IMN: Hello my fellow Pokémon lovers! Welcome to chapter 20 of 'Mewmans: Story of the Dark Ice Maiden'! Sorry for the late update, my laptop broke and I was away for two weeks. Today is a special chapter because not only is this the twentieth chapter but also-

Keith: *Holding up KJ the Egg, Lion King style on Mounty Mark II* KJ IS GOING TO HATCH TODAY AND I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!

IMN: *Hits Keith on the head with a shot from her Marshmallow Gun* Don't steal my thunder! I was suppose to announce that! Thunder Thief! ALSO GET OFF MOUNTY MARK II!

Keith: OW! ...Wait, why did that hurt me? *Eats the marshmallow that hit his head*

Rhythmi: I don't know. Anyway we should start the chapter before something else happens.

Kate: I agree. *Turns to the audience* Infusion Masters Nightmare doesn't own Pokémon or it's characters. She only owns her OCs and the idea of Mewmans.

Keith: On with the story!

IMN: I SAID GET OFF MOUNTY MARK II! DON'T YOU DARE GET DIRT ON MY MOUNTAIN OF CHOCOLATE!

Chapter 20: Enter Team Dim Sun!

Kate's Pov

"Alright, you vill tell us everything ve vant to know! You can tell us before ze torture or AFTER! Tell us what you know, you oil-stinking criminal!" Barlow said with a horrible accent. When Keith and I got back to the base, Barlow promoted us to Ranger Rank 2 but now he and Crawford are a little... preoccupied. Barlow and Crawford are taking this interrogation thing too seriously. For the last twenty-four hours they've been wearing sunglasses and suits like they're spies or something interrogating the guy we found in the fire. Of course Luana, Elaine and Rhythmi tried to make sure they don't go overboard but nothing is working so far.

"Barlow, Barlow please. Don't scare the poor guy. He's been through a lot. Listen to me buddy, how about you tell us what you know and we'll give you... One hundred Poké-dollars," Crawford reasoned with the tanned guy. All his burns have been treated by Elaine but Barlow ordered that the guy should be tied a smidgeon on the tight side. I feel sorry for the poor guy already...

"Crawford! We're not giving the guy one hundred Poké-dollars!" Rhythmi argued. She has been cranky ever since she was woken up thanks to Keith's rude wake up call (Something about a Budew, a feather, pie and a camera). I'm just thankful that at least one of us (besides myself) thinks that this interrogation thing is ridiculous.

"You're right, Rhythmi. How about three hundred Poké-dollars?" Crawford asked the guy. 'Crawford, you idiot...' I thought while glaring at my big brother.

"WE'RE NOT GIVING THE GUY THREE HUNDRED POKÉ-DOLLARS!" Everyone in the base shouted except for Crawford, Barlow and the tied up guy. Just then the phone on the Operator's desk rang and Rhythmi picked it up.

"Vientown Ranger Base. This is Rhythmi speaking, how may we help you? ...P-P-P-P-P-Prof. Hastings?! ... I-I'm sorry Sir but w-we thought that you're still in Fiore. ...You're where?! ... W-We didn't hear anything about you're arrival. ... I see... Okay, thank you for calling. We'll send someone to get you. See you soon," Rhythmi said into the phone before hanging up. When she put the phone down she sighed and rubbed her head.

"That's Prof. Hastings. He came back from his business trip early to examine the red thingamajig. He's in Vien Forest right now and is coming over here. We need someone to guide him through the forest so he won't get lost," Rhythmi explained.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that he was coming back early," Keith muttered to himself. The rest of us just stared at him as Rhythmi calmly walked up to him. She then put him in a head-lock and tighten her grip.

"You mean to tell me that you knew he was coming back early and you didn't tell us?! You're such an idiot, Keith! Prof. Hastings gave out to me because he thought I was disorganised for not sending a ranger! You stupid Red-Head!" Rhythmi ranted as Keith was trying to get out of her grip. Now I know not to ever let Rhythmi get mad.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Let go, Rhyth!" Keith shouted before I walked over and separated them.

"We can argue later. We have to get Prof. Hastings and guide him to the base," I said while my two good friends calmed down. Barlow nodded his head and got into Ranger-Leader mode.

