Author's Note: Heya folks! Sorry, it's been a while since I updated this, my life's been kinda crazy. But I'm here to reward your patience with a new chapter! And it contains the unquestionable best fight scene I have ever written! So read, review, and enjoy!

Note: "Speaking"
Thinking
Pokéspeak
Psychic conversations
Flashbacks

Chapter 13:

Blasted Thief!

"Hey!" shouted Skipper, "come back!"

Ranger rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that'll work," he said dryly.

Skipper stuck his tongue out. "You have a better idea?"

"As a matter of fact," Ranger said with a smirk, "I do." He pointed to a set of tracks leading into the forest. Putting a finger to his lips, he started following them.

TJ sighed. Crossing the cove had been arduous, and he didn't feel like hiking through a forest right now. On the other hand, he felt like not having his bat even less, so he forced his tired body to move after Ranger and Skipper while Warrior dozed on his shoulder.

The forest turned out to be filled with coastal trees, and very little underbrush. The majority of the sunlight was filtered out by the trees, so the forest was fairly cool. A profusion of life, some pokémon and some not, filled the forest with sound and flashes of movement. TJ smiled wearily at a family of Jigglypuff and Igglybuff whose path crossed his. Scanning the forest, he sighed deeply. There's something very…healing about this forest, he thought to himself.

Abruptly, Skipper and Ranger stopped dead. TJ glanced at Ranger, who was crouched in front of one of the trees. The Kanes were still, all listening hard. The faint sound of snoring could be heard wafting down from the tree's upper branches. TJ shot Ranger a questioning look. At his nod, TJ jerked his chin in the direction of the sound and Ranger began to climb.

The other Kanes waited silently on the ground, holding their collective breaths. After a few moments, there was a series of thumps, and Ranger fell to the ground. A Swellow hopped down, gabbled at Ranger angrily, then flew off.

"Hahahahahaha!!"

The Kanes spun around. Hanging off of a tree branch behind them, the thieving Zangoose was laughing hard enough to shake the branches around him. Ranger snarled in frustration. "Give us back TJ's bat!"

"That'll work," Skipper muttered sullenly.

The Zangoose laughed merrily. "What, you want this bat?"

Ranger glanced at TJ. TJ nodded. Ranger shuffled a bit closer to the tree. "Yeah, actually, we do!"

The Zangoose shook his head. "Shame shame! No use trying to sneak up on me little Treecko, I'm faster than anything you've seen!"

Ranger glanced around in thought for a moment. "How do you know?"

"Because I'm uber-fast!"

"Well, what about a Ninjask? Or an Arcanine? Are you faster than them?"

"Well, uh," the Zangoose cast about in thought for a moment, "I mean-"

"Hey! Hey Mr. Know-It-All!" squeaked Skipper, "if a tree falls in the forest, and no one's there to see it, does it make a sound?"

"Uh, what the heck does that-"

"Hey!" said Ranger, "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

"What the heck does that have to do with-"

"ANSWER ME THIS!" shouted TJ, "WHEN IS THE PRESIDENT OF UGANDA, WHO IS THE CAPITOL, AND WHERE WAS HE ELECTED!!!!"

The mysterious Zangoose stared at TJ. So did Skipper and Ranger. Finally, Ranger said, "what the heck was that?"

TJ shrugged meekly. "I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind."

The Zangoose frowned, then glanced down at Ranger. "Hey! I see what you're trying to do! Well it won't work pal! You still can't sneak past me!"

Most unfortunately for the Zangoose, Warrior chose that moment to jump down from the tree branch above him. Several furious minutes of battle ensued, then the Zangoose threw Warrior to the ground. Panting lightly, he glared at the Kanes angrily. "Okay, you're smarter than my other marks. Now I'm gonna pulverize you!"

The Zangoose leapt up into the higher branches. TJ glanced around nervously. "Form up on me guys." Skipper, Warrior, and Ranger formed a defensive triangle with TJ in the middle. TJ slid into what he hoped looked like a vaguely threatening stance. God, please don't let him attack me!

The Kanes stood rigid and tense for about fifteen minutes. Finally, Warrior relaxed and kicked dust sullenly. "I think he dumped us."

Ranger smirked, his mouth tense. "He's not very good at it—he left us a trail." Pointing at some indeterminate spot in the foliage, he started off on his own path again. Skipper and Warrior glanced at TJ, who shrugged. "I know about as much about tracking as you guys. Don't ask me."

The three started off following Ranger.

