Chapter Twenty - Liberate the Tower!
"WHAAA!"
Alexa woke up with a startled scream as she was suddenly awoken by a loud and annoying 8-bit foreign piece of music with exceedingly repetitive lyrics. The annoying piece of music continued as she panted and looked around, only to find Ryder standing next to her bed with a music player in his left paw. A set of portable speakers was placed on the bedside desk next to Alexa's bed, almost right next to her pillows.
"Ryder, what the hell are you doing?! Forcing me to do a barrel roll?!" Alexa fumed.
You said this annoying Internet joke can wake you up in a heartbeat, Ryder explained casually. I had to; I couldn't wake you up any other way, and we're late.
"Late? How can we be late?!" Alexa stressed, hurriedly flinging herself out of bed. However, she flinched slightly from pain as she managed to end up sitting on her bed; the pains from her close encounter with Focus Blast still lingered, even after a fortnight had passed.
Take it easy, Alex, you've still yet to make a full recovery from Operation Brighton, Ryder cautioned. Besides, you couldn't get to sleep very easily last night because of the pain.
"I lost sleep?" Alexa asked worriedly.
Keith said he'd explain any lateness to Chairperson Erma, Ryder smiled. Besides, they know how much damage you and I took during Operation Brighton.
"I know, but I still want to get started ASAP," Alexa panicked.
A little later…
"Emergency, emergency, we have an emergency situation!" Rhythmi exclaimed. "All Rangers on patrol in the vicinity are to report to the scene immediately!"
"All Rangers are to provide status reports as soon as possible!" Linda added. Alexa – now dressed in her Ranger Uniform, but looking somewhat messy – and Ryder hurried to the Operations floor, where they found Keith, Buizel and Chairperson Erma. Erma faced Alexa and Keith.
"Altru Tower has been occupied by an unknown group," she explained. "When it comes to infiltrating the tower, there are none more experienced than you two. Sven and Wendy are off in the Fiore region on another mission, so, Alexa, Keith, you two are on your own this time."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Alexa smiled. "Anything's better than being woken up by a crappy meme joke," she added quietly, to herself.
"However, I am certain you are more than capable of the job," Erma smiled. "You are to liberate the tower from the mysterious group of thugs. It goes without saying that you will need the help of Pokémon, dears."
"Alright, we're on the case," Keith stated.
"Also, there have been reports of an eerie shadow flittering around the tower recently," Erma added. "Professor Hastings has launched an investigation regarding this shadow. I'm not sure if there is a connection, but you are to be on full alert."
"Got it. Let's go, Alex!" Keith declared. He, Alexa, Ryder and Buizel raced out of the union.
At Altru Tower…
On Staraptor back, Alexa and Keith flew onto the scene, standing outside where Keith was supposed to join Sven and Wendy during Operation Brighton. The Stataptor's left the area. Alexa and Keith noticed the electronic barricade in the way of the door in front of them.
"Hey, how did that get there?" Keith pondered.
"Got me. I suppose someone doesn't want to be interrupted," Alexa guessed.
"Maybe there's a Pokémon downstairs that can deactivate it," Keith suggested. "Let's go look." He and Buizel started jogging to the stairs leading downwards. Alexa and Ryder jogged after him.
FWEEEEEHEEHHEE
"Huh?" Alexa looked around in confusion. She then looked at Ryder. "Did you say something just now?" Ryder, Keith and Buizel faced her in confusion.
Wasn't me, Ryder answered, clearly shaking his head.
"What's wrong?" Keith asked.
"I thought I heard something," Alexa replied.
"Alex, we can't waste time, we have to get this mission over with as soon as we can," Keith stated. "Come on, let's go." Alexa followed Keith down the steps.
Downstairs…
Alexa, Keith, Ryder and Buizel wandered around the corridor, but stopped suddenly when they found some familiar-looking men hassling two researchers and an employee of Altru Inc.
"Get out, all of you!" the first researcher insisted angrily.
"I never want to see a full-bodied leotard again!" the second researcher complained.
