A small girl splashed around in the water close to a beautiful sunny beach. She giggled happily, submerging herself in the waves and then coming up again. She was having so much fun, she didn't hear the screams of the bystanders or see the dark shape and triangle fin moving towards her. The shape then jumped out of the water at her.
First she saw the blood.
And then she felt the pain.
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Kate, Keith and Rhythmi were in their room, preparing for the day's work. Crawford hadn't sabotaged their alarm this time, so they were able to relax a bit as they talked and recalibrated their Stylers.
A faint voice came from downstairs. "Kate, Keith, Rhythmi! Phone for you!" Crawford yelled. Kate answered loudly, "Who is it?"
"It's Barlow! You better come down soon, it sounds urgent!" The afro headed Ranger yelled back. The three kids sighed. "Jeez… Could one of you help me with my hair?" Kate asked, holding her new hair ties.
Keith immediately said, "Not me, I'll just lose all the ties. Anyways, I'm going on ahead!" The spiky-haired boy then ran out the door.
Rhythmi sighed as she took the hair ties from Kate and had her sit down. "Honestly, when it comes to girls that boy is so—" She said, but was quickly cut off by:
"GACK—" Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
…
"…He fell down the stairs?" Kate questioned concernedly. "Again," Rhythmi added, getting started on Kate's hair.
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When the girls walked downstairs, the first thing they saw was Keith sitting on the couch with an ice pack on his head.
Kate was worried. "Keith, you really should watch your step when you go down the stairs…" She murmured, sitting down next to him as Rhythmi went to retrieve the phone.
Keith retorted, "Shut up. I don't have time to watch my step." Kate looked at him to see that he had a notebook in his lap and seemed to be sketching something. She peeked over to see what was. She gasped.
"Wow, Keith, did you draw that?" She admired. The notebook showed an intricate drawing of the old Ranger School, complete with the gates, the forest, Ascension Square and even the School Bidoof running around the courtyard. Keith went red, immediately closing the notebook.
"Yeah, I drew it. So?" He answered, looking away embarrassedly. Kate smiled more. "Well, it's really good!" She complimented.
Keith turned to look at her, blinking. "R-really?" He asked her despite himself. Kate nodded fervently. "It really is! All I can draw is stick figures!" She said animatedly.
Keith blushed more, looking down at his notebook as he opened it to another page. "It's not as if I'm a pro. I just draw for fun." He muttered. Kate peeped over his shoulder to see more drawings as he flipped through them, looking for a blank page. She saw a picture of Chicole Village, one of Partner Farm, and even one that bore an exact resemblance to the view from Lookout Ridge. She gaped.
"I'm not kidding, Keith, you're really, really talented!" She squealed, beaming at him joyfully. Keith sighed, but a smirk was tugging at his lips. Kate continued. "Hey, can you draw people?" She asked.
Keith blinked. "Yeah, I'm not bad at it. Why?" He inquired. Kate said, "Well, could you draw a portrait of me? Just a little one!"
Keith went slightly pink. "Kate, I—" He protested, but Kate wouldn't hear it. She looked up at him with large pale blue eyes.
"Pleeeeeeease?" She asked again.
Keith couldn't say no to her.
"…Fine. I'll get started on it tonight." He sighed, looking away. Kate jumped up. "Yay!" She giggled, spinning around. Keith smiled slightly at seeing the girl's reaction. Just then, Rhythmi emerged from the kitchen.
"Barlow and Hastings tried to go to Pueltown again to hold a meeting about these Gigaremos and research that black stone, but something must have gotten in their way because they just called demanding that us three head down there straightaway." She told Kate and Keith.
Keith nodded. "Alright then, we should get—" He was cut off by Kate snatching up his notebook.
"KATE!" Keith yelled embarrassedly. Kate stuck out her tongue and ran over to Rhythmi. "Rhythmi, look! Look at what Keith drew!" She said, opening the notebook. Rhythmi was confused.
"Wait, look at what?"
"Kate, I swear to Arceus if you show her—"
"Look, look!"
"Wha—! Oh my gosh, Keith! You're really good!"
"NO, I'M NOT! NOW GIVE IT BACK!"
"Aww, Keith's overprotective of his notebook?"
"Rhyth, listen, he said he'd draw a portrait of me later!"
