”What do you mean ‘there’s no need to call the cops’? Of course we need to call the cops!” Vic wasn’t one to argue often, and honestly he didn’t even sound upset (more like shaken and stressed thanks to everything that had just happened), but he was pretty sure that ‘getting attacked in the middle of the road by vans full of poachers trying to steal some Slowpoke’ definitely classified as the sort of situation where one needed to call the cops. Hell, they even covered situations like that one in his Ranger training and all!
[break][break]
He couldn’t believe Siobhan wouldn’t want to get the proper authorities involved. What if the poachers got away and went on to steal more pokémon?! It wasn’t right, none of it was…
[break][break]
Arms crossed, Vic listened to her story, a frown causing slight wrinkles on his forehead when she accused him of not caring for the wellbeing of the Slowpoke. For the most part, he had bought it, but the pokémon’s wellbeing was the whole reason he was here, after all! ”That’s not the point. We saved these pokémon now, but what about the ones they try to steal tomorrow or the day after that? Of course I want the Slowpoke to get the sanctuary safe, but the longer we wait, the higher the chances that the poachers will get away!” Her ID didn’t sway him, nor did Mint’s nonchalant attitude about the whole thing – he was even talking about getting burgers! At a time like this!
[break][break]
Did they really not see it? Did they not understand how dangerous those people were? How much damage they could cause if they went free?
[break][break]
He was quiet for a long few seconds that could have seemed like an eternity on their own, and then he sighed – defeatedly so. ”Fine… Mint, can you give me the license numbers, then? I’ll go to the cops while you and Siobhan take the pokémon to the meeting spot. That should be fine, right?”
[break][break]
It made sense: he’s report the attacks while the others made sure the Slowpoke made it safely on their way to Second Hope. But, why did he still have such a bad feeling about it all? Why did it feel wrong? And, had Siobhan really taken these pokémon from Team Rocket all on her own? There were so many weird things about the whole situation, but still, Vic just wanted to do what he thought was right for everyone involved...
[break][break]

+ siobhan burke & mint frost

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Shouldn’t have said that. Or, more like shouldn’t have thought that, because the whole thing about the region turning into a game of ‘the floor is lava’ was now dangerously close to reality. Except that it was not the floor but the sky that was lava, or… like… rocks filled with lava?! It was crazy!
[break][break]
One of the precipice blades passed right by him, barely being avoided in time, but instead his life flash before his eyes, Vic ended up thinking back to when Zac Ramsay had nonchalantly asked him if they didn’t have interdimensional alien attacks in Unova. Ah, so this is why he had been so casual about the whole thing, huh? This is what the Hoenn life was like.
[break][break]
”Pez! Don’t go near those things, it’s too dangerous! We gotta go fast!” Talking was a struggle. Even when using a bandana as a makeshift mask, every breath felt like the hot air burned his lungs. Vic found himself coughing, eyes watering despite wearing goggles, and he could do no more than hold on tight. Pez, in turn, rode the Tailwind that had been raised by Moltres, steering clear of the Hail and increasing his speed with a DRAGON DANCE. Hopefully, it would grant them a better chance at avoiding the precipice blades, although the pink-haired man was starting to almost wish he had instead chosen to go by land. Still, he trusted his Dragonite.
[break][break]
Then, there was a sound. A ringing, or rather, a beeping, and for a split second, Vic felt an urgent need to check his phone for new texts. But, obviously, this wasn't the time or the place!… He could do that once they were back on land!


