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Eddies

Chapter 12: The forest.

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.

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The trek down from the mountain heights was a bitch.

While the weather stayed fine, the tracks crisscrossing the state forest remained a boggy morass of deep ruts, slippery mud and tangled tree roots, perfect for tripping up the unsuspecting. Already unbalanced by the heavy packs they carried, every fall ended in a mess, and the group soon found themselves cursing at the beleaguered pathway. By the time Chris had picked himself up out of the slop for the fourth time, wiping thick, sticky goo from the front of his clothes, he'd had more than enough. His foul mood wasn't helped by Skyy, who grinned at him each time, helping the "clumsy human" to his feet. Given the lucario's natural agility had him skipping from dry spot to dry spot, he was able to avoid the worst of the mess, much to Chris's chagrin.

His only consolation was seeing Scott's partner Storm in an even worse predicament. The backpack he was toting was immense; a testament to the strength of the big pokemon. However, his stubby legs caused him even more grief than the humans, and he appeared to spend more time face down in the muck than upright. The steady stream of profanities coming from his mouth had increased in direct proportion to the amount of filth matted in his fur. Eventually, even Chris became awed by the level of invectiveness he was spouting.

Regardless of his personal feelings about the Rangers, Chris had to admit Scott certainly knew his stuff. While Chris thought his bush survival and tracking skills were pretty decent, the human Ranger was in a league apart. In particular, he seemed to have no difficulty locating the direction they needed, even in the instances where Chris himself was lost.

What continued to confuse Chris was the apparent duplicity of the Rangers. For a simple reconnoitre and return operation, the group was definitely in overkill mode. Everything about the operation screamed "covert" to Chris. Yet the pair seemed more than happy to chat and converse as if everything was normal. Chris found Storm, in particular, to be cunningly smart, often hiding his obvious intelligence behind a veneer of crudity and humour, so making any assumptions on his comments was difficult. Scott, by comparison, often acted reserved, but was still more than happy to answer any questions Chris put to him.

At least, apart from the big one, that Chris had concerns asking; why they were really here. Neither the Rangers nor Jasper had reason to return with them. Given Raikou's ability to open the portal at will, Chris and his friends could have returned home without further assistance. Yet, here they all were, out of their element, and literally on the part of the pokemon, out of their world.

Finally, as his internal debate reached a head, Chris decided to just ask the pair outright. They were in "his" home, after all, and he felt he had every right to be enlightened as to their plans while in it. Stepping up his pace when the track widened to walk beside Scott, he drew a breath and spoke his mind.

"You guys are not just here to drop me home, are you? What's the real deal?"

Scott eyed him intently, while keeping his stride. "What do you mean "the real deal"?"

Chris matched his stare. "I mean, the C-4 in the truck, as an example. Not exactly the usual stuff you pack with your map and compass when trekking through the bush"

Scott gave him a wry grin, turning back to the trail as he replied. "I told them we should have simply filled you in. I also told them you weren't stupid. I was overruled there on both counts. However, given you saw the stuff I see no further reason to withhold the information from you."

Sighing, the Ranger continued. "The answer to the C-4 is simple. It's there in the event we do not return, or we fail to communicate with the reserve team waiting on this side of the portal within 7 days. More importantly should they encounter any hostile response from this side of the portal, their orders are to retreat back to my world, blowing the portal to Arceus and back as they go."

As the Ranger fell silent, Chris pondered the implications of this news. The stark truth was that he couldn't fault the reasoning behind this action. Given the reverse situation, he was certain his own people would act no differently.

However, the same niggling doubt kept at him, and he questioned the Ranger further.

"This implies you're expecting problems, and planning for the eventuality" he said, noting the grim expression that briefly crossed the Rangers face. He continued, "I gather there is more to this than simple risk reduction?"

Scott gave a chuckle. "Why am I not surprised you worked that out?" Sighing, he jumped over a large mud pool on the track, reaching over to catch Chris's arm to pull him over.

"Where to begin? It's something the Rangers have been following for decades. Where is all the tech coming from?"

Chris looked confused. "What tech?" and Scott turned to him another grim look. "All of it. Top to bottom. For centuries, my own world functioned at a fairly low technological level. The reality was that things were stagnant. Then, around a century ago, everything changed. We had a sudden influx of new, amazing inventions, covering every area of technology. Health, science, engineering; it all flourished, making massive advances in an incredibly short time."

