POKEMON RANGER, OUT OF THE DARKNESS - Chapter Two: Kate!
The morning walk was quiet, and for once she hadn't woken up screaming, plagued though her sleep was by nightmares and horrors that seemed to be getting worse as time wore on. She liked the quiet of the morning just after the sun rose, where she could only hear the padding of her feet and her Partner's feet. She looked around the sleeping town, smiling her sad smile as she walked down to the pier. She passed some early morning fishermen who waved to her, smiling brightly and calling out, "Morning, Teya!"
"Morning." She called back with a false cheeriness. The cool air was the only thing that made her feel really comfortable… as long as she was alone, she could even feel herself starting to feel at home. She remembered the many days out in Fiore region, sitting on the roof of the house and just enjoying the wind. She walked toward a more deserted pier and sighed, sitting down for hours on end until she heard pained chatter behind her. She looked around and the setting sun blinded her for a minute.
"Raticate…" she whispered catching sight of the Raticate behind her, "You're bleeding!" she gasped when she saw the cut on its hind leg. She reached toward it, only to be scratched away. "Look, I'm trying to help you! Just let me take a look…"
A Styler Capture Disk came out of nowhere and Keith walked up, directing it until the Raticate calmed down. He picked it up and held it so she could check the gash. Teya smiled slightly at him, ignoring the wrenching feeling in her stomach, and gently pressed against the leg next to the wound before gently pulling at it so she could look inside to make sure it wasn't infected.
The squeamish look on Keith's face made her snicker as she gently wiped the blood from the fur while he held the Raticate. "We've been getting more Pokemon with these gashes around here. I generally check them out at my house so none of the kids get sick of the blood…" She rested one of her hands gently on the Raticate's chest to check its pulse and breathing, before again returning her attention to the slashed leg. She felt Keith's hand shift until their pinkies touched.
A shock transferred from their pinkies and she shivered slightly, closing her eyes. Keith looked at her for a second before looking down at her hand. "Teya, er, do I know you from somewhere else?"
"I don't know…" she whispered, moving her hand away and stepping back. "Maybe the Union should check this gash. It looks like it's on the road to infection. Plus there looks like there's something…" she trailed off, pressing her hands together, "…silver in there. Like a…" she moved back toward the Raticate, her eyes confused now. Her glasses shifted down her nose and Keith felt a shiver run down his back. Her eyes were so familiar…
She pressed against the skin of the Raticate, making it whimper, but Keith saw it as well, the small silvery square.
"…Microchip. It's… attached to the nerves, so if it moves at all it sends pain jolting up the leg." Teya blinked, "Looks pretty high tech… a good way to control Pokemon… cause pain until they do what you want them to."
She started walking back to the main part of town, "Come on, we'd better get him to my place until you can call the Union to get someone to come out here."
---
Walking through the main town with Keith kept sending small shivers through her body, even though they weren't touching anymore. She paused when she saw many of the adults gathered around her home.
One of them sighted her and Keith and yelled, "There she is! Teya, you're the one responsible for our Pokemon's pain!"
"What–?" she started, before others had grabbed her arms, all shouting at her.
"The gashes have been getting worse since you came here!"
"What are you doing to them?!"
"You take them into your house and they end up worse!"
Keith stared at her for a few moments, confusion in his eyes even as the people started tying a rope around her.
"Throw her in jail! Put her where she can't hurt our Pokemon!" They started dragging her towards the main square until one of them spoke up.
"I know what we should do!" the dark haired guy said, pulling a pair of dark sunglasses down off his nose, "Leave her to me, I'll take her to the ultimate punishment!"
Teya bit the hands that were trying to tie a gag around her mouth. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" she shrieked, squirming as the ropes around her tightened, snapping her arms to her sides. The Styler on her forearm dug into her skin, and she yelled out in pain.
