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MATURE: Ranger School

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So I'm giving this writing thing another shot. Mostly because @Lyrebird convinced me to. Also shoutouts to @Crobatman for reviewing it before hand and @GastlyGibus for the name Starboks. As you can guess, this is a fic about Rangers. Pokemon Rangers. I know, shocking.

Only giving this an M rating to allow myself room to work, really I'm shooting for closer to teen but I dont want to slip into the M rating by accident and not have it properly warned. Anyways, lets get to it:

Table of Contents:

Chapter One: One Last Cup of Coffee in Lilycove (this post)
Chapter Two: Blue Skies, White Waves and Pink Hair (MATURE: - Ranger School)
Chapter Three: It Even Comes in Gold (MATURE: - Ranger School)
Chapter Four: She Really is Spoiled Rotten(MATURE: - Ranger School)
Chapter Five: Paradise by the Harbor Lights(Ranger School)
Chapter Six: Whiteout (Ranger School)
Chapter Seven: 01001001 01101110 01100110 01100101 01110010 01101110 01101111 (Ranger School)







Chapter One: One Last Cup of Coffee in Lilycove

It was just after nine in the morning and the sunny cobblestone streets that dotted East Lilycove were mostly empty. In fact there wasn't a soul to be seen except for a single young man wearing a slate grey sport coat and dark slacks. His light brown hair was short and carefully combed and his eyes were protected from the bright sun by a pair of small square-framed glasses.

The chocolate brown orbs darted from side to side, making sure that no cars were sneaking up on him as he jogged across the street towards an ocean-side villa. The house, while small, was carefully maintained and a fine place to grow up. And grow up there he had, as this was his best friend's house and he had in fact spent almost as many nights there as at his own. After all these years, no one would have been offended if he didn't knock and just walked right in, but he knocked anyways. As he always did.

"Michael, is that you?" The feminine voice from inside was familiar and comforting. "Come on in, I thought I told you that you didn't need to knock." It seemed this point was made every time he arrived at the Walker home, but he would still knock every time as a matter of politeness.

Resisting the temptation to smile or retort, Michael stepped in and standing in the spacious kitchen he saw the source of the voice, the woman he thought of as his second mother. "Hi Mrs. Walker... I mean Renee." He quickly corrected himself because Renee preferred that her son's friends call her by her first name rather than by the more formal Mrs. Walker. He would never bring it up but Michael thought that it made her feel young. However, this was not a game she needed to play, as even though she was in her forties, she was still a beautiful woman, one blessed with grace, charm and long, flowing blonde locks.

"You look so handsome." Renee complimented Michael with a smile, reaching over to adjust his jacket slightly as his jog had made the shoulders sit a bit awkwardly. "And so put together... unlike my son... still sleeping..." She explained with an amused smile creasing her lips, motioning towards the stairs. With the familiarity that came with growing up at the Walker home, Michael nodded at the unspoken suggestion and headed upstairs. The ornate marble staircase led to a second foyer area and he knew where he was headed; for the bedroom furthest down the hall. Resisting the temptation to make a scene knowing his friend's likely state, he instead opened the door without a sound, a clearly practiced technique, and stepped inside.

If Jonny Walker hadn't been Michael's best friend, he probably would have been surprised to see that he wasn't sleeping alone. Even so, he had a hard time picking out which body was his friend's from the doorway because both people in the bed had blonde hair and their limbs were intertwined. Against his better judgment and silently thanking the fact that they were both asleep and that the covers were concealing the important parts of Jonny's sleeping companion, he crept up to the bed and looked down at his friend. Michael had always been a bit jealous of Jonny's ease in which he was able to get women to come home with him, knowing that much of this success was due to his friend's athletic build, the six-pack abs, the hardened pecs and the chiseled biceps. But it was also the bright blue eyes he had gotten from his mother and the wavy blond surfer locks and the easygoing persona. Lost in his musings, Mikey forgot that he was in there to wake the boy up, as they had places to be and a fairly strict timeline.

"You know, if I didn't know better, you like watching me sleep." Jonny quipped, opening his eyes. He was speaking in a soft whisper, clearly making sure not to wake up his latest female companion.

"Just figuring out how I wanted to wake you up. Was considering a cold blast of water. Or maybe a nice Ice Beam." Michael shot right back, a clever smirk on his face as he looked over at the girl. From what he could see of her outline and from her hair... his friend had a type. "Let me guess, green eyes again?" He asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.

"You know me too well Mikey." Jonny said, his eyes glimmering with mirth as he slowly sat up. When the girl started to stir, Jonny looked panicked.

"Let me guess... you don't even remember her name?" Mikey rolled his eyes as he headed for the door.

"Something with an M... or maybe it was an A?" Jonny scratched his head with his left hand, looking positively befuddled.

"See you downstairs in ten, we have a boat to catch. I'll have your mother put on the coffee." Mikey promised as he walked out of the room, a smile on his face. This was a selfish desire as he knew that his friend wouldn't be able to stomach a cup of coffee at this time in the morning, not after the events of the previous night. He also didn’t want to be in the room when the girl came to for obvious reasons.

______________________________________________________________________________

Twelve minutes later, Jonny slid down the stairs wearing nothing but a pair of faded blue jeans. "Let's roll Mikey, no time for coffee." He was clearly in a hurry as he headed for the fridge only to be stopped by his mother. Mikey on the other hand was laughing quietly to himself in the corner of the kitchen, sipping idly on his mug of coffee that Renee had made for him when he had first arrived. He knew exactly why Jonny was in a hurry, not that his friend would admit it.

"And just why are you in such a hurry Jonathan James?" Hearing the full version of his first name along with his middle name effectively froze Jonny in his tracks. He looked to Mikey for help and seeing that none was coming began to think quickly, looking for an out. You could see the wheels turning in the surfer’s brain, but as he wasn’t fully awake yet, nothing too creative was coming to him.

"Michael and I have to catch that boat, you know the ferry out to ranger academy... can't be missing that and end up late on the first day. Never want to be late on the first day you know." This was a lie that fooled no one in the room. Jonny had never cared about being late, and this was something that his mother and best friend both knew all too well.

"So it has nothing to do with that girl you brought home last night at... oh it must have been three thirty?" Renee looked rather amused. "Just like I tell you every time and just like I told Jack every time... neither of you are as smart as you both seem to think. I mean you were practically shouting when you came in last night."

"I erm... umm… Mikey let's go, I'll buy you another cup of coffee on the way to the ferry." Jonny offered desperately, clearly willing to do anything to get out of the current conversation. Jonny was shoving Mikey out of the kitchen with a firm right hand and the other boy barely had enough time to put his empty coffee mug in the black marble sink under the windowsill overlooking the harbor.

"I'll see you both soon." Renee said with a soft smile before leaning over and kissing first Mikey and then Jonathan on both cheeks as they walked out the door. "Oh and by the way, it was Madison." Renee took no small amount of amusement from the annoyed groan escaping her son's lips as she closed the door behind the boys.


"Not a word." Jonny said harshly after they got outside both the house and his mother's earshot. He paused for just a moment to slip a white sleeveless t-shirt on, as he had been in such a hurry to get outside he had neglected to do that before leaving.

"Hey I was just going to point out that you were right about it being something with an M and something with an A... I would have you given you credit but I don't think Madison would have seen it that way..." Mikey was barely restraining himself from laughing hysterically at his friend's expense. "So coffee. Starboks, you know my order." Even though he had already drank a cup of coffee, the bespectacled teen was already looking forward to his second of the day.

"Yeah yeah your iced green eye. That stuff is gonna kill you man." Jonny said rather snarkily, causing Mike to crack a grin.

"And your Crimson Tauros habit isn't going to kill you? That stuff is battery acid in a can." Mikey retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Tasty battery acid in a can." Jonny corrected him with a gleeful smile. "You know I can't stomach coffee when I'm this hung over.”

"And you guzzle tequila like its water." Mikey muttered as they arrived at the coffee shop. "You know it's funny..." He stopped as the two of them got to the counter. "Iced green eye, no sugar, light on the milk please." He gave his order to the barista cheerfully. Unlike Jonny who reveled in vice like he needed it to live, Mikey’s one real bit of sin was his addiction to a good cup of coffee.

"Just a croissant for me." Jonny piped in as he pulled out his wallet. Frowning, he looked over at Mike. "Dude..." He muttered under his breath as he silently counted the bills in his left hand. "Barely enough for a cup of coffee and a croissant... you're a real expensive date you know that?"

"Emphasis on the enough though." Mikey said as their order arrived and Jonny casually handed the entire stack of bills in his hand to the girl. “And I think it was Madison that was the expensive date, not me.” He murmured just loud enough for Jonny to hear, stressing the girl’s name because he knew that it would drive his friend nuts.

"Keep the change." Jonny said as he handed Mikey his coffee and sent a smile over his left shoulder to the barista who nodded and grinned. As they walked away, Mike looked at Jonny and shook his head, partially annoyed but also a bit amused. "What?" Jonny asked him between bites of his breakfast.

"I never did understand how you could do that." Mikey sighed before taking a long sip of his coffee. The triple espresso shot combined with the smooth coffee was a jolt to his system, a jolt he desperately needed.

"Do what?" Jonny asked after finishing up his croissant.

As much as Mikey wanted to come out and point out the fact that his friend had turned into a serial womanizer to cope, he knew that would be a bad idea. So he shook his head. "That thing with the girl... how you always get them to smile at you like that…" Mikey sighed, regretting bringing it up. He quickly chose to abandon the subject. “Never mind… let’s talk about where we’re headed, a much better topic I think.”

"Ranger school." Jonny smiled now, forgetting his friend's evasiveness because his enthusiasm had taken over. It also helped that he was so hung over that he didn’t quite pick up on what Mikey had wanted to say but had stopped himself from bringing up. "Beaches, girls, parties, international travel... the life of a ranger is a good one you know. Nothing but the open road, freedom... and we get to be heroes."

"Just like your brother." Mikey was grinning from ear to ear now as Jonny slung an arm across his shoulders.

"Just like my brother, Jackie Walker, the world famous ranger. And we're both going to be better than he ever was." Jonny vowed as they reached the dock where their ferry was berthed. "The best there ever was." He said quietly to himself, looking out towards the open ocean in front of them. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and destiny was calling.




Going to be shooting for at least two chapters a week. Reads, reviews, recs and all that are always appreciated. Hope you enjoy!
 
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Okay, here's some of my thoughts.

Sentence structuring: I might just be different, but I had trouble processing some of the sentences. In some instances, it's a lack of commas to break up the words. In other cases, the sentences run on longer than they should and would be better off split up a bit.

Description: I'm liking it. You're killin' it, and in a good way. It can get a bit wordy at some points, but I feel like too much description is better than too little description. It doesn't interrupt the flow of the story too much. That's probably the most important bit.

Spelling/Grammar: Haven't noticed any mistakes so far. The comma issue I raised earlier may just be a nitpick in my case.

Characters: It's probably too early to get a feel for them, I'll have to see more before I start commenting on them.

Overall, a solid start I think. Sounds like you know where you want things going, which is always a relief to see. I can't even begin to count how many times I've seen a story started with no planning.

Going to be shooting for at least two chapters a week.
As someone who considers themselves a writer by trade, having dedicated the past four years of my life to it, I envy your optimism. At the same time, I would also advise against this kind of self-imposed deadline. You're only going to rush yourself and put out sub-par content.

(god I am really awful at this reviewing stuff, this is why I don't normally do it)
 
Thanks for the review! I think I do have a tendency to run on sometimes, so I'll definitely note it.

As for the optimism as to my schedule... I know it's really optimistic. I want to try and really keep myself on track. I do also have a number of chapters written or mostly written so I have a bit of a buffer.

Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing!
 
Awful! Horrible! The worst fic I've ever read!

Nah, just kidding. Actual opinion time.

Minor tidbits:
The chocolate brown orbs
This kind of stuff honestly bugs the snot out of me more than you know. Just call them eyes. Calling them "chocolate brown orbs" is just... weird.

The house while small was carefully maintained
Needs a comma after 'house' and another after 'small.' "The house, while small, was blah blah..."

and he had in fact spent almost many nights there as at his own.
Almost as many nights.

"Michael is that you?"
Needs a comma after Michael.

"And so put together... unlike my son... still sleeping..."
Get rekt son.

"So it has nothing to do with that girl you brought home last night at... oh it must have been three thirty."
Needs to end in a question mark.

neither of you is as smart as you think.
"Neither of you are as smart as blah blah..."

Now, as for the story itself, it was a'ight. Not a whole lot for me to judge at this point, since it's pretty short and it's only chapter one. The characters have a solid start, and I can already feel a decent grasp on their personalities from what little we have here, so that's always a good start. Time will tell how they develop, but for right now, it's a solid intro.

He quickly corrected himself because Renee preferred that her son's friends call her by her first name rather than by the more formal Mrs. Walker. He would never bring it up but Michael thought that it made her feel young. However, this was not a game she needed to play, as even though she was in her forties, she was still a beautiful woman, one blessed with grace, charm and long, flowing blonde locks.

Now, I don't know if Mrs. Walker is ever going to appear again. If she is, then ignore this, but judging from where the story is heading, I'm assuming she won't. In which case, Chekhov's Gun applies here. It's fine to have a little backstory to things, but this part specifically feels really forced. You could remove it and it wouldn't do any harm to the story, which is basically why I'm pointing this out in particular. It's just seems kind of pointless, honestly.

"Just like my brother, Jackie Walker, the world famous ranger. And we're both going to be better than he ever was."

I never liked this trope because when handled poorly, it's just totally random. It could have been explained in the narrative in Jonny's head that he idolizes his brother (or is jealous or whatever) but having him point it out himself just seems ineffective. It just comes right out of nowhere and is very odd, in my opinion.

Anyways, aside from those, there's not much else for me to said. The characters and introduced well, and your writing style is pretty good. Your description could use some work, but other than that, it's a good start, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses.
 
@GastlyGibus - Thanks for the review! As I told you in Skype yesterday, I look over these things a dozen times, and well... grammar mistakes still slip in. You catching and pointing them out highly appreciated! Going to look at them and fix them today.

