Okay, I am just going to say that I am so sorry for the long absence. My mind has been full of other ideas and I only just got back to this one last night. The thing is, I never know when my muse for a story will strike.
Many thanks to the three reviewers of Chapter One, and felcatty, you guessed correctly on Pidgey's role in the story.
I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
-Cocona Village, Renbow Island; Summer-
The "voyage" along the Renbow Straight only lasted half an hour. Pichu had played his little ukulele the whole time, and Pidgey rode the air currents almost lazily. Summer envied them on being able to relax the way they could.
Booker landed the boat at the pier-this time remembering to tie the boat up-and they got off. Pidgey landed on Summer's shoulder and Summer silently reminded herself to get a shoulder pad as she felt the bird's talons dig into her shoulder to get a good grip.
They walked off the pier and were noticed by a trio of kids, who rather excitedly asked Summer all kinds of questions when they noticed she was a Ranger. It was a bit much for the shy Ranger, and she was happy when Booker told the trio of kids to go play somewhere else and let her rest. The two enter a nearby building that proved to be Booker's house and shop, not noticing the gray "hoverboad-wanna-be"s overhead. Pichu noticed though, being the last one to enter, and angrily chased after them, determined to get revenge.
The inside was cozy. It had two stories, with the ground floor being the shop/living area. Inside living area was a boy about eighteen in age with green hair wrapped in an orange bandanna and brown eyes. He was wearing a white and orange T-shirt, blue shorts and orange and white sneakers. Almost as soon as he saw her, he began freaking out for some weird reason.
"Oh no… Could it be? Disillusioned with being a Ranger, this person has come to ask to be your new apprentice? Then, moved by those words, you decided to take them in? If that's the case, I'm no longer needed, so it's pack your bags and hit the road, right?! Boss! How could you do this to me?" the boy wailed while Summer starred in confusion. What is he going on about? She wondered.
"Summer isn't doin' any such thing." Booker yelled at the boy, a tick mark on his forehead. "If you don't have anythin' better to do than dream up lame stories, why don't you hurry and get our guest some tea!"
Pidgey chirped in irritation at all the yelling before settling down again contently.
"Whew! I'm so relieved to hear that." The boy sighed before rushing over to create the tea his boss ordered.
"That's my apprentice, Nick." Booker said while the two were sitting down at the table. "He's a hard worker, but he has a wild imagination, and he's always worryin' about foolish things. 'Cause of that, work gets interrupted all the time." So, this is normal? Summer couldn't help but think with a sigh.
"By the way, Summer," Booker changed the subject while Nick continued to flitter around the kitchen, "what brings you to Oblivia?" She stared into his eyes hard, trying to figure out if she could trust him, before she nodded and told her tale. While she was telling them about her mission that sent her and Ben there in the first place Nick severed the tea he made, which had a calming effect on the nerve-wrecked teen. Before long, the sun started lowering towards dusk, her cup was empty and her story was told.
"I see…" Booker said after a moment. "So those UFOs are the vehicles of the Pokémon Pinchers. That means… They took Dolce Island's Pokémon! What an unbelievable group of good-fer-nothin's! " he yelled in anger.
"What I find worrying is your story about the other Ranger." Nick nearly whimpered in nervousness. "Oh no! Could it be?!" Summer internally braced herself for whatever he said next, reminding herself over and over again that whatever he said was most likely not true. "Your partner's been caught by the bad guys and is bound with a rope in…" he trailed off and Summer nearly started crying even after bracing herself for it. She just couldn't help it, it was the one thing that both Summer and Ben hated, being locked away from the sky.
"Nick!" Booker yelled at his apprentice. "Knock off that worthless daydreamin'!"
"S-sorry!" Nick yelped.
Booker turned his attention back to Summer tried to soothe the girl as best he could. "Being separated from your partner and washin' up here has probably made you a little unsure, but don't you worry none. I'm here, and so is energetic little Ralph, you've got your Pidgey friend," at that, Pidgey cooed and rubbed her feathery head against Summer's cheek, "and my apprentice Nick. You're not alone." Booker seemed in thought for a minute before continuing. "And Pichu can soothe you with his cheery music."
