"Iyori, please try to understand," Lunick began. "There's only so much I can do in a professional setting."
"You said you would protect me. You promised!"
Lunick sighed heavily. After Lind had tracked him down to tell him that Iyori would not listen to reason, he had spent the remainder of the evening in the Ringtown Ranger Base trying to get her to understand that she couldn't just follow him around everywhere and had to accept help from the other rangers. But Iyori was persistent. She was fixed in her ways and convinced that Lunick was the only one in the world who she could trust to keep her safe.
"Yes, Iyori, I did promise to keep you safe. But I didn't say I was the only one who could do that. We have a team here whose livelihood is to keep civilians like you safe from harm. I'm not the only ranger here who can help you."
"But you saved me?"
"Correct. But you're actually limiting your support system by restricting yourself only to me. There's so much more available to you."
"You said you would protect me. You saved me. Only Lunick-san can keep me safe. Nobody else can protect me the way you do."
Lunick pinched the spot on his nose between his eyes.
The doors to the base's elevator slid open and Solana stepped outside. She walked into the kitchenette and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.
"Any luck, honey?"
"Nope." Lunick sighed.
Solana walked over to him and gently rubbed him on his back.
Iyori shook her head.
"I do not understand why you won't help me."
"I'm not saying that I don't want to help you, Iyori. You're just not taking the kind of help that is offered to you."
"You said you would keep me safe."
"I did," Lunick lowered his hand and reopened his eyes, "And I meant it. But I wasn't implying that I would be the only one helping you."
"I do not understand."
Again Lunick sighed.
"Iyori, my boss sat down with you yesterday and laid out for you all the resources readily available to you. You declined to accept help from relief services. You refused to stay in the temporary housing provided by the Tri-Region Coalition. You won't even talk to the Safeguard Brigade, who specializes in helping survivors of natural disasters and tragedies or any of the counselors we've provided for you. You are kinda tying our hands with how much we can help you."
Iyori frowned. "All those people want to know my personal business. If they truly want to help me, why do they require to know so much about my private life?"
"It's their job, Iyori. They have to assess how dire your situation is. Our word alone won't be enough to give you the security you need."
Iyori crossed her arms.
"Too much scrutiny. I do not trust them. You are all I need. You've proven that. You protect me. You saved me."
Lunick groaned as he let his head fall on the table.
Solana hated to see Lunick so stressed. But she wasn't sure what else she could do to help. Lunick was Iyori's hero and savior and no amount of talking was going to convince her that anyone else could care for her like Lunick.
"Solana. Lunick. Come here. please," Spenser called from the lobby.
"Yes, Leader," they both answered simultaneously.
Solana and Plusle started for the other room as Lunick stood up.
"I gotta see what my Leader wants. Stay here, Iyori," Lunick said as he and Minun went to join Solana.
Despite Lunick's order, Iyori got up from the table and followed behind him.
Murph was sitting down at one of the desks doing some paperwork.
Spenser stood up from his desk.
"We've got a report of an unusual sighting and disturbance in the Panula Cave. An unidentified Pokémon has been spotted intimidating the cave's pokémon. I need you both to go and investigate."
"No!" Iyori screamed. She grabbed onto Lunick's right arm and held it tightly. "You cannot leave me here! That man would surely find me!"
Lunick and Solana both cringed.
"Uh…Iyori, I have to go. This is my job."
"But you can get hurt! You would be putting yourself in danger. And you would be putting me in danger!"
"Iyori, I understand you're scared – "
"Please! Do not leave me!"
Solana rested her hand on Lunick's left shoulder.
"It's okay, Lunick. I can tackle this mission on my own."
"I'd rather you not do that, Solana," Spenser interjected. "The Panula Cave is very unstable, as you already know. I'm not going to put any of you in any more danger than I've already had in the past. We've already had one serious accident too many."
"Leader, that was three years ago. I'm not nearly as hard-nosed or headstrong as I was back then."
"Still, there is no ignoring the danger in traversing the Panula Cave. I am not sending you in alone, Solana. If need be, I'll call in another team to do the mission."
"But I can do this, Leader."
Lunick spun around. "Iyori, you're hindering me from doing my job. I have a responsibility to Fiore to protect the inhabitants of this region and make sure it's safe."
"Wait a minute," Solana turned around, "Murph, why don't you come along with me?"
Murph's pencil snapped.
