Lunick snorted slightly as a dull buzzing sound started to ring in his ears. He had been having a wonderful dream involving Solana. The two of them were on paid vacation in Orre, lounging near the waterfall in Agate Village. Lunick hadn't been to Orre himself but he had heard much about it from Solana and had looked up pictures online. It was a beautiful island and they had actually talked about traveling there for the holidays.
Solana had gotten up to stand under the waterfall, the cool water wetting her hair and framing her body so nicely. She was wearing the bikini she had shown to him several nights before and a white mesh skirt, which was pretty much translucent now that she was wet, so he was able to see the bikini bottom underneath it.
She waved at him and he smiled. Then she walked up to him, pulling him down slightly into the water before crawling on top of him. They kissed and he felt her tongue enter his mouth. His arms wrapped around her and he felt her through the soaked thin skirt. He had inched his fingers inside the hem and was just starting to pull it down when…
BUZZZZ!
Lunick snorted awake. His eyes half opened, he barely lifted his head.
BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ!
"Huh?"
That dull buzzing sound started to grow louder.
BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ!
Lunick blinked and opened his eyes wide and blinked again a few times to clear his vision. He stretched in the bed before wiping his face with his hands to try to remove the sleepiness. He felt a dull throbbing in his head.
Sitting up, Lunick looked around. He saw Iyori passed out in the other bed. She had woken up several times throughout the early morning, screaming and thrashing in the bed from her nightmares. Lunick tried his best to calm her but she was nearly inconsolable at times. Even Minun wasn't able to calm her like he was able to earlier that morning. It took everything he had to make sure he didn't fall asleep while she was crying her eyes out. For such a petite girl, Iyori packed quite the wallop. She could definitely carry her own in a boxing match. He had to rub an analgesic heat rub on his chest and abdomen from all her frenzied blows. But somehow, by some miracle, he was eventually able to get her to go back to sleep for good. Only it seemed that when she finally was able to sleep soundly, he wasn't. His body was hurting too much from all her punches.
BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ!
Lunick recognized that buzzing. It was the doorbell for the base. Someone was laying on the bell.
He swung his legs out of bed and wobbled to the door.
Opening the storage room door, Lunick flicked on the light for the lobby. He saw a blurred figure with what appeared to be an orange jacket, black shirt, green shorts and black leggings. As he got closer the figure seemed to get a little more defined.
"Leilani?" he breathed.
BUZZZZ!
Standing in front of the glass double doors Lunick squinted, as if he it was a struggle to see who was behind it.
The figure banged on the door.
"Lunick!"
Yep. Definitely Leilani.
Reaching to the panel to the right of the door, Lunick punched in the security code and unlocked the door. The doors instantly slid opened once the motion sensor activated.
Leilani stormed inside.
"Lunick, what the hell?! I've been standing out here for ten minutes."
Lunick yawned. "I'm sorry, Leilani. I didn't hear you."
Leilani put her hand on her hips.
"Are you just now getting up?"
Lunick yawned again. "Maybe."
"Man, do you have any idea what time it is? You should have had this base unlocked over an hour ago. What if there was an emergency and some civilian needed help?"
Lunick groggily turned to look at the wall clock in the lobby. It was blurry but he could just make out the little hand on the eight.
"Aww man…I'm gonna be late for my meeting," he said sleepily, his eyes starting to close.
Leilani arched her eyebrows.
"Lunick…How much sleep did you get last night?"
Lunick rubbed his eyes. "I don't remember…Last I checked the clock it was half past seven."
Leilani's jaw dropped.
"Are you serious?"
Lunick turned around and started wobbly walking towards Spenser's desk.
"Iyori had a tough night…Where'd I put my jacket?"
Leilani ran in front of him and held him up.
"Okay, Lunick. You need to get back in that bed and catch some z's before you fall and burst you head wide opened."
Lunick tried to walk around her but he stumbled and hit knee against the metal desk.
"Ow!" He cried as he grasped his knee.
Leilani pointed back to the storage room area.
"Bed, Lunick."
"No, Leilani," he said as he straightened up. "I have to go to that meeting in Fall City. Lind, Shauna and I have reports to discuss and information to exchange."
Leilani once again ran in front of him.
"Assign someone else to do it. You are in no shape to attend that meeting."
"I'm fine," he said shrugging out of her grasp. This time he banged his toe on the leg of the desk.
"YOUCH!" He cried out again as he grabbed his foot.
Leilani shook her head.
"You can barely see two feet in front of you. You don't get some sleep you are going to go blind and delirious."
"No, I can't have the salad hit the TV."
Leilani squinted her eyes in confusion.
"What?"
"Then the satellite will eat the house." He slurred.
Leilani stared at Lunick, mouth opened, in complete confusion.
"My God, you're already under psychosis."
Lunick held onto the desk and tried to pick his jacket up from the swivel chair.
"There you are…"
Leilani quickly grabbed him and pulled him away.
"Hey!"
"Lunick, you are going to lie down right now."