It was only then did Summer notice that Pichu wasn't there and she started to get worried. Booker apparently noticed as well as he started looking around confusingly.
"W-we've got big trouble!" one of the kids who was on the beach when Summer arrived with Booker called Ralph burst in.
"Did your mother catch you playin' tricks again?" Booker asked somewhat teasingly.
"No, that's not it!" Ralph yelled out in defense, blushing slightly before continuing. "The UFOs are back!" Summer almost couldn't repress a groan of frustration at the thought of dealing with the idiot Pinchers again while also bristling with anger at the thought of the blonde-haired man that had tried to shoot down Ben. Those Pinchers might just know where Ben was! Booker and Nick just looked shocked at the news. "I saw them flying, one after another!"
"How many?" Summer nearly growled the question at the boy, startling everyone in the room.
"I lost count!" Ralph nearly wailed.
"Where were they headin'?" Booker asked while glancing at Summer in concern.
"Towards Teakwood Forest!" Ralph finally calmed down after being able to give useful information to them. "Arley went to see what's going on, but he hasn't come back yet."
"But this is Arley we're talking about, and he's incredibly strong, so…" Nick mentioned. "Oh no! Could it be?!" Nick suddenly yelped and Summer sighed as she braced herself for whatever new negative thoughts Nick had for the situation. She was starting to understand what Booker was saying earlier about work being interrupted all the time. "Perhaps he caught a UFO and was trying to crush it! Catching it was all well and good, but maybe they ended up hitting him with a shrinking ray?" Summer couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the weirdness of that statement. "And then, and then…" Nick trailed off once more.
"Nick!" Booker yelled at his apprentice. "Knock off the pointless daydreams already!" After taking a moment to calm down from his anger, he turned to Summer. "I'm sorry to ask favors when you're all tuckered out, but…" he trailed off before gathering his voice again. "Could you go to Teakwood Forest and see what's goin' on?"
"Of course, Booker. I need to handle those Pinchers anyway. They might know where Ben is," Summer said with full conviction. On her shoulder, Pidgey cooed and flapped her wings carefully, proving she was raring to go.
"I'll come too!" Ralph piped up. When Booker sent him a disapproving look, he continued. "I'm worried about Arley! He's big and strong, but I was surprised when I heard how old he was."
"I'll look after him Booker," Summer said in order to ease Booker into letting him. That was not to say that Summer felt anymore easily about a child being in the face of danger than Booker did, but Ralph was a little too much like Ben and herself that she knew he would sneak along if he wasn't allowed to go.
"Alright," Booker sighed, "just be careful!"
"I'll make sure of it," Summer promised before turning to Ralph. "Which way to Teakwood Forest?"
"Teakwood is west of Cocona Village!" Ralph promptly answered almost like he had done it a lot.
"By the way, Ralph, have you seen Pichu?" Booker asked suddenly.
"I was worried about Arley, so I ran right here. I wasn't looking around," Ralph replied confusingly. "Why?"
"Nothing important, Ralph," Summer replied before leaving the house. Once outside, Summer told Pidgey to keep an eye out for trouble from the air while she and Ralph followed on foot. The way to Teakwood Forest was quiet as the sun set. Inside the forest, they ran into a Pincher tormenting a Hoppip.
"Hey, you! Don't you dare stand in my way! This is what you'll get!" the Pincher yelled at the cowering Grass/Flying-Type before extending his right arm, purple circular waves hitting the little Pokémon, whose eyes turned blank and lifeless, obedient to the man without really knowing. "These new Control Gauntlet things they gave us are really great!" the Pincher said to himself while being oblivious to the watching teenage Ranger and local child. "I have no idea how they work, but it's so easy to catch Pokémon with them!" Summer was actually starting to wonder just how long he could continue to yell without fear of being overheard or losing his voice.
Just then, another Pincher, this one a women, came upon her teammate from father into the forest. "What are you doing talking to yourself and slacking off on guard duty? Get back to your post! Now!" she ordered.
"I still don't think we really need to have someone on watch..." he muttered before catching his teammate's glare. "I-I'm going though," he stuttered. With that, the two left.
