Ranger Doug

Amazing work, King.

Dream

Ft. Yuina Higashi

He scratched at his cheek, having nothing to say. There was nothing to notice, as far as he could tell.

Still.

"Don't dismiss it." He said firmly, moving to sit up on the bed, looking at her. "Hoenn ain't a normal place, and neither is anyone who frequents its front lines. Picking up weird items or random abilities ain't unheard of."

The ability to teleport, to feel the presence of legendary pokemon, to feel the presence of a particular legendary pokemon, to strike a dramatic pose and receive extraordinary power—

Nothing was off the table when you were constantly playing Hoenn's roulette. So long as you didn't lose it all to the house— you would get something.

Though not always a good something.

"Huh?" He mumbled as she pointed out the shadows fleeting down on the streets below, turning to the window. "Oh. There are."

He cocked his head, before looking over the city and squinting.

"Does this place look... familiar to you?"

It vaguely reminded him of... darkness.

---

TL;DR:
-Doug immediately has ideas of how to use their time in Dreamland.

PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY

Something welled up inside him, nourishing the struggling remains of his will power.

His body creaked. It sizzled, welled up, cracked and snapped into places.

A familiar sensation touched from an alien, uncomfortable source, the discomfort and limitation of injury fading away.

The fogginess of mind, too, dissipated, if just enough.

They had endured everything, physically and psychologically, for this moment.

From the moment they had arrived, perhaps the reason his anger at their warden had turned murderous, their conditions had been the most disturbing and frustrating part of their circumstances to him.

All around him, people were afflicted with sickness and injury, forced to toil whilst their bodies broke down a little more each day. He was a doctor, and yet there was nothing he could do to help.

He would not be allowed to bandage a single wound, cover for a single exhausted person— without the interference of their captors.

Finally.

[player]https://file.garden/ZXZrnWMYuz15frfJ/HOENN%20MUSIC/mysterious%20sound%20.mp3[/player]

FIGHT BACK!

His words tore through the ward as his arms spread wide, his chain bursting into pieces. A single, thin cord remained tight around his neck, the rest of its pieces hovering all about, healing the wounds and weakness of all they touched.

Joining Yuina Higashi, FERNANDO SILPH, freya morningstar, annalise henderson and even THEO BECKETT, he fought against their guards and wardens while spreading more healing chain pieces, struggling mightily for their freedom as they trampled towards the elevator.

NOT A SINGLE MORE DAY!

---

OT276now

TL;DR:
-Doug's desire is to KILL THAT BIR—
-Rewind that
-Doug's actual desire is to save lives, as ever.
-Doug's healing power resembles his abilities under Lele, because he wants to heal everyone.
-Doug is healing everyone in the ward, and if given the chance, will try to heal everyone in the other wards too. But, if this is too much, he'll focus his efforts on folk like Yuina Higashi, Michael Navidson, Leon Settentrioné, Shred Zeppelin, Isaac Merlo, Hideo Kino, Eris Halla, and Lucia Aldrete who're either well and truly screwed— or subjects to nepotism.

HARVESTING

be sure to visit the pretty petal flower shop near rustboro!

3X Micle berries, 3 gacha rolls for Gwyar Wledig wledig. Totally forgot these had a much shorter wait time than salacs lmao

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

2X Salac berries (50 PD) (for June 2)
1X Kasib berry (225 PD) (for June 30)

TOTAL

do come again!

325 PD

Strong

ft. Lucia Aldrete

His arms wrapped around the little girl firmly, dread welling up in his chest as the girl rapid fired babble and tears into his chest.

Were Lucia was relieved, Doug was horrified.

Lucia... Lucia is in this mess?

It was bad enough that Hideo Kino and Eris Halla were here. They were tough kids who had lived through everything Hoenn had thrown at them, and even they weren't taking to this well.

For Lucia to be here...!

Why?!

His teeth grit as he hugged the child more firmly. No one deserved this— but least of all a child.