"Sounds like a plan. Kate and Keith will get the professor while we keep an eye on oil-reeking guy here," Barlow said while pointing at the silent guy. Luana just shook her head and looked at the leader.

"I don't think that he would like to be known as 'oil-reeking guy'. How about we come up with a nickname for him while Kate and Keith gets Prof. Hastings," Luana suggested. Barlow thought about it for a minute before nodding.

"I agree. Since he still stinks of oil, how about 'Oil-Stinker-Creep?" Barlow asked. Crawford tutted at Barlow's nickname for the guy and walked up to the leader.

"Barlow, Barlow, Barlow. You fail at comedy. It has no spark and plus it's too long. I say we should call him 'Oil Weirdo'? That sounds cooler, shorter and has a spark," Crawford said. Keith just leaned over to me so his mouth is close to my ear. Just that little action set my face on fire, am I getting a fever?!

"Something tells me that this will not end well. Let's get out of here to find my grandpa before all hell breaks loose," Keith whispered and I nodded my head before we both sneaked out of the base. From outside I could hear Barlow and Crawford arguing. I bet the whole town could hear both of them shouting 'Oil-Stinker-Creep! Oil Weirdo!'. Sometimes Crawford can get really embarrassing.

"Keith, my boy! Is that you? Long time, no see!" exclaimed Prof. Hastings as he jogged up to the entrance of Vien Forest. Keith was smiling ear to ear as we walked up to the professor. It's sweet to see how much Keith cares about his grandfather.

"Hey Grandpa, how was Fiore?" Keith asked as Prof. Hastings affectionately rubbed Keith's head.

"It was grand but on the way here, some prankster put up a barrier on Lookout Ridge. That thing wasn't even strong! A chop here, a kick there and it fell apart as if it were toothpicks! Some people," Prof. Hastings huffed. That kinda does strike me as odd that someone would put up a barrier on Lookout Ridge.

"If that was the case Grandpa, why didn't you ask Wendy to fly you over here?" Keith asked. Prof. Hastings walked with us to the base but it appeared like Keith and him were in their own little world. It kinda made me feel jealous but I understood how Keith is feeling. He rarely spends time with his family since they're famous and busy so he treasures the time he has with them. It's kinda funny how Keith can be so tough and cool on the outside but he's a sweet guy on the inside.

"You know how much I love some good exercise. Also you of all people know that I hate flying. Your cousin, Wendy, was teasing me about how I prefer walking instead of flying. Teasing me?! HA! Everyone knows that a good jog is healthy for you and quicker too," Prof. Hastings explained. Keith was laughing at his grandfather's antics while he was looking at me with guilt in his eyes. When we got to the entrance of the base, Prof. Hastings glanced and picked up on the fact that Keith was giving me a look of guilt. Why was that?

When we got into the Ranger Base, we saw Crawford and Barlow sitting on the floor pouting like kids on a time out, while Luana and Rhythmi were trying to hold Elaine back from taking apart the red thingamajig. I stared at the scene in shock about how things had changed so suddenly while we were gone.

"Uh, guys? We're back," Keith said uncomfortably. Everyone stopped what they were going and looked in our direction. That seems to snap them out of their senses and they all stood up, trying to look normal (except for Oil-Stinker-Creep/ Oil Weirdo or whatever his name is since he's tied up).

"Ah Prof. Hastings! Welcome back to Almia. It's great that you came back to help us out with the red thingamajig. Thank you for giving us some of your time," Barlow said as he greeted Prof. Hastings. Barlow lead Prof. Hastings to the red thingamajig and started to explain what happened ever the last couple of days. Keith was nudging my arm with his while everyone else was busy. I turned to look at him and he still gave me a look of guilt.

"Kate, sorry that I'd ignored you when I was talking to my Grandpa. It's just been a while since I last saw him in person and I completely forgot about you. I'm sorry," Keith whispered so only I could hear. Now I get it, he felt guilty because he ignored me. I couldn't help but smile at how thoughtful Keith was about my feelings.

"It's fine, I know you haven't seen your grandfather since the whole styler thieves fiasceo, right? You rarely see your family so I understand why you want to talk to your relatives as much as you can. You don't have to apologise," I said while nudging his arm back in a friendly way. Keith was surprised at first but then he kopped that I was mimicking him. He showed his usual goofy smile that made my smile grow bigger just by looking at it.

