Of Comebacks and Catfights

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Don't worry, I just took a break. I've been doing my AS Levels exams, and I'm starting to think about Universities. It's a busy time in my life, but now that it's the summer holidays I can start this back up. I'm going to be revising and re-uploading my previous chapters with my improved writing style over the next few days, maybe, so keep an eye out.

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

I flick my eyes upwards.

Dad sits across the table from me, hunched over slightly with his hands folded in front of his mouth. The skin between his eyebrows is creased in concentration. He licks his mildly dried lips, before purposely picking up the slates and placing them on the table. He returns my glare with a teasing smirk.

Mixture.

16 points! Ok, let's see… kwyjibo! 26 points!

… Kwyjibo?

A big dumb, balding, North American Ape with no chin and a short temper.

Yes, yes, that's very funny. I use the 't' Dad just put down make the word timbre.

10 points? You suck. Make the word Quixotry. I heard it was the highest scoring scrabble word of all time!

Now you're just making words up. Besides I don't have a 'q'. Or an 'x'. Or a 'y'!

… Well, uhh… this game is stupid anyway.

Dad makes the word "emerge" using that 'e'. 9 points. I sigh and push the Scrabble board away. I'm not in the mood to try and beat his measly score.

Sore loser.

Dad looks up from the table for the first time in a few minutes and fixes his gaze on me.

"What's wrong, son?" he asks with concern. I shrug. I always was the expressive one.

Sarcasm.

I look down at the board, and then at the pile of board games sitting in the corner. Tumbling Monkeys and I never got along.

"… I suppose we've been playing board games for a while now…" he notes. "What would you rather be doing?"

To be honest, I want to go back to the Union. I've been playing board games for three days now! You would think our family was stuck in the Stone Age. Dad must've caught wind of the direction of my thoughts because he smiles and stands up quickly.

"Come on, let's go take a drive," he winks "and don't tell your mother."

No promises.

AHEM?

Still no promises. I rush upstairs and grab my suitcase. It's been packed with my Ranger gear for a while now. I was starting to plan a daring attempt at escaping back to the Union before the boredom drove me to homicide. I leap down the stairs, tip toe past the kitchen where Mom is baking something sweet smelling, grab Pachirisu and head out the door.

But… couldn't we stay for whatever she is cooking?

Unless it's a curry or a cheese fondue, I'm not interested.

Dad's already waiting in the car. I chuck the suitcase in the backseat and hop into the passenger seat. I buckle myself in as he puts the car into ignition and drives off.

Why did we run off? Mom is gonna be so worried…

That's exactly why. She would rather we never left the house again after all we've been through.

I still feel bad for leaving without letting her know…

Well, I don't. It starts to rain by the time we reach Pueltown. I sit in a serene silence, watching the rain trickle down the window in streams. There's some stupid kid in a red cap and a black waistcoat training with an Oshawott in the rain.

Oshawott? You don't get them in Almia. Not yet, anyway.

Well, Pokémon trainers spread their Pokémon around the regions like a plague. It's a problem that Rangers manage to avoid. Pachirisu looks out of the window at the trainer in interest, before looking back at me, and then sitting down heavily in my lap. I scratch behind her ears in case she decides to break the window and chase after the stranger.

I think we're nearly there. I can a single tree erected over the treeline. I can barely make out the silhouette through the downpour. The sky is darkened by the thick cloud layer, but it should still be about 4 o'clock.

Pity. The rain makes me sleepy, but it's not late enough for that.

If you had your way, you would sleep all day.

True dat.

Dad pulls up at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Union. I would complain about not being closer to the door, but I get the feeling that he might not get back down those stairs if he tries to drive up them. I lean back through the gap in the seats and grab my suitcase.

I give him a swift nod before flinging myself out of the car, Pachirisu in tow. I rush through the pouring rain without slipping on the stairs, and escape into the building.

Judging by the hairstyles of the people in here, I'd say we weren't the only ones caught in the rain.

The receptionist looks as pretty as ever. Now the crowd of people trying to seduce her looks even more dishevelled and pathetic. I'm craving a shower and a change of clothes. At least my Ranger uniform is dry.

Hey, Light? Is that…

Oh God, get me away from here. Murph at 9 o'clock. He dashes over with a bright smile on his face, juxtaposed with the weather outside.

"Hey Light!" he yells. "You came just at the right time! Professor Hastings is doing something important on the roof! Come with me before he starts."

