Kellyn loved his family, but now was not a good time to spend with them. He didn't return to Almia for family time—he returned to complete a mission. Yet, Erma kept pushing it when she approached him in the kitchen with his tea and a temporary Fine Styler to use while his was still in the lab.
"It will be good for you, dear," Erma said, sitting at the round table with Kellyn. "You haven't seen your family in a year."
Kellyn didn't intend to sound rude, but asked, "Could you stop calling me 'dear', please? It makes me feel like I'm a kid."
Erma giggled. "But you are a kid."
No, Kellyn became an adult when the Union promoted him to Top Ranger—and a middle-aged adult when Darkrai made him a Guardian.
"If it will make you feel better," Erma stated, "I know a Ranger who was just like you when he was your age."
Kellyn gripped his teacup and thought for a second. "Hastings?" he finally guessed.
"Oh, yes," Erma said. "He wanted to do everything himself, but ended up hurting himself. He hasn't worked alone since."
Hastings had hurt himself? He never told Kellyn that. Still, he preferred to confront the Luminous Crystal alone. He didn't care if he hurt himself—he just wanted to protect Ash, his friends, Sven, and Wendy.
Kellyn sipped his tea, and Erma said, "Just think about that, okay, Kellyn?" She patted his glove. "This is a dangerous, Shadow Crystal-sized mission. You need help." With that, she stood, began leaving the kitchen, and then turned back. "Your family is waiting for you downstairs with Blu."
Kellyn sighed and watched her leave, finishing his tea. He sat there for a few minutes, thinking, before standing and removing his jacket. He plopped it over his chair and cut across the kitchen to the refrigerator. Kellyn opened it, and a delicious smell—berries and vegetables—overtook his nose. He collected salad supplies and a cutting board and set everything on the granite counter behind him.
Kellyn chopped lettuce, carrots, berries, and meat for the next seven minutes, then tossed them into a bowl. His attention shifted from his Styler to the knife he held several times. He topped the salad with dressing, put the ingredients away, and washed everything in the sink. He then grabbed his jacket and took his snack into the Ranger quarters, sitting on his bed.
While Kellyn ate, he occasionally stood and tried to channel his power without his Styler.
"Vatonage!"
Nothing happened.
"Vatonage!"
Nothing.
Kellyn brought the Fine Styler close to his face and whispered, "Vatonage?"
Nothing.
Kellyn groaned and plopped onto his bed, arms outstretched. He must have just gotten lucky with the Shadow Crystal. Maybe Kellyn never deserved to be a Top Ranger in the first place.
He shot up when the Ranger quarters' door opened, revealing Molli and Blu.
"Big Brother!" Molli shouted, hurrying to him.
Kellyn quickly stood and said through gritted teeth, "Molli, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with Mom and Dad?"
He scooped her up, and Molli answered, "Grownups are boring!"
Well, Kellyn couldn't argue with that.
"Blu and me wanna play," Molli added. "Will you play with us?"
Wasn't Kellyn a little old to play, though? At the same time, what would happen if Molli saw him as a boring "grownup", too? Moreover, Erma was right… He hadn't seen his family in a year. He would have the temporary Styler, just in case.
"Please, Big Brother?" Molli said, followed by Blu.
"Blu play! Blu play!"
"Sure." Kellyn bumped foreheads with Molli. "Let's go outside, though." He picked up his salad bowl and dropped it off in the kitchen. Kellyn set Molli down and said, "Wow, you're getting heavy."
Molli and Blu jiggled in place, and Molli lifted her fists. "Soon, I'll be bigger than you, Big Brother!"
Giggling, Kellyn rinsed his bowl and placed it in the dishwasher. He dried his hands and knelt to Molli. "Do you want to be bigger now?"
Molli grinned.
Kellyn lifted her over his head and set her on his shoulders, holding onto her legs.
"Wee!" Molli said, stretching her arms. "I'm bigger than Big Brother!"
Kellyn couldn't help but laugh. He carried Molli down the escalator to the homecoming party on the Union's first floor. Where were Ash, Dawn, and Brock? He thought he'd see them down there, but no. There were his parents, though.