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ TL;DR: Vic is starting to realize that Hoenn may be a little crazy...
[break]Using Dragon Dance + the boost from Tailwind, his Dragonite tries maneuvering around the Precipice Blades while also avoiding siobhan burke 's Hail (if it's possible to go beyond its range?). We're trying not to take any chances here hehe
[break]Vic kinda wishes he had gone by land since the hot air has him messed up, but he trusts his Dragonite bc he's no Dragonite fkboy tyvm
[break]Oh! He also gets a txt bc who remembers to mute their phone when going to try beat up a legendary, right?
[break][break]

8GmxvFoc

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Curious as to what in the world he’s doing, his Arcanine approaches him, licking his face and causing Vic to sigh right before allowing himself a small laugh. He manages to use the pokémon’s large body as support to get back up, giving himself a moment to recover from everything that happened just now. Even if mildly, his body aches from the sudden fall, in a way it usually does not, and for a second, the man can’t help but wonder if this is what it feels like to get old...
[break][break]
Only for a second though.
[break][break]
”You did so good, bud! Nice work finding those Tropius!” He praises, scratching behind the Arcanine’s ears as he knows the pokémon loves. Then, he looks around, his gaze wandering over all the fallen fruit until landing on Aaron.
[break][break]
Wait…
[break][break]
Had he just…
[break][break]
Did he really just eat that without knowing if it was edible or not?!
[break][break]
Vic chuckles, shaking his head. ”Nah, don’t worry, Tropius’ fruit is edible, you’ll be fine!” There’s always the possibility that the Tropius in this island have a diet that makes it not be, of course, but as much as Vic knows about pokémon, he doesn’t think to consider that part. He’s too hungry to think about that, and as they talk, he also picks up one of these fruit to take a bite.
[break][break]
”Guess we should gather these… If there’s pokémon here, there’s gotta be a water source, so Taffy should be coming back soon if he finds it…” It must be some kind of talent to be able to consider things like those but also act so dumb...

[break][break]

+ aaron faust

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"I'm looking for dragon-types. I specialize in them."
[break][break]
Really? Cool! Same!” Vic grinned, always glad to find someone who shares his interest and fondness for Dragon Type pokémon. In his place, many would have probably seen Katja as potential competition when it came to catching the more rare pokémon that may have appeared before them at the cave, but not Vic, because really, the only thing he saw Katja as was a potential friend!
[break][break]
So, he watched her attempt at catching the Garchomp, smiling when she returned from getting back her pokéball. And, when she pointed, he looked in that direction, taking a second to notice the Seadra swimming down in the water. Oh.
[break][break]
He considered for a moment.
[break][break]
”Mmm… Nah, it’s okay, you can catch it if you want! Seadra are nice pokémon, but I think my Kingdra might get jealous,” Vic laughed, the Kingdra in question shooting some bubbles up from beneath.
[break][break]
Now, would they get lucky enough to find any more dragon pokémon?
[break][break]
Vic looked around, hoping he wouldn’t miss any that might show up...
[break][break]




[break][break]

+ katja weiss - Skiiiip!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It was hard to hold on. He almost fell more than once, and he found himself having to widen his stance in order to maintain balance. There wasn’t much else Vic could do. The scene was chaos, and all that filled his mind was making sure the Slowpoke were safe and sound – that Mint was safe and sound, and also Siobhan. Were the pokémon really so valuable that these people were willing to go so far?! To cause so much harm...
[break][break]
”Protect the Slowpoke!” He told the Dragapult, who in turn was more than ready to meet the pair of Golbat with a HEX the moment they flew towards the back of the pick-up truck, which apparently really pissed off the person in the car.
[break][break]
“YOU ROCKETS CAN’T ALWAYS GET EVERYTHING!! HAND OVER THE SLOWPOKE!”
[break][break]
Wait… What?
[break][break]
Rocket… Like… Team Rocket?!
[break][break]
Without a second of hesitation, he reached for a second pokéball. This time, an Arcanine. ”STOP THE CAR!”
[break][break]
And so, the pokémon did, using a combination of AGILITY and FLARE BLITZ in order to rush towards the moving vehicle, catching up to it and bumping its side. He almost flipped it upon impact, but not quite.
[break][break]
”WE NEED TO STOP AND CALL THE COPS!” He yelled for both Mint and Siobhan to hear, and let’s be honest here: this would have been the reaction anyone would have had in this sort of situation. Especially someone like a Ranger. They needed to report this and get those guys arrested!
[break][break]
And, also… what the hell had they actually meant by ’Rockets’?! Needless to say, Vic wanted answers and he was going to get them.

