"Is he still at it?"
"Yes. He seems to have collapsed for now"
"Collapsed!? Shouldn't we help him!?"
"No. As I said, it's important for his growth that he does this on his own, if you try to protect him, he'll feel weak, which could be possibly good or tremendously bad"
"What do you mean?"
"One of two things could happen...One, he could get determined to keep training, or two, he'll get discouraged and give up"
"I might not know everything about him, in fact he's still a mystery to me... But I've done research on him, he's not the type to give up easily"
"Yes, I suppose he was rather popular in the Alola Region. Even so the risk of him getting discouraged is too high, as such we cannot interfere"
"I guess so..."
"I believe he'll be okay, and if he completes this training properly, he'll be able to see even when blinded, and he'll have better control of his aura"
"Right."
Akari continued breathing heavily, laying spread out with scratches and bruises all over his body. He could see with his Aura, though with everything being grey, he often tripped and fell. "N-no...I'm not done yet!" He pushed himself, standing against a tree to steady himself. It was then that he heard the sound of a stick snapping, the sound signaled that it was someone moderately sized. They were human, he knew that much. "There's no point trying to hide" He followed the aura of the human with his eyes before hearing a familiar, yet terrifying voice to recognize.
"Y-you're Skye!"
"Correct, that afraid of me huh?. I have to say, you still have that blindfold on, which I admit, is quite surprising... Or rather, you're wearing a different one, is there a reason for this" Akari stayed quiet, forming a blade onto his arm, pointing it at her. "A battle? Very Well, Dragonair, you're up" The dragon appeared from her wristband before growling at Akari. "Looks like it remembers you, and if I recall properly, you're supposed to be trussed up in a cage, come along quietly and you won't get hurt. Although you seem to do that just fine yourself"
"Dragonair, Dragon-Rush!" With Akari's Aura sight, he could see the immense Aura coming at him as he dodged to the left before charging at Skye with his blade.
"W-wait! I know who that is! We need to help him!"
"No...This is his fight"
"Are you insane!? He'll get captured or killed!"
"I'm aware of the danger. But" She pointed at him from the boat, which is how they kept watch over him without him knowing
"What about it!"
"He still has the blindfold on. If he wanted to, he could have been fighting at his highest, but he's choosing to fight without ending his training"
"I-I!"
"Just observe..."
Skye began to pant, breathing heavily before they both collapsed. Akari had used too much Aura, and Skye herself had been struck with his blade far too many times. "H-how'd you like that!"
"P-Please...You've collapsed too!"
"M-Maybe so...B-but I'm not done yet!" He stood up, holding his arm which had been numb. "S-see...I-I'm stronger..."His words faded as he fell one last time before blacking out, Skye quickly doing the same.
"It...It's over, he's won..."
"As I've told you, he's stronger than he looks. But now that doesn't matter, his training is complete"
"What? But he still has three more days?"
"I'm aware, but he accepted the disadvantage he was at, and still preformed well." She began to say, driving the boat to the island as Summer lifted up Akari in her arms while Scarlet lifted up Skye the same way. Bringing them both to Akari's house.
"So you expected this to happen?"
"Not particularly, I expected him to have have more struggles mastering his ability"
"You did?"
"Indeed, I saw his power, but I assumed he discovered it much earlier on in his life, allowing him to use his Aura the way he does."
"Oh, well I suppose it's okay now" Summer said as the speedboat docked into the island while she took off the blindfold, returning it to Scarlet.
"Yes, but I'll restrain her and call the Ranger Union to come pick her up"
"Right"
"Director, we've captured one of the admins of the Pinchers" Scarlet spoke into her styler. Using the camera on the front of it to show Skye restrained, weakened, and unconscious.
"Good work! And you were with two rangers named Summer, and Akari"
"That's correct"
"I see...She seems exhausted, what did you do to capture her"
"Actually...It wasn't me" She pointed the camera at Akari, being laid down onto his bed.
"Uhm...Is it the girl?"
"No, it's him"
"I see...That's difficult for me believe. But I can understand not all are what they seem"
"That's correct"
"Alright, stay safe, and report back when you can"
"Right, Scarlet out"
"So, you'll be heading back to the union?"