I look at my soggy clothes, and then look back at him. He winces and rubs the back of his head with a hand.

"That is, after you've changed, of course."

Thank GOD.

This space for rent.

I push past the doofus and run into the dormitories. My room is still locked, thankfully. I'm not sure I would appreciate the thought of someone else sleeping in my bed.

That could be taken completely the wrong way.

I quickly throw my Ranger uniform on and head back to the first floor. Murph is waiting for me. He signals in the direction of the escalator, as if I didn't already know where it was.

Don't make me come up there!

Calm down, I won't say anything.

Good.

Yet.

Oi!

We head up to the top floor. Someone's set up a gazebo to cover the pedestal. I can see Hastings, Erma and Keith already up there drinking hot cups of chocolate. I nod at Keith and swipe a cup for myself before my fingers freeze off. The rain is just as heavy before, but the wind has picked up a bit, just to spite my extremities.

My eyes are drawn to a dais that wasn't there before. It holds the Dark Shard Hastings extracted from the Gigaremo we collected from the Vien Forest. Even though it's covered with a glass dome, I can feel my skin crawling every time I get too close to it.

Look sharp, Professor Hastings is about to say something smart!

That's debatable. He sniffs and cleans the lenses of his classes before beginning to drone.

"I've developed a special amplification system for this test," he starts. "The system draws from the vitality of our Tree of Harmony."

Great, can we go back inside now?

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

"There's a dais for placing the Blue Gem," he says, gesturing at the pedestal beneath the Tree of Life. "The goal is to protect the Blue Gem's power throughout all Almia. That should render ineffective the Gigaremo and the devious Miniremo systems."

Were two adjectives really that necessary?

C'mon, we do it all the time. It's the writer pretending to know lots of big words.

Hastings then produces the Blue Gem from one of his many pockets. I wonder if he ever loses his car keys in that lab coat?

"I shall now place the Blue Gem that Light brought back for us on this dais. Stand back, please!"

I do so, with pleasure. In fact, so does everyone there. I almost feel bad for sacrificing the old professor for the sake of experimenting with the forces of nature.

Almost.

We should've been putting the Blue Gem there! We've survived worse.

You just want the glory. The gem starts glowing brightly, shooting out sparks of lightning. Judging from the smell of singed grass, I'll be staying far away, thanks. Hastings managed to get out of the way too, unfortunately. Funnily enough, the sky clears too.

Coincidence?

I would say so. I don't like all this mumbo jumbo stuff. There's a bit of ruckus from downstairs and Rhythmi charges up the stairs with a look on her face she's just discover the cure for the common cold.

"Incoming report!" she exclaims, panting for breath. "The Pokémon rampaging in Pueltown have settled down. They've returned to their usual selves!"

That's good! I like saving the world.

I would too if it was less work. She says something about Pokémon in the Vien Forest calming down too. I bet Barlow has had his hands full over the past few days. Also the Dark Shard has lost its power.

That's why all the Pokémon are going free then.

Not all. Murph says that the power has only dropped by about a third. Somewhere along the line Angel shows up, yelling about Pokémon still under control, backing Murph's point up. Convenient, considering the legend of the Princes detailed three Princes in total. That's enough to completely remove all the power from every dark shard.

People start to panic at this. If there are still Dark Shards with power then there are still Gigaremo and Miniremo units knocking around controlling Pokémon.

Hey, it's a start, right?

That's optimistic. I was about to say we should all just go home and bide our time until our new Pokémon Overlords rule the world. But I suppose your ideals are slightly better than mine.

I catch a slightly yellow glow out of the corner of my eye, just in time to watch Rhythmi burst into golden light. I'm startled for a moment, but then I regain my cool. Got to keep up my image in case someone thinks I have emotions.

You're like Seto Kaiba, except you hair wasn't green in any lost season.

I'm not sure they're going to get that reference. Rhythmi doesn't even seem fazed. In fact, she has a look on her face like the whole miserable situation has stopped reaching her through the shield of light. Like getting drunk.

That's… one way of putting it.

Angel starts glowing too, but a bright crimson. That's fancy talk for red. My non-shininess is starting to make me feel like a third wheel.

Well, that makes me a fourth, which makes this a quad bike.

Three wheels still make a tricycle. Sorry, getting distracted here.

