Chapter 10

Parental Guardian

July 3014

In a hidden laboratory deep in the mountains of Kalos, east of Lumiose City, a child scurried around the high tech sets of equipment kept within one of its many testing rooms. The place was dark and empty as the child ducked for cover behind various control panels, much taller than him. He smiled to himself in the dark laboratory, wielding a toy pistol, loaded with round, foam pellets.

"Ha!" He dashed around the edge of a steel box, firing the toy gun at his target. Mismagius, the ghost-type pokemon, playfully shrieked as the pellet shot through her incorporeal body. "Ooooh! I did it! I was fast that time!"

The 10-year old Owen congratulated himself as Mismagius played dead on the cement floor, before rising and returning to Owen. "But that's when you would hit me with a big shadow ball! Because not even a real bullet would hurt you."

Owen inspected his pistol. "Oh! Crap where did that bullet go? Dad'll get mad if he finds one of those on the floor in here again." Him and Mismagius began looking around in the dark. Their only light was the many small buttons and bulbs on the several apparatuses which filled the laboratory, still blinking and pulsing with all sorts of colors.

Owen turned a corner to see a lone monitor screen illuminated. "Oh, I think Dad left a TV on." On the screen displayed a map of the entire region of Unova. The map was generated through satellite imagery, providing full detail of the region's landscape from overhead. Cities, natural areas, and buildings of interest were all labeled with large white text.

Owen looked around the map in wonder, inspecting the discrepancies between mountains, forests, and civilization. He noticed a red dot hovering in the heart of the Imperium Desert, north of Castelia City. There was no label on it like every other feature on the map. Owen looked closer to see if there were any buildings in the image that the red dot indicated, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that his eye could pick up.

"Oh! I wonder if this map shows our house." Owen slapped his fingers on the screen, trying to zoom the image out, revealing the rest of the world briefly. As he recognized the shape of his own region from other maps he had seen in school, he zoomed in on Kalos, wanting to see the intense detail of his home region.

He placed Kalos on the screen. "What the heck?" There was unusual motion in the image, as the sea to the west of the Kalos Region appeared to be swallowing its western shores. The towns he memorized in school, Shalour, Geosenge, Cyllage, and Ambrette had all disappeared.

Suddenly Owen felt his vision taken over. Mismagius cackled to herself as she showed an image from outside to Owen through her ghostly ability of possession. Owen stood silent in his trance, before Mismagius lifted her power off of him. "Oh no! Dad's home! We have to get out of here!" the two quickly left the laboratory and headed upstairs.

Above the underground laboratory was an ordinary getaway cabin deep in the mountains of Kalos. The sound of rain could be heard against the roof as Owen and Mismagius ascended to the ground floor of the home. Just as they entered the foyer, the front door opened, where heavy footsteps entered.

A man wearing a light green lab coat appeared around the corner, holding the hand of a little girl with him. His bushy white hair and square glasses dripped with rainwater. He wiped his curved nose dry, scrunching his face in anxious anticipation, appearing as though he was reacting to a foul stench.

"Hi Dad." Owen greeted. The man stopped before Owen and Mismagius, inspecting the two with a somber gaze. "Mismagius, please help Owen get ready to leave. He'll need his raincoat." The Father instructed.

He then walked away down the hall without another word, disappearing into one of the side rooms momentarily. "What are we doing?" Owen asked the little Tyrene that their father had left standing in the foyer.

"…. Lugia is killing everybody." Tyrene cried.

"What, Ty?" Owen stood dumbfounded while seeing a Pokemon Ranger poke his head through the front door. He opened it all the way revealing Blastoise standing behind him. "Find Dr. Williams, Blastoise. We need to fly out immediately."

Blastoise entered the house, hurrying past Tyrene and Owen. Owen noticed Blastoise's pained expression as he squeezed down the hallway in pursuit of Dr. Williams. Owen looked back out the door to see a Pokemon Ranger hovercraft parked in the cement courtyard out front. It's three angled propellers were spinning, ready to take off as the Ranger, which instructed Blastoise hurried back to the aircraft.

Just as Mismagius returned with Owen's coat, Dr. Williams burst back into the hallway with Blastoise behind him. "Dad!" Owen called out, but Dr. Williams had his phone pressed against his face. With a firm swish of his finger he signaled for his children to leave the house.

Blastoise lifted the two kids into the aircraft as they all piled in. They took off immediately, flying into the mist of torrential rain in the sky. "Heri! Heri! Do you hear me, Dr. Laodoon?! Make the summons!" Dr. Williams screamed at his phone. In his other hand he held a tablet. In between bouts of yelling, he would read off numbers into his headset for the Pokemon Ranger pilots to set their course.

