"Are you 100% sure he has those rangers?"

"Where else would they be?"

Elita had been fighting the other Ks about the condition of Aria and the other Fall City Rangers. Now that they have seen that Joel is the problem, they were worrying about the other rangers that worked with him.

"The fact that they haven't sent a distress call means something. But what?" Varian hummed.

"Many things. One being he could've forced them to give up any communication and won't let them get near them. Another could be he put enough fear in them to keep them from touching their communication. Some others are magical enchantments stopping them, silencing them, keeping them unconscious... the list keeps going." Crawford blinked.

"What do you do, write it all down and memorize it?" Varian huffed.

"Hey, I'm not the worst of the Isle. You should see Maleficent list them. She has thrown out speeches worth of ideas." Parchment smiled.

"That's my mom for ya. Always being the best."

"Excuse me?" Bluealle growled. The VKs groaned. Varian smiled.

"Bluealle dear, your mother wasn't that far behind. While she didn't give speeches of ideas for down communication, she could tell you how to take out a population if you dragged it out of her." Parchment went pale as she looked at her arguing partner. The taller girl had a big smile as she glanced over.

"I..." Parchment shook her head as she looked down. Crepe sighed.

"Doesn't mean much. At least you didn't learn from a freak show."

That was a bad move. How do they know? Arctic's comeback. She slammed her hand on the table.

"Dad was not a freak show!"

"Oh really? Then what was that you called mom?"

"She was nothing but a rat that needs more than just holy water to purify her!"

"She is purified! Dad still needs to get out of the mud!"

"What?! He did a better job than mom did!"

"All he did was go out and stare at the water! Mom got the house money!"

"And what about the Hook Special at Love's? That was him helping!"

The room groaned as the two siblings clashed heads. Crawford blinked as Ice called out.

"Two seconds and a mother is being called!" They both shot a glare at him before restarting.

"You had nothing better to do than clean the entire house in an hour!"

"That was you with the ship! Mom gave me the entire hour per room!"

"Dad didn't do such a thing! He was loving and taught me what I had to do on the ship!"

"While forcing you to clean it! Mom gave me the essentials while also giving me love and care!"

"Hey! I got love and care! She beat you up every time you were tired!"

"She was training me to take care of myself! You weren't there when the news hit, so hush up!"

"You still can't take care of yourself!"

"Your point!?"

"I had the better parent!"

"Yeah, because someone who was limited to one environment did better than one who gave their child a chance to see their fit needs!"

Arctic growled in reply as they locked eyes. Cedar huffed as he pulled out his phone. Crepe must've seen it because he shot under the table.

"NOT MOTHER GOTHEL!" The room lost it as Arctic sat down slowly. She stayed quiet as Cedar sighed.

"Better. Now then. How do we do this?" Elita hummed.

"A group needs to get Joel away from the base so we can check it for the rangers. Then we can use that to get the upper hand."

~~~

Tiffany's plan was perfect. She persuaded her brothers to cause a distraction to lure Joel from the base. She has to promise that she would tell Garret some things, but other than that it was perfect. Joel was immediately alerted by the Go brothers' attack on the factory and went after them. Crepe, Cedar, Elita and Sven went in to look. They immediately found the rangers in the cage. They were all asleep as Cedar forced the cage to drop. Elita touched Aria's cheek.

"Aria?" The blonde remained asleep as Sven and Crepe grabbed the others. She sighed as she picked her up. "Let's go before Joel returns. While instruments weren't the best way to go, at least we got them."

~~~

Yeah... Joel was slightly pissed. He was more upset than he showed. He sat down as tears stained his cheeks.

