[attr="class","juliaw"]

Looks like most people picked "looking for love." That made sense! This was a dating game, after all. But man, this was going fast. At least Farhan seemed like a good guy.

[break][break]As they made their way up to Mt. Chimney, Farhan asked what kept the fires of love alive. Oh, that was easy!

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Oh, he already knew her name! That made things a bit easier. "Yep, from Fortree. Nice to meet you, Oliver!"

[break][break]Julia had definitely had a bit of an outburst at the last meeting, something she was still kind of embarrassed about. In her defense, it was for the sake of her beloved hometown. Plus, she hadn't thrown a single pie! That had to count for something, right?

[break][break]An unexpectedly familiar voice stole her attention away. "Shalin?" Julia called to her explorer friend. "You're a Ranger now?" An excited grin spread across her face.

[break][break]Ollie whistled and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Looks like we're about to find out," Julia whispered to Oliver.

[break][break]She'd heard rumors of annalise henderson stepping down, but this confirmed it. Julia joined in the applause. Though she hadn't seen her in action as Head Ranger, Julia respected Annalise a lot.

[break][break]She was quite surprised to hear that Razz was taking Annalise's place as the second Head Ranger. Julia didn't really know how to feel about him after the last big Ranger meeting, but more importantly, how was Josh Devlin going to react to this news? She stole a glance in his direction.

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The last big Ranger meeting may not have gone so well, but Julia still entered the Ever Grande HQ with her head held high and a smile on her face. The much more serious atmosphere only gave her a slight pause as she and Sparkie entered, carrying (with hands and Telekinesis) some chips and a tub of homemade onion dip. Wow, there was a lot of food here already! Drinks, too! Julia set her own offerings on the table, then scratched Sparkie behind the ear in thanks before recalling her to her Ball.

[break][break]She scanned the room as she grabbed a little of everything for herself. Already, people were embroiled in their own conversations. She gave some quick hellos to Captains Guillermo Marceliño, ollie morales, and LANCE VOLLANS as well as her friend Josh Devlin.

[break][break]"Whoa, is that a Zeraora?" Julia asked the latter. She'd only heard of them from past Ranger reports.

[break][break]She perked up a bit when she saw annalise henderson, recalling her conversation with Isaac Merlo some months ago. She was about to walk up and thank her for what she'd done for him, but she had to stop herself. Even if she had shown him kindness and mercy, that had still been a League vs. Rocket moment. She probably didn't even know his true identity, and if Julia spilled the beans on that... She didn't even want to think about it. Reluctantly, she tore her attention away from the woman.

[break][break]There were a lot of unfamiliar faces here, too. Several of them had congregated into one big conversation, but there was one that was still by his lonesome. Julia thought she recognized Oliver Shrakes from the last big meeting, but she wasn't totally sure. Either way, she felt compelled to make him not so lonely anymore.

[break][break]"Heya," she greeted. "Mind if I sit here?"

[break][break]She probably should have sat closer to her captain, but oh, well!

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"Shoot!" Julia cried as she was forced to pull up so she didn't crash into the treeline. She braced herself as Drake bounced off the trees. Thank goodness for such extensive safety protocols! (Wow, that was a sentence Julia never thought she'd be thinking.)

[break][break]Unfortunately, that misplay put them near the back of the pack. Drake huffed his annoyance at not getting to soar through the trees, but Julia patted his neck for reassurance. "It's okay!" she called over the winds. "We'll catch up!" This was only the beginning, after all!

[break][break]Julia narrowed her eyes in concentration as the next stretch approached. This was going to be like a roller coaster, only without any tracks. Good thing Julia liked roller coasters!

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Julia didn't know who Farhan Bhanji was, but she was excited to experience another co-op route. Hopefully she'd get a better ending on this one!

[break][break]She frowned at the list of choices she was presented with, though. Where was the option to just relax? The closest thing was curing her figurative IBS, and based on her quick internet search, that did not sound like a fun thing to have. She wasn't the type to look for good luck and cash, either, and while Farhan was a good-looking guy, she didn't know anything about him, so it was way too early to spring for love.

[break][break]She shrugged her shoulders and picked the first option. Good enough!

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Julia took her place astride Drake at the starting block, feeling the Salamence flex his legs beneath her, barely able to stop himself from taking off right then and there. He growled his annoyance at the delay that olliver samovar's lack of safety gear caused, and Julia stroked his neck to soothe him.

[break][break]"Easy there, buddy, we'll get to go soon."

[break][break]Drake's wings flared when the countdown began. Knowing she'd need to give it her all from the get-go against her fellow racers, Julia put on her game face, leaned forward in the saddle, and gripped the reins. She didn't even need to squeeze her mount's sides at the signal to go; immediately, Drake launched into the air and soared forward. Time to fly!

[break][break]Though Drake was still relatively new to flying and hadn't quite found what he excelled at, he'd been training hard with Julia, allowing the duo to take the right-angle turns without much problem. Then, a decision: did they charge straight forward or take the safe path around? Drake didn't want to slow down, and Julia felt confident they could make it. Straight forward it was, then!

