Kellyn had never felt such anxiety before. Not even when Keith had been captured! Or maybe....

The brunet rested his gloved hand just above his cardiac muscle, watching how it was pounding.

- / For the love of Mew...! Control yourself you idiot!/

The Fiore Ranger, upon noticing that his comrade was no longer following him, stopped in his tracks to check his condition.

- Kell? What's wrong? You don't feel well?

The teen bit his lips when he saw the worried expression haunting the crimson eyes. So he put on a smile, trying to pull himself together.

- It's nothing. Just a little stressed.

...But he knew. He knew no one believed him. Not when Fischl was staring at him, frowning....Not when Sapphire seemed to be planning something to get him to confess....Not when Keith was looking at him, so sad and hurt.

-....You don't trust me?

- E-Excuse me?

- Am I that untrustworthy...? Be honest.

A deeply indignant and shocked expression appeared on the boy's face who replied without hesitation:

- W-What- Of course you're not!

- Then why? Why do you refuse to tell me what's wrong? Why do you ignore your problems and needs?

The older one moved closer to his boyfriend, tenderly wrapping the clenched hands with his own. He then began to massage and kiss them, hoping to make their owner relax.

-...If you need time, then let's take it, ok? There is shade there, we can sit if you want. But we absolutely have to talk.

The brunet panicked at the mention of "time" and shook his head sharply.

- I-It can't wait for the end of the mission...?

The redhead slowly shook his head, trying to gently drag his partner towards the shady corner. Except that the latter entered a state of panic.

- S-S-Stop it!! You know very well that the Incredible Machine will be activated at midnight! We don't have time for that kind of idiocy! We have an urgent mission to accomplish!

The 12th Top Ranger watched his partner's expression twist with anguish, stress, and despair before sighing softly. He then placed a hand firmly on Kellyn's shoulder while resting the other on his cheek.

- And?

- What do you mean "And?"?! Do you realize that the fate of Almia and the world is at stake?! What's a life compared to them anyway?!

Silence reigned for a few seconds before Keith burst out laughing, making the teal-eyed one more confused than ever.

- W-What's so funny?!

- Haha! Oh, my Angel....You are a very beautiful paradox.

- E-Excuse me?

The oldest calmed his laughter before starting to gently caress the cheek of his boyfriend, an amused and tender expression on the features.

- "No matter the trade, I'll always choose you.".

- W-What-

- Those are your own words, right? You know, when you traded the Yellow Gem for me back at the Hippodown Temple... You basically just sacrificed the world for me. And without the slightest hesitation!

He smiled silly as he recalled the memory while the brunet felt the tears welling up in his eyes. The redhead then ran his free hand around the younger's back, effectively bringing him closer to him.

- Please know that this also applies to me. The world can burn or enter an apocalyptic state, I don't care. YOU are my priority, and I will do everything in my power to protect you. Even if I have to sacrifice the world for it.

Keith approached his face slightly, never deviating his crimson gaze from the teal one.

-...You know, if I have to prove to you again and again my love and my devotion until you accept it...So be it. I accept the challenge.

And he pressed his lips against the other teen's with force, kissing him passionately. Said teen tensed for a moment before every muscle in his body suddenly relaxed. The tension left him abruptly, causing him to melt into his boyfriend's warm arms.

Ah.....He was crying again, wasn't he?

The kiss ended quickly, however it didn't bother them that much, as they had said everything they wanted with that single sign of affection.

- Everything is fine my Angel....You are not alone...Whether it's Fischl, Sapphire, Rhythmi, Kate or myself....We love you and won't let you down. It's an oath.

The redhead then affectionately rubbed their 2 heads together, snatching a nice smile from his partner. Although this expression fell almost immediately.

-...Do you think we can do it...?

- I don't think this is the right time to doubt our abilities, right?

- Hypocrite.

- Haha, I know!

The two chuckled, somewhat amused and nervous.

-...Let's do it together then.

The younger boy tilted his head slightly, confused.

- We have already proven over and over again that we are capable of anything as a team, haven't we? So, we just have to do it as usual: as a team, and everything will be fine.

The older of the two took a deep breath, effectively calming his raw nerves. He then gave a big bright smile to the brunet who just gently kissed his cheek in return.

-...We start as a team, we end as a team, huh....? Alright, so let's do it, Partner.

Keith squealed with delight, jumping up and down in euphoria. This sight greatly amused the one with teal eyes.

- Come on Sunrise, we have a mission to accomplish.

- Haha, sorry.~

The redhead gave a gentle headbutt to the boy who gladly returned his affection.

-...But you're right. Operation Brighton is not going to happen on it's own! It's time to conquer this tower of Hell!