"Let me go!" she cried, "It's not me!" Someone managed to get the gag on her mouth and she suddenly was unable to talk. The man started dragging her by the ropes toward the northern part of town, and Northern Bridge.
'NO!' she thought desperately, 'Not Altru, not Darkrai, NO!'
She shook her head frantically, harshly, until she felt the glasses slide off her nose. Her ponytail caught on the ropes and was pulled out. She turned frantic wide eyes to Keith, her hair falling into them.
Something flashed in Keith's eyes that she thought she'd never see again.
Recognition.
He started running toward her, but the other townspeople held him back. He yelled at them, unintelligible words that she couldn't hear as she was dragged further and further away. They were at the bridge now… now the southern edge of Altru Park… she heard Keith's anguished yell of "NO!" even from there…
Now they were walking into Altru. She looked around at the researchers who looked at her with fear, as if afraid to do anything. She pleaded to them with her eyes, 'help me!' but still, they did nothing. She had tears in them now, as she was pushed into the elevator. 'Not Darkrai, not again… please…'
"You seem scared." The man smirked as soon as the Elevator doors closed. "Why should you be afraid of Darkrai… unless you had already faced it. Isn't that right… Kate? He's gotten stronger since your last encounter, and tied up like this? You stand no chance. I'm sure you've noticed the nightmares he's been sending to you. They've been getting worse, haven't they?"
Her eyes widened as he pushed her out onto the top of the building and the elevator doors closed again. The wind was blowing her hair around wildly, and she looked around in fear until she saw him. Darkrai.
'Shit, shit shit shit.' She thought, as it floated toward her, raised its arms…
"KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" the anguished yell came as she was being eaten by the darkness, and the scene flashed before her again.
The darkness, the fear, the yell, the cold… She jammed her eyes shut as tears exploded out of them, 'Someone help me, please…'
Something caught hold of the ropes and jerked her from the darkness, pulling her upward and away from the building. She was still crying, her eyes still jammed closed, and someone pressed her face against their shoulder as she felt the ropes fall away. "Kate…" a quiet, anguished voice murmured in her ear as she pressed her face into the soft fabric that covered the shoulder. The fabric quickly became soaked as she sobbed.
"Kate…" the voice said again, "…it's alright… I'm here." She felt strong arms wrapping around her in a tight hug as she was shifted until she was sitting on the top of the Staraptor that held her and Keith.
"Keith…" she whispered, "I can't… no more… nightmares… please…" her head was shifted until she had her chin on the soaked shoulder and she was looking back at Altru, which was quickly shrinking in the distance. Keith muttered something that she didn't catch, something to the extent of "Those bastards…when we get back to the Union…"
"I can't go back." She muttered, "No. I can't go back to the Union."
"Why not?!" Keith asked, his voice louder than he meant it to be, which he realized when she flinched and looked as though preparing for a slap. She buried her face in his shoulder again and said her reason, which was muffled by the soft fabric.
"What?" he asked, more gently, moving his hand to direct her face toward his.
"Nightmares… I can't go back until I've gotten rid of them."
"Well… okay then," he muttered, flying the Staraptor down to land in a clearing in the woods. "It's getting late anyway… maybe we should camp here for a while."
"Darkrai…" Kate muttered, "He's causing them…" she curled into a fetal position, "H-He's causing the n-n-nightmares…"
Keith hopped off the Staraptor and picked her up gently, placing her under a tree. "He can't get to you here, Kate."
"B-But he can!" she sobbed, "He can always get to me, he's in my mind!" She turned away from Keith, "There's no way to get rid of him…"
Keith sighed, pulling off his jacket and placing it over her as he captured a couple of Caterpie to make string shot blankets for them. A Kakuna looked at him and then to her, as if saying, "Well, figure something to tell her!"
Keith looked away, thinking for a moment, "We'll need to sleep to be able to function in any way. For the night, we'll stay here."
