"What's up what's up what's uppppp you say. I'll tell you what's up. After I left the building Roc Royal evolved to his final Stage. As we speak I am flying high over the sky. It's so close we came a long way and now not only. Are we rangers in the making but I got a dragon Pokemon like no other. Where are you anyways I want to see our test scores to see what we got right and what we got wrong."
As he was saying that he was enjoying the summer sun and all that it brought and whatnot. 

Ghost was truly thinking about not even becoming a ranger. But if he could help save Pokemon and meet Zapdos he would do what it took to be one and if he was going to be a Pokemon Ranger he might as well be the best there ever was. 


Shalin Nariya

"Oh, that's awesome!" Shalin congratulated Ghost on his evolution. "Having a solid pair of wings at your sides will make things so much easier for you, believe me." Salamence were reliable, strong, and fast. They were difficult to raise, but made incredible mounts. Just as she was about to answer Ghost's question, her turn came in line. "Hold on, I'm ordering my lunch." She moved her phone away from her head while placing her order at the sandwich shop. There were lots of Paldean specials to pick from, causing her to have a brief moment of indecision.

"Sorry about that. I'm at a sandwich shop on 9th and Emerald," she answered. "Oh, your written exam? I just took mine yesterday! How about we track down Senior Ranger Nora? She was gonna discuss my exam with me. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a second one." This was an unexpected surprise! Maybe they could learn from each others' mistakes! "See you there at the top of the hour? Should be plenty of time for me to eat and make it to Verdanturf HQ." Provided Ghost agreed to the meeting location and time, Hoenn's Wildest Rider would be punctual and prepared.

---

ghost fireheart

{WC: 198}
{PC: 2}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Treble        Kommo-o        Good

"Sure sure I can meet you there no problem. But my thing is I can't write that well. So I hope they can read really well." He would say as he started to laugh out loud. As he and Roc Royal would take to the sky. He would be holding a Pokeball as it was a birthday gift from his grandmother. It was a Ralt and she was newly hatched and he could not wait to use her for the greater good or battle. 
Soon enough he would head toward 9th and Emerald, as he had to meet Shalin there. It was crazy how he even became a ranger hopeful. 

He was not even looking to be one. But at the end of the day, everything would work out for him. Ghost was happy about this new version of himself he loved Pokemon and he only wanted to help them. On that note, he knew he could get more and more information faster about a certain legend of a Pokemon. Soon enough Ghost would have made it to the meet-up location and with that, he would land with Roc Royal. As he got off of him and he recalled his Powerful Dragon Type. Ghost would be all smiles as he looked on. "Aww, I see her snacking on that sandwich of hers." As he walked up he would wave and then say. "How could you eat at a tie like this? When our test score will determine if we pass or not." He would say in a joking tone. 

Shalin Nariya

"I meant at the--" Before she could clarify, the line was dead. She meant to meet him at the Ranger HQ. Now they would have to take the back roads to get to Verdanturf HQ on time. Or not; it seemed Ghost was not far to begin with. It didn't take him more than a few minutes to arrive astride Roc Royal, Shalin having a couple bites of her sandwich left. "I'm sorry, I meant for us to meet at the Ranger grounds, not here," she laughed once she was done chewing.

Shalin returned the joking tone with one of her own. "You think I'm going to review test results on an empty stomach? Besides, all these Paldean sandwich shops that have opened in Hoenn have such good food, and it's good for you, too. I really should get Josh out here to eat instead of him going bar hopping all the time. It's not like he's in bad shape, but he could stand to lose a few pounds." Bad Shalin! Gossiping about one's friends was not very nice!

When she had finished her meal, Shalin led the way to Verdanturf Ranger HQ, Treble being careful not to vibrate his scales. Obeying municipal speed limits was a pain, and was part of the reason she avoided cities when possible. She understood the need for safety, but as long as traffic signs and signals were obeyed, what was the point of a speed limit if no other traffic was nearby?

When the two arrived at the sleepy-looking, traditional-looking building, its training facility in the back, Shalin withdrew Treble and headed to Elite Ranger Norma McPherson's office. She was expecting them. "Have a seat, both of you," she gestured toward the two chairs in front of her large desk.

---

ghost fireheart

{WC: 297}
{PC: 3}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Treble        Kommo-o        Good

As Ghost looked on he would be a bit dazed. As she said the headquarters of the Pokemon Rangers. "Oh, I must have missed that or something when you said it. But I mean yeah we can meet there and act like we didn't meet here by mistake"Ghost would say to counter her joke with his own. As she said that, about the sandwich shops. He would stop to think about his favorite ones. 
Quickly coming back to reality when she said the name, Josh. 

