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Nikolaj listened attentively as he followed his Magnezone through the poisoned woods. He could not help the small smile that touched his face at Saskia's retelling. His daughter hadn't changed one bit; she was still the reckless, rambunctious person she'd been as a child.[break][break]

A part of him hoped she'd grow to become more cautious, but another part of him felt relief. Saskia was his joy and light; he hated the thought of her brightness diminishing somehow.[break][break]

"I didn't. That's good for him. I guess he was always the ambitious sort."[break][break]

They followed a bend between the trees and found themselves atop a slope covered in sludge. At the bottom, huddled amongst each other, were a half-dozen small Grimer and three huge Muk.[break][break]

"Here they are. What's the plan, Ranger?" Nikolaj asked his daughter, testing her.

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Nikolaj turned his head to consider Oleg. The Elgyem must have been a new addition to Saskia's collection of Pokémon, as he'd never seen it before. Psychic-types were quite effective against poison, however, so he nodded in approval at her choice.[break][break]

"It's possible," Nikolaj admitted as they followed his Magnezone through the sludge-soaked forest. The way the trees withered away reminded him of a plague. Unfortunately, there weren't any signs of Grimer or Muk yet.[break][break]

"You found a Tera crystal here? With Greyson?" Nikolaj supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Saskia had signed up to be a Ranger, which meant it was her job to deal with dangerous situations like this one. And besides, she was an adult now, no matter how much he still saw her as his baby girl.[break][break]

So instead of reprimanding her for staying out of trouble, he asked, "How's Greyson doing, anyway? Haven't seen him much since he became a gym leader and moved away." And that had been years ago.

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The Volosenkovs were a family of traditions, and one that both Nikolaj and his wife Camila had established upon moving to Hoenn was a family beach trip during the first weekend of summer. After living in wintry Sinnoh, there was no better way to enjoy the beautiful climate of Hoenn. Not even baby Saskia's fussiness could keep them from making the trip.[break][break]

It helped that Hoenn, as an island, was not very large. The trip from Oldale to Slateport was short, so they could maximize their time in the bustling city. Much had changed in Slateport over the past two decades, but one thing remained the same: the Abomason Snow Cones stand.[break][break]

Nikolaj reviewed the flavors on the stand's sign with a keen eye. "What d'you want, Cami?" he asked her. A few bills of cash were already in his hand. While he was steadfast in his loyalty to particular flavors, his wife might like to try something new.[break][break]

The two of them had meandered over from beach to boardwalk, leaving their daughter to watch over their possessions. Of course, Nikolaj had promised to bring one back for her.

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Nikolaj frowned from behind his Ranger-issued gas mask, surveying the damage caused by a pack of aggressive Grimer and Muk. They usually did not wander this far into the woods outside Oldale Town, yet the damage to the forest suggested few other causes.[break][break]

Sludge had seeped into the vegetation, destroying underbrush and killing trees. A cloud of toxic fumes from the Pokémon's STENCH hung low in the air. Without a gas mask and protective gear, Nikolaj guessed the poison would start eating away at his skin.[break][break]

"Be careful," he warned saskia volosenkova, who had accompanied him as the only other available Ranger. "Steel-types are immune to poison, so use one if you have them."[break][break]

As Rangers of Oldale, they'd been called to locate the Grimer and Muk for capture. Nikolaj carried several empty Pokéballs in his backpack, enough to collect the roaming Pokémon. There was little, however, they could do for the poisoned landscape.[break][break]

In a flash of light, his Magnezone emerged from its Pokéball. "Use MAGNET RISE to fly ahead," Nikolaj instructed the Pokémon. "Pick a path for us to follow that doesn't have as much poison, and alert us to any wild Grimer or Muk that you see."[break][break]

The Magnet Area Pokémon buzzed and led the way into the corroded woods.

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Nikolaj knew just the place that a pack of adolescent Mightyena could use as a den. He brought Yvaine there, a natural shelter made from fallen trees and boulders. A stream babbled nearby, bringing fresh, cold water from the Silent Icelands.[break][break]

And there they were, at least two dozen dogs. They napped and lounged while the sun was hot, looking harmless. But Nikolaj knew that come evening, when the air cooled, they'd head into town to cause more mayhem.[break][break]

He nodded at his Excadrill. "Use ROCK SLIDE to pen them in. We can't have them escaping."[break][break]

The Subterrene Pokémon uttered a quiet sound of confirmation, then raised his steel-capped claws. From all directions in their immediate vicinity, boulders came hurtling toward the Mightyena. Startled, they were too slow to act.[break][break]

Soon, a ring of stones, taller than they could climb, had formed around them.[break][break]

"Yvaine! Subdue them, quickly!" Nikolaj urged, removing two empty Pokéballs from his jacket's pockets.

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Nikolaj watched the ritual complete with a silent awe. Everything that had just happened seemed so unreal, but then again, this was another world. The laws of their own world clearly did not apply, even if the folktales apparently did.[break][break]

Following Callan's example, the older Ranger recalled his Drilbur and put out the campfire. Then he proceeded up the Celesteela's arm. When he reached the top of it, however, he didn't see a good place to serve as a platform, so he merely clung to the Pokémon as best as he could.[break][break]

"Careful," he said to Vanilla and Callan as they climbed up after him.[break][break]

The Celesteela rose without warning, a rumbling like rocket ship's engine growing louder as it emerged from the crater. Nikolaj watched the world fall away around them with growing trepidation. What would they find on the moon? Would it be safe or dangerous? Friendly or hostile?[break][break]

Unfortunately for the three of them, they would never find out. A rift opened ahead of them, its edges flickering with distortion. The Celesteela continued its path, speeding directly toward the rift.[break][break]

"Hold on tight!" Nikolaj yelled, his entire body tensing with anticipation and dread.[break][break]

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Nikolaj knelt by the tracks as well. He had learned how to read Pokémon tracks during his first years as a Ranger, and what he saw confirmed Yvaine's observation.[break][break]

"Mostly terrorizing the locals. Eating through rubbish bins, chasing children, snatching livestock," he explained, his knees protesting as he rose to stand. "Some damage to buildings and fencing."[break][break]

His eyes followed the tracks further in the woods.[break][break]

"Oldale HQ wants them rounded up and brought back. Looks like there might be too many for the spare Pokéballs I brought, so if we can just subdue them, I'll bring my truck and we can load them in."

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"Curry sounds great. Thank you, Vanilla."[break][break]

The notes of Callan's guitar filled the air, prompting Nikolaj to raise an eyebrow. He had heard some passing comment or other that the silver-haired man was a musician of some kind, but Nikolaj was not a fan of current music. His preference were the vinyl records he and his wife had collected over the years, some having arrived with them from Sinnoh.[break][break]

But he said nothing. He simply nodded at Callan's observation from the Rangers meeting and again in agreement with Callan's sentiment to Vanilla's story.[break][break]

When the Celesteela appeared in the earthen crater that had once been the lake, Nikolaj frowned. There had, in fact, been five bowls, one of which was filled with water. He picked it up, careful not to slosh the liquid.[break][break]

"You mean this?" he asked before turning to the massive Pokémon and extending the bowl, as if in tribute.

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