(Rena's POV)

I was sitting on the plane, reading over the files. Mightyena was in his Pokeball for now. I was doing research on the mark. "Mark" is basically another word for "the target." So, Keith Dazzle is the mark. He's eighteen years old, 6'2, has vibrant red eyes, is lightly tanned, and is well built. I've been reading up on his life, his personality, family, friends, and school grades. All of this information will help me make an impression on him. I need to catch his attention if I'm to be his new best friend, after all. So, let's start from the top of the list.

His life. Not very eventful, but there were a few things that stood out. His Mom died in a car crash when he was ten, just old enough to really remember her. His Dad is a total jerk and a workaholic, so the kid's been neglected pretty much his whole life. I bet this guy has a bunch of mental problems because of this, giving me some leverage to work with. He's lived your classic rich kid life...lucky bastard. I've had to work for everything I've got...

His personality. He's arrogant and conceited...totally full of himself. Not entirely self centered. He actually does care about his close friends, but that's it. He's a cocky jerk who picks on the weak, but isn't mean enough to be considered a bully. Reckless pervert...that stands out a lot. Prankster, mischievous, attention hog, adventurous, brave, cunning, daring, boastful... Huh, I think if I was put into a normal situation and had a somewhat normal life, I would've been friends with this guy. Our personalities go together pretty well. This will be easier than I thought. He's a compatible match for what you'd have to be like to be my friend...if I had any. But of course, he has his faults. He has quite the temper. Oh joy. I'm so looking forward to that (Not...). Oh would you look at that. He's a ladies man, too. How great. Well, I'm fairly attractive, I suppose this will make it rather easy to catch his eye...just not in the way I was originally thinking...

His family. Dead Mom...seems like she was the best parental influence in his family. Dad might be a rich billionaire genius, but he's a terrible father from what I can tell. No siblings. He's an only child. Hmm...I can work with this. I can relate to the only child thing.

His friends. Not many from what I can tell. He's a popular kid, so naturally he's got a bunch of fangirls, but not too many friends. Hmm...the fangirls may pose a problem. If he's not friends with those girls, I need to step up my game so he chooses me to join his friend list. From what I can tell, he's got only two close friends. A wannabe Operator named Rhythimi, and a boy genius named Isaac. Not too many friends, but a lot of wannabes that will be competition. This Rhythimi girl sounds easy enough to befriend, and Isaac is an intellectual like myself. Too easy.

His school grades. Not too great, actually. Slacks off a lot, turns things in late (...if at all...), sleeps in the Library practically every day... Wow. Talk about lazy. Hmm...I'm actually rather intelligent. This could pose tutoring opportunities in the future...I could definitely take advantage of that.

"ATTENTION, PASSENGERS. ATTENTION, PASSENGERS. WE HAVE LANDED IN PUELTOWN'S AIR STRIP. PLEASE BEGIN EXITING THE AIRPLANE NOW."

Huh?

I looked out my window, noticing that we did, in fact, land the plane.

Huh...I guess I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice.

I put the papers back into the file, stuffing it into my carry-on bag. I stood up from my seat, making my way off of the plane. I'm supposed to be looking for some teacher guy that came to pick me up...oh you've got to be kidding me.

There was a man dressed in a ridiculous maroon and gold suit with short blonde hair styled in a ridiculous manner. He reaked of hairspray, holding up a sign that read, "DEVERAUX." Well, found my guide. This ridiculous man is a teacher...? Oh joy.

I huffed, grabbing my suitcase. I blew my bangs out of my face, beginning to walk over to the teacher.

"Are you Rena Deveraux? The new student?" He asked me. The teacher practically radiated stupidity. He had a pompous air surrounding him.

"Yeah, that's me." I smirked, looking him up and down. "What's up with the ridiculous hair?" I laughed, mocking him. I read the name on his teachers badge, noticing his name was Mr. Kincaid.

Mr. Kincaid just glared, sneering at me. "What's up with your inferior intelligence?"

What.

He did not. Just. Say. That. To me. ME.

I glared at him with my harshest glare, completely infuriated. Inferior intelligence?! Why you little...oh it's so on.


