Rating: M overall, but T for this chapter.

Warnings: Horrible Pokemon puns and similes. Dramatic OCs and a protagonist with a different name.

Word Count: ~4400

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any spin-offs associated with the franchise.

Notes: Murph is taking advantage of the fact that people are absent. Also, please forgive his smugness. Murph may seem OOC, which is due to the fact that I've only played Guardian Signs out of the entire Pokemon Ranger Series. The first few chapters (I'm estimating the first seven or so) will consist of events that either happened prior to or during certain important occurrences in the actual game.

Chapter 1: Fledgling Fletchlings

Murph looked over his green, worn-out plastic clipboard, a somber, steady look in his eyes. I felt my shoulders tense in anticipation of a rejection: a carefully worded apology that I hadn't made the cut. A muscle in his cheek twitched and suddenly he was grinning like a wild-eyed Gengar and shaking his clipboard like an Aipom on caffeine. "Congratulations, Crimson! You've passed with flying colors!"

A rush of adrenaline passed through my veins and my head spun as a wave of relief crashed over me. I locked my knees to keep myself upright and couldn't help smiling when Murph strutted over to Professor Hastings with an overzealous, triumphant smirk on his face. "She's one of mine, you know," Murph drawled, throwing an arm around the older man. "I taught her everything she knows about captures!"

Professor Hastings stared evenly at the smug brunet, ignoring the heavy arm that had been slung around his shoulders. "Then I look forward to reviewing the responsibilities of a PR representative. I hadn't been aware that training recruits or announcing the results of an examination were part of the job requirements," he said coolly. Murph's cheeks flushed and he quickly withdrew his arm, tucking it behind himself sheepishly. "Regardless," Professor Hastings continued, nodding in my direction. "Congratulations Ms. Arithorne. It is a pleasure to welcome you into our ranks as a ranger." He glanced at his watch and nodded towards the double doors to his right. "The partnering ceremony will begin shortly. I suggest you go to the dining hall and help yourself to some food."

"Have fun!" Murph added, glancing nervously at Professor Hastings. Just as the doors swung shut behind me, I heard the brunet stammer something about a friend "asking him for a favor" and how he "just wanted to help out". I stepped away from the examination room and drew in a deep breath, unable to suppress the jittery disbelief that rose inside of me. Swallowing a delighted shriek, I took a few breaths to compose myself and strode towards the cafeteria, overwhelmed by the thought of entering the dining area as a full-blown ranger.

The excitement was short-lived, however, when everyone's eyes turned to stare at me the moment I stepped into the dining hall. Flushed, I scanned the room for a familiar face, growing more uncomfortable by the second. The few newly-appointed rangers I remembered training with all sat at fully occupied tables and most of the seats around the room were taken. My gaze eventually landed on a cheery-eyed stranger who waved at me when I made eye contact. Relieved, I headed over to her as calmly as I could.

"Congrats on passing," she said when I slipped into the seat across from her. She brushed her blonde hair out of her brown eyes with a smile. "I'm Jamie Richards."

"Summer Arithorne," I replied. "But you can call me Crimson."

"Crimson?" The blonde leaned forward, an interested smile on her lips. "I wish I had a cool nickname like that. My name's too short to have a nickname."

"JJ Supreme?" I suggested. Jamie sniggered and posed, flicking her bangs to the side dramatically.

"The one and only," she purred, fluttering her eyelashes. Her smile grew when I laughed and she ran a hand through her hair sheepishly. "Sorry, I tend to be a little on the dramatic side. I hope my partner doesn't mind, though!" She tapped a rhythm against the tabletop with her nails. "I hope the personality test assigns me to someone who enjoys theatrics."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. To be honest, I'm a little more worried about partner Pokémon."

"Most partner Pokémon are electric types," Jamie said, "and the Union usually chooses different partner Pokémon for each group of new recruits. But I know that top rangers get to pick their own partner Pokémon. The only downside is that it takes six or seven years, a boatload of good luck, and a big mission to become a top ranger," she sighed, staring mournfully at her fingers. "Most rangers don't get a big break even over their entire careers!"

"We'll just have to hope and see then," I murmured. Jamie furrowed her eyebrows, but her petulant expression dissipated into curiosity. I glanced over my shoulder just as Professor Hastings and Murph reached the front of the cafeteria and various servers began to place uncovered dishes onto the tables. The PR rep glanced nervously at the Chief of Technology but beamed when several people in standardized ranger uniforms stood up and saluted them. Around us, new recruits shared bewildered looks but stumbled to their feet nonetheless.