"Those Ks.... taking my only solid company..." He sniffled lightly as his eyes flashed. "Oh Arceus... Aria..." They darkened as he hissed. "I'll get you guys back. No one will hurt you."

~~~

Aria was the last one to wake up. The others were grateful for the rescue while Aria was another story. Ice was watching her from afar when she finally moved.

"No..." She mumbled as she moved onto her side. Ice went over and touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes and immediately sat up. "Wait what-"

"Woah woah woah... easy..." She huffed as she followed his words.

"Where am I?"

"Ranger Union. Are you ok?" She stared off into the distance as she processed his words. "Guys!" He sent the words towards the door, alerting the others. She stayed frozen as Elita got to her side.

"Aria?" The blonde didn't move as Elita turned to Ice. "How'd she wake up?"

"She first shifted while she was asleep. I touched her shoulder to try and see if she was alright, in case of something like a nightmare. She then woke up and started freaking out. I calmed her down and told her where she was. She hasn't moved since." Elita frowned as she eyed the ranger.

"Thank you. I'll take over." He nodded as he went out. She touched Aria's shoulder, gaining her attention. "Aria?" No sound escaped the female as she tried to get up. "Woah woah woah..."

"I-" Aria choked on her words as tears raced down her cheeks. Elita pulled her into a hug as Aria cracked. "I have to-"

"Aria... calm down..." She rubbed the smaller girl's back as she cried into her shoulder. She understood why Aria didn't cry often. The female had a lot to dump that followed those tears. "Aria... shh... it's ok..."

"No..." She finally spoke, the crying had made her sound funny. "Not with what was left behind..." She wheezed lightly as the tears continued. Elita paused at her words.

"Calm down and explain it. Please?" Aria pulled away as she covered her face.

"It... he...." Aria pulled herself together as she sighed. Elita paused.

"This is about Joel... isn't it?" Aria nodded.

"He... something is tearing him to pieces. I don't know what it is, but he's not the same... he goes from being ready to protect those he cares about to a broken kid that just lost his life... I can't bear it!" She grabbed her mouth as she trembled. "His tears... everything that he showed just in the past couple of weeks... it hurts...." Elita grasped her shoulder and lightly squeezed, regaining her attention.

"Aria... you're not the only one worrying. We all are. But we have to stay strong for him. Ok?" The blonde nodded as the ground trembled. A yelp followed. "Uh oh... stay here." Aria nodded as the BK ran out. A voice cut through the air as the door shut, making Aria freeze.

"Better."

~~~

The others couldn't find the source of the attack. Sven, Crepe, Arctic, Cedar, Rand, and Midnight were unconscious as they looked around.

"Clearly Joel... but where is he?" Varian had finished helping the down group when Ice paused.

"Would there be something he would be after?" Elita hummed before it hit her.

"His rangers. He didn't hurt them once. There's a reason. But why..." Melody turned to Ponte.

"Not my best option, but you go check. You can at least take a few hits." Ponte nodded as he ran upstairs.

~~~

Aria backed away as Joel neared her. She wasn't afraid as she was surprised. How'd he get in? The door was locked, which wasn't good.

"There's no need to be afraid, Aria. I'm just here to help." She gulped.

"I'm... not scared. You just... surprised me... how'd you get in?" He smiled.

"It only takes a soft sound to get places." He reached out to her as her back pressed against the door. "I'll get you out of here. Just come with me." Aria gulped.

"But-" Joel touched her face, making her pause.

"Be honest with yourself. Who is protecting you more?" She trembled.

"You're letting yourself get hurt by doing it..." He purred.

"Then I find someone to take care of me. People have to do what they have to do." She forced her tears back. This wasn't how he left her. Then again... he had shifted so many times. She forced herself closer to the door.

"No... I'm not just going to sit back and watch you do this. I want freedom." He looked away, almost hurt. It put guilt in her as he pulled away.

"Fine. Stay in a miserable place. But I swear, I will save you from this." She stood up with almost no hesitation.

"I'm not the one that needs saving!" He turned to her. "Joel, you have been hurting. Open your heart and let these people help you!"

"I'm not going to listen to a bunch of people who are more lost than you are when you're not home. They are hopeless. Hell, they're lucky to even have guidance." She gulped.

"Please... Joel... we can sort this out..." He scoffed as the air got cold. A soft orb appeared in his hand as the light sound appeared.

"Step one, you say we need to talk
He walks, you say sit down, it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left, and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
'Cause after all, you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And I pray to God he hears you

And where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life
How to save a life

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life
How to save a life"

He gripped the wall as he looked at the orb. Was it that hard for him? She couldn't handle it. She bounded forward and hugged him from behind as a sound came from the door. Joel blinked before her words hit his ears.

"Please... don't leave me..."

He smiled weakly as he pulled her into a front hug and casted, pulling them out of the building. The door was pushed open as Elita cursed.

"No... Aria..."