Kellyn nodded, his gaze filled with a new steely determination. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed their partner Pokemons approaching them, looking reassured.

- Oh...Were you scared? Sorry, that wasn't our intention.

- (You two don't have to apologize. I fully understand that this whole situation is stressing you to death! Honestly, Sapph and I are no better...)

- { Hmmm...~ Better crack now than later after all. And you, you big-hearted idiot; learn to accept the fact that we care about you. Let yourself be loved, protected and pampered for once!}

- I'll do my best.

His declaration greatly reassured the creatures, especially the Staraptor who enveloped him in her immense wings. The teenager accepted the hug, purring in the warmth of the bird.

They had to separate very quickly however, because yes, they didn't have time anymore. The foursome stared at each other for a moment before nodding in perfect sync.

- Let Operation Brighton begin!)}

At first, they had to join the Altru Tower which seemed much busier than usual. And not because the company's anniversary was the next day, but because many employees had been fired for no apparent reason!

The latter were loudly protesting in front of the premises, trying to pass a Dim Sun's Admin who was blocking their way....Said Admin who got his ass kicked with style by the Union group.

Fortunately, Keith managed to convince the group of adults to let them pass and especially to move away from the building. Because, you never know. The blueprints didn't indicate the presence of the triple barrier, so it wouldn't be surprising if they also hid a self-destruct system in the pile.

When they FINALLY entered the building, they had no time to breathe that already, the exit was blocked by barricades. A duo of henchmen had had the wonderful idea of ​​preventing anyone from entering. Laudable intention, except it should have been done BEFORE the Rangers were inside!

Now the group found themselves surrounded by minions and a pretty furious Admin. Awesome.

- Catch these pests and bind them up a smidgeon on the tight side! HURRY UP!!!!!

- SIR YES SIR!

The oldest of the duo stood in front of his partner, his fists armed and his gaze even more furious than that of the other redhead.

- You touch just one of his hair, and you will go join Giratina in the Distortion World!

His usually joyful and lively voice dropped greatly in the octaves, storming darkly. Welp, he had taken that from Sven it seems.

As Keith rumbled, seriously terrifying his opponents, another voice was heard.

- Target....CLEAR!!!!!

A loud "CLANG" suddenly echoed violently startling everyone in the room. Did those barricades just fly?!

The brunet, although stunned by the noise, quickly noticed that something or rather SOMEONE was heading towards them. Instantly, he grabbed his boyfriend and forced him to kneel down, allowing them to narrowly dodge a high kick. Says high kick which ends up right in the mouth of the leader of the minions.

- What the- Kate?!

Indeed, the one who had just lashed out her fury was none other than Kellyn's cousin, accompanied by her faithful Pachirisu.

- Humph! I will have to improve my accuracy! I almost missed him... Anyway, everything is fine-

The chestnuthead didn't have the time to finish her sentence when she was strongly embraced by her cousin who seemed very happy to see her again. She felt a slight moment of hesitation that only lasted for a few microseconds before she returned the embrace with unprecedented joy.

- I'm glad to see you again too, Kell.

While the two shared a moment of brotherly love, the rest of the Vientown base, who came with the girl, took care of incapacitating the minions with the help of the Fiore Ranger. The latter observed the duo out of the corner of his eye, a small pout on his face which did not escape the observant gaze of the young Buizel.

- {....Don't tell me you're jealous.}

The redhead jumped slightly at the sound of his partner's voice, before blushing and turning his head away, embarrassed.

- { I can't believe it! You REALLY are jealous!}

Keith glared at the otter who royally ignored him in favor of simply climbing onto his shoulders.

- {Come on great clumsy oaf, you know very well that he is affectionate with a lot of people. Don't be jealous about it. Besides, you can always cuddle a little later.}

The Water-Type gently rubbed his muzzle against his partner's cheek, trying to calm him down. He chuckled slightly before giving him a nice smile.

-...Thank you Sapph.

- { Don't mention it! Now go join him before he worries unnecessarily.}

The young Ranger laughed heartily as he walked toward Almia's foursome who were staring at him in confusion.

- "Something is wrong...?"

- Nope. I was just being a little dumb, that's all.

- "Eh?"

The redhead burst out laughing at his boyfriend's lost face who struggled to know if he was making fun of him or not. The one with cobalt eyes was content to observe the scene, amused.

- Looks like everything is fine, huh Pachi?

The squirrel replied with a happy little cry, while rubbing his adorable cheek against his partner's.

Yes, everything was as it was supposed to be.

- Hey lovebirds. Resume your mission, we take care of these clowns.