"Huh?" he cried nervously.
"Yeah. That way Leader wouldn't have to worry about me going alone and we can survey the area and check on the Panula Cave pokémon." She turned back around to face Spenser. "What do you say, Leader?"
Spenser looked past Solana and at Murph. He looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Murph, do you feel up to that? I know you've not had much experience in the field. Quite frankly, the few times I've sent you out you were terribly spooked."
Murph bit his lower lip and stood up.
"I mean…I…it is a little intimidating. I would like to do something more than changing light bulbs and checking inventory…but…I-I don't know if I'm good enough. I don't want to hold you back, Solana."
"Nonsense. We're teammates, Murph. Tell you what, I'll work environmental control and make sure nothing scares you too badly. That way, you only need to focus on keeping me company." She turned around to face Spenser. "What if we used our super suits? I know the Union is still working on upgrading them but they've already passed the preliminary experimental stage?"
Spenser crossed his arms. "That's true but there are still a few bugs to work out. It's true they're not as dangerous as they were when you first started to use them but they still carry risks. Are you sure you feel they're necessary for this mission?"
"Well, I mean, I know it's just standard recon but you never know what we'll face out there. It's always best to be safe and since the super suits are armor-oriented, I figured it couldn't hurt to have them with us, especially to give Murph some extra security."
Spenser nodded. "Alright, Solana. You and Murph have permission to use the super suits. But you are only to activate them as necessary."
"Understood, Leader."
Murph was worried. "But I don't want to give you all the work, Solana?"
"You won't be. Trust me, Murph. I'll make sure we come back to the base safe and sound."
Murph pondered on what she said for a few seconds before answering.
"Alright. It has been a while since we went on a mission together. And truth be told, I'd really like to get out of this base more often."
"Great," Solana turned back around to face Spenser, "Does this mean we're cleared to go, Leader?"
Spenser unfolded his arms and walked back around his desk.
"If you feel confident, Murph, you and Solana can go investigate the Panula Cave. But you two please don't do anything reckless. As you said Solana, you are a team. No need to go rushing into anything without thought. You must consider each other's wellbeing."
"Of course," Solana replied. She walked over to Lunick and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hopefully I won't be gone long. Your house when I get back?"
"Sure," Lunick said dejectedly.
Solana cupped his face, then gave him another kiss on the forehead. She grabbed her pack from one of the tables and then started for the base's entrance.
"Come on, Murph. Let's see what's going on."
Murph turned to his Area Leader. "My paperwork?"
"You can finish it when you return. If it's too late, first thing tomorrow morning after briefing."
"Yes, Sir." Murph walked over to the table he was working on and grabbed his pack. "See you later, Lunick."
Lunick pressed his lips firmly together and nodded.
Turning back around, Murph went into the storage room to grab his super suit, then exited out the base's double doors with his Slowking to meet up with Solana.
Iyori tugged on Lunick's arm and placed her head on his right shoulder.
Lunick glanced down at her for a moment, then looked at the sun necklace that hung around his neck before giving an exasperated sigh.
The ice-encrusted cave was home to many ice-type and cavern-dwelling pokémon. But the frozen grotto was strangely quiet when Solana and Murph entered. They barely saw any pokémon while they scoured the arctic subterrane, only hearing a few scurrying pitter-patters and some icicles falling from the ceiling and hitting the cave's floor. It had been years since the Panula Cave was in such a state.
"I don't think I remember this place being so eerily vacant before," Murph said as he and his Slowking trailed being Solana and Plusle.
Solana pressed a few buttons on her styler.
"It has been a while since the Panula Cave's pokémon were so unnerved. It must have something to do with that unidentified pokémon that was reported near here."
"Think it's a predator?"
"Maybe to most of the pokémon here but not all. It wouldn't frighten the Mamoswine, Golem, or Steelix. Yet, none of them so far appear to be here."
"Maybe it's a Legendary?"
"Legendaries don't intimidate pokémon, Murph. They're guardians."
"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean the pokémon won't fear them."
A holographic scanner shot out from Solana's styler and it began analyzing the wall she was pointing it at.
"The thermographic camera is showing images of infrared radiation deeper in the cave. The Panula pokémon are still here. They're just hiding."
"They're afraid."
