[Koa Leilani]

Koa stood in front of the Ranger HQ in Birch City, psyching himself up for applying for this test. He had met three Pokemon that he had befriended on his journey, and now he had to present them to the Rangers and do a test with them in order to qualify for a promotion. His heart raced, but he was determined to see this through. "You can do this, Koa...you got this." He said to himself. After he took another moment to mentally prepare himself, Koa stepped into the HQ and began the paperwork to undertake the test.

Soon enough he was asked to present the three Pokemon he had caught. He nodded and let them out. Makoto the Pancham, Ali'i the Spoink, and Toki the Mienfoo. Once everything was settled, he and the three Pokemon would be guided to the obstacle course and asked to prove their skills. They were to take their time, consider their strengths and weaknesses, and complete as many obstacles as they could. Koa gave the instructor a salute and walked out to the course with the trio of Pokemon at his side. Makoto and Toki did some stretches and prepared themselves while Ali'i idly bounced in place. He simply wanted to go about his day and help Koa out with...whatever this was. Either way, this was more exciting than what he was used to.

"Alright, team. We got to get through this course the best we can. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it!" He said as he waited to be given the signal to begin.

tTNJwJqS

Word Count: 266
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Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jenesis]

Nothing happened!

All rolls were passed.

Koa Leilani

Your Pokemon are warmed up and ready to go!

The first obstacle on the course is: climbing a large net to get to the top of a tower. Shouldn't be too hard. Just make sure not to wear yourself out at the start.

[Koa Leilani]

Once they were given the okay, Koa and his team started to jog towards the first obstacle. Well, Ali'i bounced, but that's beside the point. The first obstacle was a net they had to climb up. It shouldn't be too much a problem for most of his team, but he worried about Ali'i. However, Ali'i took the initiative, much to his and the others' surprise. He carefully started to bounce up one part of the net at a time. "Well, look at that! Let's go, everybody!" He said as he grabbed onto the net. He got his footing and slowly began to climb up. He stayed next to Ali'i in case he looked like he was about to fall given how awkward it must be to bounce up a net.

Makoto and Toki both followed suit as they climbed alongside them, though took care not to shift the net too much with their weight. It was a slow process, but they were doing well so far. "Slow and steady..." He muttered as he climbed yet another segment of the net.

RjUKyk_h

Word Count: 180
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Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jae]

A random event has occurred! 

What will you do? 

Koa Leilani

You manage to get to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower is a zipline that takes you down to another platform. However, the metal piece to attach to the line seems to be missing. Look around for it with your Pokemon and either find and retrieve it from one of the closer platforms or be crafty about making one yourself.

[Koa Leilani]

With a little effort the group managed to make it to the top of the tower. Next up was a zipline. He would have to recall Ali'i for his safety, but the others can just hold on...wait, where was the handle? He looked at the line and realize that there was nothing to hang on too. This must be a test of observational skills or improvising when things don't go as planned. Possibly both. "Okay...let's see what we're working with." He said as he looked around the platform. There didn't seem to be anything to use on the platform itself. At least not in plain sight, that would be far too easy. "Can you guys look around for something we can use to go down this line?" He asked, gesturing around himself and up to the line.

His Pokemon seemed to get the idea and started doing their searches. Ali'i bounced around for a moment, trying to see if there were any loose boards hiding something. Makoto looked around the zipline itself to see if it fell anywhere close enough to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Koa wandered around the closer platforms and spotted a lot of bags, boxes, and barrels. "This thing could be anywhere...I don't have time to look through all of these..." Toki, however, was meditating. His eyes glowed slightly as he stood up and walked towards the platform Koa was on. He closely inspected each and every container and narrowed his eyes to focus his vision. He spotted a strange haze within one of the boxes and pointed at it with a little shout. Koa walked up to it "Did you find something?" He asked as he opened up the box and noticed a bunch of random clutter, likely to deter searching every box...but Toki was serious about something useful being in there. Koa started to dig through the box and eventually he found it, the missing piece to the zipline.

He let out a whistle to call his Pokemon to his side as he walked back to the line and affixed the missing part. He looked at Toki, curious. "How did you know this was there...? Wait..." He thought about it for a moment. "Aura? Then...hm." He would have to look into this later, but for now he recalled his group to their Pokeballs for safety before he prepped himself to go down the zipline. After a second to get his bearings, he started to glide down the line.