"Who are the people in the front?" I whispered.

"Top rangers, I think. Maybe staff members?" Jamie hissed back. She frowned, rethinking her words and correcting herself. "No, I think they're just rangers. Staff members and top rangers wouldn't be wearing standard uniforms." I nodded and returned my attention to the podium at the front of the room, where Murph was mimicking the crowd's salute.

"At ease," he bellowed, radiating self-satisfaction as everyone returned to their seats. Professor Hastings rolled his eyes and removed his maroon hat before addressing the crowd.

"Good evening, everyone. I believe congratulations are in order for the new members of the Ranger Union." He allowed the audience to applaud for a few seconds before continuing. "The Director of Admissions apologizes that she was unable to attend tonight's celebration, but she congratulates everyone who has passed the preliminary ranger exam. Please help yourself to the celebratory dinner. Partners will be announced in approximately ten minutes, but please know that you are all free to continue eating afterwards."

"We don't want our new recruits to starve, after all," Murph interjected, grimacing apologetically when Professor Hastings shot him a sour look. "Have fun eating!" Jamie sniggered and began loading her plate with mashed potatoes. I watched, bemused, as she proceeded to drown her food in gravy and pluck three biscuits from their basket. I shook my head when she reached for more gravy and I proceeded to pick out my dinner.

Just as I finished arranging my plate, Professor Hastings returned to the podium and tapped the microphone. "I hope everyone is enjoying their meal," he said, smiling slightly. "I know I am." A wave of chuckles ran across the crowd and the man dressed in maroon cleared his throat. "Yes—and as much as I hate to divide your attention from your lovely dinner, I would like to announce our new ranger pairs. Please come to the front of the room when you are called to meet not only your new partner, but also the senior ranger who will be responsible for you until you become fully-fledged members."

Murph stumbled to the front of the room with his clipboard, wiping furiously at his mouth as he passed a few wrinkled papers to Professor Hastings. "Our first pair is Timothy Thompson and Beatrice O'Neil," the white-haired man announced.

"I bet he's trying his best to ignore the grease stains on that partner list," Jamie whispered, grinning mischievously at the straight-faced elder. A red-faced brunette and a stiff-legged blond staggered out of their seats and marched mechanically to the front of the room as everyone else applauded. They shook each other's hands awkwardly and rushed back to their respective tables after greeting their senior ranger.

"Brian Ling and Michelle…" Professor Hastings continued to read down the list, and Jamie and I alternated between sneaking bites and clapping for our fellow rangers. The calling order seemed completely random, so when Jamie's name was finally called, she nearly choked on her mouthful of turkey. I watched, bemused, as she stumbled forward, flustered and panicked as she shook hands with her partner. When she had finished greeting her senior ranger, she all but dove back into her seat and unfolded her slip of paper.

"Was he in your group?" she hissed, glancing in the direction of her partner.

"I don't think so." His face hadn't been remarkably familiar when he stood at the front of the room, but then again, I'd been too busy practicing captures to really pay attention to the people around me. "Isn't he the son of Adrian Terra? The radio announcer of the station 902.1?"

"Well, they do have the same last name. And Julian does look like the classical music type," Jamie reasoned, folding her arms thoughtfully. Another pair was called forward when she glanced at the slip before her. "It'll be interesting how this whole rooming thing works out." She bit her lip, blushing slightly. "Can you believe that that we'll be rooming with our partners?"

"What?" My fork dropped with a loud clatter, but it was drowned out by a round of applause from the people around us. "We have to room together with them?"

"The slip says something about strengthening partner bonds," Jamie murmured, waving her paper shyly. "But actually, we're rooming with another partner pair as well. I think we'll be put in rooms with bunk beds."

"Benjamin Polari and Summer Arithorne." My head shot up at the sound of my name and Jamie nodded toward the front of the room. I stood and headed down the aisle, smiling faintly at Professor Hastings when I stopped beside the podium. He nodded and returned the gesture just as a bright-eyed brunet stepped into place before me. The newcomer grinned, his brown eyes crinkling as we shook hands. His fingers were calloused and warm as they closed around mine and the steadiness of his gaze soothed my nerves. There was something comforting in the casual confidence that cloaked his shoulders and I felt myself relaxing as I squeezed his hand.

