Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug
He/Him
20 (40)
March 3
Viridian City, Kanto
It just works
Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps
AQUA Initiative
Playing hard to get
With a time traveler
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
You're being healed. Please do not resist.
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John Sullivan
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Feb 13, 2021 18:43:15 GMT
John Sullivan Avatar

"Command will never let you do it. 

You are young and your history marks you as emotionally compromised, Sullivan.

I should not help you, either. We both know that you... are not meant to be a soldier. 

... But. 

If you are determined to be part of this... There is a man."



A ranch was not what he had been expecting, given what he was here for, but it was certainly more familiar and comfortable than any military base could have hoped to be.

Off the town limits of Verdanturf, into barely cobbled paths and wilderness surrounding the settlement, a farm belonging to a singularly renowed man could be found.

Doug hadn't met him in person, but he had heard of him, plenty. Soldiers idolized certain kinds of people, and the man was exactly the kind of man they would look up to- right up there either above or below Rambo.

was a man who's reputation preceded him. Ironically though, Doug mostly knew of him through his philanthropic efforts in assisting the Kanto refugees, what with being one himself.

He wondered what would say if he told her about this. He wondered what would say.

Actually, he didn't want to know that one...

Given what he was here to learn, he doubted she would be pleased with the news.

Swallowing hard, the youth stumbled ahead as he was pushed forward, harrumphing as he glared over his shoulder at Kama, who gave him a flat look in response.

"I ain't procrastinatin' none! Just... still gettin' ready's all." He said, to which the Scyther responded by pecking him in the back again, forcing him forward. "Okay, okay! I got it, Fine! Jeez..."

Their steps lightly crunching over the grass below, the youth swallowed hard, slapping on a determined look in his eye.

"Let's go greet our senior, gorgeous." He said as he reached out to pet her head, steeling his nerves.


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Tagger

Wraith
he/him/his
27
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Thomas Benoit
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Feb 17, 2021 16:53:03 GMT
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As John would first arrive at Duvet Ranch, it would not be what one would expect. The initial area was a peaceful area, where several Pokemon frolicked around freely and happily. A love for Audino would be readily apparent, as the pink healers populated the area rather heavily, all of them playing with other Pokemon on the grounds, whether they be smaller Pokemon, like an Eevee, or a larger Pokemon, like an Arcanine.

As the Kanto youth made his way to the meeting point, the ranch started to more closely match the description of its owner. Various battle hardened Pokemon were either sparring with one another, practicing attacks down a firing range of sorts, with the targets showing signs of heavy use over time. Pokemon were even practicing drills in mockup settings, working as teams. Older, more seasoned fighters would guide the younger ones through the drills.

Finally, John would reach the meeting point, where the 'cyclops' was waiting for him. "Sullivan, right?", Thomas greeted the youth, extending a hand out for a shake. The area was a shooting range of varying stages. The first was a shooting range with stationary targets. The second was a range with moving targets. The final stage, of course, was a stage with sandbags and walls made to be cover, with targets that were more like turrets.

"Before we get to the fun stuff, I need to ask you, how much do you know about guns?", he asked the Kantoian youth.





tags:
notes: Getting started

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Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug
He/Him
20 (40)
March 3
Viridian City, Kanto
It just works
Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps
AQUA Initiative
Playing hard to get
With a time traveler
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
You're being healed. Please do not resist.
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2,829 posts
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John Sullivan
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Feb 18, 2021 15:05:32 GMT
John Sullivan Avatar

A bootcamp military base. The Deeper one went into the ranch's grounds, the more it became like a military base, taking Doug from one familiar, nostalgic scenery to another familiar, not so nostalgic one.

The logistics for the entire thing must have cost an arm and a leg. Was this the power and influence of an Elite Four, or simply the power of ?

The Audino grasslands had a charm all their own, with the many playful pokemon running about- but he didn't need to be told the training grounds would be where he would likely be spending most of his time under the Elite Four's mentorship.

