there's nothing for him here. no prospects. no future. no love. his young years are spent just getting by, trying not to get in too many schoolyard scraps or creating any unnecessary inconveniences. it's difficult to look forward to the future when all your linage leads to is the promise of factory work and evenings spent wasting hours, throwing away coins, in a sour smelling bar. it's no wonder then, that as soon he comes of age, he leaves the concrete jungle of rustboro far behind, before he's caught in an all too repetitive cycle that oft drags in those like him. those with no hope.[break][break]

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he's still just a teenager when he shows up at the ranger academy, ready to enlist with but a pocket filled with coppers and a backpack of spare clothes to his name. empty in purpose but desperate for something to fill that vacant space. he's got nothing to lose and nowhere he wants to return; with good sense in his head and broad shoulders that promises to be easily bulked up within a few months, it would be foolish for the academy to turn him down. they pass a uniform that smells like soap into his waiting arms, show him to a dorm that puts his old, dark bedroom to shame and tell him that training begins in the morning. he recalls, even all these years later, that something within him felt a little lighter as he drifted to sleep that evening. [break][break]

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the ranger academy turns out to be this young man's maker. it brings him purpose and a new appreciation for the lives that he's pledged to protect. he doesn't care much about the wage that lines his wallet, although it is certainly a perk, instead it is the sense of belonging and meaning that feels worth far more than its weight in gold. finally he has found something that he’s good at. something that gives him a future he wants to run towards with people he'd fight beside with but a heartbeat. being called ‘ranger’ has a nice ring to it.
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he dedicates himself to the rangers for close to a, gruelling yet successful, decade. unwaveringly committed, enough so to infuriate lovers who'd complain about their lower placement in his life and make friends question his ability to seemingly not burn out. perhaps he had already started to consider what was next or maybe just the calling struck him - the passing of his estranged father making him contemplate - but when approached by his superiors to partake in a new splinter section, he decides that a change in pace may be well warranted. so he sets up a more stationary home within lavaridge, his role edited from simply 'ranger' to have a flourish of 'fire and rescue' at the beginning. staying in one place for a little while turns out to be a breath of fresh (or perhaps smoky) air. besides, all was well with hoenn, they would not buckle if he decided to work in a smaller scale community for a year or two.
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flames. infiltration. crime. desperation. he's already at headquarters door when it is apparent that his home region is in a place of turmoil. no longer can they stay welded to a small section of the region. he's got a lot more to offer now and a lot more to fight for. when he was young the rangers of hoenn had given him a reason to hope; a purpose for a better life. now it was his time to repay the favour. [break][break]