"This is going to be your last battle! You can be sure of that. Go down in defeat, and grovel at our feet!" We were cornered by a group of grunts, each with their own Miniremo.
"Hey, that rhymes!" Another grunt said.
We had only been running for a few minutes, and just about every grunt we had ran into was ready for us.
"Take this!" A grunt shouted. 3 Bellossum appeared. Kellyn protected Isaac while Keith and I captured the Pokemon. After I had captured those three, another grunt said,
"How about this!" 3 Cacturne appeared. Kellyn and I swapped jobs, so I was protecting Isaac and had time to catch my breath while Kellyn and Keith caught the Cacturne.
"This time it's serious!" The last grunt said. A Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon jumped in front of us.
I took over catching the Pokemon from Keith. After a while, the last Miniremo blew up.
"We're not weak! Far from it! They're just too tough!" The grunts said, running off. Isaac fiddled with a nearby door.
"There! Unlocked! Let's keep moving, there isn't very much time left." Isaac said. We climbed the stairs up to a platform surrounding theory side of the tower. It was huge up there, and I still couldn't see the top.
"I'll update Professor Hastings." Kellyn said. I nodded.
"I got word from Barlow! Excellent work, all of you! I'm having a Staraptor sent to you now, Keith!" I heard the Professor say through Kellyn's styler.
"Than- Watch out!" Keith said, seeing a Magmotar running towards Isaac and me. He pushed us out of the way, getting hit by the attack and was almost pushed off the side of the platform. He was hanging off, and the wind was blowing hard.
"KEITH!" Kellyn, Isaac and I all yelled, running to help him.
"The Yellow Gem, we'll have it back, thank you very much." Lavana said, walking up the stairs we had come up just before. There was a rumble, causing everyone to fall over. I noticed the yellow gem was on the ground, where Keith must of dropped it. Lavana picked it up.
"What? The Incredible Machine's switched on already?" Isaac asked.
"Oh, yes, I get it. It's designed to creep up to 100% it's going to reach that state when the date changes at midnight. We've got to turn it off!" Isaac remembered.
"Kellyn! Help Keith! I'm gonna get the gem!" I yelled. Lumi and I ran towards Lavana. Isaac and Kellyn tried to get close to Keith without being blown off the tower.
"I'm going back to the barrier's control room. Girls, you see to these Rangers. Don't embarrass yourselves again." Lavana said to the two female grunts standing beside her. She walked off, smirking.
I kept running towards her. I had to get the gem back! I wasn't going to lose it to them again!
I was attacked by a Gardevoir and a Scizor before I could get to her though. I captured the Gardevoir, and Kellyn caught the Scizor.
"I think I've found some new heroes... The Rangers... Are kind of cool..." One of the grunts said to the other.
"I agree... Let's go to the Ranger school together after this is all over!" The other girl said, running after Lavana.
"Guys! I need help!" I heard Isaac yell. He was almost off the side of the building, holding Keith up. Kellyn and I ran over to him.
"I can't hold on for much longer!" Keith said. I looked around for something to help pull him back up while Kellyn helped Isaac keep Keith from falling.
"Kate! We need you!" I noticed that the wind was starting to blow hard. I ran over and helped to try and pull Keith up.
"This isn't going to work..." Keith said.
"It will if the wind just stops blowing for a second or two!" I said. As soon as I said that, the wind decided to blow harder.
"You guys have to keep on going! You can't let Almia be destroyed because you were trying to save one person!" Keith shouted. I felt him try to loosen his grip.
"No! We'll figure something out!" I said.
"You guys need to go now or else Almia will be taken over by Dim Sun!" Keith said. Suddenly, there was a big gust of wind. I felt him slipping.
"You guys can't just stay here all day." Keith said.
"Can you shut up? I'm trying to work out what to do!" I said. I then saw a rope that someone had conveniently left behind.
"Hold on, I'm gonna go get that rope." I said.
"You better hurry." Isaac said. I grabbed the rope and was on my way back when a flock of Staraptor surrounded me.
"Fuck! I can't see!" Kellyn shouted, so I assumed the Staraptor weren't just surrounding me. That's all I heard apart from wings flapping and the occasional Staraptor call out for a while. All of a sudden, I thought I heard shouting over the noise of the bird Pokemon.
After a while, the huge flock had moved on, and I saw what the shouting had been about.