Kate's voice, which had come slightly closer, took the Rangers by surprise, causing the 2 of them to blush. They looked at each other for a moment as if to say "Are we that transparent...?".

- Don't worry, I don't think the others noticed. But, leave before that becomes the case.

The chestnuthead gave them a knowing wink before gently pushing the foursome towards the elevator. Deciding it was best to not tempt Giratina, they agreed to begin their ascent of the Altru Tower. Keith turned around to properly thank the girl, except he saw her make the "I'm watching you" gesture.

This clearly meant: "If you ever hurt him, I'll kill you. Your body will never be found.". To which the boy replied with a simple thumbs up.

Seems like he had no problem with death threats, that one...

Anyway, let's move on. The group was in the elevator in the tower, and had to find a way to make it work.

-...Seriously, they can't do it like everyone else? Why do you need a password to activate an elevator?!

- "To prevent unauthorized people from entering certain areas, I suppose?"

While the redhead grumbled at the company executives, the younger one pondered how to solve their new problem.

- "...Can I try?"

- Go ahead

The older teen moved away, letting his partner take his place. The latter seemed to hesitate for a moment, then typed a word.

-....9TH FLOOR DESTINATION. WELCOME PROFESSOR ISAAC.

The steel cage suddenly began to move, slightly shaking the group.

- Wow! How did you know? Wait, what was the password?

- "Melody."

-...Why didn't I think of that...? I'm really stupid!

Keith banged his head against the wall, causing the brunet to have to hold him against his chest to calm him down.

...Well, maybe he had overreacted a little too much, but it didn't matter. Fiore's Ranger wouldn't say no to a hug, and neither would Almia's.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

-/What- A power outage?!/

The foursome remained silent, preferring to not attract attention, while their eyes adjusted to the darkness.

- { Say, Fi. You don't have Flash do you?}

- (Nope. Sorry!)

They waited a few moments, before an adult voice echoed above their heads.

- Hey! Can you hear me? I here to help you!

A metallic noise echoed, indicating that the top of the elevator had just been opened.

The light came back on almost immediately, revealing an Dim Sun's Admin and his Miniremo.

- Haha! I lied! Now you will taste-

He was brutally interrupted by the 2 Pokemonq of the group who threw themselves on him, ready to fight tooth and claw for their partners.

- "....Shouldn't we help him...?"

- Nah...I don't wanna lose an arm.

The brunet pretended to be offended, getting a playful tongue pull from Keith in return. The 2 did their best to ignore the cries of panic of their enemy who was crumbling under the incessant assaults of creatures that quickly knocked him out.

- (That's a good thing done! That will teach them a lesson!)

- { Well! What ferocity!}

- (As if you go in for subtleties, you!)

- {Never say the contrary.}

Kellyn couldn't help but giggle innocently upon seeing the beastly duo bickering sweetly. Ah....! The calm before the storm!

- Hey, I think we can go up there.

The crimson-eyed one, who had raised his voice a little, pointed toward a rope ladder that most certainly belonged to the KO Dim Sun.

- "It's not like we had a choice anyway, right?"

- Humhum... I go first?

- "We're following you."

The older one then set out to climb first, serving as a scout and first line of defense if ever there were enemies waiting for them. He was quickly followed by the rest of the group after confirming that the way was clear.

- { Bruh...! It's chilly here.}

- (It will never be worse than Hyia Valley, trust me...)

The Staraptor glanced discreetly at her partner who looked back at her.

-/...Why do I feel targeted?/

- (Why so much paranoia?)

The duo stuck out their tongues at each other in a very mature way, making the second duo somewhat confused.

- Um...Kell...?

- "Private joke."

- Ah?

Keith didn't try to find out more, it was probably better for his mental health.

In short, the foursome this time REALLY launched their attack on the Altru Tower, climbing the different floors with ease. They also slaughtered quite a few henchmen along the way, but that was only part of the story.

They ended up landing on the 9th floor, which was a good thing since that was their objective in the first place! By searching a little, they discovered some kind of door held closed by "shields". These were powered by 4 Miniremos belonging to Admins, which had to be destroyed in hope to be able to open the door.

Why did this thing exist in the first place? To protect the Yellow Gem stored on the other side. How did the group find out about this? Far too chatty henchmen, as usual.

- And I, who was skeptical about the intelligence of these clowns... You were right, Kell. They are dumbs.

- "Nah, the SinisTrio and Blake Hall have all the neurons of the organization. Nuance."

The oldest giggled, finding this image somewhat ridiculous but so true at the same time!

- So....We separate in order to go faster?

- "Fine by me! Fischl? Ready to exterminate some Admins?"

The bird straightened up to her full height, her gaze sadistic and sharp. You could swear she was smiling.

