Alright, here's another chapter. Sorry it took a little longer, but I still made the deadline. Anyways, please review this one, okay?

Sorakeyblade99: Yes. An awesome family reunion.

Mobiusfan: Well, yes, but that's how some relationships are. And it might seem fast, but remember, it was about a month.

Jake: S'okay.

The Black Okami: Yes, we should be ashamed.

RB77: I've beaten it and training my pokemon up to 100. I want to do it authentically.

Moemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

Chapter 6

"Okay, so where are you guys going?" Petal asked, as the classes lined up at the gate.

"We're both going to Vientown." Keith said, smiling. "Rythmi, how about you?"

"I'm going to the Ranger Union." Rythmi said. "With Isaac. I'm going to be an operator."

"Who's Isaac?" I asked.

"He's the residing nerd." Keith dismissed. "You can recognize him by his blonde bowl cut head."

"Oh." I said, nodding. "Anyways, Petal, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Boyle Island!" Petal said, smiling. "So I get to be a part of volcanic paradise, while you two go camping in the forest."

"Oh, joy…" I sighed.

"Aw, it won't be that bad." Petal said, reaching up, kissing me on the cheek.

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Keith said, smiling. "You know, Rythmi, you and I should…"

"No." Rythmi shot down immediately.

"Okay, just thought I'd ask." Keith said, laughing.

When it was time for us to head out to the base, Keith and I headed down the bridge to Chocole Village, and then to Vientown.

"You want to do it?" I asked, worried, staring up at the door of the ranger base.

"No, you go ahead." Keith said, nudging me in the shoulder.

I raised my hand, and knocked on the door lightly.

"Enter!" A deep, booming voice rang out. Keith and I gulped, and stepped forwards into the building, the doors opening before us.

"Welcome!" The owner of the deep booming voice said, smiling. He was a well-muscled black man, with a bushy mustache and tuft of black hair. He wore the red, white, and black uniform of rangers, and he stood there, smiling warmly. "I'm Barlow! I'm in charge 'round here!"

"I'm his parner, Maku!" The Makuhita beside him said, smiling. She wore an overly baggy yellow training outfit, with blond hair down to her neck, a yellow bow in her head, her eyes squinted closed.

"Oh, so these are our new interns?" The female ranger asked, smiling. She wore the female uniform well, forming her excellent figure. She had black hair down to her shoulders, and black eyes. "I'm Luana! And this is my partner, Mimi!"

"Hello…" The Buneary next to Luana said, waving shyly. She wore a brown shirt and white fluffy shorts. She had creamy skin which matched her fluffy tan hair, held in place by a small brown hat. "I'm Mimi…"

"Somehow, I knew you two would be our interns." The third ranger said, laughing. It was Crawford. "You might not remember me, but I'm Crawford. And this is my partner, Cherry."

"Hello…" Cherry said, blushing.

"I'm not a ranger." The fourth and final person in the room said. She wore magenta overalls over a white shirt, and her hair was a mussy sort of red-brown color, which matched her rusty eyes, that still blazed with a passion. "But my name is Elaine."

"Alright, we're going to go out to Nabiki Beach." Barlow said. "You guys need to bring that basket up to the peak. It's a matter of unimaginable importance."

Barlow, Maku, and the rest headed out the door, leaving Keith and I standing there.

"Oh my gosh…" Keith said, shaking. "Our first mission… I'm so excited!"

Keith grabbed the basket, excited, and headed out after the rangers. However, they were already a fair ways out of our sight.

"Okay, he said Nabiki Beach…" Keith said, opening the map. "So that's to the west…"

I hadn't been in Almia for long, so I just decided to go along with what he said. I followed Keith to the beach, and when I thought we'd arrived, I realized we needed to keep heading up across a rocky cliff to reach the peak.

We finally moved past a clump of trees, only to see the rangers sitting calmly at a picnic blanket.

"Oh, good, you made it." Barlow said. "Now, set the picnic basket on the blanket, and come join us."

"Wait, so this was all one big trick?" I asked.

"Yeah." Luana said, nodding, pulling a slice of bread out of the basket, smearing jam on it. "A trick we play on all the new rangers."

"Oh." Keith said, irritated. "I thought we'd be getting a real mission, not going around carrying groceries!"

"Hey, come on, Keith." Crawford said. "It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is!" Keith exclaimed. "You can't just trick people like that!"

"Why not?" Elaine asked simply.

"Okay, that's it." Keith said. "Screw you guys, I'm going home."

Keith stormed off, irritated, back to Nabiki beach.

I sat down and joined in on the picnic, and a few minutes later, Keith came bursting into the clearing again.

"Oh, look, it came back." Elaine said, looking up from her tea.

"Guys, this is an emergency!" Keith exclaimed. "There are wild moemon going berserk down on the beach!"

"Quick, we need to go!" Barlow exclaimed, leaping up, running down the clearing, Crawford, Keith, and Luana following after him.

"Aren't you going?" I asked Elaine.

"Not a ranger." Elaine said. "So I can just sit here sipping tea."

I sighed, face palming, and headed out after the group.

I arrived on the scene a few seconds late, and ran to the free moemon, a Starly. She wore a black skirt and black shirt, and she had tiny wings growing out of her back. She had black hair down to her neck, with an ahoge, and black eyes.

"Alright, sorry, but I need to capture you!" I shouted. "Capture styler, go!" I released the styler from its' disk, and it began making loops around the Starly.

"No!" Starly shouted, throwing herself against the styler, breaking the line.

"Darn it, now I have to start over again!" I shouted, releasing the disk again, it arching after the Starly.

"No!" Starly repeated, flapping her wings, creating a tornado, releasing it at the line, causing it to break and the energy to decrease.

I tried once more, and she managed to escape. I repeated over and over again, but she continued to break the line, until I was down to my last life.

I tried one last time, and this time, as if the styler was communicating my feelings for the young moemon, she didn't resist. In a flash of light, she was tamed, and she rubbed up against me smiling.

"Well, you two newbie's did pretty well!" Barlow said, smiling, as the group headed back to the ranger base. "I'll recommend both of you to the school! There's just one problem…"

Barlow was, of course, referring to the Starly who's arms were wrapped tightly against my waste, and refused to move.

"You're not allowed to have a partner moemon." Barlow said. "Not until you're an actual ranger. And since you're not, you can't."

"B-but…" Starly cried out, hugging me tightly. "I don't want him to leave! I love him!"

I blushed a little at this, and considered it a bit strange that this omission was completely serious, no blush at all.

"Sorry." Elaine said, grabbing the Starly, pulling her off. "But you can't come with him."

"B-but…" Starly's eyes began welling up with tears, and she began bawling right there on the floor, falling to her knees, holding her hands up to wipe away the tears.

"Kellyn, we really need to get back to the school." Keith said, grabbing onto my collar, pulling me away from the Starly. I looked at her. I felt so sad about having to be separated. I mean, she honestly cared so much about me…

I was silent through most of our journey back to the school, and I was silent through our dinner, and through Petal, Rythmi, and Keith sharing stories of their internship. I drifted off to sleep with the memories of that small little Starly in my mind, longing to be with her again.

So, it seems like Petal has a rival for Kellyn's affections!