Mr. Kincaid walked me through Pueltown, through the Vien Forest, across Vientown, over the bridge, and to the front of the Ranger School. Wow that was a long walk... And with a freakishly weird teacher who's obsessed with his hair. I think we pretty much fought and bickered the entire way there: all of twenty minutes. Worst twenty minutes of my life, if you ask me. He lectured on and on about why I should respect him and never run in the hallways. Hah... Now I'm going to do it on purpose just to piss him off. Plus, who honestly has the time to walk patiently in the halls? Yeah, I don't think so. I'll run if I want to. Want to stop me? You'll have to catch me first! I dare you.

"And this is where I take my leave of you." Mr. Kincaid said, opening the gate. "A student should be with you shortly to guide you to your entrance exam." He said, walking through the gate and just leaving me standing here.

Ugh... What an arrogant, condescending prick...

"Oh, hello there!" A blonde-haired girl waved, running down the steps and over to me. She had glittering grey eyes and bushy blonde hair, and I know she looks familiar... Where have I seen her? "Hi, you must be the new student! My name is Rhythimi Valentine!"

Rhythimi Valentine...oh! She's one of Keith's friends! I better make her one of mine.

Uh... I forgot. How do you make friends? I think you're supposed to be nice or something as preposterous as that.

"Hi, I'm Rena Deveraux." I smiled, returning the hand shake. "Excuse me, but uh... Could you help me with these?" I sheepishly asked, pointing to my bags.

"Oh! Of course!" Rhythimi sweatdropped. "Let me take that for you!" She took my carry-on bag, relieving my shoulder of the forty pound bag (it's up to you to decide whether that's an exaggeration or not)

"Thanks." I flashed a fake smile, getting a grip on the handle of my suitcase.

"Oof!" Rhythimi nearly dropped my bag. "What's in this thing? It's so heavy!" She laughed, showing me her somewhat playful nature.

A few pistols, a grappling hook, a vest, a few bungee cords, Keith's file, a stun gun, pain medication, a first aid kit, a set of throwing knives, six ace bandages, a Pokepuff case, a few blocks of C4, seven detonators, a case of liquid nitrogen, plastic explosives, a lighter, a lock picking kit, a safe cracking kit, my laptop, a bag of ninja stars, some rope, a camera, brass knuckles, a flamethrower, a hammer, a few motion sensor bombs, smoke bombs, stink bombs, an axe, my jumpsuit and boots, my favorite katana, my collapsible Bo Staff, and a few grenades of various types.

"Oh, just girl stuff!" I faked a laugh, brushing off Rhythimi.

"Oh, ok!" She laughed, not realizing that I was totally lying. We began walking towards the school, and I think Rhythimi was just itching to make conversation. "So...Rena!" She grinned, turning her head to look at me. "Ready for your entrance exam?" She asked, practically radiating friendliness.

There's an entrance exam...? Oh great. I'm supposed to learn to be a Ranger, and I have no idea how to be one. Or what a Ranger does, exactly... Nice going, boss. You couldn't even give me a basic run down of what a Pokemon Ranger does?! IT'S NOT LIKE I WOULD KNOW.

"As ready as I'll ever be..." I nervously answered her question, running a hand through my bangs.

I think Rhythimi picked up on my nervousness. "Hey." She stopped walking, placing her hand on my shoulder to stop me as well. "Don't worry about it, ok?" She smiled, relaxing me a little. "I'm going to be an Operator someday and I passed the exam with ease. You're actually training to be a Ranger, so you'll pass with flying colors. I'm sure of it!" Rhythimi reassured.

I caught myself giving her a genuine smile, and I quickly wiped it off of my face. "Uh...thanks."

"C'mon." She smiled, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "You're gonna do fine!" She led me inside of what looked like a Training Gym of some sort. "Now, hand me your bag, and I'll take your stuff up to our room." She smiled, taking my suitcase from me.

"Our room?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Rhythimi piped up, as cheerful as ever. "Starting now, for the rest of the school year, you're my new roommate!" She clapped her hands together, clearly excited.

