The escape continues! What awaits Ryoko and Sango on the ship? Will they be able to get to safety?

As for the Best Girl nominations, still going strong. Anyone else left to add?

Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Yes, Guinevere is quite… distinctive.

Tambry96bj: Yup. And it seems like she's heading right to Hulbury.

TREBOR.E: Yeah, it's a pretty compact schedule, not a lot of breathing room.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Looks that way.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 182


Sango and Ryoko peeked out from behind one of the large boxes they were hiding behind in one of the warehouses. The alarm had died down, and it seemed like the shouting and running had ceased.

"What do you think?" Sango asked, glancing back at Ryoko. "Do you think they found Guinevere?"

Ryoko frowned.

"I am not sure," she replied after a paused. "Did you notice… the ship moved slightly?"

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, confused.

"I am not used to boats, so I am quite cautious to anything that might change," Ryoko explained, taking her watch out from below her seat and checked the time. "We have been traveling on a consistent course since the boat left harbor at 11:44 last night. But 34 minutes and 54 seconds ago, the boat turned and moved. While we were searching for a place to hide."

"Turned? To Kanto?" Sango asked.

"No…" Ryoko snuck out from behind the hiding place and looked out at the porthole. "No, we had been traveling south, to route around Galar and move to the west. Before we hid here… the sun was in view of the window, and it was low on the horizon, do you remember? But now it is gone."

"So the sun didn't just move," Sango said. "Rather, we've turned completely around, then."

Ryoko nodded. "Precisely."

"We should stay hiding for a little longer, I think," Sango said. "If we're going back… do you think Guinevere succeeded? If so, then it doesn't matter if we hide a little longer to make sure."

"I agree," Ryoko nodded. She walked over to where Sango and she had been hiding, the two resuming their cover behind the large metallic storage container.

If I still had my styler, or if they hadn't taken my phone… I could have called someone, Sango frowned. Maybe I can go search for it… but if it isn't safe…

Sango took a deep breath. If she kept going like this, they might get out safely… but they might not.

"Actually, I changed my mind," Sango said, rising up to stand, and picking up Silver.

"Oh?"

"It might not be safe for us to go… but we still have to. We can't leave everything up to Guinevere. We don't even know what she's really trying to do, honestly. So let's see if we can track down my cell phone. Then we can call someone."

Ryoko nodded.

"What is a cell phone?"

"Not worth explaining, time traveler," Sango sighed. She wasn't sure if the guy had even kept her phone, or where it would be. She decided that the Captains' Quarters, where she had been searched and her bag had been confiscated in the first place was a good place to start. It hadn't been in the storage area that Guinevere's bag was, and it wasn't in this storage deck, either, at least not where she could see. So she might as well start there. Sango and Ryoko looked both ways before stepping out of the room, heading down the hall. Sango pictured the map of the ship in her mind from where they had gone prior, and began heading towards where she remembered the quarters had been.

It took them a long time of ducking behind doors and creeping through hallways before they finally reached the Captain's Quarters. It didn't help that Sango's memory wasn't perfect, and they had gotten lost and had to backtrack more than a few times. Fortunately, they didn't have any other troubles to deal with. The hallways were surprisingly devoid of Team Rocket grunts. It was almost worrisome.

Still, after only a couple hours of wandering, they managed to find the room that Sango had been escorted out of the night before. There were no guards of any sort, much to Sango and Ryoko's wariness. They glanced at one another, and turned the door handle. Luckily, the room wasn't locked. The two stepped in, and looked around.

Sango frowned. Without the slick haired captain, the room seemed much larger. She looked around, trying to find the bag, as Ryoko walked over to the back of the office, to search by the desk. Sadly, it didn't seem to be just lying around anywhere. It wasn't in the wastebin, either. Sango set Silver down on the desk and walked to the sleeping area, and began digging through the closet. If only she could-

"Is this what you are looking for?" Ryoko called from the other room. Sango leaned out of the closet and walked into the other room. Ryoko was standing behind the desk, holding up Sango's fanny pack. It had been tossed into one of the desk drawers. Sango's eyes widened and she nodded.