As for the point on Mrs. Walker... well I'm not going to spoil anything. All I'll say is that she's not gone from the story. That and that whole thing is as much showing her character as Michael's but that will become relevant in due time I promise. And the thing with Jonny... I chose to have him say it out loud rather than thought (even though yes, it is cliche, you're not wrong there) for reasons that will also become apparent in due time.

Thanks for the feedback! It's really helpful!

@Lyrebird - I did!
 
I was excited for a moment there cause I thought we had a new user joining the area - you and your damn usernames! XD Even though your not a new user, as a returning writer all the main links for this section are in the Welcome Hub, and the Workshop Directory and Review Game would be key places to check out if you want to get some more eyes on your story :)

It was an enjoyable little openingl. You have a good style and have two distinctly different characters which is nice to see. Renee was a nice touch at showing off Michael's thought processes: the comment about how wanting to seem younger was a really great addition and just worked. I tend to like longer chapters myself so this may be a personal thing, but it would have been nice for a little bit more background or perhaps see them get to the Ranger School, but obviously I can't tell yet how that would have flowed.

My one piece of advice asides from the comma thing KP brought up would be you could be a bit more casual with your dialogue. Dialogue is tricky, and I struggle with it a bit, but I know from talking to you personally in the past your natural speaking style so you could bring some more of that in to the characters. Early dialogue can be a pain though when your balancing exposition as well so it might come easier in later chapters.

You had some nice opening description of Lilycove that painted the scene and the characters; my one note there would be when we get to the school to flesh it out more if its going to be a main scene. The level of description here works since its a temporary setting, but with main locations its nice to get a better idea of where everything is.

Overall I'm intrigued about the story and hope to follow it more. I was left wondering if Michael was gay, partially as I think we could use a good LGBT lead around here, but that might just be me hoping XD Keep up the descriptions of Jonny and I'll be a happy camper ;)
 
I was excited for a moment there cause I thought we had a new user joining the area - you and your damn usernames! XD Even though your not a new user, as a returning writer all the main links for this section are in the Welcome Hub, and the Workshop Directory and Review Game would be key places to check out if you want to get some more eyes on your story :)

It was an enjoyable little openingl. You have a good style and have two distinctly different characters which is nice to see. Renee was a nice touch at showing off Michael's thought processes: the comment about how wanting to seem younger was a really great addition and just worked. I tend to like longer chapters myself so this may be a personal thing, but it would have been nice for a little bit more background or perhaps see them get to the Ranger School, but obviously I can't tell yet how that would have flowed.

My one piece of advice asides from the comma thing KP brought up would be you could be a bit more casual with your dialogue. Dialogue is tricky, and I struggle with it a bit, but I know from talking to you personally in the past your natural speaking style so you could bring some more of that in to the characters. Early dialogue can be a pain though when your balancing exposition as well so it might come easier in later chapters.

You had some nice opening description of Lilycove that painted the scene and the characters; my one note there would be when we get to the school to flesh it out more if its going to be a main scene. The level of description here works since its a temporary setting, but with main locations its nice to get a better idea of where everything is.

Overall I'm intrigued about the story and hope to follow it more. I was left wondering if Michael was gay, partially as I think we could use a good LGBT lead around here, but that might just be me hoping XD Keep up the descriptions of Jonny and I'll be a happy camper ;)

Thanks for the review Ace! And for the links, definitely a good reminder (and sorry you thought I was actually new, to be fair I haven't written anything in years so I might as well be :p)

As for the flow, I kind of struggled with it, but I decided that a shorter opening worked best for the flow. And yes, I do need to work on dialogue, it's definitely the thing I struggle most with. For characters that speak more like me (Jonny in particular) it isn't so bad but for someone more formal like Michael, it's definitely a challenge to balance their formal character and not sounding overly stilted and too formal. Something i'll definitely be keeping an eye on.

Commas too. How do they work? It's something I'm definitely going to keep in mind as I move forward.

As for the school... yeah, there's going to be a lot more on that than Lilycove, as this was sort of a quick get the main leads moving sort of thing.

Lastly on Michael... intentionally ambiguous! (as opposed to Jonny's in your face masculinity of course). And don't worry, Jonny is Mr. Fanservice. He and shirts don't get along!
 
Week one and I'm keeping to my goal, two chapters this week! As always, hope your enjoy, reads, reviews and recs are always appreciated!


Chapter Two: Blue Skies, White Waves and Pink Hair


“This afternoon is going to be your first day as teachers, are you both ready?” The speaker was the man at the front of the meeting. He was Head Ranger Vincent Larmond, the head ranger at the academy as well as the headmaster of the school. He had gathered a small group of staff, including two men that were going to be his new teachers. “I know that neither of you have what most would call a teaching background.”

“Feel good about it. Even if the only reason I said yes was…” James Dalton spoke next, smiling brightly. Unlike the rangers that were present who were wearing their functional uniforms, he was wearing a charcoal three-piece bespoke suit with a crimson tie.

“There’s really no need to finish that sentence James.” Brushing his long blond locks out of the way of his ice blue eyes, Ranger Jack Walker spoke quickly, cutting off James before he could finish his thought. He was only a part time teacher, being that he was still an active duty ranger, but he had shown up for the first day to say hello to his younger brother.

“Your brother, Ranger Walker.” Larmond spoke up again, a hint of amusement in his soft brown eyes. “Tell me about him.” Jack’s family had been rangers for years, his father and grandfather in particular were legends. And while Jack was well on his way to following in their footsteps, the Head Ranger was curious as to what he would be getting from the youngest Walker.

“He’ll give you as many problems as Jackie did I’m sure.” James spoke instead, causing Jack to chuckle. Larmond grinned at the fact that James had answered the question instead. “Mike is definitely the brains of that operation though.” Larmond looked confused. “Michael Johnson.” James added as an afterthought, seeing Larmond’s confusion. “He’ll be joining the academy as well.”

“That’s the one.” Jackie took over once again. “He practically grew up at my mum’s house. Could be a rocket scientist if he wanted to, but instead he’s coming to be a ranger.”

“Any reason why?” Larmond asked curiously. While their academy was known for finding and nurturing top talent, having true academics come was a rarity. The level of physical fitness required often weeded them out.

“Where one of them goes, the other will follow.” Jackie replied with a smirk. “They’re tied at the hip. Even when my idiot brother would rather chase skirts.”

“Chasing skirts huh? Like I would know anything about that.” James mused sardonically, rolling his eyes at the pointed looks that he was receiving from every other teacher.

“Nothing at all, Mr. Hoenn Heartbreaker.” The sly retort came from the only woman present. Ranger Daphne Rose scoffed at James trying to claim innocence. Her hands were on her hips and she didn’t seem amused, her soft green eyes filled with fire.

“Now now…” James’ emerald eyes were glimmering with mirth. “That name came from the press, not me. And it has to do with my skill in battle, breaking the hearts of my challengers.” This rather pathetic lie convinced nobody.

“Mr. Fletcher, are you alright?” Ranger Larmond addressed the young man in the back, the youngest of the faculty. In fact, he was possibly younger than some of the students in their final year. He could tell that the boy was nervous and clearly unsure of himself.

“Yes sir, just considering what it’s going to be like. Teaching my subject, I mean. It’s very… I’m not entirely sure how the students will take to it.” Dirk Fletcher seldom spoke, but his words carried weight. “It’s not glamorous and it’s not something that many of them will be familiar with.”

“They will eventually come to understand just how important defending themselves in the field is.” Larmond replied kindly. “And when they do they will be quite appreciative of your teachings.” He added. “Now I believe the first year students will be arriving shortly, so why don’t you all relax for a bit and then meet me back down at the stadium for the welcoming assembly?”

______________________________________________________________________________

Jonny’s eyes flickered open slowly. After the ferry had embarked, he had decided to catch some rays. And as usually happened when he was relaxing out in the sun, he had fallen asleep. He had no idea how long he had been out as he tried to adjust to his surroundings. The sun was shining brightly, to the point that it would be painful if he hadn’t been wearing his amber aviator sunglasses. He looked down at his shirtless chest and noticed something surprising.

“Oh sorry, did I wake you?” He hadn’t remembered a girl using his shoulder as a pillow. “I was tired and since there weren’t many seats so I just grabbed the one next to you… and well I didn’t exactly mean to fall asleep on your shoulder.” She said with a smile that was just a bit playful. Jonny was instantly smitten as he looked into her emerald eyes. Jonny took a moment as he observed that the girl had a pretty face with high cheekbones, porcelain skin and long flowing blonde hair that was streaked with pink highlights.

“Don’t worry about it, there’s few ways better than this to wake up from a nap.” Jonny responded smoothly, slowly sitting up as the girl did the same. Her head lingered on his shoulder for just a moment longer than necessary, something that he was very careful to note.

“I’m Summer by the way. Summer Snow.” She introduced herself kindly. “And few ways? That’s disappointing to hear.”

“Jonny, Jonny Walker. And okay, the best way.” Jonny could play that game as well. He looked around, clearly searching for something. “Hey quick question, have you seen a guy around? Overdressed, square glasses, brown hair?” He asked, wondering where Mikey had gotten off to. “Supposed to be watching my stuff…”

“No, I can’t say I…” Summer started to say before her eyes locked onto someone that fit the description. “Over there. See him? Talking to the girl with long black hair.” Looking in the direction Summer gestured, Jonny nodded. It was indeed who he was looking for.

“Mike!” He shouted, gesturing wildly. Mikey’s response was to toss the bag in question over his shoulder. Jonny caught it smoothly, rolling his eyes. “Want to go say hi?” Jonny asked Summer with a smile. “Promise he won’t throw anything at you.”

“No he’ll just throw something else at you instead.” The girl clearly caught on quickly. They went over to Michael, who couldn’t resist making a remark.

“You just woke up two hours ago and yet you need a nap…”

“Yeah you know, I need my beauty sleep and all.” In perfect unison Summer and Mikey scoffed at this. “Tough crowd sheesh.” Jonny rolled his eyes.

“Anyways Jonny, this is Melody. Melody, Jonny Walker. He’s from Lilycove, we grew up together.” Mikey introduced the two.

“Nice to meet you. Mikey, Melody this is Summer Snow.” Jonny added on so now all four knew each other.

“Nice to meet you both.” Summer said with a smile as Mikey leaned over to talk to Jonny in private for a moment.

“Have you taken a look around at all? There must be fifty of us on this ferry…” Mikey muttered.

“Nah man, I fell asleep right away. I see you’ve been busy.” Jonny shot back before ending the little pow-wow. Mikey rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics but wisely didn’t comment on it.

“Mikey, do you have Neptune’s ball on you by any chance?” Jonny asked, having noticed when he woke up that he didn’t have any of his Pokémon on him.

“So you didn’t lose him.” Mikey shot back, causing Jonny to grin.

“Toss him long, will ya?” Jonny asked and Mikey groaned. He knew what Jonny was up to. Summer and Melody on the other hand looked at each other quizzically. With a practiced flick of his wrist, Mikey tossed a small red and white ball over the side of the ship.

“See you on the flip side Summer. Melody.” Jonny said, winking before back flipping over the side of the vessel. A bright flash appeared and as Melody and Summer hurried to look down over the side, they saw Jonny surfing the waves on top of a Feraligatr.

“Is he always like this?” Summer asked Mikey quietly.

“Like what? Reckless, brash and foolish?” Mikey asked rhetorically. “Always.”

“I like it.” Summer said mostly to herself, a devious smile on her face.

______________________________________________________________________________

“So tell me… why are you here teaching kids to battle?” After the staff meeting Daphne had cornered James and dragged him off for a long walk. The pair strolled down the beach and while he was sporting a bit of a limp, he was still smiling brightly. He walked carefully, not only because of the limp but to prevent his loafers from ending up in wet sand or a rogue wave. “If you’re going to be teaching these kids… I want to make sure that you’re here for the right reasons.” James’ reputation preceded him and he could see why Daphne would ask this.

“A favor to a friend.” James said with a grin. “Jackie and I grew up together, went to high school together… hell he could have played ball with me at State if he wasn’t a Walker.” He added this as mostly an afterthought.

“Still though, James…” Daphne smirked, she clearly knew more than she was letting on. “A billionaire playboy who’s got regional champion written all over him… not the type that usually drops out of public life to teach.”

“You want the truth Miss Rose; the full truth?” James asked her, clearly amused by the woman continuing to pressure him. It didn’t happen that often.

“I do. And I promise I won’t tell anyone else if that’s what you want.” She said quietly, crossing her heart in a solemn gesture. “As long as it’s not something that will impact your ability to help the kids of course.”

“I lost a bet.” James stated plainly, the annoyed look on his face revealing that this was in fact the truth of the matter. Daphne’s laughter at the answer didn’t help James’ ego. He was already bitter enough about losing the bet, having a beautiful woman laugh at him for it just twisted the metaphorical knife further.

“Men…” She muttered, continuing to laugh, her hand resting slightly on his chest. She was clearly relieved at the reason, as a large part of her had thought it was something bad, that he was running from something he had done or trying to escape the press. “If you don’t mind, what was the bet exactly?”

“He thought he could strike me out, even after all these years.” James smiled, the fond memories of playing baseball with Jack in high school still rather clear. “Junk pitches. And since I hadn’t picked up a bat since college… that and he knew that I never learned how to hit a curve-ball.” James felt the need to make excuses for his failure. Even though this had taken place months before, it still pained him that his friend had bested him athletically. “Plus my knee wasn’t exactly cooperating.”

Ranger Rose’s laughter immediately stopped at the mention of James’ knee. The injury had been devastating and due to the circumstances, she had actually seen it live. James had torn his ACL, MCL and meniscus on national television so there weren't many people who hadn't seen the gruesome injury as it happened. Daphne could still vividly recall seeing James’ leg crumple and it was a thought that pained her. “Even still?” She asked quietly, her eyes leaving his face and drifting towards his injured leg.

