"Run!" Kate yelled. "We'll just make it if we hurry!"

Kate, Keith and Rhythmi were all so excited about the Egg Kate had acquired when the Pachirisu that Mr. Kincaid had tortured had died, they had all started reading Pokémon books in the library in their spare time, ranging from Electric Types to Baby Pokémon to just Eggs.

However, this morning it had just been Kate and Rhythmi, and they had sunk too far into the books to notice the time without being alerted by Keith saying 'The Egg's hatching!' every two seconds or snoring.

"ARE WE LATE?" The two barreled into the room at top speed. The bell had not yet rung, and the duo darted into their seats just as it did. Ms. April came into the room right on cue.

"Ok then, class, today, as planned; we will be diving into the communication between Rangers and Operators." She announced. Kate raised her hand. "Ms. April, Keith isn't here yet." She said worriedly. "Yeah," Rhythmi chimed in.

"Oh… Did he sleep in?" Ms. April said. "That's not like him, though, he was excited for this… Oh well. He's bound to turn up at some point…" She then moved to her desk and took out two Stylers, except these were red and bore a different symbol. She put one on Rhythmi's desk and one on Kate's desk.

"These are actual Ranger Stylers borrowed from the Union," Ms. April explained. "These, unlike your training School Stylers, are equipped with the Voicemail system, which enables Rangers and Operators to communicate via Styler.

"Kate, you go to the other side of the room and press the speaker button on the Styler. Rhythmi, you stay there and do the same." Kate did as she was told and pressed the button. She saw Rhythmi whisper into the Styler, and then she heard Rhythmi's voice from the Styler. She said;

"I'm worried about Keith." Kate looked up at Rhythmi and whispered back; "Me too." Suddenly the door slammed open, knocking Kate over.

Isaac barged up to Ms. April. "The School Stylers are missing!" He said. "They're not in that crate in the basement!" Ms. April's eyes widened. "What? Where could they—hey…" Her eyes narrowed. "What were you doing in the basement?" Isaac sweatdropped. "Anyways, they've probably been stolen!" He looked around the room and turned to Kate, who was lying on the floor with a large bump on her head.

"Where's Keith?" He demanded. "Not here," She muttered against the floor. Isaac turned triumphantly. "I'll bet hedid it! He's always pulling pranks like that!" He accused.

Both Kate and Rhythmi stood up angrily. "Keith would never do something like that!" Kate cried furiously. "Yeah, Keith's our friend!" Rhythmi yelled shrilly. Ms. April sighed. "I don't know, Keith is famous for his pranks…"

Kate and Rhythmi ran out of the room. "We have to find Keith!" Kate said. Rhythmi nodded. "Yeah. You search downstairs, I'll search upstairs." She said. "We've got to find him!" Rhythmi made a beeline for the stairs whilst Kate searched the whole downstairs area. She even checked the library in case he'd fallen asleep and ended up staying the night there without Kate and Rhythmi noticing, but to no avail.

Suddenly her Styler beeped. Kate pressed the speaker button frantically. "Voicemail!" Rhythmi's voice rang out. "Voicemail! I just talked to Janice; she said she saw Keith out in the courtyard!" Kate's breath caught. The courtyard? But that was outside the school! Unless… No. Kate didn't even try to consider the zero possibility of Keith stealing the Stylers.

She ran out of the library and alongside Rhythmi to the courtyard.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Kate and Rhythmisearched the whole courtyard for Keith, looking for any sign. Kate was about to check the library again when she saw a green glint.

She tumbled over the grass to the School Styler that lay in the grass. Her breath caught. "Rhythmi!" Rhythmi came over. "That's a School Styler!" She said, and looked ahead and gasped. "And there are more going out that way!"

They followed the trail of Stylers outside the School, where they saw Keith, holding a man up against a tree angrily.

"KEITH!" Kate and Rhythmi ran up to him. "I caught this guy running out with our Stylers on my way to class!" He said, struggling to keep a hold on the man. No sooner had they found him than did Ms. April and Isaac come down the steps to see.

"You!" Ms. April cried. "You took our precious Stylers!" The man turned his head a smidge; it was difficult moving when you were pressed up against a tree.

"No, no, please don't hurt me, I can explain!" He said. Ms. April relaxed by a fraction. "Keith, release him." She said coolly, though anger was shaking in her voice. Keith withdrew his hand, and the man fell to the ground, causing a Slakoth that just so happened to be perched on a branch above fall out and onto the man.

"AHHHH!" The man yelled. "Get it off, get it off me!" He pleaded, the Slakoth now clawing at his face. "Ha!" Keith broke into peals of laughter. "Serves you right!"

"Keith, don't say that!" Kate cried. Keith froze immediately, suddenly aware that she and Rhythmi were actually there, trying to help him. Kate pulled out her School Styler.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

"CAPTURE ON!" The gray top shot out of the Styler, whizzing around the man's head until it calmed down and climbed back up its tree. The man stood up, panting hard. "Why'd you take our Stylers?" Kate demanded. "I can explain!" The man said again, nervously.

"You see, ever since I was a child I've wanted to be a Ranger, so I went to this School, but I was too cowardly to finish when they told us of all the dangers in the job and quit to become a scientist." He gestured to lab coats he was wearing. "But after a few years, I wanted to try again, so I snuck in and took a Styler, but it all seemed so easy, so I took another one! And more and more, until I had all of them and I ran out! Then this kid spotted me and here I am." He finished lamely. Ms. April stepped forward.

"Greed can overtake u all sometimes," She said, "But you must understand that we at this school take students of all ages, no matter what, so come again in the springtime and enroll, alright?" The man nodded. "Ok, then give us our Stylers." The man handed the huge pile of Stylers to Ms. April. She raised an eyebrow. "All of them?" The man handed over one more. "Thank you. Now please, leave the premises, this is private property."

As Kate, Keith, and Rhythmi watched the man depart, Ms. April went back inside. Isaac stepped forward. "Hey, Keith… Sorry." That was all he said before running off. Kate and Rhythmi started giggling uncontrollably. Keith grinned. "What are you guys laughing about?" He asked. Suddenly Kate stopped laughing and looked straight at Keith. She moved closer to him and…

And then she tried to punch him, which he neatly dodged.

"NEVER—MAKE—ME—WORRY—LIKE—THAT—AGAIN!" She made an attempt to punch him with every word, but missed every time. She stopped her attempts to hurt him, but kept talking.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" She shouted. She was so busy shouting that she didn't notice Rhythmi briskly leave them alone, walking to the school. Keith, not noticing Rhythmi's sudden departure either, stared at Kate, surprised.

"You… Were worried… About me?" He finally asked. Kate stomped the ground and Keith had to suppress a smile; she looked like a child. "Of course I was worried!" She yelled. "You didn't come to class or the library and me and Rhythmi were so worried you'd be expelled because Isaac said you'd stolen the Stylers and so Rhythmi and I searched the entire schoolfor you!"

She took a deep breath. "And now you just ask us what we're laughing ab—" She was cut off by Keith taking her hand quietly.

Now he was the one that spoke. "You're right. I am an idiot." He mumbled. "I should have at least told you guys where I was going, or I should have told Ms. April. Sorry." Kate took in a shaky breath.

"It's OK." She said. "But remember," She squeezed Keith's hand a little.

"You made a promise."

Keith nodded and, with a jolt, realized he still had her hand. He released it, blushing profusely. They both walked back to the courtyard, where Rhythmi was waiting. She sighed. "There is only one thing to do at a time like this." She announced. Kate was confused. "What?" She asked. Rhythmi spread out her arms and yelled,

"GROUP HUG!"