Kate shivered as he tossed one of the blankets over her, and she tugged it closer to her, tears shining on her face. Keith tore his gaze away from her reluctantly, striding a bit away before lying down and closing his eyes, listening as Kate's breathing slowed to an even cadence before falling asleep himself.
---
The darkness around her was stifling, choking and she squirmed, staring around and holding her throat as a scream struggled to escape. She saw Darkrai, almost blending in to the darkness, and her eyes widened as she recognized the limp form he held in his dark hand.
'Little Sis!' she gasped, the darkness surrounding her more completely as her sister looked up helplessly, her eyes weak, and then something black slammed through her chest, a point… a dark dagger.
Darkrai dropped the form and it floated near her, blood spurting out of the wound and trickling down from the mouth. Kate watched in horror as the darkness ate away the rest of the body… 'No… Little Sis… No…'
"NOOOO!" she yelled, struggling with the darkness around her and screaming, "NO!"
Someone placed a hand on her shoulder and she jolted it away, until she heard the frantic voice shouting her name, "Kate, Kate! WAKE UP!"
She wrenched her eyes open in frenzy and jerked upward, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Kate!" Keith yelled again, pulling her around to look at him. Her eyes were wide and unseeing and her breathing had hitched. He felt her shaking under his firm touch.
"Kate…" he muttered as she sobbed and buried her face in his shoulder again. "What happened?"
"Little… Little Sis…" she whispered.
Keith, understanding, pressed a few buttons on his Styler, "Voicemail, Voicemail! Sven, Wendy, can you check to see if Kate's Little Sis is okay?"
"Sure, but why do you need to know?" Sven's tired voice came over; confusion lacing each word.
"It's a long story. Just check, okay?" Keith muttered. Kate shuddered and wrapped her arms around him, and he felt his face heat up. He was thankful she still had her face buried in his shoulder.
After a few minutes in which he supposed Sven had contacted Barlow and Barlow had checked, Sven reported back, "Kate's little sister is fine, Keith. Now care to tell us why you needed to know? And why you're no longer in Pueltown?"
Keith looked down at Kate, who pulled her sleeve up and said loud enough for Sven to hear, "Maybe this will explain things."
She pressed a button on her Styler and Sven yelled out, "KATE!?"
Kate smiled a slight, but still genuine, Kate smile, "Good to hear you too, Sven."
Keith laughed slightly, happy to see one of Kate's genuine smiles again. He had feared that she would never be the same. It looked like things were already going on to the good track.
A/N: Wow! I must say I'm happy now! Seven reviews in Two chapters? That's really great! So, to let you all know how much I appreciate the reviews, PERSONAL BUT PUBLIC REPLIES! Lawl. I'll do this every three chapters, so beware!
BlazieAura - Kate and Keith are so damn cute, aren't they?! I just love the obviousness of Keith's flirting when you play as Kate in the game. It's so cute!
FaithfulSoul - (for reviewing both chapters, you get a cookie!) Kate/Kellyn. Damn. But, but, but, but Kate and Keith are SO MUCH BETTER! -pouts- Anyway, it's OBVIOUS how much they love each other. =P
Ketchum Kid - Wow. Long review that didn't really seem to relate much to my story. Oh well, at least you took the time to read and type it all out. Thanks for the originality comment.
StrawBerriKitty - I had just finished everything in the game (browser, storyline, capture arena, and THE ULTIMATE STUPIDITY OF CUT SCENES!) so I was going on the freshness of the knowledge... plus I kind of cheated and replayed some of the parts I really liked. =P But yeah, I was talking to some of my friends who also had played the game and we got into a discussion about the ending of the storyline, which led to the idea which led to the story. ^^;
Fishy ApplePie - Please... It can't be the BEST... -modest- There are so many authors out there who can write better than me... I know it might just be the original plot that you're talking about. But, yeah. I really just got the idea from the discussion with my friends...
Guest589785 - Thank you for reading! And reviewing!