"Not yet, I still wish to see his potential unfold"
"Yeah, I understand, He's a mystery to me as well"
"Ngh...Ow my head... And I can't feel my arm" He said to himself feeling some kind of static on his arm, it felt odd, but he could still efficiently use it "I guess even if I return the aura using too much of it hurts me..." he said to himself before seeing Skye restrained while sitting on the floor against the wall
"Finally awake, huh"
"Huh? What're you doing here?" He asked, rubbing his eye with a yawn.
"Seriously...This is the kid who defeated me? Just you wait, they'll be coming to get me soon enough"
"Yeah, yeah, sure lady" He looked around, seeing both Summer and Scarlet absent "I assume you haven't eaten anything in the last few hours"
"That may be so, but I don't need help from you of all people" She growled as her stomach followed by her example
"Hey! I might be your enemy, but I'm not about to let you starve, besides, I'll tell you now, it's not fun forgetting to eat several days in a row"
"You are the weirdest kid I've ever met...But fine, I can admit when I've been defeated...But, you owe me some answers"
"I do? Well alright, ask away"
"In our battle...You were wearing a blindfold, why?"
"Oh that? It was some training"
"Training?"
"Well, yeah, You knocked me out by hitting the back of my head. If I'm able to sense you without needing to see, then it's less dangerous"
"Yes. I suppose that does make sense to some degree...As for that crystal around your neck, how does it work?"
"No idea"
"Pardon?"
"Frankly, I have no idea how this thing works, all I know is that when I focus on it, I just get stronger for a short amount of time"
"And can anyone use it?"
"Don't believe so, for one you'd need a z-ring from the Alola region, or you'd need to have access to my power, which won't happen"
"I have to admit...You aren't that bright"
"Hey! Rude!"
"You're willingly answering my questions, you're offering to feed me when the most efficient way to have a prisoner is by keeping them weak, just how old are you!?"
"Well, I just turned eleven at the beginning of Summer...But fine, you want the truth?"
"Indeed"
"I've made enemies, everywhere I've gone I had an enemy waiting for me. But here's the thing, some of those enemies have become friends, so I want to at least try to find the best of people"
"Foolish...Such kindness will only get you killed"
"Better than living like you, look, I'll make you some food, but at least try to think about why you're harming Pokémon"
"There's just something off about this kid, unless they've made it possible for babies to become Pokémon Rangers, he's not just young for a Ranger, he's far too young" She thought to herself, glancing over at Akari, who had been preparing canned soup as he lacked culinary ability. "Okay, this is my chance to try and escape" She slowly stood up before sneaking into the kitchen where the knives were. Sure they were just butter knives, but it was better than nothing. Skye turned around to her side so she could try to reach for one while keeping an eye on what she was doing. Just for them to disappear into one of Akari's portals and relocate next to him
"If you're wanting to free yourself, you're doing a poor job" He didn't even look away from the microwave, which had about a minute left.
"I suppose that means your training has been going well then..."
"Huh? Oh no, I just saw your reflection on the microwave"
"Oh...Right"
"Here, tell you what, once this is done, I'll untie you"
"T-thanks...But why would you help me? I can't seem to understand"
"Again, criminal or not, you're still human"
"You're such a weird kid"
"Anyways, It should be done in three...two...and now!" The microwave went off as he opened it, placing it on the table with his wormhole. "Okay, so you're gonna want to stay still for a moment" Akari put two fingers together before simply cutting the ropes in half as they fell off.
"You held back..."
"Huh?"
"You were holding back during our fight...You could have easily defeated me, but you held back"
"I didn't want to injure you"
"You...What?"
"I've seen what my abilities can do to people, I can't afford to make mistakes"
She didn't say anything else, and just quietly began to eat. Glancing up every few minutes at him. He explained every question she asked of him. And not once did she begin to understand who he was, or rather what he was. "He's rather considerate for his age...Why does he smile like that, he keeps acting like nothing bad has ever happened to him before... Wait, what is he doing now...Is he sleeping!?" She thought to herself seeing Akari sleeping as he stood, before nearly falling, just for Skye to catch him "Wait, what am I doing, why did I catch him!?" She asked herself in disbelief before just lifting him up. He was light, which probably had been because of his age. Truthfully she couldn't believe what she was doing as she just laid him out on his bed before glancing around and finding a set of sticky notes and a pencil.