"Those guys are Pokémon Pinchers?" Ralph asked nervously. "Wow, they're really bad!"
"At what?" Summer asked humorously. "Not paying attention to their surroundings or not knowing when to keep quiet?" She was giggling by now at how easy it was hear their plans.
They followed the northern path when a Spinarak fell from a tree above them. Summer was quick to capture the spider-like Pokémon, then they continued. Looking to the south, Summer noticed a tall wooden fence that reached well over her head, blocking the short-cut. She ignored it for the time being and continued on her way.
Cutting a small log using a nearby Hoothoot's Air Slash, they reached the final stretch of Teakwood Forest. Exiting the forest, they came to a clearing with a cave entrance at the north end, guarded by two Pinchers with a Buizel and a Croagunk.
"I wonder how things are going with the secret team in the cave..." one was commenting to the other.
"Who knows?" the other responded. "Our job is just to guard this entrance. You shouldn't be thinking about anything else."
Suddenly, Pichu ran out from the forest, furious and yelling at the two humans.
"What's with this thing?" the first asked confused. "Got a ukulele on its back. Like it could actually play..."
"I've seen it before!" the second seemed startled. "It got away from me recently!"
"Could it be..." Summer sighed as she heard those words again. "Did it chase us here because we caught its friends?" Summer nearly growled at them for that comment.
"Do Pokémon even feel friendship?" the second questioned and Summer actually did growl. This was why she liked Pokémon better than people for the most part. Her family was destroyed by someone like them, and though the memories were a blur she did remember that it was a Pokémon who showed her the most compassion that night. "It's a little unbelievable, but whatever. I'll let you see your friends. So just stand still, and let me pinch you."
Pichu jumped back when the Pincher try to "pinch" him and tried to tackle her to the ground but she avioded the little Pokémon. Then the two got on either side of him and released the purple waves and Summer's Styler started beeping wildly in response. The Pinchers heard the beeping and locked gazes with the teenage Ranger.
"Now, kids, would you just leave us alone here..." the second Pincher said. "Huh? A Pokémon Ranger?!" she yelped as she recognized Summer's outfit.
"What did you think I was you idiots, some kind of stupid fangirl?!" Summer yelled while Pidgey chirped on her shoulder.
"But, I heard there was just one old Ranger in Oblivia! Well then, we'll just have to get rid of the extra one!" Summer felt slightly disappointed that those two didn't know about Ben, but couldn't focus on that, since the two had ordered their Pokémon to attack. She easily captured the two, releasing them from the Pinchers control. "How embarrassing..."
"This is too much!"
Then, the two flew off in their "hoverboard-wanna-bes" in retreat.
"Are you okay, Pichu?" Ralph asked little mouse in concern.
"Pichu!" he chirped in return before running off. Summer sighed and followed the Electric-Type, leaving Ralph confused before he followed her in. Pidgey was quick to land on Summer's shoulder for the time being.
Inside Rasp Cavern, she had to destroy a huge boulder with the help of a nearby Koffing's Gryo Ball attack before jumping off a small ledge. In the next small section, near a huge slab that depicted a Drapion, Summer finally saw Pichu, who was appearently arguing with an huge and muscular elderly man who was blocking the only way to continue onwards.
"Arley! You're okay!" Ralph cried when the duo approached.
"Ralph?!" the man nearly yelped out of shock. He didn't even seem to notice Summer, not that she cared. "I've told you not to come in here! It's too dangerous!" He seemed to pause as he finally noticed the teen. "And what's this... Based on how you look, I'll bet you're a Pokémon Ranger."
"Correct," Summer replied simply.
"You didn't come back, and I as really, really worried! I asked Summer for some help to look for you," Ralph explained, shuffling his sneaker on the rocky ground.
"I see," Arley said softly. "Sorry to get anrgy with you. But, I'm okay." Something about that seemed somewhat fishy to Summer, who had seen that blonde leader kidnap Ben, and his underlings were willing to ram her out the sky, but she let it go for the moment. "Being a lumber jack has made me very strong."
"Even though you're pretty old..." Ralph muttered and Arley, hearing the comment, let out an indignant huff.
