J and her Salamence searched the overgrown section of Vien Forest, threatening Pokémon that got in their way.
Kellyn, Molli, and Blu hid in a cluster of berry bushes that blended with the plants and trees, keeping quiet.
Molli kept her arms around Kellyn's neck, and he pulled a few branches aside, peering out, before putting them back.
Salamence's growl soon sounded in the area, and Kellyn held his finger to his lips, nodding at Blu.
He disappeared, and it wasn't long until a loud crash came from the other side of the forest, across from Kellyn and Molli.
Salamence whipped around and opened its mouth, but J said, "Stop, Salamence. He's trying to outsmart us."
Kellyn clenched his teeth and begged, Please leave, in his head. Suddenly, though, the voicemail button on his Styler began beeping. "No!" Kellyn whispered. "No! No! No!"
"Bingo," J said, turning Salamence. She gestured at the berry bushes. "Salamence, freeze them in there with Ice Beam."
Kellyn quickly grabbed Molli's hand and pulled her out of the berry bush, right when Salamence's Ice Beam froze it. His Styler continued beeping, but Kellyn didn't answer (his adrenaline was too high).
Blu entered the scene, and Kellyn pushed him and Molli aside, holding his hands up to his face. One of Salamence's Hyper Beams crashed before him, spewing up a cloud of dirt that threw him back.
Blu put up another barrier to protect Molli, and she yelled, "Kellyn!"
J hovered before the dust cloud, hand on her hip.
The cloud dropped, revealing Kellyn, who propped up on one elbow, covered in dirt and dust.
He panted and shook his head, coughing. Kellyn clutched his arm and sat, turning to J.
She lifted her lip into a snarl and said, "Give up, Ranger! You can't beat me!"
"Maybe not," Kellyn said, shakily standing, "but I can protect my little sister."
"Kellyn!" Molli ran around Blu's barrier and approached Kellyn, hugging his leg.
J clenched her fist and looked from Blue-Bird to Kellyn. "Your empathy will be your downfall. Salamence, use Hyper Beam."
"Rainbow Forme: activate!" Blu flew before Kellyn and Molli, and his blue eyes glowed rainbow, his body, too.
"Blu, wait!" Kellyn shouted, but it was too late.
Blu grew, and a rainbow light appeared in his beak. He cried out and launched it at J and Salamence.
The attack smacked Salamence's wing, who roared, dropping onto the forest floor.
J jumped off and pointed her gauntlet at Blu, unleashing a beam to petrify him.
Just before it struck, Blu returned to his normal height and dropped into Kellyn's arms, right when he, Molli, and him teleported.
"What?" J said, searching the empty forest. She clenched her fist and glanced at Salamence, who rested on its left wing, its right one limp and lame. Yet, it stood, and it and J met eyes.
J sneered and studied the area where Molli, Blu, and Kellyn used to be. "Let's see how those three nincompoops did, Salamence."
***
Kellyn, Blu, and Molli reappeared over the Vien River, across from the Ranger Union.
Kellyn and Molli yelled and splashed into it, but Kellyn swam to the surface, Blu in his arms and Molli clinging to him. He helped her to shore and said, "Are you okay, Molli?"
She sputtered and spat water, checking herself. "Yes, Big Brother."
Oh, thank goodness, but Blu didn't look good.
Curled in Kellyn's arms, he shut his eyes and shivered, a pink tint on his face.
"Kellyn!"
Kellyn looked up and saw Sven, Wendy, his parents, Erma, Hastings, and even Ash and his friends rushing toward him. It looked like Ash, Brock, and Dawn never left the Union.
They reached Kellyn first, and he said, "Please," showing them Blu. "Blu."
Brock placed his palm on Blu's forehead and said, "He's got a fever." He took Blu from Kellyn and wrapped him in his vest. "We need to get him inside." He, Ash, and Dawn turned and passed the others back into the Union.
"Molli!"
Kellyn moved aside and let his parents dart past him to pick up Molli. They took her into the Union as well, leaving Kellyn behind.
He gripped his arm and noticed Hastings, Erma, Sven, and Wendy glaring at him.
