Mags heard their soon-to-be companions before Dom noticed them. Her tall ears swiveled up, followed quickly by a sharp tilt of her head. She whickered, drawing her trainer's attention up to the skies. He squinted and waved as Dragapult and trainer descended upon them. Magnolia's tail swished happily at the Dragapault, but the dragon didn't seem as excited to be on a mission as she was.

"That's me," Dom said with a smile, sticking out a calloused hand in greeting. "Beautiful Dragapult." He gave the Poekmon a nod in greeting, too. No sense in being rude. Dom waited a beat for Victor to introduce himself before he turned to look down the path again. "It's just a patrol, but I'm new to Hoenn and I haven't had a chance to explore this area yet."

Victor Wexler[break]mission

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Dom couldn't help but chuckle. Cute wasn't exactly what he was going for, but now that he took a second look at the Dragapult, he had to admit it wasn't wrong.

"Good to meet you, Vic." Dom smiled and rubbed between Mags' ears, much to her delight. "Thanks! This is Magnolia. I actually owned her mother years ago. Great Mudsdale; she was the one that really turned me on to the line. When it was time to retire her from Ranger work, I picked one of her foals to train." It had hurt to leave May behind.

"Kanto, originally," he said, gesturing that the two might start walking. Mags trotted along ahead of them, one tall ear occasionally flickering back to make sure they were following. "I was a ranger out there for years but... needed a change of scenery." He waved a hand noncommittally as if to say there definitely wasn't any more to that story.

As they walked, a chattering sound greeted them from up ahead. A troop of Passimian, hooting to each other, stood in the path. Between them, they were passing a strange object. On closer inspection, it looked to be someone's hat.

Victor Wexler[break]mission: commitment: act i

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"She's already well on her way," he said proudly, grinning at the donkey Pokemon. Where her mother had been calm and gentle, Mags was a little spitfire. She didn't balk from a challenge and never shied. She wouldn't be the same as May, but Dom would have never expected that from her.

Dom gave a light chuckle at Vic's surprise. "There were volunteer programs and stuff for the rangers through school, so I've basically been doing it since then. I've heard Unova is beautiful, though. I kind of wish I'd had time to travel, but work always kept me busy." Especially in Kanto. But he, too, was following the lead of not making things awkward.

As they neared, the Passimian quieted and turned to stare. At the direction of the troop leader, the one holding the hat slowly shifted it so it was hidden behind the Pokemon's back. Dom pulled a face.

"I think it might be stolen." From up the path a ways, there was the muffled sound of someone shouting. "I'm starting to think it's definitely stolen." He fixed the lead Passimian with a stare and, in his best dad voice, said, "You know you can't keep that. Stealing is wrong, even when it's kind of funny."

Victor Wexler[break]mission: commitment: act i

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It seemed they were both more than willing to glaze over their pasts. Not that Dominic was perceptive enough to notice. He simply considered Vic to be a good guy, one he definitely wouldn't mind working with again. His considerations were confirmed when the other pulled a bag of treats out of his pocket and shook them at the Passimian troop. Dom couldn't help but grin, sliding his hand out of his own pocket from which he'd been preparing to produce a protein bar as a distraction.

The Passimian, for their part, all froze on the spot as soon as the food appeared. They stared wide-eyed at Vic, strangely akin to a group of statues. Slowly, they all looked to the one Dom assumed must be their leader. That was the one currently in possession of the hat, naturally. It looked at Vic and down to the hat thoughtfully before slowly inching its way towards the ranger. With a critical eye, it watched him, suspicious of some trickery. When it was within arm's reach it paused, looking at the hat again. Was it worth it?

In one fluid motion, the Passimian snatched the bag of treats out of Vic's hand and simultaneously flung the hat into the nearby brush. Hooting victoriously, it sprinted back to its troop with its prize in hand, and the entire group was gone in the blink of an eye. Dom tried to stifle a laugh but failed completely and utterly, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"A good trade, my man," he said, still chuckling. He stepped through the brush, fishing around until he returned brandishing the hat. "Better get this back to the poor owner. Those Passimian deserve the stomach ache they're gonna get if they eat that whole bag of treats."

Victor Wexler[break]mission: commitment: act i

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