Solana put up her styler. "At least we know there are no mechanical devices causing any disturbance since the Go-Rock's Squad's Gigamero towers were razed and destroyed after the Shadow Pokémon insurgence. That means the cause is entirely environmental."
Murph took out his styler and pressed a few buttons.
"I sure hope all the pokémon are okay. Scanners show that the internal temperature of the cave has decreased by 13 degrees."
"Well, that's why we're here," Solana looked to her right shoulder. "Stay alert, Plusle."
"Pla Plah!"
Solana and Murph continued to tiptoe through the deeper levels of the Panula Cave until they came upon a rather large nook in the back end of the cave.
Stepping inside, Solana and Murph saw a family of Cubchoo and Beartic huddled together.
"They're shaking," Murph observed.
Solana walked up to the group of pokémon and knelt down on the ground. They cowered in fear.
"It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." She said gently. "I'm here to help try and figure out what's got you all so frightened.
Plusle hopped off of Solana's shoulder and approached them.
"Plah Pla! Pla Plah Pla!" she said cheerily.
The Beartric all looked at each other, wondering if they could truly trust the blue-haired human.
The smallest Cubchoo waddled away from its mother and stumbled forward towards Plusle. Plusle was just a hair taller than the young pokémon and caught her when she fell over.
"Pla Pla?"
Solana walked over to Plusle and knelt back down.
"Pla Plah Plah. Pla Pla?"
Gently, Solana took the young cub pokémon from Plusle. As Solana looked over the pokémon she noticed that there was no mucus pooling out of its nose. Cradling the Cubchoo in her left arm, Solana reached into her pack with her right arm and pulled out a latex glove. She then began to lightly touch around the Cubchoo's mouth and nose once she put it on.
She frowned.
"Its nose isn't running," she said, "It isn't sticky under its nose or anything. It's ill."
She put her hand to its forehead. "And it has a fever too. It's burning up."
Noticing an etching on the wall, Slowking alerted his human.
"Slowking. Slowking."
"What is it, pal?"
He pointed to the wall. "Slowking. Slowking Slow."
Murph looked over the niche. "Hey, Solana? You may want to take a look at this."
Still holding the Cubchoo, she walked over to Murph.
"Do we have any potions on us or anything? I'm not sure this little one is well enough to just leave here," she said as she looked up. There were several red claw markings chiseled across the wall.
"Is that…blood?" Solana asked as she squinted her eyes at the markings.
"I have no idea," Murph said worriedly, "It looks like there's some heat markings around it, almost as if the wall was charred. But that's impossible. Not only is this entire cavern made of ice but there are no fire pokémon within miles of here. The way it's scarred, it's almost as if someone took a hot iron and pressed it against the cavern wall."
"Or a pokémon with sharp claws on fire slashed at it until it left these marks." Solana replied as she handed Murph the baby Cubchoo and started collecting samples.
"But pokémon don't just attack walls? And there are no fire-type pokémon around here. How could this kind of damage take place?"
"Remember the pokémon that was spotted here was unidentified. We don't know what type it was. But whatever pokémon caused these markings, they weren't trying to sharpen their claws. They were trying to do more than make another pokémon faint." Solana put the sample tools away back in her pack and started using her styler to analyze the wall again.
"This is definitely trace evidence of blood," Solana said as her styler continued its scan.
Murph quickly put his hand to his mouth.
"Urg…I think I'm gonna be sick."
Suddenly, the ground starting shaking violently. The Beartic and Cubcho started to cry and wail.
"What's happening?!" Murph cried. "Earthquake?!"
The area abruptly became hot. A cloud of fire suddenly erupted down the hallway and billowed into the room.
"Murph, get down!" Solana screamed.
As quickly as she said that she ran in front of her friend and emitted a large light blue shield from her super suit, protecting herself, Murph, and the surrounding pokémon from the nebulous inferno.
"Solana!"
"Plah Pla!"
Solana grunted as she fought to keep her shield up. The power of the explosion was pushing her back and making it difficult for her to focus to maintain her shield.
Murph looked down to his pokémon. "Slowking, use Psychic and help Solana out!"
"Slowking!"
Slowking's eyes glowed purple and his body outlined in purple energy as he tried to control the fiery blast.
"Murph, cover the pokémon and get out of here!" Solana cried as she was pushed further back.
Murph shook his head resolutely. "No way, Solana! We agreed we'd stay together. I'm not leaving you!"
