[IC] Pokemon: Korrano Region - The Great White North

[Pirouette]

Episode One: A New Horizon

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The large cruise vessel sounded its horn, alerting passengers that their port-of-call was just in sight. Havensport was a massive city and the its tall buildings rose up over the sea line. Right behind the gray and white buildings was a massive range of forested covered mountains, already green from the late Spring sun. It was truly a lovely sight to behold and already the passengers of the Lady Anne cruise vessel were all conjugating towards the front of the ship to take in the view of the majestic city.

While everyone made there way to the front, a few wandered towards the back of the ship. One of those people, David Norris, was elbowing and shoving anyone who got in his way. He wasn't really a patient man but he was dependable and that's exactly what the Ranger institution needed out of him. The sound of the ship's horn meant that the incoming Korrano Rangers were expected to meet at the back of the ship to receive their first set of orders under their new division. Yes, a life of cold and solitude awaited them, but no way was David going to tell them about that. In fact, coming during the Spring was all designed to get Rangers comfortable and enjoy it before the harshness of a six month long winter would rough them up. Nope... it was probably best he kept that to himself seeing as it wasn't too late for any of the Rangers to request a null transfer.

The back of the ship was mostly vacant, save for a few individuals who have seen it all before. David took a spot where he could lean over the back and watch the wake stir up the water. The Rangers knew where to meet and they knew David. If they ever had any question on who he is, they only had to look for his bald, shiny head, and rough growing goatee.

[WeepingLiberty]

Silvia Blackthorne had been staring at the waves when the horn sounded, a heavy sigh escaping her lungs as she pushed her torso up and made her way gracefully to the back of the boat. Her long black hair floated behind her in the sea breeze as she walked along the side of the craft. She had heard about her destination with the 'Ryders' but it was a brand new region to her, a land of cold and unforgiving mystery. It was rumored that the legendary ice bird pokemon dwelled somewhere in the mountains but she didn't want to get her hopes up of actually seeing Articuno with her own two eyes. There were also theories that new pokemon that hadn't been discovered yet were hiding among the mysterious caves and hidden spaces. The very thought of finding something brand new sent a shiver down her spine and Silvia skipped a small step as she did so.

In Silvia's mind boats weren't as dependable as her pokemon and they made her nervous, so all of her companions would remain in their pokeballs until she stepped foot on solid ground. Several people moved out of her way as she picked her way through the small crowd, her angled features giving her a more fierce look than she actually acted. The truth was that she was a very kind and caring person underneath but her inability to interact with people caused her to put up a wall that only pokemon ever seemed to break through. Still, in no way was she weak and was willing to do what it took to achieve her dream of becoming a Ranger. Ever since she had heard about this specific ranger group, Silvia had trained herself, and her pokemon, hard to reach the standards that they looked for and had set her mind to joining no other group but the Snow Ryders. Even now her eyes sparkled with anticipation in complete contrast to the straight face she still wore. It wasn't difficult to start picking out other Rangers as she made her way to the back, each of them heading in the same direction. Most had a specific look, stride or some other feature that they might all have shared and it was these she looked for among the other passengers. Finally she stepped forward, eyes snapping to a shiny, bald surface at the back of the boat. She raised an eyebrow but shrugged and stood leaning carefully against the bannister.

[malmshodes]

There was a buzzing sound, one which hadn't been hear in years. It was the only reason Jynmi was able to be out of bed before noon, which was his normal time for it. He was on his feet, looking around like a wild animal, in seconds. For these first several minutes, the world was utter confusion. He hadn't the slightest idea of where he was, or why he was there. Once he remembered there was still a moment of confusion, but the what turned to why. It didn't last long though, and he quickly accepted his decision. "And so it begins." He said as he turned around from the window towards the sea to look at the uniform he ironed and hung the night before. "Alright. Let's get this over with." He dressed quickly, and had a light breakfast of toast, eggs, and orange juice. He forgot to grab a bag of pokemon food before the boat left the docks so his pokemon ate the same things he did, and then right back into their balls. There was a mirror in the restroom that he thought of looking at after he brushed his teeth, but he decided there was enough shock to the system for one day. He grabbed his balls, and hurried out the door.

He didn't know his way around the boat very well. He had spent most of his time locked up in his room. Add to that the crowd of people that seemed bent on getting in his way. He did his best to be polite, but with some people, more than you'd think, considering his size, were just stubborn. So he pushed, and nobody complained, while he was within hearing distance. Luckily, he just needed to head towards the back of the boat, and he found the room. At least he thought it was the room, but he wasn't certain, right away. "Uhm." Jynmi mumbled, and looked around. There was a few people already inside, and one of them was balled. "Oh good." He walked up to the bald man, because he remembered someone bald being in charge. "This is the ranger's meeting, right?"

