A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter! I figured after how tense the other chapters were that I'd make this one simple and wholesome!
A/N: I really apologize about my chapters being late or otherwise not as lengthy!
Ranger School: Chapter 13
The trio began their way down the hallway and Luana gave the two a pat on the back, a joyful look on her face as she did so.
"Man, am I ever glad that you guys were okay yesterday. Dealing with Kincaid wasn't easy for me…how was it like for you guys?" Luana asked.
"In all honesty, I put on a brave face the entire time and probably even made Kincaid back down a little…but I was actually very afraid. Thankfully Kincaid decided to have me and Kellyn in his office together." Wendy said.
"I think that's a good thing then, especially as Kellyn would've been really freaking out!" Luana said as Kellyn blushingly scratched the back of his head.
"I wouldn't blame Kellyn, after all, Kincaid's not the friendliest guy around." Wendy said as Luana nodded in agreement.
"Yeah…I'm glad that Wendy was around, I may not be the most outspoken person but I admit I wouldn't have said too much." Kellyn said.
"That's okay, there's nothing wrong with that! I'm just glad everything's alright from yesterday. Marcus will be thrilled too, and speaking of him, I'll go and see him now! See you guys later!" Luana said as she bid farewell to her two friends.
"There she goes, as energetic as ever. It's almost comical how much Luana loves to be so happy and bubbly, but yesterday she definitely was freaking out." Wendy said.
"I figured Luana would be frightened compared to how she usually is. It's a shame Kincaid got her so riled up." Kellyn said as Wendy nodded.
"I agree, however, it's a good thing that Luana, Marcus and Mr. Caplan held their ground against Kincaid. At the very least, even though we should be careful around him, what's also an important thing is that Kincaid's plan to scare any of us with that little interrogation didn't work." Wendy said.
After a short while and a little bit of chatting, the duo reached their respective extracurricular classrooms. Wendy bid farewell to Kellyn while he did the same, and once he entered his classroom, he saw that most of the students were already there. Mr. Caplan was chatting with another student and saw Kellyn, waving hello as the student did the same.
The student finished up with Mr. Caplan, and Kellyn approached the instructor. Keith on the other hand, was already on the rock wall, and noticed Kellyn out of the corner of his eye when he entered.
"Hi there Kellyn, I'm glad everything worked out for you guys. Even though Kincaid couldn't prove anything, I was worried that he might have found some kind of loophole. If that happened, then I would have felt horrible if you guys got expelled from the school." Mr. Caplan said in a whisper so that no other students could hear him.
"Thank you for your kind words Mr. Caplan, yesterday was unnerving for all of us, but I'm glad Kincaid wasn't able to pull a fast one." Kellyn said as Mr. Caplan chuckled.
"You got that right, just be careful around Kincaid. I've never liked the vibes from him once he took over. If you're interested, I'll tell you more after class." Mr. Caplan said.
"Understood, I'll definitely like to hear a little more about Kincaid." Kellyn said.
"Sounds good to me, talk to you then!" Mr. Caplan said as Kellyn went over to the rock wall.
Kellyn then began strapping a harness on as Keith came down. While the redhead was enraged deep down, he knew that creating a problem that was essentially resolved would make no sense.
'Remember Keith, Kincaid wasn't able to get rid of Kellyn, though the others would've merely been collateral. Don't start any trouble…at least not now. Plus, Kincaid wouldn't be happy either…I'll just wait…' Keith thought as Kellyn finished attaching his harness.
"Hi there Keith, nice to see you! How's it going?" Kellyn asked.
"I'm doing good, everything alright with you?" Keith asked.
"Yeah, I'm pretty great, thanks for asking! Let's start this rock climbing session!" Kellyn said.
Today, the ends of the ropes were on the ground instead of already being fastened to the top of the rock wall. Mr. Caplan explained that since the students who participated on a regular basis grasped the concept of the importance of rock climbing, so he decided to change things up. The change that the intellectual professor had in mind was to have the students also understand that properly making the grappling hook be in a secure spot is important. Firmly tugging on the grappling hook after it lands in a spot, whether on the rock wall or in the field, is something every Ranger should know. After all, the Pokémon Ranger could get seriously injured, or even killed, if they're not careful.
Kellyn took a few steps back and flung the grappling hook behind his head, making sure no one else was behind him before he did so. After the grappling hook caught on the edge of the rock wall, Kellyn tugged at it firmly, and seeing that it was secure, he looked over at Keith, who just finished as well.
"Nice work Keith, let's get started!" Kellyn said as Keith nodded.
The two began to climb until they reached the top, and then they headed back down again. This continued on for some time, and every so often, Kellyn and Keith would take a break before starting once more.
All the while, Keith's annoyance continued, due to his assumption of Kellyn being a showoff and a know-it-all. Of course, the latter wouldn't know it, nor would any other classmates nearby, as Keith masked his frustration very well.
