There were four of them, and all four were around the pier. There were two boys and two girls. All but one of them was sitting on the concrete ledge of the pier, gazing out at the endless sea that surrounded the island they had called home for a while now. Behind them, back on the other side of the safety gate, a girl bit her lip nervously, not wanting to caution the stronger rangers before her. The other girl swung her legs boldly, a grey mincinno struggling in an attempt to clean some of the dust that had collected on the loading area. Today was the day the new recruits would arrive, and the four rangers had been tasked with introducing the new rangers-in-training to their new lives and give them their first mission immediately.

"H-H-Hollocaster, World Map, Browser Dex... and... and..." Annemarie struggled, trying to list everything the new rangers would need. She held a bag that contained many World Maps, devices similar to the hollocaster, but instead of utilizing the simulation as a means of communication, it was used as a map. The Browser Dex was a newer invention that worked similar to a pokedex, but with less information.

"The Capture Styler, stupid." One of the boys sitting with their feet hanging over the edge offered rudely. He stroked a hand through his long white hair as the girl blubbered for an apology. How could she forget the capture styler? Without it, all she had to use in her missions was her partner, Torkoal. Someone was about to say something else, but there was a loud honk. As the four looked up, they could see a single ship begin to roll into the port. As it approached, a few mantyke skipped across the surface of the sea.

"Look, fresh meat." The girl with shining black hair mused jokingly. It was no tiny ship, for it had embarked on a worldwide cruise to pick up all the recruits. The massive yacht had many cabins, though only about half were occupied. It had departed from the Nature Preserve just two days ago. "Hm... I remember when I first came on that boat. It feels like it was yesterday." Viva continued, reminiscing pleasantly. The four fairly fresh-faced rangers stood up, each one carrying a bag filled with a different tool that the new recruits would need. In no time at all, the ship pulled in and lowered its bridge, blowing its foghorn a few more times as a small crowd of to-be rangers got off.

It had been a long ride. Dirge had the luxury of his own cabin in the interior of the ship- for over twelve hours, he wasn't able to occupy himself by looking out the window because there were only windows on the rooms facing the ocean. That was the only thing that was wrong with his journey. The rest had been, literally, smooth sailing. That is, until the fog horn blew and woke him up from his long nap. Yawning and rubbing his eyes, the brunette struggled to hit feet and fumbled around for his rolling luggage.

For the first time since the ship left, Dirge was once again on the open deck. There was a lot of idle chat , and screams of excitement as the Nature Preserve island came into view. From here, it looked so tiny, yet it was probably bigger than Icirrus City. Dirge joined in the chorus of the other cheering passengers. "Today, your new life begins. So don't screw it up with your attitude!" He whispered to himself.

The wind had seawater in it, and Dirge had to close his eyes as it blew toward the ship. He adjusted his backpack with a slight grunt. In less than five minutes, the port was an arm's length away, and if it wasn't for the yacht being about as tall a three story building, he would have just hopped over the rail and onto the Pokemon Ranger Association Headquarters. Noticing a mantyke bobbing in the water not too far away, Dirge waved eagerly. Mantyke were known to be friendly creatures. As it swam over, the young man felt overjoyed. That is, until it spat a beam of hard water at him! Dirge ducked just in time, though it tinged the top of his head. Hopefully it didn't hit anyone standing behind him.

As he descended the bridge, Dirge noticed the staircase didn't have a rail on either side. He wondered how many people had fallen off of the side before, and if they still got to be rangers after showing how dull their reflexes and clumsy their footwork was. His sunglasses were tucked in his front coat pocket, but it evening was quickly approaching so he didn't need them. Fiddling with his tie, Dirge felt only a bit nostalgic as he thought of living in a new place, in a bungalow with people he had never met before.

As four rangers met the group on the other side of the port, they began speaking, but everything they said was already included in the letter, so Dirge didn't bother to pay close attention. They then went on to explain what a Capture Styler and Browser Dex was and how nowadays most things were powered by holograms. He tapped his foot against the concrete port impatiently, but soon the boy who looked like a blaziken spoke up.

"So, the vacant bungalows are this way. We'll organize you into squads and then you can put your junk away. Oh, and then you're off on your first mission, so hurry up and get your stuff." Once had obtained everything, Dirge put everything but the Capture Styler in his backpack. This tool marked him as a ranger. He swung it in the air a few times, enjoying the whistle it made. "None of them are activated yet, so don't try to use 'em on the local Pokemon. You'll probably die," One of the girls warned.

"They won't be activated until after you receive your mission." A black haired ranger sneered. "So follow me." He continued, leading the group toward a dirt path that lead into a dark rainforest. It smelled like rainwater and sickly sweet rotting berries. Dirge wore his hiking boots, so the occasional squish of the ground harshly bothered him. He still had a wide gin on his face, excited to go on a mission so soon, not even considering that he could mess up. "Can't wait!" He sang happily as he tailed near the back of the group.

Regan had been on the deck of the ship when the horn blew. She preferred to feel the wind in her hair as the ship sailed toward their destination. It was fun watching for pokemon in the sea, as well. If she were still a trainer, she might fish for some, or just ferry herself to the island on a Lapras. But... she's not. The young woman sighs and looks down at the waters below, as the ship cuts through them on the way to the island. It was then that the ship blew its horn, calling Regan's attention to the horizon. There it was... Before she knew it, they were moored at the dock and disembarking. Regan took a brief look, back at the water below. It was then that she noticed something in the reflection... a pokemon circling overhead. That silhouette! It's a Flygon...

"You followed me all the way here? I told you to go home..." A soft frown curved her lips before she shrugged it off. "Jeez, you always did worry too much." With that, she departed the ship, carefully gazing over the side as she does. "I'd hate to fall." She cringes slightly at the thought before looking over the rangers that were placed to meet them. One in particular caught her eye. He must really like Blaziken. She caught herself staring and looked away suddenly. She thought of something painful...

The rangers started talking about their equipment, though, and Regan started paying attention again. Especially that part about the stylus... it would be bad if she tried to use it and it wasn't even turned on. Even if she was confident about her abilities in a fight, wild pokemon were still potentially quite dangerous.

That was quite the forest they were heading into. She didn't realize the area was quite so tropical until now... but a rainforest meant Terra couldn't see her through the foliage, and she'd be forced to either come down here where she could be confronted, or give up. And as per her habit, she was wearing good footwear for it, too. Combat boots. Somehow, she expected the need to wear them here. And even though she'd been told to get her things before... she had all she needed in her backpack. A side effect of having been a trainer, she supposed... Being able to lug this around without a thought.

She glances over her shoulder as she hears someone rather gleeful toward the back. Hehe, sounds like someone's excited. She drops back to walk next to the boy, noticing how much younger he is. Huh. Well, some people start training at 10, and they make it somehow, so... guess this is alright. "Hey, you're excited too, huh? I can't wait to find out what it's like to use the Styler, myself. I'll just have to, for a little bit, I suppose..." When she receives her mission... And she should probably scout the crowd to see who her squad mates might be. Pick out who she wants to be in a squad with only to set herself up for disappointment, right? Haha.

Sorry mother, sorry father. Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I have to do this.

That one thought, continued over and over inside of Mai's head, from the time she snuck out of the house just hours before to wandering aimlessly through the Route Twelve, all the way to Vermillion City dock, where she had finished her journey out of breath and a bit teary-eyed. That letter she had sent to the PRA was apparently accepted, to both her family's and her own surprise. That's when the argument happened, screams of, 'NO YOU CAN'T GO' which were then cancelled out by an equally loud, 'I WILL, I CAN DO THIS', and this continued on until they reached a stalemate, where Mai was then sent to her room in tears. Mr. and Mrs. Taniyama thought they had won the battle, but they did forget one important detail, and that was Mai's will to become a ranger. She had a ticket for the boat and determination, there was no way her those dumb, overprotective parents were going to hold her back, and so, when she was sure neither of them were around, Mai pulled herself over the wall of the house and ran free.

