Approaching Jubilife city, the smile on Ally's face was as huge as the moment she won her first badge. Holding her jacket open, she ran her thumb across the shiny surface.

"Don't do that too much or you'll dull it," Kellyn warned.

Ally laughed. "I can't help it. I finally got my first badge."

"You earned it. That was a good battle," he replied.

Ally smiled at him, but he didn't see. "Well, hey, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. So, thanks."

"So in a way, that badge belongs to me?" he said, grinning.

Ally growled and pulled it away from him. "Keep your hands off my badge, you worthless trash."

Kellyn chuckled as he returned his eyes to the road. Ally had earned her first gym badge at Oreburgh city. Next, they had to travel back through Jubilife, past Floaroma, all the way to Eterna City. The road to Jubilife was open and well-travelled. The smooth path was bordered by tall trees.

"That's one badge down and seven to go. This is going to be a long journey," said Ally.

Kellyn merely grunted in response. Ally kicked a rock before chasing it childishly. "A lot's going to happen," she mused, dreaming of the future.

"Probably."

"Do you think I can do it?" She asked bravely.

"I don't see why not. You've got all the ingredients," Kellyn said, waving his hand dismissively.

Ally's cheeks puffed out as her lips curled into a frown. "Ingredients?"

"A dash of persistence. A pinch of commitment, and a hint of adventure. If you've got those, you're set. You can make a memorable cake."

Ally laughed. "I don't understand your recipe."

"I'm trying to say... you've got the makings of a great trainer," he seemed almost reluctant in his admittance and she laughed quietly.

Ally blushed and smiled at the ground. "Thanks."

Kellyn rolled his eyes. "Damn cooking metaphors. They never work."

Ally laughed again, but Kellyn suddenly stopped walking. She bumped into his still form and her teeth clamped down on her tongue. She yelped and breathed in long draughts, trying to cool the burning pain on her tongue.

"Oww," she whined. "Why'd you stop?"

He didn't respond and after a moment she peered up at him. His jaw was dropped open and he was staring blankly ahead. Following his gaze, Ally saw what had made him freeze. At the edge of the forest, men and women, about six of them; all in uniform. The uniforms were black, grey and white, with a golden 'G' printed on the front. The people all wore strange blue wigs. They stood in a circle, around a large net. Inside the net was a trapped pride of Shinx and Luxio.

The electric types were screaming and trying to escape but it was no use. Staring at the terrible scene, Kellyn felt a dangerous anger bubble up inside. He charged towards the nearest person.

"What do you think you're doing?" He shouted, swinging his fist.

Kellyn's punch connected with the man's jaw and he crumpled to the ground. The people in uniform all pulled Pokéballs from their belts and threw them onto the field. Kellyn was seriously outmatched; five Pokémon against one human. He clenched his fists and stared down his enemy. Amongst them he noted a Zubat, Stunky, Skorupi, and two Bidoof. He'd faced worse odds.

Ally suddenly ran up behind him and grabbed his arm. "Kellyn! You can't just go around punching people!"

Kellyn looked at her in disbelief. "Ally, can you not see those Pokémon?"

"I can see them. Now, let's go."

Kellyn shook her off. Ally stumbled backwards. Kellyn called out his Pokémon and nodded to them. They quickly formed a defensive ring around Ally. Ally flinched at the glare he threw her. Then, he turned and faced his enemies.

Kellyn stood his ground and suddenly a Pokémon jumped from the trees. The Luxio stood alongside Kellyn and roared a challenge to the uniformed people. Kellyn recognized the Shinx that Ally had tried to catch only a few days before and he grinned at it.

"I see you've evolved."

"Mrow."

The people in uniforms stood with a mindless rigidity. They didn't say anything, but they started attacking. Skorupi used Poison Sting. Kellyn and Luxio both dodged. Kellyn's Pokémon protected Ally from the attack.

Not knowing what to do, Ally whipped out her phone and called the police. She spoke rapidly and watched desperately as Kellyn dodged attacks. Weaving around Pokémon, he slowly defeated their trainers.

All it took was a single punch and the strangers went down. They didn't try to resist or dodge. If Kellyn got close enough, he knocked them out and they didn't do anything about it. But even after the trainer fell, their Pokémon didn't stop attacking. Soon it was just Kellyn and Luxio against five angry Pokémon.

Kellyn backed quickly away from Zubat's Leech Life before racing in and slamming his fist down hard on Zubat's head. Fainted, the Pokémon fell to the ground and didn't get up. Ally frowned and cocked her head; was Kellyn a fighting type?

A Bidoof jumped at him. He wasn't going to escape those deadly teeth, there wasn't enough time. Luxio's Discharge electrocuted all the enemy Pokémon, fainting Kellyn's attacker just in time. Kellyn was electrocuted too, but he brushed it off as if he hadn't even felt it.

