Is he in the right region?

Maybe. Vic’s time outside Unova had been a weird experience for him so far. He had always felt more like a tourist when living in Galar, even if he had attended university and challenged gyms there, and that feeling had also prevailed when doing conservation work in Alola.

Does he feel like a tourist in Hoenn? Not really. Not anymore. If only because perhaps Lance is right and there is always something to do and someone that might need a hand (even if that speaks of how fucked up things in the region can be at times).

”What I’d do? Mmm… Dunno. I was really into training for a while.”

A while had actually been all his life. A while had been endless hours of studying and preparing his pokémon to battle one gym after another. All because he had always wanted to become Unova Champion, just like his father had been once. And what does Vic have to show for all that? Sixteen badges that sit framed at his apartment, collecting dust.

When they reach the vending machine, he puts a couple of coins in and presses the button to get himself a can of Charja-cola.

”I think I like this much better though.”

DEREK HOFFMAN

Congrats on joining the rangers, man
Have a little dino

He should have probably bothered with coming to the hospital right after they left Mt. Chimney.
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Of course he didn’t though.
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It isn’t like his injuries are that bad, right? Everyone had had to deal with the scalding heat and ash, and some hadn’t even had goggles or anything to protect their faces with as they went up the mountain. If anything, he had been more prepared than many, and yet somehow, he had still ended up not being able to do much that was particularly helpful (in Vic’s own opinion).
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That is, of course, aside from those viral selfies with Groudon that had everyone asking if he was that guy and what it had been like to be at Mt. Chimney....
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Turns out there aren’t many guys with pink hair in Hoenn, and so it’s kind of easy to recognize him.
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Honestly, Vic finds it all kind of exhausting, especially considering that he has barely been able to sleep ever since returning to Lilycove – hence the hospital visit.
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”Oh. Hey, Caden!” Not like he had expected to run into anyone he knows, yet the smile comes naturally when recognizing one of his gym buddies (although ‘buddies’ perhaps may not be the word Caden would use when referring to Vic).
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”Are you too busy? I don’t really wanna take your time if so…”
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Once again, as is natural to him, he tries brushing his problems away for someone else’s sake.


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ caden maher

”Yeah, Mint, pretty sure his last name is… Frost?” He pauses at this, because even someone like Vic can realize that a name like ‘mint frost’ sounds like a joke, but that’s not his fault, and he wouldn't joke about this whole situation. ”The girl was Siobhan, but I didn’t catch her last name.”
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He should have, and he knows this. He should have been more careful. But, siobhan burke seems like a trustworthy enough person, and it’s not like he had any reason to be doubtful of his friend’s intentions. Vic never doubts his friends. Just like he doesn’t doubt Flynn is actually here to help... even if they may not actually be friends anymore.
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”Hah, you sound surprised.” A chuckle, but he reaches for his wallet and brings out his ID, offering it to Flynn.
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He meets his gaze then, and he smirks in response to the grin. ”And yeah... it’s kind of cute.”
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At this, Vic laughs, the sound light and soft, but honest too.


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ kris flynn-edwards

What lessons did Vic learn today?
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Ash = bad.
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Precipice Blades = really bad.
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Cloud of Archeops = annoying and painful.
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Weird Solar Beam = horrifying.
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Going in an active volcano where an angry primal pokémon was trying to have a nice lava bath = REALLY BAD IDEA, WHO CAME UP WITH THAT?!
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Leave it to Vic to be at risk of dying five seconds after the first useful thing he did since arriving at Mt. Chimney (other than taking one hell of a killer selfie). How did he respond to this? Well, called his Dragalge and Samurott to their pokéballs and got on the back of his Dragapult like any sane person would, because while Vic may not have had the best self-preservation instinct out there, he did have to make sure aaron faust’s Gligar made it out of here after the little flying scorpion basically saved his life.
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He held Gligar in his arms like a weird teddy bear and away they flew… until he noticed a familiar speck of blue right ahead and about to fall in midair.
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”MINT!” Let us be thankful for the absolute cheat that is PHANTOM FORCE, because in the span of 2 seconds Taffy made it to where mint frost found himself falling and caught him in his arms, safely holding him. ”Man, you okay?”
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There would be time to help his friend up onto the back of the dragon once they had made it to a safer spot, but for now… how about another selfie?
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This time, he held his phone up (Kind of hurt to do that. Thanks, Archeops) and the camera was angled down so Vic, the Gligar in his arms, the Dragapult they rode, and a still-dangling Mint would all be in frame. And, hell, there was even a distant glimpse of the fight between Groudon and Regidrago, and perhaps even a very pixelated MATIAS SILPH coming between them...
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What else did we learn today?
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Vic = useless.




[BREAK][BREAK]

+ TL;DR:
[break]- Oh shit, lava!
[break]- Vic calls his Samurott and Dragalge back
[break]- Gets on his Dragapult while holding aaron faust's Gligar
[break]- They fly away and catch mint frost before he falls
[break]- He takes a selfie as they leave and there's a distance glimpse of MATIAS SILPH being stupid
[break]- Nothing useful here. Bye Mt. Chimney, see you on IG

”Aw, he’s cute.”

It’s true, though it doesn’t take much for Vic to think this about a pokémon. He wouldn’t be a ranger if he didn’t like them, after all.

Smiling, he goes along with Lance, although it is concern that flashes in his gaze for a passing moment before he dismisses it. ”Guess it’s always the same, huh? I should probably get used to that.” It’s been months since Vic himself became a ranger, how many years will pass until he’s used to waiting around?

’You sure being a ranger's the best thing for you?’

Maybe no years will pass. Maybe Lance is right and he’s not cut out for this. Maybe he will fail at it just like he has failed at everything else he has ever done.

The question is one difficult for Vic, and silence lingers between them for a couple of seconds.

Still, he laughs lightly, because shoving his feelings aside and smiling is perhaps the one thing Vic is best at. ”Ah, do I? I wouldn’t say I am, but I’ve always been kind of bad at this sort of thing. I just wanna help out, I guess.” He shrugs, but his words are honest.