[attr="class","rigidw"]

She watches the cultists silently from behind their post, trying to come up with a plan of attack. She nods in agreement with Amelia, listening intently to her suit reading out the numbers. “Of course I trust you,” she says in response to her question. She smiles at her partner. “I'll never turn down less people to deal with.”[break]

However in its haste and despite it chasing away two of the guards, Amelia’s Cramorant had pointed out to the remaining eight exactly where the two of them were hidden. Their heads turn, right to the bush where the pair of them are hiding. [break]

If they haven’t been spotted already, it’s only a matter of time before the cultists are right on top of them. Her mind races, trying to come up with a plan to keep them safe and take the cultists out quickly. She’s not having a repeat of her last combat mission. Nobody’s gonna get hurt. She won’t let it happen.[break]

Quietly, she takes a ball off her belt and opens it up, revealing a crouching Ironclad the Carracosta. Adriana gives it some hand signals, including framing a large square in front of them and then pushing it forward, and the fossil Pokemon nods, understanding what her Trainer is trying to convey. She glances over at Schooner, exchanging nods with the Vaporeon to check her understanding too.[break]

Years of underwater missions have left her and her team experts at nonverbal communications, great for moments like these where they’re trying to stay hidden. But she has a partner, so she turns to Amelia. “Sorry about that… Ironclad is gonna defend us and we’re gonna move up and Schooner'll deal with their Pokemon.” [break]

She sighs. “Take out any resistance but be gentle. I don’t want to hurt anybody and we need them for questioning anyways. Does your suit have a way of restraining people?”

[attr="class","rigidw"]

She smiles at the rookie’s enthusiasm, thankful that she at least got someone who was easy to work with. Most Rangers are, as it takes a certain type to fulfill the duties required of the position, but on occasion she’d found herself paired with someone who was absolutely insufferable to work with. “Alright. Let’s go then! Stay on my heels.” [break]

But not Amelia. She’d been great so far, her and that suit of hers, and she wipes the sweat off of herself again as the Rotom inside it read out the temperatures. Growing up in the tropics of Hoenn she’s used to hot and humid days, but the sun beating down creates a dry heat that seems to suck all the moisture out of the air and only get hotter the further they walk. [break]

Adriana begins to hear voices coming from around the next bend and turns to Amelia, putting a finger to her lips before creeping closer, poking her head over a bush to see what’s happening. [break]

Several cultists stand in a circle, each with a Pokemon in front of them with Sunny Day or Drought. The ground underneath them is scorched, no sign of plant or Pokemon life in a wide radius around them. The cultists themselves are glistening with sweat, obviously being affected by the heat. [break]

A Linoone stumbles out of the brush, looking to be on the verge of fainting from heat exhaustion. Adriana’s Vaporeon moves forward, gently dragging it back to safety and out of the line of sight of the cultists before using Aqua Ring, healing it and cooling its body with the refreshing water. The Linoone barely gives thanks before scampering away, trying to get as far from the cultists as possible. [break]

She turns to her companion again. “Look at them,” she whispers. “How can they do this? How can they think this is right?”

[attr="class","rigidw"]

Adriana wipes her brow, the sweat beading on her skin from the beating sun overhead. She squints, looking up at it, feeling the unusual heat. Sure, Hoenn had seen some weird weather recently, but this wasn’t natural. This was a Pokémon-caused Sunny Day, and by the intensity of the sun, it seemed like it wasn’t just one that was causing this.[break]



Her Vaporeon is by her side, the water type occasionally shooting a light mist of water over the Ranger as they walk through the heat, keeping them cool. Dehydration limits her decision-making, and keeping herself cool is the key to success on this mission. [break]



She needs to stop this before they get any closer to the water and start drying up the habitats of the Pokémon. When the Ranger Union posted this mission, she jumped at the opportunity, desperate to shut down this new threat to the region. [break]



Mt. Pyre looms over them, always visible from their position on Route 123 and she recalls the disaster there a few months ago, all the damage and destruction that that had caused. She’d taken some time after that, focusing on smaller conservation and education missions instead of pursuing these larger, more dangerous missions. She won’t fail like last time. She won’t let what happened to those poor Pokémon happen again. [break]



She turns to her partner, a newer cadet. “Alright. It looks like we’ve almost found them. Are you ready? Need any water or anything before we get in closer?”

[attr="class","rigidw"]

Adriana’s out for a normal patrol, gently coasting through the water with her hands around Fluyt the Swampert’s neck. Gently drifting through the waves with not a care in the world and enjoying Hoenn’s warm weather. She’s grateful to be able to do this, especially given how turbulent Hoenn has been recently. Just being able to get away and relax for a moment seems like a godsend these days.[break]

She feels a shadow fall over her and looks up. A Dragonair flies through the sky, dropping down towards her. She spots a figure and squints, making out what she assumes is the Dragonair’s Trainer. She waves up to them, barely making out the words until they descend further.[break]

“Oh! Well, I wasn’t specifically out looking for that but I suppose if something pops up I wouldn’t be opposed!” She thinks of the recent danger on Mt. Pyre. She doesn’t want to be alone if something like that pops up and she definitely doesn’t want someone else to get caught up in it too. “I’d love to tag along with you though! Name’s Adriana! It’s nice to meet you!”[break]

As she finishes her introduction, she starts to feel something underneath her. The sea is churning ever so slightly as if something is surfacing. “Oh! Seems like we won’t have to search for long!”

