Rhythmi: It's about time.
AKCC: Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. I heard it all before. I'm surprised I don't have more gray hairs from you guys.
Isaac: Whose fault is it for procrastinating?
AKCC: I don't need to be lecutured. Just do the disclaimer and get off my back.
Rhythmi: Ungrateful much? We don't get paid enough for this.
Isaac: We don't get paid at all.
rhyhtmI: Oh right. Stupid contract.
Isaac: AKCC doesn't own any part of Pokemon or anything else she references to. She only owns her OCs.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Ashley's POV
"CODE RED! CODE RED! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! CODE RED! CODE RED!"
"Ah!" I bolted up in bed, my hands flying up to my head to cover my ears. "What the hell?!" I looked up to the ceiling to see a red siren flashing in my room and a loudspeaker under it.
"We're under attack!" Pikachu fell from the bed.
"We're not under attack!" I yelled over the siren. "Use Thunderbolt and destroy that thing!"
"Gladly!" Pikachu shocked the siren and loudspeaker. The flashing red light immediately stopped and the voice from the loudspeaker disappeared.
"Thank Arceus." I let out a sigh, uncovering my ears.
"THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE! WE GOT A REAL EMERGENCY! WAKE UP AND REPORT TO THE MAIN AREA!" Crawford stormed into my room with a megaphone in his hand and a hard hat with a flashing red light on top of his afro.
"Ashley! We have trouble! Bad trouble!" Crawford ran up to me, grabbed me by my shoulders, and shook me back and forth.
"Alright!" I shouted, starting to get a headache. "I get it! Now get off of me!" I pushed him off. He was shaking me so hard; the straps of my tank top were falling off my shoulders.
"Right! I'll wake the others! Go to the main area!" Crawford exclaimed before he ran out of my room.
"And on the first day I'm able to sleep after a nightmare." I complained as I pulled up my tank top straps.
"Luckily, you had it at three in the morning." Pikachu said as she hopped on the desk.
"Yeah, but now I'm going to kill Crawford for waking me." I retorted as I got out of bed. I picked up my ranger uniform and went into the bathroom to change and got ready for the day.
"This is bad! This is very bad!" Crawford exclaimed as I walked out to the main area.
The first thing I saw was a worried Crawford pacing back and forth. Luana was sitting on the couch, looking cranky, but I wouldn't blame her, I am too. Ash was next to her, dozing off from the lack of sleep. Yep that was my brother. Almost asleep after a siren blasted noise inside your ear.
Elaine was busy tinkering with a control panel under a big red button that says 'USE FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY'. That explains that rude wake up call. Rhythmi and Audrey were frantically dealing with things at the operator's desk.
"What going on?" I asked, fed up with Crawford and his antics.
"Ashley! It's horrible! Both Barlow's and Keith's signals went off the grid!" Rhythmi exclaimed.
"What?! What do you mean?!" I asked her.
"I got up this morning to see how their mission was going and their signals just disappeared! Even if their stylers were turned off, it would send out a constant signal, but something must've happened if they just vanished from the screen!" Rhythmi explained.
"Okay, Rhythmi, calm down." I gave her a paper bag to breathe in since she was basically hyperventilating. "Knowing Keith, he probably dropped his styler in the lava or something. He probably dropped Barlow's in there too."
"I don't know Ashley. I've been hanging around him for a while now and he just doesn't seem like the guy who would get him or someone else in a mess like that." Ash yawned.
"Tell that to the Seviper who poisoned me after he chased after a thief and nearly got me killed." I countered.
"Oh yeah. I remember how hard I punched that thief after we got Ashley to the infirmary." Luana said. "Heh, I gave him a black eye after he used my little sister as a hostage."
"This is not the time for a stroll down memory lane!" Crawford stopped his pacing. "Ashley! I need you to go to Boyleland and find Barlow and Keith! I am making this an official mission!"
"Alright! I'll do it! Just stop shaking me!" I kicked Crawford in his shin to get him off of me. My head was still spinning from the first time. "I'll grab a boat from Pueltown and get those two idiots back here. No need to worry!" I said as I ran out the base with Pikachu following right behind.