It was official… Kellyn was the worst Ranger ever and unworthy of Darkrai's gift.
Hastings, Erma, Sven, and Wendy soon went inside, followed by Kellyn, but he sat in the Union's lobby, noticing that the party had finally concluded—no more civilians, just him.
Kellyn buried his face in his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. Now no longer in shock, his arm throbbed, and he reached for it. He was weak; a true Ranger didn't get hurt. He protected Molli, but at the cost of Blu, who was still too young to embrace his Rainbow Forme fully.
After another fifteen minutes, Ash, Brock, and Dawn came down the Union's escalator, and their eyes landed on Kellyn. They exchanged slow nods and approached him.
Hugging Piplup to her chest, Dawn said, "Hi, Kellyn," and sat beside him.
At first, he didn't look up, but Brock placed his hands behind him and said, "Your sister and Blu are fine."
They were? Kellyn unburied his face.
"Molli's a little shook up," Brock continued, "but she's still smiling and playing, asking where you are. And Blu needs to rest for the rest of the day. He'll be back to normal tomorrow."
Ash crossed his arms. "What happened, though, Kellyn? Didn't Erma and Hastings give you orders not to leave the Union today?"
Kellyn cringed, and his bottom lip twitched. "I thought we'd be fine. Molli wanted to play, so I took her into the forest, and J ambushed us."
"J?" Ash, Brock, and Dawn asked.
"You mean…" Dawn's voice trailed. "Hunter J… in Almia?"
Kellyn nodded. "She wanted Blu and me, and there were three weirdos with her henchmen."
Realization flashed on Ash's face. "Team Rocket. But why are they alliancing with J?"
Team Rocket? Did Ash and his friends know them?
Dawn confirmed that. "Uh, hello, Ash!" She gave him a funny look. "Why else would Team Rocket? They must have learned that we have Blue-Bird."
"Oh, right." Ash scratched the back of his head, tittering nervously.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said, sighing.
Brock spoke up. "I wonder if J used Team Rocket to track us here. She must know that you have Vatonage, Kellyn. That's why she went after Blu and you."
It was just as Erma and Hastings warned Kellyn. "I needed to protect Molli, though," he said, squeezing his arm (it hurt a lot more now).
Brock held out his hand. "Your heart was in the right place, Kellyn. I'm sure the Union knows this."
Kellyn did, too, but he still smelled a demotion around the corner.
Brock gestured at his arm. "But for now, Doc Brock is in the house. Let me look at your arm."
No, Kellyn wasn't weak. He would endure the pain.
He stood and said, "It's okay, Brock. I'm more worried about Blu."
"Blu is fine," Brock repeated. "Don't worry. You need to take care of yourself, Kellyn. Let us help you."
"Yeah." Dawn smiled. "Nobody's perfect—not even Ash."
Oh, Kellyn knew that. Ash tossed himself into the fray first with Riolu, and he had to rescue him. It now looked like the other way around that time, but still.
"Oh, Dawn," Ash said, "you had to rub it in?"
"Uh-huh," she answered, chuckling.
Brock and Ash did, too, and even Kellyn felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Maybe he needed his friends more than he thought.
Eventually, he said, "Okay, Brock," and sat back down.
"Yes!" Brock punched the air and removed his knapsack. "My favorite part of being a Pokémon Breeder—helping others feel better. Scooch over, Dawn."
She did, and Brock took her place.
He set his knapsack down and unzipped it, shaking out his hands. "Let's see what we got here." Brock gently took Kellyn's arm and examined it, jabbing his fingers. "Ah, well, good news is that it's not broken, just bruised." He reached into his knapsack. "We'll clean it, put a patch over it, and voilà! It will be better in no time."
Kellyn wished he felt as confident as Brock sounded. He puffed out his cheeks to hide the pain while he cared for his arm: cleaned it, sprayed medicine on it, and covered the scrape and bruise with a patch. At least it wasn't his main capture arm.
"And all done," Brock said. "That wasn't hard, was it?"
No, what was hard for Kellyn was hiding his anxiety and humiliation. Ash, Brock, and Dawn were friends, not higher-ups like Hastings and Erma. A demotion still couldn't be ruled out. Kellyn likely deserved it after what happened.
