Disclaimer: No Pokemon was hurt in the making of this because none were owned.

Hey guys, I've had another inspiration and decided to update. This is pretty long because I had to add some information from both regions.

First off, nine reviews! Yay! Must be a personal new record for me. :D Sorry, I get happy over the littlest and random things.

Remember to review and comment so I know whether or not to make this a regular update.

Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 1:

One week later…

Fiore was a region that was boarded by the mountain on one side and the ocean on the other. Here, Pokemon were not considered for battle but as companions. The most unique thing about this place was that there were no stores that sold Pokeballs. Every person was encouraged to leave their Pokemon out. However, there are times when there are problems from nature or from wild Pokemon that called for the need of help.

Hence, trainers weren't born here but Rangers. Pokemon rangers communicate through nature to help people and Pokemon. Because of this strong belief, Fiore was typically a calm region that uses negotiations and peaceful methods to solve problems.

Up north in Fiore, the large mountains were covered with all year long snow, and while along the border of the ocean, lush trees consume the rest of the place. There are exactly four major cities in this place, and each city represents the seasons of the year. Fall City, in the center of the region, was one of the most popular and well known ports because of its cool climate and its popular attractions such as the lighthouse, the Joy Clock Tower in the middle of the town, and Amity Square. But perhaps the most important contribution to this place was it large popular port where every ship came in to deliver and trade goods.

On this particular day, there was a young Pokemon ranger who was finishing a job in the least popular attraction of Fall City and possibly, in any other city.

Lunick climbed out of the sewage hole and finally breathed in the fresh air for the first time since the last couple of hours. His short black hair that parted to left and right of his head and his red headband were covered with green gunk and who knows what else was in that water work pipeline.

"Bleaghhh! I thought I was going to die in there," Lunick gasped as though he had been holding his breath the whole time. He had his tongue stuck out because he could still taste the stench of the Grimer's oozing poisonous bodies. He got out of the hole and shook the green slime that covered his red jacket and black and white uniform.

Lunick couldn't believe that he was stuck doing the dirty work in Fall City. Everyone else was on a less 'disgusting' mission. Lunick isn't part of the Fall City's ranger force but is actually a part of Ring Town which was on the west side. He was specifically called here to Fall City because the lack of rangers here because there was some important mission. Although he understood the importance of his job and not complaining about it, Lunick sighed as he now tried to wipe his shoes clean, and wished he was on that scouting mission that his Ring Town's leader, Spenser, had assigned.

Spenser was a tough leader but fair. And he decided that Lunick needed something a bit more… simple. Lunick was a bit head strong and rash many times. Although Lunick's intentions were pure, his ideas lead to heavy consequences that lead to more disasters than before. Therefore, a simple mission was assigned to him this time so he wouldn't have the chance to mess it up and leave disastrous consequences. Lunick checked his white belt that was strapped loosely around his waist to make sure his equipment was still in place and decided to put back the manhole cover in place.

"Miiii!" A little voice called out from the sewer. Lunick immediately withdrew his hand from the cover and peered back down into the dark hole. He saw on the ladder was a little blue mouse Pokemon who's minus looking cheek were buzzing with anger.

"Sorry, Minun!" Lunick said apologetically. And he put his hand down so that Minun could climb up his shoulder. Minun gave a "Are you kidding me?" look at Lunick's slimy state but climbed up and immediately jumped to the ground to shake away the grime. Slung on its back was a small yellow bag that contained things that can be used in minor emergencies such as first aid kit and etc.

"I guess the first thing we need to do is take a bath," Lunick laughed as though their state was something to joke about. Minun, not getting the joke, gave a puzzled look but nodded all the same. "Come on, let's head back to the Fall's Ranger base," Lunick said as he walked through the street as though his entire look was a new fashion statement. There were many people around with a wrinkled nose but they didn't openly complain. After all, it was this ranger that helped them get their water system back.

He arrived back at the base (a small green circular building) and step through the glass door. "Hi Joel!" Lunick called out to the Fall's Ranger Leader, who looked up from the paperwork he was looking at with the receptionist. Joel was a serious blond hair man and didn't even blink through his square glasses from surprise when he saw Lunick's state. His uniform is completely different from Lunick's. Joel had a purple long sleeve uniform with matching pants and white dress shoes that were neat and clean.

