"I think it's been...about four years now?"[break][break]
Caleb was glad for the company of Raziel Beckett, a man he'd always wanted to spend more time with, but hadn't found an opportunity to do so until now. Caleb was familiar with the Slateport captain, of course - his captain, after all - but the man had always struck him as somewhat enigmatic. A solid enough leader who obviously took his job seriously, but with a somewhat convoluted history - at least, to Caleb.[break][break]
Caleb watched as Daisy joined Razz's Buzzwole in clearing away the wood and metal debris from the sea below. The two of them made for a very efficient team, he noted. When they encountered bigger hazards - blockades that couldn't be moved with physical strength alone - the Dragonite would blow them apart with HURRICANE blasts of wind.[break][break]
Enjoy it?[break][break]
Caleb chewed on that seemingly simple question, rolling it over in his mind. Once, he might have jokingly complained about being a Ranger - some days, it felt like half the job was paperwork - but lately, a comfortable weight had settled upon his spirit in regards to his job: he felt good about what he was doing...perhaps for the first time in his entire life.[break][break]
"I do," he answered, with sincerity. "Especially the work I do for the Amnesty Program."

TAGS – Raziel Beckett[break]
NOTES – OPERATION #3: WILDLIFE PROTECTION[break]

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Daisy SAFEGUARDED a pod of panicked Finizen as they swam a little too close to the hazardous debris. The Dragonite then blasted away the largest chunks of wood with a HURRICANE. The sea swelled as she regarded the Buzzwole with a wide grin, clearly pleased with herself.[break][break]
"Yeah, I help lead the Buddy Program," Caleb answered. "It's the part of the Amnesty process where a defector is paired up with a member of the League - usually a Ranger, but sometimes an officer - to mentor them, but also hold them accountable. Also provides them with, well, a friend." Caleb flashed Razz a smile twinged with sadness. "It's a lot harder to start a new life on your own."[break][break]
Razz's next question sounded like a joke, and the Ranger Captain even looked a little amused while he asked it. Caleb laughed out loud, unable to hold back the incredulity. "200? That's practically a small army." The laughter died in his throat, then, as he remembered the very real threat of war looming on the horizon.[break][break]
"Why do you ask?"

TAGS – Raziel Beckett[break]
NOTES – OPERATION #3: WILDLIFE PROTECTION[break]

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Razz was a runaway? That was quite the decision to make at such a young age. He regarded the Ranger Captain with newfound curiosity. What - for good or for ill - could have inspired him to do such a thing?[break][break]
He had a feeling it was probably complicated.[break][break]
Slateport Rangers? Wait, Razz hadn't been joking about 200 Rocket defectors? Caleb blinked, confusion furrowing his brow, then registered the meaning behind the words the other man was actually speaking.[break][break]
"Oh - right. The war."[break][break]
Caleb cleared his throat. It wasn't exactly a lighthearted topic. But then again - neither was his Rocket past, or helping others like him start over after escaping the syndicate. He sobered, allowing the weight of the looming faction conflict to settle over the two of them like storm clouds on a dark horizon.[break][break]
"Do what you need to do," Caleb advised. "You're wise to set up a contingency plan should - " - you not come back - " - anything happen."[break][break]
He paused, not wanting to linger on the morbid details.[break][break]
"Is there someone you have in mind for the job?"

TAGS – Raziel Beckett[break]
NOTES – OPERATION #3: WILDLIFE PROTECTION[break]

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=Captain Kingsman the extra supplies you ordered were dropped! How should we distribute them?=

"Me?"[break][break]
The realization settled over him, shocking him into silence. He stared, open-mouthed, trying to make sure he hadn't misinterpreted Razz's declaration. But before he could recover - and find his voice - the Ranger Captain continued to speak.[break][break]
There was one glaring issue with Razz's decision to choose Caleb: his Rocket past. Despite the backing of ollie morales and freya morningstar, there were many in the government adamantly opposed to amnesty - annalise henderson and PENELOPE LIVY, he knew - and still others, like Greyson Connors, who might come to trust him, in time, but who remained steadfastly conservative regarding the amount of power the League ought to grant ex-Rockets.[break][break]
But as he listened, Caleb soaked in Razz's story like a sponge. It reminded him a lot of his own childhood, and the poor decisions he'd made that eventually got him wrapped up in Kanto Rocket. And even though Razz himself wasn't a defector, his conclusions were logical: anyone with any semblance of experience with the criminal world would be all the more suited to stopping it from continuing to thrive. Caleb's knowledge of Kanto's tactics, Rocket's ideology, and his training as an assassin had all come in handy already, to the benefit of the Rangers - even if he hated himself for it.[break][break]
"I - "[break][break]
Caleb was interrupted a second time by their comms crackling to life. Razz turned to him, and this time, his purpose was obvious: this was a test, to ensure Caleb did have what it took to lead. He could flub it on purpose, he supposed - get out of the responsibility. Despite everything he'd been through, the growth he'd achieved, he still grappled with his own self-worth. But...[break][break]
"Identify where there are the most survivors in need of immediate first aid, and deliver the necessary supplies to them," he decided. "From there, if anything else remains, evenly distribute amongst the remaining search and rescue teams."

TAGS – Raziel Beckett[break]
NOTES – OPERATION #3: WILDLIFE PROTECTION[break]

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"You'll be fine," Caleb reassured, keeping his own doubts at bay. freya morningstar had asked him to live, but there were so many factors outside of his control - outside of all of their control. He and Razz were both capable fighters; he had to hope it would make a difference.[break][break]
"I've trained a bit with Melody Miro, too. She's no joke, so we're both probably more prepared than we think."[break][break]
He tried to smile. Then, after a moment's consideration, he settled his hand on Razz's shoulder.[break][break]
"I'll do it," he confirmed. "Be your second, I mean."[break][break]
He thought back to every time Isaac Merlo had ever bolstered his spirits. He thought about Mavli, and Freya's trust in him to care for her. He thought about ollie morales, the way his face would light up like a sunrise when Caleb told him this news. He might even already know, but he'd still look at Caleb with such pride upon hearing Caleb had accepted. He'd always wanted Caleb to believe in himself that way.[break][break]
"I won't let you down."

TAGS – Raziel Beckett[break]
NOTES – OPERATION #3: WILDLIFE PROTECTION[break]

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