The awakening was completely chaotic that morning since Barlow urgently awoke all the Rangers, leaving them no time to reconnect their braincells.

- What's going on boss...? *yawn*

It was Luana, who, half in a daze, dared to ask the famous question.

- The forest is on fire! Wake up and let's get to work!

The Chief Ranger's order hit home because everyone on the team, including the Pokemons, went into professional mode.

- Kellyn, Luana! Go join Crawford in the forest and put out this fire! Kate! You come with me! We'll take care of getting everyone to safety!

- Roger!

And so, the teams dispersed going to fulfill their respective missions. There was total panic outside, which couldn't be more normal. Black smoke and flames rose in the morning sky.

- Sweet merciful Arceus...! Kellyn! Let's hurry!

The brunet nodded and followed the ravenhead into the burning woods. On the way, they met little Mimi who was calling her Happinys with all her might.

- Oh! It's Mimi! What is she doing here? It's dangerous!

As the young woman began to approach, a piece of flaming branch fell off it's trunk, falling toward the child. Kellyn, his instincts taking control of his body, passed Luana at a bewildering speed and grabbed the young girl before rolling on himself, narrowly avoiding the projectile.

The brunet stared at the branch for a few seconds before returning his attention to the child. He gently rubbed his head against hers to reassure her.

- Kellyn! Mimi! Nothing broken?!

The oldest joined them, slightly panicking, and checked that everyone is okay.

- Mimi is fine....But Mr. Ranger....

- What the?! K-Kellyn! You're hurt!

Sure enough, the teenager, while trying to protect the small girl, had used his body as a meat shield. Besides the scratches from rolling, his left arm had a slight burn mark. Ah...He had dodged badly, it seems.

- Go back to the base to be healed! I take care of the rest!

The boy took his tablet urgently while holding back his comrade.

- "It's okay! It's nothing, I can go on! It's just a scratch! We need all the Rangers on the field, there is no way I'm staying behind! I'll go take care of my injury later! Trust me!"

The raven-haired girl seemed to think, not really knowing what to do. Her younger comrade was right, but she didn't want to put him in more danger. By Arceus, even Fischl was yelling at Kellyn!

- (You reckless fool! You know it's gonna get worse over time, right?!)

The brunet only stroked the head of the bird which continued to scold him, with less and less vehemence, until she completely gave up. This made the teenager smile, who also seemed to be relieved to have been able to calm his partner down.

-...Promise me you'll take care of it seriously afterwards, okay?

The teal-eyed one nodded earnestly, and performed his military salute to show that he was serious. Luana ended up sighing before helping him get up. She then wrapped a bandage around Kellyn's burn to not aggravate his injury.

- That should be enough for now. But don't consider yourself healed.

The boy nodded while reassuring his partner with a look. She was also very worried.

Once everyone agreed, they took care of recovering Mimi's Happinys who had fled before the fire. Once that was done and the small group was safe, they were finally able to get to the heart of the problem.

- Oh my Mew...! It's horrible...!!

The flames had taken over the ancient lush forest, ravaging everything in their way. The heat was unbearable. This, in addition to the screams of the Pokemons living in the area... A true nightmare.

- (I would never forgive the one who dared to do this to our forest...!!!)

The bird seethed with rage, nearly digging her talons into the boy's shoulder. The latter gave her a gentle nudge, bringing her back to reality.

- (Sorry. I lost my cool...)

The brunet smiled, showing that it was no big deal. The dark-haired woman's voice then rose:

- Hurry! Let's join Crawford! And quick!

The duo nodded and led the way through this infernal maze that the woods had become. More than once they barely avoided a burning trunk in the face, as well as unidentified projectiles, but they got away with it. When they finally found the man, they were exhausted.

-Crawford...!!!

-! Luana! Kellyn! Over here!

The Ranger was in the middle of a vast expanse of charred grass, struggling to contain the flames.

- Do you know where it came from?!

