"Tori, you're wanted in Haruba Village!"

I sighed inwardly as Rythmi called my name. "Rythmi," I pleaded, "Haven't I earned a day's rest? I mean, I was there yesterday helping those little kids with their Rain Dance." I paused. "Was it Henry who messaged you?"

"Yes, it was," Rythmi replied. "He said it was very urgent and that he needed someone right away. Supposedly there are four giant Tangrowth wandering around by the docks. Sven and Wendy are in Almia Castle and Keith is away visiting his dad. I'll ask Erma if you can have the rest of the day off after this. She probably won't object. Oh, and how did you know it was Henry?"

"Lucky guess."

Ha, Tangrowths, I thought to myself. Two loops around each of them will take care of that. This won't be long.

"Alright, Rythmi," I said. "I'll be back soon. Come on, Misdreavus," I called to my partner Pokemon,"let's show those Tangrowth what we're made of!"

I jogged outside of the Ranger Union, calling a goodbye to Professor Hastings. He absentmindedly waved, looking like he was in the middle of something important. I quickly captured a Staraptor for the long flight to Haruba Village.

As Misdreavus and I ascended into the sky, I realized I had some time to think... about Keith.

Keith had been away from the Union for a while, visiting his dad in the Sinnoh Region. His dad had gotten sick a year before, and Keith was just now getting some time off to stay with him and his mother. We hadn't spoken to each other much, only through voicemail. We also communicated by letters, and one letter I remembered very clearly:

Tori,
I'm here in Sinnoh now, and settling in alright. Twinleaf Town
is very quiet, and I'm not used to it. I live next door to a woman
named Johanna, and I visit with her regularly. She loves to hear
my Almia adventures with you and the Union. She also says that
she has a daughter named Tori! Isn't that ironic?

My dad is okay, I guess, and helping my mother is easy enough.
I'm working part-time for Professor Rowan as an assistant researcher
about Pokemon evolutions. It's very enjoyable, but not as rewarding
as being a Ranger. I sit inside a little cubicle for five hours straight,
doing research. At least I'm being paid for doing tedious work.

As long as I'm here, is there really a future for us at all? What if
I can never come back, would we really be able to continue our
relationship through letters and voicemail? I'm only kidding, Tori;
I'll do anything for you. You are my best friend.

At this rate, maybe I can be back in Almia this time next year.
Maybe I can get away even before then! Please fill me in on what
you are doing, and tell Rythmi I said hello. I will never forget our
promise the three of us made together at the Ranger School.

In my mind, you are with me, Tori. I'll always have a piece of your
spirit in my head, even though we are more than three thousand miles
from each other. I hope you are doing the same.

With hope and love,

Keith

"Three thousand miles.... next year.... future.... for us......." I mumble, talking to myself. "Do I really care for him the same way that he cares for me? Hopefully I'll know by next year when he comes back."

Staraptor cried out a call, alerting me that we were about to land. I jerked out of my dreamy state, and turned to Misdreavus, who was levitating right behind me. "Are you ready, girl?"

She spun around in a circle, making happy little noises. My Misdreavus and I had been partners for a while, and we always looked after each other and had each others' backs. I do recall that she had always watched mine a little closer than all of my other partners, and we shared a tight bond. Even though she was small, she made up for her tiny mass in speed. If I had a problem with capturing a difficult Pokemon, she backed me up with her Ghost Poke Assist.

There was a sudden drop, and I could feel the air around me breeze upward. Staraptor plummeted toward the earth, and I held on a little tighter around his neck. In a matter of seconds, Misdreavus and I were on the ground, and the great bird Pokemon was flying off into the sun. "Thanks for the ride, Staraptor!" I called out to him. I realized I was smack dab in the middle of Haruba Village, with tourists and inhabiters alike, waving to me in alarm. I looked around, and spotted Henry hurtling toward me.

"Tori, Tori!" He shouted at me, breathlessly. "Come- quick-docks-Tangrow...!" He couldn't finish his sentence before he fell to the ground. I didn't have time for that!

Feeling frustrated, I called out to a nearby tourist, "Can you help this man? I really need to get to the docks!"

The woman nodded, quickly taking in the situation. "The four Tangrowth are by the docks down that way," she pointed southward. "They have already destroyed one, so please hurry!"

I sprinted toward the docks, in fear that the other two were already broken. Tourists wouldn't be able to get out if they were all in pieces! Not on my watch, I thought, as the view of the docks came near.

The four wild Tangrowth were thrashing their limbs and flailing about in confusion, crushing boats and almost hitting people. I quickly reached for my Styler on my belt. I thrusted it out, and began the looping. One, two... One, two... One, two... One, oh, hit the Tangrowth, two... done!

The exhausted Pokemon sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily. "I'ts okay, big guys," I soothed them, "It's okay now. I'm going to release you and-"

BOOM!

BANG!

CRACK!

I froze. Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath me and split, making a line betweeen me and the Tangrowth. I screamed as the ground seemed to swallow one of the Tangrowth, pulling him under the earth. I tried to jump up, but the land was shaking too hard. Immediatley falling down, I lay on the ground. Near me, a giant palm tree wavered with pressure, and I knew that it was about to topple. I jumped up, trying to move away, but the shaking of the ground was too much for me. The tree came down on my leg, and I heard the loud crack! I screamed in agony, and waited for the trembling to come to a halt. Within a matter of seconds, the shaking stopped, and I slowly sat up, being cautious.

"Voicemail, voicemail!" My Styler beeped with Rythmi's voice. "Tori, are you alright?"

"Nnnnoooo." My teeth chattered with shock. "I--I think my l--leg's br-r-oken."

"Hang in there; we're sending the Vientown rescue team. Barlow and the crew should be there in a few minutes."

"Rythmi," I asked, "Were you and the Union hit with the earthquake?"

"Surprisingly, no," she answered. "I checked in on you only because we were getting reports of major earthquakes from Haruba Village and Boyleland."

On the horizon, I could just barely make out the rather large shape of Barlow and the smaller shapes of Luana and Crawford. "Guys, over here!" I called out to them.

I said to Rythmi, "The crew's here, now. I'll report to the Professor when I get back." I shut the Voicemail appliance off at the moment that the Vientown rescue team made their way over to me.

"Tori, you look like you got hit seriously hard!" Barlow reached his hand down to pull me up. "Is shaken up the new style for Top Rangers now?"

Despite my injury, I had to laugh. "You haven't changed a bit, my friend." As he helped my stand up, I sqealed with pain. "Ouch!"

"Here, put your arms around our shoulders," Luana volunteered herself and Crawford. I shakily hopped over to them and wrapped my arms around each of their necks. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate this."

"We can't leave a friend in need, can we?" Crawford smiled. They led me over to where our Staraptor escorts were waiting. "We need to get you back to the Union for some serious medical treatment."

The rangers helped me on to my Staraptor, and our transportation Pokemon flew side by side each other back to the Ranger Union. Exchanging news about current events in our lives, I felt a bitter sadness rising up within me. Sometimes I still wished I worked back in Vientown with my friends. Maybe I can go back as a leader one day...

I felt my Staraptor fall at a temperate speed, as to let us know that we were back to the Union. We glided faster and faster, then we eased downward slowly. My Staraptor planted her feet on the ground, and Barlow helped me off. "Thanks, guys, for everything. I couldn't have better friends than all of you." I waved them goodbye as I limped toward the entrance, toward the meeting room.