His mother looked worried, but her eyes landed on Kellyn and Molli. "Molli!" She exhaled and hurried to them. "There you are, sweetie!"
"Hi, Mommy!" Molli said. "I'm bigger than Big Brother."
She tittered hauntingly, but her shoulders relaxed when Kellyn's father squeezed them.
"See, honey? I told you she just went looking for Kellyn."
"I know, but still…" Kellyn's mother's voice trailed. "Well, at least she dragged you out of your room, Kellyn."
Kellyn bobbed his head. "She did, and she wants to play, so I'm going to take her outside."
"Um…" His mother's lips twitched.
Kellyn's father released her. "I think that's a great idea, Kellyn." He nudged his mother. "Don't you think so, dear?"
Kellyn's mother stood on her tiptoes and searched the lobby. "Is Blue-Bird going with you?"
"Yes! Yes!" Blu emerged from out of nowhere and hovered beside Kellyn and Molli. "Blu go!"
"Don't worry, dear." Kellyn's father kissed his mother's cheek. "Kellyn's a Ranger."
"And I'm his mother!" she fought.
"We'll be fine, Mom," Kellyn said. "We'll be back for dinner."
His mother fell silent before saying, "Oh, all right, but dinnertime, and ensure Blu doesn't leave. We're going to eat as a family tonight. And Kellyn… Molli's getting big, so don't try carrying her the entire time."
"I won't," Kellyn said. "And thank you, Mom." He looked up at Molli. "You ready, Molli?"
She pumped her arm. "Let's go!"
Kellyn nodded and waved at his parents. Then, still carrying Molli, he left the Union and stepped outside.
As Erma mentioned during the briefing, Kellyn first noticed that the Almia sky was a little darker than it had been. He returned to mission mode for a second, but then he remembered his promise when Molli squirmed on his shoulders and took her off, grasping her hand.
Aside from the dimmer sky, everything else was normal in Almia's wilderness.
A fresh scent from the trees and river passed through Kellyn's nostrils, and the Pokémon looked okay.
He led Molli down the stairs and turned left on the path. They walked along Union Road until encountering another dock with a boat tied to it.
Molli pulled away from Kellyn, and she and Blu rushed to it.
"Molli!" Kellyn followed her to the dock, smiling when he saw Blu in the river, splashing around with Water Pokémon and performing a few tricks like Magikarp or Goldeen.
"Go, Blu, go Blu!" Molli cheered.
Blu emerged above the water, a bright blue light outlining him, and landed on the boat's side.
Kellyn saw what he was trying to say and asked Molli, "Would you like to go on a boat ride into Vien Forest, Moll?" He knew a place filled with berries just down the river.
"Ooh, yes, yes!" Molli hitched her dress and stepped into the boat. She sat on the seat at the bow and wiggled her legs. "Let's go, Big Brother!"
Kellyn stepped in after her and untied them from the dock. He sat in the stern and picked up the boat's two paddles. He pushed them off, and they began their journey down the calm river, surrounded by playful Water Pokémon and Blu, who fluttered around the boat.
Kellyn had to admit—it was nice being out in nature with his little sister and away from the Union for a bit. It allowed him to clear his head and play with Blu and Molli when they splashed him. That happiness only grew once they reached his area of interest: a grove of berry trees about fifteen minutes down the river.
With so many berries, it's no wonder many Pokémon were there, bathing in the Sweet Scent. None were aggressive and kept their distance from Molli, Blu, and Kellyn, who paddled the boat onto the riverbank.
Instantly, Blu fluttered to a berry tree and landed on a branch, snapping a berry off its stem. He swallowed and cheered, "Blue-Bird, Blue-Bird!"
Kellyn and Molli approached him, and Kellyn picked a few berries, sniffing them. He and Molli spent the next twenty minutes gathering and eating berries with Blu and the Wild Pokémon. They played in a pool off the river afterward.
Molli jumped into a puddle, and the water caught onto Kellyn's shorts.
"Oh, you got me," he said, playfully dropping onto his back on the bank.