OOOOOOOO

"No, this time I'm really sure!" said Ranger.

The other Kanes groaned. They'd been traipsing along in the forest for forty-five minutes, following one trail after another as Ranger desperately tried to track down their obnoxious antagonist. Ranger viewed their mission as a personal vendetta, and was determined to catch the bloody Zangoose. Eyes narrowed, he scanned the foliage for signs of quick passage. Damn it, he thought, this ain't funny. I want that weasel's ass. Barbecued and served on a platter.

Abruptly the path of missing leaves and crushed twigs ended. Ranger snarled out a swear word as he scanned the treetops ahead for signs of a moderately large animal moving through. A low growl of frustration tore its way up from his gut. WHERE ARE YOU!!! he screamed in his head.

TJ walked up next to Ranger. "You okay man?"

Ranger shrugged his shoulders, trying to work out the tension. What the hell is going on? he asked himself. Trying to think rationally through the red haze of rage, he shook his head. "Yes. No. I don't know. For no particular reason, I want to roast this guy and stake his head in my yard. I don't know what's going on, but I want to hurt him. Baaaad."

TJ frowned at his brother in consternation. Hmm. Wonder what's got ahold of him? "Well, you'll figure it out. Any idea where our target is?"

Ranger closed his eyes, clenched his fist and jaw, inhaled, and mumbled something under his breath. "No clue."

"RRRAGHH!!!" Warrior vocalized. "Screw this! I'll be right back!"

He dashed to the nearest tree, scampered up the trunk, and disappeared. A few minutes passed, then the remaining Kanes heard a great cacophony of noise from off in the distance. The noise continued intermittently for fifteen minutes, then stopped. A few seconds later, Warrior reappeared. "I inquired of the locals where I might find our white weasel friend," he said, "and they happily told me the location of said fiend. Follow me."

Skipper smiled. "That was easy. Why didn't you just ask someone before, Ranger?" Happily oblivious, he trundled off after Warrior. TJ and Ranger exchanged glances. As they followed Warrior, Ranger grunted. TJ looked down at him. "Something on your mind?"

Ranger shook his head. "Remind me to never piss off Warrior when I'm within reach."

TJ laughed just a bit too heartily. "Yeah, me too."

The two shuffled along uncomfortably, trying very hard not to think about what Warrior had just done.

OOOOOOOO

Warrior led them to a perfectly normal looking tree with heavy foliage and a large number of vines hanging from the branches. Ranger stared at him, unimpressed. "Yes, it's a very nice tree. But there's no Zangoose in it."

Warrior shot him a sidelong glance. "Who shoved a nail through your tail? I know there's no Zangoose in it, he's probably already left to find another victim. But this is where he keeps all his loot. TJ's bat'll be here."

Warrior started climbing the vines. TJ quickly followed suit. Halfway up, he glanced back at Ranger. "You coming?"

Ranger clenched his fist. The Zangoose's laughter echoed in his head once again. Flashes of a dark room from his memories burned through his mind, causing him to clench his jaw. Ranger forced himself to appear disinterested and said, "nah, I'm gonna keep an eye on Skipper."

TJ frowned at him. "Uh, oooo-kay. See ya in a few."

Ranger retreated back to his anger as Skipper bounded up the tree trunk. Dark thoughts swirled in his head. The Zangoose's laughter continually returned to echo through his mind, causing his anger to grow exponentially. What's wrong with me, he thought to himself. Why do I hate this guy so damn much?

There was a clunking sound from the tree, and TJ leapt down with his bat in hand. Warrior and Skipper followed, the former landing gracefully on his feet and the latter on his face. TJ glanced at Skipper to make sure he was okay, then looked at Ranger. "Ready?"

Ranger rotated his left shoulder, trying to dissipate his internal tension. "Yeah, I guess. Where to?"

TJ shrugged. "I was thinking we'd head towards Fallarbor town. At this point, it's the fastest way to Lavaridge. Besides, there's a pokémon center there. Food and rest and whatnot."

Ranger squinted at the tree. "Sounds great."

TJ stared at him. "You sure you're okay?"

Ranger glared at the ground in front of him. "Never better," he growled through clenched teeth. "Let's go."

OOOOOOOO

The Kanes' trip to Fallarbor was uneventful after that. Whatever Warrior had done to the innocent bystander earlier, the fear it generated was more than enough to clear a path for the young brothers. The entire trip over the mountain took just short of three hours, and Ranger sulked for all of them. Even Skipper began to get tired of the constant funk surrounding his best friend in the whole world…All in all, everyone was pretty happy to see the pokémon center.