"Wait a minute. This strange machine looks familiar... Yes! I remember now. I saw these all over Pueltown on the way here. There were some men wearing these bizarre outfits having trouble carrying more of these things around town. I thought they were mailboxes so I didn't pay much attention to them but it seems that I was wrong," Prof. Hastings said while he examined the red item. 'Wait, did he say he saw those things before?! No way!' I thought with panic before looking at the professor with worry.

"Prof. Hastings, exactly how many of those red things did you see in town?" I asked. The old scientist thought for a moment before looking at me.

"About three or four of them all over town and some of them are a completely different colour compared to this one," Prof. Hastings replied. I felt my blood grow cold when I heard that. That many in such a short time?! So many of them, then that means- that means-!

"Alright people we have another emergency mission today. Luana, Kate and Keith I want you all to head to Pueltown so you can get rid of those machines and find out who are these mystery guys," ordered Barlow before I rushed out the door with Fro, Keith, Jet and Luana on my tail (metaphorically speaking).

"Kate, slow down!" Keith said as he caught up to me and grabbed onto my hand to stop me. I was about to tell Keith to let me go until I saw the worried look on his face.

"Kate, I know you're worried about the pokémon in Pueltown but you have to be careful. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself. Please don't run off on me like that," Keith said as he looked at me. His brown eyes met with my blue eyes and I felt guilty. I wanted to tell him about the Icecia prophecy and about those dark shards I found in all those red thingamajigs but I couldn't because it would only make the situation worse. I squeezed his hand so he knows that I understand and we both smiled back at each other. Sometimes we don't need telepathy or words to understand each other.

"Uh guys? Are we going to stand here all day or should we get to Pueltown?" Luana innocently asked while Fro was taking some photos of us with her camera and Jet was looking at us in confusion. I didn't understand what she meant at first before I realised that I've been staring at Keith, holding his hand and we're standing near Lookout Ridge, which is a famous spot for couples! Keith and I jumped away from each other, like as if it burns to touch them and looked anywhere but at each other. This is so embarrassing!

"W-What are we standing around here for? We have to get to Pueltown!" Keith exclaimed before jogging up ahead of Luana and I. She and I were jogging in silence with Keith ahead of us before Luana started to talk.

"So Kate, I just want to let you know that we're naming the tanned guy Ollie since it sounds nicer that what Barlow and Crawford came up with," Luana said. I just silently nodded my head.

"Ollie seems to like Elaine and vice versa since he doesn't struggle much when she helps him and Elaine doesn't try to take apart that red machine when Ollie is around. Ollie and Elaine kinda reminds me of you and Keith because you both seem to like each other. You know in a 'boyfriend/girlfriend' kind of way," Luana explained while smiling at me. Wait, WHAT?!

"W-W-What are you talking about Luana?! Keith and I are partners and best friends! There's no way that I would like him in that way!" shoot I was stuttering! Now Luana will never let me live it down.

"Are you sure about that? You and Keith act like you're more than partners or best friends. I remember when I first saw you two together, I could have sworn you were a couple because everyone can see that you care for each other and you both just light up just by seeing each other. Plus you always smile and open up more with Keith around you," Luana explained. 'Do I really act like that when Keith is near me? NO! Don't think such a thing Kate! You can't get too close to Keith or anyone. It may make me hesitate in the future. I won't be able to fulfill the prophecy if I have any regrets,' I thought to myself but for some reason my heart feels like it's breaking apart.

"Uhhh, guys? You might want to see this," Keith called out at the entrance to Pueltown with a Bibarel by his side. When Luana and I got near town, I could hear the horrible pitching sound of the thingamajigs. The sound makes my head feel like it was hit by a sledgehammer and I felt weak. I quickly activated the Sound Cancelers that Elaine made and suddenly the pitching sound seemed quieter as if there was a dial to turn down the volume. At least my head is feels better. I caught up to the others and what I saw made my blood turn cold.

