Kellyn attempted to free the negative thoughts from his mind, but it was nearly impossible when he was on Algarve Town's dock, looking at the four-deck ferry with Almia Tours painted on its side.
Ash, Brock, and Dawn hurried onto it, but Kellyn took his time and hid Blu in his cloak.
The ferry's main deck featured a sitting area and a designated space for Pokémon to play. Tucked inside, much like how Algarve's houses were tucked into the cobblestone streets, were the cabins. It was a simple ferry, much like Almia, which was simpler than the main regions. Ash, Brock, and Dawn had no idea what they were getting into. But on the upside, at least they had escaped Hunter J.
Once everyone was on the ferry's deck, Dawn lifted her hand, and she and Piplup jumped up and down. "We win, Ash!" she gloated. "Pokémon Contest, here we come!"
Kellyn smiled feebly, but he lost his smile and turned his head. He didn't try to grab Blu, who disappeared from inside his cloak and knocked it onto the deck.
"Aw, man," Ash groaned. "I wanna do a Gym."
Dawn grinned. "No worries, Ash! We'll do one after the contest."
Without warning, Kellyn narrowed his eyes and said, "Now, listen, guys."
Ash, Brock, and Dawn looked at him.
"You may come with me to Almia," Kellyn added, "but keep your distance. I want to complete this mission myself."
"But—!" the three argued.
"I've made myself clear," Kellyn interrupted. He kneeled and picked up his cloak, standing again. "Come on, Blue-Bird."
"Blu, stay, Blu, stay," the Pokémon fought. "Blu play, Blu play."
Brock stepped up. "We'll look after him, Kellyn."
"No," Kellyn protested. "As ordered by the Union, I need to keep him near me."
A bewildered look crossed Ash's face. "But what about Riolu?"
"Blue-Bird isn't Riolu, Ash." Kellyn wondered how much of that was actually true. "He's a Legendary Pokémon." One that only a Pokémon Ranger could protect.
Blue-Bird shook his head and said, "No, Blu, stay. Blu, stay." The little devil would not separate Kellyn from Ash and his friends, would he? If only Kellyn knew why.
The boat's foghorn blew, and Ash, Dawn, and Brock beamed. They hurried to the railing and grasped it as the ferry pushed off from the dock and followed the line of Algarve's cliffs toward the open ocean.
Ash's legs jiggled, and he yelled, "This is it! This is it!" He and Dawn faced one another and began a game of Patty Cake.
"Patty Cake, Patty Cake, here we come!" they cheered. "Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Almia, Almia!"
Pikachu, Blu, and Piplup also tried their own Patty Cake game, but Piplup tripped over its foot and crashed into the deck, wings outstretched.
Ash, Brock, and Dawn laughed, and even Kellyn smiled again.
However, he soon became serious and opened the screen of his Capture Styler, pressing the voicemail button. No one answered—odd—so Kellyn said, "Professor Hastings, this is Kellyn. We just boarded the ferry and will be in Almia tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to seeing you again."
Now, if only he could prove himself before that happened.
***
That night at dinner, Kellyn kept his hands in his lap and stared at his plate while Blu, Ash, Brock, Dawn, and their Pokémon ate vigorously. They sat at a table on the main deck, and the Pokémon had found a section near them.
The full moon's rays coated the ferry in a luminous, warm light, reminding Kellyn of the Luminous Crystal. What was wrong with it? The last thing he heard was that the Rainbow Birds left it because it had suddenly grown weaker, and they couldn't fix it. And Kellyn just learned recently that Parity, Blue-Bird's sister, had gone missing. Hastings had dubbed the mission "Search and Rescue" with some help from Chairperson Erma.
Kellyn returned to reality when Brock looked at his, Ash's, and Dawn's Pokémon teams and said, "Now, slow down, guys. You don't want to get sick."
Dawn nudged Ash, who stuffed his dinner into his mouth. "I think we should be more concerned about Ash, Brock."
"I'm fine," Ash grumbled behind a mouth full of food. Regardless, he coughed and batted his chest, and Kellyn sighed. He was ready for bed, but couldn't even sleep that night.
Kellyn tossed and turned while Ash, Brock, Dawn, and Blu slept peacefully on their bunk beds in their shared suite. It had a single porthole, and Kellyn stared at it, counting Mareep, but nothing happened. He pulled his covers over his head, released them, and hid under his pillow.
Nothing, but then Kellyn's chest tightened, and he reached for it, clutching his cloak. Breathing heavily, he shot up in bed and banged his head on the bottom of the upper bunk.
