ANNOYING SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD!

*listens to Almia Ranger Theme*

.sigh….that's better….

Er ahem. Read, review and enjoy!

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Beautiful day down by the pier. Wingull flew through the air, people of Pueltown happy and the weather was great. Oh if only Almia knew what sort of threat they were really dealing with and how close the danger truly was. Keith went with Kate everywhere on patrol, not letting her slip from sight. Even as he went to get them ice cream for a break around the evening, his eyes glanced at the girl.

"They had your favorite." Keith held out the one with chocolate fudge swirl.

"You know my favorite flavor of ice cream?" Kate smiled. "I'm impressed."

"I know a lot about you, sweetheart." Keith grinned.

They went over to a pier, the same one Brook dove off of during the Pueltown Gigaremo mission. The two were silent for a little while. Keith started to notice Kate staring off into the ocean, lost in thought. He hated to see her so down.

"Upset over Luana?" Keith asked.

Kate nodded.

"Relax. We'll find her. And the rest of your family too." Keith assured. "Your dad's the leader of that Shadin group. Next time those creeps attack, we'll interrogate them. Speaking of which, have you seen any them lately? Or that geno…genes…whatever pokemon."

"Not since the phone call." Kate replied.

"Odd. It's been awhile." Keith said. "Either way, I'm your bodyguard and I won't let a scratch get on ya."

"You take the role a lot more seriously than I thought you would." Kate sweatdropped.

"Of course." Keith smirked. "Me? Let the girl of my dreams get kidnapped by some hostile dark-loving people? Not in this lifetime. They'd have to go through me if they want my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Kate exclaimed. "But…I…you…"

"What? Second date too soon?" Keith joked.

"Well I want you as my boyfriend…but why choose me? There's tons of prettier girls out there." Kate said.

"Pretty? Yes. Beautiful? Not like you." Keith grinned. "You're one of a kind."

"So are you. You're a really great guy Keith. Funny, cute, supportive, sweet…" Kate smiled. "…and that's why I love you."

Keith wanted to kiss her so badly. To experience what it was alike when the girl was awake and loved him in return. Would it be like when Kate was dying? Or even more powerful? Aw man that first kiss he gave her was like a drug. Made him crazy and addicted, wanting more. But Keith was sensing that this wasn't a good time to kiss her. That something was bound to…

Ring! Ring!

See? What'd I tell ya? Keith sighed and answered the styler call.

"Keith! Kate! Professor Hastings called a meeting." Rhythmi said. "Time to take down Dim Sun!"

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Kate was with the others on top of the roof. She and Keith were the first to greet Hastings, Issac and Erma. Sven and Wendy were along shortly after. And surprise, Barlow was there too. They were under the Tree of Harmony, with the gems displayed on their pedestals.

"Before we outline the operation…" Hastings began. "We should know more of Altru Tower. Issac?"

"Ahem. The tower is 334 meters tall, slightly shy of 1,100 feet. From on top of the tower, one can see the far corners of Almia." Issac informed. "But its not for observation purposes. It had to be that tall to gain control of every pokemon in the region. The Shadow Crystal from the ruins is set ontop. With strong electrical feeds, the crystal unleashes its power and gains control of any pokemon within a 500 mile radius. The Incredible Machine's power is equal to roughly 8 million gigaremos. Halfway up the tower is a control room with around 300 more commands than a miniremo."

"These facts emerge from Issac sharing information with us." Hastings informed. "Combined with our own data, we've got a clear understanding of what lies ahead."

A pause.

"Now we come to the question…what is their objective? The answer, we found, was written in Blake Hall's diary." Hastings opened up the diary and read from a page.

X Month, XX Day

My son, Blake Hall, having turned sixteen, drove me from the company. His parting words crushed me. 'I will eliminate anyone who stands in the way of me and total world domination. Even my father'. My son is now the main character in his own twisted nightmare. A nightmare woven my the Shadow Crystal…"

"That's as far as we were to decipher." Hastings finished.

"Blake is aiming to take over the world?" Barlow exclaimed.

"Incredible Machine can control all the pokemon in Almia, supposedly." Sven sweatdropped nervously. "World domination doesn't seem so far-fetched."

"This is terrifying!" Wendy gulped.

"I'll say!" Kate agreed.

RUMMMMBBBBLLLEEEEEEEEE!

The ground shook violently for about ten seconds. Then it quieted back to normal.

"What was that?" Hastings questioned, regaining composure.

"My guess is they ran the power to the Incredible Machine as a test. To monitor operation." Issac assumed. "But judging on the noise, the test failed. I imagine it must be the final adjustments that haven't been made. Mainly because I was supposed to do them."

"Will the plans be ruined then?" Keith asked. "Without that machine, their plans on world domination would be sunk."

"No the tower will still function." Issac sighed. "I'm estimating the power's cut to half but it's designed to work even at that. It can still cause some damage."

"Hmmm…even at half power we'll be dealing with a great force." Hastings said. "Everyone look sharp! Time to announce the plan! The plan to Operation Brighton, dedicated after our diary's writer."

Everyone stood straight, ready for whatever came next.

"Extensive analysis says the electrical circuits are near impossible to shut off. So we must do something about the Shadow Crystal itself on top of the tower. Infiltrating the tower itself will be frought with danger. Our only option? Mount an assault from the outside." Hastings explained. "Remember how the shard reacted to the pendants? We will be recreating that with the real deal. Though ideally we need all the gems together, most of the energy from the Shadow Crystal will go down."

"If we need to get to the top of Altru…are you suggesting staraptor rides?" Wendy smirked.

"Precisely! You'll be living up to your nickname as the flying ranger!" Hastings replied. "Two top rangers will ride up to the top of the tower, carrying the gems. Circle around the Shadow Crystal, getting closer. The closer they are, the more the Crystal is weakened."

"This mission will expose much danger and become very hazardous." Erma warned.

"Which is why I call on our best top rangers. Two we have counted on time and time again. We take pride in them." Hastings went on.

Kate was hoping to be a part of the team. To go up there, face the risks and danger…to have a shining role in this operation. But her heart sunk as the professor walked over to Sven and Wendy.

"Sven and Wendy, you two will go." Hastings said.

"Now you're talkin!" Sven fist-pumped the air. "I've been aching for a mission like this!"

"Count on me! Flying's my specialty!" Wendy saluted.

"Kate and Keith, you two remain here on standby." Hastings instructed.

Poor Keith. He was trying his hardest not to look disappointed about it. As Barlow was talking about doing his job as an area ranger, Kate slipped her hand into Keith's. The redhead grinned a little at the gesture. No one else seemed to notice (thank arceus). Operation Brighton began, with Wendy and Sven off to the staraptors. Barlow was talking to Hastings while Erma went back downstairs.

"Hey. If they choose not to pick us, their loss." Keith whispered as they walked down together.

"We can find something fun to do around here." Kate said.

"Like…torture Rhythmi?" Keith smirked.

"She's busy with work. I was thinking more like…" Kate was about to suggest something.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!

…..

"…how about finding out what that was?"

"Yeah that'll work."

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Oh we all know what's comin on up! ATTACK ON THE UNION WOO!...well ok no 'woo'. Not worth a 'woo' when you're bein attacked. We'll be storming into the next chapter momentarily!