Besides him, Kama eyed the many pokemon in the far distance with some interest. Many of them moved much better than the riffraff she was frequently forced to work with at base. Would she be training here as well? She darn hoped. Talk about an upgrade.

After much sightseeing, Doug and Kama finally reached the meeting point, were The Man himself awaited.

"Yes, I am John Douglas Sullivan, sir!" Doug said as he clasped and shaked the man's hand, his father's ancestral advice thundering across the back of his head. Firm shake, eye contact and a serious expression.

Doug almost managed, giving the man a friendly smile instead. Two outta three ain't bad!

"It's an honor to meet'cha Mr. Benoit, sir!" Doug said, and for once he meant it. Not of the man's Elite Four status or his track record as essentially real life Rambo, but- "Yer efforts helped m'mom n' pop when we came to Hoenn as refugees. I can't ever thank ya enough!"

A farmer with no land, a music teacher with no piano and a child, in the big City of Slateport with no friends or family in sight. Without the help given out to refugees by philanthropists like Benoit, they would have been more than screwed.

The man was quick to get down to business, and that reminded Doug that he wasn't here on a meet and greet- Benoit was doing both him and his commanding officer out here a big favour, so best to take it seriously.

"I was taught how to shoot a huntin' rifle when I was 10." Doug said, scratching at his cheek. "Farming life could get, uh... a bit hectic towards winter."

Needed to fill the fridge with as much meat as possible, specially when the crops failed to deliver enough.

"I've also been trainin' as a Soldier for half a year now." He said. He assumed the man knew that weapon drills were a daily ordeal. Of course... So was pokemon training, and the average pokemon seemed better than the average ones at base.

Still, his commanding officers seemed to think he was pretty competent given his age to rank ratio.

He didn't know it, but said commanding officer hoped the man before him could turn from a competent officer, into an Elite Soldier.


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Tagger

Wraith
he/him/his
27
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Thomas Benoit
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Apr 15, 2021 21:08:02 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


Kid had a good handshake, he'd give him that. "Please. I was just doing my part for the people of Kanto. You've all suffered far too much at the hands of Rocket.", he'd tell the boy. Indeed, he was not only doing this to try to do something useful for the innocents forced from their homes, but to deny Rocket one of their avenues of recruits.

Given what he knew about the kid beforehand, what he heard didn't surprise him. If anything, it would at least make things somewhat easier, in that the kid had preexisting fundamentals to build off of. Though there was only one way to find out for sure.

"I see. On the desk there is an assortment of guns. I'd like to see how you function with different types of firearms. Let's start with the DMR, see how you handle it. Station three", he responded to the Kantoian.

If John were to go pass by the other stations, he would see that they each had a different type of firearm. The first station's table displayed a pistol, with three magazines nearby. The second station had an assault rifle, which utilized its iron sights. The third station would have a designated marksman rifle, as Thomas said, equipped with an optical sight. Unlike the assault rifle, which had selective fire, the designated marksman rifle was only capable of semi-automatic fire.

"This will be more a test of your accuracy, as opposed to speed.", he'd tell the boy.

"On my mark.", Thomas called out to him, letting him prepare. "Start!", Thomas called out.





tags:
notes: tl;dr

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Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug
He/Him
20 (40)
March 3
Viridian City, Kanto
It just works
Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps
AQUA Initiative
Playing hard to get
With a time traveler
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
You're being healed. Please do not resist.
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John Sullivan
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Apr 20, 2021 18:43:51 GMT
John Sullivan Avatar

And that was why was worthy of respect. He only wished more well-off people had been as kind as he had been then.

No point in whining about the past, however. Testing had begun, and Weapon's expertise was first on the docket.

"Yes Sir!"

Doug liked to think he was a pretty decent shot; hunting rifles had provided a foundation for him to stand on when bootcamp finally got around to marksmanship.

