Mission

Two weeks and she stayed comatose. Two weeks and she wouldn't budge. She was breathing, but she wouldn't wake. The doctors assured me that she was physically fine, but there was no way to tell when she might wake up. Our only option was to wait.

I sat at her side every night, watching my ninetales sleep. She looked peaceful, like she hadn't nearly blown herself to pieces in saving all our lives. But most of all, she looked fragile. More than once, I found tears in my eyes as I watched her breathe.

Janine kept me busy, seeming to sense my budding depression. She had me working with a crew of handpicked Fuchsians, keeping us busy with raids on Rocket sites in the Fucshia area. There were dozens, most of them unmanned supply depots or resting stations. However we came across more than a few manned outposts. I deferred to Janine's men during those battles, letting them use their superior knowledge of local conditions. We operated well together, even if I was completely outclassed by the Fuchsian shinobi.

The partnership seemed amicable enough, though I still would catch the odd cold glare from the shinobi. Janine's inclusion of the Rangers rubbed a lot of the clans the wrong way, though none of them had dared to say anything yet. I suspected that Janine had only chosen people who she knew wouldn't question her command for this squad and I resolved to represent the Rangers the best I could.

It wasn't until the first day of the third week that I spoke to Janine again. She knocked on the door to mine and Luna's room, entering before I even looked up at the door.

"Marcus," she said in greeting. "Any change?"

I shook my head. "Still nothing. Doctors don't even have an estimate for me anymore." I didn't look up, remaining at Luna's side with her hair brush clutched in my hands.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Janine said in a diplomatic tone. She put a hand on my shoulder. "She proved herself to be a formidable pokemon. I was very much hoping to have a friendly battle against her before you left."

I shrugged. "I don't know if Luna would be ready for that, even if she woke today. Surge seems about ready to head back to Vermilion any day now."

I glanced up at her. "Two days," I replied. "Zapdos Squad departs in two days." I looked down at Luna. "Surge says I'm here with Luna as long as he doesn't need me."

"Good," she said as a grin spread across her face. "I have something big and I wanted you on it."

I leaned back, putting Luna's brush on the bed beside her. "What do you have?"

She handed me a folder that was heavy with thick, grainy photographs. I lifted one up to the light, peering at the fuzzy picture. It was hard to make out, but I thought I could see a gray slab of concrete rising from the sea against the backdrop of rocky crags.

"I found where they've been offloading their secret cargo." She reached into the folder, pulling out a shipping manifest. "A cargo ship owned by some Johtan shipping magnate departed Fuchsia the day before I took power. Almost a hundred tons of sensitive equipment and high-tech materials were missing from the cargo liner Delibird's Dream. Rangers seized the ship upon its arrival in Olivine and found the hold full of Rocket property, with the exception of these materials."

I glanced up at her, then back down at the shipping manifest she had handed me. The missing materials were underlined and a second page full of jumbled maps was stapled to the back.

"These particular missing materials happen to be much the same as those required for the construction of their experimental evolution machines, something that we only know thanks to the work of Zapdos squad in capturing one of the devices tested in the Safari Zone."

"They never got to Olivine," I said. "Which means that these devices are being constructed off-shore. Probably somewhere relatively close to Kanto since every encounter with one of these devices has been in Kanto itself."

"Which doesn't narrow it down," she replied with a knowing grin. "Unless you've got the GPS data on every ship that has passed through Fuchsia in the past ten years."

I flipped the page, glancing down at the countless maps that Janine had overlaid onto the single page. It was madness, random noise with no clear pattern. No pattern, but one commonality.

I pointed at the map, at the same stretch of sea that each voyage seemed to casually pass through. "They always make the same approach and departure from Fuchsia. They're hugging the straits between these islands and the coast. Straits that are filled with sharp rocks and uneven sea floor."

Janine smirked. "Sailing right past the Seafoam Island chain, through one of the more dangerous stretches of ocean rather than taking the safer open sea lanes further south." She smirked. "Well that's suspicious enough to warrant a little visit, don't you think?"