"What? And he just offered this up out of nowhere?"
"No, he—"
"JUST GIVE ME MY NOTEBOOK BACK!"
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After Keith had barged up to his and the girls' room and hidden his precious notebook, the three set out for Pueltown. After about thirty minutes, Kate suddenly got a ring on her Styler.
She flipped it open hurriedly, saying, "Hello?"
"KATE! KEITH! MISERY! WHERE ARE YOU?" Professor Hasting's voice screeched from the voicemail. Keith immediately snickered at Rhythmi's address, whilst the blonde looked down miserably at her feet.
Kate panicked. "I-I'm sorry! We'll be there straightaway, only about ten minutes!" She assured.
"MAKE TIME GO FASTER!" The professor said before the line went dead.
…
"Misery." Keith snickered quietly. Rhythmi punched him.
Ten more minutes (and several loud phone calls) later, the three had arrived in the bustling city of Pueltown. Just then, Kate's Styler rang again.
She groaned and answered it, barely getting out a 'Hello?' before Professor Hasting's voice blared; "WHERE ARE YOU?"
Kate sighed. "We just got into Pueltown and—"
"HEAD NORTH UNTIL YOU REACH THE DRAWBRIDGE! AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT!"
He hung up.
Kate exhaled angrily, shoving her Styler into her belt. "Well, let's get going!" She screamed, walking ahead quickly. Keith and Rhythmi were concerned. "What's with her?" Keith muttered to his blonde friend. Rhythmi sighed.
"You know Kate; she doesn't like having to be rushed." She murmured back. Keith nodded in understanding.
A few minutes later, the group arrived at the north side of town only to be greeted by utter chaos. There was a huge crown in front of the river ahead, and a large drawbridge was up on either side, providing anyone or anything from crossing. The group turned to see Professor Hastings rushing towards them ahead of a slightly exhausted Barlow. "IT'S ABOUT TIME!" He shouted angrily.
Kate's eyebrow twitched, but Keith quickly placed both hands on her shoulders so she didn't tear the Professor to shreds. Rhythmi sweatdropped and said, "Sorry. The path from Vientown to Pueltown isn't exactly short, you know."
Hastings simply grumbled, but Barlow then cut in saying, "We've got a major problem. The key to the drawbridge controls are lost and it's making for a huge traffic jam."
Keith nodded. "Brook's the drawbridge master, right? Where is he?" He asked, but Rhythmi then pointed at the pink-haired man himself, who was trying to calm the angry crowd in front of him. The group sweatdropped.
Brook then noticed them and bounded towards them, obviously relieved for an excuse to leave the position. "Thank Arceus you're here!" He sighed in relief. "The key to the bridge is missing and I don't know what to do. I think it fell out of my pocket back when I went after those Dim Sun people."
…
"YOU DROPPED IT IN THE OCEAN?" Kate, Keith and Rhythmi yelled in unison. Brook sweatdropped. "Yeah, I kinda did… But no fear! I have a friend who's lending me his boat, so all you guys have to do is dive in and retrieve it! I hope you brought your bathing suits!"
Kate was worried. "I didn't bring mine… Rhyth?" Rhythmi shook her head in response. Keith also looked frustrated. Brook laughed and assured, "No worries, no worries! My friend should have some rentals for you to borrow. So let's go!"
Brook bounded ahead excitedly, and Kate followed behind quickly. Rhythmi walked past Keith calmly, murmuring, "You're doomed when you see Kate in her bathing suit. Doooomed."
Keith blushed, but rolled his eyes. "Doomed? Yeah, right."
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He was doomed.
Kate was wearing a very simple one piece black bathing suit that modestly accentuated the little curves she had. Rhythmi had once teased Kate by calling her flat, Kate had simply gone red and protested that she was still developing. Rhythmi, on the other hand, had chosen a blue bikini that showed off her well-endowed body nicely, but just enough to leave a little to the imagination.
Keith, who was dressed in a dark gray bathing suit, stared at Kate with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Kate blinked. "What are you looking at?" She asked. She then looked down, then looked back up, smiling. "Oh, it is a cute bathing suit, isn't it?"
Rhythmi snickered, wrapping her arms around Kate's shoulders from behind and leering at Keith, saying, "I don't think he's admiring the swimsuit, darling. More likely he's trying to admire what's under the swimsuit…"
Keith went red and looked down, but made no comment. Kate blushed also, saying, "Rhythmi, stop it! There's nothing there to admire, anyways…!"