"Now what have we got here?" says Hastings, sounding mildly surprised for once. "You, shiny people! Step closer to the Dark Shard! Don't stand there in a daze! Murph, you step closer too!"

They do, probably out of fear of his moustachioed wrath. All three of them start glowing like they're about to summon Captain Planet, and the tingling in my skin instantly vanishes. The Dark Shard goes crystal clear, ironically, and loses all of its power. My presumptions were right. I have no idea why I haven't run for President yet.

You have my vote, Light.

… Thanks?

Rhythmi mentions a yellow gem stone in her Pandora charm bracelet. I knew she wouldn't buy one for Keith and I without getting one herself. I bet she's actually been buying charms for it, unlike us. They're just so expensive.

You never did take my advice and rob that bank.

"This pendant was a gift from Sven," she says softly, alliteration unintended. "It's a souvenir from the Haruba Desert. It's probably something he gave only to me."

I didn't know they had jewellers in the Haruba Desert.

I wonder if we can convince him to give us one.

I doubt it. It was probably a present. From a man.

… Uhh…

I'll tell you when you're older. Apparently this information is very interesting to Angel. I can't say I sympathise.

"Wh-what did you say?" she yells, grabbing Rhythmi's left arm. "My red pendant is a gift from Sven too! It's a souvenir from Boyleland! My sister Alex delivered it a few weeks ago!"

Damn, Sven's a playa!

Where did you learn that language?

… Keith.

Figures.

"Are you implying something" Rhythmi growls, narrowing her eyes slightly and jerking her arm out of Angel's grasp. "My pendant is prettier than yours, Angel!"

"So what if it's pretty? My pendant is bigger than yours!"

I cough very purposely, and they both drop their eyes, feeling ashamed. As much as watching a cat fight would make my day, I know they would both expect me to take their sides, and I'm NOT getting caught up in that.

… Whose side would you take?

Whichever side offered me dinner.

…

Hastings physically separates the two girls before fighting can break out. "Stop that, enough of your silly squabbles!" he shouts. "There is something more important: the reaction that resulted from the three pendants being close together. Or, more precisely, the three coloured stones that brought the reaction about!"

He paces back and forth spouting some scientific mumbo jumbo. I get bored and start inspecting my nails. They're looking a bit grimy. Before I know it he's retreated to his gremlin cave known as a "laboratory" and we're all delegated to patrol duty.

Does that translate as 'slacking off time'?

Pretty much, although we've had enough of that the past few days. I never want to see another Scrabble board in my life. Just as I reach the bottom of the first escalator I'm accosted by Angel. And by 'accosted' I mean glomped, like a bloody fangirl!

"Hey, Light!" she chirps. "I haven't seen you in a while! I heard you were recovering after your last Mission, but it's glad to see you're back."

She lets go of me and back off, thankfully.

"Say, wasn't that just amazing?" she smiles. "The whole thing with the pendants. We might have a way to stop Team Dim Sun! Of course, my pendant did most of the fixing."

Uh oh.

"Don't you agree?" she asks, with a slight undertone of aggression. "Mine was definitely the best. Due to it being the biggest and everything."

I start to back off from her, only to bump into Rhythmi.

I wonder how long she's been standing there.

Long enough.

"Oh, Light!" she exclaims, a hint of… darkness in her voice. "You're looking much better after your rest. Say, don't you think this charm is just the prettiest?" She rolls up her sleeve to reveal the stone set into a silver frame dangling off her wrist. "The shiny surface is what made it so powerful, wouldn't you agree?"

Looks like that cat fight was only postponed.

"No, no, no," Angel replies with malice. "Light and I were just talking about how my stone was the best. After all, the most valuable diamonds are the biggest!"

"They're no good if they're dull as rocks!" Rhythmi retorts. "Besides, if you stone is that big then you're obviously compensating for something!"

DAMN!

Stop saying that… Alright, that was a good one.

They inch closer together, with me trapped in the middle. I can feel their anger already seeping into the air.

"Tell her which one of us is prettiest, Light!" Rhythmi snarls.

"Yeah, tell her how amazing and filled out in the chest area I am!" Angel growls.

… This isn't about the gems anymore, is it?

Nope. It never was. I duck out of their clutches and point hurriedly at a bewildered Murph, who has been standing watching us in terror for the past few minutes. I scarper before my innards are used to strangle each other with and lock myself in my room.

Women.