POKEMON RANGER, OUT OF THE DARKNESS - Chapter Nine: Lugia.


Kate and Keith flopped next to each other on the floor of the room at the Pokemon center, Kate having fallen over in exhaustion and Keith lowering himself to lie next to her. He gently wiped her forehead of the sweat that had grown there and sighed, "I thought we were so close today, didn't you?" he asked quietly. Kate nodded slowly and turned her head to rest her cheek on the ground. Keith continued gently stroking her forehead, staring off into space as he thought.

Kate inhaled slowly, her eyes closing as her body relaxed from its seemingly infinitely tense position. The carpet beneath her cheek was soft and as she thought over the events of that day, she couldn't help but feel… safe. A feeling she wished she could feel more lately. They were supposedly far away from the next dangers they faced, which were supposed to be all the way across Kanto. Kate was beginning to get worried; what if the Pokemon they needed didn't even exist? Keith's gentle touch to her forehead was possibly the only thing that kept her from hyperventilating. She couldn't let him worry…

The memories flowed almost as silently past her eyes as the tears did. She could remember the voices, the cries for help that continued past her ears that day as people below her and Keith panicked. She remembered the flames and the ice and the lightning. She remembered the forceful water current slamming her around as she sank down.

It had started as a relatively normal day for them by then. Get up; nod a good morning to each other; head out of the cave and look around for flying types. They didn't know that they would be delayed that day. They didn't know that there was an underwater current brewing, and as the three legendary birds woke up, the chaos would begin. She had been the first to hear the vengeful cries of the three birds. He had been the first to see the lightning, fire and ice flying around. They both saw the carnage those three things created.

Kate sighed as she opened her eyes again; Keith was still comfortingly rubbing her cheek. What she needed wasn't comfort: it was sleep. She hadn't slept after her little "chat" with Zapdos, and she had hardly slept on any of the nights before. She was running out of gas, she couldn't keep going much longer. She prayed she'd have just one night of restful sleep.

They had faced their harshest fight yet. They just seemed to be getting harder to beat, and she didn't know if the two of them would be able to keep up.

Lugia… she thought slowly, her eyes drifting closed again as Keith finally turned to look at her and realized he was gently caressing her cheek. His hand was pulled away, and she sighed, sleep drifting closer and closer. She wanted to sleep. She needed to sleep.

The images flashed again, regaining her attention almost as quickly as it had slipped away. Her Styler nearly breaking. Keith's horrified yells growing dimmer and dimmer as the water pressed around her. The inching cold. She remembered it all, every event of that day, in vivid detail. All three birds fighting above her even as she fell without end toward the water, before a fourth Pokemon burst out of the water and caught her on her back. She remembered Keith flying around her and the Pokemon hesitantly as they both strove to capture the birds. All of it.

She remembered falling.

The memories were all mixed around, she could tell, but they all held special meaning. Keith was worried for her. Keith would stay around as long as she wanted him to. Keith would help her regardless of the circumstances.

And all she was doing was dragging him down with her.

She felt him stand and walk over to the light switch to turn off the lights and her eyes stayed closed as she listened to his sturdy footsteps. The days seemed much longer while the battles continued without end. She wanted another week, like she had had just before Mewtwo, just to catch up.

She had no fear, not yet. She had defeated all three Legendary Birds along with Lugia. She had no fear until she was asleep, alone in that dark place, unable to do anything. She felt… useless, afraid, vulnerable there. And when it wasn't the darkness that surrounded her, it was pain of others that caused her pain. She had always put others before herself. It was what had led her to the top of that tower to battle Darkrai. It was what had led her to running away, hoping to protect those around her. It was what had led her into this ridiculous journey. How many people had disappeared now? Seven? And how many did they affect? Too many. She needed to end this madness as soon as possible.

She thought back on the odd clue that Lugia had given them. The feather in her pocket, clear as glass, and the word 'Mirage'.

She drifted between sleep and consciousness as she felt Keith lifting her into his arms before lowering her on the bed on one side of the room. She heard his breathing moving away as the footsteps that were muffled by the carpet moved across the room. He settled onto his bed which let out a despondent creak before falling silent as they both kept still. She wasn't sure whether he was sitting or lying, but she could feel his eyes on her.

She felt safe. She was safe. She could sleep…

---

Keith noticed the tears, he noticed the hitched breathing, he noticed her blank stare toward the wall. He held in a shiver as he watched her staring toward the ceiling through her eyelids, recalling the dead look he had seen in her eyes that evening after he had pulled her out of the water, holding desperately to his Buizel and her Piplup. He only hoped that he could pull her out of the depression she seemed to be falling into.