"There's more than you think," Keith blurted out without thinking.
Rhythmi eyed Keith gleefully, her face full of suggestion. Kate's eyes widened and she looked down embarrassedly. Keith simply went even redder, just as shocked by the others at his sudden comment, but then simply walked briskly towards the door.
Outside the house, Barlow, Hastings, and Brook were waiting for the teenagers. When the three exited the building, Barlow said, "Ah, brilliant! You're all changed. Now, chop, chop! Those keys aren't going to find themselves!"
"Mmm," Keith grunted in response, but Kate seemed a little confused. "Barlow, you're not coming with us?" She inquired.
Barlow gulped. "Ah. No. I won't."
"But why not—" Keith started, but he stopped as an evil grin took over his features. "Oh, I get it. You can't swim, can't you?"
…
Barlow lunged for Keith angrily, but missed as Keith jumped into the ocean. "Ha, ha!" The spiky-haired teen laughed triumphantly. "You can't get me while I'm here, can you?" Barlow growled menacingly, but made no move to go after him. Rhythmi exhaled exasperatedly. "Keith, quit fooling around." She yelled. "We need to find the keys, now get in the damn boat!"
Keith stuck out his tongue, but clambered out of the water and into the boat whilst Kate and Rhythmi stayed dry and walked calmly aboard. Once out of the ocean, Keith started shivering violently. Kate looked over at him worriedly. "Keith," She said, "Are you alright?"
"O-o-of c-course I a-a-am—ACHOO!" Keith sneezed. Rhythmi sighed, "Idiot."
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Once out in the middle of the Puel Sea, the first thing Keith did was jump back in the water. "Keith!" Kate shouted angrily, "At least take the Aqua-Breather that Brook gave us!" She then threw a small machine to Keith, who looked at the object doubtfully. "And this thing can really make me breathe underwater?"
"Of course it can. Just trust Brook, OK?" Kate said. Keith rolled his eyes and retorted, "Yes, because that's worked so well for us before." But nevertheless he latched the machine around his mouth and submerged himself underwater. Kate and Rhythmi followed after him. "Good luck!" Brook called as they dove in.
In the water, Kate was proven indeed to be from the beaches of Summerland. She practically flew through the ocean, seeming to be nearly weightless as her feet touched the bottom of the shoals, which was about twenty feet below. Keith followed shortly, not as gracefully as Kate but still without difficulty. Rhythmi, however, simply flailed around, eventually crashing into Keith, who crashed into Kate, creating a domino effect.
"…Oops." Rhythmi grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, oops." Kate and Keith chorused irritably.
After the group had all gotten off each other, they split up to find the keys to the drawbridge. Several minutes passed with no luck, but then Kate saw a small glint in the sand a few yards away. At closer examination, it was revealed to be the drawbridge keys Brook had lost. "Hey! I found them!" She called, swimming towards the shiny object. Keith and Rhythmi followed far behind.
Kate was about five feet away when, as if from nowhere, a Sharpedo burst out from a coral garden nearby. It snarled and snapped its jaws angrily, darting to where the keys were and staring at Kate with suspicious red eyes. "Kate, move away!" Rhythmi cried. "Rhyth's right, Kate, MOVE!" Keith shouted in alarm.
But Kate didn't move. At first her two friends thought she was about to try something brave and noble and, well, Kate-like. That wasn't it, though. Kate's body was frozen in one spot, and she was shivering slightly. Her pale blue eyes were filled with fear—no, not just fear. This was pure terror, like the terror you got when you were about to die. Keith and Rhythmi couldn't fathom why Kate was being this way, though, the Sharpedo didn't even seem that hostile, mostly just wary of the nearby humans.
After a few seconds, however, the Brutal Pokémon settled for simply snapping up the drawbridge keys and shooting off like a cannon into the distance. Keith and Rhythmi swam over to Kate instantly. "Kate, what happened just then? You looked like you were about to collapse." Rhythmi inquired.
At that moment, however, Kate really did collapse.
Keith caught the brunette swiftly. "Kate, are you sick or something?" He asked, alarmed, but was then surprised even more when Kate threw her arms around his shoulders and buried her head in his neck.