I lifted up the blurry, ill-defined photos. "It's something. Rocket's gotta be scrambling with half their cells getting shut down and their smuggling operations taking a serious blow. Who knows how long this facility will stay operational, even if it was off the books." I looked past the photo, back at Janine. "You want me to bring Surge in on this?"

She shook her head. "Just keep him notified. He's got enough on his plate coordinating strikes around Vermillion. I wouldn't want to keep him here any longer."

I nodded and got to my feet, sparing a longing gaze for Luna. I pet her side absentmindedly, praying that she would show me some sign of life. "When do we move out?" I asked.

"Two hours," she replied. "The Anzu Clan has a ship in the harbour that can have us there by tomorrow morning. Meet us there in one hour."

I nodded as she turned and left the room. I spared Luna one last glance. She remained stubbornly still. I laid her brush down beside her head and left her alone in the room.

I knocked loudly as I entered. Surge glanced up at me, nodding and raising a single finger as he barked orders into the satellite phone in his hand. I sat heavily in his chair, glancing through the mess of documents spread out across his bed.

Surge ended the call and glanced up at me. "Wright," he said. "How's your ninetales?"

I shrugged. "The same," I replied. I dropped the dossier Janine had given me in front of him. "But that's not why I'm here. Janine found something big that she's pulling me in on."

He nodded, flipping through the folder and glancing over the pictures. "Is her intel good?"

I nodded. "For the most part. I have my doubts that it's as large of a site as Janine thinks, but all signs point to a Rocket presence."

"Potential threat analysis?" He asked. I watched him flip through the pages, knowing that he wouldn't find what he was looking for. Janine hadn't been able to surmise what kind of response we'd be greeted with.

I crossed my arms. "Unknown. Could be anything from a few grunts to high level executives if we're lucky."

"We haven't been lately," Surge said. "Someone broke Petrel and Proton out in Johto. We're leaning towards Archer being responsible, but there aren't any solid leads at the moment." He glanced up at me. "This place was off the books for a reason. Find us that reason and leave nothing behind for Rocket to salvage."

I nodded. "Yes sir," I got to my feet, snapping a salute. "Anything further?"

He nodded. "There is, actually." His usual scowl softened slightly and he sat up a little straighter. "Please, sit down."

I sat back down in the chair. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that I knew what Surge was going to ask me. I sat forward, heart pounding a hole in my chest as Surge just smiled.

"Harding told me about your outburst during the rescue op. She told me you wanted out, even if you wouldn't admit it," he said in a calm, collected tone. "However, I wanted to ask how you were myself. You did come to me and ask to help bring Rocket down."

I shrugged. "I'm alright," I answered quickly. I felt myself force the words out, knowing that they sounded stilted and forced. I couldn't help but grimace in embarrassment.

Surge smirked, chuckling slightly. "Because that's convincing," he said with the same wry smile. "Don't lie to me, kid. I've been around too long and seen far too much to swallow a load like that." He straightened his spine and closed the folder I'd given him. "I know pain when I see it. Tell me what I can do to help."

The tension broke like a dam. I couldn't help it. Tears fell freely, painful sobs wracking my body. I held my face in my hands, trying to hide from the shame.

"I told you before that this life was a hard one," Surge started. "I told you that the price a Ranger pays is far more than most are willing to pay."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced up. I didn't know when Harding had gotten here, but there she was. The good captain was here to help.

"You've already paid that price, more than once. You know what loss is. You know what it's like to lose a friend," Surge continued. He swung his legs off the side of the bed, ignoring the fact that a cast covered him hip to heel. "You know what it's like to have those close to you taken away."

"I had him," I said suddenly. "I had his hand in mine. I just couldn't hold on…" I trailed off and I knew that they were looking at me. "He… Rey…" I trailed off again, unable to even say his name. "He told me to use it. He wanted his death to mean something." I looked up at them, gesturing around. "This is what it was for? Another mission with hardly a glance backwards? People, our friends, are dead because of what we did." I looked back down. "I don't know how I'm supposed to handle that. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, or how I'm supposed to feel."