Glancing at him briefly with one eye, Solana screamed as she tried to push back the flame with her shield.
The blue force field transformed from a large orb to a solid wall, blocking the flames from entering the small alcove.
"Come on!" Solana cried as she grabbed Murph's hand and sprinted down further into the cave. The Beartic and Cubchoo followed behind them.
Solana ordered all the Beartic to use Hyper Beam at the back end of the cave. They obediently complied as Solana's barrier started to break.
The combined force of the Hyper Beams penetrated the cave's back wall and they all quickly ran out. No sooner after they ran to the side did Solana's shield finally break and the fire exploded through the back wall in long streams of flames.
Breathing heavily, Solana and Murph watched the flames shoot out until the ice melted into a surf of water and the flames were finally extinguished.
Murph slumped down on the ground.
"What in the world was that?!" he cried. "Where did that explosion even come from?"
Solana put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes.
"I…I don't know. But one thing's for sure. These pokémon are no longer safe here…I'm gonna call Wintown and have them set up a reserve for them. We better get back and report this to Spenser. He needs to know what just happened."
"Come on, Leilani. You gotta give us more than that?"
Leilani took a long drag on her ice tea.
"Sorry, Lisa. Private shoot. No spoilers."
All day she had been getting pestered by Lisa and Summerland's other female rangers about the photo shoot she had with Victorian Starsi. While Leilani did enjoy the extra attention, she had signed a nondisclosure agreement before they began taking pictures, so that nothing that they covered in the photo shoot would be leaked to the public. Leilani had major respect for the fashion maven and she was not about to risk any future contract she might have working with the editor-in-chief just because her fellow coworkers were gellin'. And Leilani, being the fashionista that she was, was itching to get in some more of the designer fabric. If she played her cards right, she might be able to buy some of those clothes for herself at a discounted price.
The redhead crossed her arms. "That's not fair, Leilani. You get to take off and model for Victorian Starsi while the rest of us are stuck here doing missions and you don't even have the courtesy to tell what's hot and what's not?"
"Hey, it's not my call. I signed a nondisclosure agreement. I can't spill. It isn't my fault Starsi picked me and Solana at the mall. You guys should have been there."
"Oh, right. Like I was really going to give up my one day off and not spend the day with Nick. We haven't seen each other in months!"
"That's because he moved to Johto and yah'll decided you were going to try to make this long distance thing work. Don't be trying to make me feel guilty just because yah'll ain't smacking lips like you used to. You both made that decision."
Lisa scowled and stood up.
"Whatever. I'm just saying it's not right to hide all that information from us, especially since you know eastern pokémon migration season is coming up. How am I supposed to make eloquent captures if I don't know what's in and what's out? What am I supposed to wear?"
"How about your uniform?" Leilani said dryly with a raised eyebrow.
Lisa made a rude sound. "Whateves. When you decide to be less selfish, you know where to find me."
And with that, she left the room.
Leilani rolled her eyes.
"You sure it was a good idea to leave her storming off like that?" Percy asked as he took his bento box out of the fridge. "You might find yourself going to the bathroom a lot this evening."
"Pfft. Please. Lisa has got to be one of the vainest people I've ever met. She's almost on Aria's tier. I wish that girl would put a laxative in my water. She don't know who she's messin' with."
Percy sat down beside Leilani. "How did the photo shoot go by the way?"
Leilani sucked her teeth. "I'm so tired of people asking me that. I signed a nondisclosure. I can't say anything. Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?"
Percy gave her a funny look. He poked on her her shoulder and she recoiled back.
"What was that for?"
"Sorry. I had to see if you were really you."
"What?"
"Not a big deal? Just a few weeks ago we couldn't get you to sit down for two seconds, you were that revved up about modeling. And now you're saying it's not a big deal?"
Leilani picked up her drink for another sip.
"Well, yeah, initially I was super hyper about it but after a couple days and actually doing the photo shoot, the excitement isn't so high. I was just star struck. And that was a great opportunity for me. Still, it's nothing to get all fussy about anymore."
"So, what happened there that changed your mind?"
Leilani sucked her teeth again.
"Is anybody listening to a single word that is coming out of my mouth? I can't talk about the photo shoot."
It was Percy's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not asking about the photo shoot. I'm asking how it went. Performance-wise. Did everything turn out okay? Did you guys feel good afterwards? That sort of thing."