"Come on, Ralph!" he whined before getting back to buisness. "Actually, I came here because I wanted to see what these guys are up to. They seem to need something from the Monument deep in this cave. It looks like they're only investagating the Monutment while a rather powerful Pokémon is lured away. It doesn't look like they intend to harm the villagers in any way." Again, Summer found that really odd. How would he know that information if the only thing that Summer could overhear from the Pinchers that she had defeated outside the cave was something about a secret team in the cave? But, once more, she pushed the thought out of her head and resovled to write it down later.
Pichu, seeing his chance to get past Arley, ran around him at full speed. Summer ran after the Tiny Mouse Pokémon with Ralph just a few steps behind.
In the next area the duo came across two Pinchers and Pichu. The small Electric-Type was crying and screaming because one of the Pinchers had broken his ukulele. Summer felt anger rise in herself once more to see one of the Pinchers taunting Pichu.
"Hey! Nock it off!" Summer yelled, alerting the Pinchers to their pressence.
"It can't be! A Pokémon Ranger? What were those guards doing, anyway?" the first Pincher excalianed in shock. Summer rolled her her eyes at how Pinchers apperently love to state the obvious.
Pichu, upon seeing that his tormenters were now more busy with Summer, went back to his precious ukulele, crying mourningfully over it.
While his partner prepared something called a Z.Z. Flyer, the first Pincher called a Cranidos from the surrounding rocks. The Rock-Type proceeded to hit the second Pincher with a Headbutt before finally complying. Summer could only laugh at the Pichner's misfortune before having having to do battle with the spunky Cranidos. She caught him quickly and released him back into the wild.
By that time, the two Pinchers were standing on a pair of "hoverboard-wanna-bes", which Summer realized were actually called Z.Z. Flyers. As they were leaving, they ran into another Pincher on a Z.Z. Flyer who was apperently supposed to lead Raikou away from the cavern. Summer once more rolled her eyes at their stupidity for angering a Legendary, but still walked to where she could the result of it.
At the other entrance stood a large, yellow Pokémon that resmebled a saber-tooth tiger with a purple cloud-like cape. Its blood-red eyes were smoldering with fury as it first growled then let out a powerful roar before running towards the Pincher trio and chasing them out of the cavern.
"Pi...chu..." Pichu cried, bringing Summer and Ralph's attention back to the little mouse.
"Hey, hey, we'll help you," Summer murmered, crouching down so as to be eye-level with him. He let out a questening squeak, dark brown eyes briming with hope. "You know it. So let me gather up your ukulele and I'll help you get it back to Booker so that he can fix it tomorrow morning, yeah?" Pichu seemed to consider for a moment before nodding. Summer gave her own nod in return and gathered up the broken toy. That done, the small group finally left the cavern, reuniting with Arley just before they reached exit.
They walked through Teakwood Forest and saw no sign of the Pinchers or Raikou. Upon reaching the village once more, they met another elderly man called Edward, who was a wondering doctor. Appearently, one of the villagers had fallen when Raikou had chased the Pincher trio through the village. Arley stayed behind to talk with Edward, saying something about how his back had started hurting him. Summer thought it odd for a moment before letting it go. Arley was old and Summer could remember her grandfather also had problems with his back that came and went like waves.
At Booker's house, Pichu jumped to the floor while Summer handed the shipbuilder the broken ukulele while explaining what had happened. Pidgey, who had been quite quiet for the mission, flew from Summer's shoulder to one of the top of one of the cuboards.
Unfortunately, it was too late at night for Booker to fix the ukulele, so Pichu would have to wait for the next day to get his toy back. Booker offered Summer the spare bedroom he had for the night and she graciously accepted. Before going to sleep though, there was one thing she needed to do. She pulled out her dairy, opened it to a fresh page and began to write.
I had a busy day, today. My first day in Oblivia and already things are going not according to plan. On our way, we encountered some Pinchers. They tried to attack with a Pidgey, but that failed. Then their leader (I have no idea whether he was the leader of those two or if he was the leader of the organization) appeared and he tried to shoot Ben out the sky but I took the hit. I watched Ben get drugged while falling and I can only hope that they have kept him alive.