[break][break]

+ siobhan burke & mint frost

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Oh. This guy was being serious. There really was something like interdimensional alien attacks in the Hoenn region. How had Vic never heard of this before? Had he not been keeping up with the news?! Probably, although honestly, it was more likely that if he had heard about it, he may not have realized exactly what he was hearing. It just hit different when he had a legendary pokémon sleeping just a few metres away from him, you know? Or, rather, pretending to be sleeping…
[break][break]
”Hah, okay, yeah... I guess that makes sense. Can’t say I can imagine what that must be like though! Unova’s a bit more… chill, I think.” Chill was probably the right word. And here he had thought Galar was crazy with the whole dynamax dens issue!
[break][break]
While Vic still tried to process the whole interdimensional alien attacks thing, his Dragonite had apparently finally decided to change strategies. Charja-Cola now consumed, he took off with a powerful jump, rising a couple of metres in the air before beginning to spin around and around. His body was surrounded in orange energy, a DRAGON DANCE meant to enhance his attack and speed. And, once he stopped, he spread his wings as far as they would go, summoning winds aimed straight at Tapu Bulu.
[break][break]
Was he really trying to summon a HURRICANE?!
[break][break]
Maybe he was getting desperate...
[break][break]







[break][break]

+ Zac Ramsay

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Maybe his friend’s Metagross just didn’t like the beach. All that water that easily could cause rust, all that sand that could get between metal parts, all that sunlight… It made sense, right? Because, what other explanation could there be? If it liked the beach, if it was enjoying playing dodgeball, how had it failed that attack so spectacularly?!
[break][break]
That’s just the luck of the dice, huh?
[break][break]
There was a bark. One coming from Vic’s Arcanine, the large canine staring at both Jayden and his Metagross as he wagged his tail playfully. He looked like he was having a great time, and so far, he had had no issue with dodging and stopping throws despite his size (not all that surprising, considering how he was stupidly fast and agile). With a second bark, he picked up a ball that safely rolled towards him over the sand after the Steel Type’s attempt at a barrage, but instead of chewing it up like he would have with most balls, he threw it up in the air, using a FLAMETHROWER to send it dashing straight towards the Metagross. Then, he barked happily once more, for good meassure.
[break][break]
For a pokémon that seemed so playful, his actions were not, but what more could be expected when he had been trained to see battles as a fun game where he got treats if he did good? This was the pokémon that had accompanied Vic since he was ten years old.




[break][break]

+ 2 FAINTED
[break]

Nothing was out of the ordinary. Not to Vic, at least, because one could have said that the boy had an almost superhuman way of facing every twist and curveball life threw at him and accepting it with ease. He smiled, he laughed, life was as it had always been...
[break][break]
Since, it couldn’t have been any other way, could it?
[break][break]
It couldn’t have been that someone as full of joy and confidence as Vic actually had things that bothered him – things he couldn’t help but sometimes think about when he was all alone with nothing and no one to distract him. Things he wasn’t comfortable with. Things that confused him. Things that scared him. Things that made him sad.
[break][break]
No, of course not. Vic’s life was perfect, so he smiled.
[break][break]
And he smiled at Alexei too when he met him for lunch – a bright grin flashing a string of pearly whites.
[break][break]
Then, he sat, unceremoniously so, the familiarity of the situation causing him to only look at the other again while he was already in the process of bringing out his lunchbox. ”You okay?” The question came; simple, easy, and not really being filled with much concern. It wasn’t possible for him to know what was going on in his friend’s mind, after all, just like Alexei couldn’t have known about anything of what hid beneath Vic’s smiling words.





[break][break]

+ Alexei Ivanov