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6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jul 22, 2022 7:23:46 GMT

Last night was one of the most restless nights Josh had in a long time. Even as he was laying in bed with a reading light on, he could not stop staring at his Johto Gym Badge case. With how much stronger he had become, he could return to his home region, and the remaining three Gyms would fall, one after another. He would be able to punch his ticket to the Pokémon League and take home the big bucks. It beat the pittance Silver League and Gold League races paid; racing was almost a hobby than a career until he actually got to turn pro. He enjoyed the thrill of racing during the warm months, and enjoyed nearly as much the strategy of a fast-paced battle in the cold months.

Despite the encouraging words Elinor Anderson had to say yesterday, something was nagging Josh. His restless mind that was racing too fast to retain any coherent thoughts wore out his body. The badge case slipped out of his hand and underneath the end table next to the bed, and the tendrils of sleep captured him...

"Keep mobile, Aslan!" Josh cried, only able to see his Pokémon through the vicious, rainless storm by the rapid flashes of lightning illuminating the empty, rural roads of northwest Ecruteak City. A flurry of lightning strikes kept the Pyroar from advancing close enough to get within range of a Flamethrower that the electric tiger could not dodge. It always felt like Josh and his Pokémon were one step behind. He peered down at his belt, seeing the fainted Manectric, Skarmory, Absol, Dragonair, and Boltund. It was all on his shoulders now--and Aslan's.

As the lightning strikes let up some, Josh saw the saber-toothed feline crouch and flex backward. "An opening! Now!" he commanded. Aslan's red mane glowed brightly, preparing to expel a stream of flames from his mouth...when the majestic, yellow creature disappeared. A sonic boom rang in Josh's ears. Before his raw senses could even process what had happened, let alone his brain interpret them, he found himself throbbing in pain, a thick, red scratch running almost the entire length of his forearm.

Through the pounding, he heard a second impact--that of Aslan being hurled against the closed Pokémon Mart's door with unfathomable force. That could have only been one attack: the Z-Move, Hypersonic Plasma Charge. Josh reached for the fire-type's Poké Ball and recalled him, but the red beam would not encircle the motionless, slain lion. The throbbing seemed to intensify as the late Pyroar's assailant pounced him! He was now pinned by the large cat as four trails of lightning strikes circled the two. He screamed bloody murder with his life flashing before his eyes.

As the lightning strikes circled him more closely, a noble but stern voice rang in his mind. "Josh, Josh, Josh...your courage is admirable, but you sorely lack the foresight to use it. Your confidence is admirable, but you sorely lack the judgment to use it. Your ambition is admirable, but you sorely lack the insight to use it. Perhaps I will join you in your next life, one in which you have addressed my concerns..." He let out another blood-curdling scream as the lightning strikes closed in on him. Just as they were about to converge on him, a pair of foot-long fangs above an open feline maw raced toward him in a flash of white...

The scream carried into the real world as Josh involuntarily thrust his upper body sharply off his bed, his sleep clothes drenched from top to bottom. He was hyperventilating as the morning sun illuminated the rest of the room his reading light wouldn't. "What in Arceus' name was that dream?!" he said to himself, looking at his left arm to make sure he was okay. "It felt so real!" Resigning there was no way he could get back to sleep, Josh took a long shower. After getting cleaned up and getting breakfast in him, he felt a bit better but was still noticeably shaken.

Josh's thoughts only continued to race as he rode Saber to the Fortree Rangers' HQ. The Manectric could sense his rider was not his normal self just from how shakily he was holding the reins. His eyes started to bead for his trainer's well-being as the two entered the building. Josh took a number and sat down, waiting his turn to be helped...

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Twilight Absol Good
Aslan Pyroar Good
Saber Manectric Good
Bladestorm Skarmory Good
Crash Boltund Good

{WC: 742}
{PC: 1}

Commitment: Act 1

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Senpai

Eli

She/Her

May 10

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Ranger

Verdanturf Ranger Captain

170 CM height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Jul 24, 2022 8:29:40 GMT

Council work and Ranger work, both seemed to truly enjoy eating at her time. Not that she minded. It was good to apply her body and mind to a task. Clad in her casual grey business suit, pink hair tied in a tight bun at the back of her head. She sat quietly working in one of the offices that she had been allowed to borrow for the time being, since she wasn’t exactly assigned a spot here in Fortree.

