Hey readers! Funngurl here! It's been a LONG while since I've written/posted anything! You know how it is, University life makes you crazy (or, you know, maybe you don't). Either way, I've just finished Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia and it was brilliant! So, I've decided to write a Fanfiction concerning the characters I've come to love over the past couple weeks. If they're OOC at all, I apologize; I'm basing everything I know off the game. I've never seen the anime or read the manga, so I'm constructing the personalities the best I can. That's also why I'm writing from Kate's perspective. Her perspective is what I've been playing from. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy this story, because I've put a lot of thought into it so far. This chapter is mainly meant to set up some backstory for the characters, on what happened since Operation Brighton, it's been some time since then, and we'll find out where our lovely characters are now, and introduce a new issue. Also, I hope you like the little romance aspect of it, too! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy my first ever Pokémon Ranger Fanfiction! :) Please R&R, constructive criticism is always welcomed ^^

Erma stood very still, her back facing me. I waited for her to speak; I had never seen her quite so on edge before. I said nothing, but went pondered the idea of breaking the uncomfortable silence. But what would I say? Nothing really fit the situation. I went over the words in my head, until suddenly-
"I'm glad you got here so quickly, Kate" Erma muttered, staring out the large window before her, overlooking Almia.

"Of course I did, Erma. I always do" I said, smiling good-naturedly at the old woman as she finally turned around.

She smiled back to me, "You're right, you do. But the reason I called you here is we have a bit of a… situation at hand, and I need my top ranger to attend to it. Everyone around here knows that's you" she said, regaining her serious composure.

"You flatter me, Erma. I just do my job, protecting the people and Pokémon of Almia at all costs. So, what's this big job you have for me?" I asked, feeling my anticipation build. I could tell this would be more than some rookie mission, like the ones I used to attend to when I first started at the Union, but now that I've been here 6 years, I've built a pretty good reputation.

Since Operation Brighton, 5 years ago, we haven't had a whole lot of trouble to attend to. Sure I went patrolling, and had a bunch of Quests to help out citizens all over Almia. Now and then we still got missions, like rounding up a herd of raging Tauros that went rampaging through Altru Park, or a beached Wailord, unable to get back in the water, that was what I tended to deal with, but by Erma's serious and unusually stoic expression, I could tell this was something bigger than that.

Erma stood silently a moment longer, like she was thinking hard about something, until she finally spoke again. "See… Now, don't be alarmed by this but… Over the past couple weeks I've been getting reports from citizens, reporting sightings of Team Dim Sun members sneaking around Almia," stated Erma, still looking fairly on-edge.

"Wait, you're kidding me, right? Team Dim Sun disbanded five years ago! There's no way Mr. Hall would try to pull Team Dim Sun back together after what he went through with Darkrai… There's gotta be some kind of mix-up!" I protested, once I realized that Erma really wasn't kidding.

"Calm down, child, I told you not to get alarmed. I thought the same thing you did when I started getting these reports. At first, I assumed that people were being paranoid because of how horrific the last incident was, but after 5 years it did seem a bit strange that only now citizens would begin acting out of paranoia. Anyways, over the past couple of weeks we've had a lot of reports from Boyeland about suspicious activity going on in Volcano Cave. Residents have been seeing a lot of individuals in black outfits entering and leaving the cave daily, some of them Pokémon being flown in by Pokémon. Could you go to Volcano cave and see what's going on?" Erma requested earnestly, her expression was confident, but I could still see the smallest bit of fear in her eyes; fear of what was to come if Team Dim Sun really was back in Almia.

"I'll definitely check it out, but Erma; shouldn't this be a team project? I mean, if Team Dim Sun really is back to their old tricks, shouldn't I go with someone to check this out in case it's some kind of trap? I know Keith has been busy at the Ranger School lately, helping train the students, but what about Sven or Wendy?" I asked. I wasn't afraid of Team Dim Sun in the least, nor did I worry that I couldn't face them alone. However, if there was anything I had learned from the past, it was that Team Dim Sun was almost always expecting me, and had something ready that I wouldn't expect.

