Chapter Twenty Four – Rescue Kidnapped Riolu!
Alexa approached a glass cabinet and opened the door, which revealed a shower. She was in a bathroom with yellow painted walls, with a white washbasin and the toilet opposite one another behind her. Her Ranger uniform was piled on top of the black footstool next to the toilet; Alexa had a large green towel wrapped around her entire body, underneath her arms. She entered the cubicle and closed the cloudy glass door a split second after she took off her towel and threw it at the washbasin. Her body was perfectly hidden behind the cloudy glass door, but her shoulders and her head could be seen over the door. She approached and twisted a dial on the shower, which released the running water from the showerhead above her. Steam was soon seen from within the small area, indicating the water to be hot. As the hot water made contact with her hair, her hairstyle faded. Her frills camouflaged themselves with the rest of her hair, and her fringe changed entirely; part of her fringe was elongated and narrowly exceeded her eyes, while the rest of her fringed veiled her forehead. She ran her hands down her hair, allowing the falling water to dampen her hair further. She turned her back on the shower dial and looked down slightly and stood there, looking saddened.
"If you see anybody from my Team Debonairs, ignore them. You'd do well to do so if you value Alexa's health."
"A craven play…"
"You coward!"
"I wouldn't call it cowardice. I can't be bothered to deal with you, and holding your precious Alexa hostage will see to that."
Alexa raised her hands slightly and looked at her wrists sadly. A faint pink mark was seen on both of her wrists.
"You're a stubborn little thing, aren't you?"
"Wasn't that a bit extreme, boss? Slapping her like that?"
Alexa lowered her right hand and carefully placed her left hand over her cheek. She appeared to be more upset than she was when she looked at her wrists.
BANG!
"AAGH!"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Ms April, but I would like to speak to Keith."
Tears started to fall down Alexa's face as she squinted to her right shoulder. The bruise that was on her right shoulder had virtually healed completely, though a faint black-purple mark could be seen where she touched her shoulder with her left hand. She moved her left hand over to her right forearm and her right hand over to her left forearm and held onto herself as she looked down with her eyes shut tightly. She lightly clenched her forearms as she gritted her teeth and her breathing became unsteady; she shivered slightly as she resisted the urge to cry.
"Someone will figure it out. Someone will figure out what I tried to say. Then they'll stop you."
"You wish, Alexa,"
"No. You know what I wish for? I wish I never knew you."
"I wish…I never knew him…" Alexa whispered to herself sadly. Tears continued to fall down her face, but her tears became lost in the water that rained on her from the showerhead above.
That night…
BDOOM! BDOOM!
The next morning, in Vien Town…
Several residents stood outside and looked towards the eastern exit of the town with worry.
BDOOM! BDOOM!
"Oh, dear, it's that noise again! It's so loud I can hardly nap," an elderly woman complained.
"It's coming from the Ranger School now," a younger woman stated. "I hope nothing's wrong." Crawford, Luana and Barlow exited the Ranger base and looked towards the school.
"Those strange noises seem to be getting louder," Barlow assumed.
"Crawford, why do you think it's a fireworks display?" Luana asked.
"On second thought, there wouldn't be fireworks during the day," Crawford said casually.
"The Union is sending Alexa to investigate the noises," Barlow stated. "So we should wait for her to arrive." Luana looked up and smiled.
"Hi, Alexa!" she waved.
STARR!
Alexa, with her hair styled with three frills on either side of her head and her fringe styled in an "M" formation, and Ryder – both riding on a Staraptor – flew into Vien Town and jumped off when Staraptor flew over the Ranger base. Alexa quickly released the Staraptor with her styler and the Staraptor flew towards the Vien Forest.
"What took you so long? You kept us waiting," Crawford said jokingly.
"Quit that, Crawford," Barlow sighed. He faced Alex with a cheerful smile. "You got here quick, Alexa."