“Even still.” James replied, tapping his left knee gently with his free hand. “A brace can only do so much.” At this point James realized that he needed to change the subject. Not only did he hate talking about his knee, he could tell that Daphne didn’t want to talk about it either. While it had been just over four years since it had happened, James still hadn't entirely gotten over what had happened to him. “The stakes of the bet were if I lost, I’d come teach with him. I lost. And unlike what the media likes to make people think, I’m a man of my word.” He explained to her with a knowing smile. “So Jack talked to the ranger corps, they needed someone to teach battling tactics, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Daphne nodded, the explanation cleared a lot of things up. “We should get back to the main stadium, the students will be arriving soon.” She pointed out and James nodded. The pair turned around and they would make it back just in time.

______________________________________________________________________________

For the prospective rangers on the ferry, their first view of their new home was eye opening. As the vessel came over the top of the waves, a bright archipelago came into view. Even from out on the water, the clear beaches, shimmering glass buildings and various stadia and other amenities could be seen. Jonny turned to Summer and smiled. “Now this, this is what I’m talking about.” He remarked, his eye adjusting to the bright light as he took off his sunglasses to get a better look. He had gotten back onto the ferry and dried off when he realized that they were getting close to their destination.

“It does look quite nice.” Michael noted as he peered out over the horizon. “I do have to wonder how many students there are… with so many islands and space I would have thought there would be more.” He mused as he took careful note of what he saw. While the islands all did have their own distinct character, they all shared pristine white beaches in common, something he could see even from a distance.

“Well assuming we’re all the first years… there’s about fifty of us on this ferry, and since there’s three years of students…” Melody thought out loud.

“Which means we’ve got quite a bit of space to really spread out.” Summer finished. “I do wonder what the deal with…” She paused, looking over at Jonny and Michael. Realizing she had been thinking out loud, she asked her question more clearly. “How do things work around here anyways? Dorms? Apartments?”

The two boys looked at each other for a moment before shaking their heads in unison. “I didn’t even think about it.” Jonny admitted a bit sheepishly.

“To be fair, for once I neglected to consider it as well.” Michael added after a moment’s hesitation as their landing came into clearer view. From their spot on the bow of the ship, Mikey could see the harbor that they were pulling into. It was a short walk to the central stadium, where he recalled that the headmaster and some of the professors would be welcoming them to the academy.

“I hope we get our own places.” Summer said with a smirk.

“So do I.” Jonny echoed her opinion on the matter. “Or at least if we get to pick our roommates that should be okay.” He looked over at Mikey and shrugged.

“Yeah that would be fine too. I am curious as to why we haven’t been told anything regarding that.” Melody was thinking out loud. “I mean it’s not like all four of us would have missed something like that right?” She asked the group and Mikey shook his head.

“Attention all rangers.” Their conversation was interrupted by a deep, gravelly voice coming over the ship’s loudspeakers. “We will be docking in a matter of moments. Please make sure you have all your possessions before disembarking. When we land you will be heading to the main stadium which is straight on the north path. Head Ranger Larmond will be addressing you all. Welcome to Ranger School.” With that the voice cut off.

“Well that was an explanation I suppose.” Jonny remarked sarcastically. “Even if telling us what Ranger Larmond had for us would have been so much more helpful.” Mikey chuckled involuntarily at this.

“You’re so impatient.” Michael said, smirking wistfully. “Why are you in such a hurry to go sit down in that sunbaked stadium anyways?”

“I know, I know, I know.” Jonny rolled his eyes at Mikey’s rebuke. “But I hate not knowing things.”

“Is he always like this?” Melody asked, leaning over and whispering in Mikey’s ear. The boy simply nodded, a light blush creeping into his cheeks at the close contact. He tried his best to hide it, but the pink in his cheeks was accentuated by his light brown skin. “I figured as much, so impatient.” She added before taking a furtive step back.

“We’re… we’re here.” Mikey said quickly as the boat came to a stop, docking smoothly in an empty slip. “And not a moment too soon.” Like it was rehearsed ahead of time, the two boys quickly grabbed both their own suitcases and that of the girls’, Jonny grabbing Summer’s and Michael taking Melody’s.

“Well aren’t you two perfect gentlemen.” Summer said, sharing a knowing grin with Melody.

“And don’t you forget it.” Jonny said with a smile. Mikey smirked.

“First and last time you’ll ever be called a perfect gentleman.” He quipped, causing his three companions to all laugh. With bright smiles, the four stepped off the boat along with their compatriots.

“Wow.” Summer said as they got their first close-up look at the academy grounds. Docked in the harbor were a number of smaller boats of all types, including a few rather ornate sailboats, a couple of fishing boats - and to Jonny and Michael’s amusement - a powerful looking red cigarette boat. The pair looked at each other, grinning wickedly. Jonny vowed to figure out how to get the keys to that ride.

The grounds on the main island itself had a very Mediterranean vibe to them, at least in the harbor. The stucco roofs and cobblestone paths reminded Jonny of his hometown. But what was most notable was the sheer luxury of it. The white sandstone bricks and bay windows of the buildings were perfectly maintained, the bright lights shone even in the daytime and he had to wonder just how much everything around here cost to build and keep in such pristine shape.

“How do they afford all this?” Jonny asked himself quietly. While he knew that rangers did well for themselves, he hadn’t expected this level of luxury. The houses in this part of town were closer to oceanfront villas than student apartments and he assumed that these were the homes of the rangers and other staff and faculty.

“You of all people should know that, Mr. Walker.” Mikey seemed amused that his friend didn’t even know the answer to this question. “The money comes from the Ranger Corps itself. As for how the rangers are so well funded… well you of all people should know that.”

“Mikey, you’re my best friend, but sometimes I really hate you.” Jonny joked as the quartet walked the path to the stadium. Various shops and cafes called out to them, even though they knew they didn’t have time to stop in.

“We need to try that patisserie we just passed.” Melody told the others. “Did you see how good those croissants looked in the window?”

“I was busy looking at that ramen bar across the road.” Summer interjected. “Did you smell it?”

“Ramen bar?” Melody asked, looking over her shoulder in the direction that Summer pointed towards. “Oh wow, this place really does have everything.”

Jonny chuckled as he threw an arm over Michael’s shoulder. “Well Mikey, I think we know what we’re doing all weekend.”

“We need to figure out a way to get paid.” Mikey muttered under his breath. “Because otherwise we’ll be broke in a week.” He added, making sure that the two girls in question were too busy pointing out all the shops they wanted to visit to pay attention to him. He also felt his face flushing crimson again, so he turned away from the others for a moment. At seeing a group of children playing in the streets, chasing a happy looking Stoutland, he smiled. The laughter of the kids was truly intoxicating and it did remind him of Lilycove.

“Stop being such a killjoy Michael.” Jonny remarked dryly, unintentionally bringing his friend back to the present. “We’re going to be spending the next three years living in this paradise … how could life get better than this?”

“Broke by the end of the weekend.” Mikey muttered under his breath.

“You do know we get paid for each field assignment we complete right?” Jonny seemed amused by this.

“Even as students?” Mikey felt his jaw drop.

“Yup. Why do you think I wasn’t worried about spending money before we left?” Jonny asked him with a knowing smile.

“I just thought you were being an idiot.” Mikey laughed at his own expense. “And now I realize how all these shops and cafes and restaurants thrive around here.”

“Exactly. What else are we going to spend money on?” Jonny asked him.

“You know what? You’re right. Life can’t get any better than this.” Mikey admitted as he looked around. Even though they were at the academy for schooling, it was paradise. The sun was shining, Wingulls soared high above the water, the smells of all the various cuisines merged intoxicatingly and Michael realized that there was no better place to call home for the next three years.
 
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Chapter Three: It Even Comes in Gold

Checking to make sure his clip-on microphone was active, Head Ranger Larmond stepped up to the front of the stage and addressed his new charges. His voice was booming and confident, the kind of reassuring dulcet tones that many great leaders were fortunate enough to possess.

“It brings me great joy to welcome each and every one of you to this prestigious academy. Over a hundred years ago, the Pokémon Ranger Corps was founded by five young men who saw a need. A need for an organization to help Pokémon of all kinds, to help people in danger, to solve the most dangerous problems, to complete the most dangerous rescues.” The history of the Ranger Corps clearly filled the Head Ranger with pride. “Over the years, the Corps has evolved from a small group of like-minded young men in Fiore to an institution that spans the globe. As for here in Hoenn, there has been a Ranger branch for nearly sixty years. Many fine rangers have passed through this region and I have no doubt that all of you will join those esteemed ranks.” Larmond paused for a moment.

“Twelve years ago we built this academy to serve as our main training ground for the Hoenn region and this school has quickly grown to become known as the finest ranger academy in the world. Each of you is here because we see something special, some spark that has convinced the corps that you have what it takes. People in need, Pokémon in need… Rangers are often the first and last line of defense against natural disaster, distress and… unsavory activity.” Larmond smiled at this, glancing over at Jackie as he added the last part. “You are all here because you are the best of the best. And I have complete faith that each of you will serve the Corps with distinction, class, grace and honor.” Again Larmond paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in.

“I could speak for a lot longer on this, but I know that all of you are chomping at the bit to see the grounds and get started on unpacking. Before we hand out your stylers and ranger licenses, I’d like each of the teachers that are here to have a chance to introduce themselves and their class. Miss Rose, if you would.”

When Miss Rose got up to speak, Mikey noticed Jonny’s eyes light up and he elbowed him hard in the ribs.

“Ow, what was that for? Ass.” Jonny muttered even though he knew exactly why his friend had done it.

“Idiot.” Mikey shot back. “You know better.” Before Mikey could continue his impromptu lecture, Daphne had taken over.

“Thank you Victor. I’m Ranger Daphne Rose and I am the teacher of Ranger 101. This will be a class that you will take your entire first year and I will go over all the basics of being a successful ranger as well as the rules and regulations that govern the corps. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you.” With a smile and a wave she stepped back and nodded to James.

“Thanks Daph.” James Dalton stood up just a bit shakily, not wanting to put too much weight on his bad knee. Even so, he smiled brightly and used a pet name for his fellow teacher that came to him on the fly. “I’m James Dalton. Just James, no ranger. And Mr. Dalton is my old man.” He said in the easygoing drawl that had helped make him a global sensation. Jonny and Mikey looked over their shoulders at the crowds around them and rolled their eyes. Almost every girl who was joining them as new rangers was swooning at their heartthrob of a teacher. Including both Summer and Melody. The irony of this was lost on Jonny.

“Oh come on.” He muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed. “Why are they all reacting like that?”

“I have no idea. Absolutely no idea.” Michael was clearly amused at Jonny’s obvious envy. “Look at him. The bespoke suit that accentuates those powerful shoulders and strong arms…” He trailed off, seeing the weird look on his friend’s face.

“That does solve the mystery of who owns the cigarette boat and the yacht at least.” Jonny quipped, quickly changing the subject.

“I will be teaching you all how to battle.” James said bluntly, having taken a moment to figure out what he wanted to say. “I know that many of you have some level of experience with battling, but out in the field there are no rules, no regulations. You will have to learn how to command multiple partners at once and how to fight in situations that one would never have to fact in sanctioned battles.” He sat down and looked over at Jackie, who stood up next.

“I’m Ranger Jack Walker and I’ll be going over aquatic survival skills. I know that while some of you are from the more coastal regions, many of you are not. And as rangers, you will have to learn to survive and thrive in all climates, from the waters of Hoenn to the mountains of Sinnoh to the arid deserts of Orre.” He frowned at this; he hated Orre. Then again, so did most people. “There will be many survival classes that you will take over the next three years but aquatics comes first given the location of our academy and many of the first year missions you will take on.” Jack looked over his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile to the youngest professor, who stood up nervously.

“I… I’m Dirk Fletcher.” The boy said quietly. “And I’m going to be teaching you self-defense. There will come a time when you will have to defend yourself from an attacker and you won’t have the ability to call on a Pokémon’s aid.” He stated, sounding just a bit cold. “I will teach you how to fight off an attacker without help.”

“Did it suddenly drop ten degrees here?” Jonny asked Michael, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Because I feel something from that… holy shit he’s just a kid.” He frowned. “But there’s something seriously wrong with that guy.”

“You’re an idiot.” Michael, Summer and Melody said as one.

______________________________________________________________________________

Jonny’s mind drifted away from the teachers that were introducing themselves. He didn’t notice that Michael and Melody were still listening intently or that Summer was adjusting her makeup using a compact that she kept in her purse. If he had been listening, he would have been overwhelmed by just how many classes they would be taking in their first year. Along with the teachers that had already introduced themselves, they would be taking desert survival, forest survival, arctic survival, two separate first aid classes (one for Pokémon and one for humans), and a general field skills class.

Fiddling with the gold and ruby rose necklace he always wore, he couldn’t help but notice the eerie resemblance between the color of jewels on the necklace and the shade of the pink in Summer’s hair. It upset him more than he would have liked.

As for Ranger Rose… he hated when Michael could see right through him. And he hated it even more when his friend was right. Which given Mikey’s incredible intellect and eerie insight… was far too often. Especially lately, he’d been asking too many probing questions about…

Jonny’s thoughts were interrupted by another elbow to the ribs, however this one was far lighter than the last.

“They’re done with teacher introductions.” Mikey muttered under his breath. “I’ll give you the rundown on the interesting bits later.” He promised, causing Jonny to smile. The main reason that he’d always been able to skate in school was that his best friend was always there to help him out.

“So what’s next?” Jonny asked quietly before his question was answered not by Michael, but by the head ranger.

“As you all can see, we have quite a diverse curriculum.” Larmond said as most of the faculty left, dispersing from the back of the stage. Only James and Daphne remained in fact, causing Jonny to raise an eyebrow. “So diverse that your progress is graded a bit differently than it would be in most schools.” At this, Michael and Melody glanced nervously at each other. “Each professor has their own metrics to determine your grade, but instead of a letter or a number in their class, you will receive a ranking. Your rankings in all of your classes will be added up and averaged out into one singular ranking. The number represents your standing in your class. This number will determine which off-campus assignments you will be eligible for, so I suggest you all put forth your best effort.”

Jonny could hear panicked muttering all around him about this grading system. He understood why they were so worried, not that he felt the same way about it. From what he could tell, many of his classmates were intelligent overachievers, who had always gotten top marks in their academics. They were also talented trainers who were confident in their skills. And yet now instead of competing against a test, they were competing against each other. And if they were truly the best of the best like Larmond said, the competition for those top few spots would be brutal.