After the quartet booked a room, they headed for the cafeteria to grab some grub. TJ went to the kitchen while Skipper, Ranger, and Warrior grabbed a table. As TJ stood in line, he glanced at his little family. Skipper and Warrior were taking turns trying to coax a taciturn Ranger into his usual indifference, but Ranger stubbornly remained moody and emo. TJ frowned in thought. What the hell's eating him? he wondered. He shook his head. "Three bowls of chili and a bowl of lentil soup please," he said to the cafeteria lady. She smiled happily—as always, TJ laughed to himself over the seemingly minor differences between this world and his—and handed him the requested meals. Balancing the tray carefully, TJ walked over to the table. "Eat up while it's hot guys."

It was early evening, and there were plenty of diners in the cafeteria. A low rumble of background chatter permeated the air as Skipper and Warrior attacked their bowls of chili. TJ picked at his bowl, eyeing Ranger. Glancing around to make sure that no one else, including Skipper and Warrior, was listening, he leaned over his bowl and muttered, "spill."

Ranger glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Spill what?"

"Come on Ranger!" TJ said. "I know you. You're upset about something, and I'm not leaving you alone until you tell me."

Ranger glared at TJ disdainfully. "The cafeteria closes eventually."

TJ smiled a wicked little smile. "So what you're telling me is that I have a time limit, and the longer it takes to get you to talk, the more necessary it will become to, say, proclaim to the patrons of this eatery—at the top of my lungs, no less!—that you're feeling depressed, and you need multiple full-body Ursaring-hugs from everybody in the room to get over it?"

Ranger gaped at TJ, stark horror stealing its way across his face. "You wouldn't dare!"

TJ sighed. "Ranger, the laws of this country are very explicit about our relationship. You are an intelligent, self-aware being with immense elemental powers and the capacity to do large quantities of damage. I am a comparatively weaker member of a race that by simple fluke, aka our ability to create and manipulate complex containment technologies, runs the world at the expense of the kajillions of other species living in it. According to law, I own you, and you are supposed to be my little animatronic battle slave."

Ranger stared at TJ in shock and disgust, but TJ plunged forward. "That's what the law says, but that's not what I say. I've been on the bottom of the societal food chain, and it sucks. Furthermore, I love you."

The two sat in pregnant silence for a few moments, then Ranger cleared his throat and said, "what?"

"I love you. I love Warrior. There's an extra-special part of my heart reserved for the pure innocence that is Skipper. I don't care what this country wants, I love all of you like brothers…In fact, I consider you to be my brothers. My family. When you succeed, I rejoice. When you're angry, I want to avenge you. And when you're sad, I want to know what's wrong so that I can love and comfort you, just like I'd do with my biological brothers. So, yes, I am dead serious about the Ursaring-hug ploy, if it'll get you to talk. I don't know what's in your past, but it obviously caused you a lot of pain, pain that you haven't healed from, and from time to time it's triggered by something in your surroundings, and you just shut down. That causes me pain. It causes Warrior pain. And I'm willing to bet it causes Skipper a truckload of misery, because you're his world, Ranger. Please, tell me what's wrong. Tell your family what's wrong, and if we can't fix it, then at least we can suffer with you. It's what we want to…Ranger? Ranger! What's wrong! Tell me what's wrong!"

Ranger turned his head away so TJ wouldn't see the tears trickling down his face. I knew this would happen, he thought to himself. I knew one day I'd get saddled with some lousy worthless no-good human piece of shit! I knew I'd have to deal with all sorts of pathetic worthless weird crap that I wasn't mentally and emotionally equipped for! I KNEW this would happen!

Ranger sniffled a bit. I knew it would happen…I just didn't think I'd end up with an actual good human. One who liked me, psychosis and all. One that I liked. One that…I loved. Ranger wiped his face and turned back to TJ. "I'm okay. Your sappy little speech was so pathetic that the stench made my eyes water, that's all."

TJ smirked. "Right. And I have purple polka-dots all over my bare ass."

Ranger squinted at him in a disturbed fashion. "Didn't need to know that."

TJ shrugged. "Sorry. So what's been bothering you?"

Ranger clenched his jaw as fresh anger surged through his system. He tried to force the words past his teeth—it was the least he could do after TJ's touching speech—but they just wouldn't come. He exhaled angrily through his nose.