Harding didn't move her hand. She just squeezed me on the shoulder and nodded solemnly. I put my hand on hers and faked a weak smile.

"I remember the names of every man and woman that has died under my command." Surge struggled to his feet, reaching for my chair as a crutch. The captain caught his hand, steadying our commanding officer. "Remember them," he said forcefully. "Remember the ones who didn't make it. Remember them and use that fire. Janine told me what you said to her."

I looked up. My heart skipped a beat, thinking back to the desperate arguments I'd made to Janine. I didn't feel like a hero, but these real heroes were acting like I was.

"She told me that you helped her push past Corporal Warrick's death. That you pushed her to make her death mean something." He put a hand on my other shoulder. "You made Reyes's death mean something. He gave his life to help bring down corruption within the League and shut down Rocket operations across Kanto. Wertz, Warrick, Blake, Kravtsov, Thompson… they all gave themselves to the service, just like Reyes."

Harding squeezed my shoulder. "You did good, kid. I know it's tough when you've got nothing but time to think about what happened. You did what you could. You did your best and you helped deal a massive blow to Rocket. You made those sacrifices worth it. You made their deaths have meaning."

I didn't say anything, just glanced back and forth between the two. I swallowed the lump in my throat and dried my tears with one of my sleeves.

Surge sat back on his bed, groaning and clutching at his hip. "In recognition of your stellar work for the Rangers thus far and the positively glowing recommendations that Janine keeps sending me, I have seen fit to waive service requirements for your promotion. Congratulations, Corporal Wright."

My jaw dropped and I stared in shock. "Wait, what?" I looked over at Harding, who was a stoic wall. "Why?"

"Because we see potential," Surge said. He folded his arms and looked me up and down. "You toasted an elite level venomoth in a single move. You took out a horde of koffing and turned the battle on its head. You deserve a pay raise if you ask me."

"That was a lucky break," I protested. "And it nearly killed my pokemon. That's failure, not success."

"Let's go further back," Harding interrupted. "You infiltrated a Rocket facility, battled Giovanni himself and survived to shut down operations in Celadon." She shook her head, a knowing grin on her face. "Even as much as you outnumbered him, he should have wiped the floor with you."

"I lost Pride, and got a friend's pokemon killed. I couldn't stop him, I lost."

Surge cleared his throat, drawing my gaze. "Even further back," he started. "I have a commendation on your trainer profile from a pair of Rangers during the tenta-swarm attack on Vermillion." He smirked at me. "Trainer Wright demonstrated an excellent understanding of battle tactics and clear situational awareness. Trainer Wright also led a more senior trainer into a dangerous situation, handling an impromptu leadership role with some matter of proficiency."

I sat there, in awe again. I didn't know what to say. Praise of any kind was awkward to me. "But… I just tried to help."

Surge nodded. "That's the point. You're a good kid. You've got a good head on your shoulders. We think you could do great things and we want to help you."

I slowly nodded, looking at Surge with a weight lifting off my shoulder. "During the mission, I didn't know if I really wanted to be a Ranger. I didn't see the point to staying on. Maybe I don't see a point to it anymore. But I'm not a quitter. I don't like giving up." I smiled over my shoulder at Harding. "Thank you for believing in me," I said. "Thank you both."

I didn't know if things were going to be alright. I didn't know if I was going to be a great trainer. I didn't even know if my starter was going to be ok. But these two believed in me. I might not believe in myself, but someone did. That was enough for me.

Fuchsia's harbour was downright gorgeous in the evening light. The sun was starting to set, painting the clouds with a soft golden glow. Several cargo ships were docked at the port, people milling around the commercial dock as massive cranes loaded and unloaded the ships.

Janine's ship sat at the end of one pier. It was a sleek, deadly looking machine; forty feet of dark metal and sharp angles. A single turret sat on the deck, a large cannon mounted atop the turret. Two lithe speedboats sat mounted on racks at the rear of the ship, a half dozen crew members slaving over the final checks.