Kellyn and Isaac looked at me sadly. I looked around. Keith wasn't there.
"Where's Keith?" I asked quietly. I already knew the answer, but I needed to make sure.
"I'm sorry... We had to let go." Isaac said. Just as I thought.
I sat down on the cold metal floor. He was gone. No one could survive a fall that far, could they?
"How high are we?" I asked.
"About 200 metres." Isaac said after a pause.
I didn't reply. I should've stayed and helped hold onto Keith! He wouldn't of fallen if we were all holding him up, would he? It's all my fault.
"Bui bui?" I looked over and saw Keith's partner Pokemon, his Buizel, look at me. The orange Pokemon then climbed and curled up in my lap.
"Kate." Kellyn said. I looked at him.
"We've got to finish this mission." He said. I nodded and got up. I had to.
"Let's go." I said. Lumi jumped up onto my shoulder, and Buizel jumped onto my other shoulder. We were on the stairs going up to the next floor when Kellyn's styler started ringing.
"Everyone, you must keep going up! Also, I've got good news! Nage has made a breakthrough! He completed the Styler software that makes the impossible possible! They've named it the Incredible program! And, indeed, that's what it is! It's designs to work with the three Tears of Princes taken from the pendants. Those coloured stones were fitted into your Styler, Kate, if you recall." Professor Hastings said. I didn't remember, but said I did anyway, I wasn't in the mood for talking.
"We'll send the Incredible Program to update your Fine Styler in a minute. That will transform your Fine Styler into the world's one and only Vatonage Styler! Using it, you will gain the ability to capture even those Pokemon under enemy control!" The Professor said. He sounded really excited.
"Kate, you may know this already, but there is an ancient word in Almia, a word that means to rekindle the light that's sunk in darkness and restore harmony to the world. The word is
Vatonage. It's a word barely remembered by even those old men and women born in Almia. By now, the ancient word is reborn as the name or your new Styler! All right, we will send the Incredible Program to your Styler, Kate. With it goes our kudos to all the Rangers for their courage." The Professor said.
"Thanks Professor." I said. I said bye, then hung up. Kellyn didn't hang up straight away, and I assumed he was explaining about Keith.
We walked up the stairs while Isaac explained how the rest of the tower was set out.
"There are three barrier-control floors above us. I didn't design the barrier system, but I know how most of it is set up. On each floor, there will be a Circuit Ball that feeds power to the barrier layer. There's only one problem. Well, actually three. Each Circuit Ball is guarded by Altru's troublesome executives, the Sinis Trio." Isaac explained as we climbed stairs that led to the next floor of the tower.
"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER LEVEL IS CURRENTLY 1. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 2 IS... 50%. I REPEAT, 50%. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO ABNORMALITIES." We heard through a speaker.
"Aww, no! We're running out of time! The Incredible Machine has three power levels. It's going to hit level 2 soon. At Level 3, Almia's going to be in serious trouble!" Isaac said. We climbed the stairs faster.
"I am hearing someone coming in... But I not smelling someone bad. They are not being our people, I can telling. You thinking so, too? My cute Rhyperior. You Ranger! Even you bringing Professor Isaac, the traitor! No, cannot let you doing that. I saying no. Allowing not so!" We heard Heath say. We looked up and saw him looking down at us. He smirked, and a Rhyperioir jumped down in front of us. I jumped in front of Isaac, and started to capture the Pokemon. It started to try and drill through the stairs, but it took a while for it to even mark a mark in whatever the stairs were made of. Kellyn joined in helping to capture it as well.
"Losing! Again and again! Depressing me, losing is. Cannot be showing my face to Boss in this way now. Oh, but then, I thinking, my pride gone. But that's all right. Important more is the generator system, not pride for me. Not worrying, then! Bye-bye, adios!" Heath said after I caught the Rhyperioir. We kept climbing the stairs, and got to the first generator. Heath was probably trying to guard it, but we captured his Rhyperioir.
"That guy's such a joke. He probably programmed the generator so it can't be hit with a Pokemon attack. But guess who taught Heath and the other two to program? I think Heath forgot that it was me... And, bingo! See? Generator disabled in 1.38 seconds. It's a new record for me!" Isaac said, mostly talking to himself.
"Voicemail, voicemail! This is Sven, circling overhead. Just confirmed the outside layer or the barrier to be gone. Two layers to go!" Sven voicemailed me.