"What are you –"
"Spenser and Solana will have my head if they know I saw you like this and didn't stop you from killing yourself."
Lunick stepped aside so Leilani couldn't push him anymore.
"The Mareep will swim to space."
"Damn it Lunick, you're not making any sense! Go lie down!"
Lunick pouted and dizzily looked around the room. Seeing the bottle of water he left on the desk the previous night, he wobbled over to it, grabbed it, and doused his head and his face.
Leilani stared at him in disbelief.
"There…there," Lunick gasped as he wiped the water out of his eyes. He blinked several times and opened his eyes wide. "I'm awake…See?…I'm awake."
Leilani shook her head. "Lunick –"
"Where's my jacket?" He walked over to Spenser's chair.
"Lunick, five nights with no sleep is no joke. You're about ready to drop any second. You cannot go out like that."
"Look, I'm operating Area Leader until Spenser returns. And as such, I have to attend this meeting. No excuses."
"That won't be necessary, Lunick." A voice called from behind.
Lunick and Leilani turned back around to see Spenser enter the base.
"Leader?"
Spenser stepped inside. He looked Lunick up and down and arched his left eyebrow.
"Any reason why you're partly dressed and dripping with water?"
Lunick looked down at himself, seeing his shirt was disheveled, completely unbuttoned and wet.
"Um…I uh…I was rushing to get to the meeting in Fall City…I sorta kinda…fell behind…"
Spenser nodded his head slowly.
"Uh huh…Is, uh…Is Solana here?"
"No, Leader," Leilani answered. "She was helping a civilian retrieve a lost item in Lyra Forest but she should be on her way."
"Why would Solana?…" Lunick didn't finish his sentence when he realized what his Leader was implying with his question.
He gasped. "Leader!"
"I'm not a prude, Lunick. I'm very much aware of what my rangers do in their spare time when they are not at work, especially those who are in relationships. But I am glad to know you two have not engaged in anything and that you are able to maintain a certain level of propriety while you are here at the base."
Lunick couldn't hide the pigments of red that started to spread across his face. Leilani covered her mouth to try to muffle her giggles.
Spenser cleared his throat.
"Anyway, I am feeling much better and my physician has given me an all-clear to return to work. So, you are relieved of your duties as Area Leader, Lunick. Thank you for filling in for me while I was on administrative leave for my injuries. I knew I picked the right person for the job."
Lunick smiled weakly.
"So, I'll be needing all your reports and the files you handled while I was away. I'll also need the notes and documents for the Leaders' meeting this morning, if you'd please."
"Oh, yes. Right away," Lunick picked up the folder and binder that were on his desk and hurried up to Spenser.
"Here you go, Leader. All you need to know about the past two weeks is in there."
"Thank you, Lunick," Spenser said as he quickly skimmed through the binder. "Tell Solana when she gets here I want her to watch the base until I return."
Lunick crinkled his brow in confusion.
"You want Solana to watch the base? What about me?"
"I want you to go home and rest. You've taken on quite the load since I've been away and I can tell you need some well deserved rest."
"But I'm fine, Leader?"
Spenser looked at Leilani.
"Leilani?"
"I'll see to it that he gets home safely, Leader."
"Good."
"What?"
Spenser turned around to leave. He stopped just as the doors slid opened.
"And, Lunick?"
"Yes, Leader?"
Spenser opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to and shook his head instead before finally departing the base.
"What? He didn't say anything?"
"Oh, yes he did," Leilani giggled.
Lunick turned to faced her.
"What?"
"He said it twice. First directly, then silently."
"What are you talking abo –"
Lunick stopped midsentence and covered his face.
"Oh my gosh…"
Leilani grabbed Lunick by the hand. "Let's get you home, mister."
Lunick pulled away.
"I don't need to go home yet. I'm perfectly fine."
"I think you've been spending too much time with Solana. You're starting to adopt her stubborn 'I can do anything' attitude."
Lunick pouted once more.
Solana then walked through the base's double doors. She saw Leilani and Lunick standing in the middle of the lobby.
"Oh my goodness!" she gasped as she ran up to Lunick, "What happened to you? Are you alright?"
She held his face and looked him up and down.
"Dude-boy here's in need of some much needed rest and relaxation." Leilani answered for him.
Lunick took Solana's hands and kissed them. "I'm fine. I just need a minute to get myself together."
"I'm so confused," Solana said.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
Leilani huffed. "Lunick, Spenser told you to go home and I told him I would get you there safely."
"Why does he need to go home? What's wrong?"
"The Beedril took a hook from the canapé." Lunick slurred.
Solana scrunched up her face in confusion.
"What?"
Leilani rolled her eyes.
"Not again."
Lunick kissed Solana gently on the cheek.
"Time to take the movie out the oven."
Solana quickly looked to Leilani.
"Leil, what's going on? Why is he behaving this way? What's wrong with him?"
"Yeah, let's put the pistachio in the pumpernickel so he can become a sailor…"
Lunick leaned and dropped to the ground with a Thud!
