Of all the hundreds of things on Solana's Ranger-Bucket-List: nursing an orphaned Pokémon, reuniting a lost child with their parent, being given the honor of invitation into one of Professor Hastings' lab presentations… the bullet point of "returning to the Fall City sewers" was notably absent .
The day had started all too regular- 7:30. Wake up in her dorm at the Ringtown Ranger Base. 8:00. Meander down to the commissary with the rest of the base trickling in for breakfast before they were slated to be on the clock. Intermingle with the 3rd shift rangers, who were usually grabbing a bite to eat before bed after a long night of watch duty. 8:15. Notice Lunick's sorry little behind is still MIA, and go back upstairs to the dorms to have Plusle and Minun tag-team jolt him awake. Drag him down to eat something as well. 8:45. Report to Spenser for pre-shift briefing. 9:00. Patrol Lyra Forest with Lunick indefinitely until either their meal break time or a situation arises.
It was slow. It was mundane. Yet Solana loved it nonetheless; she'd been so go-go-go her first few weeks that it was nice to have a small lull in activity. It allowed her time to think, to reflect on how there was next to nothing that she wouldn't do for this found family of hers in the Ringtown Rangers: each time she passed the same signpost on the same beat-down patrol path in Lyra Forest, she silently thanked her younger self for having written all those letters over the years, and thanked Spenser for taking the chance on her to get her here today.
Which was usually followed by a bony elbow in the side, courtesy of her best friend and assigned mission partner.
"Head in the clouds, Sunshine?"
The term of endearment was rather anything but: it held a teasing undertone, and was truthfully just a long-running, simply bad joke that he'd made on a whim a few months ago in reference to the solar implications and meaning of her name. And he stuck with it, bringing it out again every once in a while just to spice things up. "Your eyes get all hazed over sometimes when we walk around here, and I can't patrol the whole forest by myself!" His words were dramatic, and they made Solana laugh, returning the playful shove into his side and nearly teetering the Minus Pokémon right off his shoulder.
"You can, and you have." She pointed out, rolling her eyes in amusement at his supposed complaint. "We both know these woods so well we could patrol them alone and with our eyes closed. You're just lucky you're paired with such excellent company like myself to keep you on your toes while you do so."
Before Lunick got the chance to deny, both of their stylers pinged in the familiar tone that denoted it was a message from the base pertaining to official business.
"No," Solana groaned upon reading it, which was wildly contrasted by her best friend's whooping "YES!" at the same time.
"Finally, some more active duty!" He exclaimed, a big lopsided and toothy smile across his face. "C'mon, Sol! We're already almost at Krokka Tunnel, let's not even bother with the Dragonite Bus!"
Dragging her by the wrist, he bounded like a kid in a candy store, which was awfully strange for someone who just got assigned a mission to help Fall City's waste management department fix some shotty infrastructure in the sewers .
They arrived at Fall City's base not long thereafter, immediately saluting and joining the lines for briefing in the base lobby. There, they could see that a handful of other Ringtown rangers had been flown in, along with seven or so of the city's own rangers, and even a stray Summerland recruit reporting for assistance as well. While to others it may have seemed like overkill, Fiore Rangers tended to operate in an all-hands-on-deck fashion during peacetimes, and Fall City really prides itself upon its waterworks, making this a priority issue. Joel was quick to explain the situation once everyone was present and at attention. The group was to split into four subunits, each spearheaded by a waste management liaison that would be dictating the rangers on where to assist and repair within the different operating zones of the sewage network. The teams were pretty evenly distributed by rank and dispatched, which meant Solana was not partnered with neither Aria nor Lunick, as the three were among the most high-ranking and capable rangers in the southwest of the region and therefore too valuable to not utilize over the largest area possible to get the job done. While these very waterways had been where she and Aria had their terribly rocky start a few months ago, the snooty blonde had come around over time to ultimately become one of her most trusted allies in dire situations, and despite still being frenimies, catching up would have at least made the return to sewage work a little more palatable.
That said, given her current situation, perhaps it was best after all that Aria wasn't around, because Solana sure as hell would have never heard the end of it.
Don't get me wrong- the maintenance work started out well. A vast majority of the faulty infrastructure in the division of tunnels Solana had been assigned to was due to unchecked fixtures that had simply given out over time from negligence in keeping the operative pieces up to date. Most of the work had just been helping carry large industrial pieces to the proper areas in which they needed to go- physically demanding, but ultimately nothing too difficult or troublesome, and definitely went a bit quicker once she'd found a wild Feraligatr and convinced it to assist in their cause as well. Once the heavy team-lifting pieces had all been relocated to their proper areas, the various rangers had split up to tackle a wide variety of smaller tasks. A couple of Raticate captured here to snip off the beyond-rusted old equipment, a few Tangela there to cross the waterway without unnecessary climbing, and multiple Corphish that had been scuttling at her heels affectionately for hours now, simply so they'd stop charging her every time she re-entered a pipeline to get a new piece to deliver to the waste management employees she was working with: it was all running relatively smoothly. That is, until Solana made the very unfortunate discovery that rusted spigots and outflow pipes were not the only infrastructure issues that needed to be addressed.