"Whoa!" Brock shouted, waking with a start.
Pain pulsed behind Kellyn's eyes, but he didn't grab his head and instead got out of bed, sinking to the floor in the center of the suite. His chest tightened further, and breathing became hard. He had to train, he had to train. He was still that Rank 10 Top Pokémon Ranger who purified the Shadow Crystal. He had to prove that to the Union and the Pokémon.
"Kellyn!" Brock tossed his covers off and slid down his bunk's ladder, rushing toward him, and Blu followed from behind.
Ash, Dawn, and their Partner Pokémon also woke, and Ash groggily asked, "What's going on?"
Pikachu Double Slapped him and said, "Pika! Pika!" gesturing at Kellyn and Brock.
"Brock, what's wrong with Kellyn?" Dawn inquired from the top bunk. She grabbed Piplup and climbed halfway down the ladder before jumping onto the floor. She and Ash surrounded Brock, Kellyn, and Blu.
Remaining calm, Brock faced Kellyn. "Deep breaths, Kellyn," he ordered. "Like this." He inhaled and exhaled, then repeated the process several times.
"Listen to him, Kellyn," Ash pushed.
Dawn put her hands together. "Yeah, Brock knows how to make anyone feel better!"
Kellyn didn't doubt that, considering Brock was a Pokémon Breeder, so he followed his breathing exercises.
Within seconds, his chest loosened, and his muscles relaxed, and he finally reached up and rubbed the sore spot on his head. That would leave a bump.
"Feel better?" Brock questioned, and Kellyn nodded.
"Yes. Thank you, Brock."
Brock grinned and stretched his arms toward the ceiling. "You just leave it to Brocko! He's got it all: medicine, massages, and anything else someone may need on a journey."
Ash and Dawn tittered, but then Ash said, "What happened, though, Kellyn?"
"I just got nervous, that's all," he answered. "Almia was where I became a Top Ranger, where I made a name for myself, and I have mixed feelings about returning to it." That was all he would say because he still needed to keep the specifics of his mission classified.
Before Ash and his friends said anything more, Kellyn stood and headed for the suite's door. "Sorry, guys, sorry for waking you. I need to get some air." With those words, Kellyn opened the door and ducked into the hallway, moving toward the ladder at the end of it.
***
Under the full moon's light, the forest surrounding Algarve Town was quiet, but three figures, dressed in their best Pokémon Hunter clothes (black and gray suits), stood before a few of Hunter J's goons.
Jessie, James, and Meowth smirked at one another, backing up only when there was a gust of wind, and a large ship landed before them. From the front, it looked like a face with a gaping mouth: black, menacing, and adorned with two enormous engines that resembled feet and shoulders.
A shadow emerged from the ship, and Team Rocket stood tall.
Still half-asleep, Hunter J ran her fingers through her silver hair and said to her goons, "This better be good to wake me." She wore a trench coat over a burgundy bodysuit, tall, high-heeled boots, and a gauntlet on her left forearm.
One of J's henchmen stiffened his posture and said, "Sir, forgive us, but these three nincompoops have seen a Ranger and think he may have the Pokémon you're searching for."
"Excuse you! Nincompoop?" Jessie threatened the man with her fist, but James and Meowth pulled her back. "I am the famous Jessilina, eager to catch rare Pokémon like you, J."
In a hopeful voice, James said, "Maybe we should retreat, Ms. Jessilina."
Meowth bobbed his head. "Before the bidding gets too good." He and James tightened their grip on Jessie when the henchman drew a pokéball and faced J.
"Should I have Crobat give them a Whirlwind?"
Team Rocket flinched and studied J.
She shook her head and answered, "Not yet. You said they saw a Ranger?"
James and Meowth nodded, but let Jessie do the talking.
"Sure did! Top Ranger... something about a Blue-Bird, a town on the beach, and a group of three twerps."
"Top Ranger?" Scorn overtook J's face, and she ripped off her gauntlet. "Not him!" She lifted her arm, but stopped herself before she threw her gauntlet and sneered. "It looks like it's time for another game of cat and mouse." She gestured at Team Rocket and gave her henchman a quick nod. "Bring them aboard. We're going to find that Ranger—show him no mercy—and Pokémon."
"Sir!" At once, J's henchmen surrounded Team Rocket and escorted them toward her ship, leaving them baffled, especially James and Meowth.
It worked, it really worked. One of Team Rocket's plans had succeeded.
ns216.73.216.164da2
and then Add to home screen.