I made some new friends though. A little Pichu who loves to play the ukulele, an old shipbuilder named Booker, the Pidgey I mentioned earlier and a local kid called Ralph. Booker's apprentice Nick is a very insacure person from what I could tell. That, or is constatly looking at the negative side of things, I'm not sure which.
Though I am concered about some odd things that happened today. I met an old lumber jack called Arley while investagating the Pincher's activities in Rasp Cavern, and he was blocking the way. He also seemed to know a bit too much. Add to the fact that, appearently, they hadn't harmed him at all when their leader had tried to nock Ben out of the sky (and then drugged him as I mentioned earlier) and two of his underlings were just about to ram me for the same result. I don't know where all this is coming from, but I can only keep my guard up.
Well, that's it for today.
Summer closed her dairy and put it back in the pocket it belonged in before letting out a yawn and crawling into the bed. She was asleep right after her head hit the borrowed pillow.
-Location Unknown; Ben-
Well, this sucks, Ben thought while pulling at his new restraint. He had tried to escape, and had almost succeeded, before running into a purple-eyed man, who then beat him up a little, dragged him back to the "cell" and then replaced the rope with black cords. That was about three hours ago.
Now all he could do was sit and watch the three leaders have a "meeting", if you want to call it that. Besides the red-eyed blonde and the purple-eyed purple-haired man, there was also a blonde girl with blue eyes.
Just then, one of the underlings entered the room. Ben looked over in curiousity.
"Sir, the mission at Rasp Cavern was interupted," the man said.
"And how was that?" the purple-eyed man asked coldly. The underling flinched before focusing on the red-eyed blonde.
"A Ranger, sir. Not Rand but another."
"So, she managed to survive the fall," the red-eyed man mused while glancing over at Ben with a smirk.
"Ah, what are you talking about? I thought you only encountered this one?" the only woman in the room asked while pointing at Ben.
"I did say that," the blonde continued to muse. "I'm sorry. There was only one other, a girl. She took my Plasma Blast when I was aiming at this one. I just assumed that she drowned in the ocean," he explained with a careless shrug.
"You really shouldn't assume things like that Red Eyes," the purple-eyed man sneered. So his name is Red Eyes, Ben thought, seems easy enough to remember.
"It seemed like a likely result Purple Eyes. Besides, I still managed to capture one of them," Red Eyes said. Purple Eyes? Seriously? Ben thought with a eye roll. What's next? Blue Eyes?
"So what do we do?" the blonde woman asked.
"You do pose a good question Blue Eyes," Purple Eyes comented.
"For now, just keep an eye out for her. I'm sure we'll know what to do at a later date," Red Eyes said. That seemed to break up the meeting as Blue Eyes and Purple Eyes left the room. Red Eyes, though, stayed behind. "So, your girlfriend managed to survive the fall ment for you," he sneered.
"I've already told you, Summer isn't my girlfriend!" Ben snapped.
"You two might as well be boyfriend and girlfriend. Not that I blame you for it, she is really cute. I wouldn't mind if I had captured her instead of you," the Pincher leader replied with a smirk.
"You stay away from her!" the Ranger spat out.
Red Eyes then slapped the bars that seperated them before leaning in close. "You better watch that mouth of yours," he hissed. "You would do good to remember that this is our submarine and you are a prisoner on it. I could have easily killed you when I brought you aboard, but I didn't because I still saw some use out of you. You're also lucky enough to be contained in the meeting room as opposed to the containment room or at our other headquarters."
Ben, shocked and scared out of his mind from this action, could only nod in miserable agreement. That seemed to make Red Eyes calm down some before leaving with one more smirk over his shoulder at the imprisoned Ranger.
Please Summer, Ben thought as he colasped to the floor, be safe.
Okay, I know I kinda cut it short with the "main-line", but I needed it. I found it somewhat odd after a few times playing the game that Arley knew all that information when you only know of a "special team" inside the cavern. That, and the fact that Arley was unharmed when every single time you meet up with the Pinchers they are trying to basically kill you through the Pokémon they are controlling. I don't know, just a thought. Though Summer is going to find more things suspicious during her mission in Oblivia.
See you guys next chapter (whenever that may be!)!
~pokedawnheart
3/18/2018