TJ frowned, then sighed in defeat. Placeing a hand on Ranger's back, he said, "it's okay man. If it's really that big of a deal, I don't need to know. I just want you to understand that we, your brothers and I, are here for you, and when you're ready to talk, we'll listen."

Ranger felt something break inside of him. A tear rolled down his face, and he felt an immense sense of loss. He also felt like he had just won something very precious. He sighed. "That Zangoose just reminded me of…my past. It wasn't pleasant."

TJ smiled. "I can understand that. Neither is mine. 'S cool though, it happens. And you're handling it better than I did."

Ranger glanced at TJ quizzically. "What did you do?"

TJ blushed and shuffled uncomfortably. "I kind of kneed a guy in the nuts."

Ranger gaped at TJ, then started laughing. "Smooth move, Don Juan!"

TJ shrugged. "I try."

Ranger smirked good-naturedly. "Well, apparently you-"

A loud ringing interrupted him. The PA clicked, then a Chasey came on and announced something. Skipper and Warrior glanced up from licking their empty chili bowls. TJ looked at Ranger questioningly. "What'd she say?"

Ranger shook his head, a confused look stealing across his face. "Something about a first-level priority call from some place called 'Precinct 2145', and could the head nurse please come up front. She sounded…well, she sounded frightened."

TJ frowned. "Let's head up front and check it out."

OOOOOOOO

"Why are we sticking our noses into other people's business again?"

TJ made shushing motions with his hands. "Because we might be able to help them!" he hissed.

Ranger stared at him sardonically. "Aaaand what's in it for us, exactly?"

TJ frowned. "We get to feel good about ourselves."

Ranger snorted.

TJ sighed. "…And, we might get a free meal and/or room if we do."

"…sure if that plan is, ah, wise, Jenny," the nurse's voice floated over the leaves of the potted plant that TJ, Skipper, and Ranger were hiding behind. "We've already got a crowd forming out front, I think word has leaked."

TJ frowned. "Word of what leaked," he muttered to himself.

"A thief's on his way," Warrior replied, crawling down the plant's trunk. "A pokémon thief. They caught him trying to rip something off from a police cycle, and they're transporting him to the nearest secure holding facility, in other words here. Seems like he's been around for a while, a lot of townfolk want to lynch him."

TJ frowned. "Any idea why Joy's so nervous about this?"

Warrior grimaced. "Did you not just hear the word lynch? That wasn't exaggeration; I can see the lynch-mob out front. If anything happens, they're gonna kill him. And they'll probably raze the area too. I think Nurse Joy's more worried about her building than the thief. I get the feeling he's not a popular character around here."

Ranger stared at TJ. "So, what exactly are we getting out of this again? Sounds like stopping the lynch-mob from lynching this guy would be pretty unpopular. I think we should just let 'em have him."

TJ's face held a deeply pained expression. "Saving you three was an unpopular action. Should I have let them take you away instead?"

The three pokemon shuffled nervously, and a deep and uncomfortable silence descended on the group. Finally, after few minutes had passed Skipper said, "I think we should help him!"

Ranger snorted derisively, but Warrior chimed, "I don't know about that, but 'innocent until proven guilty', and whatnot. I at least think he deserves a fair trial-"

"He's a pokémon," TJ interjected. "His trial will be anything but fair, and I'm willing to bet he'll have to represent himself."

Warrior sighed. "Well, we should scope the situation out before we do anything rash."

TJ nodded. "I agree." He exchanged glances with Skipper and Warrior, then the three turned in unison to look at Ranger.

Ranger shuffled uncomfortably under their gaze. "What?"

TJ quirked and eyebrow. "We think we should assess the situation."

Ranger shrugged. "I heard you."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Well, do you agree? This is kind of a team effort."

Ranger glared at them. "Why should we get involved in something which is painfully obvious is none of our business?" TJ, Skipper, and Warrior continued to stare at him. Ranger huffed in irritation. "It's stupid! This whole business is pure stupidity! We'll most likely get run out of town! And the police will be pissed at us! No! I don't wanna do it! You guys are stupid! You suck!"

The other Kanes continued to stare at him. Ranger growled in frustration, and in exhaustion. He knew in his heart that all the arguing necessary to talk them out of their stupid idea required more talking than he was able to handle. He also knew that there was a chance they were right, and he was just being jaded. Ranger sighed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just look," he conceded.

The other Kanes smiled. Skipper beamed happily and said, "See? I told you Ranger was a good guy! He's the best!"