- No. Not at all...Most of the paths are blocked because of the fire.

- It's our luck! But hey, no time to feel sorry for ourselves, we have to deal with the fire before it spreads! Kellyn! Try to find us a Blastoise, there should be one around. I would have stuck to it but my Styler is starting to give up the ghost because of the heat....Capture it and bring it back here!

- "Roger!"

The brunet left, leaving Luana to help Crawford control the flames.

- Try to see if you can find this famous Blastoise!

- ( Leave it to me, Kell!)

And she took off, taking the highest possible altitude in order to have the widest field of vision. After a long moment, she finally saw her target.

- (Haha! Found you!)

The bird then began to fly a little lower and started circling in the sky. This caught the attention of Kellyn who immediately understood the message.

- You're the best Fischl!

The teenager then rushed toward the area his partner was pointing to him, running with all his might despite the almost unbreathable atmosphere. He arrived near a stream where the Water-Type Pokemon was, which was also nervous and constantly moving.

- / I kinda expected it...He senses the danger but doesn't know what to do./

The young Ranger fiddled with his Styler for a moment, searching for the best angle of attack when a shadow passed over his head. But of course! Fischl!

- / But how do I get her to understand me? She won't understand anything at this distance!/

Kellyn began to think quickly because time was running out. He couldn't afford to rush headlong, except that the fire would soon spiral completely out of control. He had to do something, and fast!

- / Damn it! Come on, think you featherbrain! You have no room for mistakes! You need to communicate with her! If only she could hear me...! Fischl...Fischl...!/

- (Kellyn?)

The brunet violently jumped and looked around urgently. H-He...He wasn't dreaming, right?!

- /...Fischl? Do you hear me?/

- (I knew I wasn't crazy! I hear you Kell! Crystal clear, even!)

- / But how...? No, you know what? We'll discuss that later. We have more urgent matters. I still need your help, my dear!/

- (Tell me little Amethyst! I am at your service!)

The teenager flushed a little at the new nickname the bird had given him, but didn't comment on it.

- / You'd have to distract the Blastoise. He is far too much nervous for me to attempt a frontal approach and I would like to avoid getting a Hydro Pump in the face.../

- (Oh? You have a self-preservation instinct now? Nah, I'm teasing you! You can count on me, Kell! Just give me a sign and I'll go!)

- / Okay....Wait....Now!/

Almost automatically a gray fury zoomed past the turtle, which in a fit of panic tried to attack it. The brunet took the opportunity to come out of his hiding place and initiate the capture. When Blastoise realized he had been fooled, it was too late. Kellyn had almost finished his capture. And even if he tried to attack him, Fischl attacked him from behind with her blades of wind.

Not the most honorable strategy, that's sure, but the duo didn't care a bit during emergencies. The capture was finally over after a few more seconds. The bird then went to rest on the shoulder of her partner, tired but quite proud.

- Come on... It's almost over. Let's join our superiors.

The brunet gently patted the creature's head, effectively calming it down before urging it to follow him. Despite some reluctance, the Blastoise agreed to follow the duo through the flames of the fire. When the little trio finally joined the other two Rangers, they were exhausted and covered in small burns.

- Kellyn! You're back!

- Kiddo! I would love to congratulate you, but that will have to wait! Just extinguish this inferno! We can't contain it anymore!

The teenager nodded before guiding the Pokemon right into the middle of the furnace. Although the creature was terrified, it did not run away upon seeing the Ranger staying with it. He then whispered:

- Courage, big boy. I know it's scary. But only you can stop these flames! Have faith in yourself, and show how much you care about these woods!

The turtle's pupils shone with a new glow as he anchored himself to the ground, concentrating. Suddenly, he let out a cry that echoed throughout the forest. A few seconds passed before a drop fell. Then two, then three...Finally, it was a real deluge that fell on the area.