[FateWeaver]

Jeremy Crow's head snapped up at the sound of the ship's horn, waking him from a standing sleep. Half-blind in the light, he peered around, trying to get his bearings. It appeared he was already at the back of the ship, and fully dressed. It took him a while to remember he had worked his way out here before the sun had even risen, to avoid the press of the crowds. Not being much of a people person, he was glad to avoid the commotion at the front of the boat.

Moving his hands down to his belt, he felt along it confirm the six balls and small pouch along his waist. The familiar weight of his bag rested against his back, though he did not feel compelled to check that as well. It was not unheard of for thieves to be aboard cruise ships, but any currently aboard were likely picking the pockets of the distracted mass on the other end of the ship. Once he was sure of his belongings, he looked around again, quickly spotting a familiar bald head. Jeremy didn't have to move far to make eye contact with the owner of said head, showing that he was present and accounted for.

[Nyaonukusu]

A few small droplets of water landed on Dete's nose. The girl jumped when they hit her, yet she didn't bother to wipe them off. Having spent many long minutes soaking in the sun, she appreciated a bit of cooling mist. Raising her head to the sun once more, she closed her eyes and prepared to relax. However, her relaxation was cut short when she heard a long, loud horn. Her deep blue eyes blinked open, and she took a few steps back, away from the edge of the ship. Dete was closer to the end of the ship, where there were less people crowding the deck. She did rather like it this way; nobody was there to yell in her ear or yank her around. The young woman did enjoy talking to people, however, she found that she got extremely frustrated when people tend to start yelling or acting like maniacs when they are excited. For that reason alone, she preferred to avoid events such as parties or gatherings. Sometimes people didn't know when to stop.

Dete whistled. Her Staravia swooped down from the sky, and landed on her outstretched arm. "That's a good girl..." she praised the Pokemon, and lightly pet it's head. The Staravia seemed quite content with the praise it got, for it leaned in closer and closed its eyes. After a few seconds of time with her Staravia, Dete put the Pokemon back in its Pokeball. After doing so, she began to make her way around to where the Pokemon rangers would be meeting. She was excited and ready to prove her worth. Dete spent nearly her entire teenage years learning, so she didn't feel intimidated or nervous in the slightest.

She walked around the back of the boat, and stopped when she saw other trainers. "Hey," she greeted out to anybody who was willing to listen. Taking a spot beside a few other people, Dete made herself comfortable. She lightly felt the Pokeball that her Staravia was in and looked around. It was certainly an interesting crowd, and she hoped that she'd grow to get to know some of the people better. Dete did know, however, that she wouldn't be able to be friends with absolutely everyone. That's just how life works. Instead, she hoped for the best, and prepared herself for the adventures to come.

[mattmanganon]

Richard was sat down bellow decks in his room, He was sat across from Kadabra, staring into each others minds eye. As they stared, Joltik jumped on the back of his head. "JOLTIK!" it squeaked, before Discharging and sending a load of electricity through him. Pyroar, that was laying on the bed leaned over and scooped the Tik up in his powerful jaws and put him back on the bed, the Tik pokemon then jumped into his main and snuggled down to get warm, due to the rapidly dropping temperature. Richard coughed out a bit of smoke, before getting back to his meditation. Although, a few seconds later, the horn of the liner sounded to indicate that they were close to land. He took out his pokeballs and returned Pyroar and Joltik. He then walked out into the hallway with Kadabra, before walking towards the onboard Pokemon Center. He looked at the storage machine.

"Sorry Joltik, but i'm gonna need Haunter for this." he said, before putting Joltik in the box and withdrawling Haunter. He then walked upstairs onto the deck and walked to the port railings of the ship and looked out into land, the salty air feeling very refreshing in his lungs. He took a deep inhale. "You smell that, Kadabra? Smells like hope... You think we'll see Dad there?" He asked.

"Kadabra..." It replied sullenly. He then looked down into the water, the waves passing very fast. He then saw a... strange outline. He then leaned over and almost fell overboard as he saw the outline he recognized from his old book.

"LUGIA!!!" he yelled. "IT'S HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!!!!" he almost fell overboard, but Kadabra grabbed him and pulled him back. Although, Kadabra was then surprised as Kadabra scooped him up in his arms. "IT'S HIM!!!" he roared with laughter. He then looked back to see the vague outline move out of sight. He charged towards the back of the boat as he saw the outline disappear. He waved his hands like a madman "LUGIA!!!" he screamed. Kadabra then looked up at him and tugged his jacket tails.