"…Owwww…" he moaned.
Solana knelt down to him while Leilani folded her arms, covered her face, and shook her head.
Bill grunted heavily as he tightened a bolt behind his gene splicing machine. As much as he loved to tinker with equipment and perform experiments, the fact that he was being forced to do this under duress took all the joy he had of building his overly complex devices. He had always thought that the tired cliché expression in those old films where the captive scientist exclaimed that the villain was using science for evil was just nonsensical rubbish. But now that he was the scientist being held captive, it took on a whole other meaning, one that Bill couldn't stand for one moment.
Feeling his wrench stop moving, Bill stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Is it done?" he heard a feminine voice call from being.
Bill glanced back irritably at her. She was dressed in a more modernized and form-fitting navy blue skirt suit, vastly different from the business pants suit she was wearing the last time he saw her. There was another person standing beside her, clad in a black leather jumpsuit with metal padding. He couldn't tell if the person was male or female because of the helmet and armor but to be honest, he didn't really care. If this person was working for this woman, they were just as bad as she was.
"Yes. It is done," Bill answered unpleasantly.
"Watch your tone, Mr. Sonezaki. Do not forget that I hold the lives of your pokémon in my hands." She walked up beside him. "Show me how it works.
Nodding, Bill walked over to the electronic table he installed. He typed in a code on the keypad and pulled a lever down slightly. As with before, many lights came to life on the machine as it vibrated and emitted several loud beeping cries. The vials in the test tube holders on the machine quickly emptied and traveled through the machine's tubing. Bill then pulled the lever back up and the machine stopped shaking. The doors on either pod slid opened and a thick haze pooled out of them. After it cleared, two pokémon were seen in either pod – a Mightyena and an Arbok.
"If you look on the monitors," Bill began, walking up to the pod containing the Arbok, "You'll see the entire moveset for the pokémon. As you can see, the Mightyena now knows Poison Fang, while the Arbok knows Sucker Punch, which will effectuate more like a priority dark-type Slam since both these pokémon don't have fists."
He pointed to the large screen in the middle. "This one shows you the pokémon's overall stats and which moves were transferred."
The woman frowned slightly.
"Aren't these moves these pokémon can learn ordinarily?"
"Well, through selective breeding perhaps." Bill shrugged, "But my goal was never to force pokémon to learn moves they would not be able to healthily execute. My goal was to have them relearn moves that were lost in their genepool for generations. I told you that from the start."
The woman folded her arms. She glanced down at the lever Bill had pulled earlier, noticing the different markings and strengths on it. There was a section marked 'DANGER! DO NOT USE!' all the way on the last setting, followed with a hazardous and toxic symbol.
Curious, the woman reached down and pulled the lever all the way to the end.
The doors to the pods quickly closed shut with the pokémon in them and the machine started shaking violently.
"What are you doing?!" Bill cried as he ran over to the electronic table. "You can't pull the lever all the way there?! You'll overburden the machine and exhaust everything!"
"Then why include it in the panel if it wasn't meant to be used?"
Bill frantically tried to pull the lever back but it was jammed.
"I need a placeholder for all the energy in the event that the experiment goes terribly wrong!"
"Isn't that the purpose of a failsafe? I thought you were supposed to be smart?"
Bill continued to tug on the lever to no avail.
"No! Pokémon are not meant to be exposed to such high levels of radiation! There's no telling of the catastrophic effects if we don't stop this at once!"
"Radiation? I thought all your experiments were safe for the betterment of pokémon, mister Pokémon-lover?"
"Why you! –"
Before Bill could finish, there was a huge explosion. Sparks and flares fired throughout the lab. Bill coughed as he covered his head on the ground.
His eyes watering, Bill warily looked up when the shaking and explosion appeared to have stop.
Black smoke was billowing out of the pods. The monitor was flashing red as an indiscriminate distorted figure appeared on the sparking screen between the two pods.
But it was the image he saw in front of him that horrified Bill the most.
He shook his head in disbelief and fear.
"They're…They're…"
"Perfect." The woman uttered menacingly. "This is exactly what I've been seeking. What I wanted to accomplish."
"No!" Bill cried. "This is terrible! This is not the result the experiment was supposed to yield! Those poor pokémon –"
"Quiet you!" the woman demanded. "This is exactly what I have been looking for. My vision…My glorious plan for mankind. You will build me another machine with this setting as the only setting and you will create for me an army of pokémon just like what you did here today."
Bill's eyes hardened. "No."
"What did you just say, Mr. Sonezaki?"
Bill stood to his feet. "I said no! I'm not doing another heinous thing for you! This experiment…what we've done to the Arbok and Mightyena…It's unforgiveable. You asked me…no…you strong-armed me to replicate the experiment I performed back at home. But this is not the same experiment! This is…a cruel and inhumane crime against pokémon! I will not do anything else to aid you in whatever psychotic sociopathic subjugation you are endeavoring for. I'm through."
The woman's gaze hardened.