Staraptors are very speedy, so I think they deserve most of the credit, Ryder smiled.
"We'll see to the safety of the citizens, you should investigate the explosion noise, Alexa," Barlow suggested.
I'll use my aura to find out what Alex and I need to deal with, Ryder volunteered as he knelt on one knee and rested his right paw on the grass in front of him. Just so we're fully prepared, he added as he closed his eyes. His aura sensors rose seconds after his eyes closed.
"I don't see the need to do that, Ryder," Alexa said quietly. "The school's not so far from here."
Huh!? Ryder lifted his head and opened his eyes in shock. Alex…can…Riolu use Aura Sphere?
"Riolu?" Alexa asked in confusion.
"You shouldn't make things up, Ryder," Crawford advised. Ryder looked up at Crawford, looking mildly annoyed.
My aura never lies to me! I know what I sensed! He growled. He turned to face Alexa. Can Riolu use Aura Sphere?
"I've never known one that can, but I think I've read somewhere that about every one in 67,000 Riolu are born with the capability to use their aura prior to evolution," Alexa explained.
"One in 67,000?" Luana asked in bewilderment.
"So they're pretty common then," Crawford said sarcastically.
"Still, I think you should head over to the school and find out," Barlow suggested.
"On it; let's go, Ryder," Alexa smiled.
Right behind you, Ryder nodded. He and Alexa ran towards the eastern exit, out of Vien Town.
At the Ranger School…
"Buh!" A Riolu stood on the red roof of the Ranger School as it prepared an Aura Sphere in its paws. It pushed the Aura Sphere away from it.
BDOOM!
"Buh!" Riolu moved slightly and looked to its right hand side. It prepared and fired a second Aura Sphere.
BDOOM!
"Buh!" Riolu moved to its left and looked around. Alexa and Ryder arrived in the schoolyard and looked up at the roof.
Riolu! What're you doing up there? Ryder called. The Riolu on the roof looked down at Alexa and Ryder in confusion.
"Buh!" Riolu jumped down from the roof and eventually made its way down onto the ground in front of the school building.
What were you doing all the way out here? Ryder asked softly. He crouched and held out his right paw in front of him. Come on; let's get you somewhere that's safe, okay?
"Buh…" Riolu appeared to be cautious at first, but he started walking over to Ryder.
"Okay, break it up!" called a rude male voice. A red haired man in Team Dim Sun admin attire jumped from the roof and landed between Ryder and Riolu. "We'll be taking this Riolu with us, thank you."
"You guys again!?" Alexa exclaimed in anger. "Honestly, you guys are worse than Magikarp; you can never seem to stop bothering us!"
"I don't see what comparing me to a Magikarp will do, but it won't help you," the admin huffed.
What do you want with Riolu anyway? Ryder asked sternly, standing up properly. The admin flushed out a Miniremo and set it up in front of him.
"You see, not all of us were caught after Team Dim Sun disbanded," he began with a smirk. "And this Miniremo-"
Survived Operation Brighton's light, I know, Ryder sighed. Thank you for telling us what we already know.
"In other words…with this Miniremo and Riolu's powerful Aura Sphere, Team Dim Sun's revival is no mere dream," the admin declared.
"What!?" Alexa gasped in horror. The admin typed into his Miniremo and two hypnotised Tangrowth rushed over to his side.
"Take care of them," the admin said simply. The two Tangrowth approached Alexa and Ryder.
"Oh joy. Capture on," Alexa effortlessly fired her capture disc at the Tangrowth; the capture disc spun around each Tangrowth only once before they were both caught. They fled the area after the Miniremo exploded. After a few seconds of silence, the admin sniggered.
"I've lost the battle…but you lost the war," he smirked.
"What're you-"
"Riolu, come here," another man instructed. Alexa and Ryder looked to towards a set of steps to their right in confusion. Their confusion subsided and turned into horror.