"Kadabra?" he asked.

"NO IT'S NOT A WAILORD, IT'S HIM, IT'S LUGIA, IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE A WA-" At that point, he saw a Wailord tail raise out of the ocean before splashing back down, the same direction from where he saw the outline move. Richards head dropped and he put his head on the railing. "It... It was a Wailord..." he sighed. Kadabra climbed up to the railing and put his hand on Richards head to comfort him. "Thanks..." he said.

[Isis]

Faye Clarity leaned gently on a sturdy railing at the side of the ship, a serene aura about her as she gazed at the rolling waves. She had spent the majority of the trip hypnotized by the water, often catching of glimpse of aquatic Pokemon along the way. Bright sunbeams gave her usual mossy green eyes a vivid emerald appearance as they shone on her soft, childish features. Some sweet-smelling ocean mist gently sprayed her cropped dark hair as the sea breeze picked up a little. She quickly clutched at her sunhat to prevent it from flying off.

The sound of the horn pierced the air and blared across the vessel, and the unpleasantly sharp sound made her flinch. It was only then that she snapped back to reality, suddenly realizing that her - and the rest of the Rangers's - destination was near. The fact that Faye signed up for the Rangers was something unusual for her to do, as she usually preferred to be a bit more solitary in her training. It wasn't that she disliked people, but she always was too engrossed in her lone training and studies to realize she was a recluse. Faye had not anticipated that she would even be accepted into the Rangers. and when the invitation came. she couldn't pass up an opportunity to go to Korrano. The thought of a new region fascinated her, and she had a burning desire to learn about every part of it, no matter how harsh the winter would soon be. Faye had an insatiable curiosity ever since she was a child, and it only would grow once she reached Korrano. She also wanted to prove her worth, that she could make her life experience as a Pokemon trainer useful as a Ranger.

She pulled away from her spot on the railing and started to make her way to the rear of the ship. A familiar, invisible, intangible presence floated directly behind her shoulder, trailing her as she briskly walked across the ship. Faye rarely kept her ever-devoted Haunter captive in its Pokeball, the friendly ghost Pokemon silently followed her day and night like a second shadow and only shifted into physical form when she called for it. They had never once been separated ever since she caught it in her hometown. A small smile graced her features as the comforting presence of her loyal Haunter at her back eased her slight nervousness. At the corner of her eye she saw several other Pokemon trainers headed the same way she was. She soon spotted the bald man and reached the meeting area. Faye watched the other trainers arrive, and she felt the growing anticipation of the new journey ahead.

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

On the ship, prep and ready for exploration was a young man with blonde hair, he was topless as it was warm and he was facing off against a Greninja, well it was his own one that he had caught and trained over the years. Mike and Ninja trained their hearts and souls together as they fought each other though hand to hand making sure that they were both strong enough to take on the weather conditions. Mike and Ninja traded blows for the longest time before they heard atheship horn and they stop there spearing and get dressed and ready, Mike returned Ninja and Firefox came out her pokeball and climb onto Mike shoulder where she nuzzled him on the neck and stroked her as he watched the ship dock and smiled to himself happily

[BlazingxLynx]

Tanis had her eyes closed as the woman was starting to remember the journey she took from the Kanto Region..her home region and where she was from. She remembered the many battles she had, from trainers to gym leader and even more trainers at the Indigo League. From Kanto to Jhoto and all the way to Sinnoh was where her journey has taken her. "Lu." Her eyes opened at the sound of a pokemon near her, showing her lime green eyes to the world, then turned her attention to who the voice belonged to. It was her Lucario, the very same one she received as a Riolu from a close friend of hers in the Sinnoh Region. He had on a long white scarf and sported a pair of goggles on his head just like his trainer next to him.

"Don't worry Lucario I heard the horn", she said then looked at him with a smile. "We're going to another region now, exciting isn't it?" He nodded his head at her. "We're going to be Pokemon Rangers now and not just any kind, we're going to be the Snow Ryders. I know it'll be just as fun to be a ranger, just like it was fun being a trainer. Though Pokemon Rangers handle different problems and help people and pokemon alike." The wind picked up near them, making their scarves and her hair flow with the wind then it died down. "Come on, let's go where the others are."

The two started making their way towards the back of the ship, while weaving through people and politely excusing herself so she wouldn't push them out of the way. Tanis stood near another railing once she was at the back, then started looking around at her fellow rangers to be and back at the sea. "I can't wait to get started." "Lucario."