[attr="class","rigidw"]

“Got it!” Adriana looks down the beach, noting where the other flagged spots are. Luckily for the pair of them, the wild predator Pokemon seem to be converged on their location, desperate to drive out the intruding Rangers so they can feast on the baby turtles in peace. [break]

But Adriana’s not gonna let them get away with it that easily. She watches CJ roast a Wingull, holding her breath until she sees it move a little, before turning back to the land Pokemon slowly growing closer again. She’d bring up the Wingull, but given she launched a Gumshoos half a mile away she thought it best to hold her tongue.[break]

She thinks. How to get the Pokemon in the brush away? She could soak them with a Surf, but she didn’t want to push the Tirtouga further inland with the wave that would inevitably cause… A more delicate solution is needed. [break]

“Fluyt! We gotta get them to forget!” She says, covering her ears. “CJ! Might wanna put in earplugs!” The Swampert opens its mouth and lets out a Supersonic into the brush at the edge of the beach, confusing the wild Pokemon there and making most forget about the eggs in front of them. The babies crawl a little closer to the ocean, but Adriana can’t look for long. More Pokemon are coming.

[attr="class","rigidw"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
Adriana rushes to the side of her Pokemon as soon as she lands, rushing past Krookodile as it careens off to who knows where, about to get defeated. She takes Schooner’s head in her lap, gently stroking her head and neck and whispering to her that everything will be okay. Panic fills her heart and she clutches her partner’s neck tightly, Schooner’s blood getting all over her, staining her skin and soaking through her uniform.[break]

She knows better than to ask CJ Mizikar any questions right now. They’re busy enough with running all over the battlefield, so she just strokes Schooners back as the Vaporeon lays there. She tries to thump her tail at Adriana’s touch, looking up at her trainer weakly, but can’t find the strength to move anything.[break]

The world starts shaking. Fluyt’s back at her side, returned from the rescue, wondering what’s going on. Adriana shouts for her to put up a barrier, the Swampert casting a Protect around Adriana, Schooner, and Orion as the Shadows are taken off the cliff and to their doom. It’s over. They’re gone.[break]

She picks Schooner up, gently as to make sure her tail doesn’t move around. CJ did a great job with her, but she’d probably need something more permanent and quickly. Surveying the battlefield, her breath hitches as she takes inventory of everything. So much loss. Pez… She continues shedding tears as the Rangers head down the mountain. She could've done more. She should've done more.[break]

Vic’s at the head of them. He’s silent, stuck in his own world. She can read that loud and clear. Of all the things to lose… She looks at Schooner in her arms and Fluyt at her side and imagines how he must be feeling. She wants to slide up to him, reassure him, try to make him feel better. But she knows.[break]



There are no words to be said.

[attr="class","rigidw"]

A spurt of blood catches the corner of her eye and she whips around to see Orion Lykos fall. She tries to run, go and help, but as soon as the Krookodile is knocked back from Silvally’s Z-Move, it turns towards her and ignites its jaws in a FIRE FANG, ready to strike her next.

Vaporeon fires an Aurora Beam at Krookodile, freezing its leg in place and stopping it, even for just a moment. She’s made her opening, so she moves. She and Schooner sprint to put themselves in between Krookodile and the fallen Ranger, standing beside Orion’s Silvally. She turns back to look at him and winces. “Fuck, that looks like it hurts. Stay behind me, alright?”

It breaks free, stepping forward with a mighty roar before it charges. Shoving any fear to the back of her throat, Adriana throws a hand out. “Slow it down, Schooner!”

The Vaporeon chirps, understanding what Adriana wants done. The pressure builds in the back of her throat, the air around her becomes drier, and Krookodile draws closer. Schooner lets loose, sending a HYDRO PUMP forwards.[break]

The jet of water crashes into Krookodile, sending it sliding backwards and away from any people. Adriana’s heart lifts, seeing that something she’s doing is working, but Krookodile lets out another roar, garbled through the water that's being blasted at it.[break]

It digs its feet into the ground, slowing and eventually stopping its movement backwards right at the edge of the mountain. Schooner increases the power of the Hydro Pump, trying to keep Krookodile moving back, but to no avail. It takes one slow step forward, then another, and then yet another. Soon enough, it’s charging right to Adriana again through the Hydro Pump.[break]

How is it doing that? There’s no way that Krookodile should be able to get through… But it already seemed to get stronger once during the battle, maybe it happened again? It seems like her moves were barely having any effect.[break]

Adriana looks back at the injured Orion. She can’t just dodge the charge, or else it would hit him and CJ Mizikar seemed pretty insistent on Orion not moving again… Especially with its power now turned up to the max, she has to do something.[break]

“Schooner, drop the Hydro Pump and kick up a Sand Attack! We gotta get it to change course!” Adriana shouts. As quick as she says it, the Vaporeon reacts, blinding the Shadow Pokemon. Schooner then dives in with QUICK ATTACK, smacking Krookodile in its side to send it off balance. [break]

Its charge challenged, Krookodile alters direction enough to where it’ll miss Adriana and Orion, but while Schooner is close it lashes out, inflicting PAYBACK on the Vaporeon and slashing up the length of its tail, the attack going right through the Acid Armor, before careening forwards, coming to a stop right next to the edge of the mountain.