“Uh… sure?”

June had yet to so eagerly fall into the depths of the water. Water wasn’t exactly an enclosed space. She could still move freely, and Sea Mauville was pretty damn big above and below. That wasn’t the part that got her heart to race and for her knuckles to turn white from her grip on the saddle of Knight.

It was the heavy canister on her back, the only source of precious oxygen, that gave her pause. She ran out, she drowned. She lost her respirator, she drowned. The ocean pressed down and suffocated her. But she needed money, and annalise henderson was desperate. But she was still not a proper ranger.

That’s why she slowly let go of the Corviknight, who half-perched-half-steadied a large metal tub and fell into the water.

It didn’t take long for her to swim to Keiko. “But I’m just here to haul anything valuable back. Don’t expect me to do much otherwise.”

The sooner she dove and did whatever the hell she wanted her to do, the better. That’s why she was the first to throw herself below the waters. It also helped to not think too hard about it. Even if the pressure already made her breathing accelerate.

But the Vaporeon she let out would help. Wouldn’t have to swim directly into danger.

“Is this thing working?” June said into the radio. “If so, I’m gonna send Sweety ahead and see what happens.”

The blue creature went ahead with surprising speed and soon became a blip before… whatever that place was supposed to be.

“What did you say the bastards were again,” she kicked forward, “Veluza right? The vaultin’ ones?”

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keiko mori
04. Direct a pokemon to scout ahead for reconnaissance.

“A quick-moving what?”

Oh. The Sharpedo were quick moving! It all made so much more sense.

Wait, fuck. There were Sharpedo in these waters?! “Why the fuck are we in Sharpedo infested waters? Whose idea was this?”

She flashed her bright light on and off several times, until Sweety noticed the strange pattern and turned around. At the sight of so many dangerous creatures, she did a complete 180 and circled back around. Many of the viscous creatures tried to attack her, but a quick Bite sent them away.

For a few moments.

“Uh… uh… wait, we’re heading for a ship, aren’t we? Just go there– no way in hell these things can follow us in!”

June grabbed hold of the slimy blue creature just as she began to flap her tail fin heavily. Like a rocket, she flew through the water with surprising speed and grace. Meanwhile, the pseudo-ranger spared a glance back at her companion. “Hurry up, there ain’t enough room for two of us on this thing and I ain’t fighting off a pack of Sharpedo for you!”

She was just the delivery girl. Not an actual ranger. What did they want her to do, solve all their problems and find the shit and make the waters stop rising? Get real– or better yet, pay her more.

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keiko mori

“That implies that you wanted to either kill yourself via Sharpedo mauling,” June clambered in after Keiko and thumped against the floor. She cursed under her breath as she pushed herself up, “Or the rangers wanted to kill you by sending someone completely unprepared.”

She was not going to leave Keiko to the Sharpedo, because that implied her partner couldn’t handle the situation. “Regardless, you’re here, and… you look to be in one piece. Looks like you didn’t need me.”

Her goggles flew off her face and onto her wrist as she examined their surroundings. Beds, cubbies, and two doors right next to each other. Bathroom, and exit into a hallway. Probably some living quarters. Also probably took up this entire floor of the vessel. Which meant…

They still had to go down. Fuck.

“Come on, we won’t find anything here,” her flippers smacked against the damp deck, and she shoved the door open. “Gotta go down a floor.”

She didn’t bother to wait around. Faster they moved, faster they left. Thankfully, the stairway down was a hop, skip, and jump in vision.

Even better, the mostly-aquatic storage had knick-knacks and crates either peeking from the surface of the water or floating above. Thank Arceus.

“If you want to signal a team, we can start getting this shit out of here,” June picked up the first thing close to her. Meds? Cool. Maybe she could get high as a kite while they wasted whatever oxygen was trapped in here. Wait, don’t think that– she gulped nervously. “Today, if you can.”

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keiko mori

28. Recover essential resources or items.

“Probably just supplies, meds, electronic equipment that’s fucked to hell. If we're unlucky, maybe even a–”

June jumped back as her eyes strayed towards Keiko. More specifically, the spiked bomb that she held with the care and interest of a toddler with a stuffed animal. Except the stuffed animal was an explosive, and she was a fully grown adult. A very stupid one. Maybe the Sharpedo would’ve killed her after all.

“Are you fucking nuts?!” June said as the ranger put the device back where she found it. “The only thing they’ll be taking back is whatever remains if that goes off, you dunce!”

She did not dare waddle over and investigate the thing herself. Fortunately for her, her father told her about the dangers of random stuff she had no idea about. Instead, she pulled out her own radio.

“Hey, whoever is coming to our coords, take it easy. Looks like we found a bomb. Might be more in the cargo hold. Or, alternatively, if you see a massive explosion in the distance, please put the blame on…”

She never got this crazy bitches name, huh? The device was planted firmly into her wetsuit, “Hey, what’s your name again? So I’m not the one they pin our deaths on?”

By all means, June wasn’t smart. But she also wasn’t stupid. And as long as this newbie didn't fuck with anything else, dead.

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keiko mori

“Keiko Mori, that’s who,” June finished while she locked eyes with the flustered ranger. With a shake of her head and a few muttered curses, she returned the radio and sighed. Why did she have to get paired with the rookies? Well, not like she chose her partner. Opposite, actually.

Why did she choose June again?

“Not super mad, just super concerned,” she said as she started to trek back up the stairs. Being around her was an ethical and moral headache. “About how you made it this far in life. Don’t touch anything else.”

June disappeared into the stair well.

“Mauville Litten Cafe, next Wednesday, noon! Don’t be late!”

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keiko mori