There is definitely more than three or four of those thingamajigs from what I'm seeing. The entire town's pokémon were hypnotized by the machines which attacked a few civilians that were out on the street. Everywhere I look there was a thingamajig controlling a group of pokémon. Plus I felt my pendant reacting to this strongly so I knew these were not mailboxes or a bad dream. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

"It looks like we'll have to split up to get rid of these things. I'll take the east side of town. You two will take the west side. We'll meet back at the square when you're done. Good luck!" Luana said before running to the east side of town. I hope she'll be okay by herself. Keith and I ran the opposite direction and took out as many thingamajigs as we could find. When we finished with our last thingamajig, I saw a group of people wearing the weirdest outfits I've ever seen. They were wearing the same black uniform, a black cap and boots, they also had this strange purple symbol on their chest. I may not be into the latest fashion dos and don'ts but even I know the fashion police would arrest them on the spot if they got a chance.

"Who the heck are those guys? They definitely don't look like the locals. Maybe they know something about the thingamajigs all over town?" Keith whispered to me while we watch the weird guys walk towards the port. Keith and I followed them silently while we used walls, trash cans and old crates to hide ourselves. Needless to say we had a few heart-attacks because Fro kept tripping over and causing a lot of noise but the group didn't seem to notice. It's either they're too into the conversation with each other or they're half deaf. Finally we reached to the end of the docks where the weird group were gathered around a yellow thingamajig and a guy who wore a different outfit but looks similar to the uniforms, so he must be the leader.

"Let's listen in. That way we know who we're dealing with," Keith whispered into my ear as he stood close to me so he could listen in on the conversation. For some reason my heart started to beat loudly and I felt my face heat up. NO! Focus Kate! This is no time to figure this out! You're a Ranger on a mission, so do your job!

"Oh man! Now what do we do?! Those Rangers are destroying all of our Gigaremo units that we set up in town!" complained one of the weird guys.

"Gigaremo? Is that what those thingamajigs are called?"Fro asked while Jet quietly growled in the direction of the weird group. We all went silent so we could know what those creeps are talking about.

"Yeah, do they know how hard it is to set up one Gigaremo? It took four of us to lift one!" complained a different guy.

"Quit you're whining! We got all the data we need for the experiment. Let's just ditch this dump," ordered the leader.

"What about that girl the Boss wants to find? Isn't she important for our plan?" asked one of the guys. The leader looked angry at the guy as if he said that two plus two equals seven.

"That's what those other guys are for. Our mission is to collect data from the experiment and give it to the smart guys. So less yapping and more lifting!" yelled the leader while glaring at the grunts. There's more of them too?

"We better stop them so we can get more information. Want to make our grand entrance?" Keith asked while he held up a pebble in his hand and smirked at me. I reflected the smirk back at him and nodded my head. With that Keith stepped out of our hiding place and threw the pebble so that it hit the yellow machine.

"OI! WEIRDO GROUP! Mind explaining what the hell are you guys doing to this town or who are you guys?" Keith boldly asked while staring at the guys. That surely got their attention by the way they turned around to glare at us.

"Hey, it's two of those vandals that were destroying our precious Gigaremo units!" shouted one guy in anger.

"How dare you not know us! We're Team Dim Sun! We're latest and coolest criminal organisation that's dreams of world domination! We're the organisation with the most awesome uniforms!" shouted another guy.

"We came to Pueltown to test out our Gigaremo machines and it was a success, so HA!" shouted the fourth grunt. 'Well that was easier than I thought.'

"SHUT IT! YOU DOLTS! You just blew our cover and told them our mission! Are you trying to spill all of our secrets?!" shouted the leader. The grunts froze and started to look panicked about realising what they told us. "Hey guys, I think I know why they're called 'Dim Sun'. They're not the brightest group of villains," Fro said and I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Oooooooooohhhhhh! You Rangers are going to get it! Team Rattata, ATTACK!" shouted one of the grunts before a swarm of Rattata jumps out to attack Keith. Of course I captured them in seconds and the pokémon ran off immediately. With that the leader of the group hit the guy on the head.

"You idiot! This is why I said to get strong pokémon, not some weak Rattata! Fine, I'll do this myself," said the leader before he clicked his fingers. Just then I saw that on top of one of the crates was a Toxicroak and it looks like it was about to attack.

