The soothing scent spread by Monroe's Vileplume seems to do the job; and maybe it's true too that the old woman calms a bit when someone with more authority is directing the situation. Either way, the pair soothe enough for Scout to approach and quickly begin to examine the Delcatty — a broken leg for sure, and some scrapes and bruises as expected, but nothing life-threatening. He patches up the wound with gauze and wraps it a few times to support the limb.

Scout is just giving the old woman some directions out of the wreckage and to the nearest evacuation zone when the horizon flashes a foreboding red.

"what the fuck is wrong with them!?"

"What — what was that?" The woman asks.

"It's, um," He had turned his earpiece off to focus on the Delcatty. When Scout flips it back on he catches only the tail end of the reports on Petalburg General. Quickly he scans the street around them, trying to figure out if the route he's suggested is still safe, thinking out loud: "The neighborhood streets to the east of Oreburg Parkway should still be traversable.

He first glances at the Indeedee, motionless, perhaps waiting on further commands, and then at Monroe, having an outburst in the ruins.

Now on her feet, the old woman carries the Delcatty in her shaking arms. "Will you two come with me?"

Scout hesitates. He looks to the other Ranger, glued to her radio, mind obviously elsewhere. "Maybe we can... walk you out?"

PETRA MONROE Hawkins

10 MP per IC post in your prelude thread.

—
140 MP TOTAL

Partners. It's a good question.

Scout hadn't grown up with Pokémon around — his parents just weren't house Pokémon people. When he had first found Shroomish, injured after a wildfire, his intention had always been to release the wild Pokémon afterwards. But for some reason it stuck around. And when Scout had first joined the Rangers, they were both wet behind the ears, complete beginners to all this battling stuff.

"Just a few years now," he says. "But friends for longer. You guys?"

The man reels in a Frogadier, and Scout leans back on his hands to watch the forthcoming battle with interest.


Fletcher Hyland

They scour the rubble of the multi-story apartment building methodically. Each step Scout takes is slow and measured, waiting out further signs of instability before taking another. While time was of the essence, you couldn't help anyone with a broken leg of your own.

He's grateful for the muscle of Monroe's Nidoqueen — it's always a good thing, having strong trainers on their side. Two steel beams have collapsed the doorway to a unit on the ground floor; when Scout hears cries for help inside, the Nidoqueen clears the entrance and a small family climbs out. There's a woman with a broken leg that he helps her husband carry outside, depositing her in the doctor's care.

After Scout reports their location and status to the Petalburg headquarters again, he returns to the ruins, following the sound of footsteps to Monroe's location. There they encounter an elderly woman. While she seems physically uninjured, sitting in the remnants of her living room, she's hysterically cradling a Delcatty in obviously poor shape.

"Ma'am, we're going to need you to evacuate," he says, approaching them. "We're with the Rangers. Can I take a look—"

She jerks back with a soft cry.

Scout tries again. "Ma'am, we're here to help, if I could just take a look at your Pokémon..."

"No!"

Helplessly, he looks to Monroe.


PETRA MONROE Hawkins

10 MP per IC post in your prelude thread.

—
130 MP TOTAL

The sound of his name startles Scout out of his reprieve. He glances back in the direction of their treetop cabin to see the other Ranger scrambling down the rope ladder and pauses in his footsteps.

Scout turns and waits for him to catch up. "Holmes," he answers, quiet, equally unsure. Porter?

He fidgets with the strap of his backpack and shifts his weight from side to side. "Um," Scout starts, gaze flickering away, jumping from sunspot to sunspot of the dappled ground left by the tall rainforest canopy. "I was just... wanted to do some foraging. Did you need me?"

porter holmes

The sweet scent spread by Elise's Calyrex floods his senses. Eyes watering, Scout peers at the unfamiliar Pokémon — he knows of the species, but it's his first time encountering one in person. She must be a strong trainer. It's a bit intimidating.

"It's Scout," he corrects, though a bit quietly; awkwardly. "Nice to uh, meet you too."

It turns out he's not the only one to be affected by the scent. Grateful for the interruption before they're forced to exchange further pleasantries, two wild Pokémon intrude on the scene. Scout's hand goes to his belt and unclips a ball. In a flash of light, a Shroomish appears, ready for the action.


Elise Calcifet

Just before he had left to join the Rangers, he had asked his mom if he needed a resume. She laughed at him. What would you even put on it?

And it was fair. Scout knows he doesn't exactly have much qualifiable experience besides a high school diploma and a short CPR course (he has the certificate around here, somewhere, swear...). He sits in front of Head Ranger Morales, trying his best not to squirm in his chair, and gives a single, short nod to confirm his identity.

