Gunner raised his head at the sound of his name. His eyes widened slightly at the familiar figure approaching him. What a coincidence. [break][break]

Suppressing a grimace, Gunner rose to his feet and held out his hand to shake the Ranger's. "Jack, was it?" he asked, a polite smile gracing his face. "I'm glad to see that you made it off the battlefield safely." [break][break]

Gunner's gaze slid sideways to the Togekiss accompanying Jack, and his smile widened. "And that your Pokémon's doing all right, too." [break][break]

Then he tilted his head to regard the Ranger once more. "Don't tell me you're the one assigned to this shift with me?"

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Despite Jack's well-meaning concern, Gunner's answer was stoic. The last thing he needed was someone worrying about his physical condition. "I've had better days, but I'm fine." [break][break]

He turned to focus on the Dyna Tree, allowing himself a mirthful exhale at the thought of them needing a medic role for their joint shift. [break][break]

"So far it's been calm and peaceful here, so don't get too excited," Gunner said. "I think Hector is doing a pretty good job of scaring away any thieves." [break][break]

The Scizor did not seem to hear. He continued his patrol around the tree. His red head swiveled like a turret to glare at any passers-by who drew too close. [break][break]

Gunner lowered himself back onto the bench, though instead of relaxing into the seat, he too remained alert. [break][break]

"Have you been a Ranger for long, Jack?" he asked, keeping his tone casual. Though Gunner wasn't much of a conversationalist, he was curious about the Ranger. Jack's face was not one he'd seen before at other battles.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner nodded absently as he listened to Jack's explanation, though he frowned and glanced up at the mention of family in Galar. His thoughts flashed to the news articles about the sudden attack by the terrifying abomination called Necrozma. [break][break]

For a second, his blood chilled. Then he realized that if Jack was back in Hoenn, his family must have been safe. Still, it didn't hurt to confirm it. [break][break]

"Congratulations on your promotion. Based on what I saw at the Silent Icelands, it was well-deserved," Gunner said first, focusing on the positive before shifting back to the more delicate topic. "I'm glad you were able to take a break to search for your family, though. Are they still in Galar, or did they come back to Hoenn with you?" [break][break]

When Jack turned the questions back onto Gunner, the agent regarded the Dyna Tree again. At its top, Calyrex rested. [break][break]

"I guess I am. I was originally hired by the Department of Defense to be a foreign affairs analyst, but after the Kanto War, I was scouted into the HBIC. It's been about seven years since." [break][break]

Gunner watched as a trio of Pokémon—a Pansear, Pansage, and Panpour—bounded toward the perimeter of the courtyard where the Dyna Tree had rooted itself. They whispered and snickered among themselves in their language. Suspicious, Hector watched them with the focus of a laser.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner immediately sobered. "I'm sorry." [break][break]

He focused on the approaching trio of Pokémon, grateful to leave such a sensitive topic behind. At Jack's firm but gentle warning, the monkeys started to back off… [break][break]

…then darted past the Scizor and Togekiss! The Pansear even used FLING to throw a rock from the ground at the nearer of the two sentinels. It smacked Hector in the face, sending him reeling. [break][break]

Gunner sighed. "What a nuisance." [break][break]

Yet he remained seated, partly because his back was starting to ache again, and partly because he trusted that his Scizor and Jack's Togekiss could handle three small monkeys.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

While Jack's Togekiss targeted the Pansear, Gunner's Scizor recovered from the attack. He retaliated with NIGHT SLASH, smacking the Pansear on the head and sending it tumbling back to the ground. [break][break]

All Hector had to do next was glower furiously at the remaining Panpour, who decided it was not going to risk a thrashing for a Dyna Tree fruit. It scrambled down the trunk, grabbed its friends, and hauled them away from the tree's guardians. [break][break]

Gunner shook his head, chuckling. "I guess wild Pokémon don't know any better. If the fruit's right there for the taking, they must think it's free, easy food. I fear the shift is just going to be more of this." [break][break]

He allowed himself to relax a little on the bench, though its stiff frame did little to ease his discomfort.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner's cheeks flushed, embarrassed at being caught. He thought he'd been hiding his pain well, but Jack had seen right through his stoic façade. [break][break]

"I'm fine," he lied. Then he relented, adding, "There's not much Pokémon healing can do for me right now. I'm just in the long and frustrating stage of recovery after an injury." [break][break]

He sighed. After that admission, he might as well explain. [break][break]

"After you split off to look for other survivors at the tail end of the battle against Kyurem, I was hit in the back by a Rocket's Pokémon. I didn't know what it was at the time, but my coworkers told me later it was a HYPER BEAM." [break][break]

"Technically, I'm still on paid leave, but I didn't think an assignment like this would be that taxing." His shoulders heaved up and down in a shrug. "I didn't realize how demanding standing or even sitting would be on my body." [break][break]

Gunner kept his gaze on the tree. Now that he'd said it out loud, his insistence on working—without a cane or other assistance, too—seemed silly. Perhaps he was simply too proud to admit he wasn't well and whole.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]