"Keith, look out!" I shouted as I pushed Keith out of the line of attack. The Toxicroak released a 'Focus Blast' attack and it hit my back pretty hard. I held in a scream and fell face first into the ground. I heard Keith and the Partner Pokémon shouting my name with worry as I tried to get up. It was no use though since I'm an Ice type Mewman and Fighting type moves are super effective against ice types. I fought to stay conscious and help Keith but I was too weak from the attack. Before I knew it, everything went black and my last thought was praying to Arceus that Keith would be alright.

Kate's Pov

"Ka...ate? ...Speak to me. Kate!" I heard someone shouting before I woke up. The moment I opened my eyes I was blinded by a white light but as I got use to the brightness and knew from the familiar surroundings that I was in my room. I looked to my left to see Crawford sitting next to me. The moment I looked in his direction, he had a big grin on his face and hugged me tightly.

"Thank Arceus that you're okay! I was so worried when Keith brought you back to the base. Don't EVER do something that wreckless again!" rambled Crawford as he squeezed me tightly. I smiled at my brother's antics and patted his head.

"I'm alright Crawford. It's nothing, really," I said as Crawford let go of me. He looked at me with a serious expression on his face, which is rare since this it the Ranger/Family joker after all.

"I saw you're Birthmark when Elaine was treating your wound and Dad told me everything. You're lucky I told the others there was nothing to worry about, when they saw your Birthmark. Why didn't you tell me the 'Day of Darkness' was coming sooner than expected?" Crawford said. I looked away from Crawford, not looking him in the eye.

"Crawford, I'm fine. We should have known that this would happen. You know it's my destiny to stop the 'Day of Darkness' and with those Dim Sun guys using the dark shards power, there's no telling would they would do," I explained slowly.

"I know that but still, I can't stand the thought of what would happen in the future! Why does it have to be your destiny out of everyone else in the world, it's not fair," Crawford ranted as he clenched his fist. I looked at my big brother's face and held his hands.

"You of all people know I'm the only one who can do this. I understand how you feel but I have to do this or else everyone will suffer. I can't stand letting the people I love suffer because of me," I whispered. Crawford rubbed my head affectionately and smiled at me.

"I get it. I'll let you rest now, okay? Promise me you'll update me on the situation from now on," Crawford said in a calm tone. I nodded my head and Crawford walked to the door. As he opened the door, Keith fell in and landed on his face. Crawford was about to say something but Barlow grabbed him, dragged Crawford out the door and shut it behind him so that it was just Keith and I in the room. The silence was awkward for a few minutes before Keith spoke.

"I'm glad you're okay after that Toxicroak hit you. I was pretty worried when I say you fainted..." Keith muttered while scratching his head nervously.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I wasn't useful on the mission." I apologised while looking at Keith.

"No! No! You were useful! In fact if it weren't for you we both would have been knocked-out or I could have been seriously hurt. Barlow told me that since I couldn't full control my Blessed mark abilities yet, I could have died from that attack. I should be thanking you so thanks Kate, I owe you one. I was really worried about you so I waited outside the whole time till you woke up and-" Keith said he stopped himself and turned bright red. I stared at Keith in shock. He waited for me the entire time just to see I'm awake? I couldn't believe that Keith would go to such lengths to see I'm okay. I couldn't help but started to laugh. I shifted aside on my bed and patted a spot next me.

"Come on, I wanted to hear all about what I missed on the mission," I exclaimed. Keith let out a laugh too before he sat next to me on my bed. He told me about how he captured the Toxicroak and that the Dim Sun guys ran away with the yellow machine. He also told me that Luana arrived with a guy named Brook, who was in charge of the bridge north of the town, and how he jumped into the ocean with the sandals in his mouth to swim after the groups get away boat. I don't know when I fell asleep but I remembered that I was holding onto Keith like a life line. I secretly wished that this moment would last forever and that I was an ordinary girl for once.

IMN: I AM DONE! Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and-

Keith: *Holding the egg* GUYS! KJ IS HATCHING!

*The egg hatches and in Keith's arms was a baby Lugia*

Keith: I'M A FATHER! XD

Rhythmi: And Kate's the mother!

Kate and Keith: *Blushing a hundred shades of red* Wait, WHAT?!

IMN: MIRACLES! I sense romantic moments in the future so for all our lovely readers please review and I hope to see you all in the next chapter. Bye for now!