Sven soon appeared at the top of the escalator and called, "Kellyn!"
Kellyn, Ash, Brock, and Dawn looked in his direction.
Kellyn's heart pounded.
Sven gestured behind him and added, "Hastings and Erma want to see you in the Conference Room."
Oh, no.
Kellyn's heart snapped, and all color drained from his face.
Goodbye Top Ranger status.
Kellyn did not speak the entire way to the Conference Room, even though Ash, Brock, and Dawn were right there. Hastings, Erma, Sven, and Kellyn's family waited there for him. The whole crew—now Kellyn knew what was coming wasn't good.
He massaged his arm and stopped before Hastings and Erma. Although they looked stern, Kellyn saw kindness in their eyes.
Hastings jumped right to it and rested both hands on his cane. "Kellyn, could you please tell Erma and me what exactly happened?"
Kellyn did, and he tried his best to keep his voice from shaking. He didn't argue or try to defend himself because he already knew he had broken Ranger protocol. His knees shook when he finished the story, but Kellyn locked them.
For a good minute, a long silence ensued.
Molli tried to run to Kellyn, but her parents pulled her back.
Kellyn asked the question before Hastings and Erma confirmed it: "You're demoting me, aren't you?"
They remained quiet for thirty more seconds, exchanging glances, before focusing on Kellyn.
"Yes, Kellyn," Hastings said.
Kellyn's shattered heart dropped to the bottom of his tummy. He felt heavier all of a sudden.
"You risked the mission, disobeyed orders, and endangered Molli and Blu," Hastings continued. "If Blu didn't get you out there when he did, you could be captured right now. We warned you of another Team Dim Sun that may try to exploit your power."
Kellyn didn't have that power anymore.
Erma opened her mouth, but Kellyn's father beat her and raised his hand. "Erma, Hastings, in Kellyn's defense"—he hooked hands with Kellyn's mother—"we told him he could play outside with Molli as long as he had Blu."
Kellyn appreciated his parents sticking up for him, but Erma and Hastings were Professor Hastings and Chairperson Erma.
Erma gave his parents a warm smile. "Thank you, but Kellyn still should have known better than to leave the Union and expose himself, Molli, and Blu when Almia's natural balance is struggling and he can't yet harness his power without his Styler."
Kellyn's parents lowered their heads.
"I'm sorry, son," his father apologized.
"Now, Kellyn," Erma included, "don't take this wrong. You are an amazing Ranger, proving today that you still carry the heart of Rank 10. You saved Molli and fought off the Hunter the best you could. That's true bravery. But…"
There it was: "But".
Kellyn rubbed his eye and clasped his arm again.
"As of right now," Erma elucidated, "you do not have the mentality of Rank 10 and cannot fight this new threat alone."
Hastings finished for her. "So, Erma, Sven, Wendy, and I talked, and have decided that until you learn your lesson, Kellyn, Erma and I are reducing you to Ranger Rank 9, and you will retrain under Sven, Wendy, and your friends during this mission. You're still a Top Ranger—and still one of the most prestigious ones we know—but you're young and need to reflect on who a Ranger truly is again."
This was the worst day of Kellyn's life. While relieved that he was still a Top Ranger, he humiliated himself, the Union, his friends, and his family, putting Almia in danger. What was Darkrai thinking?
Hastings removed one hand from his cane and held his palm out to Kellyn.
He took his Rank 10 badge off his jacket and studied it before handing it to Hastings, who gave him a new one—Rank 9. Rank freaking 9.
Hastings said, "This is best for you right now, Kellyn. I hope you will learn why soon."
Kellyn covered the badge with his hands and pressed it against his chest. "Understood, sir." He blushed so much that he swore he was on fire and turned on his heel.
"Get yourself to the medical bay to get your arm checked out," Erma gently ordered, "and go to bed, son. Tomorrow will be a new day."
"We'll find a way to counter Hunter J," Hastings encouraged. "Erma and I merely need to discuss it tonight."
"Understood, sir," Kellyn whispered that time.
He slowly walked out of the Conference Room, refusing to make eye contact with his family and friends, and waited until he was outside to cry.