Pokemon Ranger: Savior

Chapter Two: Rookie Mission

      Spenser and I land lightly in front of a building in a beautiful little town. I'm assuming this is Ringtown. It's all green, lush with nature. It's as if the town is nestled in a little forest. As I'm taking in the scene, I notice that there was a Pokemon clinging to my foot. The Pokemon walks forward, and I realize its the Plusle from Fall City.
     "This Plusle followed us here?" Spenser asks. Next thing I know, I hear the doors to the building zip open, and someone walks outside. This frightens the Plusle, and again it runs off. "Maybe its intimidated being in an unfamiliar environment." Spenser concludes. "I think it will come back here on its own later. We should return it to its natural habitat then."
      "Welcome back Leader!", the person who came outside says. I take one look at him, and I instantly am attracted. He looks so cool and cute, with his dark blue hair tousled nicely, his Ranger uniform making him look professional, and his beautiful eyes, those blue, mesmerizing eyes. Once I look into those eyes, I get lost, swimming in the swirls of blue until I hear him talk to me, bringing me back to the lush, green town. "Oh, hiya! Are you the hot new rookie prospect? The name's Lunick. Glad to meet you! What's your name?" Even when he speaks he's so cool. Lunick. I definitely won't forget that name. I would tell him my name, but again I'm at a loss for words. Luckily, I didn't have to since Spenser spoke for me, saving me.
      "This is Serena, who's become a Ringtown Ranger today." Spenser explains to Lunick. Lunick looks hard at my face, narrowing his eyes.
      "Serena, Serena...Ok, I've memorized it! Welcome to our team! We'll be working together from now on! Let's do our best! Oh, and this is my partner Pokemon, Minun! Come on, introduce yourself!" The small Pokemon standing next to him jumps up and down, crying. It looks just like Plusle, but blue. Its also very adorable, I think to myself. And even the way Lunick welcomes me, he's so nice and kind. But I have to be professional. I can't let a cutie like him distract me.
      "Now that the introductions are made, let's head inside." Spenser interrupts my thoughts. We all turn towards the building and go inside, the doors zipping open to bid us passage. As we go, Lunick explains to me, "This building is Ringtown's Ranger Base. Cone on, let's go in!" He ushers me inside, and I'm greeted by another boy, this one larger and a little more goofier.
      "Oh, yeah, yeah! Yup, I heard you were coming!" The way he speaks, its as if he's trying to seem cool in front of everyone. Trying a bit too hard. "You're the letter writer, aren't you? Yup, I got to read them, too. You sure know how to express yourself!" He tells me. Instantly I'm embarrassed that someone else knows about my letters. The boy continues, "Oh, yeah, yeah! My name's Murph. But you can just call me Murph, ok? I've been a Ranger for, oh, three years now. But my Ranger Rank hasn't gone up all that much...Oh, yeah, yeah. That Ranger Rank thing, its really tough...Oh, yeah, yeah! This is my partner, Slowpoke! It's the faster of us two! Glad to meet you!." I can't help but giggle at his meager attempts.
      "Nice to meet you too, Murph. And hello Slowpoke!" I say. I swear I've only said a few words all day. I need to speak more, I think to myself.
      Next thing I know, I hear Spenser calling, "Alright, will everyone gather please?" We all do as he asked. Lunick stands next to me, on my left, while Murph comes to stand by my right. I can't help but catch a glance at the hunk standing to my left.
      "This is Ringtown's Ranger Base. Serena, you're a member of this base starting today. That said, for me to recognize you as a fully qualified Ranger, you still have quite a ways to go. There's a mountain of things you have to learn from here on out. Are you sure you're up to it?" I just stare at him, flabbergasted. I think, Of course I'm up to it. I came here for a reason! "..Ok. The look in your eyes tells the tale. Your skill level aside, you're a real Ranger in spirit. As compatriots in Ringtown, let's all work together to the best of our abilities!" he finishes. As if on cue, both Lunick and I do our poses! It feels so good to do that now! When we finish, we see Murph do his, but its a little sloppy. He even drops his Styler. Poor guy, he looks so embarassed.
      Suddenly, the doors zip open, and an older man rushes in, looking exasperated. He yells, "Trouble! There's trouble! Its a crisis! Help! Help!" Walking up to Spenser, he explains, "Listen, Leader! My precious Pokemon ran off in the Lyra Forest! Hurry! Capture my Pokemon and take it into protective custody!"