She was writing a report on the incident at the Raikou shrine, as she waited for Josh to come. Typing upon her laptop with the speed and dexterity rivaling perhaps only the Legendary Raikou, or at least it might seem so for anyone who dared look into the office. Not that anyone had yet to dare disturb her, but perhaps that was because she had made it clear that nobody besides a young man named Josh Devlin was to disturb her.

Today her main task would be the paperwork and perhaps even a simple assignment to test his starting mettle as a Ranger. Though for the latter, she had yet to decide which assignment that would be.

While she was sitting prim and proper at the office table, one of her many Pokémon had taken up lodging in one of the corners. It was a Bagon, brightly colored in illuminating lines, to those not in the know. This was one of those Illumina Pokémon that had appeared before the events at Sootopolis City. Though besides that, it was just a young Bagon dozing off upon a very comfortable pillow neatly placed on the floor.

OOC: Mission thread for link
LOCATION: Fortree City.

MADE BY MIZO

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2022 0:09:51 GMT

"Number 243?" called the receptionist. No response. "Number 243?" The second callout stirred a very sleepy Josh from his chair. "Number 243?" came a third callout.

"Coming!" Josh replied to the receptionist in a slightly slurred voice. It didn't take him too much walking to wake up, though his head was still quite heavy from the lack of sleep. If today's meeting involved anything physical, he was going to do nothing but eat and sleep the entire next day. He could already tell. "Josh Devlin. Elinor's expecting me."

"Great! I'll show you to her office." The female led him down to the councilperson's temporary office within the Rangers' headquarters, then knocked. "Elinor? I have a Josh Devlin here. He says you're expecting him." If Elinor lets him in, he would weakly wave toward his mentor-to-be and ask for privacy.

The sleeping Bagon would catch his attention. "I've never seen a Bagon quite like that," Josh remarked in a surprisingly mellow tone; normally, he would be excited and inquisitive about Pokémon features he had never seen before. "But, down to business. Let's just get all this paperwork out of the way so we can talk about Rangering 101."

While filling out the form, Josh could not stop thinking about the restless images that flashed before his subconscious mind that night. If Elinor noticed how tired he was and asked about it, he would stop what he was doing to explain; otherwise, he would just do it on his own after filling the forms out. While he didn't go into excruciating detail over his vision, mostly due to being unable to recall all of it, he did recount seeing his Pyroar die in front of his eyes, the terrifying image of a Raikou maw racing toward his eyes, and most vividly of all, the words spoken into his mind:

"Your courage is admirable, but you sorely lack the foresight to use it. Your confidence is admirable, but you sorely lack the judgment to use it. Your ambition is admirable, but you sorely lack the insight to use it."

"I know I'm making a big deal out of what's probably nothing, but I just have not been able to get those words out of my head ever since," he spilled his thoughts to Elinor, starting to become visibly shaken again. "I even took Aslan out for a walk to make sure that part wasn't real. Thank Arceus it wasn't. But it just all seemed so real!"

Elinor Anderson

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Twilight Absol Good
Aslan Pyroar Good
Saber Manectric Good
Bladestorm Skarmory Good
Crash Boltund Good

{WC: 414}
{PC: 2}

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Senpai

Eli

She/Her

May 10

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Ranger

Verdanturf Ranger Captain

170 CM height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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1,636 posts

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TAG WITH @elinor

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2022 17:26:51 GMT

The loud tapping of laptop keys quickly came to a halt as someone knocked on her door. The receptionist made her aware of Josh’s arrival. “Yeah, send him in.” Elinor would reply. And not long after did the young man walk through, giving her a weak wave as a greeting. She would return the wave in kind, though with much more energy.

