Of Posses and Parents

How long has it been? Seriously? I've lost my game cartridge so I can't play it anymore! On the other hand, half of my sis' games are gone too, and it makes me wonder... Anyway, for all you who want more original development, here you go. The next chapter will be more family loving, because we all like a bit of fluffy heart warming crap, am I right? Can you guess I got Mirror's Edge last week? Can you tell I loved it? Yeah, I bet you can.

I don't own Pokémon or Pokémon Ranger, savvy?On with the story!

I stand on the edge of a white building and stare down at the road beneath me. Cars prowl along the highway like lethargic cats in the summer heat, and the reflection off the tall buildings doesn't help. I wipe my brow with one hand, flopping heavily onto the edge and swinging my feet over the side.

I'm supposed to be doing something, but the heat is putting me off. If Sun ever gets here we can drink the lemonade I packed. Unless he's drunk it already. Knowing him, that could well be the case. It wouldn't be chilled anymore, anyway. And I think its diet lemonade. I think I'll pass after all.

I get bored and lean forward, tipping myself off the building and landing in a safety roll on the one a few storeys down. I start to run, picking up speed to propel myself over, under and sometimes through whatever gets in my way. Whoever designed these rooftops didn't have people like me in mind.

I skid to a halt as a chopper pulls up in front of me. The wind from the propellers practically pushes me off the edge of the building. A bank, I think. The doors on the bird open to reveal Keith with the biggest RPG I've ever seen in my whole life. I turn and leg it before he can blow me to Hoenn with it. I'm in such a hurry to get away that I don't noticed the building has suddenly vanished and I'm tumbling endlessly towards the grey concrete, it's arms open to smash my head off the ground lovingly.

I wake up just as I hit the ground. It still feels like my stomach and lungs are still plummeting, and I struggle to breath. The fire has gone out, and my joints are frozen painfully. The only heat comes from posse of Pokémon that I, surprisingly, haven't woken up. At least something good comes from being mute.

You know, I think we should talk to someone.

Mmm...?

You know, someone professional.

No! Don't leave me Light!

I mean about the nightmares.

Oh, right... Of course! What else would it be?

Weirdo. Well, so much for someone coming to pick us up. Then again, it's still reasonably dark outside, so we must've only slept for a few hours.

When did we fall asleep?

It was light out, if that's what you're asking.

I hope this hasn't ruined our night's sleep.

I doubt it. Once I hit a mattress I'm hibernating. I check to see the Tear of Princes hasn't evaporated or something before crawling over to the door to see if that god-awful snow storm has passed yet. I'm hit with a wall of cold from the snow outside, but the weather is looking much better, if a bit gloomy.

At least it's not cloudy with a chance of meatballs.

That was so lame.

Not as lame as... uhh...

I'm dumbfounded by your idiocy sometimes.

Yeah, but how do you make a stab at Shrek or Toy Story? Huh?

Chuck Norris could.

Well... OK, yeah he could.

We make good partners. I think I'm a genius, and you agree with me. Pachirisu is snoring lightly in her sleep, which is a lot less fitful than mine. Ours. Did you have the same dream as me again?

If it involved semolina and the Israeli government, then yes.

I'm not going to comment on that. I gently pick her up, trying not to draw her from what little rest she's gotten after the somewhat disastrous trek through Almia Castle, and tuck her in my jacket where she'll be warm...er. The door flings itself open and a badly dressed Ranger hurls herself through the door. It smacks into me and sends me crashing to the ground, waking up all the sleeping Pokémon and driving them away in a frightened frenzy.

I didn't do it!

I know that. After my vision stops wobbling around like a drunken amputee I see that the one responsible is none other than Wendy. She offers me a hand, which I take venomously, and she pulls me to my feet.

"Sorry about that," she says apologetically. Or is it apoplectically? "I was just worried there might be some Dim Sun members left behind. Though it looks like you took care of them."

I nod.

No victory pose?

Never a victory pose.

"Did you recover the blue gem?"

I nod and she lets out a sigh of relief.

"Well, let's head off then," she says, already walking out the door. "My Staraptor will get us back to the Union now the weather's cleared up."

I check to make sure the fall didn't wake Pachirisu up before following her. The Staraptor is quite a sight – its markings are different from wild Staraptors, which could be why she chose it as her partner.

No, man, she probably picked it because she got on with it. Not because it looked any different.

I would totally pick a Shiny Pokémon over an ordinary one.

It's the bond between the Ranger and Pokémon that matters the most.

Or one that was bigger. That way people would know it was me about to land on them, and not just some badly dressed punk.

Trust is pretty important too. Our lives depend on Pachirisu performing her best, and the same goes for her.

Then again, a Porsche would do the same, and it would cost less for food and water and vets bills.

...

Oh, right, the Staraptor.

Wendy assures it that I'm not going to hurt it, but it still gives me a look like it would rather I be beneath its foot than on its back. I give it a similar glance, so it at least knows we're equals. She hops onto its back and I follow, sitting behind her. Crud. Now I can't hold onto its neck.

We're gonna DIE!

No. I'll just hold onto Wendy. Once we get into the air I hold onto her waist while she makes a Voicemail to the Union saying she's picked me up. I wonder if she volunteered to get us, or if no one else wanted the job.

