Ashley: Took you long enough.
AKCC: I was busy!
Ash: Doing what? Playing that new game of yours?
AKCC: Yes! And life is just a big pain in the ass!
Luana: You're supposed to be working! Not playing!
AKCC: It's my break! But I have to go back to school soon. Argh!
Ashley: I'm sure those parody songs you're listening to aren't helping.
AKCC: They're funny! Why am I even trying to reason with you people? Someone do the disclaimer!
Luana: You can never do it yourself, can't ya? Whatever. This is AKCC, then crazy creator of this story, but she doesn't own any part of Pokemon or whatever else she mentions unless they're her own OC.
Ashley: That would be me.
Luana: And that's pretty much it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Keith's POV
"CRAWFORD! GIVE ME BACK MY CLOTHES!"
"What did he do this time?" I asked, sipping my coffee.
"Stole all her clothes while she was in the shower." Rhythmi explained.
"At least he was kind enough to leave her a towel." Audrey said.
"But it was only a hand towel." Ash came up to us.
"Shouldn't you be stopping her?" I pointed to Luana who entered the room with a blanket wrapped around her.
"I gave up trying after Crawford stole all of her bras and underwear." Ash leaned against the counter.
"And you're okay with that?" Rhythmi pointed to Crawford getting beat by Luana, who has her sledgehammer. Ollie, the poor fellow, was right in the middle of Luana's wrath as she hit Crawford right next to him.
"She can take care of herself. She can do more damage than I ever can. Actually, more than anyone in my family can, except for Ashley." Ash said.
"Keith!" Barlow's voice boomed, making all of us at the operator's desk jump.
"Yes, sir?" I turned to him.
"I just got a call saying that the Professor just finished his business trip in Fiore and he's in Almia right now. I need you to escort him to here. He should be passing through the forest right now." Barlow said.
"On it, sir." I nodded and headed out with Hydro bouncing behind me.
"This place hasn't changed a bit after that fire a week ago." Hydro said.
"A forest does not heal itself after a fire overnight, you know." I said.
"It can with my help!" a green light appeared in front of us. "Celebi's my name. Pleased to meet you." a small, green, floating fairy appeared in front of us.
"Wow. A Celebi. I never thought I would see one." I gasped in awe.
"And I never thought I would see you." Celebi flew around me. "I thought you would be more impressive."
"What do you mean 'more impressive'?" I asked, snapping out of my shock.
"I heard things from Mewtwo, but I honestly don't see why he's so protective of you. Even with a heart of pure goodness." Celebi said, stopping in front of my face. "That and after what Ashley told me about you, I thought you would look more of an idiot."
"She told you about me?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I always talked to her when she got those scars. You don't think they magically healed on their own after one week, do you? Especially that big one on her arm. Took most of my energy for that one." Celebi flew from tree to tree checking out their burn marks.
"What did she tell you about me, than?" I asked.
"Not much. Just how some dimwit broke her heart and now she wants nothing to do with him. I wouldn't blame her though. You were pretty cold hearted to do that." Celebi shrugged as she healed a couple of trees.
"Wow. You did some major damage to her." Hydro said.
"I did not. I just wanted everyone to know how amazing she was before she came here." I countered, upset on how she described me.
"Did you ever think of how she ever felt about her past?" Celebi flew up to my face. "Maybe she didn't want people to know. Maybe she wanted to start over. Maybe she wanted to be someone who nobody ever heard about."
"Seriously Keith, have you ever thought of her feelings for you instead of your feelings for her?" Hydro asked me.
"Again, when did you become so philosophical?" I asked, feeling bad of the things I done.
"When you became so stupid!" Hydro snapped. I was shocked. Hydro has never snapped at anyone before. He was always so whimsical and carefree. "Honestly Keith, stop feeling sorry for yourself and try to make it right! Everyone's been telling you that, but all you do is mope around and complete whatever mission people tell you to do! Stop thinking of what you could have done differently and actually do something different! So far, all you've done was do the things other people told you to do! Do something of your own for once!"
"He's right. I've seen your past and you have a lot of mistakes. Your future will be the same if you don't do something of your own soon." Celebi nodded.
How could I been so stupid? My own partner pokemon had to talk some sense in me. I am pathetic. I couldn't even see it for myself even when I had people all around helping me. I need to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future.
"You guys are right." I said.
"About time you figured it out." Celebi smirked. "And you better escort that old man back to the base or else he would get lost and your base leader will be very upset." And with that, she teleported elsewhere.
"Shouldn't you be doing your job right now?" Hydro asked as he turned back to his old self.