      Spenser turns to me, unexpectedly. "This sounds like the perfect mission for Serena. Enter the Lyra Forest and capture Larry's precious escaped Pokemon. That's your first mission! Don't fear failure. Do your best!"
      My first mission! Again, I get that feeling as if my excitement is going to boil over! First day in Fiore, and I have a mission already!! I do my pose with pride!
      The man, Larry, starts freaking out, however. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa?! Don't be afraid of failure? Leader, you've got to be joking! Failure's no good! You've got to be afraid of failing! Are you sure its going to be ok asking this rookie girl to handle this mission?" Offended, I narrow my eyes and glare at him, but am too shy to say anything.
      Laughing, Spenser says, "There's nothing to be worried about!" That doesn't seem to reassure Larry, though. "The Lyra Forest is right outside Ringtown. I'll go ahead and meet you there." Spenser tells me before he heads off, leaving me behind in the Ranger Base.
      "Well, isn't this just dandy. I asked the Leader because he's the most trustworthy Ranger here." Larry begins. "But look at this rookie. A less trustworthy face I've yet to see!" Before I have a chance to retort, he runs off and leaves the Base. I roll my eyes, exasperated. Thankfully, my anger and impatience dwindle as I hear the soothing voice of Lunick tell me, "Don't worry about him. Larry can say some rotten things, but he doesn't really mean what he says. Anyway, that's not important. I'll give you a few simple tips about the Capture Styler." As he turns on my Styler for me, he proceeds to explain about its convenient features. I listen as he also tells me about the Operators in each base and how they can recharge my Styler for me. When he was finished, we walked outside.
      "So, Lunick, are you and Murph the only Rangers in this town's Base?" I ask, trying to make conversation. I want to get to know Lunick, everything there is to know about him, especially if he's seeing someone.
      He replies, "Well, there are a couple of Rangers that hang out upstairs, but I don't even know their names since they barely do anything around here." That's a relief, sort of. HIs manner is so calm and collected, I just wonder if he even notices me. "Say, Serena, just have fun with this mission, ok? Really, there's nothing to worry about. I can see it in your face that you're nervous." He chuckles a little. Great, he noticed. Embarassed, I blush a tad bit. I need to say something. I can't look like an idiot, especially not in front of him.
      "Easy for you to say. You aren't a brand new rookie fresh off the boat. Cut me some slack, will ya?" I tell him. Jokingly, I lightly punch his arm. He laughs at this. Good, he's not thinking of my retorts as lame.
      "Yeah, yeah, Rookie. Let's just see how you do." He smiles and winks at me. My heart just melts, and as we approach the forest, I quickly think of another thing to say, along with a counter nickname.
      "Alright, you're on, Big Shot!" I laugh. He joins me, and, giggling, we enter the Lyra Forest.
       As I'm walking through the soft grass, I take in the beauty of this forest overflowing with nature. Grass, shrubs, bushes and trees are littered everywhere, and little Pokemon are flitting about, playing little games and chasing each other. I notice a Torchic running away from a Zigzagoon, and farther off in the distance, a Mudkip just taking a brisk walk down the forest's natural path. I didn't even notice I was standing still for quite some time, when Lunick's voice catches my attention, and I see in the clearing before me Spenser and that man, Larry, standing and waiting.
      "Serena, what are you waiting for? Come on, Rookie," he says with a smirk. I grin at him and skip forward to catch up. As Spenser sees me, he grins before explaining to me that I have to capture and return Larry's Pokemon that fled somewhere in the Lyra Forest. I listen intently, as this is my first ever mission. I am so thrilled. He is now asking Larry what that Pokemon was.
      "It was my, uh...You know, um..." Larry starts stammering, as if he can't remember. "It's on the tip of my tongue...You know, it's a...I'm just too upset right now! I can't remember what you call it! It's powerful, yet classy. It might appear to have a slinky look to it, but it's also clunky..." I just give him a bewildered look, then glance back and forth between him and Spenser. "What I'm trying to say is, it's a Pokemon! That's what it is!"
      I just look at Spenser, confused. "That's not much of a hint to go on..." he says. Even though I don't get what kind of Pokemon Larry means, I set off into the forest to look for it anyway. Spenser comes with me, while Lunick stays behind to wait with Larry.