Janine was on the deck, deep in conversation with an older woman. Her violet hair shone bright in the evening sunlight. I felt my heart skip a beat and quickly looked away as I made my way aboard.

One of the shinobi I had been working with was leaning against the side of the ship, looking out at Fuchsia. "Private Wright," he said blankly, turning to look at me. "Welcome aboard the Poison Fang."

I took a spot beside him, trying and failing to suppress the stupid grin on my face. "Actually, it's Corporal Wright now, Leopold."

He raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations then," he said, bowing his head in respect. "A well deserved promotion."

"You're just saying that, mister roboto," I said, trying to draw a grin out of the stoic shinobi. "I thought you were going to gut me in my sleep?"

"I still may," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "Just haven't found a good enough excuse yet."

Janine appeared from behind us, smirking as she wrapped an arm around Leopold's broad shoulders. "Do you mind if I borrow Marcus for a few?" she asked.

"I welcome it," he deadpanned as Janine led me away. "A reprieve from this dreary conversation."

"So," I started, trying desperately not to notice the way her violet eyes caught the sun. "You never told me that you had such a nice ship."

She grinned wildly. "The Fang is fast and quiet. She'll do well by us." She paused for a moment, her mood seeming to dampen. "She was my father's personal transport."

I hesitated for a moment. "Are you alright?" I asked, sensing that she was waiting for me to say something.

She shook her head as she led me across the deck to the woman she had been talking to when I boarded. "Marcus, I want to formally introduce you to my mother."

I bowed my head in respect, my eyes widening in surprise as she turned to face me. She looked almost exactly like Janine, save for the beginnings of some wrinkles starting to form around her eyes.

The woman that I had rescued alongside Surge smiled back at me. "I believe that we've already met. Though I don't think that I caught your name until Janine here honoured you and your compatriots at her coronation." She smiled softly. "I must thank you, young master Wright. I shudder to think what could have happened had you not rescued me from my husband."

I stood respectfully, my spine automatically stiffening. I'd had no clue to her identity and my response was immediate. "My pleasure, Lady Anzu. I only regret that I could not have acted sooner."

She smiled softly. "Please, such flattery is not necessary. I understand the good you have done for my clan and I am in your debt for it." Lady Anzu glanced over at Janine and then back at me. "Now, if I may, I must take my leave. I am needed below deck and we must make ready for our journey."

"Thank you, mother," Janine said in a hushed tone. I caught a pointed glance between the two before Lady Anzu turned and departed.

Janine looked at me, an expression that I couldn't decipher on her face. "Follow me to the crew quarters," she started. "We'll be aboard for a few days, so we've set a bunk aside for you."

I followed her into the ship. The hot, damp smell of gasoline and sweat were oppressive. They invaded your nose while the cramped corridors forced you into the space of passers by. More than once I found myself uncomfortably close to Janine, trying and failing to ignore the bead of sweat trailing down her neck. I tried to push the image from my mind and failed miserably.

"Centre bunk," she said, propping the door open for me as I passed her. Our chests brushed together and I sweltered internally. "Last one on the left. We'll be shoving off soon enough."

I dropped my gear onto my bunk, only pausing to grab my pokemon. I turned back to her, desperate to get away from the oppressive heat of the ship's interior. "So," I started, lifting my pokeballs. "You did offer to train me. Fancy showing me the ropes?"

She grinned mercilessly. I saw something mischievous flash in her eyes and suppressed a flutter in my chest. She was a gym leader, above mere peons like myself. "Why, Marcus, I thought you'd never ask."

It turned out, that tropical sun out on the ocean was just as hot as the interior of the Fang had been. There was simply no respite from the evening sun. It hung low in the sky, heating everything up to an uncomfortably hot temperature.

The Ranger fatigues I had been given were designed for operations in tropical environments. The pants were light and breathable, the long-sleeved shirt designed to keep me cool and dry. Fucshia's afternoon sun thwarted every effort to keep cool.

Still, training had been offered. Training that I had no business declining. So there I stood, sweat drenching my back as I endured the oppressive heat.

