Pokemon Ranger: The Hero of Oblivia

Deal with the Devil

I began to explain what had happened on the Sub, purposely leaving out the part where I was restrained. "And then Murph showed up!" I finished. "The End!"

"That's not the end, Summer!" Ben interjected.

He wasn't about to tell them about my almost abduction, was he?

Rand raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He simply muttered, leaning onto his cradled hands.

I swatted at Ben's thigh under the table.

"Well," Ben started.

I narrowed my eyes at him, warning him to stop.

Godammit, Ben! I didn't want them to think of me as weak and defenseless, as somebody that needed protection! I didn't! I might not be strong, but I didn't need anybody worrying about me as if I was a liability!

"When we were on the Sub," He continued, ignoring my not-so-subtle glare.

I hit his thigh harder. Ben didn't even flinch. So, I tried pinching him with my short nails. He still continued, as if I didn't exist. I started getting desperate. I didn't want Leanne and Rand to think less of me because I failed to protect myself.

I pulled at the baby hairs on Ben's neck, a trick Kate had taught me from dealing with Keith.

Ben whipped his head to face me with a scowl. "Can you stop?"

I glared back at him in response.

Ben searched my angry face before he realized something was bothering me. His attitude softened considerably. He turned back to the table. "Excuse us for a second, Rand." He said before leading me away from the table by my elbow.

I attempted to snatch away from him, but just like with that Pincher on the Submarine, I wasn't strong enough to twist my arm out of his grip.

Ben led me into my temporary room and shut the door. He didn't release my arm until he had locked the door.

"What's wrong with you, Summer?" He asked. He was using my actual name instead of a nickname; he meant business.

"Oh, I dunno, Ben!" I sarcastically said, dramatically flailing my arms around. "Maybe it's because you were blatantly about to call me out in front of everyone? I mean, seriously! There's a reason I left that part out!!"

"Then I won't tell him." Ben simply said.

"What?"

Ben flopped onto the bed. "You heard me."

That was easy. I sat next to him. "You promise?"

"I promise." He solemnly replied. "On one condition."

I looked over at him, where a smile was edging its way onto his serious face. "And what might that be?"

Ben started coughing and I started to wonder if he was alright. His face looked a little red, too. Wait- Summer, you're mad at him. Stay mad at him. I exhaled loudly when he was done with his coughing fit and managed to keep my concern hidden.

"I won't tell Rand that you almost got captured if you let me protect you." He finally choked out after repeatedly clearing his throat.

I jumped off the bed. "What? No way!"

Ben gave me a blank expression. "Think about it; you're obviously the better capturer, I'm obviously way stronger than you... You capture the Pokemon, I'll make sure no Pinchers try to attack you while you do it."

I thought about it. He was right. I hate it when Ben makes a good point. It pisses me off.

He must've noticed my sour expression because he chuckled.

"No." I answered.

"Stub-born!" He sang. He paused for a moment before adding, "Like your sis-ter!~"

I raised an eyebrow. "You trying me, Benjamin?"

"Trying what, Munchkin? You're going to have to be more specific." Ben gave me a goofy grin.

"Are you trying to manipulate me?"

"That depends; is it working?"

"Maybe."

His goofy grin got bigger. He knew that he had won as soon as he challenged me. I shook his outstretched hand. I actually felt better knowing that the Submarine scene would never happen again as long as Ben was there. Not that I'd actually ever tell him that.

Ben unlocked the door and allowed me to walk out first, giving me an exaggerated bow. We sat back down at the table and ignored the confused look on everyone's faces.

Rand and the others gave us a look of interest. "What was that about?" Rand asked.

A goofy smile spread across Ben's face. "I would tell you, Sir."

I kicked his leg under the table and he turned to look at me as he continued to speak. "But, I'm afraid that I've sold my soul to the devil and I'm no longer at liberty to say." He said, linking my arm with his.

(A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been meaning to update but things got crazy for a while and I started to lose track of where I was going with my spin on Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs, but I think I worked past the Writer's Block I seem to have gotten.

Oh, no! Looks like Ben's got a bit of a cough there, huh?

Anyways, I was watching an episode of Teen Titans on the internet when I saw an episode I had never seen before. It was called Lightspeed and it introduced a new character named Kid Flash and the main focus was around one of my favorite characters: Jinx. This is actually relevant to Pokemon because I totally see Kate and Keith or Summer and Ben having the kind of relationship that Jinx and Kid Flash have.

Anyways, I just wanted everyone to know that I'm still open for ideas. Hell, I'll even tweak the song I came up with ((You know the one I'm talking about. It goes "I am just a Pokemon", remember?)) if I think it'll fit the story.)