"What?! What do you mean that there's no boat to Boyleland?" I stared in disbelief at the sailor in the boathouse.
"Sorry little miss, but currently, there's no one who can take you over there." the sailor said.
"But I have to rescue my missing base leader and my idiot ranger partner!" I exclaimed.
"Sorry, but there's nothing I can do. Maybe come back in an hour or two? There should be someone here." the sailor shrugged.
"An hour?! I don't have an hour!" I exclaimed. "It's okay though, I'll find another way to get over there by myself. Thanks for your help though."
"No problem, little miss." the sailor waved before I exited the boathouse.
"Great! Now I have no way to get over there!" I exclaimed, letting out my frustration. Today is turning out to be a very crappy day. First, I barely got any sleep, then I got my eardrums blasted, and now I have no way to complete my mission!
"Wing! Wingull!"
"Huh?" I looked up to see a Wingull circling over my head.
"Gull! Wingull!" the Wingull dived toward my head.
"Ah! Stop! Stop it!" I exclaimed as the Wingull started to peck my head. "Eek! Pikachu! Do something!"
"What do you want me to do?" Pikachu asked as she stood next to me while I was getting attacked by a Wingull.
"Anything! Just make this Wingull stop!" I pleaded as I tried to cover my head from the Wingull's beak.
"Okay. Whatever you say." Pikachu began charging up.
"Wing! Gull!" Suddenly, right before Pikachu launched her Thunderbolt, the Wingull flew upwards and the attack hit me head on.
"Eeeeekkkk!" I screamed as I felt the electricity flow through me.
"Oops! Sorry!" Pikachu stopped her attack.
"Wing! Gull!" the Wingull came back.
"Argh!" I screamed in frustration. I ignored the shock I got from Pikachu since I was so used to it. But right now, I am tired of this stupid bird pecking my head!
"Peeko! Where are you, Peeko?" I turned my head to see a tanned old man with a bald head and a white beard walked onto the docks.
"Briney!" the Wingull cried as she flew towards the man.
"Oh! Peeko! There you are." Mr Briney said as Peeko perched on his shoulder. "Oh my! Ashley, it that you?"
"Hello Mr Briney." I waved. "What are you doing in Almia?"
"I was just traveling the oceans. Going wherever the waves take me. But why are you a ranger, Ashley?" he replied.
"Oh, I thought that the life as a trainer was a bit boring so I became a ranger about six months ago." I answered.
"Seems to be a sudden change, but who am I to judge what you kids are doing these days?" Mr Briney chuckled.
"Ask if he can take you to Boyleland. The old man has a boat after all." Pikachu said.
"Um, Mr Briney? Can I ask you for a favor?" I asked, ignoring my pokemon's rudeness.
"Sure! Anything you want. What it is?" Mr Briney said.
"I have a mission in Boyleland, but I can't find anyone to take me, so is it okay of you can take me there in your boat?" I asked.
"That's it? It's no problem at all. My boat is at the end of the docks." Mr Briney started walking down the dock.
"Don't you think it's weird that he's here?" Pikachu asked as we followed him.
"Not really. He used to be a sailor so he would travel the seas a lot." I shrugged.
"By the way, Peeko picked up a nasty habit of pecking people on the head. But don't worry, that only means she likes you." Mr Briney explained.
"That explains a lot." I muttered as I rubbed my sore head. I glared at Pikachu when she started to snicker.
"Here we are! Say hello to the S.S Peeko!" Mr Briney exclaimed when we got the end of the docks. Sitting in the water was a Wingull themed boat. By themed, I mean it literally looked like a Wingull. "Just hop in and we should be in Boyleland in about half an hour."
"Thank you Mr Briney. I'll make sure I'll pay you back someday for this." I stated as I sat down on one of the chairs on the deck of the boat.
"No need. Just think of it as a returned favor for all the things you helped me with back in Hoenn." Mr Briney said as he stepped into the captain's cabin.
As the boat started to push off from the pier, I took a moment to just relax. I let the sea breeze push my hair out of my face and took a deep breath. When was I last time I ever got to sit back and do nothing? All of this stress from the past few months has really taken a toll on me.