Janine had ordered the deck cleared, giving us a large space to train towards the bow of the ship. The deck was slick with spray from the waves and the rhythmic sway of the ship gave me some pause. I was a farmer's son, not a sailor. I'd never set foot on a dingy, let alone a warship like this.

Janine stepped forward, beckoning me over. Lady Anzu was at her side, arms folded behind her back and expression unreadable.

"One thing you must understand is that training with our pokemon involves a large amount of poison." Lady Anzu stepped forward, raising a pokeball. She tapped the button, releasing her pokemon out onto the deck. "It is simply an inevitability when training with poison types."

The bipedal amphibian dropped into a crouch, croaking loudly as his bulbous red vocal sack swelled up. Its yellow, reptilian eyes settled on me, blinking blankly.

"Neither you nor your pokemon are in any danger when training with us. We have plenty of antidotes on hand and Marius will refrain from making any lethal strikes."

I nodded. I knew the Fuchsian shinobi were a step above the Rangers, but the possibility of one of my pokemon being seriously hurt in training was not something that had been at the forefront of my mind. "Thank you, Lady Anzu."

Janine stepped forward, raising her ball. "By my observations and Surge's reports, you have a half-decent eye for tactics. But you severely lack in both strength and durability." She smirked mischievously. "We are going to have to fix that."

She tapped the button, releasing a hulking figure that towered above me. I gasped at the indomitable figure of a pokemon I'd only seen during Janine's League Conference run. Brutus the drapion glared down at me, radiating pure malice through his piercing gaze.

"Release your heracross and marowak," Lady Anzu barked, rousing me from my stupor.

I lifted their balls, releasing them onto the deck in front of me. Vector caught his footing easily, but Acolyte stumbled and dropped to one knee as a wave rocked the ship's deck. He glanced back at me, utter betrayal written in his eyes as he realized where we were.

Lady Anzu was there, correcting Acolyte's stance with a wooden pole she produced from her sleeve. "Sloppy!" she criticized. "Terrible footwork!"

I winced as Acolyte drew back to his feet, warily clutching at his club. He was terribly uncomfortable with the movement of the ship's deck and kept nervously glancing back at me.

I finally released Curie beside me. She might not be ready for combat, but her training was progressing rapidly. The experience of sitting in on a training session like this would do her good.

Lady Anzu paced back and forth in front of my pokemon, criticizing every aspect of their training thus far. Their muscles were underdeveloped, their reflexes slow and sluggish. It hurt to hear the many ways that I'd failed my pokemon, although she did remark positively on their technical skills as they demonstrated them.

She had me demonstrate our usual training routine, seeming thoroughly disappointed throughout. She did not hold back, tearing apart our routine and building it back up from scratch. Only our dodge and counter drills remained, modified with the addition of practice blocking or deflecting attacks. Marius and Brutus demonstrated, putting my pokemon to shame with their superior ability.

Strength training regimens were added, with Acolyte and Vector moving large weights back and forth across the deck. Brutus and Marius demonstrated for us again while Curie watched on, shaming me with their ease of movement. The same exercises could easily be replicated in the wild with large rocks or felled trees. Lady Anzu had me join them and I realized just how weak I was compared to those who regularly trained. I resolved right then and there to become as strong as I could. I was an embarrassment to my team like this, something that bothered me deeply.

Our agility training became more focused, with added emphasis on efficient footwork. Acolyte especially had trouble with this part of the workout as his agility was nowhere close to Vector's or even my own. Lady Anzu made sure to follow up with additional instructions for his future training.

They had me release Artemis onto the rear of the ship. Leopold had a crobat that could fly circles around her, and assured me that he had trained with pseudo dragons in the past. He took Artemis into the air, working on basic aerial maneuvers. I could see by a quick observation just how little confidence she had in the air.

Janine took me aside once we had got the pokemon started and tested me in basic fitness. I was moderately adequate when it came to long-term endurance, but lacked substantial strength. She began teaching me basic strength training exercises, things that I really should have known to be doing. Most of it was basic body weight exercises, things that I could do without any additional equipment carried with me.

