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"Disproportionate amount?" Orion echoes, and laughs. "Alexei, we're in the middle of the sea! I think we're lucky to have so much ground to stand on. Besides, no need to give up so soon! My Litwick's barely ever got his wick lit. ...Sounds weird when I say it like that."[break][break]

While he also had a Swampert, and said Swampert was currently stationed at his side, Orion is delighted by the appearance of the Mudkip.[break][break]

"Hey, little guy. Girl?" He wasn't about to check. "Come to check out Schism, eh? I know he looks grumpy but he won't hurt — oh, Arceus, a Sandygast! Schism!"[break][break]

Though his Swampert's hydro pump would trigger the ghostly sand castle's ability, water compaction, it wouldn't do it much good. Appalled, Orion shakes his head. "I didn't mean attack it, I — oh, Schism, don't give me that look, buddy, you're gonna make me feel like I kicked a puppy." The grumpy Swampert was great at emotional manipulation. "Well I was going to ask it to be friends, but now I've gotta catch it anyway to make sure it gets medical attention."[break][break]

Sighing, he throws a pokeball at the unconscious sand-pile.

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Orion follows suit with the stretches, cracking his shoulder blades and feeling some of the tension leech out of them. Arceus, he really did need to check out the hot springs like Kazimir Wynter had suggested.[break][break]

"Good point," Orion concedes, and then nods. "Ready."[break][break]

He feels strangely giddy as he urges Apollo toward the starting line, the large dog taking its place between Kyle's own mutt and a Zebstrika attempting to intimidate its opponents by pawing at the ground. Though not unnerved by the actions, the dust that it was kicking up irritated Orion's eyes and lined the back of his throat, making it itch. It was going to be that kind of race.[break][break]

"Three...two...one..."[break][break]

A loud bang signaled the start of the race, and Orion doesn't have time to regret his life's choices before his Arcanine takes off with a burst of extremespeed. It keeps pace with the Zebstrika, and Orion sends out a silent apology to Pokemon and rider before urging his Arcanine to shoulder check the opponent and unbalance them. They surge forward to take the lead as the Zebstrika rears back and whinnies in frustration, and the councilman risks a glance backward to make sure everyone was OK.[break][break]

So far, so good.[break][break]

He glances over to Kyle to see how he's getting on.

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Orion winces sympathetically as the Umbreon has dust kicked into its eyes.[break][break]

He follows Selena into the field more slowly, carefully, not wanting to give the Miltank a fright. Of course, that turns out to be Selena's entire plan — scare the herd, confuse the Beheeyem. Guilt plucks at his heartstrings, but he doesn't protest. If they don't hurt the herd, and they manage to stop the abductions, a little fear would be worth it, right?[break][break]

"I've got another idea—"[break][break]

He cuts himself off as the tell-tale beeping alerts the duo to the approach of their prey, and he's forced to quickly duck behind the bales of hay before it sees them and gets suspicious. The smell of straw mixes with Miltank dung to create a most unpleasant aroma that wrinkles his nose.[break][break]

Orion thinks his addition to the plan is a solid one, and so even without the opportunity to discuss it, he palms a pokeball from his belt. A Haunter shimmers into existence beside them, cackling silently.[break][break]

"Catch it off guard with your Umbreon," Orion says, "and then we'll make sure it doesn't escape. Go, now!"[break][break]

As soon as Selena's plan came to fruition, the Haunter would be on stand-by with a mean look to immobilize its prey in fear.

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"Aw, c'mon, they're not so bad," he says of Simipour, though he has to cover his mouth to stifle his reaction to Alexei's exasperation. "I'm sure if we keep looking, we'll run into what you're looking for eventually."[break][break]

The trip's already been more than worth Orion's while — even more so when he spots the Drifblim ghosting toward them.[break][break]

"Shit — Katas, look out!"[break][break]

Though he'd shouted the warning in time for Absol to react, his attempts to detect the threat are unsuccessful. Drifblim has slipped into the in-between, a phantom force that reappears to strike the dark-type. Though Katas appears relatively unhurt, Orion refuses to tolerate such an assault upon his partner. Returning the Absol to its pokeball, his Swampert is sent out in its place.[break][break]

An avalanche is quick to bury the ghost-type, though it phases through the snowy obstruction afterwards. It lists in the air, clearly wounded, and Orion holds out a hand to stop his Swampert from causing further harm.[break][break]

Instead, he tosses a pokeball at the weakened ghost.

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Orion laughs at Lars' exasperation. He'd received similar reactions in the past. "Call him Laurence," Orion jests with a devilish grin. "He loves that."[break][break]

It's pretty clear from the mischievous smirk he shoots in his colleague's direction that the opposite, in fact, was true.[break][break]

Savoring a mouthful of pizza when the question is posed, Orion holds up a finger in request for patience as he swallows and chases his food with a sip of his drink.[break][break]

"You remember that report I sent in about the Fortree fires?" They had been especially alarming to Orion who, at the time, was not in possession of any water Pokemon. His Espeon's rain dance had helped, but it was thanks to a certain someone that they'd managed to dampen the flames. "Well, Annie here's the girl that tackled them with me until the other Rangers arrived. Never met a kid so brave."[break][break]

He smiles softly at Annie.[break][break]

"I'll get to the point: I think she'd make a great ranger, but I know there are certain... requirements." He'd joined fresh out of high school, eighteen years old, but that was three years away for Annie and required a high school diploma to boot. "I wanted to know if there have ever been any... exceptions. For extraordinary circumstances. I wasn't much older than she is when I joined up, and she's got way more talent than I had."[break][break]

He chuckles at his own self-deprecating joke: it was true. He'd been an utter mess as a teenager.