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The agony in Isaac's sigh drove into Julia's heart like a stake. She wanted to tell him that it was okay, that he didn't have to tell her if he didn't want to, but she hadn't even gotten a breath out before Isaac said, matter-of-factly, that one of his Pokémon had died protecting him. Julia's mouth hung open limply. What was she supposed to say after that? She didn't say anything. She just listened.

[break][break]Sure enough, the name of the former Head Ranger was one that Julia knew well. She'd only met the woman once, but that one meeting had left a good impression on her. What Isaac was saying about her strengthened that. And what he was saying about his own actions further proved that he was a good person who didn't deserve to be stuck with Rocket.

[break][break]Her still-open mouth sucked in a gasp when Isaac revealed how he'd lost his eye. At first, she didn't understand what Isaac meant when he said "It wasn't him that did it," but then she remembered the riot in Mauville and the enraged, reckless Josh Devlin who'd pushed her away and could have hurt people if Isaac hadn't intervened. Julia wished she'd been strong enough to stop him instead of just stomping away like an angry child. Isaac had been that strong for his friend, and he'd paid for it.

[break][break]Tears were leaking from Isaac's eyes. Julia couldn't fix things. She couldn't go back in time and stop all this from happening. But there was something she could do.

[break][break]She coaxed Momo off her lap, stood, and walked to Isaac with purpose. Then, without warning, she hugged him.

[break][break]"I'm sorry."

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Whoa," Julia said to herself when she saw the giant, hollowed-out tree that served as Shalin's secret base. A Noivern was watching the entrance, but he didn't try to stop Julia when she stepped inside. The interior was a cozy little wilderness home stocked with basic amenities. A familiar sight glistened on a small table: the medallion that she and Shalin had found in the Mirage Palace and its seven cousins. Wait, no, a closer look said these were just replicas. Still, what cool decorations!

[break][break]And there was the flag! Julia reached over to pluck it up, only to realize it was paper-thin! It was a fake! Of course the real flag wouldn't be nearly this easy to get! Silly Julia! She climbed up the ladder to the second floor and emerged on a secluded plateau where several of Shalin's Pokémon were gathered. There were a lot of familiar faces: Treble the Kommo-o, Kiara the Pyroar, Levy the Milotic, Sandy the Flygon, and...

[break][break]She met the eyes of Queen Zing the Beedrill. In the Mirage Palace, she'd carried Julia away from danger, but the ride had almost been too much for Julia to handle. But that had been in the midst of danger. Here, in a safe, controlled environment, would it really be that bad? Shalin rode her all the time and even survived her Mega Evolution's power.

[break][break]As if reading her mind, Queen Zing flew over to Julia and hovered low to the ground in front of her. Human and Pokémon stared at each other for several seconds, Queen Zing's surprisingly gentle demeanor helping to quell Julia's trepidation. Julia smiled.

[break][break]"Let's do this."

[break][break]She climbed onto Queen Zing's back and held on tight. The Beedrill's wings buzzed as Julia's only warning before they were airborne, the vibrations already shaking Julia to her core. It was a lot, but Julia was prepared this time. She even started giggling as the buzzing tickled her tummy.

[break][break]"Whoa!" she exclaimed as Queen Zing bucked beneath her. It wasn't forceful enough to knock Julia off, but it was enough to catch her off guard. "Hey, I thought we were friends!" Julia chastised playfully. Queen Zing buzzed and did it again, making Julia's butt momentarily leave the saddle. Not being above rising lava made it way less scary. Actually, it was pretty fun!

[break][break]"Whoo-hoo!" Julia cried, her voice a bit distorted. Queen Zing never went hard enough to make Julia feel like she was in danger, but she did keep the girl on her toes the whole ride. Finally, they descended. Julia felt like there were a bunch of little bugs buzzing in her body as she slowly dismounted. That was fun, but it wasn't something she wanted to do too often unless she wanted to feel like a swarm of bees herself!

[break][break]She took a few minutes to rest and greet Shalin's other Pokémon before going back inside the tree. On the wall just across from her was a flag, this one thicker- and sturdier-looking than the fake on the table. She couldn't reach it herself, though, so she sent out Sparkie to levitate over and grab it for her. Mission accomplished!

[break][break]Her legs still felt a bit like jelly when she reached the ground floor. Maybe Shalin wouldn't mind her resting in her hammock for a little bit...

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"I know you're excited, Drake, but save that energy for the race!" Julia called between giggles as Drake flew in circles around his trainer. He couldn't help it! He was just so excited to be racing through the skies and testing his mettle against other Pokémon! But at his trainer's words, he came to a mid-air stop and gave her a look. It took Julia a moment to realize what it meant: "Oh, man, I'm starting to sound like Dad." Drake rumbled agreement.

[break][break]Despite that, she convinced Drake to land just long enough for her to adjust his saddle and reins. As she was doing so, the Salamence turned toward a familiar presence and let out a short roar of greeting. Julia looked up to see El Sunderland waving as they approached her. "Hey, El!" Julia greeting, waving back. "You guys'll do great, I just know it."