By the time we were done, the sun was starting to dip in the sky and the oppressive heat was starting to break. My pokemon were retired to their balls and handed over to the ship's medical team. I was skeptical, but Janine assured me that they would be ready for any action when we arrived at our destination.

I retired to my bunk, only stopping off at the showers before collapsing exhausted into the tiny bed. The dank smell and heat was not enough to stop me from passing out in moments.

"Wake up, Ranger."

I jumped awake. The rhythmic rocking of the ship was timed perfectly, rolling me off the bed and dropping me heavily on the floor. I groaned heavily and opened my eyes to the grinning face of a sardonic shinobi.

Leopold looked down at me, his face obscured by shadow. His hood was pulled up and I could barely see the glint of a grin. "We have arrived. You are needed on the deck."

I groaned and sat up with no small amount of difficulty. My muscles were aching from the intense workout the day before and I realized just how weak I was. I clambered your my feet, gently massaging my arms and ignoring the exhausted protest of my brain. "We're already there?"

Leopold nodded, already turning to lead me up to the deck. I followed him without a word, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I shouldered my ruck. The sky was still dark, but the barest traces of blue were beginning to brighten on the horizon.

Janine was waiting on the edge of the deck, the rest of the shinobi waiting patiently for orders. Leopold stepped into line and I filed in beside him.

"Good," Janine said. "Now that everyone's here, we'll begin." She turned, gesturing at the vague outline of the island behind her. "Thermal imaging shows a ship docked at the Rocket facility, with half a dozen crew working through the night. They're unloading something from the ship and they're in a hurry." I caught a smirk as she turned back to us. "We don't know how many men are in the facility, but it looks like we've caught them with their pants down. Let's go nail the bastards."

A small cheer went up before ending abruptly. Lady Anzu boomed over us, directing the shinobi as she turned towards the pair of speedboats mounted on racks at the rear of the ship.

Janine brushed up beside me, holding a trio of pokeballs. "Your pokemon passed their medicals. They're ready."

I took the balls back, slipping them into the open slots on my belt. "Thanks again for doing this."

She shrugged. "I didn't really do much," she said. "Just showed you what taking that next step looks like. Trainers often plateau around the novice-intermediate level because their training is not sufficient. They focus on technique and new moves rather than improving on their pokemon's raw skills."

"No," I said. "I mean it. This life is the only thing I really have. My team is my family and I don't like feeling that I failed them." I shrugged. "It's in the past now, all I can do is do better for them in the future." I smiled despite the early hour. "Honestly, thank you."

Janine smiled honestly. "Always a pleasure," she started. "Trainers help each other."

I looked at her shrewdly. There was that phrase again, popping up everywhere. "That we do," I said. "That we do."

I followed the group of shinobi, watching Janine clamber into the other speedboat and take her place at the head of the boat. I climbed into the other and sat beside Leopold near the rear of the vehicle, glancing over at the shinobi.

"Are you ready, Corporal Wright?" Leopold asked. "Blood waits to be spilled."

"You're always such a joy, Leopold."

The speedboats slid off the racks, dropping smoothly into the water with hardly a splash. Both engines roared to life and the pair of boats began to cut through the waves. The Fang began to recede behind us and the indistinct shape of the rocky island began to take form. I could see the angular shape of the ship rising from the water and the small pier jutting out from the stoney shore.

We drew closer, the roar of our engines lost in the waves crashing against the rocky shore. The herds of dewgong and seel on the shore raised their heads to look at us, but we drew no other attention as we approached the docked ship.

"Cut the engine." Leopold whisper-shouted.

The droning of our speedboat's engine spluttered and died. I glanced over at the other boat and watched as it cut its own engine and slowly drifted the rest of the way in. Two of the shinobi at the bow began lashing lines to the side of the ship, securing our speedboat at the bottom of a ladder that lead up to the deck.

I was second up the ladder, sandwiched in between two shinobi that I hadn't worked with yet. We slipped up the ladder and onto the deck silently, taking up positions overlooking the cargo hole that the dozen or so figures were milling around as they unloaded the ship. I peered down into the hold, but shadows cast by the scant light of the moon obscured the loaded cargo.