"Oh. Well, in that case, it was great. It's a good message we're sending to our generation and we totally rocked it."
"Did you just say 'our generation'?"
Leilani sighed. "Yeah. I've been spending too much time watching late night television."
Percy chuckled.
Cameron stepped into the kitchenette.
"Leilani, you have a visitor."
"Yes, Leader."
"And when you're done, I have an assignment for you. You too Percy. Finish up you snack, then meet me in the lobby.
"Yes, Leader," they both answered in unison.
Getting up from the table, Leilani entered the base's lobby to see who was visiting her. Her mouth dropped when she saw Alejandro.
"Hey, Leilani!" he said cheerily.
Leilani quickly ran to him and started pushing him outside.
"Hey now. Is that anyway to greet someone?" he asked when they finally reached outside.
Leilani threw her hands up. "Alejandro, what are you doing here?! You can't just show up to my job unannounced!"
"Well, I remember you saying that Summerland was your home base, so I figured I'd stop by and check and see what you were up to."
Leilani grasped her forehead.
"Alejandro, though I appreciate your concern, you really can't just show up here like that. Especially without calling first."
"Why not?"
"Because this is my workplace. People are constantly coming in, asking rangers for help & assistance. It gets very busy here and my Area Leader doesn't like it when folks show up during business hours to do things with us rangers that we could and should do on our own personal time."
Alejandro looked behind her.
"It doesn't look too busy to me."
Leilani sighed in annoyance.
"Look, Alejandro, I'd be happy to talk with you once my shift is over but I am currently on-the-clock. I can get called on a mission at any time and I need to be prepared to help Summerland citizens when it happens."
Alejandro smiled.
"Oh, that's so noble of you."
"Noble? It's my job! And you're cutting into it!"
He held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I don't wanna stop you from doing what you do. It's one of the things I admire about you. I just wanted to invite you out this evening to the stadium. There's a tournament going on between the regional Champions of the world and I got two tickets right in the box."
Leilani's eyes went wide. "For real's?"
Smiling smugly, Alejandro held up two blue tickets in his right hand.
"Sweet!" Leilani exclaimed. She quickly covered her mouth and regained her composure. "But you could have waited until after I got off to tell me that."
He shrugged. "Eh, I wanted to give you the good news."
"Leilani!"
Leilani looked back and saw Cameron standing behind the open double doors.
"I'll be right there, Leader."
Cameron turned around and the automatic doors slid closed.
Leilani turned back to face Alejandro.
"Look, I gotta go. I'm about to be called on a mission."
"Can I go with?"
"I don't think that's a good idea. Civilians are not supposed to be involved in missions unless they are guiding us or the ones who need rescuing."
"I can just watch from the side?"
"Alejandro, please."
He pouted. "Fine. What time should I pick you up?
"I get off at seven."
"But the tournament starts at eight! We gotta leave by 6:30 at the latest if we wanna get there on time."
Leilani crossed her arms. "I get off at seven."
"But we'll miss the performance by this year's Pokémon Contest Ribbon Cup winner!"
"…I get off…at seven."
Alejandro exhaled in annoyance.
"Fine. I guess we'll miss it." He turned around and started for his motorcycle.
Leilani watched him go until he was out of her sight.
Shaking her head, she turned around and went inside to hear what assignment her Leader had for her.
Solana sighed as she pressed the doorbell to Lunick's house. It had been an exhausting day after her mission with Murph in the Panula Cave. She had no idea just how tired she was until she actually got back to the base. The super suit still drained a lot of her energy. True, a lot of the major bugs had been fixed, but the suits still required complete focus and concentration to operate. The mind power and mental prowess required alone to execute a command was still enormous. Solana putting up her shield to deflect the explosion of the fire and then molding it into a protective barrier so that they could escape sapped most of her strength. She actually had to be looked after by the base's Nurse Practitioner and have her vitals taken because she had spent so much of her energy. She was given ibuprofen to take for her tension headache. Murph and Spenser were both concerned but the NP assured them that Solana would be fine.
After getting checked out by the NP, Solana phoned Wintown and told Shauna about what had happened back at the Panula Cave and that the pokémon who lived there needed to be evacuated. A squad was dispatched to treat and relocate the pokémon to Wintown's nature reserve. The Cubchoo who they found earlier was put in isolation and a special vet was called to look after the pokémon so that it wouldn't have to be separated from its mother in a pokémon hospital.
