Mt. Pyre was, perhaps, a morbid backdrop for a training session. But Dominic couldn't stay away from the natural beauty of the place, and the steep switchback routes would provide the perfect place for them to push themselves. He was pretty sure he would be right there in the middle of things, too. Any time he tried to resist training alongside his Pokemon, he failed miserably.[break][break]

He'd texted Vic a few days ago to invite him to the training session. They'd hit it off pretty well on their patrol, and Dom was looking forward to getting to know his fellow ranger. Plus, Vic had been in Hoenn longer than Dom, and Dom would never say no to more cultural knowledge on the region. There was no downside to information about the inner workings of the local rangers, either.[break][break]

Dom waited near the shore, looking out over the water. Nova sat beside him, swishing her tails gracefully.

[break][break]

+ Victor Wexler[break]mission: commitment: act ii

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

He tried to hide the wince that must have contorted his face. But Hideo did say he'd helped this farmer before, so maybe Dom was making a big deal out of nothing. Still, this was a kid and—as Hideo mentioned that his Pokemon were the ones that would be searching, the puzzle pieces began to fall into place—Dom realized this was a blind kid.[break][break]

He suddenly felt very silly about waving.[break][break]

The sound of wings saved him from saying anything stupid. He squinted up, lifting a hand to shield his eyes, and watched as a Honchkrow delivered two of the missing Wooloo. The little sheep immediately bolted for Hideo and Dom made an unsuccessful attempt to catch the boy as he fell. The kid didn't seem too bothered, though, and Dom smiled. Pulling Pokeballs from his belt, he released North, Nova, and Aurora.[break][break]

"Aurora, check the fence line for downed trees and bits of broken fence, okay? Nova, North, you're in charge of finding the Wooloo and herding them this way. Ay, North—" The Noivern hesitated mid-takeoff, eyeballing Dom with a disapproving air. Dom caught his gaze and stared hard for a moment. "No. Eating." North hesitated as if to see if Dom would relent but, eventually, he huffed and took to the air in a flurry of wind. The other Pokemon broke off to their assigned duties without any argument.[break][break]

Dom cleared his throat and turned to where Hideo was, presumably, still buried under the happy Wooloo. "Need a hand up, kid?" He extended a hand, winced, but kept it extended anyhow. "You said you worked with this farmer before, huh? What happened last time?" One day Dom would have the money or the influence or whatever it was he needed to start a fund for providing farmers with their own trained herding Pokemon. Until then, he supposed, they'd have to rely on the generosity of strangers.

[break][break]

+ Hideo Kino[break]mission: mareep roundup

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

His heart was already pounding loud enough that he didn't even notice when another person entered the same small cavern. It wasn't until she spoke up (causing Dom to jump slightly) that he realized they had company. He slowed to a stop, patting Lynx on the head, and gave the woman a brief wave.[break][break]

"Hey! Sorry if you're, uh, trying to hike through here." He gestured vaguely towards the other end of the cavern where an exit tunnel sits. "I figured it was a good spot to do some training with Lynx here." The Riolu was practically attached to Dom's leg, peering out from behind the man's calf at the strangers. Dom grinned at him. "Oh, I'm Dominic, by the way. I'm a ranger cadet." He wiped a hand on his pants before offering it in handshake to Rae.

[break][break]

+ Rae Rançon[break]mission: pkmn hunter

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Dom tried to chase away the biting annoyance in the back of his mind. He'd only just finished helping a rancher with DEREK HOFFMAN. And, while that had been exciting enough in its own right, he'd hoped that was the last time he needed to play farmer. Everyone deserved the help of a ranger was what he repeated to himself as he walked up the path, Magnolia lumbering just behind him.[break][break]

He caught sight of a figure on the road ahead, just where he was supposed to meet his partner. Dom squinted, frowning. Was that a child? Certainly that couldn't be the person who was going to help him round up stray Wooloo. Where were this kid's parents? He had to remind himself that he had been doing more dangerous missions through ranger camp when he was about that age. And there were plenty of kids who started training Pokemon early and traveled. Rounding up a couple of sheep was hardly treacherous work. Still...[break][break]

"Hi, uh, I'm Dominic," he said as he approached, waving. "Are you here to help with the Wooloo?"

[break][break]

+ Hideo Kino[break]mission: mareep roundup

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

It seemed they were both more than willing to glaze over their pasts. Not that Dominic was perceptive enough to notice. He simply considered Vic to be a good guy, one he definitely wouldn't mind working with again. His considerations were confirmed when the other pulled a bag of treats out of his pocket and shook them at the Passimian troop. Dom couldn't help but grin, sliding his hand out of his own pocket from which he'd been preparing to produce a protein bar as a distraction.

The Passimian, for their part, all froze on the spot as soon as the food appeared. They stared wide-eyed at Vic, strangely akin to a group of statues. Slowly, they all looked to the one Dom assumed must be their leader. That was the one currently in possession of the hat, naturally. It looked at Vic and down to the hat thoughtfully before slowly inching its way towards the ranger. With a critical eye, it watched him, suspicious of some trickery. When it was within arm's reach it paused, looking at the hat again. Was it worth it?

In one fluid motion, the Passimian snatched the bag of treats out of Vic's hand and simultaneously flung the hat into the nearby brush. Hooting victoriously, it sprinted back to its troop with its prize in hand, and the entire group was gone in the blink of an eye. Dom tried to stifle a laugh but failed completely and utterly, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"A good trade, my man," he said, still chuckling. He stepped through the brush, fishing around until he returned brandishing the hat. "Better get this back to the poor owner. Those Passimian deserve the stomach ache they're gonna get if they eat that whole bag of treats."

Victor Wexler[break]mission: commitment: act i

☉

It was uncommon to find Dominic quite so alone. He hadn't had a chance to really bond with Lynx since he'd found the little Riolu, though, and decided it was time to change that. They'd trekked deep into Granite Cave, leaving the rest of the party safely at camp not far from the cave entrance. Dom knew they could take care of themselves for a few hours and was looking forward to spending some uninterrupted training time with Lynx. The little Fighting-type frowned as he followed his trainer into the cave, the Riolu jogging to keep up. He didn't seem entirely sure why they were here, even if Dom had explained it to him a few times by this point. They finally reached an open, cavernous area and Dom set down his lantern. The light filled the room, stretching from wall to wall comfortably and throwing odd shadows.[break][break]

"Okay, Lynx! You ready to follow my workout plan? If you want guns like this—" he flexed an arm "—you gotta keep up. No slacking, bro!" Lynx furrowed his little brow but nodded in determination. Dom grinned. "Excellent! First thing's first, we gotta warm up those muscles. Follow me." He led the Riolu to one side of the cave and together they started line drills, sprinting from one end of the room to the other before turning as quickly as possible to sprint back.

[break][break]

+ Rae Rançon[break]mission: pkmn hunter

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[attr="class","credit"]milky