As time passed, students began to file out, and Keith, not wanting to lose his temper, unstrapped the harness and took down the grappling hook. Afterwards, he said a quick goodbye to Kellyn and left the classroom, noticing Wendy walking into the classroom and standing near the door. Of course, Wendy immediately noticed the shy Student Ranger who was coming down the rock wall.
'Man…she's so into that loser, what does she see in him? If a good looking woman like her wants someone like that, her standards must be really low.' Keith thought as he headed out the door.
Wendy on the other hand couldn't help but conceal a blush appearing on her face as Kellyn made contact with the ground.
'I'm glad I was able to finish my class a bit early today. I always feel extra happy when I see Kellyn…granted, the way I feel about him is strong…but there's nothing wrong if I try to capture his heart slowly and respectfully.' Wendy thought as Kellyn detached the harness and retrieved his grappling hook.
After a short time passed, the last student left the classroom and it was just Mr. Caplan, Kellyn and Wendy. Kellyn came over to Mr. Caplan and the instructor waved him over, with the man doing the same as he spotted Wendy. Kellyn turned around and gave his usual friendly greeting to Wendy while she did the same.
"Hi there Wendy, good to see you!" Mr. Caplan said.
"Good to see you Mr. Caplan! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Wendy asked as both men shook their heads.
"No, Mr. Caplan was just about to tell us about Kincaid." Kellyn said.
"Correct, but since we do need to watch ourselves around Kincaid, let's go into my office where it's private!" Mr. Caplan said as the two followed him.
The inside of Mr. Caplan's office was well-lit and simple. A sturdy metal desk was in the center and there were three comfy chairs, with one being behind the desk where Mr. Caplan would sit. On the table had a few miniature Pokémon plushies on top, consisting of Squirtle, Bayleef and Eevee. At the upper left of the room was a simple filing cabinet with a Blastoise plush on top.
Kellyn couldn't help but smile a little as he saw how joyful the office was. It certainly didn't have the bad energy – or the smell of hair spray that Kincaid's office had. There was also a medium sized picture frame right by the plushies which showed Mr. Caplan and a young boy that looked just like him. Noticing Kellyn's quick glance, Mr. Caplan gave a smile as he picked up the photo frame.
"This is my son, Gerald, he's a Pokémon behavioral analyst in Hoenn. He visits from time to time and we always catch up." Mr. Caplan said.
"It's nice that you have a son who loves you like that, I certainly can see the love you two have for one another just by that photo!" Kellyn said.
"It really is nice to see that; he looks just like you!" Wendy said as Mr. Caplan smiled.
"Thank you guys, I have to do my best for him, especially as I'm a single father. People always tell me to find another woman, or to simply let my kid be on his own…but I can't do that. I wouldn't trade my son for anything. He would be so displeased when I tell him about how the Ranger School is being operated now." Mr. Caplan said.
"I can understand that, it was hard for my mother to cope for years as she's also a single mother. A lot of people usually say we're too close…but she is my only family. Ah…sorry, I got you distracted, Mr. Caplan." Kellyn said.
"It's not a problem, so, I'll tell you both about Kincaid. Of course, pass this along to Marcus and Luana when you can." Mr. Caplan said as the two nodded.
"Alright, so here's where it all started…Principal Lamont officially took off at the beginning of the semester. Before he left, he appointed Kincaid to be the principal until his return, which would…hopefully be at the end of the semester. That'll be a bit over three months so we'll have to put up with Kincaid. Now, I was telling Kellyn earlier I didn't like the vibes I got from Kincaid once he took over. The reason for that is because of the role we played in getting Pokémon back in the Ranger School like they should be. The day after Kincaid took over…all the Pokémon were gone." Mr. Caplan said.
"But…why would he have those Pokémon removed?" Wendy asked.
"Because with Kincaid…it's all about control. Wendy…I'll put it this way, I had to walk into one of his classes when he used to teach Pokémon Behavior, as he had borrowed a few classroom materials from me. When I entered, I saw him berating a student for something as simple as the way the student had his shoes tied. I managed to console the student and calm Kincaid down. I felt horrible for the student but when I brought the issue up to Principal Lamont, I was told that Kincaid went through a lot of trauma in his younger days. The next day, Kincaid came to me and informed me that he apologized to the student for his behavior. Of course now, I suspect he told me that because Kincaid felt like he would've become the temporary principal." Mr. Caplan said.
"Is there anything we can do to stop Kincaid?" Kellyn asked.
"In all honesty, Kellyn and Wendy, with that little scare tactic he tried doing…I would say that the best thing to do is not only be careful around him. But…always be on guard…no matter how nice he'll try being, it's just a ploy." Mr. Caplan said.