Tears flowed out of Kate's eyes, blending with the ocean around them. "Scary… so scary," She sobbed, sounding like a three-year-old. Keith hesitated a moment, but then wrapped his arms protectively around Kate's body. "Ssshhh, Kate, it's OK, the Sharpedo's gone… But what's up with you? You've faced seven feet tall Tangrowth and you barely even flinched!"
Kate's already unsteady breathing hitched slightly at this remark. Rhythmi, however, had seemed to catch on by now. "Kate, did you have some sort of incident with a Sharpedo in the past?" She asked softly.
Kate pulled back slightly from Keith and looked down painfully. Keith's eyes narrowed and he grabbed her chin with one hand, lifting her face so her eyes met his. "Tell us." He demanded, glaring at her.
Kate diverted her eyes for a minute, hesitant, but then reluctantly untangled herself from Keith's grasp and moved towards a large rock wall, keeping her back to her friends.
Then, unexpectedly, she started pulling down her bathing suit.
Keith's eyes widened and he turned away, his face red and muttering something that sounded like, "Ever heard of privacy?", but a moment later Rhythmi screamed, sounding horrified. Keith almost turned, but stopped himself just in time.
"Don't worry, Keith, you can look. I'm not showing anything." Kate's voice assured.
Keith then slowly turned around. Kate's bathing suit was pulled down to her waist, but since her back was to them she wasn't showing anything explicit as she had said. But that wasn't the first thing Keith noticed. No, the fact that Kate's entire upper back was exposed seemed like small potatoes compared to what Keith saw first.
Because on Kate's perfect, ivory back, there was a long pure white scar that stretched from her right shoulder to the bottom left of her upper body.
"When I was eight years old, I was attacked by a Sharpedo." Kate murmured faintly. "And needless to say, it tore me up pretty bad."
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Rhythmi immediately swam to Kate, the drawbridge keys forgotten to her. The blonde went around to the front of Kate, and the brunette clasped her arms around her chest instinctively. "Oh, Kate." Rhythmi said. "Oh, my god. No wonder you'd be scared of Sharpedo from that."
Kate smiled a weak smile at her best girlfriend. Then Keith came closer, putting one hand on Kate's shoulder from behind and using the other to trace the scar gently, just barely making contact with her soft skin.
"…Does it hurt?" He mumbled quietly. Kate kept her smile on and shook her head. "No, it stopped hurting a long, long time ago." She laughed slightly. "I'm not a cripple or anything, far from it, but I am pretty lucky to be alive."
Keith traced the scar again, and when he was finished he laid a hand on her back, in the middle of the scar. He stayed like that for a few seconds, then pulled back, muttering, "Put your swimsuit back on, it's unnerving me."
"Ah!" Kate said, snapped back to reality. Her cheeks flushed red at the fact that Keith, a guy, had just touched her scar, which had been under her clothes. She immediately pulled her bathing suit back up embarrassedly, saying, "Well, we should get looking for the Sharpedo! It swallowed the keys, and it can't have gotten far. Let's go!"
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA." Keith said, extending his arms in front of Kate. "Are you going to be OK with going after it? Y'know, with the whole life-threatening experience you've had?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Yes, Keith, I'm fine. That was just a little episode, nothing to be afraid of." She laughed. "Now come on!"
The pigtailed girl swerved around Keith, swimming away. "Hey, wait up!" Keith yelled, going after her. Rhythmi followed, screaming, "Wait for me! Not everyone's a freaking athlete here!"
A few minutes and a couple of Mantine rides later, the group caught up to the Sharpedo. Seeing them, it sped off in another direction at top speed.
"Great," Keith muttered in exasperation, "NOW what do we do?"
Kate paced the seafloor in deep thought. She walked slowly, saying, "Well, if we all try and cut it off, surrounding it, then me or Keith could—AH!"
Kate then suddenly went flying forward. She crashed into Keith, who crashed into the rock wall behind him. Panting slightly, Kate looked up. "Th-thanks," She gasped, trying to recover from her little ride. "No problem," Keith groaned, his back sore from the wall it had just collided with.
Kate moved back and called, "Rhyth! What was that?"
Rhythmi was examining a hole in a wall that seemed to be exerting a high water current when you looked closely. "Natural water currents," She murmured. "Kate must have walked in front of one, and that was what set her off… Keith, what are you grinning about?"