He felt himself tearing apart from the inside as he faced Lucia's happiness and relief, her hope— her seemingly unending faith in him.

Never before had expectations weighed on him so heavily.

"... Lucy." He said, taking a deep breath as he considered his words.

"It won't be quick or easy." He said, giving her a pained look. "I'm sorry."

He hugged her again.

"I'm not sure of what's going on either."

Endeavoring the Wilds

Ground / Steel Solo Wild

That morning, for no particular reason, he took a path he usually didn't on his way to Verdanturf.

The rusturf tunnel had never been his favorite place, but it had outright dropped off the rankings ever since the encounter with the mind controlled citizens and the bloody statues.

Still, it was a shortcut— at least, if he wanted to get in his daily steps instead of teleporting like a couch potato.

If he had been able to sneak in a little bit of pokemon catching along the way, it would've been a perfect route.

"Not a whole lotta bugs in places like these, though." He mused.

---

TL;DR:

PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY

CRACK!

Oof.

His body splats along the Mochi pit's steel floors, bouncing briefly before landing flat.

For a brief moment, he lays there and contemplates the dark ceilings— all 3 of them.

Think I'm gonna barf.

There are no poetics to his inner monologue. No delusions about his circumstances. It is drab, and gray, and bored, and angry and impotent.

A week has passed. Things have not improved— not in any discernible way.

Whatever illusions he had of himself, as a trainer, as a soldier, as a warrior, as an avatar— they had been thoroughly trashed. With a single collar, he had been turned into a slave.

Rolling onto his chest, he planted his fist firmly onto the floor, wheezing for air as his stomach's contents threatened to spill out, his innards still doing flips as the pouch tucked away under his tunic slipped out.

He stares at it though blurry eyes, before gulping down the vile, snatching it off the floor.

It was the latest batch of tears. Why was he collecting them? He didn't really know. Maybe because they looked special. He was hoping doing so would mean anything.

The tears only came after their 'special' respite was over, lending to their seeming 'specialness'.

Sleep... What truly lovely respite it was. Truly a dream, were they could enjoy the freedoms they had lost, however briefly.

But the bodies that awaited them upon waking were worn out. Battered and tired, slowly getting pushed towards their absolute limit— though that meant little to him.

Pain wasn't much of a problem for him anymore, not after everything he had put himself through under the misguided belief of his own invulnerability. It was sensory data and little else— perceived clinically.

Exhaustion had also become common to him. Since taking on the mantle of a physician, it had become ever present. He had grown accustomed to it, if not entirely comfortable with it.

No, neither of those mattered much to him.

It was the sustained, unnecessary, and meaningless cruelty of their captors that was getting to him.

But when subjected to sustained cruelty, Doug wasn't the kind to become despondent. He was not one to lose 'hope'.

No, what he lost, was patience.

He was drawing ever closer to getting himself killed trying to murder that f*cking bird.

The first 'laughing hour' had been the first time in a very, very long while that the desire to end a life had come into him.

It had been shocking— and not just a little disturbing.

Doug only knew one out of those singled out the first time. Michael Navidson— and he had never once dreamed he would see Eris Halla and Hideo Kino's heroic mentor in tears.

And to be forced to laugh at someone he considered a comrade, someone he knew to be a good man, someone who was sick, and weakened, and possibly delirious—

I'm gonna kill ya.

He rises back to his feet, the sound of rapidly approaching stomping not enough of a warning for him to even attempt to move out of the way.

THWACK!

Hideo Kino was going through this. Eris Halla was going through this. Lucia Aldrete was going through this. Isaac Merlo was going through this. Michael Navidson was going through this.

Yuina Higashi, too, was going through this.

He splatted back onto the floor, the ceiling stretching out before him once again as he rolled onto his chest and began to get up once again.

I am going to kill you.

Doug did not get anything out of other people's suffering— not even those whom he was inclined to believe might deserve it.

dorian westcliff had burned alive before his eyes, and all he had been able to muster was guilt and a drive to save his life, despite their past— despite wanting to enjoy the sight.