We parted to welcome our senior ranger, who passed us folded sheets of papers and signaled for us to return to our seats. Benjamin nodded at me and we headed back to our respective tables as the people around us applauded our new partnership. Jamie bounced excitedly in her seat when I slid back into my chair.

"What room are you in?"

I glanced at my slip before showing it to her. "Second floor, room three," I said.

"Sweet! I'm three doors down." Jamie flashed her paper with a grin. "And congratulations on getting Ben as your partner. He was the instructor's favorite in our training group." The blonde leaned forward, a sly glimmer in her eyes. "You know, he was one of the first people to be examined today. I heard he got an S score on his capture!"

"An S score?" I let the new information settle as I sat back in my chair. An S score was the highest a ranger could receive on a capture—only a handful of rangers had been capable of reporting an S score capture, and most of them had been top rangers.

"I know, right? You just landed yourself a Gyarados in the lake of Magikarp." Jamie crossed her arms smugly. "And the fact that you're his partner means that you either matched his score or came close to it." A grin crossed her face. "Or you exceeded it."

"I think that's a little hard to believe—especially when he received an S score," I protested. "I think I got an A at the very most."

"Whatever you say, Crimson." Jamie waved her hand dismissively and returned to her mashed potatoes, a dogged glint in her eyes. "But I think you matched him," she retorted around a mouthful of gravy. "At the very least."

The rest of dinner was uneventful as the last few rangers were paired off and Jamie and I headed for the dorms. We parted ways when we arrived at my new room and I closed the door behind me after promising to sit with the blonde for breakfast. I toed off my shoes and stepped into a medium sized room with two bunk beds pressed against opposite walls. The right wall was already occupied by a redheaded boy and a brunette.

"Hey! You must be Summer." The redheaded boy leapt down from the top bunk of the bed on the right with a smile. "I'm Liam, and this is Melissa." He nodded to the brunette, who waved from where she had been sitting with her partner.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand firmly.

"We haven't exactly chosen who's sleeping where," he told me, gesturing to the bunk beds with his head. "Melissa and I were just hanging out and talking when you came in. It'd be nice to get to know each other before we start keeping each other up with snoring, yeah?"

"If anyone will be snoring, it'll be you," a voice said behind me. The front door was closed with a click and I turned to see Benjamin kicking off his sneakers and pushing them against the wall with his toes. He glanced mischievously at me. "Or are you the snorer?"

"I'll warn you, my snore is deadly," I said, fighting back a smile as he laughed. "Those with delicate ears should know better than to sleep on my side of the room."

"Is there only a certain range to your snoring?" he teased.

"All professional snorers know that there is only a certain area they can affect," Liam stated, grinning widely and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "So it's decided then? Summer and I will keep each other company with our snores and you two can sleep on the quiet side." He winked at me and I flushed.

"Keep your eyes on your own partner," Benjamin scolded halfheartedly, knocking his shoulders with Liam's. "We'll stick to the traditional 'girls on one side; boys on the other'."

"Ahh, segregation by gender. I see where this is going." The redhead nodded slowly as if he was unraveling the brunet's words and pulling them apart. "And I say that we should allow the integration of the sexes and equality for all! I say that—"

"—we should be chivalrous and allow the girls to stay on one side while we take the other," Benjamin cut him off, shaking his head fondly. "Why don't you take the right and we'll take the left?" he suggested, addressing Melissa and I.

"Sounds fine." Melissa wiggled her toes from where she sat and glanced at me. "I'm already on the top bunk, so hopefully you don't mind taking the bottom?"

"Anything works for me," I replied, dropping my bag on the lower bunk. "Are the drawers on the bottom for me?"

"Yeah, mine are on the sides of the stairs." Melissa gestured to the staircase at the end of the bunk beds. She smiled at me. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I was expecting something more like the dorms they had us living in as trainees," I admitted, moving to sit on the side of my bed. The trainee rooms were narrower and draftier, with bland walls and minimal furniture. The new dorm room looked like a grand suite in comparison.

"Those were horrible," Liam groaned, flopping onto the lower bed of the bunk against the left wall. "Oh yeah, I'm taking top bunk again, Benny-boy," he added when Benjamin headed for the stairs.

"Then why are you down there?" The brunet shook his head and tossed his duffel bag by the redhead's feet.

