PBK 69 Rangers (Patreon)

Arata's POV

Crunch!

Crushing the empty soda can, I threw it into the trash bin right next to the vending machine. It hit the rim, bounced out, and rolled to a stop at a passing Ranger's boot, earning me a look from him. Curbing my annoyance, I picked it up and tossed it inside carefully.

I looked around, feeling the cool night air of Cerulean, trying to find a place to sit and gather my thoughts. Fortunately, there was one at the edge of the Ranger headquarters. Reaching it, I sat down heavily, ignoring the sting that went up my spine. The debrief had not gone as I had hoped.

With a frown on my face, I stared at my hands in thought, ignoring the world around me.

"Why did you take such a reckless action?"

Ranger Voss questioned me casually, staring at my still form. My mind raced at how the debrief was unfolding. Instead of a large conspiracy, I was being questioned on my professional decisions.

Gathering my thoughts, I answered based on accounts.

"...Since the captain claimed to be capable of handling the Gyarados outbreak on his own, and given that I had aerial mobility and a Pokémon capable of holding a shoreline, leaving the crew on that islet without a ground defender simply wasn’t an option I was willing to take."

“Hmm.” She had made a small note on her PDA. “Why didn’t you stay on the ship? The captain was a known and experienced trainer.”

“…I didn’t know him.”

“You didn’t know the name of the captain whose ship you chartered?”

I had held her gaze, feeling incredibly silly. “...No.”

“I see,” she replied mildly. “Junior, from what I can see, you went well beyond what was required of you as a Junior Ranger. In that regard, you did a good job.”

But...

"But you did not handle the situation well. You traveled on your Pidgeotto, which — I might add — could not carry your weight comfortably. After landing, you drew Sharpedo's attention onto a civilian position."

Feeling a slow burn of annoyance at the need to defend myself, I countered her.

"That is not what happened," I said, my voice a little louder, before I brought it under control. "I made the calls that looked best in the moment. The crew was already exposed. Caesar held the line. Livia kept the air from turning into a second front."

The woman sitting in front of me raised an eyebrow in surprise and countered me again.

"Did you check for injuries?"

"...Not immediately. I did not have the time to do so."

She nodded and wrote something on her PDA. Despite wanting to say more, I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to tie the rope tighter around my own neck. This was ridiculous. I had risked my own neck, and now I'm being treated like a child.

"I can see your time as a Junior is almost up," she said. "You'll need certification if you intend to become a full Ranger." I nodded at that; it was something I planned to do once I reached Vermilion.

"And from this report," she continued, "I can't allow that unless you take remedial field training."

I had stared at her, exhaustion mixing heavily with my flaring temper.

"I don't think that's something you can decide on your own, Ranger Voss. I kept to regulation. I met every minimum requirement for a Junior Ranger."

"You said it yourself." Her eyes flicked up. "Minimum."

Frowning, I leaned back into my uncomfortable chair, doing my best to keep a poker face, trying to understand what she meant. Seeing my reaction, she sighed and said, "Yes. You did everything required. But from what the higher-ups and I can see, you lack the dedication and the needed experience. I'm not talking about your Pokémon's strength. Your Fraxure was impressive."

Remedial training wasn't something I could accept. I did not have the luxury of wasting nearly six months on it. I could not just uproot my life and jump into Ranger training, and if I did decide to do that, I would miss the circuit. I can't do that.

"Is there a way to fix this if I took more missions?"

"You're missing the point." She stood, straightening the chair with one hand. "You're a gifted trainer. The Oak sponsorship confirms that. If you want to be a full-time Ranger, you need more than strong Pokémon. You're arrogant if you think you're treating this like a part-time job."

I frowned and kept silent.

"That's it for tonight. You're dismissed."

Standing up quickly, I called out before she could clear the threshold. “Wait—is that all? What about the wild Pokémon coordination? Was it an organized attack?”

"Attack?" she repeated dryly, head tipping. "Yours is the only full account we currently have. I doubt there was anything. If there was, we'll handle it."

She paused at the door.

"Dismissed, Junior."

Now, sitting alone on the outdoor bench, her parting words filled my mind. 

Was I arrogant? Sighing, I physically shook my head to clear the thoughts. I leaned back against the wooden slats, shifting until I was comfortable, and stared up at the clear night sky, with dazzling stars blinking out across it.

“Tch!” 

Why was I allowing a stranger's words to affect me? That was so unlike me; I had simply done my best and acted according to the situation. This was a situation to dwell on; after all, I had things to do and places to be, but first I had to get the data back to Kailey.

"Should I get my Pokémon checked up at the center?" I thought for a bit, then decided against it. Neither Livia nor Caesar took a hit during the entire encounter; some food and a night's rest should be enough. Getting up from the bench, I picked up my backpack, gave one last look at the HQ building, and made my way out.

The building brought back the conversation I had with Ranger Voss. It was highly likely I would have to resign as a junior ranger or at least find a way to be a reserve member. There were a few benefits to being one, but they weren't enough for me to give up my plans.

Walking along the sidewalk, I gave way to a group of kids carrying blue cotton candy shaped like a Jigglypuff. I thought back to the early days when I had become a junior ranger. It was something I had done to be legally able to train and own Caesar's Pokéball, but it was something I had earned with my own strength and my Pokémon's. Giving it up left a bad taste in my mouth.

"I should give Aunt Hailey a call; she would know what to do..."

It had been a while since I spoke with her. Hopefully, she was doing alright, and hopefully, she hadn't changed her boyfriend. Smirking, I walked back to the Inn Erica had graciously offered us. The inn was as welcoming as it was the first time I saw it; it was beautifully illuminated with the warm colors cast by the swaying lanterns, blending well with the wooden aesthetic of the building.