"No, no, let's not be hasty dear. This could just be a big hoax, a joke by some kids or something. Besides, Sven and Wendy left for the Fiore region on a top secret mission yesterday, so they won't be back for a couple weeks at least. Kate, I know you can handle yourself up there" Erma said, assuredly. I was always astounded by how much faith she had in me. Seeing the citizens and Pokémon of Almia safe and happy made my job worthwhile.

"Okay, I'll head up there and see what's going on" I said, "But first I need to make a stop at my Dad's partner farm, in Chicole Village first. I think Chimchar would be best for this mission. He loves Volcano cave, and my other partner's get too hot if they're in there too long". I waved at Erma, jumped on my Staraptor as soon as I left the union, and headed off to the village.

After paying a short visit to Mom, Dad and my little sister, I got Chimchar, and set off for Volcano cave. I arrived with 4 valuable Pokémon; Chimchar, Flygon, Garchomp and Staraptor. When I entered the cave, there was a weird sound echoing throughout. It was a very low, vibrating noise, almost like a bass without the rest of the music in the song, or any kind of beat. Just a continuous echo, that made my head hurt. Chimchar whimpered beside me, covering his ears, Flygon shook her head back and forth vigorously, Garchomp growled viciously, looking for the source of the noise, and Staraptor let out a low cry, signalling his own discomfort at the situation. "I know it's horrible, guys, but we have to keep going, and find out what's going on" I whispered, they all nodded in agreement, despite their dislike of the situation.

We continued onwards for a while, and I found it strange that I didn't encounter a single Pokémon on the way. Not only were they not attacking, but I couldn't even see or here any Pokémon anywhere! Where they hiding from something? Or was something much more sinister going on? Whatever it was, I was sure to find out. Suddenly, I began hearing a quiet murmuring from further within the cave. I ducked behind a large boulder, and strained to hear what the people were saying. Was it Team Dim Sun? Or someone else?

I only heard bits and pieces of the conversation," La- … so proud… Not like… find us… can't even… te-… I-…" Another voice joined in, "I really… not so good… idea that… Pokemon would… always ta-…" Still nothing I could decipher. Finally, a louder voice rang out that I could understand better, "Both of you, shut up. Listen, if they think it'll be that easy, they can think again! We're not rookies, like they think we are. In fact, we're better than ever! Let them show up, I'll show them who's boss around here! No Ranger can match up against the likes of me! I'll make Team Dim Sun the strongest it has ever been!"

"Confident, isn't he?" I thought to myself. At that moment I knew it was time to go in, and I whispered aloud, "If it's a fight he wants, a fight he'll get. Guys, stay back here, they could have traps set for intruders. I'll go in first, you come in when I need you, got it?" the Pokemon all nodded, confident expressions, and trust in their eyes. I flashed a determined grin of my own, and rushed in.

"You called?" I shouted, as I ran towards them. Suddenly, as suspected, I was knocked to the ground. I got to my knees and realized I was covered in a surprisingly heavy net. Wait- A net? Really? This seemed so old-fashioned for the previously high-tech Team Dim Sun!

"Speak of the devil!" The loud and proud member who had just been boasting said, walking over to me, a smirk on his face. He was a fairly stout man, with shoulder-length brown hair, a sharp-looking, angular face, and a Team Dim Sun grunt uniform. I had definitely never seen this one before, so if Team Dim Sun really was back in business, they'd obviously recruited some new Grunts.

"You know, it's ironic that you call me the devil, when I was just thinking the same thing about you" I shot back. The grunt just grinned at me, the other two Grunts muttering inaudibly to each other behind him.