Molli giggled and clapped. She ran to Kellyn, who sat, and crawled into his arms.
He tickled her and blew a raspberry into her belly.
Molli laughed.
Blu did, too, but suddenly, he stopped, and his smile vanished.
Kellyn noticed his shift in attitude and said, "What's wrong, Blu?"
The Pokémon in the clearing scattered, and Blu cautiously searched the area.
Kellyn's adrenaline spiked. He stood and held his arm up to Molli, watching the clearing with Blu.
"Big Brother?" Molli said, clutching his arm.
Something sounded from across the river, and Kellyn snapped his head. "Molli!" He snatched her and dove onto his front, shielding her.
A beam of light emerged from the forest treetops and splashed into the river, drenching Kellyn with an enormous wave.
He coughed, hugged Molli, and shakily stood.
A shadowy figure appeared above the river before him, and Kellyn's jaw dropped. "Hunter J!"
Sure enough, Hunter J emerged from the shadows, standing on the back of her blue and red Dragon Pokémon, Salamence. How did she—why was she in Almia? She could destroy the whole region with that Salamence.
Hiding behind a visor, J cackled. "Hello, Ranger."
Kellyn turned and started to run, but he stopped when three of her jeeps pulled onto the scene, mowing down a few berry bushes.
The doors opened, and out jogged J's henchmen and Team Rocket.
"Ooh!" Jessie said, clapping. "Our first mission!"
"Rare Pokémon time!" James included.
"I can't wait for that raise and new cat bed!" Meowth said, as if entering a temporary dream world.
Who were those three? Kellyn didn't remember them from last time. Ah, it didn't matter! Molli!
"J," Kellyn called to J, "I would love to battle you, but could we hold off until I don't have my little sister with me?"
"Your little sister?" J sarcastically asked, tapping her chin. "Hm… No." She held out her hand. "Salamence, use Hyper Beam. We need to knock him out."
"Sala!" Salamence launched another Hyper Beam at Kellyn and Molli.
Molli screamed and shut her eyes, wrapping her arms around Kellyn's neck.
"Blue-Bird!" Blu created a barrier between them and J, and the Hyper Beam collided into it, knocking him back a bit.
While he distracted her, Kellyn set his Capture Disc, and his eyes caught a Torterra watching them, begging to be captured.
The large, turtle-like Pokémon with a tree growing out of its shell nodded, and Kellyn returned it.
He aimed his Capture Styler—"Capture on!"—and released the Capture Disc.
Torterra watched as it circled it, but didn't fight the Line.
Kellyn drew his circles, and the white light flashed.
"Torterra!" the Pokémon cried out.
"And capture complete," Kellyn announced. "Torterra, quickly! Use Sandstorm!"
"Terra!" Torterra lowered its head to the ground and kicked it, unleashing a blast of sand that engulfed the entire area.
The sandstorm hit Team Rocket, and they yelled, "Eee!" when the wind threw them into a few henchmen.
J's Salamence stumbled in the sky, and she held her arm up to her face.
Once the Sandstorm vanished, Torterra remained behind, but Kellyn, Blu, and Molli were gone.
"Ugh!" J grumbled, rubbing sand from her visor. "Smart Ranger." She flew into the clearing and said, "All right, you three!" to Team Rocket. "Let's see what you can do. You take care of that Torterra. I'm going after the Ranger."
"Excuse you!" Jessie argued. "We're here to capture rare Pokémon!"
J growled and threatened her with another Hyper Beam, so Jessie shut up and gave her an apprehensive look.
"Of course, we could always share the Ranger's power and Legendary afterward."
"I don't care what you do," J said. "Just get rid of that Torterra. Stall it until I get the Ranger." She glanced down at Salamence. "Let's go, Salamence."
"Sala!" Salamence flapped its curved wings and broke away from Team Rocket, flying to the left toward one of the deepest sections of Vien Forest.
"Don't think you can escape me that easily, Top Ranger," J told herself, pressing a button in the corner of her visor. "You, Parity, and Blue-Bird are mine." She snickered. "And maybe all the Pokémon in Almia, too."