"Do not resist us! It is futile!" the first goon stated. "We have orders from our boss! Let us through!"
"Your boss, Blake Hall?" the employee questioned. "He's supposed to be imprisoned somewhere to pay for his crimes."
"Blake Hall? Please! We have nothing to do with him," the second goon laughed. "Our boss is-"
"Stop there!" Alexa shouted, as she, Keith and the Pokémon confronted the goons. The goons faced the two Rangers.
"Pokémon Rangers? Where did you two ooze from?" the first goon asked rudely.
"Take a guess, genius," Alexa sighed sarcastically.
"You Dim Sun goons! You up to no good again?!" Keith asked angrily.
"Dim Sun? Please! We're done with all that," the second goon laughed again. "We're not as pathetic as we once were, don't think you can keep winning!" The two goons set up a Miniremo unit each, and a hypnotised Ampharos and Electrode appeared. The Pokémon ambushed Alexa and Keith respectively.
"Capture on!" Having anticipated the ambush, Alexa and Keith fired their capture discs at the Ampharos and Electrode respectively. The captures were easy for Alexa and Keith, as they were completed in a matter of seconds. The two Pokémon fled from the area.
"Why you little…I'll try to salvage a little pride with some cool parting words!" the first goon began.
"We answer to a new boss now! But we still want the world! We have fashion sense, like our boss, and three S words describe us well!" the second goon continued. Alex and Ryder tried their hardest not to burst out laughing, regarding the 'fashion sense' statement. "Smart and sly while stylish! That's our creed and how we rule! We're no longer Team Dim Sun, we are Team Debonairs! Hahah! What do you think of that speech?! I even ad-libbed the Debonairs!" The goons then made their escape, leaving Keith confused, yet leaving Alexa and Ryder amused.
"Team Debonairs? I don't really get the name," Keith stated.
"It's just Team Dim Sun with a new label," Alexa sniggered. She and Keith approached the employee and researchers.
"Thank you, Rangers! Those thugs arrived without warning and took over the tower!" the employee began. "Defending this place was the most we could do…"
"Their boss is on the top floor, ordering his underlings to remove the three coloured gems," the first researcher continued. "Also, the boss was scolding the goons about hallways or something…"
"Hallways?" Alexa immediately started pondering about whom the new boss could potentially be.
"He was certainly quite an odd fellow," the researcher added.
"Alex? Do you know something I don't?" Keith asked, somewhat with suspicion.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions right away," Alexa said quietly. "Let's just stop this guy, whoever it is!"
A short while later…
Alexa and Keith, having cleared the barricade, entered the previously blocked doorway. At first, nobody was around. However…
WHACK!
"Aaaaaaagh!" A 'Debonairs' goon suddenly struck the back of Keith's knees with a baseball bat. As Keith fell to the ground in agony, the goon attempted to whack Alexa across her face.
GRAB!
Alexa got a tight grip on the baseball bat with both of her hands. She pulled the bat towards her, pulling the goon along with it as she lifted up her right knee.
THUMP!
Alexa's knee collided with the goon's stomach, winding him. This caused his grip on the baseball bat to loosen, allowing Alexa to steal it from him. She used it to shove the goon away from her. She then threw the baseball bat in a different direction.
"We knew you were coming!" the goon exclaimed, staggering back onto his feet. "That's why I have this Miniremo unit from the Oil Field hideout! I'm not shy about using it either!"
"Then what the hell was the point in the baseball bat thing!?" Alexa asked angrily, immediately readying her styler for the two automatically summoned hypnotised Ariados. "Capture on!"
Ryder added an Aura Sphere to Alexa's capture disc, doubling its power, halving the Ariados capturing time. The Ariados were soon freed and they fled from the tower.
"Urgh! I'm reporting you to the boss for running in the hallway!" the goon fumed, running off.
"Tell him Alexa says hi!" Alexa shouted tauntingly towards him. She then hurried over to Keith and tended to him. "Keith, are you hurt?"