No, Riolu! Ryder cried. Riolu was under hypnosis from a Miniremo unit a second Dim Sun admin had in front of him. The Riolu, under instruction, ran over to the second admin.
"Riolu!" Alexa cried as she started to run after Riolu. The first admin intercepted her and tightly clenched her forearms. "Ow!"
"We'll be taking that Riolu with us," the admin jeered. "With that Riolu, there won't be anything that can stop us from resurrecting Team Dim Sun."
THUMP!
"Aagh!" The admin punched Alexa in her left eye and forced her to the ground.
Alex! Ryder ran over to Alexa in horror and knelt next to her as he faced her with concern. The admin ran over to his partner while Alexa recuperated.
"Get back here!" Alexa shouted as she forced herself onto her feet. She and Ryder raced after the Dim Sun admins.
"You take care of the Ranger, I'll sort things out back at headquarters," the first admin said as one of the two hypnotised Drifblim lifted him up from the ground.
"Riolu, give them a taste of your Aura Sphere," the second admin commanded as he typed into his Miniremo.
"Buh!" Riolu formed an Aura Sphere in its paws and fired it at Alexa and Ryder just as they arrived at the top of the steps.
CRASH!
"D'AAH!" Alexa and Ryder were both hit with the Aura Sphere and the fell down the steps behind them. They crashed into the ground beneath the steps and lay unconscious at the bottom of the hill.
…wh-where is this? Is this a dream?
"Buh!"
…Riolu? Is that you?
"Buh!"
…Riolu, wh-where are you? No! Don't go!
"Buh!"
Wait, Riolu! No! Riolu!
…
"Alex! Ryder! Come on, wake up!"
Alexa and Ryder gradually regained consciousness; they found themselves lying on the floor of the Vien Town Ranger base. Ryder hopped up onto his feet while Alexa just sat up. Alexa rubbed the back of her head with her right hand.
"Ow…what hit me?" she asked. Ryder looked around in confusion.
How did we get here? He asked.
"Crawford and I brought you two back," Barlow answered. "After Crawford came back from patrolling around Chicole Village, we were worried about what happened to you, so we went to the Ranger School."
"We found you two out cold, so we carried you here," Crawford continued. "I carried you, Ryder, and Barlow carried Alexa."
"Are you okay?" Elaine asked with concern.
"I think so. But, Riolu…some remaining members from Team Dim Sun took control over him," Alexa sighed.
"Don't worry, we and the union are doing everything we can to locate Riolu," Barlow said reassuringly.
Under normal circumstances, I'd use my aura to do so, Ryder began. But that won't be necessary.
"How come?" Alexa asked, looking up at him.
Because Riolu somehow spoke to me through his aura, Ryder answered. Oh, and by the way, yes, Riolu did use Aura Sphere on us.
"I know Lucario can use Aura Sphere, since you know it, obviously, Ryder. Sorry I doubted you," Crawford apologised.
Anyway, Riolu spoke to me while I was zonked out, Ryder continued. He described where he was as being dark and underneath the ocean…
"In a Wailord's belly?" Crawford asked jokingly.
"I'm sure that's a good place to hold Riolu hostage, provided that they don't mind being digested in the process," Luana sighed.
He also described it as a building that smells of oil, Ryder continued.
"That must be the Oil Field Hideout!" Elaine exclaimed.
"Whuh…?!" Alexa quietly gasped in extreme horror upon hearing the location.
"Why would they want to go there again?" Crawford asked.
It's of no surprise to me, really, Ryder shrugged. When we confronted Kincaid on top of the Altru Tower, he used a Miniremo unit to control a Drapion and Gliscor.
Alexa silently placed her hands on her head and closed her eyes tightly as she looked down; she became scared upon hearing Kincaid's name.
I really should've known that Operation Brighton hadn't killed off all of the Miniremo units as we climbed up the tower, Ryder sighed. Barlow suddenly noticed Alexa wincing in fear.