Ranger allowed a highly uncharacteristic smile to appear on his face. "Thanks Skipper."

TJ glanced about to make sure that no one was looking, then he and the other Kanes snuck out from behind the potted plant. Casually, they made their way towards the exit and the crowd beyond. Sliding through the massed townfolk, they arrived at the edge of the street and waited for the police.

After a few minutes, they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine from off in the distance. It grew steadily louder, until a police cycle with a steel cage in the sidecar appeared. As the car pulled up in front of the pokemon center, the mob began to mutter in anger. A female police officer stepped out of the car and pulled out a megaphone. "CLEAR A PATH TO THE POKEMON CENTER!" she shouted.

The crowd rumbled agitatedly, clearly not happy about this order. The policewoman, noticing this, shouted, "YOU ARE OBSTRUCTING OFFICIAL POLICE ACTION! YOU ARE ALSO GATHERED ILLEGALLY! LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, OR YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO-"

"Hey!" someone cried, "he's loose! And running! Get 'im!"

The mob surged and shifted around the Kanes. People began to converge on a point to the left, and TJ fought through the crowd to gain a vantage point, while the other Kanes followed in his wake. Screams and sounds of fighting wafted over the heads of those on the edges of the circle. TJ finally managed to get to the inner edge of the circle, and glimpsed the target of the mob's fury. "Well I'll be a son of a gun!" he exclaimed.

Warrior frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

TJ glanced down, his expression strange and unreadable. "See for yourself," he said. Shuffling his feet, he spread them into a wide stance, allowing Skipper, Ranger, and Warrior to look through his legs.

Several humans were inside the ring, beating on what was unmistakably the Zangoose thief from that morning. Warrior glanced at him, and sniffed in disdain. "Well, I guess that answers that question. Let's get outta here."

TJ, Skipper, and Warrior turned to leave, but stopped when they noticed that Ranger was frozen in place, eyes locked on the Zangoose. TJ frowned. "Ranger? You okay?" Ranger continued to stare, unblinking. TJ sighed. "Look man, I know you want to cream him yourself, but it's kind of dangerous to go in there right now. This is one time when we should just walk away, you know?"

Ranger heard TJ, understood his words, but he was unable to answer. He was unable to look away from the poor Zangoose as he was savagely beaten. He once again heard the Zangoose's obnoxious laugh echo through his head…

Smoke, and fire. He hears the farmer laugh maniacally as the flames of the fireplace draw closer, and he knows that the farmer is mad, and is going to burn him as kindling. The laughter continues, ringing around the room as the smoke obscures his vision. His consciousness begins to fade…

Ranger shook his head to clear the memories. A tear rolled down his cheek. Looking up, he saw one of the humans deliver a vicious kick to the Zangoose's stomach with his boot-

He sees the farmer's boot, as it swings toward him. Something happens, some strange trick of reality, and he ceases existence for a few minutes. When he comes to, the pain is immediate. He opens his eyes, his face and neck are on fire. This is worse than the fireplace, at least that promised to be over quickly. He stares at the farmer's boot, but he is unable to comprehend the red smear on the toe. Then, he reaches up to feel his neck, to see why it's so sore. He moves further up his body to his jaw, and white hot pain erupts behind his eyes. He pants for a few seconds, sluggishly dodging the farmer, then he feels something strange on his hand. He looks down to see more of the strange red substance that stains the farmer's boot smeared on his palm…

Ranger snapped back to the present violently. He watched as the savage beating continued. Memories chased their way around his head, torturing him. He stared at the Zangoose, unable to decipher the situation. Aggressor? Victim? He couldn't tell. Ranger felt pressure building in his head until he plunked down in the middle of the crowd and screamed.

A few members of the mob glanced at him, but they quickly lost interest. As the building pressure in his head trickled away into nothing, Ranger exhaled deeply. I am a seriously screwy guy, he thought to himself. I have issues. My issues have issues, for heaven's sake! I'm a bloody repentant murderer who'd do it again, and I'm completely justified socially because the system sucks! And I'm completely and totally going to burn in hell for those I've murdered!

Ranger inhaled deeply, then exhaled to a count of five. Forcing himself to focus, he looked up at the Zangoose. Regardless of my past and my issues, if I don't help him they'll kill him. And I'm surprised to admit I don't want that to happen.