[PhoenixEye9]

Veyas stood up ready to act hearing the ship horn looking to where the sound came from. "Just the ship horn, blood hell I need to calm down."
"Yena, might mightyena" "Sinapu, come on man, I'm not that paranoid. Either way, thats the signal to head to the meeting. Might as well meet the rest of the new guys coming out here." With this he began striding off, his Mightyena right by his side as they worked their way through the crowd. With his new Torchic riding on Sinapu's back, he got many glances by the people seeing this as an odd sight, but Veyas was to focused to care or even notice. Thinking about how cramped his other pokemon must be, when he found a open area compared to the crowds he was fighting he let out the rest of the team, Houndour and Absol, sadly not Rapidash because he knew she wouldnt fit. "Come on guys, almost to the meeting."

Reflecting on his years he's traveled and worked as a Ranger, Veyas began wondering about how he'll fare without Charizard and how Charizard is faring without him, he'll have to call up his sister soon, and maybe find out where the rest of his family is. No time to keep thinking though, for he was now at the door to the meeting room. "Alright, time to see the others," he sighed out as he opened the door letting in his 3 'dogs' and Torchic. "Just stay calm you guys, and dont be loud" The only response he got was a mass of barking accompanied with Torchic's chirping.

"Anyway, hello everyone, how are all of you? And Mr. David how nice to finally make your acquaintance."

[Dustpan Crusader]

A boy wearing a jet black, shrouding hoodie sits on the railing. His cold, icy blue eyes scanned throughout the crowd, his teenage face gainign a small grin as he spotted people trying to ram their way to the back of the boat. A single Poke'ball was displayed on his belt, a darkball. He tossed it in the air a few times, always trying to stay out of the way from the crowd, which was easy for him. He carried a dark presence about him, pale white skin on his slim body. A few of the deckhands grunted at him, "Take 'yer hood off boy". He snickered as he pulled down his hood. Shaggy white hair was revealed, and the deckhand shakes his head as he mutters, "Best see ah doctor about that..." The Boy shrugs, jumping down onto the deck. He stays pinned against the railing as he makes his way to the back of the boat, although his appearance may label him as simply a creep, he was a powerful trainer. He makes his way back to David, standing quietly by his side, looking around at the others.

[Pirouette]

David started humming an old tune that he had probably heard years ago but all that stuck with him was the roughly how music went. He was old, somewhere in his mid-fifties by now. Maybe this was going to be his last year because he was starting to feel tired and as he stared off into the horizon, he could feel his eyes slowly close as the gentle rock of the ship and the sound of the waves invited him to sleep.

"-ister David how nice to finally make your acquaintance." Startled awake, David snorted as he turned around to see who had said his name. It was a young lad with a very eager face. "Ah yes, Ranger Veyas, it is nice to meet you two." It probably came as a surprise that the gruff looking old man was actually quite friendly and even stranger was his ability to put a name to a face. In fact, he could pretty much name every new Ranger on board. Speaking of which... it seemed like most of them were here. "Hm... Is this everybody?" He addressed the whole crowd. A few people seemed to be missing but the time was set and the meeting should have already begun. "No matter, I suppose. I guess they won't be joining us..." The man scratched the back of his head, thinking how he wanted to approach this next part. "Alright so welcome Rangers to your new assignment. I'm David Norris, co-director of operations up here so I'm pretty much in charge of what happens to you all up here. Now you all probably know what you are supposed to do but to give you some direction I have a Senior Ranger waiting for you all when we make port. She'll kind of point you all in the right direction. Her name is elrrr..." David rubbed his forehead as he entered his thoughts. What did she want to be called again? For goodness sake, the woman must really have an identity crisis. "...Uh... well just look for red hair. I believe she said something about Cafe Sur but it'd be best to try every place on the waterfront just to be thorough."

David wasn't really a good public face, which was fine, but when briefing new Rangers, he didn't have much to say. "Oh! I went ahead and tasked some of the cabin boys to stash your new gear in your rooms. I believe it consists of a Holomap of the region, which will have fancy interaction to help you navigate. A Pokedex or an upgrade if you already have one, that will be up to date with all known information. It will even record any newly discovered Pokemon and with the analysis of a researcher, it will provide data to all Ranger Pokedexes in the region. You get the official Ranger gear which includes heavy winter gear if you need it. A video phone which is supposed to be pretty good with the weather but I've heard that Rangers had trouble using it in vicious blizzard conditions. And finally you get a pair of Bliz-Goggles which will help you see in heavy blizzard conditions. I think it uses SONAR or something. Anyway that's all I got."

David peered past the group as he saw the ship threw out its heavy chains to dock. "Well Korrano awaits. I'll see you all out there!"