"Alexa? You okay?" he asked. Ryder, Crawford, Luana and Elaine looked towards her in confusion. Ryder knelt next to her and lightly held onto her.
Alex, snap out of it, he said softly.
"Alexa!" Barlow said loudly.
"Huh?!" Alexa quickly looked up at Barlow, startled at the loud outburst.
"You okay?" Barlow asked with concern.
"About…?"
"Do you need an aspirin?" Crawford asked.
"What for?" Alexa asked towards Crawford.
"The migraine."
"Crawford, I don't have a migraine, I'm fine," Alexa laughed nervously. Barlow approached her and held out his left hand out at her. Alexa took hold of his hand and she helped herself up slowly.
"Your hand tells me otherwise," Barlow said worriedly. "You're shaking like a leaf; what's the matter?" he asked as he gently released Alexa's hand. "You haven't said a word since we spoke of the Oil Field Hideout."
"Uh…" Alexa subtly recoiled upon hearing of the Oil Field Hideout again. Crawford looked mildly shocked; he noticed. "N-no, I'm okay. I'm just worried for Riolu, th-that's all…"
Then let's stop worrying about him and save him! Ryder exclaimed eagerly. Alexa looked towards him with a false smile.
"Right!" she nodded. She and Ryder ran out of the Ranger base. Crawford approached Barlow.
"Did you see her, Barlow?" he asked. "When you mentioned the Oil Field Hideout, she winced."
"I know; I noticed," Barlow said worriedly. "It's not like her to be so…timid."
"It's almost as if she's scared of the place," Elaine assumed. Barlow took his styler from his belt and held it in front of him.
"And it's not like her to be so secretive either," he added, establishing a contact with his styler.
Meanwhile…
STARR!
A Staraptor flew over the Oil Field Hideout port, and Alex and Ryder jumped off of its back, landing successfully on the port. Alexa released the Staraptor with her styler and it flew back towards the mainland.
Alex, are you absolutely sure you don't want to call Keith? Ryder asked with concern.
"Why would I need to?" Alexa asked nervously. She was clearly shivering with fright.
You were being held hostage here yesterday; are you sure you don't want to ask Keith to help you through this? Ryder asked.
"I'm fine!" Alexa cried. "I can get through this! I need to get over what happened yesterday, and I can't do that if I ask Keith to escort me through this place!"
Ah. I should've known you'd say that, Ryder smiled. Alexa looked down at him in confusion.
"What?"
You don't remember? Ryder asked, looking up at her. You winced when Cynthia spoke of the Spear Pillar just before our battle. After our victory over her, you decided to visit the Spear Pillar in hopes that you'd get over what happened there. We made it there, looked around for about half an hour before you finally let go of your fear of the place.
"We did that?" Alexa asked in bewilderment.
We did indeed, Ryder smiled. Alexa looked up at the upper deck of the Oil Field Hideout.
"Well then…let's do it again, for Riolu's sake," she nodded.
Righty-o! Ryder and Alexa ran towards the ladder and looked up. They faced one another before Alexa allowed Ryder to climb onto her shoulders. Ryder sat on her shoulders comfortably as Alexa climbed up the ladder.
A lone Dim Sun minion stood on the helipad and looked out towards the horizon. She turned towards the ladder just in time to see Ryder slowly ascending. The minion then saw Alexa climbing up from the ladder.
"A Ranger?! Uh, we're only cosplaying as Team Dim Sun, there's nothing illegal going on here," she stuttered as she ran away from the deck. Ryder climbed down from Alex's shoulders.
Tauros crap. Next thing they'll tell us is that Riolu isn't here, he sighed.
"But we know he is," Alexa added. "I just hope that…Kincaid…isn't here…"
Okay, Alex, if we see any sign of Kincaid or the Sinis Trio, you'll contact Keith and ask for his help. Deal? Ryder asked.