"I must be hearing incorrectly. It sounded like you were trying to relinquish yourself from your responsibilities to this project. Might I remind you that we have a verbal contract in which you very willingly agreed to do what was asked of you in exchange for the guaranteed safety and protection of your beloved pokémon. Am I to believe that you wish to void said contract and selfishly sacrifice your pokémon because you are only now starting to develop a moral compass? Be certain of your answer, Mr. Sonezaki. I will remind you once more that I do not like to play games."
Bill tried to lunge at the woman but before he could react he was being held by the collar by a gigantic floating ghost-type pokémon. That was the fastest Bill had ever seen a Trainer call out their pokémon.
"I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you did not intend to attack me just now, Mr. Sonezaki. If you were, I'm afraid Dusknoir would have no choice but to banish you to an abyss of darkness."
"Dusknoir…" it growled threateningly.
Bill struggled in its grasp.
"Don't you see what'll happen if we don't intervene? The pokémon could very well –"
"I don't care." She replied coldly. "My only concern is my vision. If you no longer wish to help me, I'll relieve you of your duties while also offing your pokémon and making the Pokémon Fan Club, the Pokémon Lover's Club, and the Fulfillment for the Melioration of Pokémon Committee aware of your despicable experiments and I'll personally be seated in the courtroom when they sentence you to 30 plus years in prison. It's your choice."
"This is extortion!"
"Call it whatever you want. Just get the job done. Otherwise, I'll not only annihilate your pokémon…"
She pressed a button on her remote and three glass containers rose from the ground. A Cleflable, a Jolteon, and an Alakazam were in all three.
Bill's eyes grew large. "No!"
"…I'll make you watch their brutal execution."
She pressed another button and several plasma laser holders lowered from the ceiling of the capsules. The pokémon were bulls-eyed with several red markers.
"No, don't! Please! I'll do whatever you want. Just please don't hurt them." Bill pleaded teary-eyed.
The woman leered at him. "Do we have an understanding?"
"Yes, yes. Please don't hurt them. I'll do whatever you want. I swear."
"Then get to work." She growled threateningly.
She pressed another button on her remote and the plasmas retracted back into the ceiling. The three containers holding the pokémon slowly sank back down into the round.
She snapped her fingers and Dusknoir instantly dropped Bill to the ground. She walked over to him and bent down, glaring at him on eye level.
"Repair the machine and resume the experiments. Dusknoir here will supervise you to make sure you don't do something that will cost us both the things we deem important. Cross me again and I will take out your pokémon and report you to the police and pokémon rangers. No more reminders, got it?"
Bill nodded his head sadly and slowly.
"Get to work." She stood back up and looked at her admin. "You are authorized to begin phase two of your directive. Go and apprehend that pokémon at once."
"Yes, Ma – er, Milady."
They bowed their heads before sprinting out of the lab.
The woman folded her arms once again.
"I have some business to take care of. But I will be watching you, Mr. Sonezaki. Make wise decisions or you will regret it."
And with that, she sauntered out of the room.
Bill sighed heavily. He looked up at the Dusknoir towering above him. It was giving him the most unholy glare with its one eye. It pointed to the damaged gene splicer with its large hand.
"Dusknoir…"
Bill closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame.
"Ohohohoho! Are you being truthful, Hastings? Did he really try to combine a Pokéball with the Pokégear?"
Hastings wiped away the tear that formed in his eye from laughing.
"I assure you what I say is the absolute truth. The man nearly blew up my lab trying to create the next big invention."
Professor Hastings' guest picked up his cup off the table and took sip of his tea.
"Then I must say I'm mighty glad you came up with the idea for the Capture Styler. The old fool. What in heavens was he thinking?"
Professor Hastings shook his head.
"I haven't a clue. I should have took it as a sign as the first indication that he wasn't of a sound mind. Maybe if I did he wouldn't be behind bars now."
"Now Hastings, no need to start your bellyaching on that matter again. Gordor was a grown man and was fully aware of the immorality and consequences of his actions. That he strayed from the path that you both were on is not your fault. He was an old fool. You'll be one too if you keep blaming yourself for his wrongdoings."
Professor Hastings sighed.
"I suppose you are right. Perhaps I am not one hundred percent over what happened to us. He could have become so much more if he'd only humble himself. But, as the saying goes, no use crying over spilled Moomoo Milk. As in my case, the milk happens to be a fallen colleague. Life goes on and I will survive. At the very least I have a few less things on my plate now that Murph here has agreed to take over the Pokémon Representative position for me."
The other man nodded and looked to Murph.
"I hope you are taking this new responsibility seriously, young man. I know Robert here makes it look easy but being the Union's chief representative is a rather trying job. "
"Hey now, no need to worry the boy. I have nothing but complete confidence that Murph will carry on my legacy magnificently. Right, lad?"
"Right…" Murph said softly as he wrote in his journal. He wasn't even sure if he was up to the task at this point, but so long as Professor Hastings trusted him, he was going to do his utmost to please him.