"Damn it!" I slapped my forehead and ran farther into the forest.
"Those darn teenagers. Thought putting up a wooden fence in the middle of a path as prank. Ha! That became a pile of firewood with just one swift kick." an elderly man in a lab coat with a cane walked towards me. "Oh ho ho, what do with have here? Eavesdropping your elders?"
"No sir! I would never do that." I shook my head.
"Relax boy. I was only kidding." he chuckled. "What's your name?"
"My name's Keith, sir." I replied.
"Keith, Keith. Where have I heard that name before?" he said.
"Are you okay, sir?" I asked.
"Enough with the 'sir' business. My name's Hastings if you didn't already know." he said.
"Oh, so you're the Professor." I muttered. Hydro must have heard me since he facepalmed.
"You must be the ranger who is supposed to escort me then?" Hastings asked. I nodded. "Than let's get moving, shall we? No need for this old man to slow you down." he began jogging in place.
I nodded and soon we were jogging through the forest and towards the base. For an old man, he was very hard to keep up with. Due to that running, we were at the base in no time.
"Yes! He's here!" Elaine shouted as we entered the base.
"Calm down Elaine. He needs to take a good look at the machine first." Barlow pressed the button to her shock collar.
"What's with that young man who's tied up?" Hastings asked as he looked at Ollie.
"Just some guy who started a forest fire. You must have seen the damage when you walked through the forest." Crawford answered. Somehow he escaped Luana and was unharmed.
"We had to tie him up since he wasn't talking." Luana added, fully clothed in her ranger outfit.
"Ah. Nothing I haven't seen before." Hastings said as he walked past Ollie. What has this guy seen actually?
"Hello rangers!" Big Bertha walked through the doors with several bowls. "I've brought some milk pudding for the lot of you." she scanned the room until she saw Ollie tied up. "BARLOW! Why is this young man tied up?!"
"He was found at the scene of a forest fire and he wasn't talking so we tied him up." Barlow said, visibly shaking. "Just stick a spoon filled with pudding in his mouth and that's enough for him."
"BARLOW! That is no way to treat your hostages!" Bertha grabbed a bowl full of pudding and walked towards Ollie with it. "Now what have they been feeding you? You're as thin as a stick."
"That's what my sister's cooking will do to you." Ash said as he fed some pudding to his Pikachu.
"Shut up Ash!" Luana said. "I am not that bad of a cook!"
"Your Poffins are worst than mines and that's saying something." Ash retorted.
"I wish I can forget that day." Pikachu shuddered.
"Now hush! A growing boy like you need all of the food you can get. Now, isn't that good?" Bertha spoonfed Ollie some milk pudding.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-..." Ollie stuttered.
"Spit it out!" Barlow yelled.
"I don't deserve this!" Ollie cried. "The forest fire, it was all my fault! An old school buddy of mines told me could make some extra money if I just set up those machines around the forest! But I knocked one over and some of the oil spilled around the forest! Than a spark flew and the next thing I knew, the forest was on fire!"
"See, a little pudding will make anyone talk. Now untie him right now!" Bertha shouted.
"Yes ma'am!" Barlow nodded. "Keith!"
I jumped up from the sofa and placed the bowl of pudding I was eating on the table.
"Who tied this?" I grunted as I tried to get the knot undone.
"Let me see." Ash came over and helped me.
"I think you boys are doing wrong." Luana looked at Ollie. "He's turning blue!"
"Here," Elaine came over with her wire cutter. With one snip, the rope fell around Ollie.
"Thank you." Ollie took a deep breath.
"Do you have somewhere to go?" Elaine asked. Lately, she has been getting closer to Ollie.
"Yeah my m-friend lives in Chicole Village." Ollie said.
"I can take you there. Elaine, you can help Professor Hastings take apart that machine." Luana said as she pushed Ollie out the door.
"Hey! I want to come!" Ash ran after them.
"Since that is settled, I'll be going now." Bertha walked out of the base.
"Come now Elaine; let's see what machine is hiding." Hastings motioned Elaine to come to the machine.
"Yes!" she shouted, holding several tools above her head. She lunged for the machine before Hastings got to it, but Rhythmi just pushed the button of the shock collar that was still on Elaine's neck.
"Thank you, Rhythmi." Barlow said.
"You're welcome, chief." she nodded.
"Was that necessary?" Elaine asked as she recovered from the shock.
"You have to wait for the Professor to take a look at it first." Audrey pointed out.
"Fine." Elaine grumbled as Hastings took a look at the machine.