Ryoko walked around the desk to Sango to hand it over, but just as they were handing it off, the boat rocked intensely and the two girls were knocked over, the bag falling to the ground and skidding away. Silver's glass cage rolled off the desk and bounced on the floor, rolling across the room and bumping into the far wall.

"What the hell?!" Sango exclaimed, standing up, the boat rocking again and knocking her off of her feet once more as she did.

"Yow!" Ryoko wailed as Sango landed on top of her. "Sango, if you would be so kind as to please get off of me?"

"I can't, I can't even stand with all this rocking!" Sango exclaimed. "What the hell?! Are we being hit by a tidal wave or something?!"

A loud thud sounded from outside, and the boat rocked once more, Sango tumbling off of Ryoko and banging her head against the side of the captain's desk. Dizzy, Sango fumbled on the ground, before a ringing shook her from her fugue. Oh no, she didn't have a concussion, did she? Is that why she kept hearing that… that… weird humming ring?

"Sango, what is that ringing that is coming from your bag?" Ryoko asked.

Eh?

Ryoko could hear the concussion ringing too? No, wait.

It was her phone!

Sango fumbled for her bag, where the muffled ringing was coming from, and withdrew her phone from within it. She slid her finger across the screen, holding it to her ear.

"Hello? What? Who is it? Help me, I'm trapped in-"

"Yoho! What's the what, pretty girl?" A familiar, annoying voice rang out on the other end of the line.

"Marion?!" Sango exclaimed. "Why are you calling me?"

"I've been calling you all morning!" Marion chortled. "Geez, pick up your phone!"

"I didn't have my phone, I was in a jail cell!"

"Oh, that sounds rough. But don't worry! Marion is here for the rescue!"

"You're here?" Sango asked, confused. "What do you mean you're-"

The boat rocked again, Sango clenching the desk to keep her balance.

"Yeah! Just like that, Wailord! Give it another!" Marion's cheering voice could be heard over the phone.

"WAAAIIIL!" A loud bellow came from outside, and the boat rocked again.

"What the hell is going on?!" Sango shouted. When the rocking ceased, she let go of the desk and ran over to the window, looking out over the boat. Beside the boat, massive blue figures could be seen in the water, ramming against the sides of the boat. It was a pod of Wailord, and they were shaking the boat its spot.

"…Marion…" Sango stuttered. "Did you…"

"You're on that boat still, yeah? Don't worry! My Wailord friends and I are here to save the day!"

Insane. Marion Rivers was completely insane. That was a bad thing to think about a girl who had quite very likely taken one too many electroshock therapy treatments to the brain, but it was just where Sango's mind went when she stared at the Wailord pod outside.

"STOP ROCKING THE BOAT DAMN IT!" Sango roared into her phone.

"Yowzers, geez, ya got it!" Marion huffed. "Sides, it was all justta stop the boat from moving! Don't worry, I'm not alone, nopity nope! Petal came along with me! And she brought a whole heap'a rangers with her to round 'em all up!"

Sango's face brightened with joy.

"Then…"

"'At's right, my girl! It's Mission Clear, 100%"

"Awesome! Yes!" Sango cheered, throwing her fist into the air in victory.

"What is it?" Ryoko asked, finally rising to her feet now that the rocking of the ship had stopped.

"The pokemon rangers have stepped in," Sango chortled, turning back to Ryoko with a smile on her face. "They're moving in to arrest the whole lot of them!"

"That is very good," Ryoko said, nodding.

"Oh, no! Silver!" Sango wailed, running over to Silver, who was dizzy from the rolling he had done while in his little glass bubble.

"Castform…" the dizzy Castform coughed out, his eyes spinning.

While Ryoko and Sango were busy in the Captain's Quarters, the real captain of the ship, Guinevere, was observing the events for herself.

The ship has stopped… I can assume the rangers will come here soon… Guinevere paused. That's… bad, right? I am fairly certain. Everyone tells me to avoid the rangers and the authorities… Then I must be off.

Guinevere called back all her other pokemon beside Lancelot, looking out over the water.


Petal strolled over the deck of Team Rocket's freighter, twirling her sword in her hands, looking out over the deep, blue sea. Marion was waving goodbye to all the Wailord, a big smile on her face as she said her goodbyes.