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"That's our girl!" The Senior Ranger, Mya Mayfield exclaimed while in the company of her two most loyal Pokemon, Esperon and Houndoom. Whatever David told them, she hoped that it would eventually lead them to Cafe Sur. It wasn't officially how things were supposed to be done but Mya liked to meet the new Rangers before everyone sort of spread out across the vast island.

[WeepingLiberty]

Silvia raised an eyebrow at the man, judging whether she could trust the man at his word or not. He seemed distracted or tired, not quite sure of some of the information he was supposed to be giving them. She shrugged and figured he had given her enough to get by. "Inspiring speech, it truly was. Now this person we are supposed to meet. The one with red hair whose name you can't remember? Do we have to go find her immediately or do we have time to stretch our legs and explore a bit first?" Personally she had been hoping for a bit of down time before getting to work, boat rides made her uncomfortable and stressed her out. Either way she was excited to get to work, but a few moments to themselves couldn't possibly hurt. She thought over the list of gear they were to receive and fought off a shiver, heavy duty gear for a harsh environment. It'll work out.

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

Mike walked onto the lands with his eyes closed as Firefox breathed in the scent of the new world which made her a little hyperactive as she jump around Mike head and shoulder which made him chuckle a lot as her before he stop her going insane. He walked onto the shore line and he heard David speech about being new rangers. He sighed a little as he said "I wish Snaker was still alive to see this". Mike had very fond memories of his very first pokemon which had been a Snivy in the Unova region, the two of them had achieved great heights, they were even League champion of Unova for a few month before they both felt like they wanted to go back to adventuring. Mike and Serperiour had been a unbeatable team and Mike still remember the day Snaker took ill which became worse every day. Mike had stayed in Unova and Snaker had passed away at Mike's house where his three best friends Hilda, Cheren and Bianca had all been as they had help him take Snaker to the Celestial Tower where they buried him on the top floor near the bell. Mike open his eyes as his memory ended and walked up to David as he said "Well, its nice to meet you David and my fellow Rangers. My name is Mike Fertar and this Pokémon on my shoulder if my Vulpix firefox.

[Isis]

Faye glanced around at the Pokemon trainers that had gathered, absentmindedly memorizing their faces to get a good look at who she would see often for the rest of her time here. She turned to the man named David and listened intently as he addressed the crowd. The older man seemed to be a little unsure, Faye noted, as he announced the instructions for the new Rangers. Room, gear, cafe-something, red hair-woman... She quickly mentally repeated the instructions in her head, a tad paranoid of ending up not being on the right track. She began to think about the 'heavy blizzard conditions' that David mentioned - and it lingered in her mind for a bit. Faye was no novice Pokemon trainer, but she still felt slight dread at the thought of trudging through the harsh storms of Korrano she had read about prior to the trip. She looked up at the voices of the other Rangers, one introducing themselves and another asking something Faye had wondered as well. Although she didn't feel the need to speak up, she hoped David would answer the elegant-looking Ranger. Faye felt unsure about how herself would find her way to the destination. She jumped slightly as clatter of chains shook the boat slightly as they docked completely at Korrano's waterfront.

[PhoenixEye9]

"Well alright David, off we go!" His excitement clear now instead of in cover, "Come on you four," he said scooping up Torchic having his other three chasing him. "Today is the day, the day my true test begins" he thought to himself grabbing the new gear before quickly charging off the boat.

[WeepingLiberty]

The moment Silvia's feet hit the solid ground she let her Ninetails out of her pokeball. The pokemon stretched out her back then sat patiently as her human partner stretched out on the ground. "Land, oh glorious dirt. How I've missed you." She sighed, the Ninetails seeming to roll her eyes at the Ranger.

[PhoenixEye9]

Getting off the ship Veyas was pumped looking around and taking in everything around him, glorious it all was, but then there was the odd girl.. loving the dirt? She was a ranger he could tell that much but really, loving dirt. He walked over to her, "Really, missed it this much? Isn't this a little overkill?"

[WeepingLiberty]

"Everyone fears something, mine is boats. They make me nervous, so excuse me if I take a second to appreciate the existence of land.* Sky snipped, earning herself a slap from her Ninetails' paw. "Ow, okay. Sorry." She stood up and dusted herself off, transforming from land lover to professional Ranger. "I seem to have forgotten my manners." Extending her hand out, Sky greeted the guy poking fun at her. "My name is Sky, I saw you at the Ranger's meeting right?"

[PhoenixEye9]

"Yes you did see me, my name is Veyas. Young for a Ranger, but don't be fooled I was part of the top of my class." Veyas said sticking his hand out for a handshake, smiling