And now she was here, lying face-first in her cabin's bed, groaning as the boat swayed and lurched underneath. Mai had realized she was experiencing many 'firsts' at this time, including her first time being in a large city, her first time getting on a boat, and her first time experiencing sea sickness. She'd probably be a bit cheerier about all these firsts if she wasn't keeled over with an endless stomach ache and pounding head. After another moment or two of minor silence and a few soft groans, Mai forced herself to sit up, looking rather crossly at the door just a few feet away from the bed. Boredom clutched at her brain, and while she had packed many books and mind games the thought of thinking was a bit too straining right now.

"Perhaps," she spoke out loud, pushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear, "some fresh air will do me good." Her feet dropped from the bed, searching around quickly until she managed to find her simple, slip-on shoes, and then she was up and out of the room, walking with her arms outspread to clutch the corridor walls. Mai knew that the boat wasn't going to capsize, but the constant swaying was making her feel rather cautious, and so she wandered towards the deck, nearly spread-eagle, with a look of pure disdain. And then a noise, loud and unfamiliar, rang out above, and her heart nearly jumped from her chest. Her mind wondered about the reason for such a loud horn, and then she was climbing stairs and suddenly surrounded by salt-filled wind. Mai felt her eyes widen at the sight of clear blue skies and waters, and the smallest of smiles pierced her normally pouty lips.

Mai moved to the front of the ship, trying to keep eye contact on the beauty in front of her so no one approaches her, and stared off longingly into the distance. Wingull cawed high above, flying in massive white flocks, some diving down into the water while others performed some interesting aerial dances. She had remembered reading about Wingull, noting that they made nests on steep sea cliffs and relied on gliding with updrafts caused by the sea. Not very strong Pokemon, but interesting nonetheless. Her attention was then caught by shapes below, and purple eyes locked onto a herd of Mantyke, another water and flying type. They could use their antennae to sense ocean currents, and were adorable. Mai leaned forward against the boat's railing, hair twirling messily behind her head in the sea breeze as she tried to get a better look, a wide smile giving her the look of a younger girl, and then she saw it. Land. Nature Preserve island. Her fingers tightened around the brass railing, lips pursing as worry and excitement churned in her stomach.

"I can do this." she whispered, trying to quell her fear, and then she was turning, the loose fabric of her white sundress swishing around her knees furiously as she nearly sprinted back down to the door-filled corridor. Once out of the wind, though, she felt her stomach begin to ache again, which slowed her fast pace into a steady crawl. No, no, don't stop now.

'We're almost there.

The foghorn chimed again. They had arrived.

---

Within the next thirty minutes, they were docked, and Mai had managed to withhold her need to vomit all the way through. She was now back on the deck, watching with narrowed eyes as people descended down onto a dock via a rail-lacking staircase. Falling off would probably be a bad idea, so she would have to keep her self centered and calm, easy-peasy. Eventually, she was finally back on solid land, and while her legs felt somewhat wobbly Mai herself felt extremely light and ready for anything. The crowd (which Mai tried to stay on the outskirts of) was met by four other people, two girls and two boys, who gave them instructions on the tools that they soon received and then said they would be heading to some vacant bungalows. Mai accepted all the items with a small nod and shoved them into her hastily packed backpack, which included three pill bottles, under clothes, some money, plenty of books, and an ID.

And then they were walking, deep into the rain-soaked jungle, much to the discontent of her poorly-covered feet, which constantly sunk into deep, muddy pits. Ahead, people whooped and cheered, but Mai couldn't find her voice, and instead of joining the excitement she fell back a bit, watching over everyone with kind, if not shy eyes. Around, life chimed, Pokemon scuttled throughout the trees, and Mai felt her attention turn to the side, noting the many different species under her breath,

"Mankey, Aipom, Butterfree, Poliwag." Purple eyes scanned the leaves, a soft smile curling the corners of her lips.

"I didn't know so many different Pokemon can be found in one place." she whispered, clutching the hem of her white dress with excitement.

A Ranger, I'm going to be a Ranger!

Rena ran his hand through his recently-cut hair, stopping his hand to finger the unnaturally straight edges of the hair that fell onto his neck. The young man had tried to look good, but not too good, having only a pair of jeans and white t-shirt with red salvages on it. He considered wearing a jacket with it but the weather didn’t really call for it. A beautiful season of warmth was upon everyone and yet Rena had barely even stopped to enjoy any of it. For him, the last several weeks have been nothing but work and stress, mostly just preparing for this… adventure? You could call it that, he supposed.

As if to keep him from giving in to the temptation to close his eyes as he stared out the window in his cabin, a strident horn blew and consequently made Rena jump in surprise. He scrambled to get all his belongings back into one pack. It was a bit difficult to organize the gym bag he used to store his less important stuff as the sounds of people getting ready to get off the boat and the waves splashing against the ship distracted him. He’d been on boats like the one they were on but never before had he traveled far on one. The smell of the ocean water was refreshing, yet sickening at the same time. Before bolting off to get to the deck as fast as he could, Rena quickly checked that he had everything on him. The room was a bit of a mess after having pretty much lived it for a little more than a day. All his belongings were packed away in a debatable neat fashion. Rena slid his pale blue backpack onto his shoulder and lurched into the hallway.

As he stepped onto the deck the smell of the maritime air overwhelmed him. There were a lot of people who had gotten sick from being on the boat for so long. Most people felt at least queasy the first time they ride on a boat, the tide and wind rocking the boat until someone vomited. It was like that for Rena too.

“Nature Preserve” was right. The nature behind the concrete ports was breath-taking. It was a thick rainforest that wrapped around a portion of the island, and the glistening ocean water around them was alive with Pokemon. The Wingull and Pelliper flew on the ocean winds above the ship, some of them stopping to perch on the taller parts of the ship. Mantyke and Remoraid jumped out of the water in groups, skipping along the surface. Rena ran over to the railing to look down into the water. He frowned in disappointment as the hazy water the ship swam through refused to show any Pokemon that lived deep below the surface. Although, Rena noticed, the light reflecting off the water was almost blinding. With the pleasantly warm winds brushing past him, Rena closed his eyes as if to keep the image of the beautiful ocean in his mind forever.

Though, his mind was ripped back into reality as a thick blast of water grazed his arm. The rest of the shot hit the rail beside him and splashed a bit more water onto him. Rena turned on his heels and expected to some idiot that decided to mess with some of the other new recruits, but he saw no-one facing him or laughing about what had happened. Rena let out a long sigh. “At least I wasn’t wearing a jacket,” he muttered under his breath.

Flailing his arm a bit to throw some water off of him, Rena watched as the boat linked itself to the port with a set of stairs without rails. He waited until more than half of the people on deck left the boat until he rushed himself down the stairs, nearly falling into the water as he teetered a bit too close to the edge. Some veteran Rangers stepped forward and began to greet the crowd. They began to introduce the Rangers, and why they were here. It all sounded suspiciously similar to the letter they received from the PRA. Rena frowned. The beaches looked rather sparse, lacking any cool Pokemon, like Spheals or something. Scanning the beaches was still more entertaining than listening to what was on the letter again, which he had probably read at least a thousand times. His parents weren’t exactly supportive of his decision but they had let him go after enough protest. Rena shook his head to wipe his mind from those thoughts. It would be lame to be the one that misses home the most. Rena quickly decided that it would be best to pay attention to the explanation the Rangers were giving all of them instead of scanning the beach for a sign of life.