"Oh-ho-ho, well lookie here, a Ranger with some attitude! Silly Ranger, you come here with no support Pokémon, and run head-first right into our trap. You must still be a rookie over at the Union, huh?" What was with this guy? Not to sound conceited, but everyone in Almia knew my name, Keith's, Sven's, and Wendy's since Operation Brighton, so where was this guy from?

"Where are all the Pokémon?" I asked, glaring at him.

"That's for me to know, and if you weren't such a noob, maybe you'd be able to find out! But you're stuck now, little Ranger, and at our mercy!" he cried, his cohorts laughing next to him. It had been a long time since I'd been called a noob… in fact, when was the last time I was called that?

"You think this flimsy net can hold me? You guys are the noobs!" I cried out, getting to my feet, and wrestling around with the net that was covering me. It was surprisingly heavy, and well-grounded, but nothing I couldn't get out of, I was sure.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" the grunt warned, pulling something out of his back pocket. Suddenly, my entire body tensed up as electricity coursed through it. Intense pain surged through me, and I could feel the rope burning into my skin. As the electricity released me, I fell to the ground, unable to move. I felt as if I had just been on fire, and struggled to catch my breath, only hearing the Grunts laughing hysterically.

"Look at the "big and strong" Ranger now! She's shaking!" The obnoxious grunt cried out as the other 2 who had been silent the entire time chortled loudly. Flygon came charging in upon witnessing my electrocution, and began slicing at the net with her claws but, as he electrocuted me again, Flygon cried out and fell to the ground. I felt the burning pain pulse through me again, and Flygon gave me an apologetic look as she charged out of the cave.

"Flygon… Wait…" I pleaded weakly, but she was already gone. I heard Staraptor's piercing cry as he snatched the remote from the Grunt's hands and flew above their heads. All 3 of them tried to grab it, but to no avail, as Staraptor grasped the remote in his talons. Chimchar and Garchomp were at my side immediately, pulling at the net, trying to get it off of me. I smiled at them, working so diligently to save me. I couldn't have been luckier than to get such loyal Pokémon on my side. The net was still well-grounded however, and no amount of pulling would shake it.

After a few more minutes of the Dim Sun Doofus' trying to reach Staraptor and me, starting to regain my bearings, Flygon game charging back in the cave, a Gallade following close behind her. She let out a cry, and Gallade nodded, sliced through the electric net, careful not to hit me. It fell away and I felt incredibly light as I was released. "Thank you, both of you!" I cried as I got to my feet again. Gallade nodded at me, before speeding off again, Flygon stayed however. Staraptor dropped the remote and flew behind me, and Chimchar and Garchomp were at my side.

The Grunts took off running, but I followed close behind them, until suddenly, they stod before a huge metal machine, that was the source of the vibrating, humming sound. I glared at the Grunts. "So, are you going to tell me what I want to know, or am I going to have to force it out of you?" I asked with a dangerous tone.

The Grunts looked unnerved by this, but the Grunt who had done all the talking spoke up, "W-Why would I tell you, when I could show you instead? Camerupt, Torkoal! Attack!" Suddenly Camerupt and Torkoal exited the machine, a black cloud surrounding them, they charged out of the cloud and directly at me, their eyes completely black, like the cloud. Team Dim Sun was definitely up to their old tricks again.

I whipped out my Styler, and switched it to Capture on, and began encircling the 2 as fast as I could, avoiding their flame attacks. "Garchomp, use crush on the machine, Flygon use cut, now!" I cried. The two rushed over to the machine and both of them attacked with their full power, just as I captured both Camerupt and Torkoal. Sparks flew from where Garchomp used crush, and Pokémon spilled out of the machine from the cut Flygon had made. Their eyes were all pitch black, like the other 2, and they were also clouded in that black fog, but as the machine broke down, the fog faded and the Pokémon regained their senses.

The quiet Grunts finally began speaking. "P-Please don't hurt us!" one of the Grunts cried, scuttling back against the wall.

"W-W-We'll do anything!" The other sputtered, joining his comrade.

