Sky: WELCOME TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!
Rhythmi: Our ever busy writer seems to be in a good mood.
Sky: I have a yummy sammich. HTF and I are planning this story out, which is getting very enjoyable. And this is one of the moments where I'm not crazily trying to get things done.
Keith: *steals sandwich*
NOOOOOO! DATS MINE! *chases after*
Kate: Anyone see HTF?
Seren: She disappeared again. Should we try to find her?
KEITH! GIVE ME BACK THAT SANDWICH!
Keith: *keeps running* You'll have to catch me first!
Cast: *sweat drop*
Kate: Well...I guess as Sky would say...
Rhythmi: Read, review and enjoy!
"Greetings Cynthia." Professor Hastings said, then turned to the rangers. "As you all know, we've been witnessing harsh weather changes that seem to upset the balance of nature. And not just us but other regions are suffering as well. Sinnoh seems to be the worst."
Kate and Seren glanced at each other. Should they dare mention that 'pokemon incident' from patrol earlier?
"Cynthia? Care to elaborate?" Hastings requested.
"Of course. Of all the weather changes, Sinnoh's the worst. Either routes are constantly flickering between weather patterns every few minutes or the normal weather turned into severe storms. Snowpoint and its surrounding routes have been blocked off due to a fierce blizzard enveloping the entire area. Pastroria will be evacuated due to flooding concerns as well as Sunnyshore for electrical hazards." Cynthia explained.
"Rough..." Wendy muttered.
"That's only the tip of the iceberg." Cynthia went on. "Not long after this started, the pokemon were starting to act out. Either they attacked anyone they saw or panicked, retreating into hiding."
"Pokemon are sensitive to changes in the earth, right?" Summer asked.
"Yeah! Maybe they're spooked by the weather." Luana suggested.
Cynthia shook her head. "No it seems to be something much more than that. Especially since after the behaviour started up, pokemon have disappeared."
Gasps rang among the group.
"Started out in routes surrounding Mt. Cornet. Trainers noticed not as many pokemon to catch as usual. But then even domestic pokemon were disappearing from Celestic, Hearthome and Eterna." Cynthia told them. "And it's becoming an epidemic. Pokemon are already starting to vanish from Eterna forest and other routes. Within a few days...or, perhaps even less, more cities and towns will be affected."
The rangers glanced at each other, unsure what to make of this.
"Is there anything like that in other regions, sis?" Kate asked.
"A few missing pokemon here and there but it's nothing compared to what's going on here." Cynthia replied.
"What action are you guys taking over there?" Sven questioned.
"We just postponed any new trainers from going on journeys but we may end up getting the rest to temporarily suspend. Maybe a few can help out. Gym leaders have their hands full trying to lead people and pokemon to safety. Plus the International Police Force and our Elite Four are doing their best to find out what's going on." Cynthia answered. "Actually, Flint and I investigating Mt. Cornet, where the source of our problems may lie."
Mt. Cornet, the centre of Sinnoh. And Kate knew this was where Dialga and Palkia would be should they be summoned. Also, it was rumoured Arceus' gateway to heaven was there. Kate naturally knew all of this because of her gift. Well, the gift she once had, anyways.
"Huh." Kate thought, realizing something. "I haven't heard from Arceus or the other legends in awhile. Have they forgotten about me? Are they not concerned because I'm not Summerland's Gift anymore? It'd be nice if I could contact them and find out what's going on right now."
"Mt. Cornet is the most hazardous I've ever seen. From the outside, impossible to climb. And the inside, rockslides and avalanches all over the place. We had to close it off to the public after several people and pokemon nearly were killed." Cynthia relayed information. "As for pokemon, there's almost none roaming inside. The air feels tense as well. Like there's more pressure or its stealing your energy."
"How's it up at Spar...Spill?...um...what's that top place called?" Ben asked, confused.
Summer rolled her eyes. "Spear Pillar."