"You finished the job?" Joel asked. Lunick nodded enthusiastically, flects of green slime flew everywhere. The receptionist behind the desk didn't know whether to cringe from Lunick's appearance or to laugh. Joel stared for a moment at Lunick before deciding not to ask anything about the mission.

"Get changed before heading back," Joel stated flatly before returning to his papers. Lunick gave a hearty salute before going to the ranger's commons on the second floor. As he expected, the room was empty, and he immediately went to the changing room to get himself cleaned up in one of the shower rooms. Minun washed itself with a small blue handkerchief it carried in the yellow bag and in the little sink that was used for small Pokemon.

Lunick finished his shower and put on a spare Ranger pants while trying to dry his hair with a towel. He couldn't really see the mirror or anywhere due to the heavy mist. He opened the bathroom door to let the steam escape when he noticed that there was someone sitting and reading a Ranger magazine on the couch. It was a girl, about the same age as Lunick, with blond curly hair and was wearing purple and white uniform which was in a similar style to Joel. She had on white pants and a jacket that was both purple and white. The girl's face had a nasty frown of disgust.

"Wear a shirt," the girl snarled and glared at him until Lunick hastily put on his ranger shirt. "What kind of ranger are you, going around half naked?"

"Hello, Aria," Lunick said flatly, though his ears were turning bright red. He hastily got out of the shower room while putting on his red jacket. Minun followed behind though a little bit far away since it too didn't like the girl.

Aria has been on Lunick's case ever since they first met. Aria scorned the rookie trainer. She had reason since Lunick didn't really show any skills at first, but now that he had moved up, Lunick was hoping for a bit more respect. Unfortunately, Aria still didn't have any to offer.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Aria asked rudely, "Did you come all the way here just to take a shower?" Lunick grimaced as he tried to slick his wet hair. He rather leave it wet than dry it and listen to Aria's annoying lectures.

"I was assigned a mission here – the waterworks were infested with Grimer… hence me coming up here to clean up before I go," Lunick muttered. He tried to leave but Aria wasn't done yet.

"You haven't improved a bit if you could get that dirty from dealing a couple of Grimer," Aria said in a tough voice as though to literally say "you are weak" in Lunick's face. That finally made the ranger snapped. He had enough of this looking down attitude.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Lunick demanded. "Bored since Joel didn't want to give a mission to someone like you?" Minun was startled at Lunick's fighting words. Lunick usually tried to avoid fighting with Aria because she was his senior, even though there was no age difference… and the fact that she was a girl.

"I'm taking a break," Aria retorted, her cheeks turning bright pink. "I've completed all of my missions successfully and I deserve one."

"Great," Lunick said, "Then keep on taking your break and leave your criticism elsewhere." This time Aria turned red in the face from anger, but Lunick stormed out before she could say anything else. During the elevator ride down, Minun hopped onto Lunick's shoulder and rubbed his cheek as though to cheer Lunick up.

"Sorry," Lunick muttered, "I shouldn't have lost my temper." He rubbed Minun's head, and soon the door of the elevator swung open. To Lunick's surprise, it was Joel. For some reason he looked grim… grimmer than usual.

"Something wrong?" Joel asked as though he could read Lunick's mind. I could ask the same for you, Lunick thought but didn't say it.

"Nothing… just lost my temper a second ago…" Lunick muttered and tried to force a grin as if to say it wasn't a big deal. Joel raised his eyebrow with suspicion but didn't say anything. He seemed to have something to say but decided not to…

"I was going to ask Aria, but since you're down here… Can you do me a favor?" Joel finally asked.

Lunick frowned. He already finished his mission, and he highly doubt he'll be needed since Aria was the 'better' Ranger. However, Lunick still nodded. He might as well. If Aria blabbed about Lunick's temper, things could get pretty bad. Might as well try and get on Joel's good side.

"A ship coming from Sinnoh is arriving into Fall's port in an hour or so, bringing several tourists and other people," Joel stated formally, "I want you to keep a look out as you know there are pickpockets and such." Even though Fiore is known for its peacefulness, petty crimes could still occur. It was the job of the police force but having a Ranger there would bring a bit more authority.