"Legacy? A bit early to be boasting about your great deeds to the Union, isn't it?"
"Of course not. I am the Union's first and only chief, not to mention head of technology. There is no other before me. I've set the standard, which might I add is greatly high. I've made quite the contribution to the Pokémon Ranger profession."
The other man chuckled. "Old fool."
Just then, Solana and Lunick entered the Fall City Ranger Base with Plusle and Minun perched on their shoulders, respectively.
Professor Hastings waved them over.
"Solana, lass. Lunick, my boy. Come over here, why don't you?"
Solana and Lunick walked over to them.
"Hey, Professor. It's been a long time since I've seen you in this base." Said Lunick.
"Yes, well, I've been quite busy back at the lab. As I hear it, you tired yourself out quite a bit while you were filling in for Spenser. Nearly fainted in the base?"
Lunick chuckled.
"Yeah, well, I got my rest. I'm ready to work again. Just came to drop off a letter from the Union. It was mailed to Ringtown by a mistake."
"I'll take that," Professor Hastings said as he outstretched his hand and took it from Lunick. "Probably the Chairperson writing me back."
"So you're the young man who substituted for Robert's prime student and operated the Ringtown Ranger Base in his stead?" the other man asked.
Professor Hastings nodded.
"Solana, Lunick, I'd like you to meet Lamont Spendidocious. He was one of my best friends growing up in Almia and an important member of the Ranger Union. He's visiting Fiore on business."
"Hello, Sir." Said Solana.
"Nice to meet you," Lunick followed.
Mr. Lamont smiled and nodded.
"Nice to meet you as well. I've heard great things about you both. Fiore's esteemed heroes. I must say, it fills me with joy to see young rangers like yourselves doing your part to protect your region. I had dreams as a little lad to teach young people like you about Pokémon and how to preserve and protect nature. And seeing that dream come to fruition is the single most greatest moment of my life…Well…partial fruition, I should say. I also dreamed of setting up a Pokémon Ranger School akin to the Pokémon Trainer School for those kids that wish to become something other than a Pokémon Trainer. But alas, that portion of my dream has not come to pass. It would seem I'm the only party whose dream has not been fully realized as my cohorts both seem to have done greatly for themselves and achieve theirs. But all things in due season, I suppose. Poor timing means poor reward, after all. Had it not been for Robert's driven nature to develop the Capture Styler and Erma's yearn to set up the Pokémon Ranger Union, you young ones might not have a career now."
Solana and Lunick were both impressed.
"Is that true, Professor?" asked Solana.
Professor Hastings shook his head.
"Monty is blowing things way out of proportion. We all simply had a vision and a goal set in our hearts and we did what we needed to in order to make those dreams a reality. We made a pledge to see our dreams through to the very end. Really we had the simple tasks. Tinkering with technology was a cinch for me and Lamont loved pokémon more than life itself. I dare say Erma was the one who had the steep mountain to climb in endeavoring to become an entrepreneur and start an unheard of career path for individuals. How is Miss Tanaka doing nowadays, Monty?"
"She's doing well, though I am sure she is waiting for you to ask her yourself." He replied.
"Erma knows my many obligations. I haven't the time to dally even for a moment."
"But is that not what you are doing now?" he quipped.
Professor Hastings stammered, "Well…I, er…I'm not…I just…"
Mr. Lamont suddenly burst out laughing, annoying Professor Hastings.
"Oh, you old coot!"
Mr. Lamont once again picked up his cup of tea.
"Old fool…" he said as he took a sip. He turned back to face Lunick. "What I was trying to say, young man, before I got sidetracked, is that I am most pleased with you. Being an Area Leader is not an easy task and I'm glad to see a young person step up and deal with the challenges to help their Leader."
Lunick smiled and nodded.
"Well, thank you, Mr. Lamont, sir. Being an Area Leader is my dream so even though I was glad and more than willing to help my Area Leader, it also did well to provide me with some real experience in doing the job."
"You don't say?"
Lunick's styler suddenly started beeping and vibrating violently. He picked his styler up from its holder and answered.
"This is Lunick."
"Lunick! Are you near East Road at all?"
"Uh, yeah. I just came into the Fall City Base. Why?"
"We have an emergency. A pokémon's been hit by a car on East Road and it seems to be in critical condition. I need a team dispatched to the scene at once to investigate and treat the injured."
"I'm on my way, Lind."
"I'll meet you there."
Lunick put his styler back in its holder and turned to Solana.
"Let's go, Solana."
Solana nodded.
"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Lamont," Lunick called as the two of them quickly ran out of the base.
"A pokémon hit by a car? Why, that sounds like a serious situation." Mr. Lamont evaluated.
Professor Hastings stood up.
"Yes, but I am sure it is nothing our young rangers can't handle. They are after all, Fiore's finest."
Mr. Lamont stood up as well.
"Might it be an inconvenience if I may ask to join them on their mission? I'd very much like to see your students in action."
Professor Hastings picked up his cane. "Then come along then. We haven't a moment to lose lest we run any further behind. Murph, I trust you can take care of the base while we are away?"