He paused a few moments, before continuing. "And behind it all, was Sinnotech"

"Sinno-who?" asked Chris, confused.

"Sinnotech. The largest single private corporate entity on the planet. With the release of cutting edge, innovative inventions, they went from strength to strength, gaining corporate superiority over their rivals to become the single largest and most important private company in the world. They have their hands in absolutely everything. The source of many new medicines, curing diseases previously considered untreatable. Then there were the technological advances, from the motor vehicle to the aircraft, and every type of household and commercial product in between. Most importantly, they became the single largest, and most advanced, supplier of military weapons and vehicles anywhere."

Eyeing him intently, Scott continued "They have a basic monopoly on every single important and crucial item produced in the world for the past century. This has given them a direct hand in political and social matters, and an indirect one in everything else, wrapping the world in an iron fist of control. But how did they achieve this?"

Staring to the surrounding trees with a dark look, he said "This has been one of the single most crucial reasons the Rangers were formed. We knew it wasn't always internal development. Hell, they have some smart people there for sure, but things they were doing went way beyond that. Unless the staff were manned by a pack of invisible geniuses, it just wasn't possible. Yet, it happened. So, they had to be getting this technology from somewhere..."

The open look he gave Chris dispelled any residual trace of animosity he might have felt for the Ranger.

Chris considered, then said "My world?"

Scott nodded. "It's the only thing that makes any sense. There's something rotten to the core here, Chris" he said grimly. "We've been unsuccessful in finding it for decades. Then you show up, from an alternate world with incredibly parallel similarities in technology and physiology. Talking with you even so casually during our meeting, our worst suspicions were confirmed."

Chris considered. "But they're clearly not using this portal to travel between the worlds, so that means..."

Scott sighed. "Yeah, there's another portal out there somewhere, under the control of Sinnotech. It's how they're bringing all this new tech through."

Pausing to adjust his backpack straps, Scott said "a few years ago, Storm and I were part of a team to take Sinnotech on. The result was a disaster. We thought Storm was dead, along with a group of other Rangers, and it was 12 months before we discovered him, trapped and tortured, in their main laboratory. With that action, we had thought we'd dealt with Sinnotech once and for all, but those bastards have more heads than a hydra. Within months, there were satellite operations under various alias companies operating across the globe. But knowing it and proving it were two different things, and the Rangers have spent the better part of the last year chasing down different leads to try and nail the arseholes once and for all. For all our work, we've been chasing our tails there; they always seem one step ahead of us at every turn. I hate to think they've got someone inside the Rangers working for them, but it's too much of a coincidence to simply leave to chance."

Stepping up his pace to regain the momentary lost ground, the Ranger said "This time, we hope to have that chance. This time, I've only involved Rangers we know well and personally. In keeping the operation secret, it might allow us to find the bastards from the back end, so to speak, and work up from here."

Passing a look to the intent Chris, Scott said "This is dangerous, you understand. Last time, we lost a lot of men. It could be worse this time. By keeping you in the dark on this, we've put you in unknowing danger. I disagreed with that completely. But your choice to continue helping us is your own. If you decide to stay here, or even return to my world, we'll hold nothing against you. But frankly, we could do with your help..."

Chris turned away, the enormity of this information overwhelming him for a moment. Looking into Skyy's face, he was surprised to see the lucario return a smile, as well as a small nod.

"We do this then?" Chris asked the pokemon quietly, and received another confirmatory nod.

"Yep" said Skyy. "I think we can help a lot here. At least, you can. You know this place better than any of us."

With a sigh, he turned to the Ranger regarding the pair of them intently. "OK, we're in. But on the understanding there are no more secrets, alright? Either we're a part of this, or out of this."

Scott let out a deep breath. "As I said, that's how I wanted it. Now you know the truth, that's how it'll be. No more secrets, I promise."

Reaching out, the pair shook hands, only to be startled by a loud, splashing growl from the typhlosion, who had fallen face first in the much again.

"Aaarrrgggh!! I fucking hate this place!" he roared, wiping mud off his face and chest, before barging past them to continue his grim march down the trail, this time in the lead.

Chris exchanged a grin with Scott and Skyy, as the trio continued down the track in companionable silence, following the irate typhlosion as he bulldozed his way ahead.