"Ah-ha!" Hastings snapped his fingers. "These machines, I've seen them around Pueltown. I believed that those mailboxes are like this machine."
"Mailboxes? I think the old guy is losing it." Hydro said.
"Shut up." I hissed to him. "But I do have to say, how in the name of Arceus does that look like a mailbox?" I muttered to myself.
"So there are more of these around Pueltown, huh?" Barlow scratched his chin. "Crawford! Keith! I want you two to go to Pueltown and take out any of these machines you see. I'm making this a mission for the both of you!" Barlow ordered.
"Yes, sir!" we both jumped up and ran out the door with our pokemon after us.
When we got to Pueltown, I had to cover my ears because,
"Argh! This is worse than the time at Marine Cave." I said.
"Yeah. We need to talk to some of the locals and find out what's going on." Crawford said.
I reluctantly uncovered my ears and followed Crawford to the Ranger Depot.
"You okay, buddy?" I asked Hydro.
"I feel like my head's splitting open." he answered. So I'm not the only one who feels that way.
When we got to the depot we saw another one of the machines. I had Hydro use Water Gun on it and it exploded. When we were finish destroying the machine, a man with pink hair, a tropical shirt, bermuda shorts, and sandals walked up to us. Is he supposed to be a local or a tourist? Or is he part of a fashion show that handles horrible sense of fashion? Or a circus?
"Brook!" Crawford called out. I looked at him. "Oh, Brook is the bridge keeper here." Crawford explained.
"Hey! Rangers, good thing you came!" the man, Brook said. "The pokemon around here have been acting haywire ever since those guys in black set up those mailboxes around town." Seriously? Is this guy dumb or something? They do not look remotely like a mailbox!
"Hate to break it to you, but these 'mailboxes' aren't mailboxes and they are causing the pokémon's weird behavior." I explained.
"Really? They look like mailboxes though." Brook rubbed the back of his head. I had to resist the urge to facepalm.
"But they're not. Can you tell us where else you've seen these?" Crawford asked.
"Oh sure. They're all around town." Brook answered.
"Alright." Crawford turned to me. "I think we have to split up for this. You take the port and that area while I'll take the other side of town." he directed.
"Got it." I nodded before running off.
"Good luck!" I heard Brook shout behind me.
I captured a Growlithe and an Elekid as I ran around town. What? They could come in handy soon. As I ran around the town, look for those so called 'mailboxes' (which they do not look like at all) I noticed that there was a line of pokemon blocking some stairs near the port.
"Keith, look!" Hydro pointed to a blue machine next to the pokemon.
"A blue one? This is new." I said as I scanned the machine. "Needs Electrify 2, huh? Okay than. Elekid, shock that machine with Thunderbolt!" I pointed to the machine.
Elekid nodded and unleashed a Thunderbolt. When it was finished, the machine exploded and the pokemon scattered.
"Great job. You can go now." I released the Elekid.
"Eeekk!" I heard a familiar voice scream.
I ran towards the noise and saw Isaac's sister, Melody, there. She was surrounded by a couple of the hypnotized pokemon.
"Hold on, Melody!" I turned my head to see Brook nearby. This isn't going to end good.
"Mr Brook! Save me!" Melody cried.
"Super Brook Jump!" Brook took a running start and jumped into the middle of pokemon, where Melody was.
"Good job, but how are you suppose to get out?" I asked as I approached the two.
"Uh, well." Brook sweatdropped. "I didn't think this through."
I sighed and spotted one of those machines, but green this time, nearby. When I checked it, I saw that it needed Burn 2.
"Alright, Growlithe. Use Flamethrower!" I pointed to the machine.
"Growl!" Growlithe let loose a stream of fire from its mouth and soon, the machine was charred. I thanked the pokemon before I released it. With the machine gone, the pokemon circling Melody and Brook snapped out of it and ran off.
"Thank you, big brother's friend!" Melody beamed at me.
"I'll take her back home safely. But I think you should check you the port. I saw some of shady guys heading there." Brook said.
"Thanks for the tip, Brook." I nodded before heading to the port.
When I got there, I saw six guys in black leotards? Okay, whoever chose those uniforms has no taste in fashion. All of them had caps on except for one who had a different outfit. Must be an admin. They were all standing next to a yellow machine.
I hid behind a crate as I listened to them.
"Keith, why are we-?"
"Shhh!" I covered Hydro's mouth. "Be quiet! Do you want than to know we're here?!"
"What's the status of the Gigaremos?" the admin asked. Gigaremos? At least we have a name for the machines now.
"All of the signals are gone!" a grunt exclaimed.
"Yeah, I saw some nosy ranger running around destroying them all!" another whined.