Janine whistled softly, raising a fist as she stepped away from the edge. "Tag the ship for GPS," she ordered. "Ranger, Leopold, you're with me." She glanced around. "The rest of you are to set your explosive charges on the pier, then return to the Fang and await further orders. It is imperative that we remain unnoticed."

"We're letting them go?" asked one of the shinobi. "We can end their little operation right now."

"We're going to inform Blaine about the cargo vessel. He'll have the sea lanes past Cinnabar swarming with ships to intercept," Janine retorted. "Our mission is to find whatever secrets this place holds, not chase down cargo ships."

The shinobi seemed cowed by the response, and no further protests were made. Lady Anzu silently ushered most of the shinobi back towards the ladder, only following them once the last of the shinobi had crept over the side of the ship.

Janine crept back to her feet, peering down into the cargo hold. She produced a small set of binoculars from her pack. "Eleven visible crew." She pointed the binoculars up towards the pier. "Two guards at the end of the pier."

Leopold was beside her, pointing to where the pier met the shore. "Looks like an entrance there."

She aimed the binoculars where he was pointing. "Two more guards," she said quietly. "And a big-ass door."

"What's the plan?" I asked. I kept a nervous eye on the workers unloading the ship, waiting for any sign that we'd been noticed. "We can't stay here. The sun's coming up and we don't exactly have an abundance of cover."

Janine grinned wildly and I had a sinking feeling that I wasn't going to enjoy her plan. "Fancy a swim, Ranger?"

We spent the next several hours at the base of the pier, perched on the rocks just above the shoreline. The rocks were with slick with the salty spray of the sea and my foot nearly slipped on a patch of green algae more than once.

The cargo ship departed just after the sun cleared the horizon. Janine contacted the Fang, ordering Lady Anzu to keep the ship well away to avoid arousing any suspicion. We remained there for another hour at least, waiting for the guards at the door to change.

Janine and Leopold free climbed up the rocky shore, once again putting me to shame. I marvelled at the sheer physical talent the two shinobi possessed and resolved yet again to push myself until I could keep up.

I lost the two of them as they made their way onto the rock face that overlooked the pier. Another ten minutes passed before I heard a loud grunt and watched the two Rocket guards splash into the surf.

Janine's head appeared over the side of the pier. "Get up here," she ordered. "I need your help with the door."

I swung myself onto the ladder on one of the pier supports. I clambered up and glanced up at the hulking form of Janine's drapion. "What do you need?"

She turned away from the heavy stone double doors, frustration written on her face. "It's on a biometric lock. We'll have to force it open."

I raised Vector's ball, releasing my heracross onto the pier in front of me.

"Brutus," Janine started. "Open the door."

I pointed at the door as Janine's drapion wedged his pincers into the crack. "Help him open it," I ordered.

Vector ducked under Brutus' pincers and grabbed hold of one of the double doors. His wings unfurled and a loud buzz filled the air as he wrenched on the door as hard as he could.

A hint of a crack appeared between the double doors as Brutus wedged his pincers deeper into the opening. I could hear the groan of heavy machinery and the grinding of stone on stone.

My hand dropped to my belt, releasing Acolyte beside the two pokemon. I didn't even need to give the order before he grabbed hold of the door opposite Vector and added his strength to theirs.

The door ground open, slowly and hesitantly. Brutus groaned, forcing the doors apart until there was a space large enough for us to slip through. Leopold slipped through, followed a moment later by Janine and myself.

I returned my pokemon to their balls as Janine returned Brutus. The doors ground shut in moments, locking us into a dark tunnel that sloped gently downwards. Janine produced a small red-tinted headlamp and donned it, prompting Leopold and myself to do the same.

"Alright, there's something down here for us to find," Janine said calmly. "Stay quiet, move quickly, and for Mew's sake don't get caught alone."