Owen was now crying too, overwhelmed by the situation he and his sister had been thrust into. Mismagius held him close while Blastoise rested an enormous arm around Tyrene, keeping her steady in the large passenger seat.

Dr. Williams got no response from Heri. He shoved the phone in his pocket as he finished talking with the pilots. He stopped, looking up from his tablet and towards his children sitting across from him in the passenger bay.

"Sorry, kids. We'll see softer weather soon." Dr. Williams unbuckled himself and reached into the overhead compartments above his children and their pokemon, grabbing two pairs of headsets and placing them on his children's heads. The loud ambience of their ariel vehicle was muffled by the earmuffs. Dr. William's voice came in static and soft.

"Not so loud now, right?" he said. Tyrene and Owen nodded their heads. "We're picking up some colleagues and then heading to Unova. The Pokemon Rangers will take over and protect everyone here from this bad storm. While we're there we'll be able to find someone that can save everyone from… from this weather." Dr. Williams looked at his daughter. "I know you're worried about everyone here in Kalos, Ty. Trust the Pokemon Rangers to protect them while we're gone."

The aircraft veered down below the thick sheet of clouds, revealing the peaks of the Kalos mountains far below them. "8 kilometers out from extraction." One of the pilots announced over the headset.

"Dr. Kelser should be at the top right now." Dr. Williams said as he looked out the window, carefully scanning the distant mountains ahead. The surrounding rainfall was steadying as visible distance for the airborne vehicles began to grow.

Suddenly an enormous gust of wind blasted against the front end of the aircraft, shaking it violently. The pokemon held tightly to the kids as the aircraft restabilized.

"12 o'clock visual! LUGIA!" The pilot hollered into the mic.

Soaring above a distant hillside, Lugia, the colossal pokemon could be seen circling small specs gathered at the top of a bare hill, just at the edge of the mountain range. From here the view of Lumiose City was blocked by the curtain of rain advancing from behind Lugia.

"Unbelievable! Are those people?! There are THOUSANDS of people on that hill! What has Dr. Kelser done?!" Dr. Williams yelled in absolute horror. "Doctor, I'm gonna need you to take this chair." The Pokemon Ranger copilot immediately leapt from his seat, hurrying through the back of the aircraft.

The Ranger pressed a button causing the aircraft's drop hatch to lower. As it opened up the harsh winds roared through its opening as the open rampway deflected the torrential downfall from outside. The Ranger quickly retrieved some nylon pack from a rear compartment, opening it up and throwing some tarp like object over himself.

Owen and Tyrene squinted at the water now misting in their face from the open bay door. "Deploying, Major." The Ranger then leapt out the door with his arms spread outward, revealing a wingsuit. The wind caught his wings, pulling him away from behind the aircraft. Out of nowhere a Pidgeot caught the Ranger on their back and flew ahead of the aircraft at a much greater speed, toward Lugia.

From the pilot's angle, flashes of light could be seen generated from pokemon below, attacking Lugia flying overhead. The Ranger and his Pidgeot joined the airborne assault with other flying pokemon engaging Lugia.

Dr. Williams hopped into the Copilot seat. "It's too hot to land, Doctor. Kelser will have to move locations." The pilot said into his mic.

Dr. Williams was too focused on Lugia, now that he had a better view through the aircraft's windshield. He could see how the attacks from the many pokemon swarming Lugia had no effect or were evaded effortlessly.

An incomprehensible, low voice then boomed from Lugia, shaking the aircraft. Dr. Williams watched in horror as Lugia began charging an attack, the inside of its mouth starting to glow brighter and brighter. He could see the colossal pokemon aim the attack towards the people on the mount.

Suddenly, a massive, transparent dome-like barrier burst into existence, encapsulating the mount where the people stood. It glowed like a star as Lugia unleashed their powerful beam attack towards the mount. The beam broke apart against the barrier, its energy scattering around its surface like massive white sparks.

After the initial contact, the dome dissipated before blinking back into existence. Lugia attacked again, still ignoring the counter attacks of the mortal pokemon swarming around them. But the dome held strong, safeguarding all within its protection from Lugia's immense power.

Then, from the base of the dome, Dr. Williams and the pilot noticed a purple glint of light shining brighter and brighter. Noticing the reflection of purple on the aircraft's ceiling, Owen and Tyrene turned around to look out the windows behind them.

