My breath was shaky. A cold sweat ran down my back as I looked over my shoulder. The eerie silence bore down on me. It's way to quiet. There was a sudden chirp, my indicator. Quietly, I stealthily crept though the trees, staying in the shadows. A twig snapped somewhere in the distance. My body froze instantly, hidden behind a tree. I peeked to where the snapping sound was. Spiky brown hair disappeared behind a tree. I don't think he saw me. Two more chirps. I need to move. A cold breeze blew by, rustling the trees and plants. I took this as my chance to move, the rustling sound drowning out my movements. A gold shimmer caught my eye. Bingo. Only two guards. Now how do I get past them?
Three chirps. Gotta hurry if this is going to work I picked up a stone, and threw it to the guards' left. "What the hell was that?" They asked, leaving their post to examine the area. My movements were quick and quiet as I grabbed the prize from it's stand. "Hey!" Damn, I've been spotted. Without looking back, I began sprinting back to my territory, the two guards chasing after me. My legs took long fast strides, jumping over roots and bushes. Suddenly, someone appeared in front of me. I can't stop running. Without checking to see who it was, I vaulted myself up, grabbing onto a low branch, and swung over the person. He gasped, not knowing what to do. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I was off again. Just as the fourth chirp sounded, I crossed into my territory.
My team cheered. "Excellent job, Babe!" Achilles lifted me up and spun me around. "And in four chirps? That's a new record!"
"Yeah, not even I could do that when I was an intern." A girl named Melrose clapped me on the back. Emmett walked over to us, giving me a high five. The other team walked over to us, defeat written across their faces.
"You guys take capture the flag way to seriously." Ben grumbled, crossing his arms. His team consisted of Owen, Annalise, and Ellie.
I walked over to Ben, pushing his arm slightly. "Ohh come on, you know you were all into it until you lost." He smiled but shook his head. As a group we all walked back to the Ranger Union, talking and laughing the entire way.
Upon entering the building, Melrose and Ellie turned to the two of us. "Alright, you two, go out and check to see if anyone needs you to do a quest for them. Got it?" Ellie asked. "Remember, be smart and be tactical." We nodded our heads, eagerly running out of the union.
We walked around town, trying to find anyone in need of a ranger. The day wore on as we did small quests for the towns people, most of them consisting of going from point 'A' to 'B'. Nothing too interesting. A faint sobbing caught my attention and I wandered away from Ben to pinpoint it. A little girl sat under a tree, crying. "Uh, hi. My name is Summer. I'm training to be a Ranger. Is there anything you need help with?" I asked in a soothing tone.
She looked up to me with rosy cheeks. "My brother is missing. We were playing and he wondered off." She cried out. "Mommy is going to be so mad at me for losing him!"
I gently rested my hands on her shoulders. "Hey don't worry. My partner and I will find him. Where was the last place you saw him?" She pointed to the woods. Great. He could be anywhere in there. "You head straight home, okay? Tell your parents two rangers are in the process of finding him and aren't going to stop until we do." She nodded, running towards town. I walked to Ben. "We have to find a little boy lost in the woods." He looked shocked but nodded.
"It's getting dark fast." He said. I looked at the sky. The sun was already vanishing behind the trees. "We have to hurry." We sprinted into the woods, trying to find the lost boy.
Minutes wore on. I growled frustratingly. "Ben, this isn't going to work. We need to get in the air."
"What do you have in mind?" He asked. I smiled cheekily.
"Where the hell did you find two Salamence!?" Ben yelled over the wind. He needs to learn not to question my brilliance. We flew through the sky scanning the ground.
Just as I thought we would never find him, I saw a dark figure on a cliff. "Oh my gods! Ben, the cliff!" We sped down to the cliff. The sound of panicked cries became louder as we landed. The little boy ran up to Ben, crying his eyes out. "What's wrong?" I asked, trying to calm him down. He pointed to the dark woods, crying hysterically. The all too familiar smell of burnt wood stung my nose. A menacing growl could be heard approaching us. "Ben.. get him out of here." I ordered.
He gave me a worried look. "I'm not leaving you here alone. What if something bad happens?"