The infectious calm in her voice resonated in my mind. I'd never done anything like this, save for the trap I'd walked into in Fuchsia. I was terrified, my heart pounding a mile a minute in my chest. But her calm, collected demeanour slowed down my racing thoughts. I took a breath and swallowed the nervous lump in my throat.

I was a Ranger. I was an accomplished trainer. I was not out of my depth. I fell in behind Janine silently, trying desperately not to stare at the way her outfit hugged her curves.

I failed in that regard. Miserably.

"Hold," Janine whispered. She clicked off her headlamp, and Leopold and I did the same. "I hear movement up ahead."

Leopold crept past us. He was the quietest of us, making nearly no noise at all when he moved. He disappeared into the gloom, following along the tunnel with his hand on the left wall.

I crouched beside Janine, nearly losing her in almost complete darkness. I brushed up against her by accident and stepped back before she could say anything. The temperature was practically near-freezing, despite the sweltering temperatures above-ground. I shivered, but I pushed the concern away, warming my hands up by stuffing them into my armpits.

Leopold reappeared in front of us a few minutes later, shushing us with one hand and beckoning us to follow him with the other. We followed him, creeping through the darkness as carefully as we could.

The darkness slowly receded as we passed several chambers that branched off from the tunnel. We could hear voices from some of the tunnels and I tried to count the number of unique voices I could hear. I stopped once I got to about fifteen, realizing that we were badly outnumbered should a battle break out.

Leopold stopped us at a tunnel that cut sharply into some kind of sterile white surface. It was a hallway, constructed who knows how deep below the surface of the island. "The other branches seem to be living quarters and cargo storage, hewn straight from the rock. This is the only branch constructed like this. Nowhere else have they taken the care they showed here."

"Almost like a lab," I said in a hushed tone. "Like there's something important in there."

Janine turned to me, contemplating what I'd said for a moment. She looked back at Leopold. "Lead us in," she said. Her hand dropped to the balls on her belt. "Be ready for anything."

As one, we crept forward. No alarm greeted us, no storm of boots or roar of pokemon met us. The hallway went on for several dozen meters before we came to a sealed metal door.

Janine looked over the panel for a moment, intently staring at the buttons. "I have to open it," she said. "And it's gonna make a lot of noise."

Leopold slid his blade free of its sheathe. "Then do it. Our objective lies on the other side."

I nodded in agreement. My hand rested on Acolyte's ball, waiting for a sign of danger. "Let's do it," I said, attempting quiet confidence in my tone.

Janine tapped a command into the panel and stepped back, her hand dropping to her belt.

An alarm blared twice, echoing up the tunnel we had come down. The door slowly began to slide into the wall, revealing a lily-white chamber before us. There were two levels, with a stairwell on the left side of the chamber leading up the second level.

Half a dozen men in lab coats stared blankly at us from around the room. There was a long pause as the three of us stared at them, while the door slid shut behind us.

"Alright," Janine started. She tapped one of her balls, releasing Brutus in front of us. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Acolyte and Vector were out a moment later, glowering at the scientists and doing their best to look intimidating.

Janine grinned mischievously. "I'd really really like for someone to pick the hard way."

Silence was our only greeting.

I stared up at the scientists, watching for any kind of reaction. Then I saw it. A bead of sweat rolling down the brow of a scientist, his stance not fearful but poised and waiting. I followed his gaze, stopping on a cruel face I knew well. I'd never forget him for as long as I lived. I'd seen a million pictures, but I could never forget that cold, calculating stare.

I pointed up at him, cutting off Janine before she could speak. "Archer," I said calmly. My hand curled into a fist as I let it fall to my side. "You're under arrest."

His mouth curled into a cruel grin. "Well, my dear. It looks like you're going to get your wish after all." He raised a ball, cracking his knuckles and looking down on us from the platform. "I choose the hard way."

Intermediate Trainer KT# 07996101

Indigo Ranger Corps, Special Task Group, "Zapdos" Squad,

Private First-Class SN# 109-512-6591, Marcus Wright , current team:

Luna, Ninetales

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross

Curie, Chansey

Artemis, Aerodactyl