---

"Wha… What's going on?" the young blonde asked in fear as she looked around at the people surrounding her. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen, just out of Ranger School, yet it was obvious by her uniform and the Fine Styler on her wrist that she was a Top Ranger. Kate blinked as she looked at the girl, standing in the middle of a ruined Operations Room with several bloody Rangers around her. The girl looked almost like a younger version of the battered Rhythmi in the corner, who had blood streaming out of her mouth. Kate walked over toward Rhythmi slowly, hesitantly, before she saw Erma laying behind one of the desks, her cane out of her hand. Someone or something had knocked it out of her grip and it had skidded across the floor to rest at Hastings' feet, where he slouched against the Operators chairs. There was blood everywhere.

Kate blinked in fear as she looked around, waiting for someone to move or groan, or give any indication that anyone else was alive. She didn't know who the young girl was, but she knew the others. Marcus, slouched against Linda, who was the third Operator, had his arm twisted in an unnatural way. Linda had a gigantic bruise on her forehead and her breathing was feeble. Sven and Wendy were still standing, holding each other up, but they both looked like they would collapse from exhaustion soon. The girl in the center of the room looked around at the many injured people around her before she let her eyes fall on a similarly young ranger, this one a dark redheaded boy with bright green eyes.

Kate saw something flash in the young girl's eyes, and her heart skipped a beat, before the girl gasped and ran to the injured young boy, crying, "Johnny! Please be alright!" The whispered words were loud in the silent room around them. Kate flinched as the girl rested her head on the young boy's chest, the bright green eyes dulling quickly as darkness came to consume him as well. So much… too much… tears burst from her eyes at the same time as the girl's.

"Johnny, no, please… John… don't leave me… you can't leave me like this!"

The broken cry fell on deaf ears as people began to stir around them. Sven and Wendy collapsed against each other; too weak to stand but not weak enough to lose consciousness. Rhythmi's eyes fluttered weakly and Marcus hissed in pain as his arm shifted. Linda lifted a hand gingerly to her forehead and Hastings helped Erma up. Another young boy, this one with black hair and blue eyes, rubbed his head anxiously before catching sight of the girl and hurrying over to her. Kate felt invisible, useless. She couldn't comfort that girl. She couldn't help everyone stand or tell them exactly what had gone wrong. She couldn't have prevented this scene from happening.

The scene was too real to be just a dream. It was a vision. This was going to happen or… her breathing hitched, and she knew. It had already happened. The boy was dead. The girl was heartbroken. Everyone was injured.

And here she was in Kanto, snug and warm and far away from the horrors of what was happening in Almia.

The tears flowed freely as the broken voice came from the darkness that was consuming the scene around her, "It will only get worse from here."

---

The Operations room was in ruins. There were bloodstains, broken tiles, Styler pieces; everywhere you looked you saw carnage. The monitors were broken and the chairs had been ripped away from the floor. Erma leaned on her cane with more force than she usually had to. The attack had come from nowhere and was brutal. No one had escaped unscathed.

Hastings was standing by her side as they looked at Rangers helping other Ranger, Operators nursing each other's wounds. Then she looked to the corner behind the escalator, where a huddled form sat and sobbed quietly. The young blond who had just joined the Union had seen just what could happen if balance was disrupted in Almia. People could die; loved ones, friends, family. Her young friend had seen if first hand, unfortunately. She hobbled over to the young girl and placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, waiting with her while she sobbed.

"Why… why did he… have… have to… to leave me…?" the girl sobbed again and again, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth slightly. "Why… why did… the attack… have to… to… to kill him?!"

Erma sighed and looked again at the destruction. Almia had never seen such horrors. She doubted any place had seen such horrors as that day. An innocent life had been ended. Many more innocent people were injured; people who wanted to help others. She couldn't believe how heartless some people could be. The casualties might have only been one this time, but the impact of how the young death affected people caused an unusual amount of sorrow.

She ran a gentle finger along the cut on the back of the girl's head and her eyes started to tear. It was only luck that only one life had been taken. Three Garchomps on a single young ranger… she wondered just how the girl had survived.

Then she realized as she looked at the cold body next to the girl just what had saved her. Distraction which had cost a life yet had saved countless others… what a noble cause.

The third young Ranger that had joined the Union right out of school, a young black haired boy with blue eyes, was helping Sven and Wendy wrap up their wounds. His hands, though shaky, were holding the bandages expertly and tying the knots surely. Erma hobbled over toward the boy and placed a shaky hand on his shoulder, making him look up and share a solemn look with her.

