"Kellyn?" Chairperson Erma lowered her teacup and stood from her chair at the sight of him hopping off the escalator onto the Union's third floor. A line of monitors covered the back wall behind the counter, and two Operators wearing headsets worked them. It looked like there were three Operators total, but the chair on the far right was empty.
"Chairperson Erma." Kellyn jogged to her. "Where's my Styler?"
"The Operator is running a diagnostic test on it." Erma checked her wristwatch. "You've only been asleep an hour, dear. You need to go back to bed."
No, that was a weakness, and Kellyn couldn't afford that right now. "Is the Operator Rhythmi?" he asked Erma. He hadn't seen her or Keith in a long time.
"No, dear," Erma answered. "She and Keith are still overseas. Rhythmi's in Oblivia right now."
Great, not only was Almia's future in Kellyn's hands—he didn't have his Ranger School friends to look up to. He was still the youngest member of the Union.
"I have to get to Peace Tower," Kellyn told Erma. "Parity… the Crystal… my mission."
"No." Erma took his hands and sat him down in the chair she had just sat in. "You will sit right here, and I'll get the others. You're not going anywhere today, dear." She flicked his nose. "It's your first day back. You're resting and spending time with your family. We'll continue the mission tomorrow."
Tomorr—? No, Kellyn couldn't wait that long.
He tried standing, but Erma pushed him back down. "I have spoken."
How was Kellyn supposed to prove himself to the Union, then? He filled his mind with the thought, but replaced it with a happy one when his family, Ash, his friends, and Hastings arrived on the third floor a little later.
"Big Brother!" Molli leaped into Kellyn's arms, and Blu appeared beside him.
"Happy!" Blu chirped. "Happy!"
After an eternity, Kellyn relaxed and hugged Blu and Molli.
His mother kissed his cheek. "Oh, dear, are you feeling better? You slept for only an hour."
Kellyn blushed. "I'm fine, Mom, I promise."
"We're sorry about the party," his father apologized. "We just wanted you to feel at home, not hurt you."
"It's okay," Kellyn said, moving Molli to his right thigh and arm. "I'll try it. I might as well." He stood and bounced Molli.
Hastings banged the floor with his cane. "We need to have a meeting, though, Kellyn. Wendy and Sven are waiting in the Conference Room. However, I spoke with Erma, and we've agreed that you can take the rest of the day off afterward. You need your Styler to examine the Luminous Crystal, so we'll push that to tomorrow."
Why was everyone treating Kellyn like a kid? He was fine.
"What about us?" Ash asked Hastings. "Can we sit in on the meeting?"
Hastings sighed and shook his head.
Erma nudged him. "Come on, Hastings. They came all this way, and remember what Wendy said."
What did Wendy say? Kellyn decided to figure that out for himself.
It took a minute, but Hastings finally said, "Fine," and turned to Ash, Dawn, and Brock. "You guys can sit in on the meeting."
"Yes!" the three cheered, high-fiving.
That didn't mean they were cleared to help—only to learn what was happening.
Kellyn's parents took Molli downstairs to the party, but Hastings led Kellyn, Erma, Ash, and his friends into the Conference Room on the second floor of the Union. Kellyn had forgotten how small it was—and the fact that the entire floor was a green, computer-powered Underfoot Monitor that showcased Almia's map when turned off.
As Hastings said, Wendy and Sven waited for them, Wendy with her hand on her hip, Sven with his arms crossed.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock examined the room, amazed, but then Sven asked, "What are they doing here?"
"Excuse you!" Dawn clenched her fists and puffed out her cheeks. "We're here to help Kellyn."
Kellyn didn't need help, though. What happened outside the Union was a fluke. He was tired, but he had rested some.
Hastings banged his cane again. "That's enough. This is a business, not a school." He didn't look thrilled about Ash and his friends being there, either, but he let it slide and performed his notorious Professor Hastings pace.