As the rain raged, the flames died down to just a pile of soaked ashes. Then little by little, the downpour calmed down, giving back to the Sun it's place in the sky.

Blastoise then turned to Kellyn and stared at him for a moment before approaching the teenager and pressing himself against him in a final hug. A hug that the boy returned with his special tenderness.

- / You were so brave...I'm so proud of you...You did it...You saved your home.../

They stayed like that for a long time before the turtle decided to go back to it's stream. He gave the brunet one last look and then left.

- Kellyn! You were awesome!

The teen suddenly found himself tackled by Luana who hugged him tightly while congratulating him. He froze, completely overwhelmed by the affection of the young woman. And that bothered him a lot.

- Luana! Leave him alone! Can't you see he's uncomfortable?

- Oh sorry!

She immediately let go of him, hiding her embarrassment as best she could, causing a sigh from Crawford.

- Seriously....Anyway. However, she is right. You were exceptional today! You're on your way to becoming a great Ranger, kiddo!

The boy blushed slightly at the remark, but smiled nonetheless.

- Still, we still don't know what caused this fire in the first place! So, before going back, let's patrol the areas that were inaccessible to us during this furnace.

-Roger/ "Roger"!!

The group separated again, this time looking for the source of the flames... And it was our duo of protagonists who found it.

- It's...!

- (The strange machine from the last time!)

Sure enough, there in a corner, was the same thing that was in the Marine Cave except this time, in addition to having completely exploded, it had burned in places and reeked of oil.

- (Do you think that's what caused the fire?)

- Considering it's condition, I guess there must have been a short circuit or something, and that the sparks mixed with the oil ignited the fire...

- (...Are you telling me that all this mess was just an accident?)

- Most likely.

- (I don't know who has fun putting these damn machines everywhere but I want to say that they are dumb for not knowing how to start them correctly!!)

The brunet burst out laughing at the outraged exclamation of his partner who was insulting the creators of these things with all the birds' names under the Sun.

- Haha! Come on, calm down Fischl. We need to warn the other two now.

So the boy sent the bird to fetch their superiors, not being able to use Voicemail for obvious reasons- Although, he could have used his tablet. Oh, no big deal. Anyway, in the meantime he sat down near the machine, taking advantage of the silence to rest a little.

- / It's getting worse and worse lately...Hope you're fine Keith.../

He sighed and gently fiddled with his bracelet, brushing the gem against his lips. Even if it hadn't really brought him luck until now, the object was still a comfort to him. Even more than his pendant, for that matter.

- /....I miss you. You don't know how much I miss you, Keith...I want to see you..../

The brunet sobbed quietly, avoiding being noticed. He was frustrated with himself, because he shouldn't cry for such a reason! He was no longer a kid!

- / Pull yourself together, you idiot! It's no use crying!/

....But...He was still human.

- (Little Amethyst!~ I'm back!)

Kellyn jumped up and immediately dried his tears, not wanting to worry Fischl who had brought the other 2 Rangers back. The Flying-type then landed on his shoulder before her eyes widened.

- (A-Are you crying? What's going on, Kell?)

The young Ranger shook his head gently while smiling. The bird understood then that he did not want to talk about it.

- (....Very well. But expect me to make you go through Hell when we get back.)

The one with teal eyes internally thanked her for her understanding, even if he was a little dreading about what would happen later....

- That machine again huh? It's the second time we've seen one, isn't it, kiddo?

The brunet nodded, while pointing at the puddles of oil.

- What the...? Oil? Oh no...I think I understand. The machine malfunctioned and caused the fire by accident...!

The black-haired woman gasped, completely outraged and angry.

- Are they making fun of us or what?! First they control Pokemons and now they're setting our forest on fire?! And by accident too?! They've a Hell of a nerve!

...Wow. It was the first that Luana got so angry....Even Crawford didn't seem at ease!

- Calm down, Luana! Getting angry won't get you anywhere. *sigh*....Welp. We can't do anything with this thing, let's get back to the base.