"If you want," Alexa sighed. She and Ryder ran inside the hideout.
Inside…
Alexa and Ryder exited from the elevator and ran out into the dark teal corridor. They avoided the wild Houndour and Houndoom, only to confront a Dim Sun minion with a Miniremo and a hypnotised Jolteon and Luxray.
"We knew you were coming, Ranger," the minion smirked. "So that's one Lucario and one girl…that's not much, is it?"
"Don't be fooled into thinking you've got the upper hand," Alexa said strictly. "I'll have you know that Ryder and I are a great combination!"
Well spoken, my friend, Ryder nodded.
"Big deal; I still won't let you interfere with our plans to resurrect Team Dim Sun," the minion sighed as he typed into his Miniremo.
"Capture on!" Alexa fired her capture disc before Luxray and Jolteon had the chance to even move. With Luxray and Jolteon distracted, Ryder ran over to the Miniremo. He dived towards it with his mouth wide open, revealing his sharp fangs.
CRASH!
Ryder bit the Miniremo with his jaws. The strength of his bite was incredible; he literally bit the Miniremo in half, with some remains in his mouth. He spat the remains out of his mouth as Jolteon and Luxray fled.
"Dammit. You won't stop Team Dim Sun from being reborn!" the minion vowed as he fled, running passed Alexa.
THUMP!
"D'oof…!" Alexa held out her left fist at her side, which collided with the minion's stomach as he ran passed. The minion fell to the ground, and Alexa and Ryder ran onwards.
Later…
Alexa and Ryder entered a purple/magenta corridor and spotted the minion they saw at the helipad outside speaking to the admins with Riolu.
"Minion reporting! A Ranger and a Lucario have infiltrated headquarters," the minion stated.
"You had a head start, how come we caught up with you?" Alexa asked rhetorically as she and Ryder approached the minion.
"Aah, a Ranger!" the minion screamed as she turned to face Alexa. "I'll take care of you!" she vowed as she set up a Miniremo unit. The Miniremo became enveloped in a cyan aura before it suddenly collapsed. Ryder glared at the minion with his eyes and paws glowing in the same light.
I think not; I can't be dealing with dead weight, he sighed. The minion ran off in fear. The admins watched her leave.
"How about that? After the trouble of recruiting her, she turns out to be worthless," the first admin complained.
"Back to square one, I gather," Alexa assumed sarcastically as she and Ryder confronted the admins.
Release Riolu this minute! Ryder demanded. Or else feel the power of Aura Sphere from one very angry Lucario!
"Riolu, give them another Aura Sphere sleeping pill!" the second admin instructed as he typed into his Miniremo.
Riolu, fight back! Ryder pleaded. You're stronger than they are, I know you can break loose!
"No amount of hollering will save you, Lucario," the first admin laughed.
"Buh!" Riolu formed an Aura Sphere in his paws. He fired it towards Ryder.
"Get back!" Alexa cried as she pulled Ryder away from Aura Sphere's trajectory.
BDOOM!
After a moment of silence, Alexa and Ryder looked around them after they held onto one another.
"Oh great! I can hardly see a thing in this darkness!" Alexa complained; the entire corridor suffered a blackout.
Relax; I can use my aura to guide us through the corridor, Ryder said calmly. He gently took hold of Alexa's right hand with his left paw. Alexa held onto his paw.
"We'll need to, Ryder; I can hardly see my hand in front of my face in this darkness," Alexa said timidly.
Alex, are you all right? Ryder asked with concern.
"I-I just feel more vulnerable here," Alexa admitted.
In case Kincaid tries to ambush us? Please, with those shades of his, he'd be blind in this darkness! Ryder laughed. Come on, let's go.
"Lead the way," Alexa nodded. Ryder led Alexa around the corridor, hand in paw. The two eventually came across an open doorway, and they walked through it.
Alexa and Ryder entered through the door to their left and ran along the underwater tube. Alex suddenly stopped and looked around the tube. Ryder stopped and faced her with concern.