However he wasn’t as worried. While he knew that there would be pressure from his family to repeat his brother’s success, he knew that it wouldn’t be realistic. He simply didn’t have the academic mind for it. He’d be happy with middling ranks in the more academic classes, top rankings in the physical ones and a top ten class ranking. Achievable and it would suffice to keep his father off his back.

Larmond had allowed his new charges a moment to digest this news before continuing. “I understand that this system of grading can introduce higher levels of stress or pressure to your academic careers. But this is by design. As rangers, you will often find yourself in situations of incredibly high stress. You will learn how to handle it, embrace the pressure and act accordingly.” He smiled. “But enough about that. I know that many of you have been waiting to receive your stylers as well as your room assignments, but I do have one more surprise for each of you.”

Larmond gestured slightly to James, who casually flicked a Luxury ball off of his belt. Once the flash subsided, the students could see he had released a shiny Gardevoir. “Is… is she wearing a necklace?” Jonny asked Summer, who leaned forward to try and see.

“She is… and… Arceus it looks expensive.” Summer remarked after examining it. The Gardevoir was wearing a diamond necklace with a stone in the center that looked a lot like a Mega Stone, but she couldn’t tell for sure.

“Princess, the cases if you would. And make sure they go to the right students please.” James said quietly. With a slight pout, Princess raised her arms slightly. Melody gasped involuntarily as she saw a massive group of what appeared to be gold and silver carrying cases fly through the air. They weren’t much bigger than a cellphone, but one for each student still blotted out the sky.

When the cases arrived at their destinations, they hovered in front of the students in question. Jonny could see that they were delicately engraved with their full names. Before he could open it to see what was inside, Larmond began to speak once more.

“Thank you Princess.” He said kindly to the Gardevoir before turning back to the students. “Inside those cases that you were just given are a few things. The first is a small mobile device. It holds a number of useful things, including a Pokédex, maps of the academy and your class schedules. The second is your capture styler. It is actually built into the phone for ease of use. The third is your ID card. While you won’t need this as much on the academy grounds, it will be your most important possession when on assignment. Your academy ID card identifies you as a Student Ranger Class 1, giving you all the rights and responsibilities of a Student Ranger, which Ranger Rose will go over during her class.”

Larmond smiled, hearing the gasps of the few students that had opened the case. “And the fourth and final thing. Although you all have Pokémon of your own already, it has become tradition for each of you to receive a new partner on your first day. In the older days, this was the ranger’s only owned Pokémon, but as you likely know that regulation has since been repealed. However the tradition of the Pokémon partner is a cherished one. Your new partners have been picked personally for each of you, using your personality profiles to find an optimal match.”

“For my first class tomorrow morning, we will be getting to know your partners, so please remember to bring them.” Daphne said quickly, knowing that Larmond wanted to bring the ceremony to an end.

“Thank you Ranger Rose.” Larmond chuckled at the rapidity of her voice. “She will in fact will be teaching your first class, which will be in this stadium at 9:00 AM. Each of you will receive a wake-up call at 8:00, which should be plenty of time to prepare. But for now, you are all dismissed. The rest of the day is yours. Explore, unpack, socialize. But make sure to get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day.” With that Larmond nodded to the remaining faculty and they exited the stadium together.

As the stadium started to empty, Jonny, Mikey, Summer and Melody all looked at their cases, having just opened them to reveal the contents inside. “Should we all reveal our partners at the same time?” Summer asked after a brief hesitation.

“I like that.” Melody replied, brushing a strand of her black hair away as she took a closer look at her ball, almost as if she was trying to peek inside. “Count of three?”

“Sure.” Michael said glancing nervously at the others. “One. Two. Three.” In unison, the quartet activated the release valves on the balls. The bright light of four Poké balls blinded them for a bit but each of them soon saw their new partners.

Mikey quickly realized that Larmond hadn’t been lying about their partners being carefully selected for their personalities. His new partner brought a smile. Pawniard.

“Nice!” Jonny was grinning at his new battler, a smugly grinning Scraggy.

“He has as much trouble with your clothes as you do!” Mikey was chuckling at his friend’s enthusiasm. “For you it’s shirts, for him it’s pants.”

“Now aren’t you just the cutest.” Summer said after a moment. Her partner was a somewhat shy Ralts that was trying to hide its face from the others. “I know it’s overwhelming, but you’ll grow to like these guys just as I have.” She said with a soft smile as she picked up the psychic type.

“That I can definitely agree with.” Melody was glancing at her shoulder, where a blue frog now sat.

“Didn’t you say you were from Kalos?” Summer asked her with a smile.

“Oui.” Melody replied in the Kalosian tongue. “That’s why I’m comfortable with the Froakie that’s now on my shoulder. I’ve seen them before.” She mused.

“Guess Larmond wasn’t lying. They did match us up well.” Jonny said after a moment. He gestured to the stadium exit. “You three want to head out?”

“Good idea. Let’s head to the dorm first, then we have the rest of the day to explore the grounds.” Mikey suggested.

______________________________________________________________________________

Using the maps on their new phones, the quartet soon arrived at the first year dorm. While each of them had made mental notes about the other parts of the academy grounds they wanted to go see, they had all agreed that it was a good idea to stop at the dorms first.

Upon arriving at the first year dorm, they exchanged looks. “Mon dieu.” Melody said softly, slipping into her native tongue without meaning to. The building they would call home for the year wasn’t what they had thought when they had heard the word dorm. It was instead a massive seaside villa that overlooked the pristine harbor. Michael recognized it as white stucco, a material and color that was popular in his hometown.

The entrance was marked with a cobblestone path that was cut through an expansive courtyard, the smell of freshly cut grass masking the salty scent of the sea breeze. The courtyard was also home to an impeccably maintained garden, flowers of all colors scattered throughout the grounds. “Now I’m definitely wondering how they afford all this.” Michael said quietly to himself as they strolled down the path towards the entrance.

“I don’t care about that at all.” Summer told him with a smile. “It’s gorgeous.” She added as they made their way to the front door. “Well, shall we?” She asked before opening the doors to their new home.

As impressive as the outside entrance was, the inside may have been even more impressive. Instead of being greeted with a spartan lobby, they found themselves in an ornate white foyer. In the center the marble was patterned with blue stone, Jonny recognizing the joined sphere and diamond as the logo of the Ranger Corps.

To their left, they could see a hall that led to a pool, to the right Jonny could make out a fitness center. Ignoring the spiral staircase that would take them to their rooms for the moment, they made their way to the center of the entrance hall. From their new vantage point, they could make out the way to a large communal kitchen as well as a lounge. There seemed to be enough space in the lounge for the entire class of first years to sit comfortably. A few televisions dotted the room, along with a couple dartboards on the walls, a billiard table in the back and even a couple of arcade cabinets. “This place truly has everything.” Michael said mostly to himself as they looked towards the stairs.

“What rooms are you guys in? I’m in 3C.” Melody told the others.

“2B.” Jonny answered.

“2E.” Mikey added.

“3A.” Summer rounded out the replies.

“Makes sense. Boys and girls on separate floors.” Jonny remarked. “How about we all take a bit to unpack and we’ll meet up again in my room.” Seeing the others nod at his suggestion, Jonny bounded up the stairs, full of energy.

Upon reaching the second floor, Jonny and Mikey looked around as the girls left, heading up to their floor. They realized that the upper floors looked down on the lobby, which explained the natural light that managed to make it all the way down from the skylight above. At a glance, it looked as if there were a dozen or so rooms on their floor. Reaching his door, Jonny paused for a moment. “Place your phone on the scanner above the door.” Michael muttered. “You’d know that if you paid more attention.”

“Yeah yeah I know. Thanks Mike.” Jonny did as instructed and the door popped open. “See you in a bit.” Whistling a jaunty tune, Jonny stepped inside. Looking around his room, he soon came to realize that he wouldn’t have to worry about a roommate. They all got their own rooms. And their rooms, just like everything else they had seen at the academy, were gorgeous.

The first thing that Jonny noticed was that the back wall of the room was a massive glass door, which led out to a small balcony. Not only that, but the balcony looked out over the water. He realized that the manor they called the first year dorm was built on top of a cliff which only made the view from his room even more impressive.

As for the room itself, it was almost as impressive as the view. It was easily four times the size of his bedroom at home, and came with its own kitchen, bathroom, sitting room and bedroom. Not only that, but the rooms were completely furnished and the kitchen featured black marble counters, which made him smile. If he didn’t know any better, they were the exact same ones he had at home. Knowing that it was probably silly to even check, he walked over to the stainless steel fridge and opened it.

“Oh and what do we have here?” Jonny asked himself. His fridge was packed to the gills, filled with his favorite sodas, a six pack of beer and all of his favorite snacks. Front and center was a note.

Little bro,

I’ll spare you the long-winded lecture about how you have to live up the family name. You’ll get that from Dad later I’m sure.

I know you feel as if you didn’t have a choice in coming here, that you had to because of Grandpa and Dad and even me. But don’t look at it like that. Look at it as a chance to learn from the best. To become the best.

No matter what Mom and Dad sometimes say, we all know you’re going to be a hell of a ranger. You have what it takes, even if it wouldn’t kill you to pay a bit more attention in class.

As for your fridge, consider this a small gift from your big brother. James pitched in the beer. Make sure to share it with Michael, I know that it’s his favorite.

I won’t be around much due to still being on active duty, but you know that I’ll always be around to help you guys out.

- Jack

Jonny was grinning as he put the note down on the counter and removed one of the beers from the fridge. Popping it open with the bottle opener that James had so thoughtfully provided on the side of the six-pack, he took a long sip of the ice cold brew. He savored it for a lingering moment before walking out of the kitchen to examine the rest of his quarters.

Upon reaching the sitting area, Jonny realized that not only had their things been brought up to their quarters while they were at the assembly, most of them had been unpacked too. While the rooms were fully furnished and he knew that he hadn’t brought the flat screen TV, he also noticed his surfboard leaning on the wall. Wondering how that had happened, he walked into the bedroom and burst out laughing.

Jack had apparently managed to take the posters off his bedroom wall and move them into his dorm. He could only imagine the reaction that Summer and Melody would have when they saw his Flannery and Cynthia posters. Which was probably exactly what Jack had wanted. Turning away from his bedroom, Jonny heard Michael in the doorway.

“All your things were un-” Michael stopped talking when Jonny turned around. Jonny simply grinned wickedly as he pointed towards the kitchen.

“I’m wondering why you packed a six-pack of…” Jonny heard his friend’s voice trail off.

“I know right!” Jonny shouted to his friend as he continued to take an inventory of his things. His guitar and laptop had made it into his bedroom, the guitar next to the bed and the laptop on the desk. His skateboard was over by the balcony and he made a mental note to go through the dressers in the bedroom to figure out where all his clothes were. He was about to start when he heard Michael enter the bedroom and start laughing as well.

“My big brother is so funny.” Jonny said dryly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Mikey wasn’t sorry. “I can’t wait for everyone else to see that. Especially Summer. And you just know that Jack is going to tell the girls all about you, only the best things.” He couldn’t help reminding Jonny the obvious downside to having his older brother as a teacher, especially since the upside had become readily apparent.

“You’re on a roll right now, you know that?” Jonny retorted. Michael simply took a sip of his beer. “A real roll.” He repeated for emphasis.

“To be fair, your brother did supply soda and snacks.” Michael added sagely. He held out his beer to Jonny, who nodded and clinked the bottles together.

“A toast to us.” Jonny was grinning from ear to ear now. “And to these kick-ass rooms.” As the duo took the ceremonial post-toast swig from their bottles, the first day of classes couldn’t be further from their minds.


Author's note: Big thanks to @GastlyGibus, @Naoto and @Kamen_Fanatic for helping me choose these partners. I didn't tell them what they were doing, but this is what you were doing guys. Don't worry, the other selections you all made will come into play later.
 
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I'm going to need to up my game at this rate. Can't be upstaged, can I?

First! Minor nitpicks:
“Your brother Ranger Walker.”
Comma between "brother" and "Ranger."

“Chasing skirts huh.
Questions end in question marks. :p

“Nothing at all Mr. Hoenn Heartbreaker.
Comma after "all."

He could tell that the boy was nervous, unsure of himself.
A little redundant here.

Teaching my subject I mean.
Comma after "subject."

so why don’t you all relax for a bit and then meet me back down at the stadium for the welcoming assembly.”
Needs to end in a question mark, since it's still technically a question. "Why don't you all...?"

“See you on the flip side
Oh god, I cringed. I CRINGED SO HARD. Jonny is such a dork. :V

“Still though James…”
Comma after "though."

“You want the truth Miss Rose, the full truth?”
Personal preference thing, but these can be two separate sentences, or maybe have a semi-colon.

The injury had been devastating and due to the circumstances and since it was televised she had actually seen it live.
Ahh, using "and" two times in the same sentence! Ahhh!

“I do wonder what the deal with…”
I feel like there's a word missing here. :p

a couple of fishing boats and to Jonny and Michael’s amusement a powerful looking red cigarette boat.
Hyphen's are needed. "A couple of fishing boats, and - to Jonny and Michael's amusement - a powerful blah blah...."

“You of all people should know that Mr. Walker.”
Comma after "that."

“Ow what was that for? Ass.”
Either a comma or exclamation point after "ow." Depends on the severity of the interjection.

“Why are they all reacting like that.”
Question mark for questions.

He frowned at this, he hated Orre
Semi-colon instead of comma, or just a period and make it two sentences.

Jonny’s mind drifted away from the teachers that were introducing himself.
The teachers are introducing Jonny? His reputation precedes him. :p

Jonny could hear panicked muttering all around him about this grading system. He understood.
He understood what, exactly? Never hurts to be specific.

Instead of being greeted with a spartan lobby. Instead they found themselves in an ornate white foyer.
These two sentences are odd and they feel like they can be joined together. Also, using "instead" twice is redundant.

Okay, so as for these two chapters, I'm actually really impressed! Not that I ever doubted your writing skills, but with how often you were telling me it was a piece of garbage, I'm pleasantly surprised. A lot of good stuff, really good description here, good characters, and overall great world-building. Kind of makes me wish I were going to this super-prestigious academy.