The purple glow then burst. Like a bolt of lightning, it streaked into and across the sky. In an instant, both the source of the glow and Lugia were gone. The mysterious beam blew the storm clouds apart in the sky, revealing the sun as it shined down on the dome still shielding the thousands of people on the mount.

The sudden change in air pressure from the powerful energy attack rocked the aircraft so violently it spun out of control. "Hang tight!" the pilot yelled as he did everything in his power to steady the aircraft before reaching the ground. Their descent gradually slowed before a wing clipped the jagged mountain side. Blastoise grabbed both children and held them close, bracing for the impact of the rocky ground beneath them.

"PROTECT TYRENE!"

The bottom of the aircraft clattered against the ground, flattening its underside tightly. Blastoise went through the aircraft wall with his tough shell, rolling out onto a more level mountain side with Owen and Tyrene still in his arms.

Dr. Williams sat sweating profusely, shoving the deflating airbag away from him. The pilot looked dumbfounded as he removed his helmet. "How did we land so…" he turned and looked behind him, seeing Mismagius hovering at the top of the cabin, her tiny arms still pressed against the ceiling. The pilot then rested his head against his seat and sighed in relief. "That's a strong Mismagius you got there, Doctor."

Dr. Williams composed himself, seeing Blastoise right outside, helping Owen and Tyrene stand on the rocks. "…She takes care of the children. She knows all about heavy lifting." He said.

The pilot began requesting backup from the aircraft's radio as Dr. Williams stepped out onto the rocky plateau. From where they had crashed, they could see perfectly the giant dome manifested by some unknown source from within. Dr. Williams squinted at the sun reflecting from the dome's smooth surface.

"What is that, Dad?" Tyrene and Owen hurried to his side. "I'm not…" Dr. Williams' cellphone began to ring. Quickly he answered. "Dr. Kelser! What am I looking at?! What happened?!"

A low, calming voice came through from the other end. "We are all alive, Dr. Williams. Can you see my shield? If only it could have covered all of the west coast." Dr. Kelser said.

"What happened to Lugia?!" Dr. Williams insisted. "General Giriki and Naganadel blasted Lugia away. I'm not sure what their status is right now, but we should reconvene in person. My wife is assembling the city council as we speak." Dr. Kelser informed.

Dr. Williams looked up into the clearing sky, analyzing the direction of the laser he witnessed at the end of the battle. "We should inform the Pokemon Rangers still near the coast what happened. We can't NOT look for evidence that Lugia or Naganadel are dead."

"The storm over us is gone, Dr. Williams. If Lugia is still alive after that, The Kalos Rangers will have a response, no matter where Lugia appears. Let's prioritize the people and pokemon here, first."

"Alright, I'll see you in the city." Dr. Williams hung up and turned to look at the ruined aircraft. He sighed at the realization that they'll have to wait to be extracted and knelt down to his children beside him.

"I just got off the phone with Dorian, do you kids remember General Giriki of the Pokemon Rangers? Dorian told me him and his Naganadel have defeated Lugia." Dr. Williams pointed towards the dome, where they could see all the little specs of people and pokemon beginning to walk down the mount. "Those two just saved all those people. I know you were concerned, Tyrene, but it seems Lugia was no match for the strength of the Pokemon Rangers."

"Yes!" Tyrene threw her arms in the air. "I didn't know how super strong they were!"

Dr. Williams walked over and sat on a large rock beside them. "The reason they're so powerful is because of their hard work and dedication. What we saw shows how well they train in the Pokemon Rangers."

Tyrene and Owen went and stood beside their father as Tyrene began asking all sorts of questions about the Pokemon Rangers. Owen immediately wandered over to Blastoise and Mismagius who were murmuring to each other a few meters away.

"Thanks for saving us, guys." Owen said. Mismagius hugged him while Blastoise gave him a thumbs up. "Dad told us Lugia is gone now. That's a good thing, right? I think so, but…. For some reason, Dad still looks super scared about something."

February, 3029

The Lumiose City hospital was still bustling at the dead of night. The traffic of doctors, nurses, and nurse pokemon was tight and flowing throughout its hallways. Lights were dim in the patient quarters, as Tyrene lay in her hospital bed troubled by the lamp light in the corner of the room, which kept her awake. She looked at the tray sitting next to her bed that a nurse Chancey had left, which held a juice bottle and packaged cookies. Despite having her blood drawn and needing sustenance to regain her energy, she had no desire to eat or drink anything.