Murph nodded. "Of course, Professor."
"Excellent. I know I can depend on you, lad. Oh, and don't forget to finish your summary on Union policies. I expect a copy of your report when I return. Full completion."
Murph sighed. "Yes, Professor.
Professor Hastings nodded.
"Let us leave posthaste then, Lamont. We mustn't fall any further behind. Time to show these youngsters why they called us 'Almia's Blue Streak Trio'.
The first word that came to Lunick's mind when he arrived on the scene was chaos. All of East Road was jammed, both the pathway that trainers and civilians took and the roadway. There were metal car pieces and shards spread everywhere. The vehicle that was actually involved in the accident was completely totaled. Spectators were looking on in horror and excitement.
Solana and Lunick saw Lind and Leilani to the side, next to a family who appeared to be the ones involved in the crash. A bunch of other rangers were trying to clear the scene.
They hurriedly ran to them.
"Is this the family?" Solana asked.
"Yes," Lind quickly answered. "They're shaken but not seriously injured. We're waiting on the ambulance to look at them further, though."
"Save the pokémon!" the woman cried tearfully. "Please, you must save it!"
"I didn't mean to hit it!" cried the husband, "I-it just appeared out of nowhere! It ran onto the road faster than I could react! I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!"
"Save it Mr. Ranger, please!" the prepubescent girl who appeared to be the couple's daughter finished.
"They're right. It's the pokémon I'm most concerned about it," said Lind, "You were the closest ranger I could locate for this mission."
"Where's the pokémon?" Lunick asked.
"Come with me."
Lind quickly guided Solana and Lunick to the other side of the vehicle. There, a badly injured Rapidash lay on the ground. There were several metal shards embedded in its skin and blood could be seen pooling from underneath the pokémon. It thrashed rapidly as the flames of its mane and tail appeared waver.
"According to the family, it ran onto the road in a frenzy. I haven't been able to get close to it. I didn't want to tranquilize it because I haven't been able to evaluate its condition. I don't want to send it into shock. There appears to be abnormally acute swelling and redness on its abdomen and legs. I'm worried it may be hemarthrosis and that there may be some soft tissue injury or maybe even an organ."
Lunick nodded. He slowly stepped closer to the pokémon.
"Can it stand?"
"I have not seen it get up since I got here. The family reports that it's been on the ground since it was struck."
Lunick tried to step closer to the pokémon but the Rapidash kept bucking, kicking, and flailing.
"It's in distress, Lind." Solana said.
"I can see that but I refuse to tranquilize it until we know its condition. The last thing I want would be to send this pokémon into a myocardial infarction."
"Would you rather it succumb to septic shock? You can't just do nothing, Lind."
"Guys, I got this," Lunick answered. "Minun, I need you to give the mildest Thunder wave you possibly can. I need to get close to it."
"Mai Mai!"
Nodding, Minun stepped in front of Lunick and released a very weak electrical jolt towards the Rapidash. It waved around the Rapidash and it cried out briefly before it calmed down and stopped thrashing.
"Good job, buddy."
"Mai!"
Lunick then approached the Rapidash and knelt down. He glided his hands lightly over its body to feel for any internal bruises, broken bones, and impalements.
Lunick stopped feeling around its body when he felt something his hand. He waited a moment and then when he got his confirmation of what he thought it was, his eyes grew wide before his features hardened and turned serious.
"Leilani, I need you to go catch a pokémon that knows the move Scald and bring it back here, pronto. Have Lucario excavate the ground surrounding Rapidash's head. Solana, get an anesthetic injection and administer this Rapidash a shot to lower her pain, please."
Solana and Leilani nodded and quickly went to do as he instructed as Lunick reached into his pack and pulled out two long sterile gloves that extend to his elbow. Leilani's Partner Pokémon then started depressing the ground around Lunick.
"Lunick, what's going on?" Lind asked.
"It's not hemarthrosis, Lind. This Rapidash is pregnant. The blood pool's not from hemorrhaging. The accident sent her into preterm labor."
Lind's eyes stretched wide.
"The egg is broken. The Rapidash is having fetal dystocia. The foal appears to be breeched and in a transverse lie position. We need to get this baby out now."
Leilani and Solana quickly returned. Lucario finished digging and ran back to join his ranger. Solana ran up to the Rapidash in front of Lunick and started to administer the pain injection in the Rapidash's neck.
"I caught this Croconaw and Corphish. They both know Scald." Leilani said.
"Good. Have them fill the arch around Rapidash with Scald. The hot steam should help comfort her without the water dousing her flames. Solana, I need you to secure Rapidash's head."
Leilani instructed the two water pokémon to do as he asked. They released streams of scalding hot water into the burrowed ground surrounding Solana, Lunick and Rapidash. The water was boiling and very hot steam rose as the water reached the brim.