He felt nothing of the sort this time. He wanted to kill it. It's buddies. The Never Rot, whatever it was.

Perhaps it was the chain's influence? It didn't matter.

Anger and spite were as good as any fuel.

As long as he had something left to burn.

---

BjaVvjKK
x1 salac?

TL;DR:
-Doug has been Collecting his and Yuina Higashi's tears in a pouch he fashioned out fabric he tore from one of his uniforms.

Rewriting History

With Yuina Higashi

He pursed his lips, squinting at her. "You... will keep it in mind."

He echoed the words wryly, the red on his cheeks deepening.

He had revealed a weakness and it would apparently be ruthlessly exploited.

How wonderful! I mean, horrible. Yeah. Totally.

He was all too eager to grab onto the olive branch she extended next.

"Oh!" He uttered with perhaps a little too much surprise.

He cocked his head, staring at the balls.

"... Huh. I have one of these." He said simply, scratching at his cheek with some mild confusion. "I didn't know it was a hisuian ball."

It had kinda just... come into his possession, recently.

"Thought it was some shop's specialty item made or somethin'." There was no shortage of small TRADITIONAL STYLE POKEBALL manufacturers, after all.

For the people who preferred wood or berry covers to the efficient plastic of FERNANDO SILPH's productions.

The exceeding minority willing to pay premiums, at any rate. They were certainly not pokeballs the dregs of society totted about anymore.

Which made one wonder how Doug came upon one.

"So... I'm guessin' you've remembered a lot." He said after a moment, turning his gaze over to the entirety of Yuina's exhibit. "Is it... everything?"

---

TL;DR:

LESSER MEGALOPOLIS: JY

Ft. Yuina Higashi

"Well, I've kinda been here. Once." He said, throwing a smile at his partner.

Not that she could see it.

"It was a... dream? Alternate universe? Something like that." He said, before waving his hand dismissively. "I'm not even sure if it was here, specifically. Just looked a lot like it."

And he was wearing Megalopolan Military Regalia, too. Best not to think too hard about it.

"So..." He pointed at her. "Has actually traveled through the city. Expert." Then at himself. "Thinks he might've dreamed about it. Possibly delusional."

What a reasonable way to dump a whole lot of responsibility on her. Ah well, the cute cadet would surely pull through! He had faith in her!

A flash. A shatter. And a shudder that rolled over the entire city as something within it came alive.

Doug's skin crawled.

"No complaints from me. Let's skedaddle." Turning to guard Yuina's back as she released her Salamence.

He rode behind her without complaint— locking his arms around her waist just to make sure he didn't fell.

"Phew. A salamence? Yer a full blown pro ranger now, huh?" He said, grinning.

Maybe if she showed off her Salamence to freya morningstar, the councilwoman would chill about her. Surely a girl this cute and trusted by a dragon couldn't possibly be trouble.

Surely.

As they reached the top of the skyscraper, Doug leapt off the Salamence— and unceremoniously ate shit, tripping on a brick as he landed in the dark.

"Son of a concrete who—, _{Damn IT}!" He cussed and grumbled while holding his ankle— before something snapped and clicked audibly in his bones. "There it goes."

Avatars just cheated at life, seriously.

Rising back to his feet, Doug squinted into the dark, before raising his hand, summoning glowing magenta scales to just barely illuminate the rooftop they found themselves in.

"There's a door over there." He said, gesturing. "Should we go in? Feels like we'll get blown right off the roof if we linger."

Wind speeds at Skyscraper altitudes were unsurprisingly intense.

---

TL;DR:15-search for suitable locations to set up camp/base (e.g. an abandoned building).

One Last Hope

Ft. Aubre McKenna-Settentrione

It would've been amusing to her be a bundle of nerves and fears— if the context behind it hadn't been how desperate she was for a cure to her long time malady.

Hard to laugh at a woman fearing she might lose her only chance.

He scratched at his cheek.