She looked at Owen who was fast asleep in his chair by the lamp. Mismagius still assumed her spot on his head, watching Tyrene intently. Seeing Tyrene eye the food beside her, Mismagius hovered down from Owen's head and retrieved the juice and cookies for Tyrene.

"I'm not hungry right now, Mismagius." Tyrene mumbled. Mismagius carefully unwrapped the cookies with her ethereal hands. She broke one in half and held the piece of it in front of Tyrene's mouth. Tyrene shook her head. Mismagius put the cookie down and picked up the juice instead. She held it insistently in front of Tyrene's face.

"…Can you unscrew it for me?" Tyrene caved, asking sheepishly. Mismagius slowly nodded, removing the lid from the juice bottle. The ghost pokemon then held Tyrene's head gently, assisting her so that Tyrene needn't lift a finger to drink the juice herself. Mismagius once again retrieved the halved cookie, to which Tyrene ate quietly.

Tears welled as she chewed. "…Thanks, Mismagius." Mismagius hovered down, resting her arms over Tyrene, tilting her ghastly head forward to give Tyrene an attentive look, ready to help any way she can. "…. It's okay, I'm just…. I'm still hurting." Tyrene cried softly.

"Mismagius, I…. I don't know if I can keep going as a ranger. I'm really scared…." Tyrene broke down where she lay. Mismagius levitated upward and rested her head against Tyrene's, wrapping her tiny arms around her neck.

"You saw how injured Blastoise got. I know how trained and committed he is to protecting me… But I don't want him to die… And I don't want to die either." Tyrene turned her head and cried into Mismagius. Mismagius held her close, carefully rubbing Tyrene's bandaged head.

"After what happened last week… you still look so calm. I wish I was as strong as a pokemon, Mismagius. I just feel… so frail." Tyrene sobbed. Mismagius continued holding her, comforting her like she was her own child.

The door to their room opened suddenly. Heavy footsteps approached from behind the curtain, before it was yanked to the side. Owen awoke to the sound of the surprise guest. "…Oh, hey Dad. I thought you told me you were dropping by tomorrow morning." Owen greeted him.

Dr. Williams said nothing, turning to Tyrene's bed and kneeling at her side. His appearance was disheveled, his hair even more frizzier than usual, and his lab coat wrinkled and stained. "Arceus above… What on Earth happened to you?" he muttered, holding Tyrene's arm.

"I'm fine, I just… got caught in a bad situation. But I got valuable information for the Rangers that will hopefully pinpoint the suspects behind Shauna's murder. And if something like that were to ever happen again… I know what I will do differently."

"Ty…" Dr. Williams seemed pained at how official Tyrene was conducting herself before him. Mismagius showed concern in her eyes for the same reason. Tyrene clenched the fist of her good hand. "Don't try to convince me to do anything, Dad. I let myself get hurt by not preparing for the mission well enough. I know better, so I'll do better next time." She huffed.

Dr. Williams sighed, standing back up again. He looked around the room, and then towards Tyrene's food tray beside her. He picked up the juice bottle before turning away. "… Kee berry juice, hm? I'm sure they have more nutritious options here somewhere."

He turned back and set the juice down on the tray. "If you're firm on your decision to stay with the Pokemon Rangers then… I will respect it. I'm sure you will show me you know what you're doing… As you always have." Dr. Williams said calmly. His squinted eyes projected terror, as he stood devasted by the condition his daughter was in.

"Owen, please make sure Ty gets some good food other than the slop they serve at this hospital. It will expedite her recovery." Dr. Williams stopped and investigated his daughter's condition once more from where he stood. "…Alright?" Owen said, raising an eyebrow.

"Please keep me updated." Dr. Williams said, before promptly leaving the hospital room, leaving his two kids in silence.

"He could've just called." Owen said, leaning his head back again and closing his eyes. "… But I'm kinda wondering why you switch up for Dad, Ty." He asked. Tyrene didn't say anything, reaching for her juice on her own this time, wincing as she leaned.

"I mean I get it. He calls you damn near every day. Figure that would get annoying after a while." Owen's phone then buzzed. "Woah, Clay's calling me." He said, picking up his phone and answering. "Hello?"

Owen then sat quietly for a long time. The sound of Clay's voice was interrupting Tyrene's inner monologue, as she started trying to make out Clay's muffled words. Without Owen saying another word, the call then ended.

"Looks like I'm summoned. Mismagius, let's go." Owen got up from his chair. "Both of you are going?" Tyrene asked, not too thrilled to have Mismagius leave her side. "There's a situation. If you need me, I'll be on the roof." Owen said, walking out of the room with his pokemon.

"… The roof?"