There's a new character in this chapter! And it is… drum roll, please… Lucy! Now, Lucy isn't actually mine, unfortunately for me. She belongs to my new favorite author Crime Scene Fairy, who is generously letting me use her. I think she's an awesome counterpart for Joel and if you want to read more about them, check out Crime Scene Fairy's fic Of Rangers and Ridicule. I try to do Lucy justice here, but she's even better in CSF's story. So go read it!

Lucy's a Top Ranger of the Ranger Union and is assigned to Fiore, which means she mostly hangs around Fall City because it's the most central base. Hence, she has plenty of time to verbally spar with Joel. :) Enjoy!

Cameron

When I woke up today, it seemed like any other day here in sunny Summerland. You wouldn't think it was possible that things could escalate so quickly.

It started with a series of loud thuds. I was playing cards with Leilani and Percy (Go Fish, actually) when we all heard it. I paused our game for a second. "Do you hear that?" I asked them both.

Leilani nodded, looking concerned. "Yeah, Leader. Want me to go check it out?"

I sighed. I kind of wanted to finish our card game. It was my turn and I knew Percy had the queen I was looking for, but I guess my victory would have to wait. "Let's both go," I answered, placing my cards facedown on the table.

"I'll just wait for you here," Percy said, looking all too innocent.

I was about to leave, but then did a double take. "I don't think so, buddy. I don't trust you alone with our cards sitting right there." I grabbed him out of his chair and he grumbled as he followed Leilani and me out.

I stepped outside and didn't see anything. It seemed like everything was fine, except for the thumps I could hear. "I think it's coming from the jungle," Leilani pointed out, and I nodded, starting to walk toward the sound. People were starting to come out of their houses and look around, as curious as we were as to what was going on.

"Everyone, there's no need to worry," I called out, doing my duty as a Ranger Leader to put the townspeople at ease. "We'll go into the jungle and find out whatever's causing that noise. Don't panic." I could almost appreciate the irony of what happened next.

The next sound was an eruption of water and the loud, fiercest, most goddamn bad-ass-est sound I have probably ever heard in my life. I turned just in time to see the scariest Gyarados ever burst from the sea, shaking its huge head and roaring.

Maybe if it was just a Gyarados, I could deal with it, but in the direction of the beach, I heard clacking sounds and saw masses of Krabby and Kingler swarming the beach. The Wingull in the air around us started to fly crazily, sometimes aggressively dive-bombing at the townspeople.

"Percy, tell our Operator to send a message to the other Fiore bases requesting aid," I ordered calmly and Percy took off. "Leilani, get everyone to the Ranger Base. It'll be the safest there. Once that's done, work on calming down these Pokemon."

"Yes, Leader," she answered, but then hesitated, "Sir, what about you?"

I turned toward the looming Gyarados grimly. "I'll take care of this guy," I replied, wondering why the heck I had to be the leader at this moment. I activated my styler and the Gyarados roared at me, as if daring me to come any closer. "C'mon, ya overgrown sea worm! You wanna piece of this?" I yelled, deciding that taunting it from afar was definitely the funnest way to do this. "Your daddy was a Feebas and your momma was a Magikarp with bad breath and a funny-looking face. Bring it, you toothless pansy!"

The Gyarados roared with rage and attacked. I stood my ground and engaged the furious Pokemon, praying to any legendary that would listen for aid to come. Cause honestly, who knew how widespread this could be?

Spenser

Seems like we've moved on from letters to styler-mail. Do you remember when I sent you all those letters? Jeez, I thought you were so cool from your letters. Just goes to show how different people are when you actually meet them. Anyway, I'm still learning to be a leader from Elita. It's a lot of ordering people around and looking cool. I think I can manage. But, honestly, this is just crazy. Me, a leader?!?!?!? I never would've dreamed of it. I didn't even go to Ranger School. Seriously, I hope Elita doesn't regret this later. She says that I have to pass the test soon. Well, doesn't that seem ominous? It's scheduled for sometime in the next few days.

Well, I gotta go, cause if I don't I think Freddie might explode with impatience. He does that a lot. However, I have trained him well. Sometimes I can get him to make me eggs and pancakes in the morning. Now that I'm going to be the next leader, everyone seems to want to suck up to me more. It's great! Well, I think Freddie just started freaking. Gotta go on patrol. Bye!

Your favorite Leader-to-be,

Solana

I was already writing my reply in my head when Lunick and Melody burst in. Melody was holding her arm, tears fresh in her eyes. I moved quickly, rushing to see what was wrong.

"Call the doctor," Lunick called to our Operator, who obliged by picking up the phone and dialing.

"What happened?" I asked, looking at her arm. There was nothing apparently wrong with it on the outside, but she was obviously in pain.

"We were finding a Pokemon for one of the townspeople deep in Lyra Forest when Melody accidently stepped on a Raticate's tail and it got really pissed. It slammed into her before I even knew what had happened and she landed weird on her arm. I think her wrist may be sprained." Lunick explained, helping Melody sit of the couch.

"Leader, I'm sorry I didn't discern the Raticate's long appendage in my path of travel before I accidently trod upon it," Melody apologized in a rush, but all I really heard was the first three or so words. Melody was no longer shy around us, apparently. I had been hoping that that this was just a phase, but she seemed to be sticking with the long words and weird way of speaking.

"It's fine, Melody, let's just make sure you're going to be okay," I placed her arm gingerly on the stack of pillows I had made for it.

"Sir, the doctor is on his way," the Operator informed me, "but I'm also receiving a Code Red from Summerland. The Pokemon are going wild. Leader Cameron is requesting immediate back-up."

"Lunick, was everything else out there okay?" I asked, making sure we had taken care of our own.