My only caveat is at the beginning of chapter two, where you introduce like five different characters all at the same time and it really confused me. I was like "Whoa, slow down! Too many characters!" Taking the time to differentiate between them would go a long way here. That and not having a dozen names that start with "J." :p

But really, that's my only concern. I enjoyed these chapters a lot more, and I enjoyed the first one too, so I enjoyed them doubly so. It was a bit unrealistic that Summer would just sleep on a random stranger's chest, though... I mean, what girl does that?

But either way, keep up the good work! I'm going to have to up my writing speed if I'm going to keep up with you, Mr. One-Chapter-Per-Week man. :V

And lastly...
“He has as much trouble with your clothes as you do!” Mikey was chuckling at his friend’s enthusiasm. “For you it’s shirts, for him it’s pants.”
You win. You win everything. Plus four stars! XD

Seriously, I laughed out loud at this. Only because I love Scraggy so much. :p
 
I love your reviews Gibs!

I'll address the grammar stuff that you always come through with for me tomorrow. - Edit, took care of the grammar stuff LIKE A BOSS

Regarding Summer falling asleep on Jonny, it was supposed to be accidental, her falling asleep on the chair next to his and then sliding onto his shoulder in her sleep. That should have been more clear (I'll end up editing that along with the other things tomorrow).

Thanks again for your review, you're always a huge help for my writing!
 
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Hello Coco Adel!

I'm really enjoying the story so far: a academic story with a fresh Ranger-based-perspective-twist and a solid cast that resonates well with the reader.

The characters are well written and well thought out and with each chapter grow a little bit more. However, one of the things that feels a little jagged with respect to the characters, and other parts of the story as well, is a tendency to tell instead of show. Sometimes, you blatantly state a character trait or character status:

"The speaker was the man at the front of the meeting. He was Head Ranger Vincent Larmond, the head ranger at the academy as well as the headmaster of the school."

It's reads better when these aspects are revealed through action rather than be omniscient narrator. Johnny's mischievous and playful nature is really well shown when he just throws himself off the boat into the ocean! Still haven't wrapped my head around Summer though - her waking up Johnny's chest really raises some character questions and a possible future relationship XD

The others have touched on some grammatical slips, so I won't say anything there because that happens with every story.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the next chapter - So long as you don't throw more characters with 'J-names' at us!

V
 
Hello Coco Adel!

I'm really enjoying the story so far: a academic story with a fresh Ranger-based-perspective-twist and a solid cast that resonates well with the reader.

The characters are well written and well thought out and with each chapter grow a little bit more. However, one of the things that feels a little jagged with respect to the characters, and other parts of the story as well, is a tendency to tell instead of show. Sometimes, you blatantly state a character trait or character status:

"The speaker was the man at the front of the meeting. He was Head Ranger Vincent Larmond, the head ranger at the academy as well as the headmaster of the school."

It's reads better when these aspects are revealed through action rather than be omniscient narrator. Johnny's mischievous and playful nature is really well shown when he just throws himself off the boat into the ocean! Still haven't wrapped my head around Summer though - her waking up Johnny's chest really raises some character questions and a possible future relationship XD

The others have touched on some grammatical slips, so I won't say anything there because that happens with every story.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the next chapter - So long as you don't throw more characters with 'J-names' at us!

V

Thanks for the review! I did come to realize that the Summer thing came off across a bit odd (I kind of rewrote that scene to show that it was more clearly an accident rather than her intentionally doing it, that she fell asleep in her own chair and just sorta slumped over onto his shoulder).

And yes, you're not the first one who mentioned the 'J' name thing, so I already swore that there won't be any more of those!

Glad you're enjoying it! I'm hoping to get the next chapter out today, tomorrow at the latest!
 
Chapter Four: She Really is Spoiled Rotten


Ranger Rose looked down at her watch. It was now nine, which meant that her class was about to begin. She looked up at the large group of prospective rangers. Unlike many of the classes which split the first years into groups of fifteen or twenty, she had all fifty of them at once. While most teachers would find that frustrating, she liked it. It allowed her to make connections that the other faculty couldn’t. However, she had also done a mental count and she was one short. And she didn’t even need to think about it to know who it was. She was about to start the class anyways when she heard a loud scraping from the back entrance of the stadium.

Jonny had struggled to get up on time, even with the wakeup announcement that had been pushed to all of the rooms an hour earlier. Instead of getting up like most of the others, he had rolled over and gone back to sleep for half an hour. So instead of having time for a sit-down breakfast, he had been forced to rush over to the stadium after his shower.

“Is he really…” Michael hadn’t even needed to turn around to look. He recognized the scraping sound of his friend’s skateboard anywhere. And he was right. Jonny had skated to class since it was the only way he would make it close to on time. Even then, it was close. Not only that, he was clearly disheveled. His hair was wilder than usual, he hadn’t even buttoned his shirt, revealing his shirtless chest and rose necklace. His Scraggy rode on his right shoulder and under his sunglasses were a pair of bloodshot eyes.

But as sleepy as he appeared, Jonny was in fact fully alert. While he made it look effortless, controlling his skateboard at the speed he was going with a Scraggy on one shoulder and his cup of coffee in the other hand was no easy task. Upon arrival, he coolly kicked his skateboard up into his free hand and took the open seat next to Michael. “9:01. Close enough.” Jonny muttered under his breath.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that. She doesn’t look amused.” Michael was clearly amused when his friend sighed. The first time he’d ever seen him feel bad for being late. Ranger Rose’s words weren’t going to help.

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence Mr. Walker.” There was just the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice, but it was enough to make the entire class laugh at Jonny’s expense. But instead of being embarrassed by this, Jonny laughed right along them and waved, as if acknowledging his momentary fame.

“Now that we’re all here, I’ll get started.” Even Daphne couldn’t hide her amusement at her young charge’s antics. “As you all know from yesterday, I’m Ranger Rose and this is Ranger 101. Now I know that isn’t the clearest title for a class, but it is really quite simple what we will be doing in this section. I will be teaching you the basics of how to be a ranger. Not only that, but we will be going over the rules and regulations that all rangers have to follow. While there are many different ranks of ranger, from student rangers like yourselves, to field rangers like Ranger Walker and even section heads like Ranger Larmond, we all have to follow the same rule book.” Jonny had to work hard not to laugh at this. His older brother had a… complicated relationship with the rules. Not that it prevented him from doing his job well of course.

“This class will be short and simple.” Ranger Rose continued. “I’d like each of you to now take out your stylers. They’re built into the phones.” She reminded them in case they forgot from the previous afternoon. “Because today we’re going to go over the function and uses of the Capture Styler and why it’s one of the essentials of the Ranger toolkit.”

Jonny looked over at Michael, who already had his styler out. Glancing past him, he caught Summer’s eye and smiled brightly, as a way to say good morning. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his new phone and quickly fished the styler out of the back. Unlike the older days when the styler itself had been a larger device, with the advances in technology it now looked more like a black and gold pen than a separate device.

“Very sleek. Good balance on it.” Michael noted quietly to himself as he waited for Ranger Rose to continue with her lecture.

“The process of using the styler is extremely simple. All you have to do is point it at the Pokémon you wish to befriend and hold it in place for a few moments. No more circling it or other complex movements like the old days.” Ranger Rose smiled at this. When she had been coming up through the academy, the stylers required quick movements and could be annoying to use in pressure situations. She couldn’t help but think that these kids had it easy compared to the old days.

“But with the ease of use and the incredible power of the Styler, there are a few rules that we’ve put in place. The Styler must be used responsibly, it must do no harm to the Pokémon being befriended nor any innocents. Second, all Pokémon that the styler have been used on must be allowed to go free after use. It is tempting to use it on a powerful Pokémon and then capture it with a ball, but this is strictly against corps regulations. The third and final rule about use of the styler is that it cannot be used on a Pokémon that has already been captured. Not only will the styler not work, it will cause harm to the Pokémon in question.” Rose rattled these rules off quickly. Summer and Melody nodded to each other. At least these were quick and easy to understand. They had the feeling that later classes might not be so easy.

“Now for the second part of class, I’d like for all of you to release your new partners. We’re going to spend the next half hour or so simply getting to know them.” Daphne instructed with a smile. It would be easy enough for the rangers and it would be a light moment to get them used to things before sending them off to their next classes. While some of them would be taking a cold swim in the brisk air with Ranger Walker, most of them would be sent to learn how to battle from James Dalton. Her thoughts on the man were still rather conflicted. There was no doubt that he was a brilliant trainer and a master tactician. Anybody that had ever watched his battles on television knew that. But at the same time… Daphne cut herself off. If Larmond trusted him, she would give him the same benefit of the doubt. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t continue to keep a very close eye on him.

As Jonny sat with his Scraggy in the grass, his mind wandered. The young Pokémon seemed nice enough, even though it seemed to have a bit of a balance issue. He noticed that as it played, it sometimes would trip over what Jonny assumed was simply loose skin. After all, it wasn’t like Pokémon actually wore pants. At least as far as he was aware. Contest contestants were kind of… loopy… and it wouldn’t surprise him if they dressed their Pokémon in pants. Weird, but not surprising.

Summer had come over and talked to him for a few minutes which was nice. She did seem way more interested in why he seemed so tired than anything else, which struck him as extremely odd. Mikey was more interested in examining and researching his Pawniard, which was fine. That was who he was after all, everything was like a math problem for that boy. Analyze, process, calculate, solve. As for Melody, she seemed as interested in the book in her left hand as the Froakie on her shoulder. Jonny couldn’t help but wonder what she was reading. But before he could go over and ask, Ranger Rose brought him out of his musings.

“We only have a few more minutes before I have to dismiss you. And since it’s your first day, I’m going to let you out a bit early. Some of you have Ranger Walker’s class next, which will be down at the main dock, but most of you will be staying here for Battling with Mr. Dalton.” Daphne instructed. “But before you go, I have one last thing for you. The Ranger Code. It is short and to the point, but it governs everything we do.” She paused for a moment, before reciting the code.


1.Do no harm.

2.Always be prepared.

3.A Ranger is selfless. Always act for others.

4.All Pokémon are to be treated with the utmost respect and care.

5.Rangers lead the way.


“No real homework for this time. Consider the code carefully, remember how and when to use your Stylers and be ready for the rest of your lessons today. Class dismissed.” Ranger Rose said with a bright smile.

Once she was finished, Jonny pulled out his phone quickly to check his schedule. To his relief, he would be staying at the stadium with Professor Dalton. He didn’t want to deal with his brother so early in the morning, not after the little stunt with the posters. He was worried about what Jack would cook up during an actual class period.

“Are you staying here for battling too?” Summer asked Jonny, peering over his shoulder to look at his phone.

“Yeah. What about Mike and Mel?” Jonny asked, assuming that the three of them had already talked about this. Probably while he was still sleeping.

“Yeah. We all have Ranger 101 and Battling together. We split off from each other for a bunch of the other classes, but you’ll have to ask Michael for that rundown.” Jonny laughed at this. He had no doubt that Michael had already programmed all four of their schedules into his phone to track them easier.

“I’ll ask him later.” Jonny said quietly. “You thought I wasn’t going to make it to this class, didn’t you?”

Summer replied with a very non-committal wave of her hand. “Fifty-fifty.” She replied after a moment’s consideration. “Michael seemed convinced that you were going to show up five minutes late.”

Jonny was about to comment when he noticed a flash of light at the front of the stadium. Ranger Rose had been getting ready to leave when she took a step back. James Dalton appeared next to his Gardevoir, once again wearing one of his custom suits. Jonny watched him closely as he spoke to Ranger Rose for a moment. He knew that he shouldn’t be eavesdropping like he was, but he couldn’t resist. “What are you doing?” Summer hissed in his ear.

“Trying to listen.” Jonny muttered under his breath, but it was no good. He was too far away from the conversation to hear. Before he could think about moving closer, Ranger Rose turned on her heel to leave.

“Why don’t you join me for dinner tonight?” Jonny heard James say to his co-worker as she left. “Instead of eavesdropping from across the room.” At this, Jonny raised an eyebrow. He wanted to say something, but before he could, he heard Daphne groan in disgust. And then she was gone.

“Am I the only one who heard that?” Jonny asked aloud.

“Heard what?” Michael asked as he and Melody walked over.

“Never mind.” Jonny said softly as he turned back towards the front of the class.


_____________________________________________________________________


It was common for first year teachers to be nervous for their first ever class. But James Dalton wasn’t at all nervous. While he had spent longer than usual picking the right suit, the right tie, the right shoes and the right glasses for the day, he was also confident in his abilities to teach his students.

“Good morning everyone, I hope Miss Rose wasn’t too tough on you all.” His tone was brimming with confidence, his smile charming and easygoing. "This is Battling Tactics and I'm James Dalton, your professor. James is fine, I'm not one for such formalities as Mr. Dalton or Professor Dalton." He remarked. "In this class, I'm going to teach you the finer points of battle. I know that many of you think you know what you're doing in a battle... and some of you probably actually do know a thing or two."

Jonny rolled his eyes at his teacher’s words. "I may not be a ranger, but I'm well informed. It's dangerous out there and you're going to have to learn to protect yourselves. With that in mind, I'd like each of you to bring the Pokémon you trust most. There's a very valuable lesson I need to teach you all before we really begin." James finished.

Michael and Melody looked at each other and frowned. They didn’t like the way that their teacher had phrased that statement. It was obviously a trap. But both of them were model students, so they did as instructed. Mike released his Porygon-Z while Melody sent out her Gallade.

“Python, be ready for anything.” Mikey muttered.

“You too Descartes.” Melody said softly.

Summer and Jonny shared looks of interest on the other hand. They were curious as to what was happening. Jonny sent out his Feraligatr while Summer had chosen her Rapidash.

“Nice.” Jonny said as he looked at the massive white horse. “You ride?” He asked her, knowing that Rapidash riding was a popular pastime throughout the world.

“I do.” Summer said with a bright smile. She was about to go further with the metaphor when James got their attention. Not with his words, but with his actions.