"All right sir," Lunick grinned. "You can count on me!" He saluted happily. This was a small mission but it would definitely take his mind of what Aria was saying.

"Mii!" Minun interrupted, waving its hands in the air in protest.

"Oh sorry, you can count on me and Minun!" Lunick said, laughing. Even Joel gave a somewhat grudging smile. With that, Lunick left the Ranger Base. Joel watched Lunick leave, and then took out his phone to speak into it.

"Yes, I'm still here… I'm sorry; I've just bumped into him and I… I didn't have the heart to tell him… I'm sorry… I sent him on a small mission, so he won't know now… but I'll get over to Ring Town right away. Don't worry, Spencer." With that, Joel left the building and whistled. Immediately, a Dodrio appeared right before him. He got on and immediately raced to Ring Town. Even though, he told Spencer not to worry, Joel couldn't help but feel worry as well.

Something bad happened and the worst part was that they don't know what. Joel hoped they could solve it or it'll bring people into panic, especially Lunick.

…

Lunick sat down on the port side and let his legs dangle out into the ocean. The ship hasn't arrived yet but it was soon to arrive. Minun sat on Lunick's head as it smell the salty breeze. There were many people walking by. Some were sailors, waiting, like Lunick, for the ship while others were waiting for the passengers to arrive.

"Remember Minun," Lunick grinned. "I came off of one of those ships when I became a Pokemon Ranger?" He remembered that first day when he got off that ship in his new but slightly large uniform. His leader, Spencer, came to pick him up and also taught him how to use his Capture Styler.

Lunick took his styler out of his belt and remembered that when Spencer first gave it to him. He used it first on Minun when there were rampage in the city, and immediately the two became friends. In those few months, he became good friends with all of his teammates and he couldn't ask for a better job. That's why Lunick is determined to do the right thing and bring peace to this region.

FOOMMM! Lunick looked up and noticed that a large, though small in the distance, was coming their way. Lunick could feel the excitement within him. These people were going to receive the best welcoming committee ever.

"HEYYYYY!" Lunick called out waving his hands in the air. Minun, too, raised its arms and waved as well. And so, the only two members of the welcoming committee gave the visitors a nice greeting. The ship blew its horn back in reply. It sliced through the water with ease as though a hot knife through butter before slowing down to a stop.

Sailors immediately started to grab ropes thrown from their fellow mates on the ship and tied them to pegs on the side. After thirty minutes, the ship was finally secured and a staircase was formed. Lunick watched as many people started to get off the boat. Quite of few were carrying their heavy luggages and Lunick decided to help out.

"You need any help," Lunick asked a little girl, around eight, who was carrying both her Teddiursa bear and a small luggage. The girl, however, didn't respond and stare at Lunick with amazement.

"You're a Pokemon Ranger!" She squealed as though she just won the lottery. Lunick grinned in pride. "Is it true that you don't capture wild Pokemon in Pokeballs?"

"Yeah," Lunick grinned and took out his Capture Styler to show to the amazed girl. "See this is a Capture Styler." It was red and looked like a large phone but inserted in it was a small top. "We use these to help ask wild Pokemon for help and after that, we release them back into the wild. Minun is the only partner that I keep with me." Minun hopped down onto Lunick's arm and allowed the little girl to pet it.

"Wow," the girl whispered in amazement. She looked like she would've said more, but her parents grabbed her arm, apologized for their daughter's rude staring, and left in a hurry. Lunick sighed as he placed his capture styler back into his pocket on his belt. He wished these people were a bit more interested in his job. But this was normal. Apparently, being a trainer was way better than being a ranger. Trainers have more recognition in all the other regions where trainers were more common than rangers.

Suddenly, Lunick was jostled by someone and almost fell to the ground. The person turned out to be some strange guy wearing a brown cloak with a hood and was wearing a blue trench coat underneath with black slack pants. It was strange because despite the warm weather, the guy didn't even look remotely hot in the heavy clothing he was wearing. Lunick couldn't really see his face but silver hair stuck out from within. The guy had nothing, but tightened his hold on a knapsack that was slung on his left shoulder. This was also strange, considering how everyone else has so much. He looked as though he only packed enough for one day.