Standing over the fallen people and Pokémon, Kellyn hurried to pull the net from the captured pride. The trapped Pokémon hurried out of captivity. Luxio roared and directed the Pokémon away into the forest. It paused by the edge of the trees and watched Kellyn for a moment. Then it roared before running after its pack.

Kellyn's Pokémon broke their protective circle around Ally and hurried to check on their trainer. While Kellyn was reassuring them, the police arrived. A woman with a police uniform and spiky blue hair got out from a squad car.

"I'm Officer Jenny. Are you the ones who called in the disturbance?"

"Yes," Ally said, "I'm Ally. Those people were being cruel to wild Pokémon."

Officer Jenny frowned as she looked at the people in the strange uniforms. She reached for the CV radio strapped to her vest and spoke into it. "Base, this is Jenny. I have a Team Galactic incident. Requesting backup."

The radio buzzed and Jenny sighed. "Well, I gotta say, I'm impressed."

"Impressed?" Asked Ally.

"Yes. These appear to be foot soldiers from the evil syndicate known as Team Galactic. They're plaguing the Sinnoh region and taking down six of them is an impressive feat. This will be very helpful in our investigation."

"Well, I can't take any of the credit. It was all him," Ally said, gesturing to Kellyn.

Kellyn approached and shook hands with Jenny. She smiled and nodded. "Ah, I see. Where'd you serve?"

"Pardon?" He asked, confused.

Jenny chuckled. "I've been on long enough to recognize a retired uniform."

"Never does leave you," he said, laughing softly, a nostalgic glow appearing in his eyes.

Jenny chuckled again. "No, it doesn't. So?"

Kellyn shook his head. "Different kind of uniform."

"Well either way, thanks for your help. I'll just get a report from each of you and then you're free to go."

"No problem," said Kellyn.

"Okay," agreed Ally.

******

Kellyn and Ally warmed themselves by a gentle fire. Stars in the night sky burned bright overhead. They were camping in the forest between Jubilife city and Floaroma Town.

Gab, Kellyn's Gible, was curled right beside the fire. Tru and Don sat a little further back. Buia lay in Kellyn's lap, mewling appreciatively as he scratched her belly. Ally sat on a log; her cheeks pinched. A question had been bothering her all afternoon and now she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Did you used to be a policeman?" She asked.

"No," he replied bluntly, as if expecting the question.

"But earlier, Jenny said she recognized a retired uniform."

"Different kind of uniform," he repeated.

"How so?" She asked, confused.

Kellyn stared unblinking into the fire. "I was a Pokémon Ranger in the Almia region."

The puzzle pieces started falling into place as Ally made the connections. Pokémon Rangers were highly trained professionals who worked tirelessly to protect the peace. That explained his resistance to extreme weather conditions; like the blizzard from when they first met. And he'd said that he'd never caught a Pokémon with a Pokéball, but he had four Pokémon of his own. They must be his partner Pokémon from his days as a ranger. His days as a ranger... he was young and fit, smart too. He should've been able to stay a ranger for years; why was he retired already?

"Why'd you quit?" Ally asked, unable to resist her curiosity.

He sighed and with sad smile said, "Another night."

Ally really wanted to know but decided against pushing the matter. This was the first time she'd seen him sad, and it was awkward. She had no idea where to look.

They sat in perfect silence until Kellyn spoke. "Can I ask you a question now?"

"Go ahead," Ally answered, sighing and leaning back on her tree-stump.

"When I was fighting Team Galactic earlier, you tried to stop me. Why?"

Ally stared into the flames and shrugged. "They were just catching Pokémon; it happens all the time.

Kellyn tilted his head in a mixture of confusion and surprise. "You told Jenny that they were being cruel."

Frowning strongly, Ally waved her hand dismissively. "I was just covering for the idiot who started a fight."

Kellyn's face became inscrutable as he stared at Buia. "You don't see anything wrong with what Team Galactic was doing?" He asked quietly.

Ally shrugged again. "No, Team Galactic were just stronger. They weren't using Pokéballs, but they were still just catching Pokémon."

"It was Pokémon cruelty," he argued.

"There are laws in place," she countered, sounding frustrated.

Feeling a burning in his chest, Kellyn sat upright. Buia whined in complaint. "So, I should've done nothing?" He asked.

"Yes," she answered, matter-of-factly.

Kellyn couldn't believe his ears. Might is right, he hadn't expected such a philosophy from Ally. Perhaps there was more to it, but he couldn't know that yet.

Shaking his head, Kellyn stretched out and lay down. Buia settled on his chest and he closed his eyes, shoving his hands under his head. "Goodnight, Als."

Seconds later he was snoring gently. Ally hardly believed he had fallen asleep that fast, but she was certain his eyes were closed. She was glad for it too; she didn't want him seeing the blush on her cheeks. She didn't agree with what he did today, but he still looked very cool. The ferocity in his eyes had been exciting.