Lunick was not anywhere to be seen when Solana returned and she was told that he was sent home a few minutes before she had arrived back with Murph. Solana knew he was really stressed from earlier that day and she told herself she would do all she could to lift his spirits. She hated to see him so exasperated. It was so unlike her boyfriend's happy-go-lucky, relaxed attitude that it was scary to see him like that at times.
The doorknob turned and the door was pulled inward. Lunick was wearing a white vest and his Ringtown uniform shorts. His sun necklace rested right in the center of his chest.
He smiled instantly once he saw Solana at the door.
"Hey, Babe," he greeted cheerfully as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. He stepped aside and allowed her and Pluse to come in. "How was the mission?"
"Exhausting," she said as she rested down her pack by the front door. Plusle hopped down from Solana's shoulder and she and Minun greeted each other. "We had to relocate all the Panula pokémon because of the explosion."
"There was an explosion?" Lunick helped Solana take off her uniform jacket. "Are you hurt?"
"No, just extremely worn out." She replied as she took off her shoes, leaving on her white socks. "I have no idea what caused it but we were lucky to escape. It's a good thing Spenser allowed us to take the super suits."
"S'ha," Lunick breathed out. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm just glad you're safe. I don't know what I'd do without my 'Lana."
He gave her another quick kiss.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Letting her go, Lunick started for his kitchen.
"You hungry? I just finished making some cucumber sandwiches."
"Cucumber sandwiches? Okay, who are you and what have you done with Lunick."
Lunick chuckled. "What? I can't make something light and froufrou?"
"Not unless you deep fry it in vegetable oil first." Solana said as she started for his living room.
"What can I say? Watching all those cooking shows really inspired me to be more creative with the presentation of my meals. Plus, I know how you are about carbs and what you call 'fattening foods' so I had to figure out something you would eat."
Solana stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a blonde-haired girl sitting in Lunick's living room. She looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled and waved at Solana.
"Konbanwa!" Good Evening!
Solana didn't even blink.
"Lunick!" she shouted as she stormed into the kitchen. He was holding a platter of heart and star-shaped cucumber sandwiches.
"Yes, Babe?"
Solana grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly pushed him in the hallway.
"Ow! Rude much?"
Solana pointed in the other room. "What is she doing here?!"
Lunick peeked into the other room and saw Iyori reading through Trainers magazine.
He turned back around to Solana. "I couldn't get her to give the temporary housing a chance. She won't go to a hotel, so I told her she could come home with me and we'd figure out something together."
Solana's eyes widened. "You did what?! Lunick, what the heck is wrong with you?!"
Lunick closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes slightly at Solana. He walked into his living room and set the plate on the round table in the center.
"Here, Iyori. I made some sandwiches."
"Dōmo arigatō." Thank you very much.
"Dōitashimashite. Did you find anything you like?" You're welcome.
"Nothing yet."
"Keep searching. Don't worry, we'll find something."
Iyori nodded.
Lunick turned around and walked passed Solana into his kitchen.
Solana followed behind him.
"Lunick, what the hell are you thinking?!"
Lunick took out some carrots from his fridge and began scraping off the outer layer with a cutting knife.
"Oh, gee. I don't know. There's a vulnerable terrified young girl following me around everywhere. I took pity on her and brought her here so that she'd know she wasn't alone and that she was safe. I'm such a terrible person for wanting to show some compassion to an arson survivor."
Solana approached him.
"What you're doing goes far past compassion. Do you realize how emotionally involved you are getting with this case? You're forming an attachment with her. You are allowing your feelings to cloud your professional judgment."
"What would you have me do? I couldn't just abandon her? That'll show her that I don't care."
"No, that'll show her that you have boundaries that she needs to respect." Solana retorted.
Lunick put down the knife and sighed. "Solana, I know this is making you uncomfortable but Iyori's very fragile right now. She's not thinking straight and I'm a little worried about what will happen if I just leave her on her own."
Solana's features softened.
"You think she'll kill herself?"
"I don't know what she'll do. That's why I'm so concerned. She's super frail right now and so far, I'm the only one she trusts. I've just got to figure out a way for her to feel safe without me being around all the time." He started chopping the carrots, "I knew about halfway through our discussion earlier there was no changing her mind. She's not just being a stubborn Tauros. She's traumatized and extremely paranoid. I just want her to feel secure. The mere thought of me not being around sends her into panic attacks and coughing fits."