Ranger glanced up at TJ. TJ stepped forward, concerned about the look in his eyes. "Ranger," he said, "what are you th-"

"BANZAI!!!" shouted Ranger. Yelling incoherently, he charged towards the growing mass of humans beating the Zangoose. One of the humans turned, just as Ranger leapt and Pounded his face. Hard. Blood spurted out of the human's nose, and just like that Ranger was on the attack. He landed on another human's face and headbutted him on his forehead. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he propelled himself backwards and kicked his feet to fly into a spinning Pound to a third human's abdomen. There was a rush of air, and Ranger felt someone fall to the ground behind him. Turning around he saw a human lying on the ground as TJ stood over him and glared, bat in hand. TJ shot Ranger a look that conveyed a long conversation down the line. Ranger shrugged. Then another human managed to hit him with a thrown rock. "Son of a Granbull!" Ranger snarled.

"HEY!!!" screamed Skipper, "YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO MY BROTHER! TACKLE!!!!!" The man was knocked flying, landing in the crowd.

The remaining humans drew back, muttering. Suddenly bright light erupted all around the Kanes. When it faded, multiple pokémon stood in a large circle around the four combatants. Several nasty-looking fighting types were glaring at Ranger…And behind them stood a pair of angry-looking Swellow. Flying types! Crap! thought Ranger. Okay, now what?

The four Kanes moved to form a diamond around the battered Zangoose. TJ glanced at Ranger. "Well, you charged in here. Any bright ideas?"

Ranger eyed the circle of fighting types with the odd flying type here and there. "Yeah. Don't lose."

TJ rolled his eyes. "Brilliant. Bloody brilliant."

And then there wasn't time for words. Ranger couldn't even see his brothers; it was a nightmare of pounding fists, kicking feet, and the odd beak aimed at his throat. A hefty Machoke came barreling towards Ranger, trying to clothesline him while he was busy with one of the Swellow. Ranger ducked just in time. The Swellow he'd been facing took the attack head-on, but seemed unfazed. Course not, Ranger thought, he's strong against fighting. And me.

Out of nowhere a foot stretched and smacked him on the chest. Winded, Ranger sank to the ground, trying to breath. The Machoke was waiting for him, and his fist knocked Ranger through the air. He rolled to a stop eight feet away…right in front of the Zangoose. Ranger's head spun, and his stomach ached as if he had to throw up. Probably do, he thought. And I'll bet a few of my ribs are cracked again. Damn.

Ranger was tired, and in pain, so it's understandable that he missed it at first. Lying on the ground waiting for the nausea to pass, he noticed a persistent, if weak, call. Looking around, he finally realized that the Zangoose was trying to talk to him. He glanced towards the beaten thief. "Whattaya… want?" he wheezed.

The Zangoose's eyes were clear, as if he had transcended the pain. He looked at Ranger intensely and asked, "why?"

Ranger stopped short. Why was he doing this? This Zangoose wasn't really a family member; in fact, he'd attacked Ranger's brothers, and reminded him of exceedingly bad times. TJ, Skipper, and Warrior had been ready to walk away. Why couldn't he?

Ranger smiled. Deep within his soul, his long-dormant heart glowed a bit brighter as warmth raced throughout. Ranger looked up at the Zangoose. "Because I've… been in… your position." he gasped. "I under… stand that… it's not very… pretty…" Ranger smiled warmly, and he felt it from the very depths of his soul. "Can't believe I'm… saying this… but… I… forgive you…" And he meant it.

Drawing a deep breath, Ranger mentally shunted the pain to one side and stood upright. No longer flailing like a beserker, he carefully scanned the battlefield looking for any sort of advantage he could claim. All fighting types and flying types, he thought. Not much to work with… gotta be something though. He carefully eyed each opponent, looking for a weakness, an opening he could exploit… and then he saw it.

Locked in battle with TJ and his bat, a Farfetch'd swung wildly at Ranger's brother. Ranger's lip curled as his eyes lighted upon the tawny duck's leek-sword. Bingo, he thought.