"Opps, sorry," the guy muttered and quickly left to join the herd of crowd. Lunick followed with his eyes suspiciously at the guy until he was gone.

"That was strange," Lunick muttered and shrugged. Minun looked curiously at the hooded figure as well. "Well, nothing out of the ordinary. Let's go back to Ring Town and – Hey!" Lunick felt for his Capture Styler but realized that it wasn't in the belt. He looked down and sure enough, the styler was gone. Minun looked extremely worried and started to panic. Lunick thought it was strange. He showed it to that little kid, and he definitely remembered putting it back on his belt before that person… That's when he flashed back and remembered the moment when that strange guy bumped into him.

He was the one who stolen Lunick's styler! "Minun!" Lunick said, "Mission start! We need to find and get back my styler!" Minun immediately looked serious as the both of them charged down the street where they last saw the guy.

Who would've thought that the person supervising the place to make sure no thievery occurred would be the one to get pick pocketed?

…

In a deserted place where it was locked up with metal chains and walled up with bricks that made it difficult to climb over, there sat Wes. Of course, feeling that he'll need to hide a bit in case that guy found out, Wes decided that this was probably the best place to hide for now. Wes was surprised at the security of this place. He could've break into any of these homes without so much of a noise or hindrance.

But now wasn't the time to think of that, Wes thought as he pulled out the item from his first thievery crime in this region.

"So, this is called a Capture Styler," Wes muttered as he inspected that guy's equipment he had just 'borrowed' from. He probably needed to get some tools before he try and open it to see how it worked. Wes then reached into his pocket in his pants and pulled out the broken pieces of the top he had retrieved that night in the desert. There were quite a bit of differences but Wes could tell that there were basic similarities in the styles.

Everything had happen only a couple of days ago, yet Wes felt like it was a life time. He closed his eyes, leaned against the wall, and remembered finally falling unconscious in the desert and mysteriously surviving.

…

Five days ago…

Wes woke up and found himself staring at a dimly lit ceiling. He looked around and noticed that he was lying down onto of a bed. How long have I been here? And where am I? Wes thought as he tried to get up into sitting position. He noticed that his whole chest and his head were bandaged. That's when he realized that something was wrong.

Wes looked at his arm, and to his amazement, it was healed… as though it never was broken before. He moved his arm and bent his elbow as though he couldn't believe what happened. Suddenly, there was a sliding sound on the right wall. Wes noticed that the wall was actually part of a bookshelf. A large man entered through the tiny secret passageway. Immediately, Wes realized where he was and who had taken care of him.

"Wes, are you okay?" the man asked, nervously, as though he was trying to be fatherly but not too fatherly at the same time. Despite his large appearance, he had a large heart and was a fair man. The man was strongly built and had a thick mustache and beard. His large hands could fit a watermelon and his short legs were not made for long distance but for quick pace.

"Duking," Wes replied with a small nod. He noticed that behind the large man were several young children from the town. "I see you're doing fine." Duking was the 'unofficial mayor' of Pyrite Town, where Wes was currently at. Because of the man's tough looks, Duking was able to bring some order in the area. Although Wes wasn't a typical good 'citizen,' Duking still considered Wes as a friend, and perhaps as a son, since he had helped Duking before. Of course, Duking's kind heart lead to his popularity with the kids.

"Kids," Duking gave a small cough of embarrassment and turned to the group of kids behind him. "Would you please leave for a minute?" The kids grumbled but nodded and left the two alone in the secret place. Without hesitation, Duking began to talk. "I found you just at the outskirt of town. I was shocked to see you there unconscious, but I took you in. You had quite a number of injuries but nothing broken…" Wes frowned as Duking continued to explain. Wes remembered clearly that his arm was broken and possibly his legs were as well. How did he manage to wake up as though he only took a light beating?

"Then I heard the news about your… death on the television about a day ago made by Cipher and I panicked," Duking continued to trail on his explanation, "Rui wasn't with you so something bad must have happened and I've had hidden you in here since then." Duking waited as though he wanted Wes to explain what was going on, but Wes merely stared into the darkness that the small light bulb hanging from the ceiling couldn't shine on.

