"Trainer! Please show me your ID," The Ranger said.
Tetsuya took out his Pokédex. The Ranger nodded and said, "Tetsuya, so you're a Gym's pupil, huh. My name is Ezaki, and I'm the captain of the Ranger squad in this forest."
"Mm." Tetsuya nodded.
Ezaki then said, "You should leave this forest as soon as possible. Things have been a little strange these past two days."
"Oh? What's strange about it?" Tetsuya asked.
"Sigh…Two of our Rangers have already gone missing. Everyone is on edge right now, and our captain is leading an all-out investigation," The Ranger said.
Tetsuya nodded and said, "Could they have been ambushed by some Pokémon…?"
"Iie. Logically speaking, that shouldn't be possible. This forest was planned out by the League, and we know the danger level of all the wild Pokémon here very well. Besides, whenever we Rangers encounter trouble while patrolling the forest, we signal each other. But this time, we didn't receive any signal at all…"
'Nothing has happened for so many years, so how could something like this suddenly happen…?' Ezaki looked thoughtful.
What Ezaki said made sense. Forests with Rangers permanently stationed in them were relatively safe. Most large and ferocious Pokémon had already been caught, and anyone capable of becoming a Ranger was no your average Trainer. They were not someone an ordinary Pokémon could harm.
Moreover, the missing Rangers had not even sent out a signal!
They must have lost, at least let's hope, just consciousness instantly, leaving them no chance to send one. That would require even greater power.
Logically speaking, a wild Pokémon like that should not appear in a forest like this, which meant it could very well be Aoi Maiko…
"Ranger-san, could you show me photos of the missing Rangers?" Tetsuya said.
Seeing how serious Tetsuya looked, Ezaki pulled two photographs from the pocket of his uniform. Both showed Rangers dressed in uniform. The two Rangers were both, well… handsome(?), and because of their long-term training, they also had well-defined physiques.
Tetsuya thought for a moment. That was probably it. Perhaps these two Rangers had seen Maiko while out on patrol!
In truth, Aoi Maiko was not some major criminal wanted by the League and could have easily bluffed her way through, but her "innate" habits could not be changed.
Her lust for handsome men would make her lose all reason!
Otherwise, she would not have become unacceptable to both the Johto League and Team Rocket, the lawful and underground sides alike. She had completely reached the point where she could no longer control herself.
"…Are there any caves or places like that in this forest?" Tetsuya asked.
"Ee, there are, but we've already searched those places and didn't find anything," Ezaki said.
"No, not necessarily. Search them again. I'll go with you," Tetsuya said.
"…All right." Ezaki seemed to have thought of something as well. People generally would not search places they had already checked a second time, and someone with ulterior motives could take advantage of that.
"Come out, Rapidash!" Ezaki sent out his Rapidash for transportation. After all, this place was close to Laramie Ranch, so the Rangers here naturally had more opportunities to obtain Pokémon like these.
After Rapidash came out, it let out a neigh as its flames surged, looking truly imposing.
"Tetsuya, I'll give you a ride," Ezaki said after mounting Rapidash.
"No need." As soon as Tetsuya finished speaking, Ditto had already Transformed into Rapidash. Both its physique and aura surpassed Ezaki's Rapidash.
"Keep up!" In Ezaki's eyes, Tetsuya's Rapidash was ultimately an imitation, so its galloping ability certainly could not compare. Its appearance was merely something it had Transformed into, all mouth and no trousers…
Ezaki gradually accelerated while riding Rapidash, but Tetsuya remained close behind the entire time without falling behind in the slightest!
'…???'
Ezaki could not understand this. He knew a great deal about Pokémon, or else he would never have become a squad captain. A Pokémon like Ditto could often throw an opponent into confusion, but that only worked against low-level Trainers.
Anyone who understood Ditto knew that one of its weakness was its lack of stamina, which was why Ditto was practically never seen in major tournaments.
Yet not only could Tetsuya's Ditto keep up with Rapidash in terms of speed, it had traveled such a long distance without showing any signs of fatigue. This greatly surprised Ezaki.
---◓---
For an entire day, Ezaki and Tetsuya patrolled the forest, focusing mainly on places where someone could hide.
By nightfall, they had only completed half of the task, even with Rapidash helping them. Ezaki also sent a message to his companions, informing them that he would continue investigating the forest and remain in contact with them at all times.
After night fell, Tetsuya and Ezaki had no choice but to stop and plan the area they would patrol the next day.
In truth, a Ranger could be said to be extremely familiar with the geography of this forest, let alone a squad captain like Ezaki, so there should not be any omissions.
"Tetsuya, how is your Ditto so strong? Its speed is completely on par with my Rapidash, and its stamina is actually even greater than my Rapidash's…" Ezaki said while eating some of Tetsuya's rations.
Tetsuya simply prepared two cups of Miltank's milk for Ditto and said, "Hm? Nutrition is very important."
Ezaki did not press the matter. What Tetsuya said was indeed a key factor, but not everyone could own a Miltank like this, nor could every Ditto quietly put in as much effort as Tetsuya's did…
"You don't look very old, yet you've already become a squad captain. That's certainly no simple achievement either."
Tetsuya said this because Ezaki was only seventeen or eighteen years old. Most Trainers his age could not even make it into the main competition of a League tournament, yet Ezaki was already a Ranger squad captain.
The primary requirement for becoming a Ranger was placing in the top eight or higher in a League tournament, and naturally, Ezaki must have had his own exceptional qualities to be promoted to squad captain.
"I participated in three League tournaments, and the last time I made it into the top four. After that, I directly applied to become a Ranger.
Heh~ Ever since I was little, my dream has been to become a Ranger, live with Pokémon in the forests, and protect them." As Ezaki spoke, he looked very happy.
"Can happiness really be this simple…?" Tetsuya muttered to himself. Perhaps when he achieved his own goal, he would feel happy too.
---◓---
Tetsuya set up the tent, but Ezaki, despite not having prepared one himself, acted as though it were only natural and beat him to claiming a spot inside.
'…'
"We'll just have to make do, haha." Ezaki chuckled.
Tetsuya did not respond. He lay down to one side and went to sleep fully clothed.
"We're both men… What are you being shy about?" With that, Ezaki placed his hand on Tetsuya's shoulder.
"Take it off…" Tetsuya said stiffly.
"I'm just joking with you! Sigh… what a petty guy." With that, Ezaki turned away.
In the middle of the night, Tetsuya left the tent and went to sleep alone in his sleeping bag.
With his personality, he was no longer suited to getting too close to anyone!