But that was bootcamp and base; this was Thomas Benoit. Whether good enough in the army translated to good enough in his camp, he would find out now.

Stepping into station three, the youth grasped the DMR, maintaining trigger discipline as aimed it forward, looking through the sight to get a good grasp of what he was dealing with before lowering it and looking back at Thomas, nodding.

"Ready." He said, pointing the rifle at the first target to catch his eye.

On Benoit's signal, the booming sound of the rifle being shot sounded once, twice, thrice, and then came to a stop.

Kneecap, kneecap, kneecap, on each of the stationary silhouettes.

Well, he was accurate at this stage, and knew how to paralyze an opponent, if nothing else.

"How was that?"


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Tagger

Wraith
he/him/his
27
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Thomas Benoit
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Apr 23, 2021 17:03:07 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


Thomas watched while the boy demonstrated his skills. Boy was accurate, he had to give him that. Though pulling something like that off in a real fight would be easier said than done. He'd have to see more, for sure. "Not bad. But on the battlefield, you have to be ready to kill, or be killed. Even if you hamper their movements with a shot to the knee, they'll still be able to command their Pokemon, or draw a pistol, and attempt to shoot you while your focus is off them.", he'd tell John.

"Next, let's go for moving targets. You'll have one minute to get in as many hits as you can.", Thomas would tell him, hitting a button to set up the next course.

"And go!", he called out, hitting the button to cause the targets to begin moving.





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notes: tl;dr

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Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug
He/Him
20 (40)
March 3
Viridian City, Kanto
It just works
Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps
AQUA Initiative
Playing hard to get
With a time traveler
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
You're being healed. Please do not resist.
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John Sullivan
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2021 17:21:56 GMT
John Sullivan Avatar

Doug blinked at 's words. Wait... he knew this. Why had he shot for the knees?

Well, there really was no point in thinking about whether a target could get up or act after being shot, no?

... So why target the knees at all, instead of just going for the head?

Doug's brow furrowed slightly. What a silly question- as if he didn't know the answer. His commanding officer had said it, hadn't he? It was why he had set all this up to begin with.

Doug bit the inside of his cheek harshly, setting his brow determinedly before he nodded to Benoit.

"Understood, Sir!" He said.

Shoot for the head. Put them down for good.

The signal was given, and Doug immediately raised the gun and aimed down the sight, finding the head swiftly.

His finger froze over the trigger, and the target moved out of his aim. The youth blinked, teeth grit firmly behind his closed lips.

He had pulled the trigger there. Had tried to, rather. So why...?

55 seconds.

No time to think, find another target, quickly!

His torso swivels and points his weapon at another moving target, finding the head-

His index refuses to pull back. Gritting his teeth harshly, the youth immediately moved the aim ahead of the targets projected path, his aim wobbling. Why could he not shoot?!

50 seconds.

Damn it!

Bang!

The shot sails through the air and misses the targets' head, nailing a sand bag in the distance and drawing a click of the tongue from the youth.

This isn't working...

It goes on for several more seconds. His aim shifts to point to the targets' head, and his finger freezes over the trigger.

20 seconds left, no hits.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Hit. Shoulder.

Hit. Kneecap.

Hit. Hip.

Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

No head. No head. No head. No head. No head.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Aim properly! It's a bloody manikin! Just- Picture.

A bloody.

Rocket, AND-!

Bang.

Hand.

0 seconds remaining.

"Fuck." Cursed the boy under his breath, the gun dropping down onto the station as he squeezed the bridge of his nose.


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Tagger

Wraith
he/him/his
27
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Thomas Benoit
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON May 3, 2021 13:20:20 GMT
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The Elite Four member watched on as the younger man began. And unlike the previous round, things were not going nearly as well. The first shots were a miss. That was, until something kicked in, and the boy began shooting at "non-fatal" areas of the body. This caused the Kalosian to frown. That despite everything that happened in Kanto, despite what he lived through, something in him still restrained him.