"Yeah," Lunick answered, his face anxious, "Everything's fine. But, if there's some kind of an attack in Summerland…" He trailed off, and I was unsure what he was going to finish the sentence with, but I knew it probably wasn't good.

"Stay here with Melody," I told him, calling to my Fearow.

"But, Leader, I want to-"

"I need you to stay here," I cut him off, but then softened when I saw the look on his face, "Look, if Melody's hurt, I need someone else to be here in case something happens. I need you here."

Lunick nodded, respecting my logic at least. I could sense that inside he was fuming, but I couldn't worry myself with his hurt feelings at the moment. The making-up would have to wait until after. Fearow followed me outside and I took a deep breath, getting ready to face whatever chaos was waiting for me. "Alright, Fearow, let's head to Summerland."

Joel

The Dragonite Bus dropped me and Aria off just outside the Summerland base and then got the hell out of dodge. I didn't blame it. It was chaos.

The most obvious thing that caught my eye was the giant Gyarados that Cameron was battling. And when I say battling, I mean battling. The poor guy looked like he was about to collapse. "Aria, you help out Leilani and Percy capture these other Pokemon." Aria looked like she was going to protest, but I didn't give her any time and started running for Cameron. I knew she thought herself better than most people and it would be hard for her ego to accept just helping out. It would be good for her. I was running for Cameron when I saw someone else running for him at the same time.

"Hey, Lucy, don't even think about it!" I yelled, furious. She was running along a perpendicular boardwalk to mine and was heading straight for the Gyarados. I started outright sprinting. No way is she going to steal my mission, even if she is a Top Ranger.

We almost collided at the intersection and I stepped in front of her, stopping her from going any farther. "What do you mean, 'don't even think about it'?" She jabbed me in the chest with her finger. "You are ridiculous. I was running toward the Gyarados first."

"No way," I shot back, "I was going to capture that Gyarados. Besides, Gyarados is a water type and your Shieldon wouldn't be very effective. I bet you couldn't even get three loops around it." Shieldon made an angry sounding noise from behind Lucy and seemed to be growling at me.

"Gyarados is part flying too, idiot," Lucy answered hotly, her brown eyes lit with a spark of anger, "And like Dodrio would be so much better? Have you ever seen them agree on anything? They spend half the time arguing about which head is the smartest."

I turned to Dodrio beside me. "You gonna take that?" All three of its head began to squawk at once and I couldn't understand what any of them were saying. Lucy shot me an amused look, as if this just furthered her point.

"Could one of you guys get over yourselves and come help me?" Cameron yelled from twenty feet away. Lucy eyed me for a moment, daring me to move. I didn't, keeping myself between her and the Gyarados.

Lucy looked at me calculatingly for a second, eyes narrowed. I could see that she was thinking up of some sort of scheme, but I couldn't tell what. Then she gasped, her face filled with worry. "Oh no, Cameron!"

Of course, being the stupid, moronic idiot I was, I turned my head to see what she was talking about and she darted right by me. Darn her for being so small. "Lucy, get back here!" I yelled, chasing after her.

"Haha," she laughed, staying right out of my reach, "Joel, you are such a moron."

I had almost caught up to her when the Gyarados's Dragon Rage hit the boardwalk in front of us, shattering a section. We both were thrown over to the other side in a heap. "Joel, geroff me," Lucy yelled as we tried to disentangle ourselves, "Ow, your elbow is digging into my side."

"I'm trying," I snapped, "If you hadn't taken off when I wasn't looking, we wouldn't have to deal with this."

"Well, if you had just gotten out of the way," Lucy tried to push me away as I struggled to get up, "Ouch, can you get off me without flattening me, Snorlax? Someone's been going heavy on the donuts and cookies lately. And the fact that you ride that Dodrio everywhere cannot be good for your health."

We finally got untangled and I was about to send back a scathing retort when the Gyarados readied another Dragon Rage. "Lucy, move," I yelled at her, and the two of us barely missed being fried. The boardwalk we had been standing on a few seconds ago had been turned into wreckage.

"Stupid worm," Cameron shook a fist at it, "Why do you have to go around blasting things that don't belong to you?!"

It roared in reply and I stepped up, patting Cameron on the back. "I'll take it from here," I told him, "You go check on your Rangers and protect the rest of the town."

"That Gyarados," Cameron panted, bending over to catch his breath, "It keeps avoiding being captured. A few times I thought I had it, but my capturing didn't calm it down at all. I don't know what's going on, but it can't be good."

I was worried, but I had to see this for myself. "I'll see what I can do," I answered, jaw set. I thought I was in the clear until Lucy stepped up beside me, her face determined.

"I don't think so, hotshot-" she started to argue, but then the whole boardwalk started to reverberate. Lucy grabbed onto my arm to steady herself when another, equal-sized Gyarados burst out of the water, looking just as pissed off as the first. Lucy grinned, then realized she was still holding onto my arm and let go, blushing the tiniest bit.

"Well, this fixes our problems," I couldn't help but smile.

Cameron patted my back, sadly shaking his head, "Not even remotely, man." When he saw my face get angry, he grinned and took off. "See ya!"

I looked over at Lucy, who looked just as determined as I did. "You ready?"

She activated her styler, grinning at me. "Course I am. Let's show this pair of idiots that even a moron like yourself can beat one. Even though I'm probably gonna have to save your butt a few times anyway."

I rolled my eyes, but decided that sometimes her tough talk actually had its charm, although I would never, ever tell her that in my life. "Luce, just try not to get yourself killed," I retorted wryly.

"Right back at ya," she answered, and we both braced ourselves as the two Gyarados approached.