"I'm just waiting for Melissa to hurry up so we can go meet with our boss—uh, senior ranger," he clarified when I furrowed my eyebrows. "Ours wants us to meet the other partner duos he's responsible for and to have a little celebration for making it as rangers. I would've left ten minutes ago, but Melissa wanted to make sure that we sort out sleeping arrangements before we left."

His brunette partner scowled at him from the top of her bunk and crawled over to her stairs. "I just wanted to make sure that everyone was happy with where they were going to be sleeping!" she objected, jumping off the second to last step and landing with a thud. "And Will won't be expecting us for another fifteen minutes."

"Right, right—whatever." Liam got to his feet and waved goodbye as he sauntered over to where Melissa was putting on her shoes. "We'll see you guys later," he called over his shoulder. "Don't miss us too much."

"We won't," Benjamin shouted after him. The door shut after the redhead and my partner turned to face me with a bright smile. "So, Summer, right?"

"Crimson," I told him.

"Crimson?" he echoed, sitting on his own bed.

"It's a childhood nickname." A few fuzzy memories of my brother Aaron chasing me around the house flickered through my mind, and I smiled at the image of getting piggyback rides around the yard. Where to next, Captain Crimson?

"Crimson," Benjamin repeated, drawing the name out slowly. A shy smile crossed his face. "It suits you."

"Thanks." A somewhat awkward silence settled over us and he cleared his throat.

"You can call me Ben," he said. "Benjamin's a mouthful…and only my grandma calls me that," he added with a grimace. I laughed and his face lit up again as the tension eased. "So Crimson, why did you want to be a ranger?" I cocked my head and his cheeks turned pink. "I know that's not the most conventional way to get to know someone," he stammered, "but I'd really like to know why you chose to become a ranger over," he gestured to the side, his hand moving through empty air, "something else."

I stared at him before looking down at my hands. "My older brother inspired me to be a ranger," I said slowly. Just as those words left my mouth, another face flickered through my head—older, wiser, and gentler than Aaron's. His brown hair was streaked with gray, but he laughed with so much fervor that most people assumed he was much younger than his age. "He had always been interested in becoming one, but he ended up becoming a police officer instead."

Ben frowned. "Is it bad if I ask why?"

I closed my eyes, picturing Aaron's ashen face, framed against stark white bedsheets and the sharp smell of sterility. It was the first time I had seen him cry. "It's…private. But he lost someone important to him and he decided to pursue justice instead of becoming a ranger." We both had lost someone that day, when the rain came down heavy and unforgiving on the world, as if mourning over the inevitability of death.

I could feel Ben staring at me and the pity in his eyes was suffocating and unwelcome. "Why did you become a ranger?" I asked. The words came out harsher than I intended, but thankfully, he didn't flinch at my tone.

"My grandpa was a ranger," he replied. "And I've idolized him since childhood. Still do, actually," he chuckled, twiddling his thumbs. "Grandma always told me stories about his adventures and he'd always get embarrassed, but she told them so well that he would just sit down and listen with me. He was never high-ranking a top ranger, but he was my hero." Ben bit his lip before tugging back his green trainee uniform, exposing a small bite wound that had healed several years ago. "I had been playing out in the grass when a Growlithe suddenly attacked me. I was seven at the time and I wanted my grandpa to beat it or to call the local police. I even tried kicking it when he refused—I was angry and hurt and even betrayed by the fact that my own grandpa was defending the Pokémon that bit me.

"But he taught me how to love that Growlithe and to forgive it. He opened my eyes to how skinny and dirty it was. It'd been starving for weeks and was beaten whenever it tried to beg for food. It thought I would attack it too, so it just wanted to strike first." Ben smoothed his thumb over his scarred wrist, a nostalgic smile on his lips. "That Growlithe became my first Pokémon and he's been my best friend ever since. My grandpa showed me that there were so many misunderstandings between humans and Pokémon and that rangers could lead both parties to reconcile. He's the reason why I wanted to become a ranger. And now I am one, and it feels like I'm on cloud nine."

He tugged the sleeve back into place and I felt a stab of guilt at the distant expression on his face. Ben had been willing to share his story with me, but I had refused to tell mine. There things that I couldn't bring myself to share with him, but at least there was one piece of me that I was willing to shed light on.

"Have you ever heard of Zenith Sterling?"