"So, the vacant bungalows are this way. We'll organize you into squads and then you can put your junk away.” A Ranger wearing what looked like Blaziken cosplay started to speak, ”Oh, and then you're off on your first mission, so hurry up and get your stuff." They began passing out what seemed to be the Pokemon Ranger essentials to the crowd of to-be Rangers. Would they be working with these people?

The weight of the supplies made Rena squirm with glee. He put his bags onto the ground to stuff most of the items they gave him into his backpack. The only thing he left out though, was the Capture Styler. They said it was deactivated, but should he always carry it with him? Even if it was useless at the moment, Rena slid it into his back pocket and hoisted his bags back onto his shoulders. Making it a habit to carry with him everywhere would start here and now. The group began to work their way into the rainforest before them. Rena cracked his toes as he glanced down at the simple sneakers he wore. A pang of regret ran through him as he began to catch up with the front of the group. Cheers resounded throughout all the to-be Rangers, but Rena resisted the urge to call out in excitement. “We’re all gonna live together, huh?” He pushed his hands into his pockets and felt the material of his jeans.

”Maybe I should start making friends now,” Rena thought to himself, ”I should’ve done that on the boat though.” With a useless shrug, Rena looked at everyone present. Pretty much everyone visibly showed excitement for what laid in store for all of them. He closed his eyes again, just for a moment, and felt the exact same feeling he had on the boat. This will certainly be an adventure.

Rainer leaned against the rail. He stared out at the horizon as the bump on the water out in the distance slowly grew larger. There were one or two Wingull gliding on the breeze off in the distance. He knew their number would only increase as they grew closer to the preserve. He leaned farther forward, now facing downward into the water below. He absentmindedly traced lines in the air as he watched a group of Mantyke that had been following the yacht for a while now. They often got close to breaking the surface but never quite did. Rainer wondered if that would change when they reached the shore.

He was reminded of the day just a few months back when he'd first decided to try and join the Rangers. He'd been travelling with his brother in the Unova region. He'd lost miserably at the gym in Humilau City and the two had gone to in Undella Town for a long-needed break. Panic had broken out when a pod of normally calm and elusive Wailord had begun rampaging in the bay, three times getting close enough to the Marine Tube to potentially damage it. When the leader of Humilau Gym had failed to be able to do more than keep them away from the tunnel, a team of rangers had come in and swiftly resolved the situation.

He could hear the distant cries of Wingull getting louder. He looked up once more, pleased to see that the they were approaching the preserve rather quickly. "I should probably go down and get all packed up," he thought. He stepped back from the railing and stretched a bit, bare arms enjoying the sun and breeze. He'd put away his jacket only a few minutes into the voyage, the blank tank he wore far better suited for this climate. As he did so, he caught sight of two of the other new rangers, girls going below deck. With a hint of a smirk, he quickened his pace to catch up to them.

Fifteen minutes later he was back on the deck, pack hanging from his shoulders and a pretty girl by his side. "So it turns out that only one of the Wailords was really rampaging, the other were trying to calm it down I guess. I figured it out when I noticed the spear stuck on its underside. I told the Rangers and they got to work. They were really lucky I had gone out there with my brother's Buizel. Do they have Buizel in Hoenn? Well my brother's is the cutest thing, really tough too. Anyway, they were so impressed with me they said I just had to come join." Rainer leaned against the railing with a self-satisfied grin as the Hoenn girl oohed and aahed over his story.

He lost track of her as the crowd descended the bridge to the port. No matter, he could find her later later if necessary. He maneuvered his way through the group, trying to make sure he got to the front. Last thing he wanted was to get stuck behind some giant and not be able to see. There were four rangers, none from the group he had met in Undella Town. After a quick review of stuff everyone already knew, they made sure everyone had everything and they were off into the rainforest. Rainer had quickly put away all his equipment as he didn't want it to spaz out on him already. After breaking their second Holocaster, Rainer's brother hadn't even allowed him to touch it anymore.

As he put everything away he caught a flash of green reflecting of some of the metal accents of the World Map. He looked up and caught sight of a Flygon flying around. Was it... circling the group? It seemed a little odd, but then again this was a Nature Preserve, he had no way of knowing what Pokemon he'd find here. Maybe he'd get a chance to get to it with the Capture Styler later. He looked up noticing he was falling behind the group again. He ran forward, only to find it wouldn't be hard to get back to the front of the group. It seemed quite a few people in the group had neglected to wear shoes appropriate for hiking. He reached the front of the group once more. He took off his hat, running his hands through his hair and wiping off some of the sweat with a hint of a smirk on his face. If the rest of the group was this unprepared, he'd be moving up in rank in no time.

Rebel was nervous, there was no denying this. She felt so out of place, given she never really left the comfort of her home. Having been homeschooled, as well never going on a trainer’s journey, she has had a rather sheltered life. Of course she’s been on ships before, such as on family vacations, but she felt so alone. This may have been one of the few times she has gone out without someone she knew being beside her, let alone being miles from home.

Once she had boarded the ship, she immediately confined herself to her room, not even bothering to get food or even socialize with her future teammates. Rebel believed that somehow, she’d find a way to do something wrong or even trip over her own feet, causing her to lose her chance to become a ranger. She felt too No, she had to suck it up and do this; she couldn’t go home as a failure. She had to do this for Hunter.

Hunter was her younger sister of ten. Ever since she was born, Hunter was always very ill and could never go outside and live her life that she greatly deserved. The only time Rebel wasn’t on edge would be when she was with her sister, wanting to put up some sort of admirable image for her younger sister. When it was Hunter’s tenth birthday, she was given the rather earthshattering news retaining towards her inability to become a trainer. Rebel couldn’t break it to her sister who talked so eagerly about the pokemon she learned about through her schooling and hoped to meet in person. When it the news was broken to the young girl, she begged her sister to live her dream.

Rebel, however couldn’t handle the pressure of becoming a trainer, as many people half her age had already beaten her by a landslide, having won gym badges and collected more pokemon than she thought existed. It was then she was given the opportunity when she stumbled upon an application for becoming a pokemon ranger. Rebel gave it a shot, being obvious in her application, and was more than sure she would be tossed aside. But, much to her surprise, she was accepted. Her sister was ecstatic, and both agreed to write letters often as well for Rebel to send some souvenirs her way if she could.

That all leads up to now, several weeks later. Rebel sat in her bunk, skimming through her favorite book, To Kill a Murkrow in hopes of forgetting her fear and anxiety and getting lost in its words. This worked quite well for a good couple on the last portion of the voyage to the Nature Preserve, that is until the horn of the ship blew, causing her jump rather violently, managing to throw her book across the cabin and losing her place. She waited several moments, hearing people leaving their cabins in excitement as she felt the ship come to a halt.

She took her time collecting her things, and making sure she had everything before making her way to the deck. Mostly everyone was already off, and was gathered on the pier around four rangers who were in the middle of explaining what she could make out to be the same as what was written in the letter she received. Nonetheless, she quickened her pace as she noticed they were giving out gear. She waited along the outskirt of the crowd as they slowly began to make their way to the bungalow after they collected their gear. Rebel received her own gear when much of the group dispersed, and followed along the group through the rainforest terrain.

At her sides, her hands gripped the long sleeves of her rather too large gray pullover sweater, which to match, she wore simple black jeans and thankfully walking shoes. This was so she would have something to focus on rather than her uncomfortableness in crowds. She lingered behind, wondering if she packed warmer weather clothing or her toothbrush. She found herself slowing down to check her bags as she slowly shuffled along to keep up. There was a spark of excitement despite her worry for meaningless things when she looked at the Capture Stylus, the iconic ranger tool. Rebel couldn’t wait to write to her sister later.

Over fifteen hours within the confines of the ship proved too suffocating for a certain blonde ranger-to-be. Noah looked out the window in her increasingly claustrophobic cabin, but the sight of the endless expanse of blue-green sea, stretching onto forever with the destination nowhere in sight, only made her agitated. She had been up hours ago, before the sun rose to liven up the dark skies, and had circled the entire ship at least thrice since then. Still she felt restless. Her feet ached to return onto solid land, where she could bounce around and skitter off as she pleased.

It was exactly as her brother warned the day before, during one of his many attempts to dissuade her from leaving. After hearing about her spontaneous application (and subsequent acceptance) to the PRA, her worrywart of a brother just about had a meltdown, and actually exploded on their parents for giving her permission in the first place. They laughed off his outburst, used to his overly theatrical tendencies when it concerned her (he took his older brother duties too seriously), and simply proceeded to help her pack, even picking out her clothes for her since they knew she'd just grab the first thing she could find. Anyway, since then, her brother tried different methods of persuasion to get her to stay. Threats, bribery, pleading. They were all lies or exaggerations, but he was right about one thing. He told her about how much she would hate the boat ride there, because it would be nothing but hours of idleness, and that couldn't be more accurate.

Noah paced along the length of her cabin, pulling at the single braid she'd tied her hair in as she tried to muster any ounce of patience she had left. She assured herself that they were nearing the HQ—she talked to the ship's captain earlier this morning (don't ask her how; it was a complicated series of events that began when she tried to jump off the ship to swim with the mantykes) and he said that their ETA was 'very soon, so try not to drown yourself in the meantime.' Luckily, it seemed that patience was no longer needed.

The foghorn rang out across the ship, and it sounded like freedom to her ears. They have arrived at last, and unlike her brother threatened, her head hadn't blown up at all from the boredom. Noah was unable to quell the excitement bubbling up, and her hands jittered with over a day's worth of pent-up energy as she gathered her belongings and hastily stuffed them in her purple Aipom backpack. All her mom's efforts in keeping her things organized were wasted, but she didn't have time to worry about that now. I'm going to be a full-fledged ranger soon!

Slipping on her backpack, she did a quick check to make sure everything was in order, just like her brother implored her to do many times over. What did it start with again? Oh, right. Clothes… For today, she wore a light blue sleeveless romper and matching short boots, perfectly suited for moving lithely. Check. Noah debated on finishing the checklist, but it had about thirty items on it, and she decided that if her clothes were all set, then everything else should be as well. Nodding to herself in approval, she offered her brother a quick mental apology, just in case he somehow finds out that she got lazy, and raced out the door, expertly weaving through the throng of people as she made for the deck.

Noah had explored the entirety of the ship so thoroughly that she knew the quickest route to the deck. She was among the first to disembark, and actually the first to descend the staircase with a reckless running start. It was only thanks to the person that arrived before her that she managed to stop—she would have skidded and tumbled to ground otherwise.

Before she could offer the person a quick thanks, experienced rangers had emerged from the other side of the port to welcome the crowd. There were four of them, but there was only one that immediately caught Noah's attention. She barely paid attention to the information they relayed—it all sounded familiar anyway—as she stared, wide eyed and grinning, at the human-Blaziken hybrid. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, like whether he really was half-Blaziken or how he'd gotten his hair styled like that if he wasn't, but they were on a tight schedule and were afforded little time for messing around. After receiving her tools and stuffing them in her backpack with a little more gentleness, she was ushered by the other overly eager rangers through a path that led to the rainforest.

Noah grinned. Her eyes were alight with unadulterated delight as they skimmed the forest ahead, automatically taking note of its layout and picking out easy routes. Years of playing in the ever-changing topography of Lostlorn Forest (which was really all just Zoroark's illusions) have made her prepared for various terrain. If she had her way, she would have forgone walking completely and opt to swing and leap from tree to tree instead, to avoid any anxieties about falling in the muddy pits. But since that wasn't the case, she settled for hopping from boulder to fallen branch or whatever happens to be there, trying to get as little muck on her boots as possible.

The palpable enthusiasm that coursed through many of the new rangers was infectious, and it served to fuel her own. She didn't like keeping her excitement all bottled up, so she turned to the person beside her, a dark-haired boy dressed in jeans and a white shirt specked with red, and regarded him with a nod and a grin.

"Isn't this exciting?" she asked him. "We're actually gonna be rangers~"

Leo, being a heavy sleeper, had slept right through the loud buzzing of his alarm clock. When he finally did wake up, he saw that he only had twenty minutes to get to the harbor before the boat for the nature preserve leaves. In a flash, he got dressed, said good-bye to his family, and ran to the harbor as quickly as he could. Luckily, he made it on just in time. Right when the ship was about to leave. Thank Arceus I made it! This is not a good way to make a good first impression. He thought. Once the boat left the docks, Leo leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

One he was less tired, Leo admired the ocean view for a few moments. The breeze blew through his dark hair, and he laughed as he watched some Mantine leap out of the water dramatically. It was almost like someone trained them to do that. Today was the day that he was going to become a Pokemon Ranger. It was something he had been looking foward to for a long time. Ever since he heard about what rangers did, and what they stood for, he just had to be a part of it. As soon as he heard of the PRA, he quickly sent out an application, and was overjoyed to have gotten a letter of acceptance in return. Now he was finally going to get his chance to have his dream come true.

At the same time, a part of him was nervous about what he was going to expect. Doing anything new like this was a nerve racking experience in an of itself. Leaving on a boatby himself, and traveling to a strange new land to do this was something he had never done before. Not to mention he would be leaving his mom and sisters behind while he was away becoming a ranger. There was just so much to think about. Leo took a deep breath, and sighed. He didn't like dwelling on the negative for too long. That never accomplished anything. He knew that everything would work out just fine. They always did.

He couldn't wait to get to the place and get this whole thing started already. Unfortunately, this ferry didn't share Leo's sentiments. It was taking it's sweet time getting there. Nothing eventful happened once the ship had set sail, and Leo did everything he could think of to make the time pass by faster. He mostly spent the hours playing with his yo-yo, having some snacks that he had brought along with him, and played games on his Pokegear when he started to get tired. The hours still went as slow as a Slowpoke. After nearly half a day of being confined on the ferry, the ship finally pulled into the port. The boy started pacing around back and forth as he waited for it to be time to disembark.

Once the ramp went down, Leo ran as fast as he could. "Oh boy! I'm finally! I'm here!" Leo was amongst the crowd of excited new recruits, wanting to get off this boat as quickly as possible. The moment the boy set foot off the dock, he was greeted by a group of experienced rangers. There, the veterans basically talked about stuff Leo already knew from the letter he received, so he didn't pay much attention to what they were saying. They then went on to explain how all the Ranger equipment they were expected to use worked Leo tapped his foot against the concrete port impatiently. As interesting as all this was, he was ready to get started already. Soon one of the rangers who looked like a Blaziken-human hybrid spoke up. Leo raised an eyebrow, wondering why there was a half human-half Pokemon in this group, but Leo didn't dwell on it for too long. He figured it was probably a costume of some sort. The Blaziken dude escorted all the new recruits through the rainforest.

Leo nodded, and clapped his hands excitedly. So far, his trek through the rainforest was everything he thought it would be. It was wet, there were lots of trees, and there were even a few wild Pokemon roaming free. The eighteen year old could barely contain his enthusiasm, and he didn't bother trying to keep it in. "Oh wow! I can't believe I'm actually here!" The boy exclaimed to no one in particular. "We're actually gonna be rangers! Isn't this exciting? Are you excited? Cause I'm excited! I've never been so excited! This is gonna be soooo much fun! I can't wait to get started! Yay!"

Being a traveller of all terrains and growing up on the ocean, Cecelia had the sea legs of a sailor and being on a boat was like second nature to her by now. She was still in shock that she had actually been accepted into the PRA and found herself being unusually serene as she tried to come to terms with it all.

Having the opportunity to travel so far away and see such a beautiful place only came once in a lifetime, and Cecelia was determined not to let this one pass her by. She would make every moment of it count, document absolutely everything and live this experience out to the fullest.

She thought it was a shame that there was no signal on the boat which meant she couldn’t update her blog for the day, but that was fine by her. She still had her camera and was going to take as many pictures as she possibly could.

Starting with her room first, she set her pink and silver handheld camera on a table with a self-timer and made a cute pose. She had no doubt it would turn out great, after all her hair was perfectly combed into two pigtails and the sundress she was wearing was her cutest. She had adorable flats that matched her purse and of course a pair of stylish sunglasses.

Heading out to the deck she ended up taking seven more pictures, both of the ship’s design and people she passed. Once into the open air she fiddled with the settings and ran to the railing, turning her camera around and taking another picture with the vast ocean behind her. She was so going to use that as her new profile pic.

Cecelia spent the whole time running around the ship, taking shots of the Pokemon, people and scenery while mentally writing out all the blog entries she was going to make about this trip.

She noticed the land coming into view and hurried to get her things. By the time she had gotten back up to the deck a horn had blown but she hadn’t paid it any attention, she was much too busy zooming in with her camera and taking a look at the expanse of the Nature Preserve.

Cecelia didn’t stop taking pictures for a moment as she got off the boat, not even realizing there were no railings while she skipped onto land and tried (and failed) to hold in her laughter when four new people came into view and greeted them. She made sure to get as many pictures of the guy who looked like a Blaziken as she could and was determined to edit in an actual Blaziken later to compare the two.

While they were explaining things, Cecelia took a quick look and found that she could connect to the internet. Smiling to herself, she hastily typed out a new update:

Tuning back in to the orientation, she took the new gear and quickly put it away in her purse. She was one of the first to follow the rangers off to their new housing when she realized her flats were the worst possible footwear for this journey.

Stopping for a moment, Cecelia quickly thanked herself for always keeping extra clothes, shoes and accessories with her at all times and she quickly switched her flats out with boots.

Finding herself now behind all the others she would have ran to catch up, but there were so many things to take pictures of that she found herself sticking to the back of the group for once and leisurely took her time capturing every scene of beauty she could find.

“Man... this bed is kinda comfy...” Derrick mumbled, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. “The whole ferry's kinda cool too. Wish it were a bit faster though...” As he got up from the bed, Derrick started stretching out his arms and legs before leaving his cabin. Looking around, he made eye contact with some of other trainee rangers and was met with the same response; a worried look and a brisk walk away from the vicinity. Derrick frowned and began walking towards one of the rails, smelling in the sea water and reflecting back on what happened in the past month.

It's been several hours since he entered the ferry to join the Pokemon Rangers Association, and it had been days since he left home. Ever since he managed to round up all the Pokemon and control the crowd from panicking too much during the Safari Zone mishap in Pastoria City, Derrick had found himself getting odd looks from his co-workers and superiors. When he was called in by his father and the chief of the department, they told him that they sent an application to the Ranger's Association in his name, and that he was being transferred out.

Arguing that he would've been better off being fired instead of 'relocated to a different region due to potential and strengths in different sectors', Derrick cleaned up his locker and began preparing for the ferry ride to the preserve. He could remember the sad looks on his Pokemon's faces, as well as the constant reminder from his siblings on how he better learn how to use other Pokemon or hope he can nab a Magnemite as a partner. They were both scolded when he was told by his mother just to do what he did best. And to have fun on the job, apparently.

Shrugging and looking at the sea, Derrick caught a glimpse of a few water type Pokemon swimming below. Smiling to himself, he pressed his lips together and sucked his cheeks in, trying to imitate the creatures below. It wasn't appreciated, since their immediate response was to shoot water at his face, soaking most of his head. Frowning and heading back to his cabin, Derrick dried himself and picked up his bag until the instructors had called everyone in.

When the ferry arrived and the bridge was let down, Derrick waited near the back of the crowd until everyone left; when he tried standing near the middle of the group, he felt like everyone was trying not to get too close to him, which only made Derrick disappointed. As soon as there was space and almost everyone was off, he made his way to the to the top and jumped off, landing on the pier and away from the group. He made it back to the outskirts of the crowd, listening in on the briefing as he got his hands on the Capture Styler.

“Man, these things are incredibly light...” Derrick thought as the group started walking. “I just hope they aren't as complicated...” Keeping himself towards the back, he noticed a few of the other trainees, including a girl who looked rather nervous about the whole trip, and a boy who dressed up like a Blaziken, making Derrick feel more self-conscious about himself. As they started through the forest, he took in how wonderful the scenery was. His mother had told him about how the Nature Preserve was something of a paradise for Pokemon and people alike, and she certainly wasn't kidding with all of this terrain around.

As he continued walking, Derrick almost tripped over himself. When he looked down, he noticed how tough it would be to handle some of the trails. Normally, it shouldn't be a problem with some of the things he's done as a traveller, but this was when his black and red trim sneakers were brand new and active. Now, they've turned old and raggedy. He wouldn't be surprised if they ripped or tore during the training. “Note to self, buy some boots... or at least a better pair of sneakers...” he muttered.

Humming along to a tune in his head, with his hands being the drums, Rena continued onwards with everyone. He was never one for hiking through nature. It always seemed so boring. The only interesting thing about walking through some thick forest was trying to spy the wild Pokemon that were trying to do catch a glimpse of the crowd of people romping loudly near their homes. To make it something to do Rena attempted to keep a list of every different Pokemon he saw, but he lost it somewhere around when he saw a Shroomish with a stupid expression on its face. So much for that game.

Rena looked around at the crowd he was in with a rather bored expression. If he was going to even survive the first day, he would probably need someone to talk to… Anyone would do at this point. None of the people here would really be bad if they were accepted into the PRA, right? Rena slowed down his pace a bit and instead made awkwardly long strides for someone his height, lifting his legs a bit more than usual. It was fun while it lasted but it probabbllyy looked a little weird; he returned to a normal work almost instantly.

Not long after quitting his stupid new walk, a springy blonde girl that looked to be a bit younger than him who wearing a blue -- what were they called? She was wearing a blue one-piece clothing thing and a way better choice of footwear than him. Was she the one rustling leaves and breaking twigs behind him? Probably. She looked like the type. “Isn’t this exciting? We’re actually gonna be rangers~!” she said to Rena. He paused for a moment to think of what to say.

“Aren’t we already rangers? Or do we only count that when we become Rank 1 rangers?” Rena mentally cursed himself for saying a question she wouldn’t know the answer to. Strike 1 for Rena.

“Either way, I’m pretty hyped! I’ve never really ‘lived’ somewhere away from home. This whole sharing-a-bungalow-with-everyone thing is either going to be the best part or the worst part,” A twinkle lit up in Rena’s eyes as he turned to face her better. “I’m Rena Sato. We’ll all be fellow rangers from today on, I guess!”

Lily chuckled quietly to herself at the few people she saw around her getting ill from the rocking motion of the boat. After her many travels to and from Dewford Town on the ferry she was completely used to the continuous rocking motion of the ship. Others, it seemed, were not so lucky. She snapped her head away from a person who was gripping the deck and looked as if they were about to see todays breakfast again, and instead focused her attention on the startling blue waters, and the array of Pokemon that were going about their daily lives. She took in a deep breath of salty air and made the quick decision to go for a jog. Reaching up, she pulled what she could of her lengthy pink hair into a ponytail and pulled up her skirt a fraction. She knew it would only get in her way if she left it too long.

She set herself off around the deck of the ship at a gentle pace - she didn’t want to get herself too worked up before they made land - but she still wanted to be able to think for a while. She was actually going to become a Ranger! She’s always been around Pokemon; her parents had been Pokemon Trainers when they were younger and had a habit of keeping a load of Pokemon close with them in the house. But, being a Trainer was never something that Lily had ever aspired to be. Of course is was something her Parents wanted her to do - it was only natural after all - but she had bigger plans for herself. She wanted a future that involved helping so many more people and Pokemon than she could ever do as a Trainer. That’s why, when she’d seen the applications were open for the PRA, she hadn’t even hesitated in filling it out. She’d decided to wait to tell her parents too, until she had her results. She didn’t exactly want to go through a bombardment of questions and interrogations just to find out she hadn’t been accepted. Her parents though, surprisingly, had been a heck of a lot calmer about it than she first thought they would be.
“It’s your life, sweetheart. We’re not going to stop you if you want to go down a different path than we did. Just please remember to stay safe. Being a Ranger is not an easy business.”

Lily smiled at the memory as she quickened her pace a little. She knew her parents were right. Being a Ranger was not going to be a easy job, but she hadn’t set out on this path in the hopes of it being easy. She tucked a stray bang behind her ear and began to slow her pace on her last lap of the deck, before heading back to her assigned room. She hadn’t worked up much of a sweat but she knew they would be making land soon, so she quickly locked her door behind her and peeled her clothes off.

A cold spray of water washed all the tension out of her muscles from her run, but as she looked down it was washing out something she most definitely didn’t want. A steady stream of light pink was trailing away with the water,and she made a mental note to buy the first load of dye she found. The sound of the foghorn from above her brought her out of her thoughts, and she cursed herself for not coming down to shower earlier - she hated leaving her hair wet. She finished off washing herself and dried and dressed quickly, opting to pull on her running boots rather than her heeled ones. Knowing she didn’t have much time left to get back up to the deck, she towel dried her hair as best she could and packed up the small amount of belongings she’d left out, eternally grateful she’d decided to pack lightly. She pulled up the strap of her holdall onto her shoulder and took one last look at the room to check her things, then headed off towards her new life.

She reached the deck just in time to join the rest of the new Rangers filing off the boat onto the island, and after listening to the introductory greetings from the senior rangers, she gripped her back a little harder as her eyes fell on the boy-who-looked-like-a-Blaziken. Such a distinct look was something that could not be forgotten, and Lily knew she had seen him before. But, she had no idea where. She was pulled from her thoughts once again by one of the Senior Rangers handing her the equipment she would need for her new life as a Ranger, and after a few more introductions and bouts of information, they were off once again.

Boy was she glad she’d chosen her running boots.

(Edited for a very unfortunate spelling mistake)

Dirge's eyes lit up a bit as he heard someone speak to him. "Huh?" He asked instinctively before grinning once more. She looked to be a woman with fiery red-orange hair. The brunette spoke loudly, but (miraculously,) didn't yell. "Yeah! The Capture Styler is the most awesome thing ever. After all," He began, but quickly caught himself. "I've always loved traveling." He said, though it appeared he was about to say something a bit more obnoxious. The shadows of the lush rain forest were ever-changing, and that amazed him somehow. Vaguely, he wondered how much farther they would have to walk through this dirt path, and if this path was the only way in and out of the island. If that was so, it was a good thing he had no issues with running. Still, he would have to change into his tennis shoes later- hiking boots were good for... uh... hiking but walking long distances required something a little lighter.

Slowly the forest began to clear and branch out into several forks. The rangers seemed to know where to go and lead the trainees with confidence. In little time, they arrived in a clearing where there were many bungalows. They appeared very cozy. "U-Uh, if you would, line up when I call your name...?" Annemarie nearly pleaded fearfully. Luckily for her, nobody was too unruly and anyone who was was given a harsh death glare from Kyler. Once everyone had lined up, the girl rummaged through her bag until she pulled out a cream flashcard.

"Ah, if it's not too much t-t-trouble, t-these are your g-groups... y-yeah? U-uhm... We'll pick the leaders of each squad and y-you can n-n-name it if you'd l-like..." She coughed once more and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Squad one. Dirge Burlesque, Noah Scarlett, and H-H-Hao Ryota... Squad t-t-t-" Before she could continue, Viva rolled her eyes and snatched the card from her hands and read it herself.

"Squad two. Lylis Newton, Rebel Cornelius, and Leonardo Silverstone. Squad three: Mai Taniyama, Cecelia Rielly, and Rainer Spades. And last but hopefully not least, Rena Sato, Derrick Richards, and Regan Hiryuu." Smiling as she finished, the girl pocketed the card and nodded. "Take a look at the people who you'll be stuck with for your entire career." She declared with a laugh. Then she whispered a few things to Kyler, who arched an eyebrow. She tapped a foot against the unpaved ground abently, resting her eyes on the barren bungalows that smelled like wet paint.

Dirge looked up as is name was called. The walk here wasn't a short one, though he didn't really mind. As the black-haired girl took over for the brunette, he couldn't shake the feeling that she seemed familiar somehow. Had he seen her before? Nevertheless, as he was called, he put on a big smile and lined up, waiting for the others to as well. Once everyone had lined up, and Dirge has checked over his teammates- a girl and a boy who looked to be around the same age as him- and waved excitedly. So these were the folks that he would be having all his adventures with. He thought of saying his name, but didn't the other two realize that he was Dirge since he was called first? Maybe they weren't paying attention, but he didn't want to sound snarky... "My name's Dirge Burlesque." He said as friendly as he could, trying to make a good impression.

They had said the walk wasn't much, but Mai could already feel her body begin to protest. Ankles and knees creaked, sweat dripped from her brow, and she was breathing roughly, as if she couldn't catch her breath. A feeling of regret tugged at her heart, and then she was frozen, breathing hard and glaring at her feet, anger at herself causing her normally calm eyes to narrow and bristle,

'Stop.' her mind thought firmly, 'you are NOT tired. Just name more Pokemon, you'll be fine.' and she slowly rose her head and glanced back into the woods, watching shadows form and vanish until she could finally pin point enough details to name whatever happened to be hanging around,

"Arbok, Fletching, Ekans, Gabite..." She continued on after the group, purple eyes drifting quickly from left to right, up and down, at every single living thing she could point out. Honestly, she was impressed with the number of different Pokemon living in a single jungle, and she wondered briefly how all of them arrived to this island seeing as most were strictly land-oriented.

Eventually, the thick jungle parted, and Mai had since silenced her murmuring to catch her breath, feeling an uncomfortable tightness close around her chest. The sun's heat suddenly beat down on the open clearing and Mai glanced up at the sky, taking note of a Flygon and a few scattered Wingulls, and then around where they had ended up. The ground beneath was much harder then in the jungle, and soft grass sprouted from the dark earth in lovely patches. Bungalows, as the four had mentioned, surrounded the opening, and looked rather cozy, and the excitement of living somewhere without walls suddenly made her smile a bit. The excitement manged to quell her heaving chest and she managed to relax a bit, hands toying with the edge of her white dress offhandedly as she became lost in thought. One of the four rangers in front, the stuttering, blonde girl, suddenly called everyone's attention, and Mai allowed her wandering eyes to settle on the four in front once more, ignoring the jagged glare of the blaziken-looking one.

"Ah, if it's not too much t-t-trouble, t-these are your g-groups... y-yeah? U-uhm... We'll pick the leaders of each squad and y-you can n-n-name it if you'd l-like..."

Mai stared at the girl, feeling somewhat sorry for the poor thing who obviously did not do well in front of crowds. Names were called, one by one, and Mai sat in a sort of uncomfortable silence until the familiar-looking black haired girl took over for the jittery one. She examined the girls face, finding both her voice and looks to resemble that of a pop idol she had seen on TV some time ago, and then her name was called and she jumped a bit, stepping into the line and bowing her head ever so slightly, turning to see who her teammates would be. A pretty blonde girl named Cecelia Rielly stepped up besides her, and then a short boy named Rainer Spades came up next. They looked well off, prepared, and reliable. While it is said you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, there are times when it should be allowed, and right now Mai decided they looked like good teammates. Soon, all the names were called and the pretty girl instructed them to mingle, and then everyone was circling up, names were called, and Mai gulped down her fright and turned to her two teammates, bowing slightly,

"H-hel," her voice caught, growing tight and high with anxiety, but she coughed it away, took a deep breath, then continued, "sorry, hello. I am Mai T-Taniyama. Let's get along." she nodded again, a small, polite smile dominating her pale face.

As she fell into pace with Rena, Noah mimicked the funny-looking long strides she saw him taking a little while ago, although she had to do it a little faster considering she was much shorter. She lifted her feet exaggeratedly then stomped, splashing anyone nearby with a light sprinkling of dirtied water. The blonde girl giggled to herself, feeling like she was a giant prowling for Pokemon hidden within the thicket of trees. It totally undid all the effort she made into keeping her boots spotless, though. Mud clung all the way up to her ankles, and now there was a light ring of dirt around her left calf after she'd stomped right into a small hole filled with rainwater. Better stop walking that way, then.

"Rangers are heroes who've helped people and Pokemon." She twirled around to face Rena after he'd ask her a question, and she threw a couple of punches in the air as she pretended to apprehend a poacher. "I haven't done either, so I don't think I'm a real ranger yet."

Rena's excitement about everything, even their living arrangements, made her grin in return. She hadn't thought much about anything besides her duties as a ranger. It only hit her that she won't have her brother fussing over her every morning, making sure she's eaten her breakfast (not that she'd ever skip a meal) and brushing her super long hair when it starts getting tangled. Noah clenched her hands as determination swelled in her. She'll just have to prove to him that she can manage all by herself!

"My name is Noah," she said, extending a fisted hand toward Rena. Instead of going for a regular handshake, she freely grabbed his hand and closed his fingers so he was making a fist as well. Then she pushed their fists together and smiled. That's what Zoroark had done to her when she was little. The fox Pokemon touched her curled paw against her fist, and gave her a nod. After that, the illusion she cast disappeared, and she saw what the forest really looked like for the first time. Noah had taken it as a sign of friendship. It'd be good if she could make great friends with the other rangers.

"Well then, fellow ranger Sen," she said with a short tinkling laugh. "Good luck to both of us. I hope we can help a lot!"

Before she could say any more, the rangers that led the way stopped as they reached a clearing that housed numerous bungalows. Despite looking slightly cramped, there was a quaint feel to them that already made her feel comfortable. Besides, it was already a huge plus that these bungalows were located in the middle of the forest—she knew she'd feel right at home.

Humming softly to herself, Noah watched with mild amusement as the timid ranger started grouping them together. She wondered why she was afraid to talk, when clearly she was at a position of authority. The Pinsirs in Lostlorn Forest always submitted to the oldest, most experienced one; they listened to whatever he ordered them to do. Maybe she didn't know that? Oh! Or maybe she was just intimidated by the Blaziken guy behind her? He was shooting some scary death glares just a while ago.

Her ears perked up at the sound her name, and she immediately forgot what she'd just been thinking about. Squad One, the timid ranger said, with a Dirge Bur...something. There was an obvious spring to her step as she made her way to her designated group. Well, she had to ask her favorite Blaziken-human hybrid first, because she hadn't been paying complete attention and didn't know where to go after her name was called. He'd gruffly pointed her to her line and she grinned sheepishly back at him as she finally skipped to her line.

Dirge was waving excitedly as she neared him, and she returned his big smile with one of her own, showing her slightly sharper than usual canines.

"Heya, I'm Noah!" she said, extending a fist instead of a hand in greeting, just as she did with Rena earlier. She already liked him; as long as he was enthusiastic about being a ranger, she was sure they'd get along well. "Let's work hard together, okay?"

Rebel stayed in the back of the group quietly, listening to how the rest of the others talk excitedly about becoming trainers. She wasn’t too much of a wet blanket, allowing a small smile on her face as her own calm form of excitement. She looked around the area, wondering how long it would take her to memorize its layout or even its inhabitants, human and Pokemon alike.

Suddenly, as Rebel stared hard at the ground for something to concentrate on, she head butted someone’s back rather hard as she realized they had made it to the bungalows. Thanks to gravity, she landed roughly on the ground. Scarlet faced, she got up on her own, her clothes covered in dirt and items from her bag had escaped. She suspected this was going to happen and wondered why did they thought she of all people were Ranger material. Rebel collected her fallen items and did her best to brush off the dirt, embarrassed to the brim as she noticed some people were looking at her, but luckily not all as the senior Rangers were calling up names.

Speaking of which, as she was on the ground, Rebel had heard her name be called. Oh dear, she couldn’t help think several times as she didn’t want to ruin her reputation even more. She was caught behind the too large crowd, mumbling a small “Pardon me,” but not being heard through the still too excited voices of the soon-to-be Rangers. She knew it was her fault for staying behind in the group, and took the liberty of going all the way around the clustered group.

Rebel’s expression was equal to that of a Deerling in headlights as she had no idea what she was doing. She looked to the senior Rangers, and was directed quickly with the point of a finger. She wondered if the timid senior was similar to her when she met her team. Although Rebel doubted she managed to fall into mud and drop most of her things in mud as well. She really hoped the bungalows had a washing machine; this was her favorite sweater.

She shuffled toward her group that consisted of a girl with pretty rather unnatural pink hair and a dark haired boy with goggles. Then of course, there was her. The other female senior Ranger had said she’s be in the same squad as them for all of her career as a Ranger. She really hoped she didn’t hold them back. Rebel simply stood there, fumbling with her hands as they were supposed to interact with their newly formed teams. She glanced up as an attempt to start conversation but found her words couldn’t escape her and looked back at the ground at her shoes.

Rena sunk himself into a hole of regret as he watched the girl stomp on like he did. Had he look like that too…? Ignoring his own thoughts, he considered her response to his question for a brief moment— were those the only prerequisites for being a ranger, anyone who helps people and Pokemon?— No, he decided. You were a ranger when they told you you were one. That seemed right. “That makes two of us.” He mumbled under his breath just as the girl clenched her fists. Was she… angry? Strike 2?

“My name is Noah.” She said it with a look of positivity. Noah took his hand and molded his fingers into a fist. For all the few seconds she took to do, Rena stared at his hand in complete confusion and fear. If she punched him with his own fist, he would get revenge in th—

She pushed their fists together. Was that supposed to take the place of a handshake? A fist-bump? A strange girl indeed. It was a cute gesture though, Rena thought when she smiled again. “Nice to meet you,” Rena mirrored Noah’s smile, but his was more of a mischievous smirk. “Don’t get your hair caught on a branch!” With a laugh, he bolted off to the front of the group when they neared a large clearing filled with their bungalows. It would be a lot different to live in them than where he used to live back in Anistar. A lot of things were going to be different from then on. His job, his friendships, his home, his Pokemon, his personality even. Maybe it was for the better though.

The four Senior Rangers stopped the crowd of trainees, and began to address them. It was time to tell them their groups. His stare intensified. The excitement in Rena’s mind was almost palpable in the form of sweat dripping of his brow. Or maybe that was just from the trek to this clearing? He subtly flicked the sweat off his forehead and wiped the back of his hand on the side of his jeans.

They said this group was for the rest of their careers. He could be stuck with deadweight, people he hated, or worse, he could end up being those things. Rena hoped that Noah was on his group since he had already met her and (kinda) became friends. The Seniors began to call off names. “Squad one. Dirge Burlesque, Noah Scarlett,” Rena uttered a quiet curse for little reason. “and H-H-Hao Ryota… Squad t-t-th-“ A different girl in the quartet of rangers took the card from the hopelessly nervous girl and began to read where she left off. Why did they force her to be the one to speak when the other three were way more capable of it?

“Squad two: Lylis Newton, Rebel Cornelius, and Leonardo Silverstone. Squad three: Mai Taniyama, Cecelia Rielly, and Rainer Spades.” Rena recognized none of these names. When where they gonna call his name? Was he not supposed to be here?! The mere thought that the letter they sent to him was a mistake was hardly realistic, but it still made him a bit more nervous. “And last but hopefully not least; Rena Sato, Derrick Richards, and Regan Hiryuu.” He let out a quick sigh of relief as he walked over to take his place in the line of to-be rangers. Except, he came to realize that Noah was literally the only other person she knew the name of. He leaned out a bit to take a better look at everyone.

The line disbanded shortly after, since he and his group were last. He awkwardly observed the other two people he was supposed to be in a team with. Rena recited their names in a whisper, “Derricks Richard and Regan Hiru—“ That wasn’t right. He looked at them again. One was a tall guy, the other a red-headed girl. They seemed good. It wasn’t really nice to judge them based on first-appearances though. He patiently waited for them to initiate the conversation they were should have, locking his eyesight on them.

I've always loved traveling...? What kind of non sequitur was that? The boy was not saying something. It was either that, or he had thought better of what he was going to say, and she was being paranoid for no reason. Probably that one.

"Travel is exciting, isnt it?" Regan smiles softly. He probably would have had a fun time as a trainer. That said... she had to wonder what challenges being a Ranger would have in store for her. It would be strange, to be without her team... but she'd manage. Others have, before her, so she can do it, too.

After a few moments, the rangers they had met on the docks had addressed them, and they had been assigned their groups. Just like that, they've been given a long-term team. Was this how it felt? It was a curious change of perspective, to think of this as being a pokemon caught by a trainer and assigned an arbitrary team. It was a curious thought.

During the speech, that Blaziken cosplayer gave harsh glares to any among them that had dared to stir amongst the crowd. Regan, of course, behaved herself perfectly, though perhaps was distracted by that same person. Being around that guy was going to be dangerous to her head...

That female ranger was pretty shy, though, wasn't she? It was a little strange that someone would put her in the position to give the speech... had she volunteered? It was good of her to try, at least. Regan approached the woman, smiling softly. "Keep up the hard work, I'm sure you can do it." She nods her head, as though to affirm herself, before going off to line up. "That's all. Later." She leaves with a small wave.

Eventually, she groups up with her team. She turns as she hears her name mispronounced. "Hiryuu." She corrects calmly while looking the man over once. "You must be Rena Sato." He seemed normal enough. The other man seemed unpleasant at first, but after a moment of watching him, she got the feeling that maybe he wasn't that unpleasant. Nnn, maybe. "So, where ya from? Hoenn, m'self."

Derrick continued on with more useless thoughts in his mind, such as how his family was doing, or if Morris had partaken in another failed attempt at going out with Officer Jenny, or how many more people were gonna give him strange looks. He definitely needed to do something about that scowl of his... maybe he should talk more or at least sound more cheerful? The thoughts kept mulling around his head until the group finally reached the bungalows.

"Huh... nice place." Derrick thought as he waited for the Rangers to set up. Suddenly, he felt something hit him on his back, causing him to take another step forward and almost lose his balance. When he turned around, Derrick found the quiet girl he noted from earlier on the ground trying to pick up the scattered items that fell from her bag. At first, he stepped over to help her but could barely utter a word out of hesitation. He gave up on the idea, as the Rangers called everyone to line up.

The first ranger, an extremely shy girl who seemed about as experienced as the new recruits, began reading off names before being cut off by a black haired girl with a annoyed look on her eyes. "She seems... familiar... was she that one chick from music group...?" Derrick thought as he waited for his name to be called out. He was unsurprised when he found himself put in the last group with Rena and Regan. "Rena AND Regan. How convienient and unfortunate for me."

Gathering together with his group, his first impressions of Regan, given her calm and composed demeanor, and Rena, who's eagerness shown when chatting with Noah, made Derrick feel slightly better. From what he noted, his partners were ready, willing and most likely experienced. How was he gonna match up to them?

When he heard Regan introduce herself, Derrick nodded and followed up. "Nice to meet you as well... my name is Derrick." He attempted a smile but immediately went back to scowling, since it felt uncomfortable and probably stupid looking on him. Turning to Rena, he continued, "So that means you're Rena, right? You both have some pretty similar names."

As Leo happily treked through the forest, oohing and ahing at all the sights and sounds of the forest. Every now and then humming a cheerful tune to himself. After a good deal of time walking through the forest, the trees began to clear and branch out into several forks. The group of rangers eventually arrived in a clearing that had several small bungalows. They looked comfortable, but something told Leo they wouldn't get to stay in one of them right away.

One of the veteran rangers, a shy girl from the way she stuttered, began reading off names they had been assigned their groups. She had only read off one team before being cut off by a black haired girl with a annoyed look on her eyes. Just like that, they've been assigned to a team. The idea excited Leo. "Yay!" These were people he was going to be working with for his entire career as a Ranger. He was looking foward to meeting, and becoming friends with, whoever he was going to be in a group with. That Blaziken dude gave death stares to everyone that got unruly. Everyone else looked intimidated, but made Leo giggled. The idea of such a serious looking guy showing up to work in a Blaziken costume was hilarious. One of these days, I'm gonna have to talk to him in a Gallade costume!

Eventually, Leo heard his name called, and he walked over to a pair of girls. Leo had no problems with that, he had two sisters back home, and was used to working with girls. One had bright pink hair, and the other girl had short dark girl. The dark haired girl also had stains on her clothes, like she had tripped and fell into the dirt on the way over here. She also seemed really shy, and judging by the look on her face, and body language, she was trying to introduce herself, but had a hard time figuring out what to say.

Leo smiled, and put his hands behind his head. He was suddenly reminded of a character from a certain cartoon he likes to watch. Aw, she's like Fluttershy! He decided to take this opportunity to break the ice. "Hey guys!" He addressed his group. "I know they called me Leonardo, but you all can call me Leo! Leonardo sounds waaaay too fancy for my taste, heh. Anyway, it looks like we're gonna be working together. I hope we can get along!" He gave everyone a thumbs up gesture, then turned his attention towards the shy girl, hoping to get her talking a little. Shy people usually needed someone nice to talk, and Leo was happy to oblige. "So, what's your name?"