"Christen is suffering." Erma said slowly, her eyes tired as she looked down at the boy who continued tying the knots even as he watched her. "Noah, please go comfort her. I will help Sven and Wendy."

Noah nodded slowly, pulling the bandages tight into a knot around Sven's arm before standing and moving toward the escalator to go help the girl, Christen.

"Hey, Chrissie." He said slowly, kneeling before her and placing a hand on her shoulder, his blue eyes solemn as she sobbed. "Johnny wouldn't want you crying your life away, would he?" he asked her softly, "'You're a top ranger now! You should be out helping people!' …that's what he would say." Noah said surely, pulling Christen into a hug.

The cracked monitor lit up slightly and a worried voice came over, "Voicemail, Voicemail! Is everyone alright?! Please, someone answer. It's Kate!"

Kate's face was up on the broken monitor, her bright blue eyes anxious and looking around at the scene before her. Rhythmi pulled herself up into the chair and wiped her still bloody mouth, looking slowly from Linda, to Marcus, to Sven and Wendy, to Erma and Hastings, then off into the corner to Noah and Christen before answering. "We're dealing, Kate. You look like you already know what happened. Casualties are only one, we've managed okay. Not fantastically as we possibly could have."

"Thank god the casualties are so low…" Kate exhaled in relief, "I'm sorry for the girl who lost her friend."

"How did you know anyway?" Erma asked slowly, locking eyes with Kate.

"Nightmare… how else?" Kate laughed mirthlessly. "I also know that it'll only get worse from here. I've decided that we're coming back."

"You can't!" Rhythmi cried, "You haven't found the Pokemon yet, Keith called us and told us that himself just before the attack!"

"Almia needs us." Kate said sharply, "It doesn't matter anymore. It's either we come back to help or more people die!"

"MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE ANYWAY IF YOU CAN'T STOP WHOEVER'S DOING THIS!" Rhythmi yelled with tears in her eyes, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE TRYING!"

Kate stayed silent for a moment as she looked over her shoulder at something, probably listening to Keith, long enough for Christen to climb out from her hiding place with Noah at her side. Christen spoke up unsurely, "Umm… excuse me… but… You're the one who's trying to find that Pokemon, aren't you? If you give up now… just because Johnny died… then wouldn't that make your journey kinda… pointless?"

Kate looked over the young girl with a raised eyebrow before again looking over her shoulder to listen to whatever Keith was saying, before sighing and saying, "Fine, we'll keep looking for that Pokemon. We've got a new lead now. We really must find it… for everyone else's sake."

---

The air up above the ground around the top of Altru tower was cold and crisp. There was a frizzy haired man with a bloody nose laying unconscious in the corner next to two Drowzees, limp. Standing in the middle of the tower was a black haired man who had a pair of dark sunglasses in his hands. And despite what most people would believe, he was not the previously banished Blake Hall.

The man raised an angered eyebrow at the Drowzy Guy, before muttering softly, "Why are you back here, you annoying pest?" he turned toward the bright white light coming off of the clear crystal floating before him, with three glowing gems hovering in the air around it. "You." He growled at the crystal. "I know what to do to take you out of the picture. The only thing holding me back is that blasted Ranger Union." He fell silent as the wind blew around them, waiting.

"Sir!" a man in uniform said in acknowledgement as he ran up the stairs behind the dark haired man, "The Trainees just came back from the Ranger Union. The youngest one reported that the Union suffered a casualty."

"A casualty? A casualty? A casualty!?" The man yelled at them, "I WANT SEVERAL CASUALTIES!"

The young minion flinched, "I will, er, relay this message to the recruits, sir." He said slowly, backing away from the angered man. "Forgive us for our impudence!"

The man turned back to the crystal as the minion disappeared, a sharp breath escaping his mouth. "Useless, every one of them." He muttered, glaring at the crystal again, "You prevent me from my great purpose of ruling the world. You hold me back, you blasted crystal. But where Blake Hall failed, I will succeed."

---

Kate,

I know this may not be the best way to contact you, since you may not get this letter, but your father and I believe that perhaps it's time we left Almia. Things are growing out of control and we can't be caught in the crossfire. We're very proud of you, never doubt that. We just need to know that we can be there for you when you truly need us. We'll be headed back to Fiore for the time being… please, don't die on us… we couldn't stand to possibly lose… another daughter…

Lots of Love,

Mom.

The letter was tattered and tearstained by the time she finished reading it, and she felt guilt building up in her chest.

"I promise mom…" she whispered, "I will get Little Sis back."


A/N: So... thanks for waiting for me? -anxious grin- Kate and Keith had this humongo argument and didn't want to work together at all and I was struggling to fix things. So here's the chapter... -sweatdrop-