"Was it the Cipher Team?" Duking asked quietly. Wes was still silent for almost ten minutes before he finally said something.

"In my hand, was I holding onto something?" Duking stared bewildered at Wes' question but opened a small drawer in the room near the bed and held the item out.

"You were holding onto this pretty tightly, so I figured it must've been important," Duking said. Wes didn't respond but took the broken top. He stared at it as though hoping for some explanation. Finally, Duking had to ask. "What is it?" Wes shook his head slowly in response.

"I don't know… Team Snagem had these and… they did things that we thought couldn't be possible." Wes explained what had happened before – how he was defenseless and couldn't fight back. Duking frowned and immediately, his tough self appeared.

"We need to gather information before we can act on this," Duking said, "I'll go and find some things out and you just stay here and –"

"No," Wes interrupted flatly, "I know where they're going." Duking gaped in surprise. "I need transportation to Fiore." Duking looked even more surprise than before.

"Fiore?" Duking repeated the place as though it was foreign (and it was). "That place is thousands of miles away from here. Why would Team Snagem go there?"

"That's what I want to find out," Wes said as he tried to struggle out of bed. He grimaced at the sharp pains he was feeling. Duking immediately pushed Wes back into bed.

"What?" Duking exclaimed firmly, "Forget it. You are in no condition to go. Look, whatever they're doing in Fiore is Fiore's problem now. We can't just barge in there since it is not our region."

"They've taken Rui," Wes said in a flat tone. Immediately, the room fell silent. Duking knew now that this was more of a personal problem now. Rui has a unique power, and if the other side had her, who knew what they were planning.

"So," Duking said finally, "Team Cipher is involved in this." Wes didn't respond. The likely hood was too great. Rui's ability wasn't something that the organization would skip. If they needed Rui for something, it was going to be something both big and bad. Duking didn't say anything and paced back and forth in the small room, though for him, it was more like walking in a circle.

"I'm going," Wes said firmly, "Whether you help me or not." Duking sighed and scratched his head in frustration. He grabbed a book from the library bookshelf and tossed it at Wes, who expertly caught it with his left hand.

"That is the book on Fiore's region. Never read it thoroughly but it should help," Duking muttered. Then he pointed his index finger at Wes. "I'll find the transportation you need to get there so rest and read that book until then. Better to get in there and blend in like a tourist since you have no experience in this region. I don't want to hear about you being dead again." With that Duking pushed against the wall, and it slid open, revealing the kids who fell to the ground, looking sheepishly, as though they were trying to ease drop the whole time.

"Get out! Get out!" Duking said, looking a bit embarrassed, and the kids ran away as though they were playing 'let's see if we can get away with it' kind of game. Duking quickly closed the door, leaving Wes alone in the dark room again. Personally, Wes would've settled the illegal method, but Duking helped him so much that it was probably best to agree to Duking's plan. It might take longer, but Wes knew that if he tried any funny business, Duking wouldn't hesitate to strap him with metal chains to the bed. With slight frustration, Wes opened the small book and began to read about it.

…

Present time…

"Hey you!" Wes looked up to the sky, and though he was shocked from the voice, he remained a calm composure. He saw an upside down face and noticed immediately that it was that same ranger from earlier. The guy had apparently climbed up the brick wall and was grabbing onto it tightly. How did that guy find him so quickly?

"Hey you!" Lunick demanded, "Give me back that styler!"

It was at that moment, though they didn't know at the time, that the two of their lives were now entwined into a dangerous mission with their lives at stake.

Author's Notes

Well, now we've met the two protagonists in the story. It's going to be an interesting chase after this. :D

Okay, I don't really remember Colosseum that much so if I made an error in names, places, or something. Let me know and I'll fix it. The same can be said for Ranger.

For those who don't know, I always thank my reviewers here. So let's get started!

…

littlmidget123

Jarkes

Trutown

Crownofthorns

Zaphrix-DerKonenigDerFinsternis

chaison

Ketchum Kid (hey thanks for the review. :D)

Rinku588

RWT

…

Okay, that's it from me.

Hopefully, I'll see you in the next chapter.

-JapanDreamer