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Ruby had to admit, Littleroot felt more like home than she had ever experienced in the Hoenn region so far. It was farther away from the major urban areas of the region, with a pleasant sort of "back-to-nature" feel that really reminded the girl of her home back in the Galar region. Her parents had a rather pretty house tucked away in the woods, with a beautiful garden, and everything they could have ever wanted was either just a short drive into town or around them. Laying down on the hills just outside of town, watching the clouds roll by, it was a beautiful day. But unfortunately, the clouds in the sky weren't the reason she was here today. It was the clouds rolling around the ground all around her!

Or to be more accurate, the Wooloos! These precious sheep Pokémon were just about the cutest thing. Her mother had a Dubwool growing up, and the beautiful sheep's wool helped make all kinds of fabrics for their home, like blankets and sweaters, plus selling any excess was a worthwhile secondary income! However, for the lovely people of this ranch, it seemed like they were trying to use Wooloo as their primary income! The cute little guys were simply rolling about along the grass, nibbling their food, bumping into each other, it was intensely nostalgic for her.

However, today wasn't a day to sit and play with these cute bouncy boys either. She was supposed to be on guard duty. The owners of the ranch were expecting trouble, and she was supposed to help out and make sure nothing happened. Wooloo wool was definitely expensive, especially in Hoenn, no doubt some rude individuals would want to take away these cuddly sheep for themselves! Quickly dusting off the dust from her jacket, she slowly walked around the ranch, hoping to find anyone else who was supposed to be helping. She might trust Whisper to take care of a few thieves, but if they also had strong Pokemon, it would be a bit tough.

Eventually, Ruby managed to find them. Their Ninetails definitely helped point them out amongst the field of clouds. "Hey!" Ruby spoke as she approached, gently pushing her way through the sea of white fluffy friends. "My uh, name's Ruby. I take it you're also here to help, right?"


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There was something... strange about this girl. Was she talking about herself in third person? Her curiosity aroused, Ruby slowly tilted her head as Nicole repeated Ruby a few times to memorize it. Maybe she was just bad with names. If she was being fair, names were always hard for her as well. Sometimes people's faces and names just faded into the background. After all, if you never talked to them, it only made sense for the information to be lost.

"Uh, yeah! I'm here to help keep an eye out for anything suspicious!" Ruby giggled ever so softly to herself. The idea of playing a security guard for a ranch wasn't how she imagined her life going, but she wasn't going to complain. The Wooloo were absolutely adorable! Plus, their wool was indeed incredibly soft. Maybe if nothing did happen after all, she'd at least be given a chance to spend some time napping with a couple of the Wooloo. That would be a day well spent.

"Have you noticed anything yet?" She tilted her head curiously, glancing up at the girl once more. "Like, any strange people sneaking around, or any Pokemon silly enough to think they can get their teeth on one of them?"

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There... definitely was something a bit odd with her. Ruby didn't quite know how to talk to her if she was being honest. Ruby was quite socially awkward already, to meet someone who was talking in the third person consistently was certainly strange. Still, there was no way she was going to allow herself to judge the poor girl. Maybe she just wasn't very literate? At the very least she understood Ruby, and that was enough. She kept a small, understanding smile on her face as she listened to Nicole speak.

However, the mention of a farmer certainly surprised her. Nobody was supposed to be here except them, that's why they were hired, right? And jumping the fence certainly wasn't something farmers did. She quickly turned around, only to see nobody immediately in sight. Still, she didn't trust that for a second. Quickly sending out Whisper, the psychic pokemon's face twitched as she easily sensed the hostile presence in the area. Someone meant harm and Whisper would have none of it.

As she suddenly warped a few feet in the direction of the haybale, Ruby quickly spoke. "Definitely not normal, come on, someone's trying to take the Wooloo!" And with that, Ruby gently tried to take Nicole's hand in hers and run over with her, following behind Whisper's mix of levitation and short teleports closer and closer to the haybale.

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The Metagross was certainly faster than Ruby was running, and much faster than the slow witch Pokemon. Despite that, Ruby eventually caught up to the haybale staring at the man who thought they could attempt to take the Wooloo. With a net, it seemed. Almost immediately, Ruby couldn't help but laugh and giggle to herself. Anyone who had ever worked with Wooloos even once in their life knew how hard it was to wrangle one of the fluffy boys, let alone a whole herd of them. They could roll around rather fast.

As Nicole lands on top of the haybale and The Metagross uses its arms to grab and restrain the intruder, he suddenly shouted out. All kinds of... foul language. Apparently, he wasn't very nice and was increasingly aggressive. Attempting to break free of the metal grip of his captor. Ruby just simply... blinked. This wasn't something her mother would want her hearing, that was for sure. That was even a few new expletives she hadn't heard before-

She didn't even have time to think to react, Whisper suddenly blinked up right in front of the man and decked him solidly straight in the face. Ruby physically winced as she watched the blow, immediately looking away as Whisper's face was a stern aggression, staring daggers at the man that was just punched. She was just about to rear back and strike him again before Ruby quickly retrieved Whisper back to her Pokeball. It wouldn't look good if the man's nose was broken, that was for sure. "... S-she'll come back out if you try anything!" She called out and the man seemed to settle, his fear keeping him in check, caught red-handed.

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The man was restrained rather quickly after that, to Ruby's relief. Honestly, it was quite foolish to try and steal from a farm with nothing more than a net. Anyone with any sense would have used Pokemon of their own. Perhaps some Corviknight could have dived in and grabbed a Wooloo or two before anyone could have stopped them... Maybe it would be a good idea for the farmer to get a bird of his own! Something that can keep watch much easier than the two of them.

"Right." Ruby nodded her head towards Nicole, grinning softly. "If you keep your Metagross on him, the farmer will be back soon!" Almost as if they sensed the threat had passed, a few of the Wooloo began rolling over in their direction. Chuckling softly, Ruby kneeled down and awaited their arrival. It was like a cloud rolling in. Absolutely precious.

notes: Mission End