Ghost would then put on a mushy mushy face and then say it to her in return. "Yeah ya, boyfriend must be a cool dude. You bring him up all the time." He would say in a teasing tone of voice. Next thing next he would be off as the pair headed to Ranger HQ and then Ghost would say to her as they arrived there. Recalling Roc Royal. "Did you know that Verdanturf Ranger HQ is the smallest HQ and team of all the rangers? As a matter of fact, if we get in the ranger unit we would be numbers 19 and 20 that something."

As he said that the elite ranger would come out and it was time to start the show. As Ghost took a seat. 

Shalin Nariya

"I did!" Shalin answered. "It's one of the reasons I applied here. I couldn't work out of Mauville even if I wanted to. The Head Rangers said working under Josh would be a conflict of interest. I don't see what they're talking about, but whatever they say..."

With that, the two had greeted the Elite Ranger, and they were ready to get down to business. "Before we proceed any further," she prefaced, sliding their test results to them, "You both have passed your written exams. With your practical exams already in the books, I can present you with these." She slid their new Ranger uniforms and badges, these a deeper green than the ones they wore when they were on duty. "Congratulations, Rookie Ranger Nariya and Rookie Ranger Fireheart. You're now officially Verdanturf Pokémon Rangers. I do have some concerns about gaps in your knowledge, particularly with you, Shalin, as you just barely passed. How about both of you review your exams with me, tell me what questions you got wrong, and why those answers are wrong?"

Shalin reviewed the small three-ring binder with the test questions and her answer sheet, marked in red with every question she had missed. Had she missed even one more question, she would have failed! Most of her incorrect answers seemed to revolve around electronic resources and internal Ranger policy. While they wouldn't be terribly helpful in the field, they were still extremely important to know.

---

ghost fireheart

ooc: Figured you'd want to say what questions you got wrong and what your character struggles with as a Ranger!

{WC: 243}
{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Treble        Kommo-o        Good

Ghost was all smiles as he looked on at his uniform and badges. Now, this was what he was talking about. "Holy Moly do I be happy or what? I guess this is one step closer to my goal of seeing you know who. But for now, I think I will get the hang of this Pokemon ranger thing." 
Just then the elite ranger would say she wanted to go over the questions with Ghost and Shalin all the ones they got wrong. 

But Looking at his test he had a nearly perfect score. You see Ghost come from a long line of Chasers and a Pokemon rangers. His mother's bloodline was chasers and his father's bloodline was rangers at best. This ran through his blood in and out. But there was one question he did not get correct and that is the question of. What will be done if you had to do necessary evils for the greater good? It was a hard one almost impossible to even ask of someone. As he looked up he would say to the elite ranger. "That question I can not answer because do not have an answer for it. All I can tell you is that I rely on the best of the moment and what whatever happens when happens then." He would say with a serious tone. 


Shalin Nariya

Shalin reviewed her test results with the Elite Ranger and noticed that every question she had missed was on Ranger policy. "Some of these I just don't understand. Like...what are the differences between all the various No-Rescue Zones, and why can't we go there to rescue people? People are in need all the same!" She had been to several of those No-Rescue Zones herself and came out of them just fine.

"No-Rescue Zones are areas that the Head Rangers deem too dangerous to mandate rescues out of," the Elite answered. "Soft No-Rescue Zones are places Rangers are permitted to operate in, but are never required to. Hard No-Rescue Zones are places Rangers are forbidden from operating in. The Head Rangers have determined that the risk to our personnel outweighs the life of the person within."

Shalin frowned. While she had no issues navigating the highly dangerous, remote corners of Hoenn, most Rangers would. Part of being a leader was evaluating risk and reward. In such dangerous areas, the risk was greater than the reward for the average Ranger. Perhaps she could convince the Head Rangers to ease restrictions and let her go to those locations on official business.

"Ghost, you have a good head on your shoulders," the Elite remarked. "With that attitude, you will go far as a Ranger." She tilted her head back to Shalin. "As for you, Rookie Ranger Shalin, I will enroll you in some RangerNet courses about Ranger protocol. I'd like you to complete them at your own pace. Until you complete them and the assessment thereafter, you will be ineligible for promotion. Understood?" A nod was all she got.

---

ghost fireheart

{WC: 276}
{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Treble        Kommo-o        Good

Ghost would look on with a smile on his face. As he knew he would pass. But deep in the back of his mind. He still could not answer that question. That very question ate him up and he hated every bit of it. As he would then snap out of his thoughts as he looked on at Shalin and the feedback she just received. Ghost was quick to take the defense of his friend as he would say to her. 