"Now," he explained after a minute. "We're here because we need to devise a plan to find Parity and discover what's happening to the Luminous Crystal."
Erma jumped in. "The Crystal began weakening a few weeks ago, and there have been moments since then that darkness has temporarily shrouded Almia. Kellyn…" She faced him. "Have you noticed anything different with your power lately?"
Erma had to say that before Ash, Dawn, and Brock.
"His power?" Ash asked aloud.
Erma smiled warmly. "Oh, yes, dear. Kellyn has a power, Vatonage, which he acquired after purifying the Shadow Crystal."
"You're kidding!" Ash whipped around to Kellyn. "You're a superhero, Kellyn?"
Well, Kellyn wouldn't call himself that (he couldn't shoot lasers from his eyes), but the Crystal and Darkrai did gift him with a divine power as thanks for saving Almia.
Erma chuckled and answered Ash's question. "He's not a superhero but the only Ranger who can wield a Vatonage Styler."
Sven huffed and lowered his hat over his face.
"I don't know if he told you three," Erma included, "but 'vatonage' means to 'reawaken light that has been submerged in darkness'."
"Hm." Brock rubbed his chin. "So that means you have the power of purification, Kellyn."
"Correct," Hastings confirmed, "and he gets it through the Luminous Crystal. The Rainbow Birds help balance that power when he's not around."
"And that's why we need to find Parity," Erma concluded. Her eyes moved to Blu, who fluttered around the room without a care. "Blu's still young, so he hasn't yet fully grasped his Rainbow Forme, unlike Parity."
"And Parity was last seen at the Luminous Crystal," Hastings elucidated. "So, Kellyn, tomorrow, you will go with your friends, Sven, and Wendy to Altru Tower and see if you can find a clue to her whereabouts."
"Wait, what?" Grins flashed across Ash, Brock, and Dawn's faces. "We're helping?"
"Yes!" Ash quipped, lifting his fist.
Pikachu mimicked him. "Pi-Pikachu!"
"Hold on!" Kellyn and Sven said simultaneously, but Sven flicked his wrist at Kellyn and opened the stage.
"Professor," he protested, meeting Hastings's eyes, "I agree—Ash, Brock, and Dawn are amazing Trainers, but I'm the Guardian. I need to do this myself." He bit his lip to hold back his anxiety.
Hastings scoffed. "You are not doing this by yourself, Kellyn."
Those words. Those words. They confirmed that the Union didn't see Kellyn as the Ranger who purified the Shadow Crystal anymore.
Erma must've seen his face because she stepped forward. "It's not that we don't trust you, Kellyn, but you carry a divine power. If another Team Dim Sun is out there, they may try to exploit you. It's safety in numbers. Wendy also said that Ash, Brock, and Dawn helped weaken Pokémon in the Vien Forest when they seemed to fall under that Gigaremo-like trance. They snapped them out of it."
But Kellyn was the Guardian. He brought Ash, Brock, and Dawn to the Union so they could stay and explore Almia while he completed his mission. They would be safe there. He wouldn't have them risk their lives for something he had to do alone. The same went for Sven and Wendy.
Kellyn had to do something, but what? Right now, he forced a smile and said, "Okay," to Erma and Hastings.
Ash, Brock, and Dawn whooped again, Wendy clapped, but Sven remained serious. Kellyn sometimes wondered if his Partner Pokémon, Luxray, had hit him in the head at one point with its lightning.
"Then it's settled." Hastings banged his cane one last time and slipped his free hand into his pocket. "You leave early tomorrow morning. Ash, Brock, and Dawn, I'll show you to the dormitories."
"Sir!" they said, saluting and following him out of the Conference Room.
"As for you, dear..." Erma focused on Kellyn. "I'll make you some tea, but you need to spend some time with your family today and rest."
Kellyn swore he tore off a piece of his lip with how hard he bit it now. The Union meant well, but no.
What Kellyn needed was a plan.