"I thought it was Spare Pile." Keith blinked, surprised.
"Can't get through." Cynthia shook her head. "The main road's sealed away with no way getting past it. Same goes for all the other entrances and pathways. There's no way to get to Spear Pillar."
"I don't understand. Don't any of you have any idea as to who's doing this?" Seren asked as she slightly balled her fists.
"Unfortunately, we don't. If we did we would have rounded everyone up to try and take the person down. All we know is that this started around Mt. Cornet, or that is our theory anyway. It is where the most dangerous stuff has happened so far," Cynthia replied with a frown and the shake of her head.
"Our theory?" Kate asked as she looked at her older sibling.
"Yeah, Flint was with me, but he's gone to Hoenn to see how bad the weather is over there," Cynthia answered. "If any of you have any ideas of what could be happening around the globe, contact us immediately okay? I have to go now, Sunnyshore needs help evacuating," Cynthia then hung up the phone without an answer.
"You all heard the Champion. If anything strange happens contact her immediately, and report it to us. Until then, you're all ordered to patrol around Almia, and be careful," Hastings ordered as he walked off with Erma, a thoughtful look on both their faces.
Seren wasted no time as she disappeared from her friends without them noticing, they were all too engaged in their own conversation.
"Whatever's going on must be bad," Crawford stated.
"Cynthia and Flint wouldn't get involved if it wasn't," Kate added.
"But who, or what, could do something like this?" Kellyn asked.
"If we knew that I'm sure we'd already be on their ass," Summer growled as she punched her left palm with her right hand.
"Hey, am I the only one who's noticed Seren's ran off?" Ben asked as he looked around. Everyone's attention was caught as they looked around the room, trying to see if they could find the black haired girl. But no, she had literally vanished.
"Hello? Is this Miss Sarah Redfern?" Seren asked down the phone as she bit her lip.
"Yes it is, who is this?" a woman's voice came from the other end. Seren sighed slightly.
"That…. Doesn't matter right now. I was just calling to make sure you were alright. With the weather changes and everything," Seren answered as she bit her lip.
"I am fine, but who is this. Tell me, or I shall track the number," Sarah replied as she began getting angry.
"You don't recognise my voice?" Seren asked as she tried her hardest not to sound upset, or mad.
"No, who is this?" Sarah asked again.
"I'm your daughter, Seren," Seren answered.
There was a pause on the other end of the line before Sarah spoke again.
"Pathetic little shit, don't call this number again," she demanded before hanging up the phone.
Seren pulled the phone away from her ear. Her mother had always been like that with her. Calling her names, saying she was useless. Seren looked in the mirror in the bathroom. She was the spitting image of her father, or so she was told.
The raven haired girl didn't know the man. It never occurred to her to even try to track him down. What was the point? She knew who he was, where he was and she didn't care.
Kellyn's face flashed before Seren's eyes. He hated scars, thought they made a person's face ugly. Seren had scars, but not just the one on her face. She was emotionally scarred, for life at that.
And then there was a physical scar she had down her back. One night when- no, she wouldn't think about it. She just couldn't, it was too painful.
Seren felt something warm drip onto her face. A tear. She was crying. Seren sighed. She hadn't cried in a long time, at least, not about her mother.
As she tried to stop the tears they came harder. Seren cupped her hands over her face as she sat on the bathroom sink of hers and Kellyn's room. She cried, long and hard as she imagined the past she had once had with her mother.
Right at that moment, in another part of the dorms, Kate was lying on her bed upside down. Blood rushed to her brain but between all the thoughts circling in there, she barely felt anything. There was so much to think about. And it felt like so little time.
"Helloooo? Earth to Kate? We're losing you!"
Keith's voice rang out from his bed on the other side of the room. He had been reading a comic book but now focused his attention on his pigtail'd partner.
"Hey Mossdeep City, we have a problem. Over!" Keith joked. "Kggggh! It seems we're losing her! Kate's lost in space! Kgggghhh! Epic walkie talkie cackling noises of doom! KGGGHHHH!"