"That son of a b-aaaagh!" Keith tried to stand up on his own, but his knees refused to move without causing pain. "That was a cheap shot!"
"Here, let me help you." Alexa carefully pulled Keith onto his feet with as little pain as possible.
"AAGH!" As soon as Keith stood up straight, his knees gave way again. Alexa caught him before he fell.
"Keith, maybe I should call ahead to the Union and ask for someone to come pick you up," Alexa advised. "I don't think you can cope with the mission after-"
"No, don't," Keith rejected abruptly. "I want to keep going with this."
"But Keith, if you don't-"
"Listen, Alex, I really want to make up for not being there for you during Operation Brighton," Keith interrupted.
"But you were there! You saved Ryder and I from-"
"I know, I know, from the Dark Void! But if I hadn't been pushed away from the tower, I would've known about how hurt you were sooner! I could've checked up on you! I could've left my post and helped you with your role! You had to go through your pain alone, and I feel bad about that." Keith placed his right hand on Alexa's right shoulder as best he could, given how weak his knees were. "We were supposed to be in that operation together, and I was hoping to check on you occasionally if Magmortar hadn't tried to attack you and Isaac. Please; at least let me be there for you here."
"Keith…" Alexa was moved by what Keith had to say. She sighed and gave him a warm smile. "Alright. I owe you for saving our lives anyway." Keith smiled at her.
"Thank you." Alexa placed Keith's left arm over her shoulders as she placed her right arm around Keith's waist. She then hoisted him back onto his feet carefully, making sure his knees were loose, so they caused very little pain.
"Just keep your knees limp and you should cope," she advised. "But if you get any worse before we find the boss, I'll call someone to pick you up."
"Thank you, Alex."
Later…
Alexa and Keith eventually entered the room containing the blue circuit ball, which Ice previously guarded.
"I guess that's what we need to destroy to get upstairs," Keith assumed.
"That's the beast," Alexa confirmed. "Ryder, can you do the honours, please?" she asked.
No need to ask, Ryder smiled as he fired a Dark Pulse attack at the blue orb of glass. It deactivated as it broke into tiny pieces.
"Perfect, that should get us upstairs. Let's hurry," Keith stated.
"Let's not; I don't want to worsen your knees," Alexa countered, moving herself and Keith towards the door.
CLICK!
"Huh?" Alexa tried to open the door with just her left hand. "It's locked!"
"Did we get locked in?" Keith asked. Alexa rested him against the nearest wall before preparing to tackle into the door.
"Not for long, hopefully. Target clear!" Alexa ran towards the door as fast as she could and crashed into it, accidentally with her right shoulder.
"AAAGH!" As her pains from Operation Brighton were still lingering, Alexa's tackle caused more damage to her shoulder than to the door. She fell to the floor in pain.
"Are you alright?!" Keith asked worriedly.
"Ow…! There's no way I can do what Barlow does…!" she complained.
Allow me! Ryder got angry and fired an Aura Sphere at the door. Despite the strength of the Aura Sphere, it failed to even dent the door. Oh, come on! How strong are Altru Inc's doors anyway?!
"Hahahahahahahahaha! You guys are hilarious! You fell for a trap that simple?!" laughed a male voice from outside. Alex, Ryder, Buizel and Keith looked towards the door in horror.
Outside the door…
"Just let me know if you're getting hungry! I'll serve you up a full-course meal pronto!" taunted one of the 'Debonairs' goons.
"I'd beat the living crap out of you if you were in here!" Alexa fumed from inside the locked room.
Inside the room…
"You hear me, you stupid goons, you'll wish you've never crossed me!" Alexa yelled furiously. She sighed as she helped Keith away from the wall.
"How do we get out of this mess?" Keith asked with concern.
"There's always a flaw with traps," Alexa began. "We just have to figure out the flaw to this one." She and Keith failed to notice neither a Dark Void appearing on the floor behind them nor Darkrai exiting from the void.
"Bui!" Buizel panicked. "Bui, bui-bui, bui!"