"Really that's just not fair. Shalin is a fine Ranger in the making. What do you expect for her to do? When the Ranger motto is to help any and everyone who needs it when they need it. Besides these are just questions on a test. True they play an important role in the selection of new rangers and whatnot. But at best, not many people will follow these guidelines once they are given the badges. The no-safe zone crap is crap. Once we put on these jackets and badges. It's not the quantity of time but the quality of time one has been a Ranger. Besides she got the other questions right like what does it mean to be a Pokemon Ranger? long story short I am unhappy with my test result and wish to redo them anyway."

Just as he said that he would put his hand on his hat and stare at the elite ranger. 

Shalin Nariya

Ghost looked upset about the one question that the Elite debated with him, and Shalin understood why. "Now I get why the Ranger test is so hard. It's not only a test of knowledge, but a test of character," she deduced aloud. "Many applicants, like me, have the character but not the knowledge. You, Ghost, have both. I expect you to quickly surpass me in rank."

Her attention turned toward the Elite. "I get your point, but Ghost has a point, too. If Rangers are willing to put themselves in that danger, why stop them?" She sighed, not wanting to expose that she had previously breached many No-Rescue Zones that would have been a violation of protocol had she been a formal Ranger at the time. "If they want to put their lives in their own hands to save people and Pokémon from danger above and beyond what's expected of them, let them! The rule should just exist so no one is forced to take on more danger than they're comfortable with against their own will. If they understand the risks and they get into a tight spot that we can't save them from, that should be on--"

"And that's the precise reason we can't allow Rangers to operate in such places," the Elite interrupted her.

"I wasn't done yet!" Shalin yelled. The Elite wanted to get a word in edgewise but the charged new recruit wouldn't let her. "The Crystal Trench. The Mirage Palace. The Shark's Maw. The Forbidden Crypt. Death Crater. Any of those names sound familiar?" She pulled out from her pack the Medallions of Eight she had acquired from the depths of those five locations that Rangers were forbidden from operating in.

Norma was fuming on the inside, but maintained her professionalism. "Shalin, your talents as a Ranger are top notch. That's not something that can be ignored. That you can survive in such dangerous places, even ones too dangerous for us to send Rangers to place warning signs to stay away from, is amazing, if incredibly reckless. From an administrative perspective, though, every Ranger that gets injured or dies on the job is blood on our hands. And that's blood that our Head Rangers have to answer to the Council about. And Shalin?"

"What now?" Shalin asked with a scowl, clearly chapped at the Elite for how her unique talents and instincts were being ignored.

"I can't authorize you operating in any Hard No-Rescue Zones. And stay out of Death Crater. As far as your Ranger duties go, Death Crater doesn't exist."

Needing to calm down, Shalin sat back down with a "Harumph" and let Ghost say his piece. She was too emotionally charged to professionally communicate, which was another big issue cited on her trainee review.

---

ghost fireheart

{WC: 463}
{PC: 6}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Treble        Kommo-o        Good

As he saw her pull out what he believed those to be. He was in awe at what was happening at the moment. She really went to those places and not even Ghost have stepped foot on them yet. Only through video has he seen such places. "Whoa, that was something Shalin. You just proved yourself on a level equal to that of the Rangers elite. Better yet even better. Not saying that they are fake. But if they are real I take my hat off to you. On that note that just prove my point here."

Ghost looked at that ranger lady in charge and then would say to her. "Well, my friend here im guessing outranked you in terms of places to go and rangers things to do. But I want to really know is DID WE PASS OR DID WE PASS WITH FLYING COLORS?"

He would say with a smile on his face. 


Shalin Nariya

Norma sighed at Ghost's outburst. "Both of you will have your green badges, armbands, and uniforms mailed to you within the next several days. You passed. Overall, Ghost, I'm quite impressed with you. You've got great chops; there are just a couple courses I recommend you review before you go on your first mission outside the training grounds."

Her eyes again shifted to Shalin. "And I mean it. We can't authorize you operating in those places. It's a legal liability for us. We will take disciplinary action if you go in there in an official capacity. What you do when you're not on duty is totally up to you. You want to risk your own life in those places, go for it. That's all I have to say. Once you get your uniforms, get on RangerNet and start taking tickets. There's lives out there to save." With that, the Elite abruptly adjourned the meeting.

Stepping outside, Shalin turned her head toward Ghost. "She does have a point, though. The Head Rangers are ultimately responsible for our lives, and have to answer for every Ranger that dies or gets seriously hurt on the job. Congratulations, though, and I look forward to working with you! Perhaps we should spend some time together at my Romping Grounds in Petalburg Woods to celebrate."

---

ghost fireheart

{WC: 219}
{PC: 7}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Treble        Kommo-o        Good