"Hey! Stop it!" I heard Pikachu cry. I turned around to her to see her getting picked up by two Drifloon.
"Pikachu, calm down. They're only playing." I laughed as I watched them carry her over the railing. I stood up and walked over to the railing to watch them.
"What kind of game is this than?! Wah!" Pikachu cried as she was toss back and forth by the Drifloon.
"I see that the Drifloon migration has come!" Mr Briney poked his head out of the captain's cabin.
"Drifloon migration?" I asked him.
"That's what I said." he nodded. "About every ten years or so, hundreds of Drifloon cross these waters to get to Boyleland. It's a rare sight to see. You're lucky to be witnessing it forehand."
"It is a pretty sight. All this Drifloon, all traveling together to reach one common goal." I sighed as I stared at the many Drifloon floating past us.
"Play! Play!" I looked up to see Peeko, who was circling around the boat, fly down to the two Drifloon throwing Pikachu around and joined them.
"Ashley! Do something!" Pikachu cried out.
I rolled my eyes at her, but I did something to help her out anyways. "Hey guys! Do you mind not doing that anymore? That Pikachu's my partner and she hates being wet. I don't want her falling in the water."
"Oh." The two Drifloon looked at each other. "Sorry, we didn't know she was afraid of water." they placed her down on the deck and floated off with the rest of their kind.
"Are you happy now?" I asked Pikachu.
"Why did you have to tell them that I was afraid of water?! You know that it's not true! Now they're going to tell their friends." Pikachu complained.
"It was either that or you getting dropped in the middle of the ocean. Your choice." I retorted.
"We're almost at Boyleland! Hold on tight!" I heard Mr Briney shout.
"Why do we- Holy Arceus!" I grabbed on to the railing as the boat lurched forwards. Instead of a pleasant boat ride, I felt like I was on a torpedo.
"I don't want to die!" Pikachu cried as she was clinging onto my shoulder, hanging on for dear life.
"Wah!" I flew over the railing as the boat came to a sudden stop.
"Oops! My bad! I guess I stepped on the brakes too hard." Mr Briney said as he came out of the captain's cabin.
"No, it's fine." I said as I rubbed my butt. I stood up and looked around. There was just rocks, houses, rocks, people, rocks, trees, and guess what? Rocks.
"Do you need a ride back to Pueltown when you're done? I can wait here." Mr Briney offered.
"No! It's not necessary! I can find another way back! I don't want to bother you with this!" I said quickly.
"Alright then! Peeko! We're heading off!" Mr Briney called out. Peeko landed on his shoulder and he went back on his boat. I watched as they bolted off in the distance.
"Who knew a man like that can drive a boat so fast?" I sweatdropped.
"A madman! He was trying to kill us!" Pikachu exclaimed.
"You're overreacting." I rolled my eyes at her.
Voicemail! Voicemail!
"Hey Rhythmi. What's up?" I answered the call and saw Rhythmi's face pop up on the screen.
"The ceiling, but that's not what I need to tell you." Rhythmi answered.
"Then what is it?" I asked.
"You're in Boyleland, right?" she asked. I nodded. "Then you need the town elder's permission to go into the volcano to rescue Barlow and Keith."
"Gotcha. I'll see you later when I rescue those two idiots." I said. She nodded and the screen went black.
"Now, where would that town elder be?" I wondered out loud.
"Maybe in the house with a giant 'TOWN ELDER' sign above it?" Pikachu pointed up a cliff to a small hut with a big flashing sign over it.
"Oh, how could I miss that?" I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. Pikachu sighed as we walked up a series of stairs carved into the cliff to the hut.
I knocked the door and an old man answered the door.
"Excuse me, sir-"
"Bah! Get out of here! You're not welcomed!" the old man slammed the door in my face.
"Well, that was rude." I was shocked as I stared at the door. I knocked on the door again and he answered it again.
"Sir, if I just explain-"
"You again?! I told you to scram!" he attempted to shut the door again, but I stopped it with my hand.