"Lunick, I understand that you feel bad for this girl but we're not superheroes. There's a reason we're not supposed to get personally involved with our missions. Finding Iyori shelter, keeping her safe. That's not our job. That's for the people we referred her to."
"But she's not taking advantage of those resources, Solana. She's not accepting help from anyone other than me. And it's just not in me to turn away from her when she needs help. I took an oath to defend the citizens and pokémon of this region with my life when I became a ranger and I meant every word of it. I can't just leave Iyori in her darkest hour. That's when bad things happen."
Solana watched him continue to chop the carrots until they were practically shredded, they were so fine. She walked over and placed her hands on top of his to get him to stop.
"Lunick," she said softly, "You don't have to keep explaining that. I know your heart. But there is a reason we hand these cases over to another department when we don't get through. Spenser is not going to be happy with you that you've taken such an interest in Iyori."
"Leader doesn't have to know."
"Lunick, you can't possibly –"
"I'm not gonna just leave her, Solana. Iyori trusts me to keep her safe. And I fully intend on keeping my promise, no matter how inconvenient it may be to me."
Solana looked him in his eyes and rested her hands on his chest.
"She's not going to want to stay anywhere else, Lunick. She wants to remain close to you. And I don't think letting her stay here with you is very wise. Not to mention it's a huge insult to me."
"Her staying here is an absolute last resort. And if it came to that, I would for sure not be living here with her."
"So then, where will you go?"
"I'll cross that bridge if we ever get there. But for right now, I just need to find somewhere close by where she will have access to me without interrupting my work."
Solana looked up to the ceiling in thought, then looked back at Lunick.
"What if she stayed at the base?"
"Uh, Solana? I'm trying to avoid being caught by Spenser. We can't let civilians stay at the base. There's no way she can sleep there."
"But she could if she worked there."
Lunick gave her a funny look. "Are you actually saying you want Iyori to sign up to become a ranger? Have you lost your mind?"
Solana stepped back. "No, not a ranger. Only employees can stay at the ranger bases, right? If Iyori got a job at the base, say as a receptionist, she'd be allowed to sleep there just like anybody else."
"Iyori doesn't trust anyone, Solana. How are we gonna get her to even step foot into the base without me there, let alone work as phone clerk and operator for the entire base?"
"Murph told me Professor Hastings has been looking for a new assistant. The way I see it, this is a way for her to feel safe and secure, interact with you, and it'll keep her busy enough that she doesn't interfere with our work or personal life."
Lunick pursed his lips. "Mmm…I don't know. This sounds kind of shady and underhanded. Plus, you don't think it'd be weird to have a recent victim and client suddenly popup working for us?"
"Not if we explain it right. We just have to say Iyori took a special interest in the Pokémon Ranger profession and you saving her inspired her to become more involved in helping the community."
"But Iyori would still have to agree with everything you're saying?"
Solana walked up to Lunick and cupped his face with her hands. "You just leave that part up to me. I can be very convincing."
Lunick narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What are you planning?"
Solana grinned. "Just a way to make this situation easier for all of us."
"You're not gonna do anything crazy, are you?"
"When have you ever known me to be crazy?"
"When you're raging mad. Hell hath no fury –"
"Keep talking like that and I'm going to revoke certain privileges."
"Shutting up now," Lunick said making a motion like he was zipping up his mouth.
Solana smiled softly. She let go of Lunick and scooped up a handful of the finely chopped carrots.
"Now, what were you planning to do with all this?"
Lunick smiled sheepishly. "I was initially going to make you a garden salad but I think it's better suited for coleslaw now."
Solana dropped the carrots back on the wooden chopping board.
"I think coleslaw in a nice sweet vinaigrette sounds lovely. You can use what's remaining to make some sweet cabbage patch bread."
Still smiling, Lunick walked over to his fridge and pulled out a head of cabbage.
"So, I take it you're staying here tonight?" He asked as he began slicing the cabbage.
"Natch. No way I'm leaving you two alone in here with your one bed."
"You don't trust me?"
"Did I say that?"
Lunick grinned evilly. "No, but if you slept with me that would make it a whole lot harder for Iyori to cling onto me."
Solana arched her eyebrow.
Lunick instantly realized his mistake when he said it.