Forcing his battered body to move, he dashed towards TJ and the Farfetch'd. TJ swung down at the bird with his bat, but the Farfetch'd dodged. It prepared to counterattack, but Ranger stole the opportunity right out from underneath him. As he slid underneath the Farfetch'd, he snatched the leek-sword from its grasp. Before the shocked bird could regain its bearing, Ranger jumped up, spun around, and sliced brutally at the bird's exposed head. The Farfetch'd collapsed to the ground unconscious. Ranger glanced at TJ once, then dashed off to cover his quadrant. In his absence, the Swellow and the Machoke had moved towards the Zangoose while a Hariyama, most likely the culprit behind the phantom foot, had covered them. Ranger was on them before they knew what was happening. He swiped the Machoke a few times, feeling gratified as the leek-sword left welts on its skin. Leaping in the air, he spun in a corkscrew to batter at both Swellow, knocking them away from the Zangoose. Landing on the ground, he pivoted and faced the Machoke, who was still in the process of turning around to face the new threat. Just you and me now pal, he thought. You better pray your friends are fast, cause I'm gonna toast you. Shifting his grip on the leek-sword, he charged forward. He feinted a blow at the Machoke's unprotected head, then swept under its guard and hit it in the ribs. The Machoke moved to cover its exposed side, and Ranger took the opportunity to kick it in the solar plexus. You're mine asshole, he thought.

Then out of nowhere, one of the Swellow rocketed down and hit him head on with its beak. Damn, thought Ranger as pain blossomed through his body. Ranger plowed into the earth. The Swellow flapped its wings hard to correct its flight path, stirring up a great cloud of dirt and dust. The cloud billowed out until it obscured Ranger, the Machoke, the Zangoose, and both of the Swellow. After about ten minutes, the dirt settled back down.

Ranger shook his head to clear it. When he'd hit the ground, he'd been fighting the creeping blackness at the edge of his vision. Then, he'd felt funny. Everything had gone white, and he'd felt tingly and warm. He now lay on the dirt, breathing. He realized that while he still felt just as tired, he no longer felt quite as beat up. He stood gingerly. Offhand, he noticed that he was taller…Ranger did a double take. Glancing down, he realized he was different. What the—I evolved? The heck?!

Ranger glanced at his wrists. He vaguely remembered the Grovyle of his village, and how they ought to look. The leaves on his wrists were nothing like theirs. Instead, they were thin, long, and ran down his arms and past his elbows. They felt strong. Ranger flexed them experimentally, and was utterly shocked when he felt the flowing energy of his body enter into them. The leaves on Ranger's wrists began to glow, and extend. Three feet long, an inch and a half wide, and very sharp, Ranger now sported backwards katanas on each wrist. "Leaf Blade…" he whispered in awe.

The Machoke coughed violently, rubbing its eyes. Ranger glanced swiftly around to locate his foes. The Zangoose, the Machoke, the Swellow, and the Hariyama had all gotten dust in their eyes and down their throats. Guess that bastard did me a favor hitting me like that, Ranger thought. Not that that makes it okay. Let's see what these puppies can do!

Ranger raised his arms in front of him and charged. As the world around him blurred, he came to appreciate some of the other changes brought on by evolution, such as greatly enhanced speed. Ranger's right arm shot in the air, and he slashed down at the Machoke's left bicep. A moderately deep gash appeared and began bleeding. Ranger was jarred by the sight of it. Gotta be careful, he thought. These are a lot sharper than that leek! I could seriously hurt someone, which is what I'm trying to stop. Gotta control my fight better! He pivoted and dashed towards the Hariyama. As the bulky pokemon loomed in front of him, Ranger slashed quickly several times instead of using one powerful stroke. He scored a few nicks and cuts, but he missed more than he hit. Guess there's more to it than reading a book, he thought with chagrin. Jamming his left blade into the ground, he kicked his feet up and allowed his momentum to hurl him into a 180. Swinging his feet out he wrenched his blade out of the dirt and shot towards the Hariyama, flipping around as he did so. His shoulder collided with the Hariyama's head, and Ranger distinctly heard a pop. Ignoring the pain radiating from the impact point, Ranger vaulted over the toppling Hariyama and ran full tilt towards the Machoke. Skidding to a stop to its left, Ranger sprayed the Machoke's wounded arm with dirt, sand, and gravel. Ranger winced as the Machoke bellowed in pain. While the Machoke clutched its left arm, Ranger slipped his left blade behind its weight-lifting belt and yanked back next to the buckle. The belt fibers sliced cleanly off, and Ranger caught the falling piece of apparel before it hit the ground. Grasping the severed cloth firmly, he whipped it in a semi-circle and smacked the Machoke upside the head. The Machoke grunted, then collapsed on the ground.

Ranger stood panting, glancing around wildly for the two Swellow. He allowed his wrist blades to go limp as he hunched over and caught his breath. Grasping the belt firmly in his left hand, he strained his senses to detect the birds.

He was almost too late. Closing at a ludicrous speed, the two Swellow came in low and fast with a dual Aerial Ace. Their hearts were steady; both birds were confident that the only question was who would hit Ranger first. When they were three yards away, he spun around and stared at them. The two Swellow smirked in triumph. There was no dodging now.