"Have I ever?" Ben snapped out of his stupor and stared at me. "Of course I've heard of him! Champion of Hoenn, the Snowy King of the Battle Frontier, Challenger of Johto and Kanto—he's famous! He's always prepared for a battle and his team is always efficient and synchronized. He's an undefeated trainer who surpassed his father and rose to glory!"

I smiled at the starry-eyed expression the brunet was sporting and put forward my two cents. "He's also a big softie who can't help but coo at every Poochyena he sees and he loved to perform amateur magic tricks with his 'lovely assistant' Leviathan the Magikarp." A bright-eyed boy laughed in my head, pushing around a fish tank on a cart.

Ben looked taken aback and stared at me warily. There was a somewhat offended expression on his face, as if I was desecrating one of his golden idols. "Leviathan's his Gyarados," he said slowly.

"Not eight years ago," I replied, picturing an open-mouthed and glassy-eyed Magikarp staring at the too-small confines of his fish tank. It had taken hours to convince Zenith that Leviathan would be much happier in a larger space, and he had sulked for days when we finally relocated his Magikarp to the lake in my backyard. "Eight years ago, Leviathan was just like any other Magikarp you could catch in a body of water. It took Zenith three years to evolve him, and by then, he was already taking the world by storm."

Ben stared at me skeptically. "And how do you know all of this?"

"I lived next door to him for the first twelve years of my life. We were—we are—best friends." He had left home with every intention of reaching his full potential, and his journey crowned him the Champion of Hoenn. "I haven't seen him in a year," I sighed, resting my head against my wooden bedframe. "He's been so busy challenging other regions that he forgets to come home sometimes."

"Does he at least write?"

"He calls whenever he can, but those conversations don't last very long." There was always a trainer issuing a challenge or a defeated opponent demanding a rematch after being bested. "He sends home gifts, and thanks to his connections with the former standing Champion, my mom is able to sell elemental stones along with her daycare services." Even the few words Zenith managed to share with me conveyed how close they were. Steven Stone often funded Zenith's traveling fares even when the Snowy King of the Battle Frontier was more than capable of affording them himself. The two of them were close friends, and I couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy at the amount of time they spent together.

"Daycare services? Is your mom a breeder?" Ben leaned forward, a curious look in his eyes.

"Our family's always been involved in the breeding and daycare business," I explained. "Aaron was supposed to inherit the farm in the end, but—" a man's face flickered through my mind again, sunny and kind, and I shook my head to clear the image "—he decided to join the police force instead. My mom didn't want to push the family business onto me, so she told me that I could do whatever I wanted and that she'd take care of the shop."

A strange look crossed Ben's face, as if he wanted to say something comforting or to tell another story about his life, but a loud knock interrupted him and both of us glanced at the door. "What is it?" Ben called out, rising to his feet. Had Liam and Melissa been forgotten their keys?

"Lights out in thirty minutes!" Murph's voice came around the cracks of the door, muffled and cheery. "Uniforms will be distributed tomorrow shortly after breakfast, so be sure to grab at least three of them in your size! Also, you'll be meeting with your senior rangers as soon as you get dressed in your new uniforms. And congratulations again on becoming Fletchling rangers!" He laughed at his own joke and his footsteps faded away as he left our dorm door.

Ben shook his head fondly and headed over to his unpacked duffel bag. "I'm going to get ready for bed," he said. "One of us will have to stay here in case it turns out that Liam and Melissa forgot their keys." An exasperated smile crossed his face. "And knowing Liam, that's probably exactly what happened."

"You can go first," I told him, waving him away. "I'll just unpack until you get back."

The brunet grinned and slung a towel over his shoulder. "Okay," he said. "I'll be back in ten minutes." I waved goodbye and the door shut behind him. With a sigh, I turned my attention to my bag and began putting undergarments and socks in their respective drawers. There were two small nightstands by the head of each bunk bed, and I placed a small, framed picture on the one closest to me. A man and a woman stood side by side, smiling as they cradled their children against their chests. A mostly-covered bundle was pressed against the woman's breast while a wide-eyed five-year-old wrapped one arm around his father's neck.

I touched the edge of the silver frame and smiled. "I finally became a ranger, Aaron," I whispered, "for you and for dad." My eyes wandered to the sunny brunette that stood with a newborn in her arms. "Goodnight, mom," I murmured. "Goodnight, Aaron."