“Princess, if you would proceed with the demonstration please.” The temperamental Gardevoir nodded and held out her hands. Before any of the students could react, each and every one of their Pokémon had fallen fast asleep. “Thank you my dear.” James said with a soft smile. He ignored the annoyed remarks and shouts from his students for a moment, before deciding to reassure them. “Don’t worry, no harm has come to your friends. I will wake them up at the end of the lesson.” He said.

“Sir? If I may ask?” Melody said a bit timidly. “What was the point of that exactly?”

“That’s a great question Miss Chen.” James replied. He had prepared ahead of time, learning all of his students’ names before the first class. “Because for your first class, I wanted to be sure that you left learning something. There are four things I want you to pick up from this. First, never underestimate your opponent. Second, always be prepared for a battle. Third, always expect the unexpected. Fourth and most importantly, you always need a backup plan."

“I’m confused.” Michael admitted sheepishly, running his hand through his short curly hair rather awkwardly.

“Mike, come on you’re the smart one.” James chuckled. “The unexpected should become the expected. Intelligence and knowledge are just important weapons as power and speed. You must know what your foe has in order to counter it properly. Questions?"

The class was silent for a lingering moment. It seemed that nobody knew what to say. And then a light went on in Summer’s mind.

“You’re trying to teach us that we never want to bring a knife to a gunfight.” She thought out loud. When she saw James’ eyes light up, she knew that she was on the right track. “That if we don’t do a good job of determining what we’re up against, we could end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.”

“Very, very good Miss Snow.” James answered. “That’s exactly what my job is going to be here.” He chuckled. “As Miss Snow said, to make sure you don’t end up bringing a knife to a gunfight.”

Jonny rolled his eyes. He’d known the lothario who was masquerading as a teacher long enough that his charms didn’t work anymore, that they were more annoying than anything else. But to his disgust, he noticed that the entire rest of the class was enraptured by the battling champion. The rest of his peers, and especially the girls, were seemingly hanging on his every word. Summer in particular, as she looked rather pleased with herself to be on the receiving end of such praise from James Dalton himself.

“Now to the more practical part of the lesson.” James said, nodding to Princess. She nodded and closed her eyes again. This time, all of the sleeping Pokémon woke up. And true to his word, none of them had been harmed. “As you learned from that demonstration, there will be times in the field where you will have to face a foe of such overwhelming power. There are trainers out there with the ability to knock out your best with one move. And while such power is admittedly rare, you may encounter it in the field. And when you do, I do not want you to panic.” He looked over at his Gardevoir again, who now was projecting a board. “So imagine that I was an enemy and I had just done that. What’s your next move?” James announced. “No need to raise your hands, this is a brainstorming session.”

“Sleep Talk!”

“Send out another Pokémon!”

“Wake up my Pokémon!”

“Try to hide and attempt to surprise attack!”

These ideas were flying out fast and furious from the class and eventually James held up his hand to quiet the students. “Good, I like the initiative. I would advise against sending out another Pokémon, as it would likely just end up asleep. Now if you were to send out a Pokémon with Insomnia or Synchronize, then you’d really be in business. Sleep Talk… if you’re that prepared… that’s brilliant. Trying to wake up your Pokémon is also risky. Out in the field, there are no rules. While you do that, the perpetrator may be using the opening to escape. Or even worse they may be using their next move to attack you. And lastly, fleeing and attempting to fight from the shadows. It’s a good thought but this is strictly situational. In a forest, mine or warehouse, this could work. But in an open field or on a beach… not so much.” James glanced at Princess. “If you would?” The Gardevoir huffed, but did as she was told. Text appeared on the board.


Always know your surroundings.

Always be prepared.

Always be ready for anything.

Always be flexible.

Always be thinking two steps ahead.


Always have a Plan B.


“Mr. Dalton, what would you do? If you were in our situation?” Michael eventually asked.

“Now that’s a great question Mr. Johnson. If I were put in a position where I was against such overwhelming power…” James pondered this for a moment. While he had expected this question to be asked at some point during his lecture, he wanted to make sure he got the words out right. “In this case, Princess knows Safeguard. Which as you may know is a move that brings up a shield that protects a Pokémon from all status effects, including sleep. Now I will admit that it’s very possible that a Pokémon with such overwhelming power could break through that shield. And it’s also possible that an attack could get through before the shield took hold.” James sighed when he heard Princess huff again. This time, she teleported away. James rolled his eyes.

“Mr. Dalton, is that normal?” One of his students asked.

“Sadly it is. She’s very proud you know. And for good reason.” James sighed. “To answer your question, in this case I would use Safeguard. The shield would give me time to work down that foe with my two heavy hitters.” On cue, two balls popped open. On the ground, a massive Arcanine looked down at the students and howled. And from the sky, a titanic Dragonite roared and let loose a torrent of flame up into the sky above. “This duo can break anything down given enough time. Teamwork is essential.”

James looked up and smiled. “Enough showing off you two.” He chided them gently. “The last thing I want to go over is the notion of flexibility in battle. Going into battle with a plan is always good. It allows you to act quickly without panicking or second guessing yourself. This is especially true in situations where you know the field and you know what you will be facing. In this case, having a plan and the ability to be flexible in the execution of the plan will be optimal.”

Jonny looked out at his fellow rangers and smirked. He could see them writing up a storm in their notepads, trying to get down every word that James said as he talked. To his left, Mikey was instead typing away on his laptop, doing the same. But he preferred to simply listen. Trying to write down word for word made him miss things.

“As for situations where you’re going in blind and don’t know the field, flexibility will be your most important trait. There’s an old saying, that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. And I can tell you from experience that it is 100% true.” James chuckled. “In my class, I will be giving you the tools to be flexible and skilled tacticians. You will learn to think on your feet and to formulate complex plans on the fly. It isn’t easy and it takes practice and study, so it is something that will be a huge focus in my class.” He trailed off, looking out towards the high walls of the stadium in the direction of the water. “And with that, class is dismissed. It appears that I have to find an extremely fragile psychic type and convince her not to smite my face off.” The look of mirth in James’ eyes made it readily apparent that this was typical behavior from his Gardevoir.

“Is it just me, or is his Gardevoir incredibly spoiled?” Melody asked aloud.

“She is.” James chuckled as he walked by. Melody looked up, blushing bright red as she hadn’t realized that their professor could hear. “My fault really. Spoiled her rotten.”

As James walked away, Melody couldn’t help but think she was in way over her head. The way he had talked about battling and the way that his Gardevoir had been able to knock out the entire class… she had a Gardevoir herself and she thought that hers was well-trained. But that Princess… she was in a whole other league. She was thankful that they had a break for lunch next. It would be a good way to recharge and unwind before their afternoon lessons.
 
Could've sworn I'd reviewed this one. Ah well, no time like the present.

I really liked this latest installment. Especially so with James teaching the kids, as strange as that sounds. Stories where you have characters grow in competence need to show where their time was put in to reach that level.

The pacing is good, and the chapters are lengthy enough to fit it. There were some instances where the descriptions were a bit superfluous, but it wasn't in any way a dealbreaker.

For now, that's all I really have to say without getting too wordy. Good stuff, man.
 
So the two chapters a week plan was quickly killed by the release of Overwatch. Funny how life works sometimes. Anyways, I'm definitely gonna be trying to get one chapter out a week now.


Chapter Five: Paradise by the Harbor Lights


It had been a terrible day, but Jonny had to admit that watching the sunset from his balcony helped to take the edge off just a bit. Looking out over the water, he could see just the tip of the sun, the sky lit up in gradients of blue, purple and red. He could hear the chatter of his fellow students below, the sounds of the restaurants in town preparing for the dinner rush and the flock of Wingull that seemed to always be in flight above the academy grounds.

But instead of being outside to enjoy the weather, Jonny was sitting alone in his room icing his right side. Reaching over to the table to grab his beer, he let out a sharp breath of pain. He’d moved too quickly. Slowing down, he gently lifted the beer to his lips and took a long sip. At least the beer was cold.

He thought back to earlier in the afternoon. It had been their third session of self-defense class with Professor Fletcher and the young professor had asked for a sparring partner. Jonny had of course volunteered, feeling confident in himself.

What a foolish notion that had been. In his mind’s eye, he could see his professor’s opening strike, a palm thrust that had hit him square in the chest. It had cracked three ribs and before he could react he had found himself on the floor, courtesy of a leg sweep and a completely unnecessary elbow to the gut. But it wasn’t the boy’s cruel efficiency that had been so chilling, it was the fact that it was clear that Dirk Fletcher had been pulling his punches, that he’d only scratched the surface of what he was capable of.

And even while pulling punches, he’d cracked four of Jonny’s ribs. A trip to Mrs. Fernandez, the school nurse and their first aid teacher, had left him with a diagnosis and instructions of ice, rest and painkillers for the next few days. But it wasn’t exactly helping, the pain was able to push through.

As the last bit of sunlight dipped down below the horizon, Jonny sighed deeply. He’d been at the academy for a week now and he was already starting to feel just a bit disillusioned by it all. While it was clear that their teachers were some of the most highly qualified people in the world in their disciplines and the training facilities available to them were the finest around, he still felt as if something was missing. He had expected adventure and so far there had been none of that. While deep down he knew that it would come in time, Jonny found himself getting stir-crazy. And being laid up with an injury wasn’t helping.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door opening. He’d left his apartment door open a crack because he knew that Michael would probably be stopping by to check on him. And knowing his best friend, he’d also be bringing notes on the classes he’d missed. “Hey Mike!” Jonny shouted without looking back into the apartment. “Mind grabbing me a beer?” He asked after confirming with a shake that his current bottle was empty. No response.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair. He took his icepack off of his chest and casually tossed it into the cooler by his feet. He winced; the moment he lost the soothing cold of the ice, the pain came rushing back. He was about to ask Michael where his beer was when he felt the cold bottle slide gently into his left hand. “Thanks.” He muttered without opening his eyes. Taking a sip of his beer, he felt a little bit better.

He was about to ask how the rest of the day had gone when he felt a gentle hand on his shirtless chest. Jonny didn’t know what to say, this was not something that had ever happened before. But it wasn’t uncomfortable, even as he felt fingers slide down towards the dark bruises that marked the spot where Dirk had hit him. “You poor thing.” Jonny’s eyes shot open. It wasn’t Michael at all. He looked up into Summer’s eyes, his gaze naturally travelling to the source of her voice. She was draped over his chair, her left hand on his side and her right holding his rose necklace loosely in her fingertips. “Maddie told me what happened.” She gave as an explanation.

“Yeah. I guess I had it coming. He tells us to keep our guards up and he snuck a shot in low.” Jonny admitted sheepishly. “He didn’t mean to. Told me that as much as he was working hard to not hit any of us that hard… instinct can take over sometimes.” He explained, his voice seeming a bit ethereal. He hadn’t been paying attention to Mrs. Fernandez when she warned him not to drink alcohol with the pills she was giving him and he was starting to drift off into space because of it.

“Still… that looks horrible.” Summer said sadly. “How bad is it?”

“Thankfully the ribs aren’t fully broken. Just cracked.” He explained before something else occurred to him. “Has your hair always smelled this nice? Like fresh Oran berry... I like it.”

This caught Summer off guard and caused her to giggle. “Jonny…” She paused, not entirely sure what to say. She’d never seen him like this before. “Yes, my hair has always smelled like this, and thank you.” She turned away for a moment, not wanting him to see the faint blush that colored her porcelain cheeks.

Jonny didn’t notice her hesitancy and he reached up to caress her face. Even in his compromised state, his touch was gentle. “Summer… I…” Jonny couldn’t find the words, his brain wasn’t firing on close to all cylinders.

Summer smiled softly. She knew what he was trying to say. And she felt as he did. Even though they had only known each other for a week, both had been drawn into each other’s orbit. Summer sighed; she knew that the boy was damaged and yet… she couldn’t help but care about him. “You should rest.” She said simply, putting those deeper issues off for the time being.

“Stay with me?” Jonny asked quietly. “I don’t want to be alone right now.” He explained rather meekly. Summer raised an eyebrow. The usual confidence was gone, the usual bravado nowhere to be found. Instead Summer realized that she was seeing the real Jonny Walker for the first time.

“Sure.” Summer said comfortingly, looking around for another chair on the balcony. “You really need to get a second chair out here.” She rolled her eyes.

“For who?” Jonny asked blankly. “Mikey never sits down. You know how he is, pacing all the time. And who says you can’t share my chair?” He asked with a wide grin.

Summer laughed at this. “The fact that you have half your ribs broken says that we can’t.”

“And you were planning on sitting on my ribcage?” Jonny retorted and Summer had to admit that he had a point. She nodded.

“Tell me if it hurts.” She said quietly before carefully sitting down on his lap. Making sure she didn’t hurt him further, she spun around, their faces only inches apart. Neither of them spoke for a few lingering moments before Summer finally felt the need to break the silence. “Jonny can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” Jonny’s response was way too quick not to have been rehearsed. He reached up and stroked her hair and Summer came to realize exactly where this was leading.

“You’re impossible…” Summer chuckled.

“And you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Jonny was laying it on thick now. This just caused Summer to roll her eyes.

“You’re not helping your case there Mr. Walker.” Summer said softly. But she was the one who was having trouble now. Having him play with her hair, being held in his strong arms, clutched close to his muscular chest… she knew that he was up to no good, but she couldn’t stop herself. Instead, she felt herself leaning closer.

“Summer, I…” Jonny started to say but Summer cut him off with a kiss. She had meant it to be a brief peck, but as soon as their lips had touched, both of them were pulled into a passionate haze. Jonny pulled her close to him and Summer’s hands found themselves winding down his back. With what little conscious thought she still had, she carefully adjusted herself so as to not hurt him.

Taking advantage of Summer’s sudden move, Jonny leaned down slightly to trail light kisses down Summer’s neck. Her sky blue tank top gave him ample access to her collarbone, and she couldn’t stop herself from moaning as his lips and tongue moved ever lower. She didn’t even mind it when his left hand found its way up her shirt, unhooking her bra with an expert flick.

Little brother, you really should answer your phone. Hearing Jack’s voice over the intercom, Summer and Jonny both froze.

