaceful. Note how I say usually. Right now, it seemed like the entire ocean was shaking. A loud roar was reverberating through the waves. Was that a Pokemon's cry? If so, what Pokemon was it? I swam through the reefs, searching for what could've made the cry.

After a few minutes of swimming, I finally found it. A Wailord was pinned down to a reef by some machine thingys. The Pokemon was clearly suffering. A Wailmer was swimming next to it. I assumed they were related or something, because the Wailmer was obviously worried about the Wailord.

I needed to help that Wailord. Team Dim Sun must be behind this. Keith would have to wait. Right now, this Wailord needed my help. Keith would be alright until after I rescued the Wailord. He would have to be.

First things first, I needed to destroy the machines. I pointed my styler at the nearest machine. A crush field move. Where was I going to find a Pokemon like that?

I started to swim back toward the place where I dived down from the surface. On the way, I found a Huntail. Maybe it could break the machine! I captured it without too much difficulty. Underwater captures were harder than normal captures, because of science and stuff. It was just harder to move your arm.

But anyway, I was right! The Huntail was able to break the machine! But even after I broke it, the Wailord still wasn't free. How many of these things were there?

Suddenly, a Dim Sun minion came swimming through the pipe. "But you know?" he said. "Is that Wailord going to really replace our cargo ship?" Really? That's why they were trying to capture a Wailord? Why did they even think that would work?

"I don't think a Pokemon can replace a ship," I said, swimming over to the minion. He turned to me in shock

"What?" he said. "A Pokemon Ranger? And the Capture Machine is wrecked, too!" So that's what those things were called! The minion pulled out a Miniremo. I was surprised they still worked underwater. Whoever invented these things must be really smart. Shame he was wasting his abilities on these things…

The minion pushed a few keys on the Miniremo and sent two Horsea and a Seadra on me. Ugh. This is not going to be fun. I captured the Pokemon with some difficulty, but still managed to destroy the Miniremo.

"I work best in water…" the minion said. "What am I supposed to do if I can't even win in my element?"

"How about go home?" I said. "That would be good!"

The minion glared at me as he swam back through the tube. I followed him to find another Capture Machine. This one was on the other side of some currents, and there was a female minion guarding it. Maybe this was going to take longer than I hoped… Sorry, Keith. But I needed to rescue the Wailord first.

I swam through the currents, captured another Huntail, and finally reached the Minion. "Gack!" she said. "What's a Ranger doing here? Are you going to interfere?"

"That depends on what your definition of interfere is," I said. "But I do intend to rescue that Wailord!"

"That's interfering if you ask me!" the minion said. She pushed a few keys on her Miniremo, and soon I was in a capture with four Finneon. They were easier to capture than the Pokemon the first minion sent at me, and the girl's Miniremo had exploded in no time. I was surprised they could still explode underwater. How did that even work?

"Bleh!" the girl exclaimed. "It's salty! I swallowed a mouthful of seawater, and it's all your fault!"

She swam away as fast as she could, leaving the Capture Machine unprotected. I didn't understand how her swallowing seawater was my fault, but oh least she left. I destroyed the second Capture Machine easily, but the Wailord still couldn't budge. This was getting really annoying.

I continued to swim through the reef, stopping to capture a Mantine on the way, until I reached a long pipe. Floating outside of it was another Dim Sun minion, this time male. He already had a Miniremo out, and in front of him were three Starmie. Guess that was my next capture!

"Hi there, Ranger!" the minion said cheerfully.

"Hello!" I replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," he said. "What are you doing here? Did you come along to help us move the Wailord? Well, your assistance isn't needed! Starmie'll take care of things!" The minion pushed a few keys on his Miniremo and the Starmie charged at me. They were pretty annoying to capture, instead of shooting bubbles at me they shot plasma orbs. Kinda hard to dodge when you're underwater.

It took me a while, but I eventually managed to capture the three Starmie, causing the Miniremo to explode.

"I might have lost that battle, but you can't beat me in swimming on a Mantine!" the minion said. "If you can't get around the Qwilfish while riding a Mantine, you can go home now!" Could I go to the Haruba Desert now? Cause that's where I really wanted to be.

The minion swam through the pipe, and I followed him. It was a good thing I captured a Mantine earlier, because without it there would be no way to get through the next area. I hopped onto the Mantine, and carefully made my way through the reefs. It was way harder than it should have been, because there were a bunch of Qwilfish lining the edges of the reefs. There were also a lot of currents that made it hard to control the Mantine. It took a few minutes to get to the other side of the chasm, but I eventually made it.

I swam through another pipe to find the Dim Sun minion from earlier floating there. "Hello!" I said, cheerfully. He turned to me in shock.