What's wrong?
"This is…where we first heard Heath," Alexa said timidly. "Great…another reason why I'm afraid of this place; this was where the Yellow Gem Deceit started."
You can't seriously tell me you're still blaming yourself for what happened, are you?Ryder asked worriedly.
"I still have this feeling that it's my fault!" Alexa exclaimed. "If we hadn't wasted all that time in Altru Park, we could've done the mission with Sven earlier, thus we could've gotten to Keith before he was kidnapped!" she cried, collapsing onto her knees in despair. "I should've listened to you, Ryder, we should've left when Blake showed up!"
Hey, I wanted to leave because I was bored, Ryder sighed as he approached Alexa. Besides, Keith doesn't blame you for what happened.
"Huh?" Alexa looked up at Ryder in confusion; he smiled down at her warmly. He gently rested his left paw on her left cheek.
But you need to forgive yourself for what happened, he advised softly. He soon lost his smile and looked worried. If you can't forgive yourself for what happened there, you'll never be able to put it behind you. I realised that last night.
"Last night?"
I realised that I worried about you more than I normally do because I felt responsible for what happened,Ryder explained. Thus, I couldn't get to sleep because I felt guilty about letting Ice get you. So, I gave it some thought, and I realised that if I were to forget about what happened, I needed to forgive myself, so I did before I finally got to sleep. I forgave myself for yesterday, Alex; you need to do the same for what you thought was your fault at the Hippowdon Temple.
"I…I don't know if I can," Alexa confessed sadly.
Well…we can worry about it later then, Ryder smiled. Because right now, there's a young Riolu in the room ahead of us, and he needs help. Are you with me?
"Of course I'm with you!" Alexa exclaimed keenly. "I'm not about to let that little Riolu become a mind slave!"
All right; then let's spin those admins right round like a record, baby! Ryder encouraged. Alexa quickly stood up from the floor and nodded at Ryder with a smile of determination.
"Right round-round-round," she added teasingly. She and Ryder ran into the room ahead of them.
Inside…
"Stop right there! Even though there's no way for all of you to escape!" Alexa exclaimed as she faced the two admins with Riolu.
"You won't stop us, Ranger. And we can't let you leave either; you know too much about our plan to resurrect Team Dim Sun," the first admin said sternly.
"Shame; looks like I'll have to stop you here and now then," Alexa sighed sarcastically. "And we'll save Riolu in the process, you just see if we don't!"
"Speaking of Riolu… Riolu, subdue them!" the second admin instructed. Ryder looked towards Riolu fretfully.
Riolu, snap out of their control! Ryder pleaded. Open your eyes to what you're doing, Riolu, please!
"Save it, Lucario, calling out to Riolu is pointless," the first admin scoffed. Ryder glared at them before he looked back at Riolu fearfully.
Riolu, please, I beg of you! He pleaded as his aura sensors rose. Listen to my aura if you have to, Riolu, just SNAP OUT OF IT!
"…Buh!" Riolu, though still technically under hypnosis, looked around in confusion.
"Riolu, I command you to use Aura Sphere!" the second admin fumed as he typed into his Miniremo again.
"Buh!" Riolu continued to look around in confusion.
"Ryder, it's working! Riolu's conflicting!" Alexa exclaimed cheerfully.
Alex, please, hurry and catch Riolu with your styler! Ryder begged. I don't know how long it may be before Riolu loses his senses again!
"Worry not, this won't take long. Capture on!" Alexa fired her capture disc at Riolu, and her capture disc started to circle around him.
"Buh!" Out of confusion, Riolu fired a total of five Aura Spheres around the room. Alexa and Ryder dodged these, as did Alexa's capture disc. "Buh!" Riolu tried to throw a punch at the capture disc, but the capture disc masterfully dodged and continued to circle around Riolu. As she controlled her capture disc, Alexa looked around worriedly.