"Oh...great..." I replied, completely in shock. Well...I didn't see that coming. Wait...Rhythimi is Keith's friend, so maybe... "That's great!" I faked a smile, causing her to be more excited. "Maybe you can introduce me to your friends later, and we can get further acquainted!" I suggested, having a different motive for meeting her friends. It's not like she'd pick up on that, though.

Rhythimi seemed all for the idea. "That sounds great! I can't wait! I'll see you later, Rena! I'll tour you around the school later, ok?" Rhythimi smiled, taking her leave of me.

I just now took a look around, noticing that I was, in fact, in a gymnasium of some sort. Most of the lights were off, but there was one light fixture on that dimly lit the room. I heard footsteps, and a shadowy figure began approaching me. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was wearing a baseball cap of some sort.

"Catch." The man said, throwing a strange device in my direction.

I caught it with no struggle, having extremely quick reactions. It was a strange green device that had a strap that goes around the wrist, and it had a few buttons and a small screen on the front. "What is this thing...?" I asked, just staring at the odd device.

"It's a School Styler..." The guy sweatdropped. "You know, the thing that allows you to capture Pokemon, become Ranger..." The guy trailed off. "You do want to be a Ranger, right?" He asked, glancing at his clipboard. "You are the new Ranger-student Rena, right...?"

I vigorously nodded my head. "Oh...right! Sorry, I'm just tired from the long plane ride here...ahah hah...hah..." I made up an excuse, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

Clearly, I'm off to a GREAT start. (Pfft...not really. I couldn't even think that with a straight face...).

"Ok then..." The guy sweatdropped again. "Your entrance exam is to capture this Pikachu with that Styler as fast as you can." He pointed to a small electric mouse Pokemon that suddenly scampered in front of me. It was getting ready for a fight.

I just gulped. HOW DO I EVEN USE THIS THING?!

I took a guess, slipping the Styler over my right wrist, since I'm right handed, and I quickly turned it on. A bunch of options popped up on the screen, and I'm not really sure what happened from there. There was the sound of a whistle blowing, and I released the capture disc from the Styler.

I somehow looped the capture line around the Pikachu at an impossible speed, and I felt like I was making a connection with the Pokemon. My heart raced, and I felt it throbbing insanely in my chest. I was feeling... I was feeling...what is this feeling? It's like excitement beyond words! I only feel something like this when I'm stealing something...wait...no! Rena, don't get too attached to this. You're a thief and a grifter, not a Ranger. You're only pretending to be one.

Bad guys don't get to be the good guys.

It was over within a second or two, and the Pikachu curled up next to my leg. He seemed perfectly content.

"That was quite impressive, young lady..." The man slowly emerged from the shadows, tilting his head up so that I could see his face under the brim of his hat. I found something about this man to be very suspicious, and I stood my ground, slightly tilting my chin up. "Congratulations... You've passed the Ranger School's entrance exam with flying colors... You're now the latest member of our army, the inscrutable team school. Together...we shall rule the world..." The teacher gave an evil laugh, and I saw that his teacher's badge read "Mr. Kaplan."

I raised an eyebrow at first, then just busted out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Kaplan shot me a confused look, and I just patted him on the shoulder. "Nice joke, Kaplan! You really had me going there for a second!"

Mr. Kaplan just beamed at me with boundless excitement. "Oh really?! You think so? Yay!" Kaplan cheered, enthusiastically punching the air. "Finally, someone who doesn't smack me for my insane jokes and conspiracy theories!" He cheered, showing the obvious and drastic personality change.

I just laughed, and another teacher walked in. She hit the light switch, illuminating the Gym in an instant. I winced from the brightness change, as did Kaplan. The woman walked up to us, shooting Kaplan a skeptical look. She had medium auburn hair and was wearing a green blouse, white pencil skirt, and red high heels.

"Kaplan...were you teasing my students again?" She glared, giving him that 'angry mom' look.

Kaplan was this close to cracking under pressure, nervously darting his eyes between this woman and the floor. "Uh, I..."

"Not at all!" I quickly interrupted, surprising the both of them that I was actually defending the male teacher. "We were just laughing at a hilarious joke he made." I patted him on the back, and Kaplan just decided to go with it.

