[attr="class","gunstest1text"]



Giselle Sigebrand admittedly wasn't great with kids, but she thought they were generally okay. These kids she was about to talk to probably hadn't figured out how terrible adults could be. And when she was a kid, well...
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Her mind flashed back to cowering in alleyways, feeling cold in threadbare, dirty clothes, occasionally darting out to ask nice-looking people for money for food.
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Her Houndoom inserted his head under her palm, and she petted him absentmindedly.
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She had yet to see her partner, one Caleb Harcourt, and granted, it was a little earlier than the scheduled time, but the teacher of the kindergarten ushered her in with a cheerful smile and immediately introduced her to the class. "Everyone, this is Cadet Giselle Sigebrand. She's going to teach us today about Pokemon and safety!"
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"Just call me Zelle," Zelle said, a little uncomfortably. Whoever thought she was a model candidate to teach kids about Pokemon was clearly a little nuts, or desperately short-staffed.
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"This is Midnight, my Houndoom," she said, hearing her own voice come out in a robot-adjacent monotone.
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"Oooooh," the class cooed in their little, high-pitched voices.
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Houndoom sat up straighter, clearly preening, tilting his nose up to the ceiling and closing his eyes. "As you may know, his Pokemon type is a dual type..."
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A couple of hands shot up, their owners bright-eyed and practically vibrating with excitement.
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"Um, you." Zelle pointed at a little girl in the front of the class.
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"Houndoom is fire- and dark-type!"
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"Yes, good." Zelle said, her mouth quirking a little to the side. She was feeling a little more confident with the positive attention of the class and she felt her throat grow less tight from anxiety.
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Just then, the door opened, revealing a tall, dark-haired man with a Ranger badge, a Lucario at his side. Zelle assumed the man was Caleb, and waved him in.
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"I just introduced Midnight," she explained, gesturing at her Pokemon. "Now," she said, turning back to the class. "Fire Pokemon, while obviously the most superior type--"
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She heard the Applin Academy teacher clear her throat from the back of the classroom, but forged on nevertheless.
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"--They can be dangerous. You've probably been told not to touch fire or hot stoves. Well, fire Pokemon moves can hurt people very badly, like Ember, Fire Blast, and Flamethrower." She patted Midnight, who had started whining. "But they can do good things, too, like defend people from Team Rocket. And our Ranger friend here probably knows more than me about controlled burns to take care of forests." She glanced at Caleb, then moved to the side so he and his Lucario could share the center-front of the classroom with her and Midnight.

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NOTES

+ Mission: Pokemon Pedagogy
[break]
+ Dawn of a New Day: Search and Rescue

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtest2text"]



Caleb knew pretty much nothing about controlled fires - he'd have to ask Tam Fawley about that one next time he was at headquarters. As he entered the classroom, every single beady little kid eye turned to stare at him. Giselle Sigebrand eyed him too, and Caleb was struck immediately by the contrast between her attractive appearance and serious expression. She seemed like the sort of woman who could definitely kick his ass, and look damn fine while doing it.[break][break]
"Hey kids," He said, feeling awkward but trying not to show it. "My name's Caleb Sharpe, and I'm a Ranger." Comet waved to them and a few of the kids pointed at the bipedal canine Pokémon, muttering excitedly, "That's Lucario!" Caleb couldn't help but crack a slight grin at their enthusiasm. He remembered how thrilling it had been to meet his first Pokémon when he was a kid growing up outside of Lavender Town in Kanto.[break][break]
"Yeah, that's right, this is Comet, he's a Lucario," Caleb put a hand on the Lucario's shoulder. "Lucario is..."[break][break]
Fewer hands shot up this time than they had with Houndoom, but considering this was a kindergarten, Caleb was still impressed. He pointed at a boy in the back with glasses, a smattering of freckles, and curly red hair. "Fighting and Steel!" The boy exclaimed with pride.[break][break]
Caleb nodded. "Yep, that's right. Comet throws a pretty nasty punch." Several of the kids giggled.[break][break]
"Anyway, like Officer Sigebrand was saying, fire can be dangerous. That's why it's good to have a Water Pokémon around to help out, in case of a forest or house fire." Or a Team Rocket arson attack, He thought grimly, thinking of the family he'd saved recently with Talia Celes.[break][break]
"If we go outside later, I'll show you my Lapras. She's a bit big for the classroom." He winked at the crowd of tiny humans. More excited whispers.[break][break]
Caleb stole a glance at Giselle, trying to gauge her mood. This was her lesson, after all, he was just here to assist - hopefully he wasn't hogging too much of the spotlight.[break][break]