The power of harmonia… It allowed her to turn the very sea to her side… Calling pokemon to her side, pokemon that are wild, untamable… having them to do her bidding, just with a few words…

If a pokemon ranger were to have skills such as those at her disposal… would she even need a styler? Petal asked herself. This is far more than we could ever accomplish on our own…

A scowl crossed Petal's face as she stared at the members of Team Rocket being rounded up and handcuffed on the deck of the ship.

"Have you found that girl yet?" Petal snarled, glaring at Scott, one of the few rangers who she could get angry at, being her direct subordinate. Petal was holding onto her cool by just a hair. She was liable to snap at any moment. Sango had royally screwed everything up. She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and grit her teeth, Ritsu staring worriedly up at her.

"Petal!" Sango's voice struck her ear and Petal's eyes narrowed. Sheathing her sword, she turned toward the source of the voice, glaring at Sango as she ran out onto the deck from the depths of the ship. Sango saw the fury in Petal's eyes, and she froze in her tracks, nearly dropping Silver.

Petal stormed over the deck of the ship towards Sango, the tall girl gulping in fear as anger radiated out of the top ranger.

"L-listen…" Sango said, desperately trying to explain her situation as Petal leered at her. But… there was really no explanation. Her actions were completely wrong, and she was well aware of it. "I… I just…"

"You idiot!" Petal growled, swinging her hand and hitting Sango over the head. Sango winced at the pain, stumbling back slightly. "Idiot… idiot!"

Tears fell from Petal's eyes, and she hugged Sango. "Do you have any idea how stupid of a thing you did?! You foolish girl…!"

"I… I know, I… I'm sorry…" Sango said, shaking her head. "But… but I had… I had to! I had to save them, I…"

"We'll discuss this later." The warmth in Petal's voice had completely burned away, and now her cold fury had returned. "Rest assured… for flouting my orders… you will be punished commensurately. How dare you..."

Petal's eyes widened as she looked past Sango and at the girl walking out of the ship's depths behind her.

Petal pushed Sango aside, and walked past her and towards the lavender haired girl.

"Why hello there," Ryoko said, smiling, bowing her head to Petal and holding up the edges of her dress in a curtsy.

"…You," Petal said, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here for a trip to Galar, of course," Ryoko purred, touching her hand to her cheek and smiling. "But alas, I was captured by Team Rocket! I must thank your ranger Sango. If not for her, I would still be in that cell. Who knows what Team Rocket would have made use of my… abilities to do."

Petal frowned.

"You are aware, are you not?" Ryoko asked. "Of my dear friend Celebi?"

"I've heard stories," Petal slowly replied, nodding.

"Far more than stories, I assure you," Ryoko smiled. "Now then, is there something wrong with my savior? Are you upset with her, that she came all this way to rescue me?"

"…What's that now?" Petal asked.

"Sango and I are quite dear friends," Ryoko replied. "That is why when I was captured, I sent her a message through time, telling her to come rescue me, here and now, to preserve the sanctity of time. How fortuitous that she was able to succeed, will you not agree?"

Petal glanced over her shoulder at Sango, a guilty expression on the girl's face.

"Did you really think I would buy something like this?" Petal asked, narrowing her eyes into a glare at Sango. "You and I both know exactly what the reason you came here for was. So don't even bullshit me about this being for some greater good, saving time nonsense. You came here to get those Wooloo."

"Oh, my," Ryoko purred, smiling. "Does this mean you will object to the results? If Sango had done nothing, then things might be in a far worse state than they are now, would you not agree?"

Petal didn't have a response to that.

Sango watched after her, frowning. She knew that Team Rocket wouldn't have succeeded in getting Ryoko to do much of anything. She was never a real prisoner to begin with. Celebi would have scooped her away before that could have happened.

So she's lying for my sake… so I won't be punished for disobeying Petal.

"Ex-excuse me…" Sango said, her voice trembling. "Actually, I…"

"Sango." Ryoko's sharp voice made Sango pause. "You are now learning a lesson about the greater good, would you not say?"

"Wh-what?"

"Right now, you are at a turning point," Ryoko replied. "In the very worst case, you may never be able to be a Pokemon Ranger after you graduate. I do believe… for the sake of the world, you will accomplish a great many things as a ranger. So I simply cannot allow you to end things here. Would you not agree?"