And then, when they were two feet away, Ranger's form blurred and disappeared.

The birds were shocked. Flapping hard, they tried to shed momentum and turn around for another pass, but it was too late. Ranger appeared crouched between the two Swellow, whirling the belt above his head like a lasso. The birds had enough time to stare at him in disbelief, then they were both conked on the head and fell to the ground.

Ranger stood. Striding away from the downed pokemon, he walked up to a Makuhita that was harassing Skipper and kicked it eight feet. As it landed, the thud caused the various local pokemon to stop and stare at the tall, angry-looking Grass type. TJ took advantage of the lull to shout, "I THINK IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT WE'RE GOING TO WIN, AND I THINK IT'S JUST AS OBVIOUS THAT IT'S GONNA HURT WHEN WE DO! WE JUST WANT THE ZANGOOSE TO WALK OUT OF HERE ALIVE! TRUCE?"

The townfolk muttered uneasily. Everyone looked decidedly unhappy about allowing their tormentor to leave, but no one seemed brave enough to attack such powerful warriors. Finally, a man stepped forward. Glancing at the mob ringing the battle field, he said, "your proposal makes sense, and is generous. I see no problem with the thief walking away if it will stop this." Scanning the ring to see if anyone was in disagreement, he stepped back into the crowd.

TJ nodded, and the four Kanes converged on the Zangoose. Ranger knelt at his head and asked, "can you walk?"

The Zangoose laughed without humor. "I have a black eye, a broken nose, two missing teeth, a sprained ankle, and at least three fractured ribs. And that's just what I can feel hurting; no accounting for areas numb from shock. I don't really think so."

TJ nodded. "Here," he said. He fished a bottle labeled 'super potion' out of his duffel and sprayed half the contents on the Zangoose's body. He handed the bottle to the Zangoose and said, "drink this." Then he reached into the duffel and grabbed a T-shirt, and started tearing it into strips. When he had about five good-sized strips, TJ wrapped them carefully around the Zangoose's chest, then tied them tight. "Walk carefully," he advised, "those will only keep the broken bones from shifting too much. Your breathing will be a bit restricted, so try not to take deep breaths, and take it easy. That potion'll make you heal faster, but I'd still leave your chest bound for a few days. And take this," he reached into the bag and pulled out a wooden walking stick he'd brought from home. "You should be able to use it as a crutch. Again, take it easy on the ankle for a few days, say three or four. If you do that, you'll heal up fine."

The Zangoose grabbed ahold of the walking stick and stood up slowly. He stared at TJ, Skipper, Ranger, and Warrior. "Why?" he croaked.

TJ frowned. "Well, Ranger wanted to save you. And even if we weren't sure why, he's our brother. We stand by him."

Everyone shuffled nervously to cover the awkward silence. Then Skipper added, "plus, we were being stupid. Even if you stole from us, helping you is the right thing to do."

The Zangoose stared at them, an uncomprehending look on his face. Still staring at them, he stumped off towards the pokemon center and the uninhabited forest behind it. The Kanes followed behind him to make sure that no one in the crowd tried anything stupid. After the Zangoose disappeared behind the center, TJ and the other Kanes turned around and faced towards the crowd. In the distance the sound of several police sirens wailed ever louder as backup approached. Idly Ranger wondered if the backup had delayed themselves purposely. Glancing at the dirt road in front of them, he shook his head and smiled. Looking up at TJ, a much easier task than it was before the battle, Ranger said, "I just might come to like this selfless baloney you yahoos always babble on about. There's something to be said for helping save your enemies. Certainly makes you feel good!"

TJ smiled wryly. "Let's see how good it feels when they arrest us for inciting riot, or whatever trumped up charge it is they're gonna hit us with." He nodded in the direction of the police officer, who came striding towards them with a stern look on her face.

Ranger laughed. "You seem pretty relaxed for a man who's about to be arrested. If I didn't know better I'd say you're feeling downright giddy!"

TJ shrugged. "Yeah, well, you know all that self-sacrifice baloney I babble about constantly?"

Ranger smiled very widely. "Yeah?"

TJ quirked an eyebrow. "It makes you feel really good inside when you do it."

All four Kanes were laughing heartily as the angry police officer reached them.

A/N: And that's a wrap! As always, I love reviews so please do! Hopefully the next chapter should come out a bit faster than this one die! Hasta la vista friends!