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NOTES

+ Mission: Pokemon Pedagogy (Dawn of a New Day)[break]

[attr="class","gunstest1text"]



Zelle shrugged at Caleb's glance, saying, "Well, I can't do my demonstrations indoors, and Ranger Caleb can't show off his Lapras in here." She strode over to the door and flung it open, calling out, "Okay, let's go outside!"
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The children cheered and crowded around the door en masse, trying to get through to follow after Zelle. "Er, great idea!" the teacher said, flustered at the Interpol officer's abrupt change in venue. Still, she started trying to usher the bouncing, over-excited children into a single-file line towards the exit of the academy.
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Finally, they made it all outside. A few of the children released their Pokemon to play in the fresh air. There was only a hint of a breeze, so no wind threatened to send smoldering cinders into the field or into bystanders' faces.
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"Gather around, children," the teacher said. Most of the kids paid attention, but a couple of them stayed apart, playing with their Pokemon.
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Zelle looked around for a suitable target, her gaze falling upon a nearby chalk drawing-covered boulder. No one was close to Ember's line of fire, so she pointed at the rock and commanded, "Midnight, use Ember!"
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With a resounding bellow, Midnight spat a burst of resplendent flame at the rock. The children cheered! After burning brightly for a moment, the fire dissipated and left a broad scorch mark.
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Zelle turned to Caleb Harcourt to ask him to show off his Lapras, when suddenly, a shadow covered the group of children. The breeze started picking up, everyone's hair and clothes whipped up violently in the growing wind currents. "What the--" Zelle looked up in irritation.
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A grey airship hovered above! A giant red "R" was painted on its side, theatrical as it was menacing. Of course Team Rocket had to make their presence known in the most obnoxious way possible.
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CLANG!
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A giant cage crashed down, ensnaring two isolated children as well as their Pokemon. An upset Aipom threw itself at the bars and chattered angrily before returning to its owner, while a Yamper ran around in circles, yipping wildly.
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Without warning, there was a screech of metal as the cage started being reeled up into the underbelly of the airship via a giant chain.
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"Shit," Zelle hissed under her breath, recalling Midnight to his Pokeball, then made a running leap for the cage, grabbing onto the bars. The children rushed to her side of the cage and grabbed at her clothes, crying wet, snotty tears. Their wails were barely audible over the machinery and churning winds. "Fu--I mean, it's okay, it's gonna be okay!" she yelled, trying to calm them down.

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NOTES

+ Mission: Pokemon Pedagogy
[break]
+ Dawn of a New Day: Search and Rescue

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtest2text"]



Caleb's mouth fell open as he stared in astonishment at the ridiculously brazen kidnapping attempt. Team Rocket was really doing this, in the middle of broad daylight, in a goddamn over-the-top airship. Unbelievable.[break][break]
The Ranger didn't have much time to dwell on the insanity of it all, however, because two of the children he had been charged to look after were now trapped inside of a cage. A cage that Giselle Sigebrand was hanging onto as it ascended into the air. Split-second decision process complete, Caleb leapt up before the cage could get too far off the ground and grabbed onto two of the bars. His upper body strained as he was yanked rudely upwards, into the belly of the airship. The remaining children, their teacher, and Comet stared up at them, a cacophony of distressed, yet swiftly fading voices crying out from below.[break][break]
"Look after the other kids!" Caleb called down to Comet. He thought he saw the Lucario nod, but he couldn't be sure. It was the best he could do, however; for now, he needed to focus on the airship.[break][break]
"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE..." a loud voice called out above them. The cage was cranked up over the ledge of the airship and both Giselle and Caleb went tumbling onto the deck in a heap. The children trapped inside continued to wail, and Caleb attempted to get to his feet. The airship deck wasn't exactly a stable surface.[break][break]
Before him, two masked figures in all black jumpsuits with flowing red capes were standing, each holding a Pokeball. They looked decidedly ready for a fight - and also like they belonged at the circus as stunt artists. Caleb wanted to laugh at their gaudy display but figured that might just exacerbate the situation. He pulled out one of his remaining Pokeballs and released Lyra onto the deck. Her bulk took up most of the space between him and the Rockets.[break][break]
"Allright kids, time for you to meet my Lapras!" He declared with a grin. "Lyra, kindly HYDRO PUMP the crap out of these assholes - I mean, jerks!"[break][break]

[attr="class","calebtest2ooc"]
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NOTES

+ Mission: Pokemon Pedagogy (Dawn of a New Day)[break]