On the outskirts of the zone of which her assigned squadron had been working within, the blue haired girl took an unassuming step onto a spot in the walkway that simply looked like it had a different texture than where she'd been standing before- nothing out of the ordinary, just switching from concrete to grate. Probably for drainage in the case of storm surges or the like. Definitely not because it was structurally unsound and immediately cracked upon her and Plusle's weight, dropping her at least ten feet deep into a slimy, damp, effective concrete ditch.
A few expletives flew from beneath her breath as she drew her gloved hand out of the slick grime that had cultivated in the unchecked drainage system, a disgusted grimace twisting her lips as she rose to her feet and tried to wipe off any of the unexplained slippery film onto her uniform instead of her skin. The befriended Corphish skittered over and peered down at her, unable to help more than just staring and bubbling at the mouth. Great. Excellent! Fantastic. This was fine, she could get out on her own. Not a problem, this was exactly why Rangers were required to do regular strength training, to be able to climb and hoist themselves out of predicaments just like this one. She just had to find some footholds… on this… perfectly rectangular and slippery concrete basin.
Letting out a sigh, Solana first scooped up her partner Pokémon, lifted herself to tiptoes, and hoisted the Plusle up above her head enough so that he could jump out onto the normal platform with ease. From there, she began trying to wedge herself within a corner, tight enough so the force she was exerting on either wall was stabilizing enough to where she could spider-crawl her way up; but her many attempts of this approach all had proven fruitless, with each getting more pathetic than the last as her gloves and shoe soles got thoroughly coated in the damp slime film. Letting out a frustrated growl, the 19 year old kicked the shallow puddle pooled at the bottom of her concrete jail cell, watching the water spray and then recollect in the middle of the basin.
At some point, Plusle had begun scampering back and forth along the side of the wall above her, desperately wanting to help his person but having no means of doing so. He whimpered out a few pleas upon seeing her begin to stalk whilst trying to think up a new plan of escape, but she only shook her head at his suggestions. "I don't need to call for help! I'm a Rank 7 ranger, dammit, and this isn't even a dangerous mission!"
The Pokémon whined a bit more, and the three water type onlookers shuffled around in support of the electric mouse's suggestions, but Solana was simply too stubborn to listen. It was her fatal flaw in the field: the inability to accept when outside assistance is required on seemingly small things. She felt she should be able to handle them by herself.
Shaking out all her limbs to loosen up, Solana's eyes lit aglow with a wave of determination, pressing her body back up against the far wall as closely as she could without dirtying herself further to give her the maximum distance possible to gain speed: if she were lucky, it would be enough to launch her up to even allow just her palms to lay flat on the floor above. That would be enough, certainly she could hoist her body weight up from that position, even without adequate footholds. Taking a sharp inhale, she took three lightning-fast steps before leaping up, even so much as getting a hand up to where she was hoping for, but her gloves were so slippery at this point that they slid right back down the wall, collapsing all her momentum down into a crumpled ball.
But now she knew it was possible.
Shaking herself off once again, the girl returned to her starting position and wiped her hands on the front of her uniform over and over excessively, trying to give herself as much grip as possible, but it wasn't the gloves she needed to have worried about this time. She began her twitch-movement of breaking into a 3 step run and immediately lost her footing within the puddle, her leg slipping out right from underneath her and sending her face-first into the very hard concrete below. Solana let out a yelp instinctively, and took the fall in a roll, minimizing impact as she'd been trained to do countless times back at base. While the slip wasn't nearly as detrimental as it could have been if she hadn't braced herself, it certainly did not go without a few ripening bruises. "Oh, come on," she complained quietly, before hearing footsteps come into earshot and hurry in her direction. This was followed by Plusle jumping and squeaking excitedly, and before the footfalls even reached the well to reveal their maker, Solana knew exactly who it was, and a mixture of relief and irritability flooded her face as an oh-so-familiar smug face peeked down onto her, followed by two very cheerful electric partner Pokémon.
Turns out, each team had been given a different issue to tackle. Solana's? Rust. Aria's? Pollution. Lunick's? … Walkway stability.
He couldn't keep the shit-eating grin off his lips, dropping down to lay on the ground with his head rested on his palm, propped up by his elbow and kicking his legs back like a schoolgirl on the phone. "Aww," Lunick cooed patronizingly at his best friend, her embarrassed flush only making his satisfied grin grow wider. "Is wittle Sowana stuck in a wittle hole?"
Scowling, and hating whenever he had the upper hand in things like these, Solana grabbed a fistful of the slime and flung it up at him, which he rolled away from and dodged with ease, even so much as laughing at her frustrations. The thing was, this wasn't uncommon for them: both were constantly saving the other's ass, whether it be in the field or out. They'd been in too many situations that they wouldn't have gotten through without the other to count, and over time, had begun to foster a dynamic of playful teasing in an everlasting arms race for the last laugh. In real, dangerous situations, it was a way to cope. In less life-threatening ones like these, it was just a bit of fun.