"Yeah, Ms. April! That's all that we were doing, honest!" Kaplan sheepishly replied, and Ms. April's skeptical look softened.

"Oh all right..." She sighed, directing her attention over to me. "Hello there! I'm your classes teacher, Ms. April. Your classmates are anxious to meet you, so why don't you follow me to the classroom?" She smiled, leading me towards the door.

"You're gonna take my Gym class, right?" Kaplan shouted to me as we left, grinning brightly. It's clear I'm his new favorite student, and the feeling is mutual. He's a pretty cool teacher!

"Of course!" I shouted back, waving good-bye to him. "Gym is my favorite class! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I told the truth. For once.

"Enjoy your school life!" He smiled and waved, and Ms. April shut the door behind me.

I quickly got an idea, releasing Mightyena from his Pokeball while her back was turned. I jerked my head in the direction of the school, giving him the silent signal. He quickly ran away as Ms. April turned around, and she never even saw him.

Perfect.

"Ok. Let's go, then!" She smiled, directing my attention to the school.

It was a rather large building: two stories. From the looks of it, it has to have a basement somewhere. Ms. April led me inside, taking me over to a classroom door on our left. There was a lot of chatter and shouting coming from the other side. It sounded like everyone was goofing off to their heart's content.

"Wait right here, and wait for my signal. Then I'll introduce you!" Ms. April smiled, walking into the classroom. She shut the door behind her, and the class immediately fell quiet. "Class, I have an announcement to make! We have a new student joining our class today!"

...

"What? This late in the year? We're already two weeks into the school year!" Someone complained, and I pressed my ear against the door to listen for more.

"Is it a boy, or a girl? Which is it?"

"Are they smart? Cool? Cute? Popular? Look like a celebrity?"

"I bet it's another boy. Probably another Mechanic."

"Oh yeah? Well what if it's another girl Operator?"

"SILENCE!" Ms. April yelled, successfully shutting everyone up. "Why don't you just see for yourselves? Come on in!"

She must be signaling me now. Ok Rena, don't screw this up. First impression on the mark means everything. EVERYTHING. You blow this, and you blow the whole mission.

I reached for the doorknob, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The girls just stared at me wide-eyed, probably shocked at how pretty I am. Scared of the competition, girls? Good! Bite me.

The guys all whistled and followed me with their eyes the entire walk down the aisle, and I stopped at Ms. April's desk. I spun around on my heel with all my grace and beauty, making my long dark hair spin with me. It fell down to my lower back, and my crystal blue eyes locked themselves with a set of dazzling red ones.

There he was: Keith Dazzle. He sure was a lot cuter in person. He was staring at me, and I could tell that I had my hooks in him. He was clearly interested in me. Get the mark's attention? Check. Now it's phase two: personality display.

"Here she is, class!" Ms. April smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you introduce yourself..."

She was then cut off by the screeching noise of a chair skidding backwards. I looked up to see that Keith had shot straight up from his desk, staring at me with a wanting smirk.

Keith wore a large smirk that grew from ear to ear, only making my confidence grow. "Age?" He asked, staring straight into my blue eyes.

"Seventeen." I smirked back, crossing my arms and returning the stare. Everyone else in the classroom was at a loss for what was going on.

"Name?" He asked again, stepping out from his desk this time.

"Deveraux... Rena Deveraux." I held my smirk, my confidence only growing by the moment.

"Personality?" He asked yet another question, stepping closer and closer to me.

I just grinned. "Cunning, daring, thrill seeker, brave, adventurous, feisty, sassy, sarcastic, a ton of willpower, quick witted, athletic, competitive, confident, intelligent, and so much better than you." I sassed him, earning a loud, "BURN!" from the other classmates.

"Oh great, she's another Keith." Rhythimi groaned, slapping her forehead and sinking down into her chair.

Keith seemed to recover from my insult almost immediately, not showing any sign of weakness. "And lastly, future occupation?" He asked his final question.

We were face to face at this point, our lips only inches apart. I smirked, proud that I succeeded at this part of the job. "Ranger." I whispered in a hushed voice, my hot breath hitting his cheeks.