"And it took forever to get them all set up. It took five guys to just lift one!" another grunt complained.
"Why couldn't they be lighter and smaller?" one of the grunts whined.
"At least the people here were stupid enough to believe these to be mailboxes!" one laughed.
I think I heard enough. I jumped onto the crate and faced the six guys.
"Who are you? Wait, red jacket, a styler? You're a ranger!" a grunt exclaimed. Is this guy an idiot?
"Yeah, I'm a ranger. And who do you guys think you are?" I asked.
"For your information, we're Team Dim Sun! We want to take over the world by controlling the mind of pokemon everywhere! And with the help of these Gigaremos, we will rule the world!" one grunt said.
"You imbecile! You just told him everything!" the admin shouted.
"Sorry boss! He took advantage of my kindness! Don't worry though. I'll make sure he doesn't go telling his mouth off. Go Team Rattata!" the guy sent out seven Rattata towards me.
I had to raise my brow. This is the best he got? I captured the pokemon with a single loop. "You guys got to do better than that." I said as the Rattata ran off.
"Do I have to do everything myself?!" the admin said in frustration. "Toxicroak! Finish him!"
"Whoa!" I said as I jumped out the way of a Poison Jab as the pokemon jumped from behind the admin. "Hydro! Use Water Gun and distract him!" I ordered. Hydro kept Toxicroak occupied while I focused on capturing it. I still had to dodge Toxicroak and its Poison Jab, but I was still able to capture it after five minutes.
"Enough. We got all the information from our experiment here. Let's head out!" the admin shouted as Toxicroak ran off. The five grunts lifted the yellow Gigaremo up and jumped onto a boat. "You have not seen the last of us." the admin said before jumping on the boat as well.
"What?! They took off by boat?" I turned around to see Brook racing down towards the port as the boat raced off. "Then me putting up the bridge was for nothing. Don't worry though. I can still get them. Super Brook Jump!"
Splash!
"Is that Brook?" Crawford approached me.
"Yep and I discovered the guys who set up those machines called Gigaremos." I explained. "Should we go after him?" I asked.
"Nah. Knowing Brook, he would give up sooner or later. In fact, here he is now." Crawford pointed to a soaked Brook.
"They were too fast." Brook panted.
"Don't worry Brook. You did all you can." Crawford patted Brook on the back. "Hey Red, why don't you head back to the base and give the mission report to Barlow?"
I nodded and headed back with Hydro on my shoulder. When we got back to the base, I gave Barlow the report and bumped me up a rank. When Crawford got back to the base and got chased around by Luana again, I decided to call Solana again on my styler.
"You need something?" Solana's face appeared on the screen. She was in the main area of her base since the operator's desk, the elevator, and several couches were visible.
"Yeah, is Ashley there?" I asked.
"She's in her room right now, but I'm not sure it's the best time for you to talk to her right now." Solana said.
"Why?"
"Our base leader, Spencer got her a punching bag for her room and she's using it right now." Solana explained. I heard some crashing over the line and saw dust and plaster raining down.
"Sorry!" a voice yelled on Solana's line, from the floor above her.
"What was that?" I asked.
"I think Ashley just kicked a wall." Solana said, coughing on the dust.
"Nope, I think she punched a hole in the wall." a pink haired operator said, waving her hand to get rid of the dust.
"Actually, she kicked down her door." Solana's partner, Lunick said as he walked out of the elevator.
"More like shattered her door." a chubby ranger said as he got out of the elevator with Lunick.
"I'll go order another one." a green haired ranger walked past, getting up from the couch.
"I have to go, Keith." Solana said before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Rhyth asked. I looked up from where I was sitting to see Rhythmi standing over me.
"My cousin." I answered. "I was just calling to see if I could talk to Ashley."
"Did you?" Rhythmi asked as she sat down next to me.
"No, but she got a punching bag." I said.
"That's not good." Rhyth looked shocked.
"Yeah, when we were talking, she kicked down her door to her room." I said.
"I just don't see why you would like a girl who can potentially kill you." Rhyth shook her head.
"I don't know. She's just different." I shrugged my shoulders, wondering why I love her.
Ash: You kicked down a wall.
Ashley: Watch your mouth or I can kick your teeth in.
Ash: Noted.
AKCC: Short chapter. And I'm tired from writing the longest chapter I have ever written!
Luana: How long is it?
AKCC: About 15 pages in Word.
Ashley: Damn. You never paid that much attention to us before.
AKCC: That's because the ideas never came that easily. Don't forget!
Cast: Review! And Happy 2017!