Alexa and Keith turned around to face Darkrai with shock and horror, but Darkrai already started pulling everyone into the Dark Void. Ryder and Buizel were the first to disappear, but Alexa and Keith soon disappeared after. Darkrai disappeared into the void after them.
A little later…
Alexa, Keith, Ryder and Buizel – now inside an escapable glass dome – lay unconscious on the yellow floor. Buizel was the first to regain his consciousness, and he moved over to Keith. He then started nudging Keith's left shoulder.
"Bui! Bui-bui, bui, bui!" Buizel exclaimed. Keith – as a result of Buizel's nudging – woke up. Buizel moved over to Ryder as Keith used his right hand to gently nudge Alexa's left shoulder.
"Alex? Alex, wake up," he said softly. Alexa soon woke up herself, as did Ryder.
Ow…what hit me? Ryder asked groggily. Everyone managed to get onto his or her feet, including Keith, much to his surprise.
"You okay, Keith?" Alexa asked. "Feeling any better?"
"Maybe I can move on my own," Keith guessed. He, Alexa and the Pokémon exited the dome and confronted Darkrai.
Did Darkrai save us? Ryder asked.
"He must've done," Alexa assumed. "He must've been the one I heard back outside the tower."
"Why would Darkrai save us, though?" Keith questioned.
"Darkrai must feel it wants to help us protect the Luminous Crystal and the three coloured gems," Alexa believed. Darkrai circled around her happily and floated at her side.
"Darkrai bonded with you!" Keith smiled. "Let's get to the rooftop now."
On the rooftop…
Alexa, Keith, Ryder, Buizel and Darkrai exited the staircase and found two red-haired admins failing to remove the Blue Gem, while the familiar-looking boss fumed at them.
"Alright, that's enough! Surrender, Team Debonairs!" Keith shouted.
"You're still Team Dim Sun to me!" Alexa added mockingly.
"Two pestilent students…" the boss muttered. As Alexa, Keith, Ryder and Buizel ran up the steps, the boss hopped down from where Blake Hall's glass ball was once placed and confronted them.
"Kincaid!?" Keith was horrified to discover the boss's identity for himself.
"Where Blake Hall's era came to its pathetic end, I decided to take over," Kincaid said simply.
"What good is renaming the team going to do? You're just Team Dim Sun with a new label," Alexa sighed.
"Names are meaningless, Alexa. I, Kincaid, will achieve the domination of the world! But first, I have the chore of getting rid of you two," Kincaid snarled.
"Good luck," Alexa said sarcastically.
"Especially you, Alexa!" Kincaid bellowed. Keith faced her in shock. "You never stopped running in the hallways! You ran around Almia to foil my plans!"
"To be fair, if I walked around Almia, I wouldn't get there in time to foil your plans," Alexa taunted, pretending to yawn out of boredom. "Besides, it's like I told you at the Oil-Field Hideout; better me being 17 than 10."
"I hate you so much, Alexa! I wish I slammed that door in your face harder than I did at the Ranger School!" Kincaid yelled angrily.
"Then the door would've come right off its hinges," Alexa ridiculed, looking at the fingernails on her left hand. Kincaid sighed loudly as he faced the admins.
"What are you doing?! Crush those meddling Rangers!" he demanded. The two admins confronted Alexa and Keith.
"This is it for you, Rangers!" the female admin stated.
"No amount of apologising will save you now!" the male added. They then pushed Alexa and Keith down the steps. Several goons appeared from the floor below as Alexa and Keith tumbled down the steps beneath them.
"Aaaagh!" Keith cried out in pain as his left knee took the most amount of damage from the fall. Alexa herself had suffered some damage, particularly to her chest, as she was somewhat struggling to breathe. Ryder, Buizel and Darkrai followed them down the steps with concern.
"Two weakened Rangers…what made you think you could stop me in your conditions?" Kincaid asked tauntingly. Alexa and Keith struggled to get back onto their feet.
