"Yoo-hoo! Look at this, J!" Team Rocket gestured at Torterra, unharmed, but trapped under a net. "We took care of the Torterra!" They high-fived and danced a little, leaving J's henchmen to smack their palms to their faces.
Meowth clutched his cheeks and said, "Just imagine, the Boss wakes up on a hot day—no shade—and Torterra's there with a chair under its tree. It escorts the Boss around, keeping him cool and happy. You know what he will say? 'Say, this Torterra Meowth and friends got is great. I was wrong about not promoting them sooner.'" He laughed at his daydream, and Jessie and James laughed, too.
J swore—why did she have these three nincompoops again? However, they did capture the Torterra, and... Hold on. Did the Ranger ever release it? If he didn't... A wicked smile crossed J's face.
She left Salamence, and her henchmen stood tall while she approached Torterra. Instead of petrifying it, she cut the net and pulled it off the Pokémon.
Instantly, Torterra roared at her and sprinted away, disappearing into the Vien Forest.
"Whaa?" Team Rocket yelled.
James almost looked like he was going to cry. "That was our prize for the day!"
"All right, lady!" Jessie leaned into J and lifted her finger. "What's your deal? We captured the Torterra!"
J crossed her arms and backed away from her. "Yes, you did," she said, examining her bewildered henchmen, "and we're using it to track down the Ranger and Legendary. He never released it."
Instantly, Team Rocket retreated, and J's henchmen said, "Oh."
"So, what are you standing around for?" J snapped. "Back to the ship, and follow that Torterra. We're catching that Ranger off-guard again, little sister or not."
"Sir!" announced her henchmen, but Team Rocket still looked annoyed that they had lost their prize.
***
Under the rising moon, Kellyn sat at a fountain under the Tree of Harmony on the Ranger Union's roof, covered in its chilly shade. He had brought everything: an office trash can, a stack of empty papers, and a handful of pens.
One at a time, Kellyn set a paper on the fountain's rim and scribbled on it until it ripped, chucking it into the trash can. He had made it through half the papers when his father, mother, and Molli came up the escalator and focused on him. Kellyn's mother carried a plate of food, his father a drink, and Molli a folded paper.
Sensing them, Kellyn crumpled up the paper he was working on and tossed it away. He moved around the fountain's rim and hid on the other side, away from his family and deeper in the shadows. He covered his Rank 9 badge and panted. He couldn't face his family right now.
"Oh, Kellyn," his mother said when she, Kellyn's father, and Molli stopped at the fountain. "Please, don't hide from us. We just brought you some dinner."
His father clamped Molli's shoulder. "And Molli has something for you."
"Go away." Still panting, Kellyn held his head.
His family waited a few more minutes, but Kellyn didn't come out.
Finally, his parents exchanged looks and nodded.
They sat on the fountain's rim, and Kellyn's mother gently told Molli, "Go on, Molli."
"What if Big Brother hates me?" she asked, squeezing her paper.
"Oh, sweetie, he could never hate you." Her mother tapped her nose. "But we think he needs his sis more than us now. It's okay."
Molli inhaled and loosened her grip on her paper. With her parents watching, she walked around the fountain into the shadows. She stopped before Kellyn, who released his head but tilted it away.
"Big Brother?" Molli softly questioned. "Di-Did I do this? Am I bad?"
"Oh, no!" At once, Kellyn faced her and helped her onto his lap. He brushed tears away from Molli's eyes and hugged her like a baby. "This isn't your fault, Molls—it's mine."
Molli sniffed. "But Molli wanted to play."
"This isn't your fault, Molli," Kellyn repeated. He whispered his following line. "And between you and me, grownups are boring."
She chuckled and held her paper out to Kellyn. "Here, I brought you something."
He accepted it, unfolded it, and smiled himself.
Molli had drawn a picture of her and Kellyn holding hands under Almia's sun. Written above it was I'm sorry, and below, Your still my hero. She had spelled "You're" wrong, but that was the least of Kellyn's worries.
"Thank you, Molli," he said, hugging her again and standing. He still couldn't face his parents, but he knew they were patiently waiting until he was ready (he didn't hear them leave).
Kellyn sang Molli a lullaby to distract himself, comforting her until she fell asleep. He removed his jacket, flinching, and wrapped her in it. Then, with her note in his hand, Kellyn carefully stepped out of the shadows and approached his parents.