"Sir, if you just let me-"
"I'm not going to listen to a Dim Sun scum!" the old man exclaimed.
"Dim Sun?" I was confused. This guy thought that I was a part of Team Dim Sun? How can you mistake red and white for black and purple?!
"First, you steal the island's pokemon and now what?!" the elder exclaimed.
"Sir, listen. I am not a part of Team Dim Sun. I'm a ranger." I showed him my styler.
"Imposter! That styler looks fake!" the elder exclaimed. Fake? Is this guy serious?
"I assure you, sir, I am a ranger. I'm Ashley Ketchum, Ranger Rank 6." I explained to him.
"Lies! If I had my cane, then I-"
"Grandpa!" a young teenage girl walked to the hut with an armful of grocery.
"Lilo, stand back. I'm about to show this Dim Sun boy a lesson!" the elder grabbed a cane.
"Grandpa! She's not a Dim Sun grunt! She's a ranger!" the girl, Lilo, stood in front of me.
"Oh, he is?" the elder looked past his granddaughter to take another look at me. "He is! My mistake. I'm old and my eyesight isn't so good."
"It's okay." I waved it off. "As I said before, my name's Ashley."
"Mashley? That's an odd name, but you kids have the strangest names this days." the elder said.
"Um, it's Ashley." I sweatdropped.
"Wouldn't you come in? I'm sure you came here for something." Lilo said.
"Thank you." I nodded as I followed them inside.
"So why is a young man such as you here for, Nashley?" the elder asked.
"It's Ashley and I'm a girl." I was surprised at his poor eyesight and hearing. First he thought I was a Dim Sun grunt, then he thought I was a boy, and now, he got my name wrong.
"Oh my bad. Continue, Bashley." the elder said.
"Again, it's Ashley and I need to go into the volcano to rescue my base leader and ranger partner." I explained.
"That's it? I can let you in, Dashley." the elder stood up and handed me a key that looked like it was made of twigs. "That key lets you inside the left side of the volcano."
"Thank you and my name is Ashley." I said.
"No problem, Gashley." the elder said.
"But it's-"
"Don't worry, I'll explain it to him later. Good luck on your mission." Lilo waved before I walked out of the hut.
"Don't you say a word." I narrowed my eyes at Pikachu who was trying not to laugh.
"Hahaha! He thought you were part of Dim Sun! And a boy too! Hahaha! And he kept getting your name wrong!" she fell off my shoulder laughing.
"Keep laughing. Wait till we get back on the base. Someone isn't going to get any treats tonight." I threatened.
"No! I'll stop." that made Pikachu shut up. Works every time.
"That's what I thought." I smirked. "Let's go. We have a couple of idiots to rescue." I said as I walked towards the entrance to the left side of the volcano.
There was a metal gate blocking the entrance with a keyhole in the middle. I stuck the key the town elder gave me and turned it in the lock. The gate opened, but the keyhole grinded up the key!
"Now I know why it's made of twigs." I sweatdropped as I looked at the small pile of sawdust that used to be the key.
I walked into the volcano with Pikachu on my shoulder. As soon as I stepped foot in the place, a blast of hot, humid air rushed up my face, making me sweat immediately. The door slammed shut behind us and I continued exploring the volcano.
"How big is this volcano?" Pikachu asked.
"I don't know, but it looked like it's big enough to have a harbor in here." I noted. We came upon a five meter wide gap, with a river of lava flowing below. I made an aura barrier and just walked across it.
"Look!" Pikachu jumped off my shoulder and towards two red and white objects lying on the ground.
"No way." I gasped as I picked them up. "These are Barlow's and Keith's stylers. Something bad must have happen to them." I said as I put them in my bag.
"I hear some voices over there." Pikachu's ears twitched as she pointed to a spot up ahead.
I quietly walked over there with Pikachu on my shoulder and poked my head around the corner. There, I saw two Dim Sun grunts.
"Why do we have to be here?" one of them complained.
"I know. We had to tie up those two rangers last night. The big one took six men to carry." the other whined.
"I actually took their stylers, but I think I dropped them somewhere. Hopefully in lava."