Josh commented on the Bagon. It ignored him completely. “Yeah, I wouldn’t get too close to her. She get’s snippy if people disturb her nap time.” Elinor smiled mischievously for a brief moment. However, Josh seemed to want to get past the paperwork as quickly as possible, which to be honest was understandable. Elinor nodded.

She saved the document she had been working on and then dived into one of the drawers at the table. From there she found a registration form, and a pen and handed it to Josh who had to fill it out. Of course, Elinor watched as he did so, and noticed how tired he looked. Still, she allowed him to finish the paperwork before fetching it from him.

Before she had the chance to ask about his sleeping habits, Josh began to divulge what was on his mind. Elinor merely listened.

“Hmmm.” Elinor crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and leaned back into the office chair thoughtfully. “While it is, as you said, probably nothing. People do like to think that dreams and visions are a way for our subconscious mind to communicate with the conscious mind.” She paused. “While I am no scientist and will therefore not deign to assume the legitimacy of such ideas. It is worth noting that all the points this Raikou made seem to point towards lacking experience in one form or another. So keep the words it said in mind and proceed with caution. - ”

Elinor’s eyes finally opened as she turned her serious and slightly stern gaze to Josh. “I am not going to lie, these are dangerous times, and you are signing on to what can be a dangerous profession. -”

The sternness slowly faded, and her eyes grew softer. “- I don’t mean to scare you off, but your dream could imply that you have some worries that need dealing with. Rest assured, it is not all doom and gloom. Remember we as Rangers help people, whether they be lost in the woods, caught in a wildfire, or at sea. We will even help those caught in disasters of what could be perceived as godly making – “ Her thoughts turned to Sootopolis City, and the events that transpired. “But do not worry, I will not, nor will anyone else ask that of you until you feel ready. And even then, though you’ve signed these papers none of us will ever blame you for walking away if it becomes too much.”

Elinor grabbed the paper forms that Josh had filled, ready to type it all into the system. “So, after that speech, are you still willing to become a Ranger?”

OOC: Mission thread for link
LOCATION: Fortree City.

MADE BY MIZO

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 27, 2022 5:30:17 GMT

Elinor had done this before; she had closed her eyes the last time she had inspiring words to say for Josh. "...You're right," he replied, much more chipper than he was when he walked into the office. It was as though her reassurance gave the Ranger-to-be a second wind. "And there's only one way to fix that problem: time."

While Josh didn't exactly throw caution to the wind, he did briefly stop to reconsider his secondary career change when Elinor mentioned how dangerous Hoenn was currently. "I've seen it all over the news. That's why I feel like this is something I have to do. I've wanted to go back home to Goldenrod for a while now. I really have. But I've resigned that until whatever is trapping us here and causing all these large-scale disasters to happen around here, there is no going home."

The emphasis on helping people is another thing that drew Josh toward Rangering. What would his career as a Pokémon Racer and Pokémon Trainer get him? It was a lot of fun and would make him very rich if he was successful, but to what end? They were not self-fulfilling at all. The reassurance that he could back away if he got in over his head pushed him to move forward. He cleared his throat and stopped slouching, invigorated by his second wind.

"Elinor, I already made that decision when I walked in the door." His voice was solemn, genuine, and filled with courage, confidence, and ambition. It took a tremendous amount of courage to abandon a career he had spend years building up. It took a tremendous amount of confidence to stare down the incredible dangers he would be willingly stepping into. It took a tremendous amount of ambition to not think, know that he would rise up the Rangers' ranks.

"I already resigned from the Gym Challenge; I have no intentions to try to qualify for the Pokémon League again. Not when my skills, and my Pokémon's skills, could be used to make life-or-death differences in dozens of lives." He left that relic of his past behind at a recent bonfire he attended; he had debated letting his entire badge case, five Johto Gym Badges still inside, burn in that hot fire. Ultimately he held onto them as the sole memory of his past efforts.

