Shalin stepped inside the memorial built not long after the Kanto invasion. It was an everlasting reminder of the ultimate sacrifice the Johtonian god of speed made to repel the Rockets' invasion of the distant region she once called home. Hanging on the walls were replicas of objects associated with Raikou, including the Beast's crown, thundercloud, and even fangs. They were some of the longest teeth she had ever seen, easily the length of daggers. Painted on the walls were murals of the legendary Pokémon, painstakingly replicated from those in the Ruins of Alph.

The Ranger Captain's thoughts went to the Mauville Gym Leader and the shade of Raikou in his possession. The speed demon had made his childhood dream a reality, but at what cost? If he wasn't already involved in the war, he really was going to be now.

Shalin slid off the back of her Zeraora, Savanna. Like Josh's, the thundercat moved on all fours rather than upright. The Mauville Gym Leader had raised her some, but he insisted that Shalin keep her. Shalin had to be especially careful with the electric-type; Zeraora could reach speeds that could make her overwhelmingly dizzy and fall off. At the speed the feline ran, a fall would only end in disaster.

"Raikou's actually a Johtonian myth, not an Alolan one," the girl corrected. "I'm actually a Johto native, only having moved here a couple years ago."

"...Right," Shalin sheepishly replied as she scanned the floor for empty wrappers, even finding a few cigarette butts. Who would pollute such a sacred site? "Cianwood..." she mused, remembering her homeland. "Nice part of Johto. Mild compared to Ecruteak. That place got the best and worst of each of the four seasons. Warm to hot in the summer, cold enough for snow in the winter."

The mention of Suicune left Shalin daydreaming for a bit. She would have loved to meet the Beast of Winds one day, though she wouldn't dare try to hop on such a Pokémon. Suicune was simply too fast for her to control, even if the legendary creature was willing to oblige. "Reminds me of Mauville's Gym Leader. He's a good guy, but he's borderline obsessed with Raikou." He had every reason to be now, but that was a secret Shalin could not share yet. Not without breaking a very important NDA.

The Dragapult was blistering fast, a seemingly instant QUICK ATTACK launching Haoyu's Raichu far from the memorial due to the attacking ghost-type's sheer velocity. The wild's speed was so great that Shalin had a hard time following it. There were only a handful of people in Hoenn that could visually keep up with a Dragapult at speed. Maybe she needed to take a trip to her friend's Gym...

"Savanna!" Shalin cried, her Zeraora loudly purring as the wild vanished, completely vanishing into the ethereal world. The Zeraora was on edge, waiting for the enemy to return from its display of PHANTOM FORCE. "PLASMA PAWS!" she ordered, all four of her partner's paws glowing yellow and blue with electricity. A split second after the Dragapult emerged from the ethereal, Savanna lunged toward it, paw meeting claw in a violent clash.

How on earth did Josh ride a Zeraora? Their speed was frightening...

The action between Savanna and the Dragapult was simply too fast for Shalin to follow. She wanted to catch the dragon-type and bring it to Thomas Benoit to get more help with riding extremely fast Pokémon, but simply could not discern its location accurately enough to make the capture.

The first wave of DRAGON BREATH lit a nearby tree on white fire, causing a large branch to fall into one of the small building's walls and smash a stained-glass window. "Chase it out of here, Savanna! One more time!" The thundercat raised her PLASMA PAWS again, catching the Dragapult by its tail and pinning it to the ground. With a rake of her sharp claws across its back, the Dragapult vanished.

Even so, their job was only half done. They still had the tree to take care of. "You have any Pokémon with Fairy-type energy attacks? Water doesn't work on dragonfire!" she asked Haoyu as another large tree branch snapped and fell to its base. These flames would spread if the Ranger didn't hurry!

The SWEET KISS was effective in the small area it covered, snuffing out a small section of the white and purple fire. "I didn't expect to run into a dragon Pokémon out here, either," Shalin admitted. "I'm gonna reach out to Fortree dispatch." Procuring her business phone, the Captain dialed out to Fortree's Ranger emergency line.

"Dispatch, Captain Nariya of Rustboro. I'm at a shrine to Raikou west-northwest of Fortree City. A rogue Dragapult has set the nearby woods alight with dragonfire. The shrine's in danger of catching dragonfire, too. We need a team of Rangers with wide-range Fairy-type energy attacks ASAP. Sending my coordinates now."

Once she was off the phone and a team was on their way, Shalin turned toward Haoyu and answered the elder's question. "I'm Rustboro's Ranger Captain, as you might have heard," she at last properly introduced herself, having only given her name before. "While I prefer leading wilderness expeditions, my position as a Captain has me doing a little of everything."

"It's less a town to manage and more just a local authority for Rangers there," Shalin clarified, though she did work closely with Law Enforcement for jobs that required both. She was largely in charge of managing dispatch for Ranger tickets in Rustboro City and the surrounding area, sharing Petalburg Woods' domain with Petalburg City's Captain.

The League hierarchy was a bit muddy in places, especially between large, similarly-sized departments. "My boss is actually Head Ranger ollie morales ," the female clarified. "Far as I understand, Gym Leaders are more on the Law Enforcement side of peacekeeping. Think of Rangers as police officers, but of natural matters rather than human affairs. Stopping a speeding Pokémon being used as a mount for a getaway is more of a Law Enforcement ticket, whereas clearing a den of wild Pokémon dangerously close to town is more of a Ranger responsibility." There were times when the two did collaborate; poaching operations were the most common examples where the departments worked in tandem.

Natural disasters were a perfect way to differentiate between the two. "Responding to fires is a common Ranger responsibility," Shalin answered, "though there are definitely people who straddle the line between the two. Mauville's Gym Leader is also a Ranger, for instance."

"There are," Shalin nodded in agreement as she waved for Savanna. The feral-looking Zeraora bounded toward the Captain on all fours, her trainer resting her hand on the electric feline's saddle. "Long as poaching exists, we'll always have opportunities to work together."

With that, the Ranger pulled her scrawny body onto the thundercat, holding the creature's reins steadily. "I'm glad I could help. I already know a certain young man who would appreciate our work today, heh," he referred to the Raikou-obsessed Gym Leader far south. "Take care, Haoyu! Great to meet you!" The Captain reined the Zeraora eastward into Fortree City, being mindful to stay within municipal speed limits. She needed to get a bite to eat before heading for Lilycove; Ranger work left one hungry!