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The longer they marched, the more familiar Chris became with the terrain and trails they were crossing. He became increasingly jubilant as landmarks he knew well appeared around them, and by lunch time they'd trekked to an area of State Forest less than a few hours from his parent's farm lands. Scott and Chris had a quick debate on whether to continue with their forced march, to see if they could make it to his home by late evening. But by this time, Storm was surly enough to light fires with his speech. Indeed, smoke had begun curling from his back; the first time Chris had seen any such thing coming from the typhlosion. When he asked Scott about it in a hushed voice, the Ranger gave him a wry grin, telling him that Storm was the only typhlosion he had met who didn't flame there, except when he was really pissed off.

Apparently, he was getting pretty pissed off as they continued.

So, as fatigue began setting in to the group, they broke for camp late that afternoon in a clearing Chris had used many times for camping in the past. Backing onto a slow flowing section of river, the thick, dense grass covering the area was a welcome change from the mud and slime they'd encountered previously.

Storm dropped to the ground with a groan, back pack still on his shoulders. Lying back into the grass, he arched his spine, the joints letting out a few loud cracks as he stretched himself back into shape. Scott gave his friend a grin, dropping his own gear into a pile, and stretched himself. Jasper joined him, flopping to the ground and digging through his bags for a water bottle, before dropping to a snooze against a log he'd dragged before the fire.

Chris, Skyy and Raikou settled across the empty fire pit a short distance away, on the pretext of gaining a little privacy. Apart from the mud coating his paws, which he regarded in disgust, Raikou looked none the worse for wear after the long trek, and settled down into the grass to clean his legs with long swipes of his rough tongue.

Chris rolled his eyes at Skyy, gaining a chuckle in response. By comparison, the lucario had come out the best of all of them. Apart from wet pads, he was mud free; a state Chris regarded somewhat enviously. Not wasting any time, he dumped his soaked, mud splattered boots and trousers, to rummage through his pack in his underwear for dry clothes. He ignored the wolf whistle aimed at him by Jasper, who opened an eye to give him a wink and double thumbs up, which he pretended to ignore with a grin.

Chuckling at the gym leader, Chris was surprised to notice something that had escaped him earlier. There was only one pokeball on his belt clip.

Pulling on fresh clothes only delayed the inevitable need for a proper wash, but gave him a chance to ask him about it.

Jasper grinned wryly, fingers unconsciously resting against the remaining ball, and said "I left the other guys at the Gym, in the care of my second. I didn't want to risk them in an unknown situation. However, Sparky would have ripped me a new one if I left her behind, so she insisted on being the one who came. Mind you, knowing her aversion to dirt, I think I'll wait to release her until we reach somewhere more civilised"

Chris grinned at the gym leader, and went to help Skyy with erecting their tent.

It didn't take them long to set up a basic camp, using the fire pit already present. Within the hour, the entire group had their tents up and a roaring blaze going. They soon found themselves stretching out in front of the fire, toasting chilled feet in the radiated heat and relaxing with warm coffee.

Eventually, Storm got up with a groan, rifling through his own gear for a towel and a bar of soap. Excusing himself gruffly, he headed upstream, disappearing into the bush to find a secluded section of river to bathe in. Scott watched him go, eyes following the typhlosion inscrutably, before sighing "I'd better follow him, and see if he's settled. Nothing worse than having a pissed-off flamethrower to spoil an otherwise pleasant evening." Grabbing his own washing gear, he followed the typhlosion silently, disappearing into the dense scrub after his partner.

Chris had fallen asleep lying against Raikou's flank, who tolerated the familiarity amicably. The legendary had become surprisingly relaxed around the group, although still kept a watchful eye on Jasper and the Rangers. However, even the big cat seemed content with his lot, dropping his head to his paws and snoring softly in the fire's warmth.

Chris had let Azil out of his ball earlier, and the charmander had spent the time sprinting around the clearing exploring the unfamiliar sights and smells of the alien forest. Eventually, he snuck off to a distant part of the cleared area, where he began practicing his battle moves, the occasional flare of flame lighting the trees overhead with its glare.

Finding himself suddenly without anything to do, Skyy hopped up and grabbed some food bars from the gear, munching on the fruit and grain snacks quietly. When his stomach gave a sudden gurgle, signalling his need to respond to the call of nature, the lucario headed in the general direction the Rangers had taken to find a private spot. Once his business was done, he made ready to return to the clearing, only to overhear quiet murmured voices coming from further afield.

