A.N. and disclaimer: Hello, everyone! First story ever so constructive discussion only. I don't own Pokémon; I wish I did. I only own the original fiction and OC's.

That's Rough Ranger

9ve

CH:1 Introductions

I was covered in dirt and grass stains, struggling to hold down an Oddish that had escaped the greenhouse. The little shit had slid a leaf between the lock and the door frame just as I had left. My growing dislike for grass-type Pokémon could be exemplified by this little freak of a blue onion. We had found it months ago eating our Oran berry bushes, and mom had blown a fuse. Dad had kept it in the greenhouse to help keep down the weed population, but the effort to keep it in there was monumental.

Hefting the blue bulb creature by the leaf roots, I levelled its eyes with my face. We stared at each other in mutual dislike before it started squirming again. I had never liked grass types, and as we lived close to a nearby forest, they were abundant. Despite the notion that plants were supposed to be slow and weak, the little beasts were chaos incarnate.

My parents thought that giving me the chore to keep the little critters out of our berry patch would "help grow character." Right… No thanks.

Breathing out a long sigh, I hauled the blue ball of energy back to the greenhouse where our sour medical herbs were grown. The oddish tried to wriggle out of my grasp but a firm squeeze on its sensitive leaf roots later, and that wasn't an issue. Opening the old door, I quickly and quite violently threw the oddish into the greenhouse and slammed the door shut.

My new life wasn't too bad. Despite the heart attack that was getting born and the fear of knowing that godlike beings genuinely exist in this universe, my life was good. I was born to a loving family of three; my mother, a florist and my father, an ACE captain, meant my life was enjoyable, if not a little slow. My brother decided to forego the gym challenge and went straight into a college for Poké-sci. We were an eccentric bunch, but that was fine with me.

Dad, AKA Takeshi Solemn, was the average buff drill instructor you'd find in an army boot camp. The buzz cut and loud ear ringing voice to boot. He sort of looked like an Asian Dwayne Johnson but more severe and with an intimidating Fearow behind him. He hadn't shown me all his team yet, but if the oversized Pidgeon was anything to go by, it was more for my safety than any lack of trust.

Mom was a willowy woman with a warm heart an abundance of water Pokémon. She had long brown hair and tanned skin with dimples when she smiled. Her Swampert (named sweetie of all things) from her home region was my favourite Pokémon, and we shared an extreme dislike for the local flora. Kate Solemn was a kind lady, an awesome mom, and a proud flower shop owner down in Saffron City. Kate perfumes were soon becoming the new trendy scent to wear.

My brother, Jace, was a skinny and lovable nerd with a penchant for hiding in his room when home. He had a Porygon I had named F.R.I.D.A.Y and a Haunter he had "captured" with offers of free poke food. I had promptly named the Haunter Mr. Giggles to its delight. I was rewarded with a round of disturbing but fitting laughter.

Jace was the first sibling I had ever had in both lifetimes, so I had tried to be close despite the six-year age gap. Luckily, we were both into Pokémon and got along quite well. Despite dad's disappointment at his career choice, I had found all the Pokémon books and my love for science fascinating. Jace had bought me my first Pokéball that I was saving for my first capture.

As the youngest, I was the runt of the pack. Rayna solemn is a small thin girl with pin strait black hair and tanned skin. Blue Eyes was the only shockingly anime feature about me as they were a blue-green that belonged to the Bahamas, not human eye colour. I had styled my hair into a Hime haircut; ponytail version and often wore a hoodie and jeans. In this life, at least.

In my previous life as Cory Gale, I was a 5'4" woman working as an Excavator operator in a quarry. I was a fan of sci-fi, video games and hiking. I had also died in a mudslide from dangerous excavation conditions at a hillside site. I had always been a fan of Pokémon, and despite not gaming formally in showdown ladders or competitions, I thought I could hold my own.

Finding out I was in the Pokémon universe was quick and scary. Five days after I was born, the Chancey in the Hospital had shuffled in and caused me to scream like a banshee. The cute anime Pokémon didn't translate too well to life-size. Anyway, growing up with Pokémon was fantastic; the pet goldfish in my old life was now the equivalent of a Magicarp in the pond. "Hey, Siri!" was now "Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y!" and the questionable meat in Mc Donald's burgers was now replaced with a whole different level of, "Do I want to know what's in this?"

My brother and I loved research. I loved learning about move sets and evolution techniques. I knew quite a bit from the games and the TV show, but that was only a basis, not an in-depth comprehension. I knew I wasn't all-knowing. Food types, carnivorous and herbaceous Pokémon and how to distinguish them were examples of what I had to learn. Food chains and local Pokémon habitats were easily found in hiking guides and online forums.

Learning Pokémon history was Interesting; the traditional wars between Kanto and Johto were exciting to read about. Historical places and places I knew Legendary Pokémon to be found was something I had researched in-depth. I had a bucket list of places I wanted to visit in this lifetime; the forest of life and the Tree of Beginning being only the start. I liked travelling in my past life. Visiting different cultures and experiencing something new had been my vacation bread and butter.

However, the Pokémon world was still primarily undiscovered, and this left me unsettled. The central populations of Kanto and Johto were happy not to explore and grow past the borders. As a soul and mind from Earth, it was confusing to me to see people know about the unknown and feel no need to explore. To push boundaries was the basis of the human experience. Sure, there was the odd time when trainers would get lost past a region's borders and discover something new. Still, the primary basis of exploration in this universe was scientific and not geographical.

The closest job or profession to explorers was the Pokémon Ranger. Unlike a Park Ranger or an ACE trainer, the Pokémon Rangers were on the bleeding edge of the unknown and were the only section of the government that dealt with the unexplored lands.

I was put into this world, not somebody else. Hell, I could be a mistake in the reincarnation cycle or just a ROB having fun, but I was damn well going to live the way I wanted. I knew what I aspired to be in this life, and damn if it wasn't going to be a Ranger.