Where were Kincaid and the Sinis Trio? Alexa looked back at Riolu as she properly controlled her capture disc with her right hand; as she attempted to capture Riolu, she began to consider that perhaps it wasn't her present location that she was afraid of, but rather the people who imprisoned her there.
After a short while, the white circle of light enveloped around Riolu, and the Miniremo that controlled Riolu exploded into nothing. Riolu looked around in confusion.
Riolu! Ryder exclaimed happily. Oh, thank Arceus, I was so worried about you!
"Buh?" Riolu faced Ryder in confusion. His confusion subsided as a smile made its way on his face. "Buh!" Riolu ran over to Ryder and leapt into his arms. Ryder happily held onto the happy Riolu.
"Oh, no, we're done for!" the first admin cried.
"Quick, let's get out of here!" the second admin suggested fearfully as he and his partner ran towards a newly placed submarine. Ryder and Riolu faced one another with a mutual smirk; together, Ryder and Riolu formed an Aura Sphere in between their right paws, and they pushed it towards the submarine.
BDOOM!
"Aiyeeeeee!" The explosion that resulted from the Aura Sphere's contact with the submarine startled the two admins.
"L-let's go the other way!" the first admin suggested. He and his partner ran passed Alexa, Ryder and Riolu and headed for the door. The door opened however, and the two men froze with fright.
"Hey, Alexa!" Sven smiled. The two admins ran towards the wall on either side of the door and stood against them, both with fright.
"Sven! What brings you here?" Alexa asked, facing him in confusion.
"Professor Hastings, actually; apparently, Barlow was concerned about you, so he told Professor Hastings about it; he then sent me over to help you out," Sven explained. "Guess you don't really need it, though," he teased, looking back at the two admins. He then approached the two admins.
"Barlow was concerned about me?" Alexa asked in confusion. "What did he say to Professor Hastings?" Sven quickly held the two admins by the backs of their collars and faced Alexa, looking concerned.
"Barlow didn't have any idea about what happened yesterday; he said he noticed you cringing with fright," he answered.
You said, "didn't", Ryder noticed. Don't tell me…
"Yep; Professor Hastings explained everything he knows to Barlow," Sven sighed. "And I've got to be honest, Alexa; he was virtually speechless after Professor Hastings finished explaining it."
"I…I see," Alexa looked away from Sven slightly, looking ashamed of herself. "I didn't even know that…Barlow didn't know…"
"Come on; let's get back to the union, eh?" Sven smiled reassuringly. He pushed the admins out of the room and exited. Alexa and Ryder, who still had Riolu in his arms, followed him.
At the union…
"Well, that was certainly an interesting mission," Hastings commented. He, Sven, Wendy, Erma, Alexa, Ryder, Riolu, Keith and Buizel were all gathered around in the Operations Room.
"I guess those Team Dim Sun criminals wanted Riolu for his special rare quality," Erma assumed.
"Still, Riolu's safe," Wendy smiled, looking towards the Riolu happily settled in Ryder's arms. Keith looked towards Ryder happily.
"Looks like Riolu's taken a liking to you," he observed.
As have I to him, Ryder smiled.
"Buh!" Riolu nodded.
"They look like brothers," Sven chuckled. "Oh, by the way, what are we to do with Riolu anyway?"
"Buh?" Riolu looked towards Sven in confusion.
"Well, I know several Pokémon Trainers I trust," Hastings began. He looked towards Alexa with a smile. "Including Alexa."
"Huh?" Alexa faced him in confusion.
"Ryder is your own Pokémon, is he not?" Hastings queried.
"Y-yes…but what does that have to do with…?"
"Why don't you let Riolu stay with you?" Hastings asked.
"Buh?!" Riolu looked towards Hastings in shock.
Really?! Ryder asked excitedly.