Curious, he slipped through the underbrush silently, tracking the faint sound until he approached the river's edge. Keeping to the heavy greenery on its bank, he discretely scanned the dark pooling water, espying Scott and Storm several dozen paces away, where they stood in the waist-deep water washing away the trail grime.

From their manner, Skyy realised the pair hadn't spotted him. Suddenly flushed with guilt at his voyeurism he made to leave, but froze as he watched Scott begin soaping the typhlosion's chest, scrubbing his fingers through the dense fur as Storm closed his eyes in bliss at the touch. The lucario hesitated, blushing under his fur at the close intimacy of the pair, but gasped as the human Ranger ran his fingers up around the typhlosion's chest to wrap his arms firmly around his neck, resting his head against the furred chest with a sigh. When the typhlosion returned the embrace, drawing the human tightly against him, Skyy slipped away hurriedly, embarrassment making him clumsy as he sped back to the camp site.

His mind confused by the sudden insight into the pair's personal life, he dropped to the ground before the fire opposite Chris and Raikou. Jasper had already headed for his tent; from the loud snores emanating through the fabric, he was making good on lost sleep. Chris continued to rest against Raikou, also taking the opportunity to catch some rest. At his return, Raikou raised his head and regarded the lucario solemnly. Sighing, Skyy made it to his feet, crossing to the side of the legendary to drop again with a groan.

Trying to avoid rousing the human against him, Raikou rumbled quietly "You look troubled?"

Skyy considered his words, before rubbing his face with a paw. "Yeah, a bit" he said, turning his gaze on Chris, who slept on unaware of his attention.

Raikou regarded him for a moment. "I gather you have become aware that our Ranger friends are more than just professional partners?" he rumbled, reseating his position and causing Chris to twitch in sleep.

As Skyy nodded sharply, startled at the legendary's insight, Raikou chuckled lightly, keeping the noise down to avoid rousing the human. "I am surprised you hadn't noticed earlier. Your sense of smell is as acute as mine. Couldn't you scent it?"

Skyy had, in fact, noticed something to that effect, but had been too caught up in his own concerns to register it as odd. "I'd assumed they were just close" he stuttered, to which Raikou smirked toothily.

"Quite close, I would say. Certainly more than many would consider strictly normal."

Skyy shuddered as a chill breeze blew through the clearing. "But...they're Rangers!! How can they....?" Unable to find the words he needed, the lucario raised both arms and shrugged, in a helpless gesture.

Raikou sighed. "How can they love each other? I'm surprised you can ask that question, young lucario."

Skyy went to stutter a reply, before dropping into silence.

Raikou returned his head to his crossed paws, and said tiredly "I'm very old, lucario. Far older than most of the creatures in this world. I have seen things, and dreamt things, you couldn't possibly imagine. But love between two beings? This is not a difficult thing to comprehend. If you have an opportunity, I suggest you ask those two about their past; one that was terrible beyond comprehension. The fact it even reached my lone ears is a testament to their suffering. That they then found each other after being so very lost more than suggests their closeness is Arceus-blessed. I understand many think such a union is unnatural. To them, I offer only sympathy, but not empathy."

Eyes narrowed, the legendary regarded Skyy with intent scrutiny. "Sometimes, you do not realise what you've missed until it is gone. Don't let that happen to you, lucario. Seize the moment, before it passes and is lost forever. You may not garner another chance at happiness."

Giving his fur a shake, he roused Chris from sleep, receiving a complaint at the disturbance. As the human sat up rubbing his eyes, Raikou stood, shook himself further as he eyed the lucario suggestively. Offering the pair a quiet "Good night", he disappeared into the darkness beyond the campfire's light, and was soon lost from view.

Finding himself suddenly alone with his partner, Skyy shook slightly, nerves overwhelming him. When Chris raised an eye at his partner's odd behaviour, the lucario took a deep breath and stood, holding out a hand to the human, who took the paw wordlessly. Surprised when the paw continued to grasp his hand after he gained his feet, Chris looked at his friend, who grinned suddenly, before leading them to their tent.

From the shadows under a large pine, Raikou chuckled in amusement at the folly of the young, before disappearing into the night to find his own resting place. It seems the evening was going to be a long one, for some...

About time too, he rumbled with a grin, as the darkness enveloped him.

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