They stood, and Kellyn handed Molli to them. "She fell asleep," he lowly said, clutching his arm. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad." He felt like the biggest disappointment right now.
"Don't be." His father waved his hand. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I think I forgot that you're still my son, Kellyn."
Kellyn's mother giggled and peered at the trash can, pens, and papers. "He did the same thing after that meeting. Like father, like son." Her eyes diverted to Kellyn's arm, and she lost her smile. "Did you get your arm checked out, dear?"
Kellyn fell silent. The aftermath of the meeting was a little fuzzy, but considering how much his arm hurt right now, he assumed he didn't. That wasn't that long ago, though. Why was it fuzzy? Maybe Kellyn merely drowned himself in his own tears.
"I'm going to put Molli to bed," his mother stated, looking at Kellyn's father. "Kellyn, why don't you go with your father to get your arm checked? Moral support." She kissed Kellyn's cheek. "Goodnight, baby, and please... make sure you eat." With those words, she left Kellyn and his father, leaving Kellyn with the same question to close out the night.
Why was everything fuzzy?
***
Kellyn gave himself credit for sleeping two hours that night instead of just one, but he still tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. His whole body ached, not just his arm. And while he had taken a shower before bed and put his uniform in the laundry, it didn't wash away the pure shame he felt.
The medics had wanted him to stay in the medical bay overnight, but Kellyn felt safer in his own bed, even though Sven snored and Wendy muttered in her sleep. He also had to be careful of Ash, Brock, and Dawn, who slept in their sleeping bags in the dormitory, when he got up around midnight and walked stiffly to the door, Fine Styler in hand.
That was when he said, "Oh, no!" and turned his Styler on. "I never released that Torterra!" Was it okay? The last Kellyn saw of the Pokémon was when he escaped the Sandstorm.
He instantly pressed the release button on his Styler and begged that it wasn't too late—that J had not petrified it while it distracted her henchmen and Team Rocket. Now he wouldn't sleep until something told him Torterra was safe.
Kellyn half-sprinted out of the dorm and nearly jumped down the escalator, gasping when he reached the bottom.
Speak of the devil—there was Torterra: a Wild Pokémon sleeping in the Union's lobby. That would surely confuse Hastings and Erma. Regardless, Torterra had followed Kellyn to the Union, like the Mime Jr. who stuck with him during the heist aboard Team Dim Sun's ship, the last mission he did as an Area Ranger.
"Torterra!" Kellyn whispered. He jogged to the enormous Pokémon and pushed on it, but it was too heavy.
Torterra merely turned onto its side and took Kellyn with it.
"Whoa!" he added, now holding onto Torterra's shell.
"Tor?" The Pokémon opened its eyes, and Kellyn dropped from it when it stood. It faced him, seeming to grin. "Tor!"
"Shh!" Kellyn said, struggling to stand with his stiff body. It looked like J hadn't hurt it, but there still couldn't be a Wild Pokémon in the lobby. "I'm sorry, boy," Kellyn included. "I meant to release you earlier. You're free now."
But Torterra didn't move. Instead, he circled Kellyn and tapped his large feet. It was almost as if he were asking... But Kellyn just got demoted. He wasn't worthy of Darkrai's gift or a new Partner Pokémon.
Torterra said otherwise, since he was still circling Kellyn. He didn't have his Vatonage Styler yet, though, so even if he deserved it, he couldn't register him as a new Partner.
"Well, look at that, Kellyn," a voice said from nowhere.
He jumped and turned to see Professor Hastings emerging from his quarters, wearing a nightcap and gown.
"Professor Hastings!" Kellyn pushed on Torterra again. "I'm sorry. I was getting him to—"
"Wait," Hastings said suddenly. "Is that the Torterra you caught when fighting the Hunter?"
"He is," Kellyn answered. "I forgot to release him, and I guess he followed me here." Why did Hastings appear nervous? Another wave of anxiety settled in Kellyn's tummy, and he wrapped his arms around Torterra's neck.
He closed his eyes and nudged Kellyn, grinning, but his smile vanished when Hastings paced and removed his nightcap.
"There's been a change of plans, Kellyn," he said. "You, Sven, Wendy, Ash, Dawn, and Brock must leave now instead of in the morning."
Wait, what? Why?
"Now," Hastings repeated. "Get changed quickly, Kellyn."
That was when it hit Kellyn. No! Not again! He made another mistake, no, no!
He had waited too long to release Torterra.