- ( Always!)

- "Then we're all good. Be careful Sunrise."

The younger one kissed his boyfriend's cheek, wishing him good luck. The latter produced a soft purr of contentment in return.

- Of course my Angel...~ But promise me to be careful too.

- "Promise."

The redhead gave him a small kiss before going after 2 of the 4 Admins protecting the door. The 11th Top Ranger gave a tender smile, but quickly regained his senses then went to look for his own targets.

Some destruction of jaws and Miniremos later, the door finally opened. The Last Admin desperately tried to stop the Rangers, only to be put back in his place by Fischl and Sapphire.

- Well, well! I thought they would have been a little tougher!

- "Don't tempt Giratina, Scarlet."

- I'm joking!

The human duo joked around, not paying attention to the poor minion who was being manhandled by their respective partners. This first quickly ran for his life, thus giving victory to the foursome.

- / Fischl, my dear. You're doing a great job, but please keep your strength./

- (Don't worry about that, little Amethyst. I know the trouble has only just begun.)

The brunet affectionately rubbed the plumage in shades of gray, causing the owner to chirp in contentment.

Kellyn gave a reassured little smile while inhaling deeply in order to calm his growing anxiety. This was clearly not the time to panic, he had to pull himself together!

- "Ready?"

- More than ever. Let's get the Yellow Gem!

The Rangers nodded in sync, and engaged their Stylers, ready to charge into battle. They counted to 3 then broke down the door which offered no resistance.

They found in front of them, one of the objectives of their mission: the Yellow Gem. Strangely the scientists in the room didn't seem to want to defend it more than that. Or maybe it was because they were frozen in place.

Instinctively, the group got into battle stance, the Staraptor in the front line, growling menacingly. Immediately, one of the men in a lab coat reacted, throwing himself at their feet, his head touching the ground.

- Woah woah woah!! What are you-

- We're begging you! Save Professor Isaac and Melody!

The teenagers looked at each other, flabbergasted but didn't have time to answer, that the man continued.

- Team Dim Sun forces him to complete the settings of the Incredible Machine and use his little sister to do so... And we, cowards and ignorant as we are, can't help them...!

The adult swallowed, as if to swallow his rage towards himself.

- So we're begging you...Help them!

Kellyn knelt down facing the scientist, a reassuring look on his features.

- "Hey hey...! It's fine...We'll help them, don't worry. And please don't blame yourself for this situation. No one could have predicted what was going to happen. So stand up, please..."

When the man looked up he only saw the boy's natural sweetness reflected through his teal pupils. This is enough for the adult to calm down and stand up completely. The redhead then decided to continue:

- As my partner said, this mess is in no way your fault. So don't apologize for that and leave it to us, we'll take care of it.

During his tirade, the 12th Top Ranger helped his boyfriend up, being careful to not accidentally hurt him.

- You....! Thank you very much...Ah! Let us unlock the door and deactivate the Gem's barrier.

He gestured to his colleagues who activated themselves on the field, making disappear in no time the two protective fields blocking both the jewel and the upper floor.

Kellyn came forward to thank the scientists, except that they shook their heads.

- Don't try to thank us. Just move on, and stop this nightmare! We are rooting for you!

The group was moved by the trust they placed in them, and promised not to let them down. Although it added even more pressure and anxiety, especially on one of them.

The brunet decided to ignore the knot that formed his insides, preferring to recover the artifact that Cresselia had entrusted to him. The feeling of serenity emanating from it hadn't changed a bit and that appeased him slightly.

The boy lost himself in his contemplation for a long moment, watching the light reflect on the gemstone. It was so beautiful...

He then felt a pair of strong hands cup his own, making him look up. His pupils then met the worried ones of his comrade, who stared at him in a silent question.

Although he was surprised at first, the youngest gave a beautiful smile, meaning: "Everything is fine. I'll manage, don't worry." The other teen seemed to consider whether or not his partner was sincere before sighing softly. He let it go for now, probably because they were in public and on a mission.

Except that the crimson eyes flared with a new will as Keith tightened his hold on the brunet. It showed that he didn't completely believe him, and that he was most definitely going to pamper his boyfriend like no tomorrow once this whole mess was over.

It's not like it bothered the boyfriend in question...

- Shall we go Kell?

- "....We're following you."

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

Kate: *high-kicks the Admin then turn toward Keith* Hurt my baby cousin and that's how you're gonna end.

Keith: Holy- Yes ma'am!

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

Kellyn: *staring at the Yellow Gem*

Keith: It's pretty, huh?

Kellyn: *turns around to stare at the crimson eyes* Nothing is prettier than you.