Josh, with a stern look on his face, raised his left hand over his heart and held his hand over a nearby book as though he was being sworn into a legal hearing. "Yes." That single word loudly echoed throughout the office space the two were in. Despite Elinor's words saying that she had no qualms of Josh backing out if he got in over his head, he truly wanted to not only maintain the virtues of courage, confidence, and ambition, but develop those of foresight, judgment, and insight, tempering them into a personality befitting a true hero.

There was no turning back now.

Elinor Anderson

{WC: 500}
{PC: 3}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Twilight Absol Good
Aslan Pyroar Good
Saber Manectric Good
Bladestorm Skarmory Good
Crash Boltund Good

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played by

Senpai

Eli

She/Her

May 10

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Ranger

Verdanturf Ranger Captain

170 CM height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @elinor

POSTED ON Jul 27, 2022 8:41:23 GMT

Jul 26, 2022 17:26:51 GMT Elinor Anderson said:

Elinor sat comfortably in the office chair, listening as Josh spoke. His words reassured her of his decision. Even when he went as far as mimicking the swearing of an oath when he spoke his Yes. A kind smile and a small nod were offered as replies until she would fill the room with her words. “I am glad that I did not scare you away.”

And so she began to file his information in the system. Her fingers quickly filled the electronic forms with the answers he had been given until he was officially assigned as Rookie-Ranger.

“There, done.” Elinor sighed in relief once she had finally finished the paperwork. “You can now officially call yourself a Rookie-Ranger.” She paused. “Now with that said, there is of course a bit of training that you ought to participate in. The does and don’ts of being a Ranger, and such.”

She turned her chair a bit, leisurely. “But to be honest. I’ve always been more of an ‘experience makes for the best teacher’ kind of person. So, if you would rather want to do a few assignments with me, then it would be my pleasure to teach you the ropes in the field.- ” She made a small theatrical pause letting Josh consume the information he was given.

But then she began to chuckle lightly. “- Though even if I do teach you the things, there are still some tests you have to pass if you ever want to be promoted.”

OOC: In case you did not know. Here's a roster for rangers
LOCATION: Fortree City.

MADE BY MIZO

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 28, 2022 1:44:08 GMT

Elinor seemed overly worried about scaring Josh off the job. Yes, Josh knew Rangering would be dangerous. While many of the skills from the Gym Challenge and Pokémon Racing overlapped, there were plenty of skills that he would have to learn, many of them involving wilderness survival. For most of his life, he had served three meals: frozen, microwave, and take-out. There was no way that was going to fly as a Ranger; on extended trips away from town, he may need to learn how to hunt his own food. The hunting part would not be an issue; he had a Pokémon team consisting of nothing but apex predators. The preparation of the food would be the challenge for him.

Josh's nerves calmed down a bit when Elinor said he was in the Ranger system now. "I took an oath to the people and Pokémon of Hoenn," he continued in the same solemn voice as before; it was almost trance-like. "It is of course important to know what that oath entails." He kept listening to Elinor's suggestions on how to get started as a Ranger; it seemed she had a lot of experience as one.

When she offered Josh a first assignment, he looked excited to chomp at the proverbial bit, just like his Pokémon were excited to chomp at their actual bits after they had evolved. "The best way I've been able to learn classroom-like material is through self-paced modules. If the Rangers have any sort of online class set up like that, it would be great if you could email me the material. I could go over it on my own time, and be ready for the written tests when the time comes." He could not remember the last time he was this tired yet this energetic; nothing but sheer force of will kept him going.

That force of will was further fueled by Elinor's offer to take him as a mentee during his first assignment. The assignment he had worked at the shrine to Raikou was more of a Law Enforcement job, but that was certainly one responsibility Rangers could be called on to help with. While less rigid than a Law Enforcement official, Rangers had to be more flexible in their work. The best way to learn was by getting experience.

"I can't think of a better person to learn with than you," Josh replied, his eyes starting to bead. "I already owe so much to you. It was you who made my eyes open to how I can use my talents in a way that actually...means something to more than myself. That can actually make a difference in people's lives. I know I'm repeating myself, but..." He trailed off and paused for a long time before continuing. "I can't think of a better teacher than you. Let's do it. Show me some assignments we can do together, and how about we pick one together?"