Solana positioned herself above the Rapidash and firmly held her head. The Rapidash was breathing heavily and she could see how weak she was. She knew the chances of both the baby and mother surviving were slim but she shelved her nerves and did as Lunick instructed. None of them had ever delivered a baby pokémon before and received very little training for it. This mission had a good chance of going south but she had to put her faith and trust in Lunick.
"Alright, girl. We're gonna getcha outta this. I promise," Lunick whispered as he glided his hands gently on the Rapidash's belly.
Very carefully, Lunick reached his hands in through the Rapidash's genitalia to determine the accurate position of the foal.
"Backward presentation and breeched," Lunick uttered. "We gotta get this baby out now before it suffocates."
Taking his hands out, Lunick lubed up once more before reaching back inside the Rapidash. Knowing he needed to get both feet back up so he could get the foal out, he tried to feel for the hock and flex. Once he was sure where it was, he reached for the cannon bone and slid his hand to the foot. He cupped the foot with the palm of his hand and pulled the foal's pelvis into the birth canal. He then repeated the same procedure for the other hind leg.
As Lunick continued to pull, a dark red mass came out of the Rapidash instead of the white amniotic sac.
"Shit," Lunick cursed.
"Oh my God," Solana breathed. She knew that was the placenta that detached prematurely from placenta previa. If that came out before the foal did…that was not good.
Gritting his teeth, Lunick removed his hands, reached in his pack, and pulled out a scalpel. He tried desperately to break through the thick membrane. He hadn't noticed that the placenta detached when he felt inside for the foal, but now that he knew it was, he knew he had to get the baby out soon before it suffocated from inhaling the fluids.
Finally rupturing the red bag, Lunick quickly dropped the small surgical knife and reached back inside. He didn't have OB chains to attach to the foal's legs so he was going to have to use all of his strength to get this baby out. He felt the Rapidash straining and tried to use her contractions as an aid. Even when she stopped he kept pulling. He had to keep pulling. If it stood any sliver of a chance of surviving, he had to keep pulling.
The back hooves of the foal slowly emerged out of the mother. Lunick continued to pull. The Rapidash cried out and Solana tried her best to keep her secure so Lunick could continue to work.
Sweat dripped from Lunick's face both from the pressure of the dire situation and the steam from the scalding water surrounding him. But he had to keep pulling.
Back legs and bottom out. The tail was not lit.
"Come on…Come on…" Lunick muttered.
Halfway out.
All eyes were on Lunick as he tried to make an impossible delivery. You could cut the tension with a serrated knife.
Shoulders out.
Solana held her breath. Leilani held her breath. All the pokémon rangers and their pokémon held their breath.
As soon as the head came out, Lunick felt himself doused with the fluid from the obstructed amniotic sac. Fragments from the broken egg fell on him and around him. But he was unfazed and stoic as he pulled the foal further away and thankfully the umbilical cord was able to naturally break and he didn't have to tie it off and cut it.
Holding the Ponyta foal up against him, Lunick quickly removed the birth sac from around its head and wiped the mucus away from its nose. He opened its mouth and rapidly blew into it to try to stimulate a respiratory reflex. When it didn't breath after that, he tried to tickle its nose with a blade of grass. Still nothing.
"Oh my God, no," Solana whispered.
The Rapidash weakly lifted her head to look check on her baby and whinnied weakly.
Lunick rubbed the Ponyta foal vigorously, squeezing its ribs very slightly before lifting it up about a foot off the ground and dropping it back down. Then he started rubbing it vigorously on its face.
"Come on…Come on…"
Silence flooded all of East Road.
It was fleeting…Barely detectable…But it happened…
A gasp…A brief, transient intake of oxygen…But it happened.
Lunick quickly held up the baby's head, cupped his hands over its mouth and nose and steadily blew into its right nostril, letting its chest rise and fall before breathing again as he performed artificial respiration. He repeated it over and over again, about ten times, then hoped against hoped that everything he did was enough and not in vain.
He watched it closely.
Its chest rose…then fell…on its own…
Lunick smiled widely.
"It's breathing," he whispered quietly, before he repeated it again once more. "It's breathing."
Solana continued to inhale and exhale heavily and her lips slowly curved into a smile.
"It's breathing!" Lunick repeated louder before chuckling and finally shouting. "IT'S BREATHING! YES! IT'S BREATHING!"
All of East Road erupted in boisterous cheer and applause, so much so the ground appeared to shake. Everywhere people were throwing their hats, scarves, even their children (in the air) anything they could get a hold of to express their joy.
"He did it!" Leilani exclaimed as she enveloped her Lucario in a gigantic embrace.
Lind still hadn't picked up his jaw since Lunick told him the Rapidash was in labor.
Lunick continued to laugh uncontrollably as tears started to flow from his eyes – tears he fought so hard to contain but now welcomed them cheerfully and readily. He stroked the newborn Ponyta's face gently as he held it close to him.
"You gave us all quite a scare there, little one. But I'm so happy you pulled through. You're a fighter."
The tears flowed down Solana's cheeks too as she smiled at her incredible boyfriend. He had never ceased to amaze her.
