Kellyn sat at the bow of the ferry, his arms over each other, staring at the Puel Sea before him. He recalled what it looked like underwater: vast, open areas, ocean trenches, currents, and coral reefs. Riding a Mantine through the currents to catch a Sharpedo who had swallowed the key to the drawbridge in Pueltown had been one of his most exciting missions, next to Almia Castle and the Shadow Crystal. There were so many amazing adventures in Almia, and now Kellyn had to keep up the momentum to prove his worth. He hoped nobody would recognize him, but given Almia's size, he doubted that.
Something sounded beside Kellyn, and Blu appeared, chittering, "Help, help."
Ash and his friends appeared behind him and Kellyn as if on Blue-Bird's command.
"Guys, please," Kellyn said, looking back at them. "I want to be left alone."
Ash narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. "No way. As a team, we work together."
Slightly excited, Dawn said, "We want to learn about the Rainbow Birds just as much as you."
"And you didn't push us away with Riolu," Brock stated. "So why is Blue-Bird any different?"
Kellyn pushed off the railing. "Because this is Almia, not Sinnoh."
"At least tell us what your mission is," Brock added. "There must be something we can do to help."
Kellyn caught onto his coldness and lost his angry face, replacing it with a subtle smile. "Thank you, guys, but if I'm going to prove myself to the Union, I must complete this mission alone. I'll tell you this." Maybe it would get them off his case.
Kellyn moved closer to Ash, Dawn, and Brock. "There's a powerful Crystal in Almia. It's called the Luminous Crystal, and it provides the region with light, energy, and serenity. According to the Union, the Crystal has been slowly weakening over the past few weeks. My mission is to figure out why and find Parity, Blu's sister, who's gone missing."
"Missing?" Ash, Brock, and Dawn questioned.
Kellyn nodded. "Parity and Blue-Bird are Pokémon who serve as Pokémon versions of Rangers. Their duty is to look after people, Pokémon, and nature, like us. They've been serving as Guardians of the Luminous Crystal in my absence, but they can't reverse its weakening for some reason. They left it to look for me, but only Blue-Bird made it."
"Why you?" Ash inquired before blushing. "Sorry! That came out wrong! I meant—!"
Kellyn held up his hand. "No, it's okay, and this is why I must prove myself." He inhaled and exhaled. "Because I was the one who purified the Luminous Crystal in the first place."
Silence. Waves brushed against the ferry's bow and sprayed Ash and his friends.
"You?" Ash, Dawn, and Brock finally blurted.
Kellyn pulled back the sleeve of his cloak and removed his Capture Styler, showing it to them. "That's how I got my Vatonage Styler. In Almia, 'vatonage' means to 'reawaken light that has been submerged in darkness.' Therefore, I'm the only one who can do this mission. Please…" Kellyn exchanged glances with Ash and his friends. "How you guys can help me, for your own protection, is to keep your distance."
Kellyn grabbed Blue-Bird and stroked his head. "I'm going to try to go back to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Holding Blu close, he passed Ash and his friends and headed back toward the ladder he had climbed.
Left behind, Ash, Brock, and Dawn were quiet for a few minutes, standing under the moon's light cloak.
Finally, Ash said, "Whoa," followed by a few "Pikas" from Pikachu.
"Kellyn… a Guardian alongside Parity and Blue-Bird?" Dawn guessed. "It's like he's a king. No wonder he feels pressured."
"Hm." Brock lifted his eyebrow and clutched his chin, lowering his head.
"Hm?" Ash gave him a bewildered look. "What are you thinking, Brock?"
"I'm thinking," Brock answered, "that no matter how much Kellyn fights, we need to find a way to see that Luminous Crystal ourselves."
Ash and Dawn wasted no time in saying, "Right!"
Brock dropped his hand from his chin and folded his arms. "We just need a plan."
***
Well, so much for sleeping that night. It was the longest night ever for Kellyn. He kept an eye on his Capture Styler, in case Hastings returned his voicemail, but he never did. Was something wrong? The Union always answered a Ranger.
Kellyn distracted himself by quietly pacing and watching the porthole, just waiting for that voicemail, but he got nothing. Oh, gosh! Did he already fail?
When the morning sun's rays passed through the porthole and woke Ash, Dawn, and Brock, Kellyn took off his cloak and threw open the door, rushing into the hallway and sprinting up the ladder. He set his Capture Styler and searched the early morning atmosphere for a Pokémon. Come on, give him a Mantine or a Staraptor.
Kellyn's eyes caught a piece of land on the near-horizon—Pueltown—so he knew where to go.
Not only that, but a large Bird Pokémon passed through the sky, flying toward Pueltown. It looked like a bird of prey, with black and white feathers and a red-tipped crest on its head.
Ash and his friends emerged from below deck, right when Kellyn aimed his Styler at Staraptor and released his Capture Disc. "Capture on!"
"Star?" the Pokémon said, examining the ring around it.
Kellyn's Capture Line appeared between his fingers, and he twirled it. "Vatonage!" However, he soon noticed he wasn't drawing as fast as usual. The key to a good capture was speed, but he didn't have it that morning, and Staraptor broke the ring around it with a cracking sound.
"Huh?" Kellyn inquired. What happened? He had never had an unsuccessful capture, not even in Ranger School.
Not only that, but Staraptor faced him and opened its beak. A bright light appeared, and it aimed the Hyper Beam at Kellyn.
"Pikachu, quickly!" Ash shouted. "Use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" Pikachu leaped before Kellyn, and Blue-Bird appeared, too. Together, they launched a lightning bolt at Staraptor and shocked it.
Kellyn closed his eyes against the light and backed away from the ferry's bow.
The light faded after a few seconds, and the weakened, frightened Staraptor flew away, back toward Pueltown.
Pikachu and Blu landed before Kellyn, their faces serious. Sparks crackled from Pikachu's cheek pouches and the tips of Blu's wings.
Ash, Brock, and Dawn glared at Kellyn, who removed his Capture Styler and fell to his knees.
Something prickled behind his eyes, and Kellyn shut them again. He punched the ferry's deck and yelled, "I don't deserve to be a Top Ranger anymore!"