"Storming the place between the two of us was too reckless?" Keith asked to himself. Alexa helped Keith onto his feet, despite how winded she was.
"Hold on tight," she whispered quietly. Keith faced her in confusion, but Buizel and Ryder did as she said.
"Alex, what're you…?"
"Okay, Darkrai!"
Darkrai hoisted Alexa and Keith up with its legs as it created a Dark Void underneath them. Kincaid watched in horror as he witnessed his underlings and lesser Admins being pulled into the void. It wasn't long before Darkrai slowly descended as the Dark Void vanished. Darkrai allowed Alexa and Keith down gently, and Alexa placed Keith's right arm over her shoulders for support.
"Where did they all go?" Keith asked in confusion.
"You know, I haven't the slightest clue," Alexa replied, equally as confused.
Meanwhile…
"WHAAAAAAA!"
The 'Debonairs' goons and two admins fell from the sky and ended up on Nabiki Beach. Two of the goons fell into the ocean.
Alexa and Keith slowly made their way to confront Kincaid, closely followed by Ryder, Buizel and Darkrai.
"Don't you want to join your minions, Mr Kincaid?" Keith asked tauntingly.
"Silence, Keith! I don't put my faith in others like you two!" Kincaid scolded. "Pokémon are like minions…they're all just tools to be used."
"That's not true!" Alexa fumed angrily. "You can't make that judgement! You don't understand what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer and what it involves; friendship and trust!"
"Hm. I admire your bravery, Alexa," Kincaid smirked. "However, you are naïve to think that Pokémon can be called friends."
"If you don't believe what I said, then take a look at Ryder!" Alexa shouted furiously. Kincaid tilted his head to look at Ryder.
"It's a Lucario. Where's the relevance in that?" he asked rudely.
"It's simple; Lucario evolve from Riolu in a special way," Alexa began in response. "Riolu evolves into Lucario if the said Riolu bears strong feelings of friendship for someone they care about!"
"Like their trainer, right, Alex?" Keith questioned, with a smile. Alexa faced him with brief confusion before smiling at him. She then nodded to indicate an answer.
"I've had it up to here with you two and your wasted moralities!" Kincaid bellowed, setting up a Miniremo unit. "Seeing the two of you side by side makes me want to puke! Keith! You're just an idiotic trouble-making son of a bitch!"
"Hey, language!" Alexa snapped. "What kind of teacher are you, to swear in front of students!"
"Oh, shut up, you Mary Sue!" Kincaid hissed.
"Whuh?!" Kincaid's insult left Alexa confused, yet hurt.
"Who was it that rescued Barlow? You! Who was it that convinced Isaac to go to the Union? You! Who was it that rescued Keith from Heath? You! I swear, Alexa, if anyone were to describe you, Mary Sue would be the perfect description!"
"Hey, don't you dare talk to her like that!" Keith scolded furiously. A Drapion and a Gliscor – both hypnotised – approached the Miniremo and faced Alexa and Keith. Kincaid glared at Keith.
"Are you jealous of her because of how perfect she is?" Kincaid asked tauntingly. "Are you jealous because she didn't get herself captured by a blithering idiot with a Hariyama overbite?"
"Don't you DARE bring that back up! I almost lost Alex because of that bas-"
"Drapion, Gliscor, get them!" Kincaid commanded abruptly. The two Pokémon made their way towards Alexa and Keith.
Oh, no you don't! Ryder stepped in front of Alexa and Keith protectively. He formed an Aura Sphere in one paw and readied a Dark Pulse in the other. He then opened his mouth and created a Dragon Pulse.
"Three attacks at once?!" Kincaid gasped in horror at Ryder's incredible display of power; a Pokémon could ordinarily only use one attack at a time, but Ryder was showing three at once.
"Wow; Ryder must be stronger than I thought," Keith stated in awe. Alexa was left bewildered; not even she knew Ryder could multi-strike.