"Our job as rangers is to protect the people and Pokemon alike. Even if the situation is dangerous. So you get that little boy to safety." I sighed. "Besides, Salamence is going to keep me safe. Right, buddy?" I rubbed the back of his ear, earning a smile from the courageous Pokemon. Ben hesitated but gave in. He lifted the little boy onto Salamence and they flew off towards the village. The growling turned into a roar, scaring the Pidgey and Starly out of the trees. Quietly and slowly, I mounted Salamence, ready to get the air advantage. Red eyes and a flame glowed in the dark and out stepped a Charizard. He blew fire at us. I shrieked, fear creeping into my veins. Trying to avoid the attack, Salamence dodged upwards, circling the cliff. Charizard flapped his wings, flying straight to us. He tried to headbutt Salamence but it was easily avoided. "Okay, keep it steady. Capture, on!" Just as the final loop connected, Charizard blew fire at us. It took Salamence by surprise, hitting us both square on. I cried out, clutching my arm, tears flowing down my cheeks. Salamence was knocked unconscious. I clung to his body desperately trying not to get separated as we fell through the sky. The ground approached us rapidly. "Salamence! Please, wake up!" I pleaded, squeezing my eyes shut.
The falling sensation stopped as he flapped his wings, speeding towards the town. My shivering body clung to him, unmoving. Salamence slowed to a stop as he landed. Almost instantly, I felt arms around my waist. Owen picked me up, one hand on my back and the other under my legs. Annalise stayed back, taking care of Salamence. He walked into the Union. "Ellie, go get a blanket. Mel, go get the medical kit. Emmett, go get Ben. Achilles, come take a look at this." Owen ordered.
Ellie came back with two blankets. She spread the larger one down on the floor and Owen placed me there. He wrapped the other blanket around my shivering body. I cringed at the fabric rubbing against my arm. Achilles knelt down next to me. "What's wrong, Babe? What happened out there?" He asked in a soothing tone. My limbs wouldn't move. I can't speak. I don't wanna go back to that place again. I want to do my job and not worry about getting frozen up like this. Achilles moved the blanket, exposing my arm. He and Owen cringed, looking at the burn. I kept my eyes trained on the front entrance, wanting only to see Ben. "Mel! Where is the medical kit?" He yelled.
Melrose came running over to us, a huge kit in her arms. Owen held a bowl under my arm, while Achilles poured water directly on the burn. The intense pain shot through my arm, bringing me back to reality. I cried out painfully, tears falling down my cheeks. I grit my teeth, struggling slightly. Owen used his other hand to hold my shoulder down. Ellie dried the skin around the burn with a cloth, then applied a soothing ointment to the injury. She then wrapped it with cotton and gauze. "There." She sighed, smiling weakly. "That should do it. Tomorrow morning I'll put some more ointment on it and wrap it up again."
"Thank you so much. All of you." I whispered, feeling ashamed. I'm so sick of being the one that gets hurt. Can't I just finish a mission without becoming the damsel in distress? The doors to the entrance opened. I shot my head up, wanting to see Ben. Instead, Annalise walked in. I stood up shakily. "How is Salamence?"
She smiled widely. "He is just fine. I patched him up and he is on his way home. He was really worried about you. Seems like you left a real good impression on him." Annalise walked up the stairs, biding us goodnight. Owen and Ellie were next to retire to bed.
Achilles sat with me in the lobby, waiting for Ben and Emmett's return. What is taking them so long? Please, be okay. "Babe, you should go get some sleep. I'll wait here for the guys to get back." I tried to object, wanting to wait as well. "Ahh." He cut off. "Go to bed. You and Ben are sharing a room anyway. When he gets back, you'll be able to see him. Just please, go get some rest." I sighed, nodding my head.
Before I walked away, I walked over to Achilles. I lightly gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. For everything." I whispered. He smiled softly, waving me goodnight.
The room was pretty small, a bed on one side of the room, while another sat across from it. Lazily, I drug myself to the closest bed, setting myself down. Chikorita hopped up next to me, nuzzling her head against my side. Some time passed, my eyelids getting heavy. They are taking so long. Please be ok- "Summer?" My eyes wandered to the door. Ben stood there, breathing heavily, leaning against the door frame. I stood up, running to him. He opened his arms, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth. "You're crazy." He breathed.
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking up to him. A cut under his eye oozed blood while a bruise formed on his cheek.
He shook his head, his grip tightening around me. "Stop worrying about me. What about you? Your arm. What happened?"
I bit my lip, looking at him uneasily. "The Pokemon from the woods.. it was a Charizard. Salamence was too slow and we got hit with flamethrower." A cold shiver ran up my spine. "The fear.. I could feel it taking over my body when I got back here. I don't want to go back to that place again. Unable to feel or remember anything.."
Ben rested his lips on my forehead. "You won't, Sums. You're stronger than that. I know you are."
Alrighty, kinda short, I know. Regardless, I hope y'all enjoyed. -A