"Now what should we do? The cargo ship shouldn't be leaving the hidden harbor for a couple more minutes."
"What about I kick your butts?" I stepped from behind my hiding spot.
"Ack! A ranger and she heard everything we said!" one of them exclaimed.
"Then let's make her forget!" they both whipped out a Miniremo and sent out two Slugma each against me.
I quickly captured them and they ran off somewhere.
"You think you defeated us? Think again!" one of them pulled out a remote and pushed the only button on it.
BOOM!
I covered my mouth as dust flew everywhere and a giant boulder fell down, blocking the only exit to the outside near here.
"Ha! Now you can't get out!" one of the grunts exclaimed.
"Looks like I can't. But how are you guys supposed to get out now?" I countered them.
"Guess we didn't think that." they sweatdropped.
"How could you not think of that?!" one of the grunt exclaimed to the other.
"Me? You were the one who set up that explosion!"
"Don't you put the blame on me! This was all your idea!"
As those two were bickering, I had Pikachu use Iron Tail on the boulder and it broke apart, clearing the way.
I walked passed them and put up a barrier to make me disappear while they were arguing with each other.
"Hey, where did that ranger go?" one of them finally noticed that both me and the boulder were gone.
"I think she cleared the path! She's heading for the hidden harbor!" the other exclaimed.
"She can't know about that! Let's stop her!" the other said. They both ran off through the way the boulder blocked before.
"Idiots." Pikachu rolled her eyes as she sat on my shoulder. I nodded in agreement with her as I walked towards the 'hidden harbor' or in other words, the way those grunts ran off to.
A sea breeze pushed my hair away from my face as I approached the end of the cave. Sunlight blinded me for a second when I walked into an opening behind the volcano.
"Great, there are grunts swarming the place." I muttered as I spotted them all over the place. I looked towards a black cargo ship docked at the far end of the open air cave. I saw several grunts lifting something onto the ship.
"Let go of me! You Dim Sun scum have no right to do this to me!" a gruff voice yelled throughout the cave.
"Shut up! You're cargo and cargo isn't suppose to talk!" a grunt shouted.
Correction, make that someone. Guess I now know where the idiots are.
After they put Barlow on the ship, the main grunt announced that the ship was leaving in five minutes.
"Alright Pikachu, stay close to me." I whispered to her.
Since I still had my invisible barrier up, I had no problem getting past the patrolling grunts. But for the fun of it, I decided to beat them up anyways. They never saw me coming.
"All grunts report onboard. We are departing." a robotic voice announced.
"Damn it." I finished punching a grunt unconscious. Luckily, it was the last one. I ran up to the ship and pushed two grunts out of the way to get on the ship just as it was leaving port.
"What the hell was that?" one of them spat water out of their mouths.
"I don't know. Do you think it was a ghost?" the other asked.
"Ghost? I didn't see anything so," the other paled.
"THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED!" they both scrambled out of the water and ran away.
"Dumbasses." I chuckled to myself.
I kept the barrier up and walked around the ship. There was nothing interesting so far.
"For a group of bad guys, you would think they would try and show off their captures a bit more." Pikachu commented as we walked through the bare ship.
"Shh. I think I hear some voices." I said. I took a peek around a corner and saw two grunts looking at a giant plug in the floor.
"So this is the Kingston Valve?" one of them asked.
"Yep, this thing keeps the entire ship from sinking." the other nodded.
"It doesn't look like a valve. It looks like a giant plug."
"Basically, it is a giant plug. Just pull it out and the entire ship and anything else on it goes right to the bottom of the ocean."
"That sounds like a horrible ship design."
"I know, but I didn't design this hunk of junk. Just don't pull that plug until the captain orders us to."
"Doesn't sound too hard."
"I have to remember that for later." I muttered to myself. "Let's go. We still two idiots to find."
AKCC: Yes, I knoww. Late chapter and short chapter. All to set up the nex one.
Rhythmi: A bit boring if you ask me.
Isaac: I second that.
AKCC: I said I know! Geez, I am a critic to myself too, you know. Other then that, don't forget!
Cast: Review!