“What on earth?” Summer looked towards the door. She knew that she had closed it when she walked in and she was thankful to see that Jonny’s older brother wasn’t in the room. While they hadn’t moved all that far, it still wouldn’t have been a good look.

“I swear I’m going to kill him.” Jonny was interrupted by his phone ringing. Rolling his eyes, he picked it up off the table. “Jack I’m going to kill you.” Jonny repeated for emphasis and also so his brother could hear his annoyance.

“Well maybe you should stop thinking with your dick.” Jack shot back. “You shouldn’t be doing that anyways, not with the condition you’re in. Anyways, I need your help. Come down to the-”

“Oh go fuck yourself.” Jonny couldn’t stop himself and hearing Summer gasp made him realize that maybe he’d taken it a bit too far. “You hack the intercom, you accuse me of…”

“So Summer isn’t there?” Jonny froze. Jack had handed off his phone.

“Melody?!?” Jonny’s shock was apparent.

“Melody? What’s she doing with your brother?” Summer asked. Jonny simply shrugged.

“Can you come down to the dock? We do need your help with something.” Melody explained and Jonny sighed. He wasn’t going to get out of this one.

“Yeah sure Mel… you owe me one for this.” Jonny muttered.

“I think I also owe Summer too. Tell her that I’m sorry, will you?” Melody said softly and Jonny nodded before hanging up.

“I have to go.” Jonny said sadly. “Melody needs my help with something. Apparently involving my idiot brother. And she says she’s sorry.”

“If it was anybody but her or Michael…” Summer started to say.

“I’d throw my phone into the ocean from here.” Jonny finished and with a laugh, Summer got up from his lap.

“Smooth by the way. Barely felt you unhook my bra.” She mused as Jonny stood up slowly, hissing slightly due to the pain. He looked over at her and smiled.

“See you later?” He asked and she nodded. “I’ll text you when I’m done with whatever this is.” Jonny promised before leaning in and kissing Summer lightly on the lips. With a smile and a spring in his step, he left the room. Summer watched him leave with a soft smile on her face. She'd tried to avoid it, but she was truly smitten with the boy.

________________________

It took Jonny longer than usual to reach the dock, a side effect of his condition. He’d taken a quick detour to grab an iced coffee as well, which probably hadn’t helped in terms of timeliness. When he arrived, he saw his brother and Melody talking and he once again wondered what was going on.

“You better have a really good reason for all this.” Jonny said as he walked over. The venom in his tone was aimed solely at his brother, but Melody was once again taken aback by it. Jack however was simply smiling.

“What did she think of your Cynthia and Flannery posters?” Jack asked with a smirk and Jonny nearly went ballistic.

“I…” Jonny held up his hand, before realizing that nothing was coming to him. “You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I’m on painkillers and everything’s a bit loopy. Now that’s not very nice.” At this, Jack smiled.

“Exactly. I’m making sure that nothing hurts your recovery. Especially since you got your first off campus assignment.” Jack told him. “Michael didn’t tell you?”

“When would he have told me?” Jonny asked rhetorically. “Where am I going anyways?”

“Snowpoint.” Melody answered. “I’m a bit jealous, it’s nice this time of year. I’m headed to Celadon.” She explained with a smile as she adjusted her glasses.

“Ah nice. Celadon is nice.” Jonny seemed preoccupied. “So what am I doing here exactly?” He eventually asked.

Jack started to speak, but Melody simply nodded. Jack smiled and went silent, realizing that Jonny would probably rather hear it from her. “I um… I actually don’t know how to swim.” She admitted meekly. With this explanation, Jonny’s anger at his brother melted away.

“And since I’m only here part time, I need somebody to help teach Miss Chen so she can catch up to the rest of the class.” Jack finished.

“Of course.” Jonny said quietly. “As soon as I’m up to speed again… actually when do we leave for our assignments?”

“Summer and I leave tomorrow. You and Mikey leave the day after.” Melody explained.

“Miss Snow is headed to Sunyshore I believe. Mike got hosed, they’re sending him to Viridian Forest.” Jack seemed amused by this and Jonny burst out in laughter. Melody glanced at him quizzically.

“Mike’s scared to death of bug Pokémon. Especially spiders.” Jonny explained between bouts of laughter. “Ow.” Jonny quickly stopped laughing after it sent another bout of shooting pain through his ribcage.

“So you’ll help her out after you both get back from your assignments?” Jack asked.

“Of course.” Jonny raised an eyebrow. “Wait, if we aren’t actually doing anything today…” He looked annoyed again. “Then why did you…”

“Because I didn’t know what you were doing until you didn’t pick up your phone.” Jack quickly replied, causing his brother to groan.

“You suck.” Jonny rolled his eyes. Realizing that there was no point in arguing with his brother any longer, he looked over at Melody. “Did you grab lunch yet?”

“Jonny it’s six fifteen in the evening.” Melody stated simply, looking down at her watch. Jonny sighed at his own obliviousness.

“Okay, did you grab dinner yet?” He said with a smile, quickly recovering.

“I did not.” Melody smiled back.

“Then lets go. I’ll text Summer and Mikey on the way. Want to check out that ramen place in town?” Seeing Melody light up, Jonny knew that he’d picked a winner. As they walked off, he realized that maybe things weren’t so bad. He was headed to Snowpoint for his first mission, his injuries would heal in due time and life always had a funny way of working out for him.
 
Chapter Six: Whiteout


As he attempted to read his mission briefing, Jonny felt himself dozing off, his eyes drooping shut involuntarily. He sighed, listening to the hum of the engines outside his window. Unlike what the rest of the academy suggested, rangers didn’t seem to travel in style. The small prop plane was decent enough he supposed, but it wasn’t exactly the first class accommodation he had quickly found himself getting adjusted to. The seats were hard and lumpy, the engines were loud, the concept of leg room didn’t seem to exist and most annoyingly the cabin temperature was dropping like a rock the closer they got to their destination.

“We’ll be arriving in Snowpoint City in the next fifteen minutes. We hope you enjoyed your flight.” Hearing the voice of the pilot on the intercom brought Jonny into a slightly more alert state. He glanced down at his phone and noticed that he had a mass of text messages coming in. Apparently since the plane had started its descent, he could get cell service again.

Text me when you land.

Jonny rolled his eyes. He was quickly learning that Summer had a thing about planes and she hated the fact that he was flying to his assignment. Still, it annoyed him that she was sounding way too much like his mother.

This forest is a horrible place. They should burn it all to the ground. I’m almost tempted to do it myself.

He got a chuckle out of this one. He imagined Michael wandering through the forest with an amused grin on his face. The fact that he had gotten the assignment that involved tracking Beedrill and Ariados. His best friend grew up screaming at the mere sight of a bug, so Jonny could only imagine how having to track and carefully observe their mating and movement patterns was going. And considering this was one of the few times Jonny had ever seen his friend lose his temper, he knew that Michael’s forest excursion wasn’t going well.

Remember that your first assignment is your first chance to really impress the senior members of the Corps. And have fun with it, hope you packed your snowboard.

His brother always seemed to know just what to say. And he had brought his snowboard and he was planning on getting some runs in after he finished his work up in the mountains. As much as the tropical blood in him hated the cold, Jonny loved the thrill of snowboarding even more.

Realizing they were landing in a few moments, Jonny went into his backpack and began to prepare for the cold. Pulling a black beanie over his messy hair, he stared out the window. It had been over a year since he had last seen snow, but even from here he could see the gentle snowfall that was blanketing the arctic landscape below. After gazing out the window for a moment to take in the view, he looked back at the half-read briefing in his hand. Sighing, he decided that he should at least skim it in the last few minutes he had before he was on the ground.

Being able to ignore the loud hum of the engine and the rather shaky sound that resulted from the deployment of the landing gear was a happy coincidence. Turns out his first assignment wasn’t nearly as straightforward as he had assumed. There had been recent reports of avalanche activity high up in the mountains near Snowpoint. Not only did Jonny have to help the local rangers survey the area, he had to report in any observations regarding the native Pokémon populations. His notes detailed the native types, none of which really surprised him, with the exception of Swablu and Altaria.

As soon as he felt the plane hit the ground, Jonny typed out the word Landed on his phone and sent it to Summer. He knew that she wasn’t exactly going to be amused by his one word reply, but he didn’t really have the time or the will to go into more detail. As the plane taxied to the gate, he replied to Michael and Jack as well as Melody, who had sent him a message asking him if there was anything he’d recommend that she do while she was in Celadon. And considering his recommendation involved playing the slots at the Game Corner, he wisely chose not to go into much detail. He also knew that it wasn’t the time to be worried about what his friends were doing. He was about to go into the field for the first time as a ranger and he needed to be laser focused.

______________________________________________


Stepping outside into the cool morning air, Jonny took a long moment to appreciate the beauty of the small mountain city. The fresh snowfall was keeping people inside, leading to it being peaceful and quiet outside. He’d familiarized himself with the directions to the ranger branch and knowing it was a short walk, he set off. With his snowboard slung casually over his shoulder, he made his way through the mostly empty streets.

Through the snow, he could just make out the red roofs of the chalets that made up the bulk of the buildings nearby. As much as he was tempted to stop into one of the many lodges for a warm mug of coffee and the potential of meeting a ski bunny or two, he managed to have the discipline to keep moving. Up on the northern hills overlooking the town was the ranger barracks, and his destination.

It didn’t take him long to arrive and shrugging the snow off of his white and grey jacket, he stepped inside. A blast of warm air greeted him along with a smiling receptionist who wore thin glasses and had bushy brown hair. “Can I help you?” She asked with an airy tone as she looked Jonny over. Peeling off his gloves, Jonny fished out his identification and slid it over.

“Student Ranger Jonny Walker, reporting for duty.” Jonny said cordially, flashing the woman a bright smile as he pocketed his gloves and took his hat off. He shook his hair in a vain attempt to make it look less like he had hat hair as she looked him up in the small computer terminal on her desk.

“Ah yes I have you in here. Coming from Hoenn… Rangers Octavian and Vincent are waiting for you in the briefing room. You can leave your things in the lockers on the way. Locker 23 is vacant.” The receptionist pointed him to the hallway on her right.

“Thanks.” Jonny said quickly, walking briskly in that direction. After a quick stop in the locker room to store his luggage and snowboard, he eventually found the briefing room. It was a small space with a central table, two screens in the front of the room and a small carafe of coffee. He heard voices as he walked in, but they trailed off as soon as he walked in. The two rangers that the receptionist had mentioned quickly sized him up, and Jonny did the same.

It amused him greatly that they were both practically twins. Tall, meaty, muscular with short cropped hair and wearing the ranger colors of red, orange and yellow, Ranger Octavian and Ranger Vincent were practically the poster children of the disciplined, near military rangers that Sinnoh was known for. A world away from their relatively free-wheeling Hoenn cousins.

“Welcome to Snowpoint Student Ranger Walker.” The man on the right spoke, his tone all business. Jonny knew that there wasn’t going to be any small talk with these two. “I assume you’ve read the briefing.” Seeing Jonny nod, both older rangers smiled faintly. “I’m Ranger Octavian and I’m the Head Ranger of the Snowpoint branch. This is Ranger Vincent, my second in command.” Jonny nodded to both men in turn as a greeting. “We requested a student ranger because all of our man power is currently taxed with helping evacuations and rescue efforts due to the recent avalanche activity. And as such we haven’t been able to really scope out the area and take an accounting of the damage as well as any possibility of more avalanches.” Ranger Octavian explained.

“And according to your academy’s records, you have the best profile of the available student rangers to take on this assignment. High physical assessment scores, self-reliance, arctic survival knowledge. And you’re a proficient snowboarder, which will help with mobility.” Ranger Vincent read off a notepad, clearly they’d both looked at Jonny’s file before choosing him.

“That’s all correct Ranger Vincent.” Jonny said after a moment. “So my job is to go up into the mountains, survey the area, note any Pokémon movement that seems to be out of order… and if there’s anything that might indicate more avalanche activity to come…”

“Report it right away.” Ranger Octavian finished curtly. “If that’s all Ranger Walker.”

“It is.” Even though the situation was serious, he found himself smiling brightly. This was what he had been raised to do, what his grandfather, his father, his uncles and brother all did. For the first time in his life, he was going to truly be a Ranger out on assignment.

“Very well.” Ranger Vincent seemed to notice his enthusiasm. “I know this is your first assignment but I’ve worked with your brother before. So I know you don’t need a primer on how we do things.”

“But be careful.” Ranger Octavian cut him off. “And if anything happens that’s out of your expertise, your radio will get one of us back at the base. Do your job well, come back in one piece and you’ll get a glowing recommendation from the Snowpoint Ranger Corps on your file.” Octavian punctuated this with a salute before walking briskly out of the room.

“Meet me outside in five minutes. I’ll be taking you high up into the mountains. I have the map of the areas you need to survey.” Ranger Vincent explained before leaving the room as well.

____________________________________


Ranger Vincent hadn’t been joking when he’d told Jonny that their destination was high in the mountains. The howling winds and biting cold were no joke and Jonny was glad that he was dressed for the occasion. Even as he got to work surveying his area and taking notes on everything he saw, his mind drifted to his plans for the evening after he finished his work. A nice rest by the fire with a warm mug of hot chocolate and a big dinner would be just the thing he needed to shake the chill from his bones.

Muttering an apology as he did so, he pulled a single ball from his belt and released the Pokémon within with a flash of red, white and blue light. “Patton buddy, I’m going to need you to do me a favor.” Jonny had to almost shout for his voice to carry over the sharp arctic winds. The Braviary perched on his shoulder perked up at the sound of his name. “I can’t see what’s out there across that chasm… can you take a look?” He asked and the bird took off. It was only a matter of moments before Jonny lost sight of him, even with the avian Pokémon’s brightly colored plumage. While he waited for his Braviary’s return, Jonny continued to move. The fact that the natives didn’t seem to be negatively affected by the avalanches was a bit of a relief. A group of winter Sawsbuck pranced freely by and above him he could hear the cries of a flock of Swablu. On the way up the mountain, he’d noted the presence of a colony of Sneasel and all of these things were noted as expected behavior.