"That's…"

"I don't know what, exactly, is going on," Petal said, stepping between the two and glaring at Ryoko. "But right now, I'm fine with suspending Sango's punishment. As for you…"

"I have no intention of using my abilities to aid in the Ranger Union, any more than I would use them for Team Rocket," Ryoko replied. "So you must be aware of this fact. No matter what threats you may use, I would rather throw myself into the ocean right now than let my dear Celebi be a pawn to destroy the timelines."

"…Don't worry, I don't have any intentions like that," Petal said. "I'm only interested in keeping you safe. There are a lot of people trying to use you to their own ends. I'm as interested in preserving things as you are."

"Excellent," Ryoko smiled, clapping her hands together. "Then, in the time I still have here, I will be happy to hold a discussion with you. However, as to the matter of my protection… I will have to decline."

"What?"

"You see, I have no ability to remain in one fixed place," Ryoko explained. "I will continue to leap through time. So any protection you would think to grant me is meaningless, for at any moment I will travel through time once again."

Petal clearly did not like that idea, but she didn't have anything much she could say about it. So she settled for scowling at Ryoko instead.

"Fine. Then if you would, I would like to discuss what sort of policy we should have accounting for your presence moving forward. Would that be acceptable?"

"I do believe we can have a discussion on that topic, indeed," Ryoko said, nodding. "I quite look forward to working with you again, Petal Green."

Petal was clearly slightly unnerved at the fact that Ryoko knew her name, but regained her composure like the pro she was. She nodded.

"We have the ship under our control," Petal said, checking a message on her styler. "So we can bring it back to port. I'm surprised, Team Rocket put up much less of a resistance than I had expected."

Petal frowned. While she was happy that Ryoko had been found and the pokemon had been liberated, the rangers had played their hand. Rui's contact would probably be long gone by this point. Their sting, and the mission, was a bust. Petal was sure to catch a lot of flak for it. That wasn't something she was looking forward to. Hopefully being able to arrange an accords with Ryoko would at least let her keep her position as top ranger.

"Sango!" Petal barked, Sango flinching and standing at attention, nearly dropping Silver.

"Y-yes?"

"We're heading out. You damn well better be reflecting on your actions, understood!?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Sango said, nodding.

"Good, then," Petal said, walking past her towards the bow of the ship.

"Oh, wait! Petal!" Sango called out.

"Yeah? What now?" Petal growled.

"Um, when you get to Guinevere, she…"

"Guinevere?"

"Yeah," Sango said, nodding. "The blonde girl. She acts a little oddly, so you should be exceptionally delicate with her. If not, she might-"

"What are you talking about?" Petal asked, confusion on her face. "We searched the entire ship. We didn't find any sign of a blonde girl at all."

Sango's eyes widened with confusion. She glanced at Ryoko, and the girl shrugged.


Lancelot and Guinevere appeared on the beach of Hulbury in a flash of light.

"Thank you, Lancelot," Guinevere said, kissing her pokemon on the cheek. "That was quite a distance to teleport. You can rest for now."

"Gal…" Lancelot panted, nodding, drained of his energy from teleporting all the way from the ship to the distant shore.

Guinevere recalled Lancelot to his pokeball, and deposited it in her bag, retrieving her phone. She found the number she was supposed to contact in her phone. It had been labeled with a star, and identified with the name Rui.

She held her phone up the ear.

"Guinevere? It's about damn time! What the hell have you been doing?! Why haven't you called until now, huh?"

"I was told to call as soon as I arrived in Hulbury. I was not in Hulbury until now, so I couldn't call."

"Whatever! I'll hear you out tomorrow!" Rui shouted. "Right now, the port is teaming with rangers, and I ain't getting caught up in that! I'll wait until tomorrow to come pick you up, alright? So you just wait there until then! Got it?"

Rui hung up on Guinevere.

Guinevere placed her phone into her purse. She turned her head, glancing up and down the beach.

"Right. I'll just… wait here."


So Guinevere made landing in Hulbury! This arc will be concluded in the next chapter! Then, it's back to the Pokemon Academy!