      I walk up, and almost immediately encounter a Chikorita. I don't think its Larry's, but for the experience I capture it anyway. Easy as pie, and it got me a new entry in my Styler's Browser. Spenser is praising me.
      "Good capture! I could tell that the Pokemon came to accept your friendly feelings." Of course, my pride inflates a little as he says this. However, it's obvious that this Chikorita isn't Larry's Pokemon. So, I continue to explore the forest, capturing any new Pokemon I see, adding to my Browser. All the while, I'm implanting the images of this forest in my mind as its so beautiful I never want to forget it. There's a little stream running briskly by over to the west. There's also a bridge extending across it at one point, but Spenser advises me not to go in that direction.
      After ending up with three Pokemon, all of which Larry said wasn't his, I turn back into the forest and see a Pokemon that wasn't there before. It was a Taillow, a little dark blue bird, and it was flying around in circles. I proceeded to capture the adorable bird, and Spenser tells me that he knew the bird was Larry's but kept quiet about it. Again I went back to Larry. Of course, the old man was ecstatic.
       "Oh-oh-oh! My darling Taillow!" he exclaimed. Then he turns to me, and his demeanor changes. He is no longer the rash man who judged me for being new. He seems not only surprised, but its as if he finally gained some respect for me. "Well, I'll be darned! Good going, Ranger! It just goes to show your Leader knows talent when he sees it! I'm really sorry for giving  you grief earlier. Thank you so much!" I smile at him and nod, before he walks off with his Taillow.
      "You did it! Congratulations!" That was Lunick's voice. I blush yet again at hearing him praise me. It's one thing to be praised by Spenser, as he's my idol and I've longed to hear that from him for years. But hearing it from Lunick, that's a whole new world of feelings. He continues, "Actually, do you want to know about my rookie mission?" I nod.
       "Sure," I say, expectingly.
      "I had to go looking for Larry's missing Taillow, too!" He laughs at this.
      "Really?" I ask, shocked. "Well, that's good to know." I say sarcastically, turning back to Spenser, narrowing my eyes at him but smiling. He doesn't say anything about the joke, however, instead praising me again.
      "You have now joined the ranks of Pokemon Rangers in name and in deed!" he says to me, smiling, a twinkle in his eye.
      Suddenly, a young boy runs up to us, calling for Spenser to help. "There's some trees on fire!" he screams. Sure enough, behind the boy are two trees ablaze! The flames aren't engulfing the full tree, but they're spreading rapidly.
      "We have to do something!" I state. My heart starts to beat rapidly again as I'm presented with this situation.
      "That's an unexpected turn of events." Spenser turns back to me and Lunick. I can tell in his facial expression that adrenaline is starting to course through his body. "Serena! Get ready to fight a fire!" He tells me. Again it is an honor for Spenser to be asking me for help in a dire situation, but this time, I don't panic. I accept it and stay focused.
      "Yes sir!" I shout, and, following him, run towards the two trees. Spenser starts to explain something to me; he calls it Target Clear. He tells me how, using the help of a friend Pokemon, we can clear targets. He also tells me how different Pokemon have different Field Moves to be used for different targets in the field. He goes off and captures a Mudkip and brings it back to the trees. He shows me how its done by using the Mudkip to douse the flames. Then I go and do the same, and soon enough, the trees are extinguished.
      A wave of relief washes over me as we finish. There's another feeling, something stronger.  Excitement? No, that can't be it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I just helped resolve something big. Spenser has the same look on his face, relief. "That literally was a trial by fire, but you cleared that challenge!" Once Spenser tells me that, I pose, joyful. I realize that the kid who told us about the fire is thanking me. He goes on to say that the fire was his fault. He apologizes, and we all nod our approval, while Spenser speaks to him. "Well said, little guy. That took guts to say. Don't ever forget what you said!" The little kid looks so embarrassed, about to cry. I see relief on his face when Spenser forgives him. Once the boy walks off, we all start our return to the Ranger Base.
      "You did a pretty decent job, Rookie." Lunick remarks. "You might have even finished the job faster than I did." He has a more softer look in his eyes this time. He isn't smirking.
      "Thanks, Big Shot. Maybe I'll become a better Ranger than you one day." I smile, butterflies in my belly. We walk the rest of the way back in silence.