"It's a female," Lunick said once he was finally able to calm himself ever so slightly to look the baby over.
The Ponyta weakly opened her eyes. Knowing that healthily and normally born Pontya were weak at birth, Lunick knew just how debilitated this one was. Still holding her carefully, Lunick scooted closer to Solana and the Rapidash and gently laid the baby Ponta down next to her mother.
The Rapidash whinnied weakly but delightfully as she nuzzled her baby and knew she was safe.
Lunick, though emotionally and physically drained, knew there was still a little more work to be done. He reached back inside his pack and took out a 1 – 2% iodine solution. He unscrewed the cap and poured it over the naval stump on the Ponyta's belly from the umbilical cord breaking to dry up the stump and prevent bacteria from traveling up and entering the foal's body.
When he was done he closed back the bottle of iodine, rested it back in his pack and took off his immensely bloody gloves.
Before Lunick could attempt to stand up he was tackled to the ground by his Partner Pokémon.
"Mai Mai! Mai Mai! Mai Mai!" he cried joyfully.
Lunick chuckled. "Yeah, I'm happy too, buddy." He said as he petted his pokémon on the head with his slightly blood-stained hand.
Lunick tried to sit up again but he was tackled again, this time by Plusle, who also could not contain her joy.
An ambulance trailer pulled up next to Solana and Lunick and four emergency pokémon rescue paramedics came out with a stretcher along with Fall City's Nurse Joy. They approached the Rapidash and newborn Ponyta.
"I don't know the full extent of her injuries," Lunick began as he slowly stood to his feet. "I didn't perform a full exam. I just delivered the foal."
"You've done plenty, Ranger Lunick," Nurse Joy said from the front as the pokémon were carried to the trailer on a large stetcher. "We can take it from here."
The Rapidash whinnied loudly. Lunick could tell from her head and neck movements that she was calling him over. He wobbly walked over towards her.
"Yeah?"
The Rapidash whinnied again before bowing her head to Lunick.
Smiling, Lunick reached out and touched her on her forehead.
"You're welcome." He said softly. "You did great, mama. Thank you for letting me help you. Now Nurse Joy and her team are gonna take over and take care of you to make sure you and your baby are well, so don't give them any trouble, okay?"
The Rapidash whinnied once again.
"Alright. You take it easy now."
Lunick could have sworn he saw the Rapidash nod but knowing the stress that his brain had been through, he knew it was most likely his strained eyes and overactive synapses creating that imagery.
Just as the back doors to the ungulate pokémon trailer were about to close, Lunick caught a glimpse of the flicker of what appeared to be a light blue flare on the top of the Ponyta's head.
Lunick smiled.
"Huh…She's a shiny…"
Lunick found himself nearly tackled again as Leilani enveloped him from behind.
"Oh my God, Lunick. That was just…That was just…Y-You are just…"
Solana walked up to them hugging herself and smiling.
Leilani released her hold from Lunick and allowed him to turn around.
"You are just amazing, Lunick," she replied tearily. "Sole, your man is simply amazing."
Solana continued to smile and nodded.
"Yeah…he is."
Lunick turned to face her. Once he saw her stance he knew exactly what she needed and opened his arms.
Chuckling, Solana walked up to him and was the first one not to attempt to tackle him to the ground. She wrapped her hand around his neck and hugged him. They held each other gently but firmly.
"I love you, Lunick," she said softly.
"I love you more, Solana." He replied back just as tenderly.
"Well, well," a voice said from behind.
Solana and Lunick loosely broke their embrace and turned to see Professor Hastings and Mr. Lamont standing behind them.
"That was most impressive, young man," Mr. Lamont said, wearing a large smile on his face.
"It most certainly was," Professor Hastings followed, "I dare say you've earned yourself the rest of the day off."
"But –"
"Now, it's no trouble at all. I'll call Spenser and inform him of the glorious job you performed here and I am sure he will have no objections."
Lunick smiled weakly. He knew he couldn't argue. He was exhausted.
"You know what, Professor? I think I might just take you up on that offer. Thank you."
Professor Hastings' smile widened and he shook his head.
"No. Thank you. Well done, Lunick. You've made us proud…So tremendously proud."
A/N: I know this chapter is long but there was so much I wanted to cover. I hope it wasn't too long for you guys.
I'll try to update again soon but because it is the holidays, I may not be able to post the next chapter until after the new year. So just in case this is the last chapter of 2016:
Merry Christmas Everybody and Happy New Year's! \(^w^)/
I know this past year was filled with ups and downs for all of us, some more than others, but in the end we are still blessed and we've made it through another years, scars and all.
Enjoy yourselves for the holidays and I hope only for things to improve for us all!
And Please Don't Forget to Review!
PS: I've finally finished my Pokémon Ranger Christmas story after four to five years of on and off writing. It didn't turn out as I initially planned but I am still satisfied with it. I'll say maybe it's slightly noncanonical with my main Pokémon Ranger stories but it's still very close to it. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