"What?" he said. "You made it though riding a Mantine? You caught up without using a Miniremo?"

"Yup!" I said.

"Unbelieveable!" the minion exclaimed. "I know when I can't win! Bye!"

"Bye-bye!" I called, as the minion swam away. The next Capture Machine was on the other side of a reef. I swam around it, only stopping once to capture a third Huntail. This Capture Machine had a metal gate blocking it. I had to capture a Starmie to break it. I swam toward the Capture Machine, only to find another minion guarding it. This guy also had a Miniremo.

The minion stared at me, then gasped. "Wait! Are you that Ranger from the Cargo Ship?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," I said. "Why? Were you there?"

"Actually I was!" the minion replied. "When you sunk our ship, the boss saw how well I swam and put me on the Marine Unit! I miss life on the land! It's all your fault I have to do this!"

"What, it's my fault you're a good swimmer?" I said. "I really don't understand how that adds up."

"Well, it makes sense to me!" the minion said. "And I'm going to give you payback for it!"

He pushed a few keys on his Miniremo, and I was attacked by a Huntail and a pink Pokemon. I later learned this was called a Gorebyss. I captured the two Pokemon, Miniremo go boom, minion runs away, I destroy the machine. This was really getting repetitive... I looked up at the Wailord. Only one more beam was pinning it down to the reef. That must mean there was only one more Capture Machine to destroy. One more machine until I could find Keith.

I swam through another pipe to find the last Capture Machine. This one was also guarded by a minion. He had a Seadra next to him.

"Hello, Ranger!" he said. "I've been waiting for you!"

"I can see that," I said. "Look, can we just get this over with? There's something else I need to do today, and it's very important to me."

"So I'm not important?" the minion demanded. I shook my head. No one was as important to me as Keith was. The minion sighed. "Yeah, I'm really not. Oh well. You do realize if you take down this Capture Machine, the Wailord will go on a rampage. Are you still going to help it?"

"Of course I am!" I said. "I'm a Pokemon Ranger! If a Pokemon needs my help, then I need to help it. No matter what."

"Wow, I just asked if you were going to help it," he said. "I didn't need your life story." I laughed feebly. "Anyway, you forced me into doing this!" He pushed a few keys on the Miniremo, and the Seadra charged at me.

The Seadra was the hardest thing I ever captured underwater. It attacked by blowing bubbles, and surprisingly they did a lot of damage. I didn't know bubbles could hurt so much. It took a while, but I finally managed to capture the Seadra. It ran away, and the Miniremo exploded.

"How am I supposed to explain this to my boss?" the minion mused as he swam away. "The sea was too salty isn't a good excuse…"

I had to go back through the pipe again to catch a Huntail, but I then destroyed the final Capture Machine. I swam over to where I first found the Wailord. It was now hovering above the reef, and was no longer suffering. It was also not rampaging, which was good. The Wailmer seemed to be happy that the Wailord was free. But now that I got that dealt with, I could go to the Haruba Desert. I could go find Keith.

I turned to swim back to the boat, but was stopped when I swam into one of the Dim Sun minions from earlier. All five of them were there this time. I gasped, backing up toward the Wailord.

"Hey, you no-good do-gooder Ranger!" the minion I ran into, the female, said. "We're going to be in a heap of trouble, no thanks to you!"

"So we'll just have to improvise!" one of the males said. "We'll try to convince that guy this Wailmer is the one! He'd make a great Wailord mini!" Wailord mini? What kind of idiot would believe that story? Actually, Keith probably would…

Suddenly, two of the minions swam over to me and grabbed my arms. "Hey!" I shouted, struggling to break free. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Sorry, Ranger," the girl minion said as the other two boys grabbed the Wailmer and took it off somewhere. No, no, no, don't take the Wailmer! I wanted to help it, but I couldn't escape the grasp of the two minions. "But we can't have anyone interfering with our plans." The Wailmer had been taken away, and I couldn't help it. What kind of a Pokemon Ranger was I if I couldn't rescue a Wailmer?

After giving the people with the Wailmer a head start, the two guys that were keeping me restrained released me and swam after them.

"Hey!" I called, starting to swim after the minions. "Come back here!"

I was stopped when Wailord let out a roar. The Wailord swam underneath me and started to carry me up to the surface. When we passed the boat that Pachirisu was on, it hopped onto my shoulders. The captain looked very confused when I rode past him on a Wailord. The Wailord started to drag me off to who know where. Sorry, Keith. It looked like I was taking another detour.

Am I the only one who thinks this Wailord mission is ridiculous? Seriously, trying to use a pokemon to replace a Cargo Ship? Not gonna work, Team Dim Sun!

Anyway, next chapter should be soon. Review if you enjoyed!