She all-but growled at him when he rolled back into view with that same stupid smile on his stupid face, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. "I am not stuck," the girl insisted, turning away from him with a huff. "I just so happen to like it down here."
Struggling to contain his peals of laughter, Lunick tapped his fingers along the edge. "Uh-huh. Wellll, I'm just saying , you know from an outsider's point of view, you sure look stuck to me…"
Solana whirled around on the balls of her feet, pointing up at him with a huff. "I'll have you know I can get out of here any time I want!" She snapped, and he relaxed even further, eyes half lidded in bemusement at seeing her get all riled up at his oh so obvious baiting.
"Oh!" Lunick dropped the hand he'd been resting on, perking up a bit to clap his hands together. "Well, my apologies for assuming! That's great to hear, I actually heard from Joel that all of our units are headed back to the Fall City base, and we could really use you reporting in on time and all… So if you could get to it on getting out of there, that would be great~!"
She snarled and lunged up at his direction, trying to seek purchase and grapple onto him but to no avail. She was tired from having exerted herself trying for all this time, and he was chipper as ever, and slipped right out of her grip with ease.
"Oooh," he sympathized pathetically. "Bummer! You were so close! Man, I really felt that one was the one, you know?!"
The girl was fantasizing about knocking in all 32 of those pearly whites that he was flashing in a wide smug grin, balling her fists at her sides. "You're going to be ' really feeling ' my fist when I get out of here." She threatened, and he sat up with a chuckle, holding his hands up half heartedly in surrender.
"Alright, alright," Lunick compromised, "I won't make you suffer any longer." He looked over his shoulder, where Solana pieced together that his own friend Pokémon stood. "Drowzee, can you lift my friend here back up onto solid ground?"
Two of the yellow and brown Pokémon appeared in Solana's field of vision, and immediately began to swing their arms, casting a neon pink field of psychic energy down into the basin and surrounding her weary body. She felt her body enter a state of weightlessness as the two Pokémon lifted her off of the ground, suspended within their bubble. The fact that the psychic types of question were Drowzee, specifically, caused her eyes to fall shut in an instant as the wild Pokémon hand-delivered her right into Lunick's lap, before releasing their mental grip and scampering off back to their natural environment. He gingerly helped her up, placing her back on her feet as the effects of the power began to wear away in the Pokémon's absence. She yawned profoundly as Plusle jumped up onto her shoulder and nuzzled in, happy to be reunited.
"… Could have… done it myself…" Solana slurred sleepily, rubbing her eyes with the back of her wrist, since it was one of the only clean spots on her.
"Mmhm," Lunick placidly agreed, but a hint of a snicker bubbled in the back of his throat. "But it's getting late, and we should head back and report, don't you think?"
His best friend nodded and yawned again, waking up a bit more by the second. "We definitely should, we don't want to face the wrath of Ar-"
"THERE YOU TWO ARE!" Speak of the devil, and she will come. Lunick and Solana both snapped their heads toward the source of the voice, and the unmistakable boot heel clicks even in this environment. She huffed, tapping the toe of her shoe impatiently once she'd come into view, throwing her arms out in exasperation. "Now is not the time to be having one of your little lovebird moments! I've been sent out to come collect you both, and this is what I find?!"
Solana smiled, stepping forward and crossing the gap between them, slugging a sticky arm around the blonde's shoulder. "It's good to see you too, Aria." Which was met with the Fall City Ranger's shriek, shimmying out of the affectionate grip.
"EW! What in the Distortion World is that , and why would you touch me with it! " Both Lunick and Solana beamed at the reaction, which only made Aria scowl. "You are infuriating , Hinata. And Lunick, you're no better, but together , you two are both so much worse. "
"Aww," the two Ringtown rangers cooed in unison, both having a new target to tease that wasn't each other, and absolutely pouncing on the opportunity. "Aria, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me!" Lunick teasingly threw his arms out, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Bring it in!"
"Aww, group hug!" Solana cheered, grabbing the blonde and sandwiching her between them two of them, much to her absolute horror and shrill screaming.
"FOR THE RECORD!" Aria squealed, writhing to free herself from the Ringtown sandwich. "I HATE WORKING WITH YOU!"
Both Lunick and Solana laughed, their partner Pokémon jumping in all the excitement. "We love you too, Aria," Solana offered for the both of them, shaking her head with a grin. "Now let's go. Don't want to keep Joel waiting any longer than he already has, right?"
Author's note: thank you so much for reading! I'm certainly out of writing shape so apologies for any awkward prose, but I really wanted to write a fic with Lunick and Solana again- last time I did was a handful of short one shots 2013, and boy are those b a d, so I wanted to redeem myself and put more fiore content into the world again!