Kate couldn't help but smile. She rolled her eyes, flipping herself back onto the bed in normal sitting position.
"So what's the matter, Katie? Care to share?" Keith asked.
"I've been thinking about what's going on lately." Kate replied.
"Like the cafeteria's serving nachos for lunch today?" Keith assumed.
Kate threw a pillow at him. "Idiot."
"HEY!"
"I meant about what's going on in Sinnoh and across the world. Even our own regions being impacted by this stuff." Kate told him.
"The weather stuff is kinda freaky." Keith noted.
"Not just the weather." Kate shook her head. "The pokemon. Cynthia said they got upset before disappearing. And now that's starting to spread throughout Sinnoh."
Keith paused. He wore a blank look as he listened to his partner.
"How many more pokemon are going to wipe off the face of the planet? And for how much longer will they suffer?" Kate continued. "I'm really worried. I'd hate to think these pokemon got injured or killed in the chaos. Arceus forbid the epidemic comes here or in any other region."
The redhead sighed. He got up, then came over to sit down beside Kate.
"Hey. Don't worry too much about this." Keith said. "We've got lots of people working on the issue. Worst case scenario, we rangers will get involved. All of those pokemon will be back safe and sound. And we'll get the weather right back on track too."
"Thanks Keith." Kate grinned, feeling a little better.
"Any time." Keith messed up the girl's hair.
"Also, have you noticed Seren lately?" Kate asked as her friend came to mind.
"Sere?" Keith blinked. "What about her?"
"There's talk that she'll ditch Kellyn as ranger partners because he's flipping about the scars again. She's pretty ticked off about it." Kate explained. "Although I think there's something else wrong."
"More than the scar?" Keith tipped his head sideways, confused.
"Yeah. Rushing off at random times, a little concerned about something, spacier than usual...she's only taken four pictures this week." Kate recalled.
"Four? So?" Keith asked.
"Seriously? You don't know? That's way less than the usual photo count she takes per week! Seren almost never goes below quota!" Kate informed.
Keith blinked once. Twice Kate realized that the information was completely lost on her naive redheaded friend.
"You're hopeless." She sweatdropped.
"AM NOT!" Keith pouted.
Rythmi frowned as her typing seized to a stop on the computer. She had been asked by Isaac to print off a couple of pictures on Seren's camera of the machines he was working on. But, now that she had looked at them, she became worried for her friend.
"Hey, Rythmi, you printed me those pictures…. What the?" Isaac asked as he looked at the screen. Each picture was brought up in a different window, each was blurred, each had some mysterious figure in the background.
"These are from Seren's camera," Rythmi stated as she turned to look at Isaac, who frowned.
"Those can't be," Wendy spoke as she and Sven walked over towards them.
"It's Seren's camera alright," Isaac sighed as he held up the white camera with the initials S.R printed on them.
"But, she never has things unfocused," Sven muttered as a sound of thunder clapped in the sky.
"Okay, this is starting to get creepy," Rythmi whispered as she looked around.
"Whooo, eeeeeee, ooohhhh," Wendy whirled around on instinct, hitting whatever made the noise in the process.
"OU! Jheeze Wendy, a little harder and you could have broken my nose!" Keith hissed as he and Kate looked at the four teens who had gathered around Rythmi's computer.
"What is that?" she asked. Rythmi sighed as she showed Kate the camera.
"I think something's wrong with Seren," Sven muttered as he turned to Wendy, who sighed.
"Sven's right. Even though she hasn't been a Top Ranger long, she never has a picture unfocused," she stated.
"And she always puts up with Kellyn's whining.
"I do not whine!" Kellyn whined as he walked over to the group.
"You just did," Rythmi and Isaac stated.
"She never rushes off at inappropriate times," Isaac added.
"And she'll always confront us if need be," Keith shrugged. The group thought for a moment before Keith's stomach rumbled.