The next question is a softball. But when Scout starts talking, maybe he thinks he should have thought his words through a bit more. "I want to um, help people. Which seems needed. Because of... current events," he says, "And I like the outdoors."

He adds, quietly: "I was an Eagle Scout."


ollie morales

When the strange man first arrives, there are questions on his tongue — Are you responding to my call? Is anyone else coming? Are you from the League? What are you doing? — but so quickly they seem to... fade away, immaterial. It's going to be okay. The injured man's breathing calms and strengthens under him and his magic hands.

No. Not magic. "You're a doctor," Scout says, finally.

Others bearing red crosses arrive and the man is taken away on a stretcher; Scout watches them go. He wonders if the man will survive. He wonders how many will not. And, if only for a second, he wonders about the strange red flower blooming on the man's chest.

A tall woman stays behind and addresses him. Scout takes a moment. When he is on his feet again, he glances at the name on her uniform, her put-together heels amidst war zone debris. Evenly: "I've got a badge, same as you."

In, out. In, out. There is still blood on his hands, but he will wash them later. Petalburg is not yet evacuated. Still there are screams and the sounds of violence coming from the city center, and civilians and Pokémon fleeing on foot and paw. Scout knows to avoid the action, but he's not willing to flee while there is more to be done. He assesses the situation on the street and traces the destruction backwards.

To Monroe: "We should move. When that pole collapsed, it took down that residential building." Perhaps a crumbling balcony had been the source of the concrete beams that had totaled man's car. "It hasn't been searched yet."

He glances only briefly at the mysterious doctor, who currently seems to be neither threatening nor needy. "And thank you."


PETRA MONROE Hawkins

10 MP per IC post in your prelude thread.
50 MP have your character become inspired or consoled by another writer's character (Hawkins).

—
120 MP TOTAL

There is a man bleeding out on the street.

He's unresponsive when Scout taps him on the shoulder. "Can you hear me?" Scout says into the man's ear, though it's difficult to remain audible over the chaotic sounds of car alarms blaring, civilians screaming, and infrastructure collapsing. He tries again. "Are you okay?"

The man blinks rapidly, his eyes unfocused, but he seems to tense underneath Scout's touch on the second attempt at a shake. His breathing is haggard, but going. It's clear that he had attempted to flee after his vehicle had been totaled but toppled after a few steps, where Scout had found him, propped up against the car. A fallen utility line shoots sparks overhead. Blood streaks the asphalt.

Scout reports into his Pokégear: "Ranger Wilder, intersection of Marill Avenue and Pechaville Road." Maybe his voice is shaking. "Requesting medical assistance ASAP, civilian in critical condition. Over."

Quickly and efficiently, Scout moves the man onto his side. Despite the pounding heartbeat in his chest and the roar in his ears, his hands are steady. He feels numb. Everything below the lapel is stained dark, warm and soaked. It only takes a single slash from a Genesect, with its arms like butcher knives, for such injuries.

He rearranges the man's limbs into recovery position, then sits back on his haunches and takes a deep, steadying breath. In, out. In, out.


PETRA MONROE Hawkins

50 MP showcase your own character's strength(s) meaningfully.
10 MP per IC post in your prelude thread.
—
60 MP TOTAL

PURCHASING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X gachapon ticket for scout (50 PD)

TOTAL

do come again!

50 PD

With ranger outposts often stationed more than a full day's trek from civilization, daily provisions tended to be simple, with long shelf life and nutritional completeness prioritized over taste and variety. Baked beans, tinned sardines, jerky, canned corn, canned tomatoes, canned fruit... canned everything.

Sometimes Scout misses his mom's spaghetti.

It's been a slow afternoon at the station, so Scout thinks nobody should mind if he steps out for a bit. The only person who could mind is Porter Holmes, the other Ranger on shift this week, and given the brevity of their interactions thus far, he might not even notice. And surely, if Scout returns with a basketful of fresh berries and mushrooms to supplement tonight's dinner slop, all will be well.

He treads quietly through the thick forested undergrowth. One hand hovers over the Pokéballs at his waist in event of surprise, but his focus is on searching the bushes and logs along the trail for anything edible.

porter holmes

It's Scout's great misfortune to have visited the main office of the League Headquarters one time before, when he had first enlisted and been sworn in. He considers it one time too many. Now, with this second visit? Every step he takes to follow Adele deeper into the desolate maze of cubicle desks and conference rooms feels treacherous, like the building is liable to swallow him whole, absorbing him into its sad gray laminated existence.

Adele sits down. Scout takes a shuddering breath and steps inside, but stays standing. He drops the stack of papers onto the table and grabs the first quarter to flip through and separate out the first form in its entirety.

Silently he passes it their way. At the top, it reads: Wild Pokemon Intake Initial Physical Examination Report.

adele veronesi