Ryder fired the Aura Sphere at Drapion, the Dark Pulse at Gliscor and the Dragon Pulse at Kincaid's Miniremo unit. With the Miniremo unit destroyed, Drapion and Gliscor are freed and fled – upon their recovery from their respective attacks – from the tower.
"Why?! Why do you two always derail my plans at the last moment?!" Kincaid cried with frustration.
"Are you sure about that?" asked a familiar voice. Alexa and Keith looked back at the man approaching them and Kincaid.
"Professor Hastings?" Alexa and Keith questioned. Hastings approached Kincaid.
"Turning the Luminous Crystal back into the Shadow Crystal will be nigh impossible," Hastings continued. "The darkness in your heart is nothing compared to the light of Almia. If you don't believe me, take a stroll through Puel Town; the sun is shining and the citizens are happy and carefree. Alternatively," Hastings continued, smiling towards Alexa. He then faced Kincaid again. "You can take a look at Alexa. You might say that being a Mary Sue is better than being a naïve antagonist."
"You heard that?" Alexa asked uneasily. Hastings faced her with a reassuring smile on his face.
"Indeed. However, Alexa, you are not a Mary Sue as he claimed you to be," he replied. "If you were, you wouldn't have suffered during Operation Brighton."
"Nrrrrrrgh…!" Kincaid snarled to himself. Hastings approached Darkrai.
"Incidentally, the eerie shadow looming the tower was Darkrai all along," he continued.
"It was because of him that Alex and I made it this far," Keith said modestly. "He led us here."
"Darkrai must have felt the obligation to stay here and protect the Luminous Crystal," Hastings assumed.
"Yes. Darkrai must've been the one who told me the three gems were in danger," Alexa guessed. "I heard him not long after we arrived here."
"Darkrai, we will protect the Luminous Crystal and keep it shining brightly," Hastings stated. "You can be sure of that."
"What's going to happen with Darkrai now, Professor?" Keith asked.
"I will personally take it to its rightful place of being," Hastings volunteered. "In doing so go our thanks, Darkrai."
Later…
"Better?" Alexa asked. Keith was lying on his bed with his feet on his bed, with his knees bent, allowing Alexa to start applying a support bandage on his left knee. Keith already had a support bandage on his right knee.
"Yeah, much better than earlier. Thanks," Keith thanked. "Where does Darkrai live?" he asked.
"In the Sinnoh region," Alexa answered. "There're two neighbouring islands not too far from Iron Island; one is Full Moon Island, the other is New Moon Island. Darkrai lives on the New Moon Island, while Cresselia lives on the Full Moon Island." Keith looked at Alexa with a guilty demeanour; Alexa, however, was still carefully moving the support bandage up his left leg.
"Alex? You knew about Kincaid all along, didn't you?" he asked with concern. Alexa looked up at him in confusion.
"Hm?"
"You knew Kincaid was in cahoots with Team Dim Sun all along, didn't you?" Keith repeated his previous question. "Was that why you said you didn't want to jump to conclusions?" Alexa successfully placed the support bandage over Keith's knee before she sighed sadly.
"It was a hypothesis at the time," she began. "But, yes, I've known Kincaid was a bad guy since…since Ryder and I went to look for Barlow…it was his cargo ship that crashed into the school's pier." Her response was somewhat reluctant, as Keith had noticed.
"Why are you reluctant?" he asked.
"Because…I'm afraid of him…" Alexa confessed timidly.
"Afraid?"
"I was uneasy around him back at school, and the encounter on the cargo ship explained why," Alexa continued.
"Ah, yeah, I remember Rhythmi telling me that you didn't trust Kincaid after she gave you that tour," Keith stated.
"I wanted to tell you earlier…but…I chickened out of it," Alexa sighed. "I really should have, knowing that I can tell you anything, but it's never easy for me to admit when I'm scared…!" Keith moved over to Alexa and cuddled her from behind. This made Alexa feel slightly startled, yet more at ease at the same time. She held onto his arms softly.
"It's okay. I understand," Keith said reassuringly. Alexa appeared to be blushing as she continued to hold onto his arms.
To be continued...