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"Not alone." He shakes his head, a fierce determination glittering in his gaze. Perhaps it might be mistaken for an attempt to dissuade Balder from going at all, but then Orion continues: "No way am I letting you go in there alone. If you're going in, I'm going with you."[break][break]

His tone brooks little argument. Skittish though he could be in social situations, it was a bold heart and a drive to do good that had pushed Orion toward the path of a ranger. His position on the Council had been similarly motivated: with the region in chaos, he'd wanted to help. What better way to help than to ensure the return of their fallen Elite? Alive or dead — and pessimism leaned toward the latter — the region needed answers.[break][break]

A thrill of fear threads through him, pulsing in time with his heart. Slateport had been terrifying enough. Was he really going to jump headlong into danger with a man he'd only just met in person?[break][break]

Yes. Yes, he was.[break][break]

"When do we leave?"


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Orion listens carefully as her Pokemon are introduced, noting not only their names but also their typing. He'd known that she used at least two psychic Pokemon during the raid, having spotted the Hatterene and the Gardevoir playing a major role in the survival of his own partners, but meeting the rest of her team further enforced that they had yet another thing in common. He puts a pin in that info for later, not wanting to divert from the task at hand until things were underway.[break][break]

His Pokemon respond to the curiosity of Ruby's in kind; Altair returns the nod, and Delphi seems intrigued to meet a member of her kin. She touches her nose to the other Espeon, flicking her forked tail in silent greeting.[break][break]

"All right. Katas, Delphi, Schism!" He whistles sharply to draw the attention of his Swampert, who nods his thanks to Grace before lumbering over to join Orion. "You three are going to tackle that one, there. Whisper, Darling, and Opal will take the other. They should all be used to working with one another, I imagine. That leaves Altair, Circe, Sakura, Bubbles, and Grace to tackle the third. If it looks like they're having trouble, I'll call Cama down to help."[break][break]

Dutifully, Orion's Pokemon line up in their indicated positions. Having heard the command as well, the Noivern swoops low and glides in tight circles above the beach. Once he's satisfied that everyone is ready, Orion reaches up and pulls out the pin on his lapel, mega keystone glinting in the sun. The stone buried in the fur at Katas' throat reacts to the sudden release of energy, and a dazzling light engulfs his Pokemon. Several gasps arise from the crowd; not everyone has witnessed mega-evolution first-hand, and Orion had certainly been in awe when he'd seen Lars' Metagross transform.[break][break]

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Light fades, and the wing-like fur upon Absol's back ruffles in the breeze. With Swampert bracing its full weight against their Wailord, and Delphi standing by to lend him a helping hand, Katas powers himself up with a swords dance before slamming into the beached Pokemon at full speed.[break][break]

Meanwhile, Altair and Circe begin to channel their telekinetic powers, a haze of purple energy beginning to surround the smallest of the Wailord.[break][break]

Orion glances over at Ruby with an excited grin. "You like psychic types too, huh?"

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It's the young woman's stammering discomfort that clues Orion in before she works up the courage to speak. The name, he doesn't remember, but the girl he does.[break][break]

Hannah, and he nods, committing it to memory once more. There's a pang of guilt for not remembering that he tries to quash. They'd only met once, and he met so many people in his day-to-day, and at least he remembered her at all, right?[break][break]

"Your grandmother, that's right." Fortunately for 'Hannah', the fact that she'd introduced herself as Wendy during their first encounter slips the councilman's scattered mind. "Glad I could help. And, uh, nice to see you when we're not being attacked and all that."[break][break]

Perhaps the girl might also recognize his Absol, the white-furred creature poised like a statue at Orion's side.[break][break]

"So," and he clears his throat, grasping for conversation topics. He'd been lucky with Kazimir; the other man had carried their conversation. "What do you do, Hannah?"

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Orion takes an instinctive step away from the water upon glimpsing a flash of pink. Alexei seems less concerned by its presence than the ranger. "Oh, careful... those things can be really vicious."[break][break]

Thankfully, it seems to second-guess its approach. The same could not be said for the other Pokemon. Its coming is heralded by a chill down Orion's spine and a prickle at the back of his neck. Familiar in dealing with ghosts, he is less afraid than perhaps he should be, turning around to look at what had intruded upon his personal space.[break][break]

"Shit, I've never actually seen..."[break][break]

He trails off in fascination, observing the ghostly shell that was Shedinja. It seemed entirely indifferent to him — to everything, really. It doesn't even appear to be breathing.[break][break]

"Can I... catch you...?"[break][break]

He supposes he shouldn't be surprised when it displays absolutely no reaction to the question, nor the pokeball that is summarily tossed at it.