"I so didn't mean it that way, Solana."
"I should hope not," she said as she turned around, "As tempting of an offer that may be, I think I'll just sleep on the couch. Don't wanna start something we may not be ready to finish."
"I totally agree. But you can sleep in my bed. I can sleep on the couch. I do it all the time at your house."
Solana stopped in the open doorway that led to the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe.
"How about I sleep on the floor in your room and you sleep in your bed?"
"Reverse that and it's a deal."
"So it is then." Solana answered as she crossed her arms.
Lunick went over the cabinet next to his refrigerator.
"Balsamic or red wine vinaigrette?"
"Balsamic," she said without turning around.
Lunick went back over to his counter and began mixing Solana's coleslaw. He didn't even notice the glare she was giving the snoozing Iyori.
The Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island was a very old, highly decrepit, burnt building. Rubble and wreckage lay everywhere, and it was a miracle that the time-worn, jaded support beams were even still keeping the building standing with the amount of damage it took years ago. Many burglars came to the mansion in an attempt to steal valuable items that may have been lost in the wreckage. As such, a security officer was posted outside the building to guard it.
Roger gave a big yawn as he stretched in his chair. Rubbing his eyes, he looked down at his wristwatch.
11:20.
"Damn," he cursed. "Elizabeth is gonna be on my ass tonight."
He crossed his arms and looked out in from him. He listened to the night pokémon communicate with one another as he watched the waves brush up on the shore of Cinnabar Island.
He flailed his arms.
"This is ridiculous! Four nights in a row they got me posted at this doddering run-down shack! This ain't no way to spend your night. Man's gotta rest. I swear, Bobby better be here in five minutes or he'll be asking for trouble."
He re-crossed his arms and sighed.
"Okay. Calm down there Roggie-Boy. Just two more weeks of this rigmarole and you can start working under Officer Jenny. Yah just gotta hang in there for two more weeks."
Groaning, Roger leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He listened intensely to the sounds of the waves crashing into the coastline, hoping to take his mind off the present situation.
A crackle echoed to his left and he quickly sat up. Putting on his flashlight he scanned the area.
There was nothing there.
"Strange. I was certain I heard something?"
There was another sound, this time of a twig snapping to his right. He quickly spun around and shone his flashlight.
Sure enough, a broken twig lay on the ground in front of a bushel.
"Huh?"
Hearing a Snap! in front of him, Roger quickly pulled out his baton and flashed his light.
A Hoot Hoot stood still in front of him.
"Whowhoo. Who." It said calmly.
Roger sighed in relief.
"Oh. It's just a Hoot Hoot. You really gave me quite a fright there, little one?"
The Hoot Hoot blinked.
"Who who whohoo."
It's eyes suddenly glowed red. It released several expanding red circles at Roger as it slowly moved closer to him.
Frightened, Roger stumbled back.
"What in the world?"
Roger suddenly felt a crushing pain on the back of his head and he instantly fell to the ground.
A dark figure landed beside him before turning around and heading inside the mansion.
Inside the dilapidated was practically rubbish. Debris and charred remains and fabic covered the floor. A few broken pillars and statues lay scattered and broken and fragmented glass was everywhere. The entire building was more soot and rubble than the Ruins of Alph.
Carefully and skillfully, the umbral figure swiftly maneuvered around the four different levels of the burnt building, unlocking doors by pressing hidden switches on still-standing Mewtwo statues. They collected all the journals on every level before finally making their way to the lowest level to retrieve the last journal.
On a pedestal laid an olive-colored journal. It was torn, singed, and worn, and there were several indentations all over the thick daybook.
Walking over to the pedestal, the person eyed the book. Then they noticed a heavily mummified and charred corpse lying beside the substructure.
"Must be Dr. Fuji," they said to themselves.
Reaching out, they carefully swiped the old journal and stored it away. They looked back over at the carbonized corpse of the deceased scientist.
"Look at you. You look so miserable. Still missing your dear daughter? It doesn't look like your failed experiment finished you off nicely. Let me rectify that."
Reaching into their belt bag, they pulled out a handheld grenade. They removed the pin and then tossed it behind them as the exited the room. It rolled right next to Dr. Fuji's remains.
"Say hello to Amber for me." They said as they casually walked out of the building.
The small bomb detonated and a massive explosion surged through Cinnabar Island.
