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The end of things. A pokemon fanfic by Rocko Wallaby

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 5: Silent progress.

I woke the next morning with the sun streaming in my face, and a wooper with its tongue in my ear. Faaaaark...yuuuuck! Jumping out of the swag in a flurry of sheets, I chased the little bastard away, cursing loudly at its retreating form as it scurried in panic back into the nearby water. I sometimes wonder what the hell is wrong with some of these creatures. If they weren't trying to kill you or eat you, they were trying to smother you to death with affection! Talk about extremes!

Grumbling, I went to the truck, grabbing yesterday's shirt to wipe the slobber out of my ear. After getting the bulk of the disgusting stuff out, I relit the fire, and put on the kettle for a morning brew. With coffee finally in hand, I relaxed with a sigh back into my camp chair, and used the opportunity to take in the scenery. It really was magnificent. The grass glistened with morning dew, and the light haze of mist partially obscuring the waterfall added a surreal, almost mystic atmosphere to the view. It really was breathtaking.

Yes, well, enough of that shit. I'm fucking hungry.

I grabbed a slab of meat and some eggs from my cooler, putting them in the cast iron frypan and ground the pan into the bed of coals I had made to the side of the main fire. Leaving it to cook, I cut some bread, and put it on the grill next to the pan to toast, before hurriedly pouring myself another cup of coffee. Yes, I'm one of those people. If I don't get my 2 cups of caffeine before 8am, I'm a foul, grumpy ursaring for the rest of the day.

I dumped the toast onto a plate, and piled the rest of the stuff on top, covering the lot with a liberal application of smoky BBQ sauce. Plenty of salt, another swig of coffee, and breakfast was served. It still felt funny making this for one, though. There was a time when.....well.... Forget it.

After scrubbing my plate and the frypan in fresh sand to remove the bulk of the grease, I washed it in some lake water I'd heated in the coffee pot, while avoiding getting any of the contaminated water in the lake itself. Packing up my bedding didn't take long, and I threw the whole lot into the back of the truck for safe keeping, leaving only my chair near the fire pit to show for my presence.

Back to work, then. I double checked my shotgun, making sure everything was clean and functional, before strapping an 8 inch bowie knife to my right calf, underneath my khaki's. I went back to the truck, and carefully removed my compound bow from the cabinet, taking it from its soft case and inspecting it carefully. It was a Marksman Camo XT, with 60lb draw and Apex Tundra bow sight. Coupled with Grundman 27 inch carbon shaft arrows, and Murray MX-5 tri-blade broad head points, it could accurately penetrate even the toughest hide from as far as 70 yards, and probably take out a dragonite if it was feeling unlucky. Yes, a shotgun can do a lot of damage at a shorter range, but nothing compares with a well placed hunting arrow for sheer long range, not to mention silent, devastation. Besides, while I was a damn good shot either way, taking along a backup option never hurt.

I strapped the shotgun across my back, with the custom quiver nestled alongside it. The bow mounted in a holster at my side. My belt pack contained extra ammo, and the other basic essentials, such as water, map and compass. Once, Storm would have lugged some of this gear around for me, but now I just adapt for the solo trek.

Leaving the chair by the fire, I locked the truck, pocketed the keys, and began the long, hot trek up the mountain path to the approximate location that HQ had given me for the disturbance....

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One of the things I've noticed as I've gotten older, is that time is very subjective. Years seem to pass, without anything memorable, sliding into the back of your mind as a passing thought. Then, every now and again, something else pops up that burns itself into your memories.

School was a bit like the first. The years came and went, and the time just seemed to slip away. Suddenly, we were graduating, and I remember shaking my close friend's hands, and hugging others, only to realise many of them I'd likely never see again.

That's growing up, I guess. Things change, and life still goes on.

I found it interesting that, while Storm had never expressed any enthusiasm in my schooling life, when I chose to enter the Rangers Academy, it suddenly piqued his interest completely.

"I want to come along!" he growled for the tenth time, after I tried explaining, repeatedly, that he couldn't come.

"Mate, they don't have a pokemon day care there, dude."

"Yeah, well fuck that. I didn't ask for day care. I want to come to your classes"

Shit. He was being unusually insistent, and while I generally knew intuitively when I could change his mind on something, this one seemed different; impossible almost.

The weeks that followed were a torment for both of us. His constant and persistent hassling just frayed my temper, and the tension between us grew until I exploded at him, asking him if he knew exactly what the fuck he was asking of me!

Then he did something that took me completely by surprise, and cooled my anger completely. He recited the Rangers oath to me.