We're a Top ranger. People would have been climbing over each other for the recognition that comes with rescuing us. Besides, we're so loveable.

Ahem.

Well, I am anyway. You're just the typical anti-hero.

And you're the comic relief.

I'm happy with that role. Just remember, if you're the anti-hero you should be due a drastic emotional u-turn.

No thanks. I like being a troll.

At least you don't have self-confidence issues.

Then I wouldn't be the anti-hero: I'd be the mandatory emo, and everyone hates emos. Haven't you heard that song by Katy Perry?

Yeah, I don't like Emus either.

Huh... It's getting darker. All the more reason to go to bed and not get up until the covers start to stick to me.

Frat boy.

I think you're getting you and I mixed up. Which one of us ate an entire 14 inch pizza and made me clean up the sick?

...

I think I can see the Union coming up. Either that, or that tree is floating.

I think it's the latter!

Well, compared to Almia Castle, the Union is like a well built house next to a dog turd. We land on the roof, under the sheltering arms of the tree. The stars are starting to come out. Good thing we got out of that castle before night time, or we would've frozen.

Not if there was a convenient car chase somewhere. Oh, can we?

Perhaps.

That's just another way of saying no!

You caught me. Rhythmi jumps off her chair as soon as Wendy and I get into the building and wraps me in a bear hug. She starts crying about how we were gonna freeze, like I said, and how Wendy got there just in time, like I said, and how everyone would've missed us, like I didn't say, because I wouldn't believe that if Stephen Fry said that on QI.

Heathen.

Erma comes over and pries the slightly hysterical Rhythmi off me, patting me on the shoulder.

"Welcome back, dear."

I nod. She was obviously worried she'd be down a Top Ranger. Well, there are eleven more, so I don't know what she's worried about.

There are only four in Almia. They'd be down to three if we went anywhere.

She notices that I'm still shivering and gives me her jacket. I'm too cold to refuse, though it would probably be polite to. Ah, forget that. I'm not polite.

We know!

I'll ignore that. Instead I whip out the Tear of Princes from my back pocket. Thank God – it was hurting when I had to sit on it to ride Wendy's Staraptor. Hastings snatches it off me with awe and toddles off to the lab downstairs, probably to prove it or something. Erma raises my Ranger Rank to 6, and we only had to freeze half to death to get it.

I was worth it, right?

Hardly. We don't even get a day off.

"I expect this has all been difficult on you," Erma notes. "How about you go home and spend some time with your family? I'm sure they'll be delighted to see that you're safe."

You fail, Light.

Writer's convenience. I stand there for a few moments before realising that she's telling em I'm free, to which I hurl her coat back at her and leg it out of the building at top speed. I don't even stop to say hi to Keith or Alex. It's been a while since I was able to do whatever the hell I wanted.

No, we have to go home, like Erma said.

Well...

Please?

Fine then.

As much as we fought before, I really miss them.

I don't but if you insist we'll go back to Chicole Village. But only for a short while.

Yay!

I pick up a wandering Doduo and walk back there on its back.

Why not just fly there? There's a Staraptor over there.

We have to take our time, or the audience won't feel like we've earned it.

Oh.

It's officially night now, with the moon just peeking over the horizon.

Like a big pizza pie.

Piece of pie. I think we're almost there. I hop off at the doorway of our house and let the Doduo go. All the lights are off. We shouldn't disturb them.

Light...

Fine. God, don't whine. It makes my head hurt. I hammer on the door loudly enough to wake anyone in the house. They're all heavy sleepers, with the exception of myself.

What about me?

You're the worst.

Oh. I never noticed.

That's because you're asleep half the time. No one comes to answer the door, so they're all still asleep or hoping I'll go away. Well, I'm not gonna stand for that. I hammer again, this time even louder. A light flicks on upstairs in our folks' room, and I can hear someone descending the stairs heavily. The door is almost flung off its hinges by a disgruntled Mom.

"This better be good!" she grumbles. "Waking me up at this hour..."

Once she wipes the sleep out of her eyes she finally sees who it is that woke her up at this hour. With her hair flattened on one side and suitcases under her eyes, let alone bags, she looks awful. I wonder if I look the same.

Without a word she sweeps me up in a hug, which I barely return.

Aww, Light has a soft spot.

She's our Mom, Sun. I'm allowed to. After a few minutes I cough to tell her that we should really be getting inside. She takes the hint and backs up, without letting go of me, and shuts the door behind us. She flicks on the light and shouts up the stairs for Dad and Lil' to show their pug ugly faces. Well, those weren't her words exactly.

If your Dad is 'pug ugly' then that means you are too!

No: I've got my Mom's looks. Well, we have our Mom's looks. Oh, whatever. Dad eventually appears at the top of the stairs, looking just as bad as Mom. He's followed by Lil', who doesn't look as bad as I thought she would. Guess she wasn't lying about that silk pillow thing.

The two of them thunder down the stairs and join the hug. Dear God, I'm being smothered.

You like it, though.

Hardly. I've got a Pachirisu under here somewhere.

So, are you glad to be back?

... Maybe a little.

I knew it.