"Thanks Sven." I said back.
"Let's hurry to the next floor." Isaac said, running off. I followed him up a staircase. We were just about at the top when we heard,
"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER LEVEL IS CURRENTLY 1. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 2 IS... 20%, I REPEAT, 20%. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO AB... ABNORMALITIES."
"This isn't good... The system is charging power faster than I expected." Isaac told me. We walked up to the next floor, and saw no one was guarding the generator.
"Huh? There's no one here. Let's deactivate that generator while we can." I said. Isaac nodded and started to work on disabling the generator. I was looking around when I heard Lavana.
"Well, hello there. Sneaking around and avoiding my eye. You seem to be having fun. Oh? Well if it isn't my darling computer teacher. You've realised your mistakes, and you've come to apologise, I take it." Lavana said sarcastically.
"You're as predictable as ever, Lavana." Isaac said, not looking up from the computer.
"You're not one for sarcasm. I know you're here to disable the barrier. Magmortar! Burn that awareness into their heads!" Lavana told the Magmotar beside her. It was the same one from before.
Magmotar ran at us, the same way it had ran at us just a while before. I dodged, and pulled Isaac out of the way. The fire type Pokemon smashed into the generator, making it shut down. It ran at us again, but this time I was ready. Lumi shocked the Magmotar, and Buizel used water gun on it, making it stumble, then I started to capture it. I managed to capture it before it got over Lumi and Buizels attack.
"This really happened? I lost? It really happened...?" Lavana said, backing away. She was half way up the stairs to the next floor when I quickly asked where the Yellow Gem was.
"What? The Yellow Gem? I don't have it. That thing's too heavy to carry around." She said before running off.
"I don't think we'll have to do anything to the generator." Isaac said, looking around the wreckage of the generator.
"I'll call Wendy to make sure it did get disabled." I said.
"Yeah, the second layer of the barrier went out! Good going, Kate and Isaac! There's only one layer left to the barrier!" Wendy said after I voicemailed her.
"We're almost done!" I said. Isaac followed me up the stairs.
"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE IS CURRENTLY 1. POWER NEEDED ROR LEVEL 2 IS... 10%, I REPEAT, 10%. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO ABNONOMRMAMAMAMA... ABNORMALITIES."
"The system seems to be acting up... But it's almost at Level 2, we can't waste any time at all!" Isaac said.
"Hey there, Kate-noob! And a big hello to our computer teacher... The boy genius Isaac! Welcome to Altru Tower! Very soon now the date will change. Yes, a new era is dawning in Almia! Join me in counting down the seconds to Almia's new beginning!" I heard Ice say while he walked around from a corner. I glared at him for calling me Kate-noob.
"All we have to do is get rid of this generator, and all of the shields will be down, letting Rangers get close to the Shadow Crystal. There won't be enough time for the computer to charge. You aren't going to win, Ice." Isaac said.
"Oh really? You haven't done that yet though. You should only say that when you're sure you can do it." Ice said. He got a Miniremo out.
"Isaac, you start disabling the generator, and I'll protect you from the Pokemon." I told him. He nodded and ran over to the generator.
A Gallade jumped down in front of me. I started looping it with the capture disc before Ice had even told it to attack. I was halfway through the capture before it tried to attack me. Lumi jumped in a shocked it, paralysing it for a few short seconds. Those seconds were all I needed, though.
"What the... Brought down by a lame teenager..." Ice said after his Miniremo started sparking.
"Huh? This is weird. This isn't the amateur program that I taught the Trio?" Isaac murmured.
"I get the last laugh, after all! Isaac, I wasn't satisfied by that simple program you taught us. I studied programming like there was no tomorrow. Studied every day. That trap program's rather elegant, wouldn't you say? When I heard two thieves broke I'm, I got down to redoing that program in a hurry." Ice explained.
"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE POWER LEVEL IS CURRENTLY 1. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 2 IS... VERY LITTLE. I REPEAT, VERY LITTLE. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO ABABABABANONONORMMAMAMAMAMAMAMA... THERE ARE NO ABNORMALITIES."
"Sounds like it has abnormalities galore. Still, Isaac, Kate-noob and that other guy, it seems certain that you are almost out of time. The Incredible Machine's going to hit Level 2 shortly. And, the highest level 3, will be achieved when the date turns. It's going to be right on schedule with Altru's birthday." Ice smirked.