Keith had an evil smile on his face. "Maybe," he said, "Maybe we can use these to our advantage."
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"THIS IS SO FUN!"
…Screamed Keith as he flew through the water violently, propelled by the currents. Kate went darting after him, calling, "Keith, focus! Rhythmi, coordinates?"
Over Voicemail, Rhythmi relayed, "Sharpedo in question is about ten yards away! It should be in your sights shortly!"
Right on cue, the Rangers turned a corner to see Sharpedo fleeing from them. "This way!" Kate yelled, catching another current towards the key-swallower. Keith started to follow, but was too slow, missed the current, and smashed headfirst into a wall. Kate resisted the urge to laugh.
Finally, she cornered Sharpedo into a dead end. She took her Styler and commenced the Capturing. After a few nasty bites to the line and a whole lot of frustration, the Sharpedo was captured.
Kate cautiously approached the Pokémon. Keith swam up, rubbing his spiky hair awkwardly in pain. "Ow." He muttered. "So you caught it, Kate? Are you OK?"
Kate knew Keith wasn't just asking about her physical well-being, but her emotional stability as well. She smiled. "No, I'm doing fine. But it has the keys…"
Just then, the Sharpedo started coughing violently. After a few seconds of this, it stuck out its tongue miserably to reveal the keys sitting on it. Keith grinned in triumph, but Kate seemed more focused on the long white teeth than their prize. Keith noticed this and assured, "I'll take care of it. Go back to Rhythmi." Kate nodded, sending a relieved smile Keith's way before swimming off to Rhythmi.
Keith watched her turn the corner before turning back to the Sharpedo. He approached it slowly, then extended his arm carefully and plucked the keys out of its mouth. The Sharpedo then snapped its jaws shut and shot around the water happily. Keith smirked, but then his expression became serious. "Hey, Sharpedo. Can I ask you something?"
The Sharpedo slowed to a halt to face Keith. He asked, "Do your kind usually attack little kids in self defense?"
The Sharpedo blinked, then shook its head no.
Keith went on. "Well, do you know any really mean Sharpedo that would attack a kid? Specifically a little brown spiky haired girl from four, maybe five years ago?"
The Pokémon blinked again. Then it looked slightly depressed and nodded, holding up a fin. 'Yes, one.'
Keith scowled. "Well if you ever see it again, give it hell from me. Because no one gets away with hurting little girls like her. Especially her."
The Sharpedo blinked a third time. Then its red eyes leered at Keith in an almost scary resemblance to Rhythmi. Keith growled. "Just go, OK? Jeez."
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"You're back! And you found my keys? Who am I kidding, of course you did!" Said Brook as Kate, Keith and Rhythmi wrapped themselves in towels. "I owe you guys!"
"Big time," Keith agreed, shaking the water out of his spiky hair. Kate flinched at the water droplets that rained down on her. "Can we go back now?" Kate asked. Brook grinned. "You betcha!" He started the boat, and they shot off to land.
When they arrived back, they all jumped out of the boat. Brook turned to Keith. "Now then, my keys?" Keith nodded. "Yeah, they're right—uh, wait, what? Uh…"
He searched his pockets, looking confused. Kate, Rhythmi and Brook froze. "You didn't… lose them, did you?" Rhythmi said, her voice shaky with anger. Keith grinned his trademark goofy grin. "Of course not, they're right here!" He laughed, pulling them out of his pocket. "Jeez, you should've seen your faces!"
Kate and Rhythmi charged him, Kate punching him in the gut and Rhythmi whacking him upside the head.
"OW!" Keith protested, now sitting on the floor. Brook took his keys, sweatdropping. Kate sighed, holding out a hand to help Keith up. Keith took it and stood upright.
"…But really, that terrified look was kinda cute on you." He snickered, a faint red on his face. Kate went scarlet. "Let's just go!" She yelled, doing a 180 and running into the dockhouse to change. Rhythmi followed behind happily.
Keith simply trailed behind them at his own leisure, wondering how Kate could have managed to have her back mauled by a Sharpedo and still become a Ranger, even facing her worst fear again. Then he blinked.
'Oh, yeah,' He thought, 'Because she's Kate.'
And for him, that was more than enough.
