Sage went missing a few days later. It wasn't surprising to anyone the set of events. Lapis started panicking (Even though he was mad at Sage for the damage), the others were struggling to calm him down and the other bases got called to help. However, Dijon actually broke the chain a little. He went out as the others entered and went looking.

He hit dead center.

A scream came from the center of the forest as he raced in and skidded to a stop. A bunch of pokemon were trapped by a figure while a bunch of kids were wounded at the side. The figure glanced back at him.

"Who are you?" He frowned at the deeper voice.

"I have the same question for you." Silence followed as Lapis's voice filled the air. Oh great. He then paused. "Let the kids go and we won't have to fight."

Apparently he liked that plan. At the sound of the deal, he took off, allowing Dijon to get to the kids and Pokemon. He grabbed his styler.

"Voicemail, Voicemail, Dijon here. I need assistance in the deep part of the forest. I have some wounded kids."

~_~

Scarlet frowned at what Dijon mentioned upon returning. She was currently calming Lapis down as they hadn't found Sage.

"Interesting... And they left after you gave the deal?" Dijon nodded. She hummed as Lapis fell asleep in her grip. The Operator sighed.

"We're still getting nothing good. He has truly vanished this time." Scarlet sighed.

"Then I'll take responsibility as Base Leader until then. I would say Lapis, but-" Lapis's faint resting noises filled the air as she paused. "It's not safe. Can someone get him to his room? We need to shift our focus."

~_~

Dijon wasn't trying this second time when he ran into the person again.

They were helping some Dratini and Spearow by protecting them from some kids. Dijon ran over and got in the middle before damage was caused.

"You kids run now. Go!" They bolted before the person paused. "Listen, I mean no harm. But let me see if the pokemon are ok."

Just scanning them gave him the idea that these guys were too young to escape an attack. The person slowly stepped away from them, keeping an eye on him as he approached them. Seeing the few wounds put him at ease. He gently picked up two birds while a growl escaped the person. He didn't say anything before going over to where the nest was. He helped them back up before noticing that the three Dratini went near the person.

"Who are you?" Dijon stayed quiet as he approached slowly.

"Dijon. Newest Pokemon Ranger of Ringtown. And you?" He purred a little.

"セージ." Dijon's mind translated rather quickly.

"What are you doing out here, attacking kids just cause they're near Pokemon?"

"None of your business. Why are you so concerned?"

"People and Pokemon can live in peace together. You're not helping by doing damage. So who do you work for?"

"Myself. Now leave. This forest is mine."

"No. People need this forest. You can't claim it."

Silence followed as they locked eyes. Then the person's wings opened and he took off. Dijon sighed as he thought back to the name. It translated back to Sage. What was wrong?

~_~

"REALLY!?"

Dijon stayed quiet while the others tried to either silence the bluenette's yelling or protect their hearing. Dijon wasn't too affected by this powerful voice after he gave his report. He knew Seafoam, who could get louder when needed to.

"Yes. However, he's not himself. So quiet down a bit." Lapis jumped around a little, knowing the Base Leader might be safe. He then raced upstairs, giving the room time to recover. He then asked the question that was dancing around in his head. "Ok, what is going on between them?"

"I-" Scarlet rubbed her ears gently. "-don't know. They've been doing this for weeks on end. Sage disappears, Lapis panics, Sage gets wounded, Lapis saves him, Sage accidentally damages Lapis, Lapis gets mad at him and then repeats!" The others chuckled at that. The Operator sighed.

"They weren't this bad when Cedar was here." Dijon paused. "Cedar was a rather low ranked Ranger here in Ringtown, but popular. He got along with everyone and was the friendliest of the group. He sadly transferred to Almia and became a PR Officer." Dijon hummed as Lapis came back down and went out the door. Scarlet sighed.

"Maybe you can find out. Because we can't-" Dijon hummed as Lapis went back upstairs.

"Yeah... I'll try my hand."