"Mrs. Mckenna— actually, can I just call you Aubre?" He asked. "You may call me John— or Doug. Whichever you prefer."

He wasn't too anal about the whole Doctor part.

"Anyway, ya don't have to worry. Once we're in Petalburg General, ya can ask anyone ya want about my credentials." He said, hands moving to his hips.

It didn't seem like she knew who he was— which wasn't an impossibility, but it would've made things much easier for both of them if she had. Oh well— hopefully the fact that the hospital staff could vouch for him would be enough to dash her worries.

"Darn, and here I was hopin' we could get some exercise in on the way there." He said wryly, snickering. "Oh well— walkin' it is. Shall we?"

---

TL;DR: Nice to meet you, Ms. McKenna.

daybreak

With freya morningstar

"Then you underestimate my dedication." He said over his shoulder, winking. "Though you ain't wrong... this time."

He loved his job— it was the only one he had chosen with full understanding of the implications, after all. He didn't regret helping Hideo Kino, but he did regret thinking he needed to join the military to do so.

But anyway—

"Even people like me can get real lucky, Freya." Doug said— nay, hummed, discarding formalities. "Life's troubles are a lot easier to carry with two pairs of hands."

Oh... Well that was rather telling.

With any luck, he wasn't joining the ranks of people banging coworkers.

---

TL;DR:

The Spider and the Fly

With Yuina Higashi

"Yuina!"

His eyes flashed, and a blanket of magenta fell upon the canopy, bringing with it a weighty pressure.

With a flick of the wrist, his Flygon was out of its net ball and straight into the battle, its wings buzzing powerfully as the earth far beneath upended, sending one of the tree pillars that supported the colony's vast webbing tumbling down.

The earth raced up the falling bark before lashing out towards tera'd Spidops, crashing into it with the force of a surging river.

Doug didn't pay it much mind— he and his Volcarona had come closer to Yuina while his Flygon handled the leader of the pack. The Volcarona acted swiftly, its burning scales flying into the threads suspending Yuina in the air.

As the threads broke and her bundled up body fell, Doug jerked forward and caught onto it, his jaw tensing as sizzling poison thread bit into his skin, burning as he hoisted her atop his Volcarona.

His eyes narrowed at the venomous burns left in her skin, his hand fishing into his pocket and fetching a small, flat box. It popped open to reveal a scalpel— and it wasn't long before he was slashing it across the length of the thread, splitting it wide before tearing at it forcefully.

---

TL;DR:
-Guirus used Earth Power.

Bugphobic

Hoenn's (arguably) most famous bugcatcher had been invited as well.

NATURALLY. If there was anyone well equipped to help children become future bugcatchers— er, that is to say, stop fearing insects, it was him.

Only the cutest of bug types were allowed for this presentation... Problem was, bugs only came in five flavors for Doug: Cute, Cool, tough, Beautiful and Smart.

Such a vague requirements barely helped, sheesh!

Luckily— he had a go to little guy who fit all those categories on hand.

"Feast your eyes, kids!" The doctor boomed cheerfully as he extended his arm dramatically. Giggles escaped his lips a lump suddenly began moving beneath his jacket at high speed, fuzzy golden hairs briefly peaking out from his collar before a set of multiple, blue eyes peaked out.

Hoenn's cutest, coolest, smartest, toughest and beautiful-est Galvantula leapt out of the young doctor's collar, swinging itself unto his head before preening before the children, basking in the attention.

Doug, too, puffed out his chest, always eager to extol the virtues of spiders to any who would listen— specially since Yuina Higashi didn't wanna hear any of it.

"Kids— This is Goran! He is a Galvantula." He said, raising a finger as he spoke— ratting of a number of taxonomic and enthomological facts about the species.

"But enough about the details— how about a lil' demonstration of what this guy can do?" He said, before sweeping his arms wide. "Let's show 'em our favorite lil combo, Goran! Sticky Web, then Electroweb!"

He was gonna turn all these kids into bugcatchers. For sure.

---

TL;DR: