A large ferry traversed the ocean. The destination could already be seen at the horizon, a strip of land in the middle of the water, getting larger and larger as the interregional ferry approached. Wingull flew alongside the ferry, looking for any snacks the humans may drop; the bravest attempted to steal the food from the hands on the unexpecting travelers. In the distance the head of a Milotic emerged between the waves, but it dove under water moments later.
The blue sky was filled with small clouds and a heavy wind blew, but the sun was warm and the forecast was good weather for the rest of the day.

Soon the travelers and tourists could disembark and explore the Rorie Islands.

Ryuuga stood on the deck of the ship, leaning excitedly against a railing as he saw his hometown appear in the distance. He had woken tied up and gagged in the ship storage along with a note saying "Don't come home till you win the tournament" after falling asleep the day before on his 16th birthday, very likely due to some weird test concocted by his dear old mom. The young trainer wasn't deterred at all and felt excited at being on such a nice ship and that his mother finally gave him the independence to travel the islands.

He took in a deep breath of air, tasting the fresh salty winds before shouting at the top of his lungs at the island "I'M GOING TO WIN!". Calling out a challenge to the entirety of the islands, a challenge he would commit his soul to win.

Ryuuga left the logistics on how he was supposed to travel the islands, how he was going to make money or even where this ferry was going to later. For now, he just felt on top of the world.

He was finally here. The Rorie Islands. It'd be his first time journeying all alone. Well, he had his pokemon with him at the very least. It would be more without an expert, or at least someone who knew what they were doing. But he had worked with his Father on numerous occasions, and he was sure Ace could provide him with some direction. After all, this wasn't just about him, this was about his friends, too. And Squegg was... along for the ride, he guessed.

He looked to his sides. Several other starry-eyed trainers were here, whether to battle, catch pokemon, or just on vacation.

The thought then crossed his mind - maybe traveling with another human would be a good idea. It'd be nice to have somebody watching his back, and possibly even help him learn new things about adventuring. But who to pick?

"I'M GOING TO WIN!" said an ear shattering voice. Seth winced in pain as the boy next to him erupted in excitement. Little to enthusiastic for him. And probably to dangerous for his own good. Maybe the next person?

"Reports are coming in now of a theft from the the Silph-Co depot. Police are yet to release any information regarding suspects but it's believed the perpetrators stole a former prototype project, possibly a pokemon however-"

Sean chewed his lip nervously as he watched the TV from across the deck lounge. He was fine, he was great, everything had gone perfectly to plan...so then why was he trembling? Clutched tightly in his sweaty palm was a pokeball, his first ever pokemon inside, stolen. He'd had this planned out for months based on his father's old designs, but a part of him never seriously believed he would go ahead with it.

Sean got to his feet abruptly and headed outside, almost bowling into a few people on the way, the nerves were eating away at him and he needed air. Grasping the railings he leaning over the side of the ship and took in deep breaths. There was no going back now.

Most people on the ferry seemed to mind their own business. Several were inside, watching the news on the big television screen. Smaller screens alternated their program: going from the weather forecasts, to the menu, to advertisment, to the gps showing where exactly they were, and back to the weather forecast.
Others were outside, looking out over the sea.

Rhando Island came close and it wasn't long before the loudspeakers of the p.a. system came to life with a gentle chime.
"Attention everyone, this is your captain speaking. We will soon dock in Mesperit City. Pokémon who have a Pokéball are advised to return to it during disembarking. We hope you enjoyed your journey with V&M Ferries."
Another chime indicated the end of the message.

In Mesperit City the harbour prepared for the arrival of the ferry. A man stood on the quay with a Nidorino next to him. When there were no other obligations in the gym or the contest hall, he enjoyed watching the interregional ferry approach. Hopefully with new trainers, eager to explore the islands.

Zoey took a deep breath of that fresh ocean breeze, a faint smile coming across her face as she stared out at the approaching islands. Shellos was on its usual spot atop Zoey’s hat, soaking in the sunlight and lightly swaying back and forth with a content smile. Granted, it was a bit hard to fully appreciate the calm nature of the voyage when teenagers suddenly shout at the top of their lungs nearby, but all it took for Zoey was to shift a bit away from the sudden commotion. Soon, Zoey pulled out her PokéNav, loading up a map of the Rorie Islands before looking back up at the island she was heading to.

So that’s Rhando Island… and we’ll be landing in Mesperit City too if that announcement was right. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Lilan Town is too far away from there, and from what I’ve been told there is plenty of biodiversity on these islands. If that’s all true, I wonder what Professor Rowan would feel about me spending more time than usual here. She seemed lost in thought, as if contemplating her next course of action. But before she could get too distracted by her thoughts, she made sure to return Shellos to it's Pokéball like the announcement suggested.

@Whirligig

A certain woman was just entering the lounge when someone burst out of it, bumping past her to the railing. Seasick...? The news on the tele caught her ear. It was relevant to her job, after all, especially if it directly involved Pokemon. The Rangers and the Police were known to collaborate in incidences like that, and she had no doubt that the local Ranger HQ would be on alert for suspicious activity related to the event.

She stepped back out from the lounge and put a hand on the man's shoulder. "It's alright, friend. That depot is a way away, I doubt the terrible would follow us here." Though that would make this a good place to go, wouldn't it? "Unless you're just seasick. Do you want me to help you off?" She wasn't exactly Ranger in uniform, but she was wearing parts of it. The jacket, mostly. It was a really nice jacket.

Sean started as he felt a hand on his shoulder and for a frantic moment he almost dropped the pokeball he was holding. It took a moment to compose himself, quickly pocketing the ball, he gave a woman a weak smile.

"No, I ah, just a little nervous." He glanced back to the tv inside the lounge for a moment. "First time away from home." He added hastily, then he saw her jacket and his eyes widened. "You're a ranger..." He felt his stomach drop out of him. How?! He'd been careful, so careful, how could they of found him?

But then Shaun's brain kicked in to gear. This woman wasn't in full uniform, if she was here to arrest him she'd have handcuffs and backup, not a gentle hand and reassuring words. His nerves were eating away at him and he needed to calm down. "...It would make me feel a lot safer with you around, thanks." Sean managed a smile to the woman and made to leave off the ship with her.

"It just gets to me that people out there do things like that." He tried then not to seem overly inquisitive. "How do you guys track them down?"

@CitrusArms

It was his nerves getting to him, was it? Seemed believable enough. He seemed a little jumpy, but how far away from home must he be? And for his first time away from home, too. It was natural.

"How? Ah, well, I probably shouldn't be too specific. Besides, I think the police do most of the investigation, though I'll probably want to report to the Ranger liaison at the nearest police headquarters." Which was probably for the best. She'd been informed that the Ranger headquarters was on the furthest island from her arrival port. "We'll probably just be on alert for 'suspicious individuals' until they get more info, but don't worry. You'll be safe with me."

"May I ask you a personal question?" She gave him a moment to object, as they disembarked from the ferry. She didn't think he would, but his nerves were jittery. Questions might irritate him. "Is there not a Pokemon League nearer to your hometown? I'm interested to know what brought you so far from home. An act of rebellion?"

The passengers disembarked after the ferry had docked. Some were already on the harbour, getting their bearings or examining a map, others were still in the crowd going to the exit. Suddenly an Umbreon darted through the crowd. The agile Pokémon swiftly maneuvered between the humans and moments later it was in the harbour. It ran into Mesperit City, disappearing from sight.

Sarah was sitting on a bench , reading a book, close to the docking ferry. When the sounds of disembarking people reached her she looked up annoyed. She liked sitting in the harbour but not when the ferry docked. Usually she was well away when the ferry approached but this time she had been too caught up in her book. With a sigh she put her bookmark in the book and closed it. "I guess we'll have to find a quieter place to read Saur." she said to her Bulbasaur. Saur lifted his head and nodded to his trainer before he got up. The bulbasaur jumped of the bench and waited for his trainer to decide where she wanted to continue to read.

Sarah frowned as she looked at the crowd and she was about to turn around and go to the busstop to catch the next bus back to her hometown Lilan Town when she saw a pokemon darting through the crowd going into Mespirit City. Sarah first thought that it had escaped its trainers attention but she saw no one running through the crowd franaticly trying to catch up to their pokemon that run off. It defintly wasn't a pokemon that was native to the islands. "What pokemon was that again, lookes it could be the Eevee line." Sarah thought out loud. They had discussed eevee's at the academy and their known evolutions. Sarah dug up her notepad and looked through the notes. "Ah, an Umbreon." she said and looked back in the direction it had disappeared in.

Sarah decided to wait a little longer, maybe a trainer hadn't realised yet and would still be looking for an Umbreon and at least she could give direction, more for the pokemon being able to reunite with its trainer then the otherway around. Otherwise she would asume it to be a wild pokemon or lost and somehow gotten aboard unnoticed.

"Thanks, you know I do feel safer." It wasn't a lie, Sean did feel calmer now he'd stepped off the boat, dry land was reassuring; he'd made it. Though he still couldn't quite work out this ranger, maybe she was just naturally inquisitive? Or intuitive he couldn't help thinking. He needed to be more careful, couldn't match that suspicious person profile. "Sorry I feel a bit silly now, worrying about some trouble in a different region. The Rorie Islands are pretty crime free I suppose?"

"No that's fine." Sean was kicking himself for not thinking up a less conspicuous story beforehand, he'd ran off the same day as the robbery...didn't exactly look great. "I guess you could say that." He decided the best lies had a grain of truth in them. "We do, The Indigo Plateau. It's actually renowned for being one of the toughest leagues there is, some of the best trainers in the world came from there...but." He paused, not wanting to get too worked up incase he said too much. "Thing in Kanto is, it's all about how strong you are, all it's ever about. Prominent trainers and gym-leaders get praised so much you'd think they ruled the place. Everyone is trying to get you to run this same race that not everyone is good at. And the moment anyone tries to change that, do things differently, stand up to the status-quo..." Sean trailed off looking back over the sea.

"I guess I came all the way out here, to escape sure, but to see if there was another way to do things. I want to get strong, but I want to do it my way." And when I do go back, there'll be hell to pay.

"That's what they say, but that doesn't mean I won't have work to do." She looked over her shoulder as a shadow took off from the roof of the ferry. Her Staraptor, he let out a whistle as he ascended to the sky. A signal she recognized, he had eyes on something strange. An Umbreon, specifically, though she had no way of knowing that. "Hey, let's go this way." She glanced at Sean and motioned him to come along.

"The Indigo League? Ah, then you're from Kanto." Regan occasionally glanced skyward, watching the bird in the air for where he was leading her. She listened as the boy went on about his home, understanding the perspective. "No, I get it. That's a lot of pressure, starting out with the Indigo League. The trainers that grow up there really have a lot of expectations to meet. There's a certain kind of trainer that thrives under that, though. I was lucky, I got to start in a region where the League was new. We didn't even have a reigning champion by the time I got enough badges, so there wasn't any title bout on my first try."

"There's plenty of ways to live alongside pokemon, though. We didn't need the League to show us that. It all stems from understanding, I think."

With how crowded the ferry was, Zoey was quite surprised at how fast everyone managed to get off, herself included. Granted, while getting off the ferry was one thing, having to go off and navigate an unfamiliar city was both something to look forward to, but also something time-consuming. Granted, she had the PokeNav, but that only showed her a map of the region and not of the actual city layout itself. Not to say exploring wasn't her strong suit, and she definitely enjoyed it, but she also wanted to head off to meet the Professor as soon as she could. And while she wanted to simply barrel through everyone and try to find the route to Lilan Town, she had a feeling that wouldn't sit well with the people she'd shove.

Luckily, her train of thought was cut short when a sudden Pokemon did exactly what she felt like doing, weaving its way through the crowd and nearly tripping Zoey in the process. It moved surprisingly fast, and while it was a bit hard to see just what it was in that instant, she could still point out that it was an Umbreon.

"Is it wild? No... Why would it be near the Ferry then?" She said out loud, attempting to figure out just why a more unique Pokemon such as this specific Eeveelution was out and about, especially during the day. Was it running from something or someone, like a trainer? But, there wasn't anyone around chasing after it... With a few quick slaps to her face, she snapped herself out of that rabbit hole of thinking, instead deciding to take action. Throwing away the feeling of guilt, Zoey then started to do her best to weave through the crowd after the Umbreon, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through!"

Sarah observed the disembarking crowd. She couldn't tell anyone was looking for the Umbreon and was beginning to doubt her decision to wait for a possible trainer to emerge from the crowd. Sarah felt very much for just turning around and head for the busstation to catch the next ride to Lilan Town. Saur extended a vine and tapped on Sarahs lower back. She looked down to her pokemon. "Whats up Saur?" she asked. Saur pointed in the direction of the crowd.
This time Sarah could hear someone asking to make way.
"That could be the trainer that Umbreon belongs too. Sarah said to her pokemon.

Sarah started walking towards the person that was making his or her way through the people that had been on the ferry. She picked up her Bulbasaur so she wouldn't loose him. "Hello there, this way! it's not as crowded here, easier to get through!" Sarah said as her eyes caught the person weaving through the crowd, while waving to try and catch the attention. Some people were looking at Sarah to see if she was talking to them but Sarah looked straight at the person she meant so they figured it was not for them.
She didn't really know why she spoke up to the stranger but she just wanted subject closed and the longer she stayed the more irritated she became.

In Mesperit city, just outside the harbour, was a kiosk. People could buy maps, snacks, and souvenirs. Or newspapers. And the ones on display had a headline about the Pokémon theft in the Kanto region.

On Evoru the head of the Rorie Rangers read over the last details on her computer. It was unlikely the thief would come here, but police and rangers in all regions had been sent an update, which stated little more than 'the thief escaped and we don't know who they are yet'.
@Whirligig

---

The Umbreon ran around a corner, into a street with regular houses and disappeared from sight. It didn't seem to be in panic. On the contrary, it seemed to be focused on a goal.

A Nidorino sitting next to a man had been looking at the Umbreon too, but when it had disappeared from sight, it examined the people who had left the ferry and were now moving in all directions into Mesperit City.
@KiwiHalcyon

@KiwiHalcyon

The ferry ride had been long and quite crowded for Lorie's taste. She wasn't really used to being in a place with so many people cramped tightly together, the purple haired girl got claustrophobic from far less.
If there was one good thing that had come of the cramped ferry situation, it was that Sneasel had had an easy time doing some pickpocketing. The sneaky pokemon had scored a pack of cookies - a Johto speciality it seemed - as well as a super potion, an antidote, and a bit of pocket money. Even though Lorie had heard the announcement suggesting pokemon return to their pokeballs during disembarking, she decided against doing so. Sneasel could handle it.
Exiting the ferry with the mass of people, Lorie gave Sneasel an approving nod, trusting the pokemon wouldn't stray too far as it disappeared into the flow of people.

Walking on the dock, the change of scenery was massive. Even the air felt different from what Lorie had grown up in. She couldn't help but feel a small weight being lifted off whenever she travelled someplace new. New place, new faces... new opportunities. If it had been in her nature, perhaps she would've even smiled a bit at the freeing thought. However... the sense of lightness didn't last long, as someone bumped into Lorie from behind, trying to scoot past her in the mass of people exiting the ferry:
"Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through!"
Not having it, Lorie grunted and pushed back stubbornly.
"Watch where you're freaking going," Lorie snapped, her raspy voice gaining an air of annoyment. Did this girl think she was the only one in a hurry to get away from this crowd?
Pushing through, Lorie tried to manouver her way through the crowd boldly, her steps gaining speed as the crowd began slowly scattering.
Making sure she still had all her stuff with her - namely her only belongings which were stacked in her backpack - the purple haired girl began looking around the crowd for Sneasel.
"Where in the name of Arceus did he go?" Lorie muttered to herself, beginning to gain a mild headache from all the people swarming everywhere.

@Cio@Salenea
Ugh, trying to shove your way through a crowded harbor is like trying to capture a strong Pokémon with just a regular pokeball. I mean it’s do-able, but it’s a pain and there has to be a better way to go about this...

Luckily, just as Zoey seemed to think that to herself, it seemed a trainer was attempting to help her out, managing to get her attention about a better path to the Umbreon, and honestly, to her, it would be a way better option than this alternative. So, naturally, she shoved her way towards the trainer instead, stopping when someone started to yell at her.

“Sorry, but there's an Umbreon on the run that I'm following!”

Hoping that answer would work, she continued a bit more until she reached the more open pathway, nearly tripling when she entered the clearing. Still keeping her eye on the Umbreon from this new angle, she still managed to bow slightly at the person who helped her as a way of saying thanks.

“Phew, thanks for the heads up! But if you’ll excuse me, I have to see if that’s a wild Umbreon or not. It doesn’t seem to be worried or scared, its movements are methodical too... And it just turned around a corner...

Sarah gave small bow in return. "That street it ran into is in a residential area with lots of green front yards and more crossroads, lots of hiding places for a wild pokemon." Sarah said to the woman who had made her way to her. It seemed only polite to give her a heads up on the street she wanted to go, unless the Umbreon was standing in the middle of the street it would be difficult to find it Sarah feared. Especially with the speed it had it might have taken the first corner it came across.

Sarah's eye went back to the girl who had snapped on the woman before her. The way she was looking around suggested she was trying to find something or someone. "She seems to be looking for something or someone. Could the Umbreon be hers?" Sarah thought her eyes resting on purple haired girl. But since they couldn't waste time given the pokemon's speed Sarah made a decision. "I'll go ask that girl if it's hers, you can go on trying to spot that Umbreon if you like." Sarah said, pointing briefly in the direction of the girl that was looking around as she started to make her way to her. "Excuse me." Sarah said to the purple haired girl once she got there, "would you be looking for an Umbreon by any chance?" Sarah asked politely.