"Kate, don't worry! I'll crack the trap program!" Isaac said, tapping the keyboard that was built into the generator.
"We failing at orders from Boss." I saw Heath walk in from the right side of the room.
"And I'm back from fixing my makeup." Lavana walked in the opposite side.
"Your trap programs were junk. They had "amateur" written all over them. Thanks to your ineptitude, these pests have crawled their way up here."
"It's not our fault Isaac's a traitor!" Lavana whined.
"Making excuses for your sorry efforts won't get the job done. Lend me your Pokemon. Take this three Pokemon assault!" Ice had fixed the Miniremo, and had his Gallade, Heath's Rhyperioir, and Lavana's Magmotar standing beside him in a matter of seconds.
"Oh, very good! Goodly done! That Ranger, no chance of victorying! That's good jobbing, Leader!" Heath clapped.
The Pokemon weren't as hard to capture as they were before, because they were tired. Their attacks weren't as complex, and sometime targeted their attacks on each other instead of me. It still took a while to capture them, even though Kellyn was helping as well, as they were three.
When the Miniremo started sparking, the Sinis trio stepped back.
"Damn it..." Ice said.
"Our boss! He is on top! Of here! Protecting him we must be doing!" Heath shouted.
"I'm too ashamed to be showing my face in front of Boss! Not after being beaten by this brat again!" Lavana said.
"You pair of spineless losers. That battle was only for show. Something to while away some time. Unless they cam crack my trap program, the two of them are stuck here..." Ice said. Isaac turned around and grinned at us all.
"Wha... Hey... Isaac? Why did you just crack a grin? It.. It can't be! You cracked the program?!... That's unbelievably fast. Having Isaac, the boy genius, as an enemy is terrifying, after all... Here! Take this Yellow Gem! Just take it and get out of here. But promise you won't come after me!" Ice practically threw the gem to me.
"Program disengaged! Kate, I'm sorry I took so long." Isaac said. He walked towards the staircase. I was about to follow him when there was a small explosion from the generator. It hit the arm that had the cut from Hia Valley on it.
"Kate! Are you all right? That trap had a time delay on it. I didn't expect Ice to have mastered programming that sophisticates. Those three have all just chosen the wrong path... They're just like me..." Isaac said. He took a look at the cut, which had started bleeding again. Great! This'll be fun, saving the world with an arm that might not stop bleeding...
"Where did you get this cut? It looks nasty." Isaac asked. I explained how I got it.
"There should be a first aid kit around somewhere... I made the boss put them in, because too many grunts were getting hurt on the job." Isaac said. He found a kit and dressed my arm. While he was doing that, Sven voicemailed me.
"The barrier's final layer is gone! The barrier's down! We can get close to the Shadow Crystal anytime we want..."
"I'm worried about Keith... Have you seen him?" I asked Sven. I'd been worrying about Keith subconsciously the whole time.
"I'm worried about Keith as well, but he's a Top Ranger. He'll be all right. Just watch." Wendy reassured me. She had joined the voicemail.
"Sven and Wendy, can you hear me above the tower? Circle the tower, getting as close to it as possible. Even the two Gems you have will have an effect on the Shadow Crystal!" Apparently Professor Hastings had all of us in one call so he could talk to us all at once.
"Roger!" Sven said. He disconnected his styler from the conversation to focus on getting close to the Shadow Crystal.
"Understood!" Wendy did the same.
"Kellyn! We need you back down here now! The area Rangers can't keep with the amount of Pokemon under the control of Dim Sun!" Professor Hastings said.
"Kate and Isaac! Get to the Crystal as soon as you can! I'll give you more instructions once your there!" Professor Hastings said before disconnecting as well.
"Well, good luck guys. Don't do anything too dangerous!" Kellyn warned us before running off.
"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER HAS ACQUIRES LEVEL 2. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 3 IS... 98% MORE, 98% MORE, 97% MORE, 96% MORE... 95% MORE... THERE ARE NO... AB... ABNORM..."
There was a huge rumbling noise, and a high pitch sound.
"What's that noise?" I asked Isaac over the noise.
"I have no idea... We better get there quick!" Isaac said, so we ran up the stairs to the next floor.
Since you guys have been waiting so long, I wrote a longer chapter!
I love writing the bits where Heath talks! It's so fun!
Theres only a few more chapters to go. At the most, there'll be about four or five.