As they started to go back to Vientown, they met a man who fled upon seeing them...That was suspicious.

- Huh? Who is it? Let's follow him.

No sooner said than done. They managed to corner the adult, who was panicking, in a dead end.

- Oh. He too has burns. He needs to be taken to the base for treatment.

The afro-haired Ranger tried to approach the reluctant man, who wasn't really cooperative. Crawford frowned and waved at the ravenhead who automatically came to give him a hand.

- Kellyn. Go home without us, we'll take care of escorting him to the base. It might take some time, so go ahead!

The teenager didn't need to be asked, and left, leaving his superiors to take care of the rest. He and his partner returned quickly, simply wanting to rest. But, they had to treat their wounds first.

The one who greeted them was Kate.

- Oh! Welcome back! You've been awesome out there- By Arceus! Kellyn!

The chestnuthead threw herself on her cousin who didn't have the time to react that she was already examining him from all angles before dragging him to the infirmary. She then forced him to sit on the bed while she prepared the first aid kit.

- For Mew's sake, what happened to you two?

The brunet only gave her a sorry smile while removing his uniform jacket, showing the few scratches he had on his shoulders. Fischl sat next to him, patiently waiting for once.

The cobalt-eyed one winced at the state of the boy's burn once she removed the bandage.

- It's a very nasty burn .... Brace up, it's going to sting.

The teenager tensed in pain as the young woman began to treat his wound. He bit his lips and pulled his partner closer to him with his free arm, searching for something to hold.

- (Hey, Kell...That hurts, huh?)

- / D-Don't ask questions...Tss!...To which you already know the answer....!/

- (I know....But afterwards you won't be in pain anymore. Everything will be better!)

The bird rubbed gently against the boy's hip, trying to distract him. And that made the young Ranger smile despite the pain that was igniting his poor arm.

The operation lasted 5 interminable minutes for Kellyn who no longer felt either his arm or his lips. Kate finished her treatment by gently wrapping a bandage around the burned part of her cousin's body.

- It's done. It will have to be changed regularly, but it will heal. Now the rest...

The brunet took a deep breath before going back into apnea mode, absorbing the pain that the treatment caused him as best he could. Once done, the young woman observed the teenager who was shaking from the pain.

-...You know, you're really strong Kellyn...

The boy tilted his head, confused.

- Everyone I know would have struggled and/or cried because of such an injury... But not you. You held on, and didn't shed a single tear...! I...I'm jealous of your strength, because I know I can't do this.

She gave him a nice smile.

-...Be more careful next time, okay?

He simply nodded before giving a soft nudge to his cousin who laughed instantly.

- Eh eh...! Oh, by the way... A letter arrived this morning for you. I think you already know the sender, right?

Kellyn's cheeks took on a pretty rosy hue as a silly smile, which he didn't even try to hide, appeared. He delicately took the famous letter that his cousin held out to him and hugged it to his chest.

-...T-Than....Thank you...

The chestnut-haired girl froze, thinking she was dreaming. But upon seeing the boy's sincere smile...She understood. A lonely tear rolled down her cheek as she hugged the teen who didn't even flinch.

-...You're welcome, Kell.

Our duo greeted the cobalt-eyed one before leaving to take a well-deserved rest. Ah! The brunet was looking forward to knowing what Keith was up to!

------------------------

Kellyn: *seeing the forest being turned into ashes* Holy moly! It's horrible, don't you think Fi?

Fischl: The forest is on fire, Arceus is dead.

Kellyn: (0_0)

Fischl: I'm panicking ok?!

------------------

Kate: *scolding Kellyn* Seriously, stop being so reckless!

Kellyn: *absentmindedly* Alright Mom...

Kate and Kellyn: *staring at each other*....

Kate:....I feel flattered, but let's stick with "Big sis", ok?

Kellyn: *wanting to die in a hole* Fine by me!