Rena sunk himself into a hole of regret as he watched the girl stomp on like he did. Had he look like that too…? Ignoring his own thoughts, he considered her response to his question for a brief moment— were those the only prerequisites for being a ranger, anyone who helps people and Pokemon?— No, he decided. You were a ranger when they told you you were one. That seemed right. “[i]That makes two of us.[/i]” He mumbled under his breath just as the girl clenched her fists. Was she… angry? Strike 2?

“My name is Noah.” She said it with a look of positivity. Noah took his hand and molded his fingers into a fist. For all the few seconds she took to do, Rena stared at his hand in complete confusion and fear. If she punched him with his own fist, he would get revenge in th—

She pushed their fists together. Was that supposed to take the place of a handshake? A fist-bump? A strange girl indeed. It was a cute gesture though, Rena thought when she smiled again. “Nice to meet you,” Rena mirrored Noah’s smile, but his was more of a mischievous smirk. “Don’t get your hair caught on a branch!” With a laugh, he bolted off to the front of the group when they neared a large clearing filled with their bungalows. It would be a lot different to live in them than where he used to live back in Anistar. A lot of things were going to be different from then on. His job, his friendships, his home, his Pokemon, his personality even. Maybe it was for the better though.

The four Senior Rangers stopped the crowd of trainees, and began to address them. It was time to tell them their groups. His stare intensified. The excitement in Rena’s mind was almost palpable in the form of sweat dripping of his brow. Or maybe that was just from the trek to this clearing? He subtly flicked the sweat off his forehead and wiped the back of his hand on the side of his jeans. 

They said this group was for the rest of their careers. He could be stuck with deadweight, people he hated, or worse, he could end up being those things. Rena hoped that Noah was on his group since he had already met her and (kinda) became friends. The Seniors began to call off names. “Squad one. Dirge Burlesque, Noah Scarlett,” Rena uttered a quiet curse for little reason. “and H-H-Hao Ryota… Squad t-t-th-“ A different girl in the quartet of rangers took the card from the hopelessly nervous girl and began to read where she left off. Why did they force [i]her[/i] to be the one to speak when the other three were way more capable of it?

“Squad two: Lylis Newton, Rebel Cornelius, and Leonardo Silverstone. Squad three: Mai Taniyama, Cecelia Rielly, and Rainer Spades.” Rena recognized none of these names. When where they gonna call his name? Was he not supposed to be here?! The mere thought that the letter they sent to him was a mistake was hardly realistic, but it still made him a bit more nervous. “And last but [i]hopefully[/i] not least; Rena Sato, Derrick Richards, and Regan Hiryuu.” He let out a quick sigh of relief as he walked over to take his place in the line of to-be rangers. Except, he came to realize that Noah was literally the only other person she knew the name of. He leaned out a bit to take a better look at everyone. 

The line disbanded shortly after, since he and his group [i]were[/i] last. He awkwardly observed the other two people he was supposed to be in a team with. Rena recited their names in a whisper, “Derricks Richard and Regan Hiru—“ That wasn’t right. He looked at them again. One was a tall guy, the other a red-headed girl. They seemed good. It wasn’t really nice to judge them based on first-appearances though. He patiently waited for them to initiate the conversation they were should have, locking his eyesight on them.