"Guess we should get the food we came here to get, huh?" he asked as he looked at Kate, who shook her head.
"You go, I'm not hungry anymore," she sighed as she rubbed her temples. With the weather changes, pokemon disappearing and turning to dust, her brother and sister getting involved in this, Kate was getting more and more stressed. The last thing she needed was her friend to be keeping secrets, or be in pain.
Keith shrugged as he walked off form the group. Day had come and gone; now night fell over the Ranger Union.
He wandered the dark halls as he walked towards the cafeteria in the Union, his stomach growling as he did so. But suddenly, he stopped, a noise filled the air.
Keith turned around; trying to locate the sound, but it had stopped. He started on his way again, but the noise started again, this time closer.
Keith gulped, he never was one for the dark, he hated it, couldn't stand it, but he didn't know what was making that sound, he had to find out.
'Curiosity killed the cat, maybe I should leave the noise,' Keith thought as he walked again. The sound was closer this time, but he made it out to be…..sniffling, like someone was….crying?
Keith followed his ears, finding himself outside of Seren and Kellyn's room. He slowly opened the door and walked inside. The bathroom light was turned on, but Kellyn was with the others. Was Seren the one crying?
Keith walked towards the bathroom before slowly opening the door. There was Seren, curled up on the sink, knees drawn to her chest, head buried, crying her eyes out.
"Seren?" Keith's voice snapped her out of it. She froze completely as she looked up slowly from her knees. Seren's tear stricken face bored into Keith's as she looked at her friend in shock.
"What's wrong?" he asked, but Seren only shook her head.
She stood from the sink as she ran passed Keith, knocking him down before leaving the room.
Keith remained where he was, more confused than ever. There was Seren, the strongest girl he knew after Kate, crying her eyes out in the bathroom.
He slowly walked out of the room, being sure to leave everything as it was before closing the door. For now, the red head would keep this to himself before asking her about it.
But first thing's first, Keith's stomach growled, food.
Seren: You made me sound like a cry baby.
I needed to give you another emotion besides your pissed off attitude.
Kellyn: I'll say, it's like you're on your period 24/7.
Seren: Zip it you or I'll get you!
Kellyn: I'll be good!
So, moving on–
*vase smashes*
Sky: GIMME BACK MY SAMMICH!
She's still chasing Keith?
Kate: Yup, anyway, I'll go find Rythmi!
Okay, so I know this story is more centred around Seren for now, but trust me there will be just as much amount as shipping in for other characters. Trust me, we have everything planned out, but the best bet on the shipping's for the ideas so far as Sven and Wendy, Luana and Crawford and Seren and Kellyn, we still need a couple ideas for Isaac and Rythmi and Kate and Keith, but we're working on it.
*glass breaks*
*turns to see Keith jumping out the window*
Keith: I'M TARZAN! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME NOW! *hits force field*
*sweat drops*
Sky: *bites into sammich*
So, let me see if I got this right. You chased Keith, who in the end gave you the sammich and then Tarzan'd into the fore field outside the window?
Sky: Who said he gave me the sammich? I had help from Ice and Red Eyes, thanks guys!
Ice and Red Eyes: *smirks*
RYTHMI! COME SAY YOUR PART PLEASE!
Rythmi: Well, that's it for today folks. Please read and review and you know, Sky and HTF will update when they can, but be patient with everything going off, both are very busy and-
WHAT THE HELL DOES VITAL CAPACITY MEAN?! I CAN NEVER REMEMBER THAT!
Keith: She's so failing this exam.
Kate: You're telling me.
Isaac: The greatest amount of air the lungs can take in and breathe out.
Really? I've been using the wrong definition for things.
Isaac: You're failing this.
DON'T REMIND ME!
Rythmi: Yeah, so just review already.
BYE, BYE EVERYONE!
Cast: We look forwards to seeing you next time! *bows*
