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Man, this place had really gone to hell. [break][break]

Eddie frowned as he eyed the shattered sheet-rock and warped metal. He was no Ranger, but his heart ached for the poor critters whose home was falling to pieces by the hour. It reminded him of some of the devastation he had seen in the wake of Regice's assault on Dewford, of splintered wood and crumbling mortar and of that thick, icy rime that seemed to touch every corner of the island in the first few days after. Eddie was determined to not allow the people and Pokemon of the reserve suffer a similar fate. Not while he was still standing, [break][break]

“Yessir!” he beamed bright at his partner for the day, shoving aside the most morbid of his thoughts for the time being, “The one an' only! Bet that makes you Silverio, right?” [break][break]

He scratched his chin as he eyed the site thoughtfully, [break][break]

“And you ain't kiddin'. But every little bit helps, don't it?” [break][break]

Nearby, the soldier's own Pokemon were hard at work. A Lucario zipped past, careful to give the Greninja a wide berth as he similarly handled smaller, more delicate bits of debris. A Kleavor used her black axe-hands to break down bits of rock and wood and metal into smaller pieces for easier disposal. An Aggron lumbered alongside, hefting and hauling larger chunks of rubble away. And a Toedscool... [break][break]

Well, the Toedscool dashed and wove his way through the center of the worksite with an agitated Krabby in hot pursuit. It seemed that Dinkle wasn't getting on very well with the locals.

[attr="class","bottom"]03. Address environmental hazards.[break]
silverio delfino [break]

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“You got it, Silv.” [break][break]

Repetition helped the memory stick. After all, there were few things more embarrassing than forgetting someone's name. [break][break]

Eddie noted the Goliscopod using some of the raw materials they were cleaning up to try and repair some of the more damaged structures. The former construction worker's eyes narrowed; now that sure as shit wasn't OSHA compliant, [break][break]

“Cali!” he called to his Aggron, who stopped and turned a massive iron head toward him, “Give the bug a hand, will ya? See if you can help solder some'a that sheet metal together.” [break][break]

The goliath Pokemon huffed in acknowledgment and staggered over, watching as the Golisopod returned some warped bit of steel to its home. Once the bug moved away to collect more materials, Caligula's jaws opened wide, gathering some of that distant, blazing light from the sun above. In the next moment, the light burst into a concentrated SOLAR BEAM, welding the panel of steel in place, [break][break]

“Ya ain't wrong,” Eddie acknowledged with a chuckle, scratching at his bearded chin, “But hell, it's better then just sittin' on our asses, ain't it? Sure, we got a ways ta go, but takin' a couple'a steps is better than takin' no steps at all.” [break][break]

He turned back to Silv with some twinkle of curious mirth in his eye, [break][break]

“So, how many miles've you been walkin' out here?” [break][break]

Maybe he was getting the metaphor wrong, but that was nothing new for Eddie, [break][break]

“I've been workin' on a couple'a ops here the past few days, but I ain't been in the thick of it like some'a the Rangers out here have. I'm actually stationed outta Dewford, myself.”

[attr="class","bottom"]16. reinforce buildings or other structures with your pokemon[break]
silverio delfino [break]

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Eddie's easy smile wavered a little when he considered what sort of chaos may have been going on beneath the waves of Sea Mauvile; that was a whole other can of worms that he hadn't even considered. His good cheer returned, however, upon Silv's recognition of the little island town, [break][break]

“Navy?” the soldier acknowledged, his easy smile turning to a proud, toothy grin, “You mean, the toughest fucker this side'a Mt. Pyre? Doin' fine, last I saw him.” [break][break]

On his side of things, Eddie's friendship with the sheriff sometimes walked a fine line between genuine camaraderie and hero worship. It was obvious in this moment which side of the fence the soldier was sitting on, [break][break]

“And pretty cool ain't the half of it! There's some real good people out there; you met the gym leader yet, Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki?” [break][break]

As his trainer prattled on, the Aggron nearby acknowledged the Golisopod's greeting with a decidedly amicable snort, an almost uncharacteristically personable gesture for Caligula. He continued to weld more sheets of metal together, forging a structure that was halfway between a metal tent and a shed. Hopefully it would help shelter people and Pokemon alike from whatever else might come to batter the reserve, [break][break]

“Tell ya what, after all'a this mess is cleaned up, how about I show you around? Folks are still rebuildin' after that whole mess with the golem, but the island's in a lot better shape than it was a couple'a weeks ago.” [break][break]

Eddie spoke with the authority of someone who had been living in Dewford longer than the measly couple of months he had spent there so far, but hey, no one could say that the older man was lacking in enthusiasm.

[attr="class","bottom"]11. set up temporary shelters for those in need[break]
silverio delfino [break]

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That little acknowledgment from Silv had Eddie's face brightening almost impossibly further, looking more like an eager child than a man rapidly hurtling toward forty, [break][break]

“Yessir!” he called back happily, “Suppose I oughta pick up the pace, then!” [break][break]

The soldier suddenly whistled sharply, and his remaining Pokemon suddenly turned from their own bits of work and redirected their attention toward their trainer. Caligula simply huffed, content to keep to his own task, [break][break]

“Kuro, Batou, yer with me!” Eddie explained as he began to pull on a pair of thick work gloves, “Lets see if we can haul out some more'a this junk, yeah?” [break][break]

The soldier then turned to the slightly haggard Toedscool, who had finally managed to evade his crustacean pursuer, [break][break]

“Dinkle, I needja ta run a lap for me an' keep yer eyes peeled in case some sorta creepy-crawlie tries ta get the jump on us. Sound good?” [break][break]

The Toedscool suddenly perked up with renewed purpose and replied with a sort of chirp of affirmation and a click of his heels before he sped off again. [break][break]

Eddie moved to grab some particularly large chunks of driftwood that had settled nearby, with his Lucario lifting some more chunks of debris close by, and called back over his shoulder, [break][break]

“Lemme know if ya need a hand over there, Silv! We're gonna have this place back ta normal before ya know it!”

[attr="class","bottom"]04. Direct a pokemon to scout ahead for reconnaissance.[break]
silverio delfino [break]

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A burden shared was a burden lessened. With both men and their Pokemon working with renewed speed and vigor, it felt like hardly any time passed at all before their little swath of beach was more or less restored. The sun had begun to edge closer and closer to the horizon, though, casting its sunset glow upon the shimmering waves that surrounded them. [break][break]

Eddie paused a moment to watch the waters as he peeled off his now-sweaty gloves, momentarily awed as golden light glinted off of the gentle ocean like a sea of little shimmering stars. This was the sort of thing that made all the heartache worth it, wasn't it? The soldier was tired and sunburnt to shit, but looking out onto this painterly scene, ripped straight out of some scene from the Lilycove art museum, made the Sisyphean task of cleaning up after Hoenn's newest disaster feel like a worthwhile effort. [break][break]

The chance to make some new friends also certainly sweetened the pot. With a huffed laugh and the clap of a large hand on the Ranger's shoulder, Eddie beamed, [break][break]

“Suppose it's quittin' time.” [break][break]

He paused a moment to wipe some sweat from his brow, [break][break]

“So I figure it's time ta hit the ol' dusty trail. Don't know which way yer goin', but come find me if yer in my neck'a the woods, yeah?” [break][break]

It was nothing he would firmly hold the younger man to, but Eddie also knew that it was more important than ever to have some friends in these trying times, especially when they would inevitably have to face something a little more dire than a handful of driftwood and some displaced wildlife.

[attr="class","bottom"]silverio delfino [break]