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Though relieved to find her unhurt, Orion is nevertheless concerned by the implication. She asks after them, and he turns his head to watch their Pokemon squabbling with the swarm.[break][break]

"Orbeetle," he replies, a frown upon his lips. "They're from Galar. I'd imagine that's why these ones had such an easy time taking over this place; they're new to the ecosystem, most other wild Pokemon wouldn't know how to deal with them."[break][break]

He barely knows how to deal with them, and he's known to be one of the rangers' resident psychic experts! He'd never had to study up on them much when the embargo on Galar had been in place, but now...[break][break]

In a burst of light, Orion's Aegislash appears. Though he'd normally wield the sword and wear the shield, the unknown psychic capabilities of the Orbeetle makes him second-guess his usual patterns. Instead, he cries, "Armor up, you're on defense!"[break][break]

The dual-type shimmers as it shores up its iron defenses, then uses its ghostly ability to sneak through shadow and take an Orbeetle by surprise. Volcarona takes the brunt of a psychic assault from another, then a blast of sonic energy as the bugs buzz in unison. Not to be outdone, the fiery bug buzzes right back, causing Orion to wince a little at the noise.[break][break]

Like a king's shield, Aegislash suddenly slips through the shadows to intercept the furious buzzing of the beetles, allowing Volcarona's drone to become the dominant sound.

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Ruby, it seems, is an incredibly nervous individual. Immediately Orion finds that he can relate to her, from the redness of her cheeks to the stammer in her tone. It puts him more at ease with his own discomforts to know that they are alike, at least in one way.[break][break]

"You did great," he encourages gently.[break][break]

He can't imagine how difficult it must be for someone so young — Orion's a grown man and he still wakes in the night with a cold sweat and the image of the lighthouse bomb burned into his mind's eye. Was she getting counselling? Arceus knew he should be.[break][break]

His lip twitches fondly as he watches Grace drift over to Schism, the Swampert seeming to come to some silent understanding with the psychic-type. Orion, at least, thinks he looks a little less tense with such a soothing presence.[break][break]

He nods as Ruby insists that she's here to help, more to reassure her than anything. "My Absol's capable of it, as well. Between the two of us we should have no trouble." There's a slight pause as he debates something. Not knowing she'd already overheard his introduction to the crowd, he says, "I'm with the Rangers; usually we're the ones who get sent out to deal with things like this, but I just wanted to say I appreciate that you're still out here trying to help." He rubs at the back of his neck, shy in his gratitude. "We've been stretched thin since New Years and it's always nice to see volunteers."[break][break]

With an awkward smile and red cheeks, he turns to release the rest of his party. His Delphox attracts the most attention with his unique coloration, though the dual-type seemed to care little for the stares.[break][break]

"This is Katas, Delphi, Circe, and Altair," he says, gesturing to the Absol, Espeon, Alakazam, and Delphox in turn. "Schism you know, and the Noivern," he gestures to the skies, "is Camazotz, but mostly I call him Cama. He's still a bit wary of people, but he'll help out if we need him." Orion doesn't intend to ask for that help unless desperate. The ranger in him, experienced with this sort of thing, manifests in a confidence that builds as he takes charge of the scene. "I'm thinking we split our Pokemon into three groups, one per Wailord. Whisper and Katas can do most of the heavy-lifting on their end. Dephi can lend a hand — paw — there. Al and Circe have telekinesis; do any of yours have similar capabilities? I'm thinking with a combined effort, they might be able to lift that smallest one back into the water."

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It's not the first time he's assisted in transporting Wailord back to their ocean homes, and Orion's certain it won't be the last, but the ranger is nevertheless relieved to be far better equipped than the first time he'd attempted such a feat.[break][break]

His Noivern circles the beach, scouting for a good place to land. A perceptive beach-goer spots the airborne dragon and directs the attention of others nearby, eventually prompting the crowd to make room. Noivern's scarred wings catch the sunlight as they flare out to soften his landing, claws sinking into the sand.[break][break]

Dismounting, he keeps a bracing hand on the dragon's neck to keep it calm as he addresses a member of the crowd. "Orion Lykos, with the Rangers."[break][break]

After a moment of mumbling and shuffling, they direct him toward a young girl walking the beach with her Hatterene. There's no need for anyone to introduce him; he recognizes her immediately as Ruby Walker, Saint of Slateport and possibly the reason that his Swampert had survived.[break][break]

He offers Ruby a gentle smile.[break][break]

"Ruby, right? We've — never met, but I was at Slateport. I'm pretty sure you saved Schism's life." A flash of red reveals a now purple-skinned Swampert into the nearby surf, the grouchy mud fish grunting its displeasure at being woken. "And a lot of others, too. Sorry — m-my name's Orion. I just... thank you."[break][break]

That he'd come here for a reason beyond reliving the horrific tragedy of that night is momentarily forgotten in spite of Wailord shadows looming over them. His Noivern has returned to the skies, circling as it waits.

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