With Arceus by my side, I will do my best to serve my fellow man, to live by the Rangers Code, and to make the code my daily rule. A Ranger is mentally, physically and spiritually alert. He is clean in body, mind and spirit. He does not lie, cheat or steal. He is brave in the face of danger, criticism or threats. He is faithful to himself, his colleagues and his friends. He obeys his leaders, and those in authority, And will never disregard the rights and beliefs of others. He will always strive to protect the weak and innocent, And bring to justice all those who deny their claim to it, I am a Ranger, in truth, honour and integrity, To the end of my days. I sat on my bed, stunned, just staring at him as he towered over me. He had such a look of determination on his face that I'd never seen before, and his paws were clenched tightly by his sides.

Holy shit! He WAS serious about this!

When my thoughts had finally gathered themselves into something resembling coherence, I realised he'd taken my silence another way. Assuming I was furious at him, he bowed his back, looked very sheepish, and obviously was feeling a little foolish.

So, I did what needed doing. I stood up and have him a huge bear hug.

"OK, mate. No promises, mind. But I'll do my best." The look of surprise and pure happiness that broke on his face as he suddenly hugged me back made it all worthwhile.

So, I rang the school administration, and asked to speak to the class coordinator. I told him the situation. He put it in the too hard basket, and passed me onto the school administration. They looked at as if my head was on fire, and then handed me to the head honcho himself, Captain Sin Barklay, Ranger HQ's top brass. Not hearing back, I'd almost given it up as a lost cause, when a few days later, I was unceremoniously dragged into his office, where I sat, nervous and sweating, in front of his huge timber desk, and melted under his baleful glare.

"Surely you can't be serious!"

Oh shit. Muzzling the most obvious response, which would have probably ended my career before it started, I raised my head and looked directly at him.

"Yes Sir! Absolutely serious, Sir!"

He looked at me again, before reaching up to his face with a huge, grizzled palm, rubbing his forehead absently.

"So, what you're saying is that you want your pet pokemon to sit in on the entry exams to the Rangers. A position of honour, and integrity in an organisation that in the whole of its 100 year history has never, and I repeat, NEVER, had a non-human entrant in its ranks? Is this what you're asking me?"

By this stage, he had both hands resting heavily on the desk, fingers together and palms so firmly pressed onto the desk that the blood had stopped circulating. Leaning forward over them, his florid face glared down at me from what was, for me, a much too close inspection.

Fuck you, Storm! What the hell are you getting me into? However, I'd promised to go through with this, and go through with it I would...

"Yes, Sir! Yes, I understand exactly what I'm asking, and yes Sir, I think he should be given the opportunity to sit the exams!"

Captain Barklay looked at me for a long moment, before sitting back, reclining his chair thoughtfully.

"You really are serious, aren't you? Hmmm. I've heard a bit about this one. Can talk and write, I understand?"

He heard about him? That was wierd...

"Yes, Sir. He can, very well in fact"

He put his huge, meaty hands together on his desk again, and leaned forward, studying me keenly from behind them.

"You understand that I will make absolutely no allowances for his behaviour or attitude, just because of what he is, don't you? If he was to pass the exams and gain entry into this academy, he WILL be expected to meet the same high levels I demand from all the students here. In fact, given he's the first of his kind, the spotlight WILL be constantly, and often brutally, on him during his entire training. ANY deviations from the norm will be treated most likely harshly."

"Yes Sir. We both understand this, Sir"

He sat back, and rubbed his temple again, letting out a tired sigh.

"Shit, cadet. You're putting me in a situation here. If I agree to this, you also understand the shit WILL hit the fan, rather spectacularly, don't you? People WILL oppose my decision on this, and I'll be putting my own neck on the line if I let this happen. This is a seriously risky thing you're asking of me, cadet"

"Yes, Sir, We understand. He will do his best, Sir. I promise you that!"

He sighed again, before leaning forward solemnly.

"He'll need to do better than his best, cadet, if he expects to survive in this place. Same goes for you. This is the Rangers, not a bloody Pokemon kiddie camp. I will expect nothing from you both but your utmost effort here, and I MEAN the both of you. If you chose to continue with this, both your careers will be on the line. If he's out, you're out, understood? If this is too much for you, I'd suggest you both piss off now, and return to whatever hick town you sprang from, leaving the Rangers in peace. Understood?"

Was he actually agreeing to this? He wasn't serious, was he? What the hell...?

I straightened my back, and replied smartly.

"Yes Sir! You won't regret this, Sir!"

Turning to the window, he put his back to me in dismissal, before grumbling "I'd better not, cadet! I'd better not!"

"Now, get out!" I got out. Fast!

Shit. Life was about to become very interesting, and not necessarily in the funner sense of the word!

But at least there was one positive outcome of the whole situation. At least I hadn't called him "Shirley"...

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Note: Thanks go to the Royal Rangers, for much of the Rangers oath above, and the Galactic Rocket Rangers for the rest ;)

Continued in Chapter 6: The Academy.