"Fools!" Cried the arrogant Grunt, as a black-eyed Espeon appeared beside him. "Espeon, teleport!" he cried, and the 4 disappeared, and all I saw was the slight glimmer of something that was hanging around the Espeon's neck.

"I'm home!" I cried, as I dragged myself through the door of my apartment, after watching the Dim Sun Grunts disappear with a helicopter, reporting back to Erma, and having a full medical examination in the medical ward. I found out I would be fine, luckily, but the burns would take a while to heal.

"Hey," said Keith, who was now my husband of 2 years, poking his head out from the kitchen, "You're home late."

"I know, I had a pretty busy day. Big news" I said, walking into the kitchen and giving him a light peck on the lips, as he focused his attention on stirring a pot on the stove and reading a piece of paper next to the stove, and didn't notice the burns on my back. "Whatever that is, it smells great. Thanks for cooking again," I said gratefully.

"New recipe," he muttered, as he added some salt, "I hope it tastes as good as it smells. Now what's this news?" He asked.

"Um, okay… you need to promise you won't freak out when I tell you this," I started slowly.

"Okay, okay, I won't freak out," replied Keith distractedly, who still hadn't looked away from his recipe.

"Okay… Team Dim Sun may be back," I said, slowly. Keith's eyes widened, and he looked at me for the first time since I got in. That's when he finally noticed the burns.

"Oh my God, Kate, what happened!?" he cried, frantically, forgetting about the stew he left on the stove.

"Erma got a call about some suspicious activity in Volcano Cave. She sent me to investigate, and they had an electric net," I told him, calmly. "Don't worry, I was checked out at the Union, and I'm fine," I assured him. Keith wasn't convinced.

"Fine!? Kate, you're covered in burns, that isn't fine!" he cried. "When I find those Dim Sun creeps, I'll make them pay!" he grumbled, the determination that I loved about him, burning in his eyes.

"Keith, you promised you wouldn't freak out, please calm down, I'm really okay," I said, trying to sound soothing.

"But- I- You-!" Keith began, but gave up, sighing, calming himself down. "Okay, I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be yelling at you. I just worry about you, you know?" he admitted, gazing into my eyes.

I smiled at him, thinking about how much I loved him. "I know you do," I said softly, "But I'll be okay, I promise. I'll tell you everything that happened today."

"Alright, and I have some cream that's good for burns. I can get it for you," he offered.

"Thanks, but if you don't get back to the stove, your stew's gonna burn, and I doubt your cream can fix that," I pointed out, smirking at him, playfully.

Keith tensed at the mention of the stew he'd forgotten. "Oh, right!" he cried, rushing back to the stove, and stirring the pot vigorously, looking back at the recipe for guidance. I couldn't help but giggle at his constant antics. Even though we'd both grown together he was still as silly, clumsy, funny, and crazy as he always has been, and it's just another thing about Keith that made me fall for him in the first place.

"I'm gonna go change, and I'll tell you all about it over dinner, okay?" I said, turning to leave the room.

"One minute," he said, as he adjusted the heat on the stove, then walking back over to me, he kissed me more fully, pulling me close against him. I wrapped my arms around him, running my fingers through his fiery red hair.

"I love you, Kate," he said, after pulling away his forehead against mine.

"I love you, too," I said, smiling up at him. And with that, he let go, and went back to his cooking, and I went to our room to change, and gather my thoughts while doing so. I had a lot of explaining to do over dinner.

So, this seemed like a good place to leave it. I really wanted Keith and Kate to be together, cause the 2 seem to have such a great connection, in the way they interacted. Hope you like my plot so far! There's much more to come, and as I expand on this story, I'll give more background info on what's happened in the 6 years since the end of the game. I'll go into details on how Kate and Keith got together in the first place, and what became of some of the other main characters, as well as revealing what's going on now with Team Dim Sun and who's behind it all. I hope you liked it, and please let me know what you thought! Until next time!

Funngurl~