That was why his superiors sent him to the Ranch.

"At ease.", Thomas finally spoke. He waited for the boy to put the rifle down, before approaching him.

"I think I'm starting to see the problem here. But if you're going to fight on the battlefield in the future, you need to be ready to kill. Shooting an opponent in the hand, shoulder, or kneecap is not gonna cut it. You know that hitting an opponent in the leg might strike the femoral artery, causing them to bleed out, but not before they have a chance to pull out their sidearm, and attempt to shoot you back.", he would tell the boy sternly.

"We have a lot of work cut out for us. For now, let's worry about hitting the torso. Striking an opponent center mass is the most reliable way to bring them down. Large target with plenty to hit. While a headshot will most likely bring them down, the head's a small target to hit, especially when they're on the move.", he would continue.

Most likely being a key word, as there have been cases where people, despite being hit in the head, still carried on, even if just for a moment.





tags:
notes: tl;dr

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Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug
He/Him
20 (40)
March 3
Viridian City, Kanto
It just works
Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps
AQUA Initiative
Playing hard to get
With a time traveler
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height
You're being healed. Please do not resist.
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2,829 posts
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John Sullivan
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON May 8, 2021 16:43:31 GMT
John Sullivan Avatar

Ease was not the word to describe the youth's state of mind, but he lowered the weapon all the same, engaging the safety before placing it back onto the station.

He turned towards the man as he approached, awaiting the verdict.

"I understand, sir." He said, despondent. 's words made sense, and Doug agreed with them. But unfortunately, he was incapable of forcing himself to shoot there. They certainly had their piece of the work pie cut out for them.

The youth bit down a flinch at the mention of the chest.

"Yes sir." He managed to say, forcing a nod.

Not as big an issue for him as the head; he had managed to shoot the torso a couple of times during training, though it was certainly not his choice when picking targets.

The youth frowned slightly.

"... What's wrong with me, sir?" None of his fellow privates during bootcamp had seemed to have any issues shooting a blood mannequin in the head. And why should they? It was just a piece of wood. There was nothing to it.

There shouldn't have been anything to it.

But then, what was the point of shooting at a piece of wood? It didn't prepare you for the real thing. That was why he always tried to picture himself as shooting a real person. But... Even if he made that person a Rocket in his mind-


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Tagger

Wraith
he/him/his
27
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Thomas Benoit
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Jun 2, 2021 17:30:04 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


"I wouldn't describe a reluctance to kill as something wrong with you, kid. If anything, I find it amazing that you hesitate to end a life, despite everything you've been through, all that they've taken from you.", he would tell him frankly. "But then, taking a life, even if it is to save the lives of others, is never an easy thing to do. At the end of the day, all the lives you extinguish will stick with you. But at the end of the day, someone has to be ready to do what's necessary to protect the people, to protect our way of life.", he'd continue.

"We'll make a soldier of you yet, kid. You got potential, and I refuse to let it go to waste.", he would assure him. "Just be warned, I won't be holding back, as the man who trained me didn't hold back. It will get ugly. You will want to give up at times. But if you make it, you will become stronger than you could imagine.", he'd continue.

Fourteen years ago, Thomas was in the same place as the boy. Though his motives for doing so were much more selfish, much darker, he sought after strength. Though the problem was that they might not have six years to refine him. But Thomas would do his best for the boy.





tags:
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SHIV

GONGAGER
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GONGAGA
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shiv
Soldiers of Fortune [M/Thomas Benoit]
POSTED ON Jun 3, 2021 4:13:15 GMT
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[nospaces]
[attr="class","TRAINER"]
[attr="class","omaccepted"]
[attr="class","omacceptedtop"]MISSION COMPLETE!

[attr="class","omacceptedmid"]

YOU RECEIVE THE REWARDS BELOW:[break]


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