Elinor Anderson

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Twilight Absol Good
Aslan Pyroar Good
Saber Manectric Good
Bladestorm Skarmory Good
Crash Boltund Good

{WC: 494}
{PC: 4}

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played by

Senpai

Eli

She/Her

May 10

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Ranger

Verdanturf Ranger Captain

170 CM height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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1,636 posts

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TAG WITH @elinor

POSTED ON Jul 30, 2022 13:50:13 GMT

Perhaps Elinor was being cautious.
Perhaps she realized the speed at which Josh was resigning himself to this fate, was a bit too fast.
Perhaps she simply didn’t want him to regret his choice.

The reasons could be many but Josh seemed to have made up his mind. And she would respect that. “It’s been quite a while, so I can’t quite remember details of what they do and don’t have available. But I will look into it and if I find anything like that, then I will email it to you.” Elinor promised.

Elinor’s smile grew wide as Josh send a torrent of flattery her way. “Josh you flatter me. Don’t expect me to go easy on you though.” She reminded him, just in case that was what he hoped for, though she figured that wasn’t the case.

Elinor began to search through the database of assignments. A lot of them were perhaps not quite right for what she had in mind with Josh. But then she stumbled upon something. She read over the mission details and nodded to herself. “Hmm, I think I’ve found one. It shouldn’t be too difficult if you are familiar with traversing the surrounding Jungle Area.” Elinor explained. She turned her attention to Josh.

“In short, it’s a search and Rescue, and a rather new one at that. So, what do you say, ready to save someone?” Elinor asked directly, as she beamed a confident smile at the boy.

OOC: N/A
LOCATION: Fortree City.

MADE BY MIZO

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

7,246 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 31, 2022 6:42:35 GMT

"Thank you," Josh replied. "Let me know if you find anything. I just want to do what I can to be the best new Ranger I can be." Truly, the best way to learn Rangering was by taking as many contracts as he could reasonably handle. Yes, what Josh said was flattery, but it was ten thousand percent true. "Sink or swim, got it. I can handle it."

He read over the mission briefing with Elinor, including the details. At first, the mission looked like it was a bit over his, then he read farther down the briefing. While it was a plane crash, the report indicated that the four survivors had made it a safe distance from the wreckage, and were not in immediate danger of an explosion claiming their lives. The biggest danger would be in wild Pokémon attacks. Once he found them, though, he had an entire squad of Pokémon built to carry riders. The hardest part would just be finding them.

"Sounds simple enough. I do need to see if any of my other Pokémon would better suit our needs," Josh answered, standing up and swaying again. "It doesn't seem particularly urgent; from the briefing, it seems like the situation is stable. Those poor people are just marooned in the middle of nowhere. I'm going to pack for this and try to fit in a short nap before we get going. Meet me at Fortree Airstrip on the west side. I'll text you when I'm there."

Assuming their business was taken care of, he stumbled about for a little while before gaining his footing enough to leave the Ranger building, hop back on Saber, and ride back to his room. Exhaustion would not help him in his first day on the job, and he needed to at least stave it off enough to get the job done.

Elinor Anderson

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Twilight Absol Good
Aslan Pyroar Good
Saber Manectric Good
Bladestorm Skarmory Good
Crash Boltund Good

{WC: 314}
{PC: 5}

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played by

Senpai

Eli

She/Her

May 10

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Ranger

Verdanturf Ranger Captain

170 CM height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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1,636 posts

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TAG WITH @elinor

POSTED ON Aug 3, 2022 7:10:40 GMT

It seemed Josh agreed with her evaluation of the mission. Though she didn’t particularly like that he didn’t consider it urgent, that was perhaps just her experiences coloring her perception, and so she made no further comment on it.

Instead, she merely said. “Excellent, I will leave you to your preparations then.” With a nod and a few taps on the keyboard, did she inform the system that they would partake in the mission.

She watched him rise and stumble slightly and realized that perhaps letting him have a short nap was for the best. And so their business concluded, for now.

OOC: N/A
LOCATION: Fortree City.