Keith grinned immensely, very excited about that. Ms. April was shooting us the weirdest look ever along with the other classmates, except for Rhythimi. She must've been expecting this.

BOOM!

CRASH!

THUD!

I stifled a laugh, knowing fully well what that loud noise was. Keith seemed intrigued, while everyone else was confused. I stood up on my tip toes, whispering into Keith's ear. "Did I also mention that I'm a prankster?"

"RENA DEVERAUX!" Mr. Kincaid's angry voice echoed throughout the school, making everyone jump out of their skin.

Keith smirked and went back to his desk. He leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head as he watched what was about to unfold. I stood in my confidence stance at the front of the room as Mr. Kincaid slammed the door open, storming in. He was clearly bruised and banged up. Did I mention very pissed off?

"YOU!" He shouted, pointing a finger at me. His face was red and I swear I saw steam shoot out of his ears. "YOU DID THIS TO ME, DIDN'T YOU?!"

"What are you accusing her of, Mr. Kincaid?!" Ms. April asked in disbelief, not able to believe that I would do something mischievous.

Oh how wrong she was.

I smirked as Mr. Kincaid got all up in my face, furious as hell. "You unscrewed all of the screws from my desk and chair, making them collapse as I sat down!" He layed out the accusation, and the class busted into an uproar of laughter.

I peeked around Mr. Kincaid's angry face, stealing a glance at Keith. Based from his amused facial expression, I can already tell that I'm so in. I turned my attention back to the angry teacher, putting on my innocent angel face. I held my hands together behind my back, and I began pacing around him in a circle.

"Mr. Kincaid... I am wounded, truly wounded that you could think so ill of me." I flashed him an angelic smile, making him even more furious. "I couldn't of done it. It's impossible."

"Oh do enlighten us, Miss Deveraux." Mr. Kincaid growled, crossing his arms as a vein bulged from his forehead.

I smirked, gaining the upper hand here. I continued my pacing in a circle, relaying the facts. "If what you say is true, and someone sabotaged your desk, I couldn't have done it. I have no motive nor opportunity." I smirked in Keith's direction, making sure he was listening. Oh he was alright, and was very intrigued. "After I got off of the airplane, you walked me all the way over here. Then, I was guided by Rhythimi to the Gym." I smiled in her direction, earning a grin and a hand wave from the perky blonde. "I took my entrance exam after that, then Ms. April took me straight here. So where and when could I have done it?" I asked him, shooting him a fake confused, puzzled, yet sympathetic look.

Mr. Kincaid froze. He clearly didn't think of that. "I...uh..."

I was quick to cut him off. "And besides..." I stopped my pacing, standing next to Keith's desk. I held my gaze with Mr. Kincaid. "I've known you all of twenty minutes. Don't you think that's a little soon to develop a grudge against you, sir?" I asked the rhetorical question. "It makes your accusation almost sound...ridiculous. Stupid. Outrageous, and utterly insane. Doesn't it?" I put emphasis on the two 't's' in those last two words, successfully enraging the teacher even more.

He thrashed about and yelled as Ms. April kicked him out, and the class all applauded me. Keith gave me a slight head nod, and I knew that I was in.

"Well..." Ms. April cleared her throat, regaining control over the room. "We better get you seated, Rena. You can have the seat next to Keith." She pointed at the empty desk next to Keith in the aisle, and I happily took my place.

Ms. April began a lecture of some sort, but I wasn't really listening. Keith wasn't either, from what I could tell. He smirked and leaned over to me, and I smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"So...how did you do it?" He asked, and a Buizel jumped up on his lap. That must be his family Pokemon.

The classroom door quietly opened just a crack, and Mightyena slipped in, undetected. He made his way over to me, taking a seat on the floor in between Keith and I. I smiled and petted him lovingly, feeding him a Pokepuff.

"They always forget to interrogate the partner." I smirked, looking back up at Keith.

He flashed me his charming grin, and I grinned back.

I'm in.


So here is chapter 2! What did you guys think?

Read, review, and enjoy!