What wasn’t expected behavior was rumbling from what sounded like the depths of the mountain. Jonny would never call himself a geologist, but he could guess what that meant. Just as he saw a small red and blue dot coming back over the horizon, he got on the radio. “Ranger Walker reporting in. Pokémon activity in my sector mostly unaffected. Natural Sawsbuck, Sneasel, Swablu and Abomasnow populations acting normally and appear to be unharmed.”

“That’s a relief.” Jonny could barely hear Ranger Octavian over the cacophony of noise that overwhelmed his ears. The howling of the wind, the rumbling he could hear from underneath him… he needed to focus.

“However, I’m hearing an unnatural rumbling from underneath me. It sounds like it could be a sign of…”

“Avalanche!” Octavian shouted. “You’ve got to get out of there! Try and make your way down the mountain back to base!” The urgency in the head ranger’s tone brought Jonny to full alert.

“Understood.” Jonny broke off the call. Returning his Braviary back to his ball, Jonny quickly pulled his snowboard off of his back and strapped himself in. Pulling his hat down low over his eyes, he took a deep breath. “Now this is not the kind of shit I expected to have to deal with on my first mission.” He muttered irritably before kicking his board straight downhill.

He’d barely had time to pick up any speed when the rumbling went from dull to a thundering stampede. He took a moment to look behind him, and when he did… he sorely wished he hadn’t. Ranger Octavian had been right to panic. There was a massive avalanche and it was coming right for him. All around him, it was chaos. The Swablu and Altaria took to the sky to flee, the ground bound Pokémon seemed to know better than him by heading sideways and upwards to escape, and the massive tidal wave of destruction began to close on him.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Jonny hissed under his breath as he turned his head back forward. As tempting as it was to keep his eye on the advancing snow wall behind him, he knew that if he had any chance of making it out alive he needed to keep going. His instincts took over and as he picked up speed he barely had time to consciously register the rocks, sticks and bumps that made up minor obstacles. Debris flew all around him and it took the reflexes of a master ninja to dodge the projectiles that would be deadly at these speeds. His body had taken over, dodging them before he even saw them. With how steep the mountain was, his pace was breakneck and Jonny knew that if he slipped up, at best he’d be ending up with serious injuries.

And yet the avalanche made up ground as it was truly futile to try and outrun nature. But try and outrun nature was exactly what Jonny was attempting to do. And it was looking like he was going to pull it off as he began to increase his lead on the avalanche. But as the roar began to die down just slightly, his board betrayed him. The slightest miscue caused him to clip a piece of flying stone. And at the speed he was travelling, this was all that was required to knock him off balance. Jonny didn’t have time to try and adjust as he was sent flying and before he knew it he’d hit the ground in a heap.

Jonny was out of moves and there was nothing he could do as the wall of snow consumed him and his whole world went white.
 
Chapter Seven: 01001001 01101110 01100110 01100101 01110010 01101110 01101111

During his trip to his first assignment, Michael couldn't believe his misfortune. An assignment to Viridian Forest to assist with tracking and maintaining the health of the native Pokemon populations was the definition of hell for him. Not because he hated Pokemon, the opposite of it. Because he was an aracnophobe, the very presence of spiders anywhere near him was on the verge of causing panic attacks.
But he realized that as a ranger he would have to face his fears, so he was able to focus on the job at hand. And to his relief, it had turned out that he wasn't going to have to face spiders today. Instead, he'd be working on helping the local rangers with their tracking technology. So instead of trekking through the dark, musty and spider filled forest, he had rolled up his sleeves and found himself taking care of routine server maintenance. Instead of hell, he found himself in heaven.

"Can you explain to me what you're doing in there?" With his head inside the massive server farm, it was a little hard for Mikey to hear the voice of Ranger McCoy, the head ranger of the Viridian branch. Grinning, Michael poked his head out, wiping a bit of sweat off of his brow as he considered how to explain it.

"Sure. So this is your main server which is where all the information from all the sensors throughout the forest is stored." Michael was speaking slowly because he knew that if he got into the weeds with technical terms, he'd lose the attention and understanding of McCoy. Unlike the rangers of the Sinnoh branch that Jonny was dealing with, Ranger Chip McCoy was very much a cowboy. Brown boots, black stetson, red flannel shirt, faded blue jeans, the whole nine yards. And even though McCoy and Michael couldn't be more different, they had already established a solid camaraderie.

"Yessir." McCoy's easy going drawl was reassuring. "And lately we've been having a hard time getting data reliably." Michael was about to respond when he heard some beeping from inside the server. He raised an eyebrow before listening to the noise for a moment.

"Perfect timing actually." Michael remarked with a smile. "That's my Porygon-Z, Cee. Cee's running some diagnostics and it turns out that it's a mechanical problem."

"Mechanical problem?" Chip asked, trying to get a closer look.

"A server like this is built to monitor the internal temperature and if it gets too hot, it will slow itself down or even shut down. Because if it overheats, the chips could fry and you'd lose everything." Michael explained.

"Whoa there, that doesn't sound good." McCoy said simply.

"It wouldn't be. Thankfully, it's an easy fix. I just need to head into the city to grab some parts and tools and then I'll get right on it." Michael said, brushing his grey slacks off as he stood up. "Good work Cee." He said, returning the digital Pokemon to its ball.

"Thanks Michael, you're a lifesaver." Chip was clearly grateful as he reached into his back pocket. "Use this card, it'll charge your costs to the base."

Michael nodded. "Understood. Be back in a flash."

____________________________________________________________________________

As he walked out of the base, Michael quickly pulled on his light jacket. A crisp breeze swept through the small city of Viridian. It had amused him when he had arrived. The word 'city' seemed to imply a bustling metropolis like his home of Lilycove, but instead Viridian was a quiet rural town. He didn't mind it though, even if he wished it was a bit warmer. He also had come to notice that unlike in his hometown, the color of his skin stood out quite a bit, as it wasn't common to see someone with his pigmentation in Kanto.

It wasn't something that he minded, but at the same time it did weigh on his mind very slightly as he made his way into town. He was about to enter the store when he got a message on his phone from Jonny.

About to board my second flight for Snowpoint. Summer's nagging me, wanting me to text her as soon as I land. You know what's up? Michael rolled his eyes at his friend's words. It had always amused him that as good at Jonny was at getting women into bed, he was just as bad at keeping them there. He didn't seem to know how to start or maintain a healthy relationship, not after everything that had happened. He sighed, he just didn't want to see either he or Summer get hurt and Michael knew that it was all starting to spiral out of control already. He and Madison had spoken about it briefly before they had all left for their assignments, but there didn't seem to be a solution.

It's because she cares you ingrate. Michael eventually tapped out a response a bit absentmindedly. He was mainly concerned with the parts he needed to fix the servers back at the Viridian ranger branch.

Yeah yeah I know. She should know I'm not the type to need that sort of thing
. Michael had to suppress a laugh as he walked into a small computer store.

And you should know that fact is irrelevant to most if not all women. Especially the ones you tend to find yourself involved with
. Michael shot back. They'd had this conversation word for word over a dozen times and nothing seemed to change. He was considering adding that fact when he heard a voice beside him.

"Welcome to Troy's Technology Emporium. Can I help you with something?" Michael looked up with his phone and saw that a young sales clerk with red hair and freckles was trying to get his attention.

"Oh yeah sorry." Michael apologized a bit sheepishly to the boy in the blue polo . Running his hand through his brown hair a bit awkwardly, the student ranger considered the list of parts in his head. "Yeah, actually you can." He smiled faintly. "I'm working on repairing the servers at the ranger base in town and their cooling system is on the fritz. I don't like that they've been running fans on those servers..."

"And you want to see how feasible switching it to liquid cooling is. Because it'll be less likely that they'll break it." The clerk finished with a knowing smile. "I'm assuming you know a thing or two about all this."

"A thing or two is a way to put it." Michael said, massively understating his technical skills. "But yes, I'll be handling the process. So what I'm thinking is..." Michael proceeded to rattle off a rather large list of parts for the clerk, who chuckled.

"Right. You know just a thing or two." The boy stated. "Yeah we can do that. It's going to cost you. And that last thing... that's not for the cooling system, is it?"

"Nope. I'm also going to give their terminals a once over. I think I can squeeze a bit more performance out for them." Michael explained as he looked out the window. The sky was starting to darken. Rain was on the way, causing him to frown. "Storm on the way?"

"Apparently. Let's get you going so you don't get caught in the rain." The clerk quickly rung Michael's transaction up, causing the ranger to smile gratefully. "Cash or credit?" Michael nodded at the latter, handing him Ranger McCoy's card. "Good thing the Rangers are so well funded, am I right?" Michael couldn't help but laugh at this. He'd dropped a pretty penny for his job but he also knew that nobody back at the base would bat an eye. As long as their computers worked, that's all they'd care about.

"Thanks, have a good one!" With a quartet of bags in his hands, Michael made his way outside once more. He could feel the cold winds starting to pick up, the clouds had darkened from a light grey to a dark and menacing shade. He'd have just enough time to get back inside. At least he hoped.

_________________________________________________________________________

Just as the skies opened up into a torrential downpour, Michael made it back to the base. Picking up his pace, he sprinted inside with his gear clutched tightly in his hands. "Talk about perfect timing. At least I don't have to go out there in this weather." He said to himself as he made his way back to the server room. On the way, he passed by Ranger McCoy's office.

"Make it back in one piece Johnson?" McCoy asked loudly from the doorway.

"Just before the rain started." Michael replied with a grin. "Everything should be up and running in an hour or two." He promised as he walked by. Reaching the server room, he slid a pair of headphones into his ears and got to work.

While most people wouldn't call the loud EDM that he put on soothing, it actually helped him focus on mechanical work. And ripping out the fans, testing the new coolant and putting everything back together was just that. He appreciated the solitude of it all, only hearing his music and the occasional beeps of his Porygon-Z, which once again was assisting with the diagnostic process. The fact that he was supposedly a ranger and yet he was doing IT work didn't bother him. He had quickly come to understand that being a ranger wasn't about being some ideal or some stereotype. Even if his best friend was just that, the charming swashbuckler who saved the day with a smile and a clever quip... it hadn't taken Michael long to realize that not all rangers were like that. And in fact there was a place for someone like him in the corps. And he intended to prove just that.

And then the project was completed, almost as soon as it had began. Michael took a deep breath and smiled with the satisfaction of a job well done. He took a careful look at the server room. No wires were out of place, the new coolant system was running smoothly and the entire room was impeccable. He had in fact gone through and tied up some of the wires, not that he needed to, but that the poor cable management by whoever had set up the system was bugging him on some instinctual level and he couldn't leave before fixing it. His mind wandered a bit as he did his final checks on the servers and the upgrades he'd performed on the computer terminals in the base. The fact that his first assignment had appeared to be so simple, so easy... it felt too good to be true.

A tap on his shoulder. Michael nodded, sliding his headphones out of his ears. "Everything's done." He said, turning to look out the window. The rain had subsided and the sky was clear.

"Not everything." Ranger McCoy looked worried as he spoke. "During the storm, one of our sensors went out. And well..."

"You need me to fix it." Michael sighed. It had been too good to be true. His first assignment had been so close to going off without a hitch, and now a complication. "Where is it?"

"Out in the forest. Sector Twelve. I'll provide you a map." Ranger McCoy said. "I'm sorry to have to send you out like this on such short notice..." He was clearly apologetic, but that didn't change the fact that Michael was going to have to go out into the forest... the forest where all the nasty things lurked.

"No problem. Should be a quick fix I hope. I'll grab some parts from storage and head out right away."
________________________________________________________________________

The forest was as horrible as Michael's nightmares had made it out to be. And in fact in a lot of ways... it was worse. Unlike earlier in the day when it had even been a little too cool for him, once he had gotten into the forest it was hot. And not the nice dry heat that he was used to in the more tropical climate of Hoenn... this was a wet, heavy, humid heat. He felt himself sweating through his dress shirt, the grey fabric turning a much darker shade. Michael hadn't expected it to be this warm.

Especially without the sun. The only thing that was worse than the heat for him was just how eerily dark the forest was. He walked slowly and carefully, not wanting to lose himself in the dark. The tree cover was so thick that he couldn't even see the sun which was still the source of the oppressive heat. All around him he could hear the chirping of birds, the sound of small critters moving through the undergrowth and... and the chittering of spiders and other insects. Ariados... he could hear them, he knew they were lurking.

As much as he wanted to flee and head in the other direction, Michael forced himself to keep moving deeper into the forest. He was a ranger and as such he wouldn't give into his fear. He'd keep moving, he'd do his job and then he'd get the hell out of there. He paused, his ears attentive of the sounds around him as he checked his map. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and sent Jonny a quick message, venting about how much he hated the forest. And how he wanted to burn it all...

Even as he sent the joking message about how he wanted to burn the forest down, Michael was coming to realize that something was wrong. The reason he had made such a remark wasn't his hatred of spiders... it was because he smelled smoke. And where there's smoke, there's...

"Ranger McCoy, you there?" Michael hopped on the radio as soon as he realized what was happening.

"Come in Ranger Johnson, is everything alright?"

"I smell smoke near the sensor. Possibly it was struck by lightning and there's now a small fire. I'm going in to investigate." Michael explained, oddly relieved by this thought. If he was right and it was just a small forest fire, it would keep the spiders away while he was there. He could put the fire out, fix the sensor and get back out before running into any Ariados.

"Understood, we'll send a team in to check it out." Michael shrugged. He assumed that it was standard protocol to do so in the case of a fire. With how much brush there was and how thick the foliage was, one small fire could quickly turn into a massive blaze.

And then he felt the heat. Not like the wet humid heat of the forest... this was fire. And not a small fire too. He peeked around the corner of the rock face he had been following only to be faced with a wall of white-hot flame. There were far more problems in sector twelve than a busted sensor. Student Ranger Michael Johnson was caught in a raging inferno. His options were limited and he didn't have much time to think before he was consumed by the blaze.
 
Wow, that got serious very quickly. Not looking good for Jonny and Michael. I wonder what's in store for the others.

Just one nitpick:
He and Madison had spoken about it briefly before they had all left for their assignments, but there didn't seem to be a solution.
Did you mean Melody there?
 
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