My boots crunched over the pebble path leading to the separate house-like suite we were sharing. Without thinking much, I slid open the door leading to the dimly lit main hallway, only to hear multiple high-pitched screeches as a large fabric was thrown at me.

Facing the sudden onslaught, I raised my hand and failed to catch the fabric as it unfurled and covered my body headfirst, obstructing my vision.

"What the—!" I flailed my arms, dropping my backpack, trying to get the fabric off my face, only to hear footsteps thudding away from the hall to the rooms.

"Brute!" Sabrina's voice snapped from somewhere down the hall. "Do you not know how to knock?!" My face turned awkward as I realized what I had done.

"Sorry..." I yelled back and stood awkwardly in the hallway for nearly a minute, not knowing if I should proceed into the hall. "Can I come in...?" I called out, knowing the girls could rightfully be angry.

"It's alright, Arata! Come on in, there's food on the table," Erica's head leaned over the hallway with a smile.

What an angel...

"Thanks..." I sighed out, walking over. "Again, I'm sorry, I should have knocked."

"It's alright, we didn't lock the door either," Erica said sweetly. I ignored her fairly wet hair and homely kimono that hugged her warm body.

They must have visited the onsen...

She led me toward the low table, which was filled with traditional food that looked and smelled incredible, causing my stomach to grumble in hunger.

"Oh my, you must be quite hungry," she said, hiding her smile with her hand. I smiled with her.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I ate." I dropped my bag on the warm tatami mats near the wall, ensuring it would not hinder anyone, and made my way to the table, only to find Erica's hand blocking my way.

She gave my salt-stained clothes a pointed look, then looked me in the eye.

"You should wash up and change first."

I had to sigh and nod, smiling despite myself. For a girl who looked that demure, she could be stern and weirdly commanding.

"Have you not learned any manners?" Sabrina asked as she and Marrie came out of one of the side rooms, dressed in similar house kimonos.

"I said I was sorry, alright? I didn't see anything. Your chastity is safe, Sabrina."

Unlike Erica, I did not want to lose ground to Sabrina.

"Now, now, Sabrina, it was a mistake." Erica walked over and pacified her, bringing her over to the table as both the girls sat down.

I looked at Marrie, then past her toward the other room.

"Everything good, Marrie? Where's Maggie?"

"She's sleeping. She was tired after a whole day of sightseeing and shopping."

"That's great." I meant it. The sisters deserved some fun and relaxation.

"Are you finished with your training?" Marrie asked me as she settled down on one of the seats next to the table, pouring herself a glass of water.

"No... there was a situation that had me stopping my trip early," I said, sighing in my head at the disruption the entire event had caused my training schedule. We were still not prepared for the Gym.

"Oh."

Staring at the food again, I decided I should get a quick shower before filling my belly; it would be rude to join the table with dirty clothes.

I should also set up the food station for my team before doing anything else...

"You girls eat, I'll clean up and eat later," I said, ensuring they didn't wait for me.

"Gladly." Sabrina intoned imperiously, reaching for the chopsticks, only to be blocked by the deft hand of Erica as she pleasantly said to me,

"Go and wash up quickly, we'll wait."

"Yeah, we'll wait. Why don't we watch some TV?" Marrie supported Erica and switched on the flat screen in the room with the remote as the news channel came up.

A pretty anchor reported on the multiple Gyarados evolutions, reporting what had happened. Weirdly enough, the Sharpedos were quietly sidelined.

I narrowed my eyes. I decided to ignore it. It had been made entirely clear to me today that this was not my problem. I turned away with a scoff. Turning around, I noticed the girls engrossed in the screen.

I blinked at them. "You guys didn't know?"

They shook their heads. I nodded to Marrie.

"The situation I told you about, that's the one," I pointed to the TV.

"What?"

"How?"

Seeing no reason to hide anything, I retold my adventurous day to my waiting audience. It took a while to explain everything until the girls were satisfied. Once that was done, I went outside and quickly released all my mons in the back garden and set up their favorite food in their dispensers.

Throughout it all, I kept an eye on Caesar. I had not forgotten how he had reacted in the aftermath a few hours back. Thankfully, he seemed to be back to his usual self. Once my team were eagerly eating their fill, I made my way inside, intending on doing the same.

...After a shower.

Some time later

Click.

With a final press of a button, I sent all the data back to Kailey. Hopefully, this was enough; I did not want to go back to the research site.

I stretched my arms over my head, popping my neck. The meal had been uneventful, with us all eating our fill and the girls departing to their rooms, tired after the daytime activities.

Before sleeping, I decided to send the data back to Kailey and get it over with. Luckily, the inn had a couple of PCs where their patrons could use them for their various needs.

Looking at the time, it was nearly midnight. I had initially wanted to call Hailey but decided against it, seeing it was too late and I didn't want to disturb her.

Maybe I'll just drop a message...

Deciding to do that, I logged into a dedicated messenger application on the PC and typed a short message. I sent it over and received one back almost immediately.

"Huh... is she not asleep?" I muttered, video-calling her.

"Arata!" Hailey's face filled the frame brightly. "How have you been? It's been so long."

"Hey, Aunt Hailey." I smiled, happy to see her face after a long time. "Yeah. It's been a while. I got busy."

I tilted my head, feeling something off about her. Something about her face was a little fuller and softer around the jaw.

Hailey's eyes narrowed at once.

"You're thinking about my weight, aren't you?"

"No. No, no—" I waved a hand at the camera like that would help. I knew that landmine when I saw it.

She snorted, the glare breaking into a smile, and tilted the camera down, showing her belly.

"You're pregnant?!"