[break][break]She could still barely believe she'd come in second in the qualifiers. Drake's enthusiasm had carried them this far, and now, it was time for the real test. There were plenty of other familiar faces in this competition, too, but one notable one was missing: the previous year's champion, Isaac Merlo and his Buffaloman. She wondered if he was watching now.

[break][break]Of course, Josh Devlin was here, chatting with a few of the other racers. El was looking at him, fidgeting nervously.

[break][break]"What's up?" Julia asked them. "You nervous?"

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"Whoo!" Julia cheered as Snacker took her for a loop. It was like a roller coaster that she had to hold on tight for. Once it was done, the tension in his reins decreased, showing that he trusted Julia with full manual control.

[break][break]"Ohhhhh," Julia said once Josh had explained his Pokémon's nicknames. "I like them! They sound cool."

[break][break]Apparently, black boxes actually used to be black! "So they changed them but still call them black boxes? Why'd they change them, anyway? So they'd be easier to find?" Wow, it was amazing what a few seconds of thought helped you realize! Down here in the murky depths, it'd be tough to find an actually black box in all this wreckage, but something bright red or orange would be way easier to see.

[break][break]Josh called out a Pokémon's name before their assailant came into view, and he was right: the evolved Mock Kelp Pokémon was drifting into view, poison already bubbling at its snout for a second strike.

[break][break]"Hey, buddy, it's okay," Julia said, bracing her legs on Snacker's saddle so she could raise her hands placatingly. "We're just here to get something from this wreck, and then we're outta here, okay?"

[break][break]The poison at the Dragalge's snout formed into a full Sludge Bomb. Apparently, that was not "okay" with it.

[break][break]"Look out!" Julia grabbed the reins again to steer Snacker out of the way; Marina swam in the opposite direction, only barely managing to dodge the strike. The poison melted another circle through the fuselage. They needed to drive this thing away before there was no more plane left to search!

[break][break]"Marina, Ice Fang!" Julia ordered. She hoped she was right that the "Drag" in "Dragalge" was short for "Dragon"!

[break][break]Marina wiggled forward as the Dragalge prepared another attack and opened her mouth wide. Her fangs glowed an icy blue, and frost seeped from her open maw. It wasn't enough to freeze the warm waters around her, but it was more than enough for her to bite down on the Dragalge with Ice-type energy. The pained cry it let out was somewhere between a roar and a screech, and more importantly, it meant it was a good hit! Heck yeah!

[break][break]But then Marina shuddered and let go, nearly curling in on herself. Julia couldn't tell what was wrong until the Huntail turned to face her, showing her face was flushed a sickly purple. Shoot, Julia should have thought about Poison Point. That was definitely not a heck yeah!

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Ribbon giggled, a chittery buzzing sound, as Ettie tried to apply bandages to her tiny body. Julia usually used spray items like Potions for this very reason, but did Ettie even carry those? She appreciated the care, either way; it was just kind of funny.

[break][break]Spot's tail waved back and forth as Anne groomed him and cleaned his wounds. He licked her ears as thanks. Being bipedal meant he had another way to display affection, as well: When Duchess nuzzled into his side, he used one of his front paws to stroke her fur. Where Ettie was a human who'd learned Pokémon behaviors growing up, Spot was a Pokémon imitating human behaviors.

[break][break]It was a good thing the third thief was too resigned to escape the sleeping Princess! Julia sighed lightheartedly at the sight before nudging her off so she could tie the man's wrists. She couldn't be too mad, though, especially when she saw the group of cuddling canines when she returned. Even Ribbon was getting in on the action, resting on Spot's head.

[break][break]In the distance, Marina rose her head at the sound of Anne's howl. Oh, was it time to go? It took some finagling, but she managed to guide Ruffian to the group, where he could also get medical attention. Julia looked Marina over, then stroked his head for a job well done and returned her to her Dive Ball to rest.

[break][break]The Wooloo smiled up at Ettie, content to keep his secret.

[break][break](The secret was using another Wooloo as a stepladder. The other Wooloo hadn't been too happy about that, but she could deal with it.)

[break][break]Spot got up to help the pack herd the Wooloo back to the pen, dislodging Ribbon, who buzzed with playful anger. The Cutiefly was also returned to her Ball for a well-deserved snooze.

[break][break]While the Wooloo were freed and guided back home, Julia called Fortree City's police department to explain the situation. They agreed to send a patrol car to pick up the perpetrators. As Julia was giving the ranch's address, she heard a defiant "MEHHHHH!" from Ettie's Wooloo friend. Julia smiled, amused by the Wooloo's attitude. Then, she had to outright cover her mouth to suppress her giggles when Ettie joined in.

[break][break]"Ranger Davis? Is everything all right?" the man on the phone asked.

[break][break]"Y-Yeah, everything's fine!" Julia tried to sound professional, but this was just too cute!

[break][break]She managed to give all the information to dispatch before hanging up. "The officers will be here soon to pick these three up," she said to Ettie. "Mission accomplished! You and your pack were a ton of help."