There was a sticky note on his forehead once again as Akari sat up, pulling it off to read it.
"Sorry kid, but you'll have to do better than that, P.S Thanks for the soup, Skye"
"Huh? Wait, she got away!?" Akari exclaimed with a yawn, waking up his Pokémon. "Oh...Uh sorry 'bout that..."
"Oh, you're awake! Thank goodness"
"Huh?"
"She knocked you out, didn't she!" Summer exclaimed, clenching a fist "Then again we shouldn't have left you alone...Sorry"
"No, it's fine, if she tries to come back, I'll just take her down again"
"Are you sure? You might have won this time, but next time you might not be as lucky... Listen, why don't you just explore the island a bit and relax"
"Well, I guess I could...But..."
"But?"
"Skye...Do you really think they're bad?"
"Well, I can't say for certain, but try not to think about that, You haven't had the time to actually breathe... In fact, you've been unconscious most of the time"
"Right, got it"
"There should be a cave to the west of the island, why don't you explore there for a bit?"
"Alright" He said before his party of Pokémon all surrounded him, hoping to protect him from his reckless nature.
"You guys want to come too?" He asked with a short laugh.
"You guys keep him safe, alright? I'll take over your patrol for the day"
"What? I don't need to be kept safe! I can take care of myself!"
"Please, you barely even know how to use the microwave!"
"Okay...Point taken, but I defeated an Admin you never could!"
"Yeah, the admin who knocked you out"
"S-shut up!"
"Just go enjoy yourself" She sighed, giving a gentle push outside of the house before closing and locking the door.
"Rude...But I might as well..." He said to himself beginning to travel to the west of the island, his Pokémon following behind him. They had been carefully watching their surroundings, leaving them capable to protect Akari when it was needed.
"You guys don't think I'm weak, do you?" He asked, turning around to see their faces. Sure he couldn't understand their words, but he could understand their expressions fairly well.
They had been fairly mixed, Decidueye and Vulpix seemed confident in Akari, while Ribombee and Poipole were rather hesitant since they were more recent
"C'mon, I'm not that bad! Sure I make mistakes, but I always find a way to fix the problem" He said, seeing that they had began to become more and more confident that their trainer could not handle themself. "Seriously? Well I guess I do need to be more careful..." He said to himself, continuing to walk before someone called out his name.
"Huh? Wait, you're Nick, aren't you?"
"Yeah! Booker was looking for you, he wanted to explain a few things since you're new to being a Pokémon Ranger"
"Oh alright, where is he?"
"Oh, just follow me!"
"Seriously? You expect me to believe that there's a child with abilities unlike any you've seen before...And you lost to them?"
"Yes sir, he goes by Akari"
"And do you have proof of this child?"
"Well...No, but I know where he is"
"You don't honestly believe that I'll send men after a mere child? Accept that you messed up, and don't make things up"
"Yes Sir...I won't fail again" Skye said leaving the office of her boss
"Woof, that does not sound like it went well"
"Oh, Shut it, Blue Eyes. I know what I saw"
"Right, some crazy strong kid with powers just suddenly appeared and defeated you"
"You don't believe me either, do you"
" No, I do"
"Wait, really?"
"Sure, I mean I've heard of tons of kids who ended up saving a region from a criminal organization; Red, Ethan, May, Lucas, Hilda, and some others."
"Yeah, but those were just good Pokémon trainers, those organizations played far too fairly, no wonder they lost...This kid was basically a Pokémon himself"
"Show me."
"What?"
"Show me this kid, if he's really that powerful, make him join us"
"I would but he's one of those noble types"
"Those ones with more morals than intelligence?"
"Exactly, and yet he defeated me, and he was already exhausted before I even showed up"
"So what, he's stronger than a Dragonair, I've seen plenty of people spar with Pokémon like Onix or Machamp, it's no different"
"He was only fighting me, he somehow avoided the attacks from Dragonair, and yet he was wearing a blindfold..."