"That is, of course, if Alexa is happy to raise a second Riolu," Hastings continued. Alexa looked away from Hastings, looking rather upset.
"I wouldn't dare refuse," she said quietly.
Yay! Ryder cheered.
"Buh!" Riolu rejoiced.
"But…why're you so sad?" Wendy asked. "Did something happen at the Oil Field Hideout?" Sven, Hastings, Erma, Ryder, Riolu, Keith and Buizel faced Alexa in confusion; she was looking away from everybody, and still looked sad.
"Were you alright there? Did anyone hurt you?" Keith asked.
"Not at the hideout, no," Alexa said quietly. "But…that's not the issue…"
"Then what is, dear?" Erma asked kindly.
"Professor? May I ask a question?" Alexa asked nervously.
"Of course you can! What would you like to ask me?" Hastings questioned. Alexa looked directly at him; she appeared to be frightened.
"What happened to Kincaid?" she asked fearfully.
Erma, Hastings, Sven, Wendy, Ryder, Keith and Buizel all faced Alexa in horror. Riolu just faced her in confusion.
"Why on earth would you want to know about him?!" Sven asked in revulsion. Alexa looked away from everyone, looking distraught.
"And the Sinis Trio; what became of them?" Alexa added tearfully. "I need to know!" Hastings carefully approached Alexa, looking concerned.
"Alexa, what is all of this about?" he asked. Alexa looked straight at Hastings, looking traumatised.
"Please; I need to know, and don't lie to me!" she pleaded. "I need to know the truth!" she cried. Hastings sighed remorsefully as he turned his back on her.
"I sincerely have no idea how to say this to you, Alexa. But…Kincaid…he escaped," he answered reluctantly.
No…! Ryder gasped in horror. Alexa looked away from him, instantly disheartened and distressed. Tears started to fall down her face and her breathing became panicky.
"After Sven reported that you and Keith were safely off of the hideout, I sent another Top Ranger there to apprehend Kincaid and the Sinis Trio," Hastings continued as he turned around to face Alexa; he instantly showed his concern when he noticed Alexa's ordeal, as had everyone around her. "Unfortunately, there was no trace of Kincaid or of the Sinis Trio. I'm afraid they're all still at large. I'm so very sorry, Alexa."
"If I may ask, dear; why did you want to know?" Erma asked worriedly.
"I realised…that it wasn't the place I feared…!" Alexa began tearfully. Her fists were clenched and they clearly shook, which indicated Alexa's fright. "It was them…! Although…it's mostly Kincaid…!"
"Kincaid scares you?" Wendy asked softly.
"I'm not surprised, actually; Kincaid did threaten to make Keith the first person to go through open heart surgery without anaesthesia," Sven explained.
"That's not it…! As graphic as it sounded, I was scared of him before all that!" Alexa cried.
"Alexa, be truthful about this; how long have you been afraid of Kincaid?" Hastings asked worriedly.
Alexa was silent at first. She tried to compose herself and her emotions, but her efforts were aimless as more tears fell down her face.
"Since I first saw his face! At the Ranger School!" she cried sorrowfully. Her answer horrified everyone around her. "Even before I knew he was a criminal, I was afraid of him! I can't explain why!"
"Alex…didn't…when he…held you hostage…didn't that…?" Keith asked worriedly.
"No! It didn't help the fact that I was scared of him to begin with!" Alexa cried. "I-I don't know why I'm afraid of him, I just am!" she wept.
"Alexa…today has been utterly cruel to you. I sincerely apologise for putting you up on a mission after what happened yesterday," Hastings apologised. Ryder looked up at him sincerely.
Don't apologise; nobody knew that we'd need to go back there, he said truthfully.
"Alexa…you should get some rest, dear," Erma said sweetly. Alexa momentarily calmed down to face Erma, though she still looked saddened. "You were very brave to take on your mission despite what transpired a mere 24 hours ago. You can be proud of yourself, Alexa."
To be continued…