[attr="class","rosepost"]Keiko whistled to get Pelipper to return to her. With Togekiss trapped in her ball, she was unarmed without Pelipper's assistance.[break][break]
Thankfully, Lutgarde's Primarina acted quickly, forcing the Arcanine to concede a few steps back. Still, its fires had spread to the trees and tall grass; some was extinguished, but other parts of the conflagration raged on. Pelipper arrived just in time. His large beak was filled with water which he dumped over the tree nearest Keiko to protect her from the rising heat.[break][break]
"We're doing great!" Keiko cheered, optimistic. The Arcanine shook off the bubble attack as best as it could, but it was clearly weakened. It charged at Primarina with a bite.[break][break]Lutgarde Dijkstra [break]31. Use a pokemon to suppress fires.

[attr="class","rosepost"]"Great plan!" Keiko liked having the psychic support to keep the building from crumbling beneath them. Or, at least, to slow its decay while they were inside. "No time to waste." She gestured to the part of the building that faced the sea. "I'll approach from that far end if you want to start at the entrance that's closest to the shore."[break][break]
She raised an arm, which Pelipper took as an invitation. He left the remaining Tentacool and picked her up, transporting her to the other side of the institution.[break][break]
She lifted her radio to confirm to Saskia that she had entered ok, but she froze with it by her lips, holding her breath. In front of her was a large Crabrawler. Keiko closed her eyes to avoid giving it a sensation of being watched and prayed that it would keep going and not pick a fight. The last thing she needed was to get held up in battle when she had such an important task at hand.[break][break]
Thankfully, the crabrawler continued on his way. [break][break]saskia volosenkova [break]18. Utilize stealth tactics to avoid detection by threats.

[attr="class","rosepost"]"I need to hit the gym more," Keiko uttered through grit teeth as she moved the beam with the assistance of her pokemon and Lutgarde and their Grimmsnarl. The team effort paid off, though, and they cleared the path. [break][break]
The army of shellos moved unimpeded. "Nice work," she praised her teammate. "I think all the running isn't cutting it for me. I need to lift some weights... right, Toge?" Togekiss nuzzled at her pleasantly.[break][break]
Then, the suddenness of a roar from deep in the path had Keiko nearly jumping out of her skin - and had Togekiss forced back into her pokeball. Unfortunately, Pelipper was already out and helping elsewhere at the shore, so she had no other pokemon to use as she sized up the Arcanine that approached all of them. Fire spewed out of its mouth. "Nothing but problems today," she hissed as she tried to get her pokeball to release Togekiss again.[break][break]Lutgarde Dijkstra [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]One of the leading Rangers had paired her with a Saskia, who seemed a little young, but Keiko had had the same sentiment expressed about her for years as a mail fraud investigator. "This feels like the highest-pressure task of all of 'em," she confessed to her assigned partner. "Who knows what could happen if intel gets out?"[break][break]
As it was, she released Pelipper to soar ahead of them and start scaring Tentacool away. They had come to the surface and were weeping poisonous fluids into the water. There were enough civilians in the med tents, and no need to add rescuers to the pile of injured.[break][break]
"Where should we start?" The crumbling structure didn't instill a lot of confidence in her. But she trusted they would both be equipped to flee if it was necessary.[break][break]saskia volosenkova [break]03. Address environmental hazards.

[attr="class","rosepost"]Her partner knew how to make the best of a bad situation; their approach to Dhelmise was calm as could be. Keiko fought a shiver at the sight, though. It felt so unnatural to see a Dhelmise on the surface considering how deeply they were usually entrenched in the sea.[break][break]
This disaster was going to have big consequences if they didn't react as quickly as possible.[break][break]
The tall grass was broken up with a metal beam, interrupted the swarm of shellos from getting to safety. "Can you help me lift this?" She and Togekiss got on one side to nudge it and waited for Lutgarde to assist on the other.[break][break]Lutgarde Dijkstra [break]32. Clear debris or other obstacles to create safe pathways.

[attr="class","rosepost"]She had no idea what to expect inside, but the Rangers in charge had sounded serious when they indicated they needed people to dive down and retrieve artifacts. Keiko sat atop Togekiss who fluttered above the ideal dive zone, giving Keiko a moment to assess the underwater wreckage with her borrowed scanner.[break][break]
"It looks like there are Sharpedo swimming throughout the structure." She announced it clear enough for the half-dozen divers to hear. "We'll need to clear those guys out before we can get anything."[break][break]
Togekiss was better-equipped for the air, but Pelipper was a good enough diver that the two of them could handle a few trips. "Partners will be the best approach," she offered as she slid off of Togekiss and into the water. She turned to the woman closest and asked, "Can I stick by your side?"[break][break]june sleigh [break]21. Use technology to assist in the operation.

[attr="class","rosepost"]Oil spilled out across the surface of the water like a bruise.[break][break]
Togekiss was fluttered around it, trying to assess the scope of the spill. Meanwhile, just on the shore, Keiko and Pelipper were trying to urge the rising tide away from the first aid tent set-up for the rescuers and rescuees. Pelipper was trying to use his large beak to catch water and then fly over to the parts of broken infrastructure on fire. It was a decent idea, but the capacity of a single Pelipper's beak made it ineffective.[break][break]
"We need to do something else," she acknowledged with concern, looking at the rising tide and feeling a little hopeless. "Where are wild palossand when you need 'em?"[break][break]ollie morales [break]30. Use a pokemon to manage the flooding or water.

[attr="class","rosepost"]When human structures collapsed, it disrupted wildlife and displaced countless pokemon. It was just a fact of life. It made the absolute swarm of wingull coming down to feast on escaping shellos no less terrifying. They were rather aggressive when a good meal was on the line.[break][break]
"Get back! You demons, get back!" She waved her arms wildly to try and protect the very small shellos at her feet. It was trying to get into the tall grass and mossy rocks that would make a good temporary home, but the storm cloud of wingull above were preventing it from safe travels.[break][break]
A pair of them got terrifyingly close despite her erratic movements, so she pulled out her Rotom phone and blasted loud EDM. The duo fluttered away immediately. She didn't want to blow her phone's speakers, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make to ensure the safety of as many shellos as she could. They were good for reef health, so a massive downturn in their population could become disastrous.[break][break]Lutgarde Dijkstra [break]21. Use technology to assist in the operation.

[attr="class","rosepost"]Distinctly, Keiko was no Ranger. She was an Officer and one that specialized in mail fraud at that. This was obviously a task outside of her job description. But the security of Hoenn was her priority, as she promised when she transferred to this region.
[break][break]
"Officer Mori," she identified herself to the nearest authoritative figure on scene, a blonde woman. "How can I help?"
[break][break]
Her Togekiss and Pelipper were already out. Pelipper was high up to perceive people on floating debris and to see if anyone was caught up in a riptide, trying to get back to shore. There were also, undoubtedly, people stuck far beneath the surface, but she was less equipped for a deep dive than for surface-level rescues. She switched her question to a less obvious one: "Where can I start?"[break][break]annalise henderson