"So he's strong, has magical powers, and has X-Ray vision?" they gasped "Skye...Do you know what this means?"
"We have a new thorn in our side?"
"No, if you think about it, there's no doubt. He's a transformed Mew!"
"Excuse me?"
"Think about it, Mew has the DNA of every Pokémon, allowing it to have access to any Pokémon Move. This means that he's able to use those so called powers. You said he was able to see where both you and Dragonair were, which is an ability used by Luxray. Plus he was exhausted, for him to be exhausted and still be powerful enough to win, it must be the strength of a Mythical Pokémon!"
"I hate to say it, but that might fill out some mysteries about him, like how he's so young and A Pokémon Ranger, and how he was able to wistand a Hyper Beam and escape after only an hour"
"Run that by me again...You thought he was a human child and you chose to use Hyper Beam on him!?"
"In my defense, he was annoying"
"Ugh...Forget it, he's still alive, but I have an idea"
"Which is?"
"Alright, so if we can't make him give us his power, we'll just use it ourselves"
"So what, we'll just throw some Pokéballs at him?"
"No, If he's a mythical Pokémon, he'll be too strong to be caught"
"Plus, there's a chance he's not a Pokémon"
"Oh right...Uhm...Oh hey! You know of Manaphy, right?"
"Yes?"
"So there's this machine that's being developed, if it works we should be able to switch his body with one of us, that way we'll be able to use his power, and he'll be targeted instead of us"
"That's...Genius!"
"Okay, this should be the place!" Akari said stepping inside of the cave after being explained a few thing. It was then that he began to start finding that it was well lit. Instead of a cave, it looked more of an attraction instead as many people had been walking about inside. One or two families in total. "You guys should return for now, don't want to scare anyone" He gave a slight laugh before beginning to explore.
It had only been a short amount of time until something caught his interest, or rather, something had seemingly called to him.
"Oh? Are you interested in this?"
"Huh? Oh uh yeah"
"I see, you must not be from around here then, everyone on the island must have seen it dozens of times" They seemed to laugh a bit. "And I just want to say your Pokémon Ranger costume is well made"
"Costume? Oh because I'm so young, but I assure you, I'm official!" He proudly smiled, showing his styler.
"Well, I'll be! Congrats! Oh, but I got distracted, This here is a tablet of Raikou"
"Raikou?"
"Correct! It's the being of Thunder, it was said that long ago a hero of light had faced the darkness with the power of lightning on his side. This is what was left of his legacy, however, it's been difficult to decipher from its ancient language, we've only been able to understand portions of it"
"Wow, I feel like I've heard of Raikou before...But I had no idea it was anything like this!"
"Pretty interesting stuff, huh"
"Yeah! D'you think I could get a closer look?"
"Sure! Just don't touch it, alright?"
"Kay!" Akari began to get closer to it. Something about it felt familiar, but it was probably due to Raikou's land of origin. The Johto region, which is where Akari grew up. "Hey...This hero, could you explain more about him?"
"Of course!" So, long ago there had been a man who had been seen as immortal, however with that immortality, they had become greedy and selfish, using any life if it meant he would move further in the world. Generations had past until there was a boy with a shining aura who had strangely appeared from the sky. Though it's vastly unproven, this was when he set out to gather Pokémon in order to finally defeat them. I believe him to have been the first ever Pokémon Ranger...Well according to the laws of time"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, a few accounts from back then say that the boy had appeared through the assistance of Celebi, and they had been dressed much like the current day Ranger Uniform"
"So the first ranger was someone from the future?"
"Perhaps, or perhaps they're from this timeline. Although they're most like from the future"
"How do you know?"
"Well, a lot of journals claim that the boy had abilities unknown to anyone before his appearance, some say that he was waving his arms before he vanished and appeared elsewhere. Creating blades of a silver light, and being able to see what normally couldn't be seen"
"Are you sure it was a boy?" He asked, slightly nervous.
"I'm positive, back then they were fairly sexist, most women wouldn't ever be known outside of being an assistant or wife."
"I see"
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, uh no reason! You said they were only a kid and not an adult so I got a little worried"
"Worried that it might be you? I'm certain, if there were anything noteworthy on this island, I would know!"