3WFt2ANo

Word Count: 412

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Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jae]

Nothing happened!

All rolls were passed.

Koa Leilani

You zipline down no problem! As you come to the ground, you find the area is very rocky and shaky. You must traverse it carefully, but it dooesn't look too bad!

[Koa Leilani]

As Koa touched down, he exhaled sharply "Whoo, that was...something." His legs were shaking a bit, but he was good to keep going. He called out his Pokemon again and kept going. As he stepped forward, the ground shifted slightly and was a bit uneven "Whoa, careful everyone. Careful steps now...don't want to trip and get hurt." Speed was important when addressing emergencies, but so was being in good condition after passing through treacherous terrain. Falling over and getting back up would take a lot more time than going about it carefully.

Slowly but surely Koa and his team watched their steps through the rocky terrain. He climbed up a small cliff and reached down to help his Pokemon up "Up you go, come on." He said encouragingly as they kept going on their way. He crouched down and hopped off the cliff down to the end of this particular point in the course. Before that was a series of stone tiles. He pressed his foot against one and it shifted slightly, then tested another one that was perfectly stable "Ah, got it..." He said "Follow close behind me, everyone." He said as he stepped on the stable tiles across to the finish line. "Excellent!" He said as he smiled at his team "We're making good progress. Keep it up!"

Ap2b5KLk

Word Count: 220
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Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jae]

Nothing happened!

All rolls were passed.

Koa Leilani

You're doing great! The next obstacle involves a walk across a balance beam over a wide pond. Try not to get soaked! 

[Koa Leilani]

This next part wasn't so bad. Koa's balance is actually pretty good as he leisurely starts to walk across the beam, though thoughts of actual situations where he would need to balance like this start to get to him. Over chasms, waterfalls, or worse. He trembles slightly at the thought and froze in place. One misstep could lead to disaster. Would he be able to do this sort of thing without choking up at a crucial moment?

He's snapped out of his worries as he hears his Pokemon call at him from behind him. They looked worried about him, even the usually stoic Makoto. "S-sorry...I'm keeping you from moving on, huh? W-well let's keep going." He said as he started to walk across at a quicker pace. He had to push himself. Believe in himself. How was he going to protect people if he couldn't push towards bettering himself at every opportunity?

Eventually the group made it across, with Toki and Makoto looking just fine, but Ali'i seemed a bit spooked from the ordeal. Koa knelt down and smiled at him "Hey, it's alright, we made it. You did good!" He praised. This seemed to calm him down a bit as the group continued on to the next obstacle.

EoXNhcdl

Word Count: 210

------

Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Koa Leilani

Your next climb up obstacle seems to be a near vertical wall. There are places to grab and climb, but they are small by comparison to what you've already faced. At least below you is padded so in case you fall, it's not an entire loss. As you climb about halfway up.... you will find someone at the top watching you: a Hoppip belonging to one of the proctors. She throws off a light Fairy Wind down at you, not nearly enough to do damage but surely enough to shift your balance! 

[Koa Leilani]

Koa crossed his arms for a moment as he looked at the wall and observed where the best places to climb were. He recalled Ali'i, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to make it up this obstacle on his own. The climb started pretty well. He was stronger than he looked, and he had stamina to boot. However, the problem came with the Hoppip above him. Makoto and Toki climbed alongside him, making surprising little leaps to the next place to climb. Seeing the two fighting types, the Hoppip started to blow Fairy Wind down on the group. It was light and not damaging, but the move was still clearly difficult for Toki and Makoto to handle.

Seeing this in his Pokemon, Koa decided to shift his climbing so that he blocked the Fairy Wind. He struggled and kept his grip tight. His foot slipped from one of the footholds, forcing him to dangle slightly. He managed to get his footing again. He looked down at Toki and gestured up towards the Hoppip. He took one hand to pat at his shoulder to signal for him to spring off him "I'll be fine, go!" He said. After a moment's hesitation, Toki jumped up from his current point and climbed on Koa's back. He grit his teeth as he held on as much he could. Toki then leaped from Koa's back and grabbed the top of the wall before he scrambled up and started to push the Hoppip away. With that, Koa and Makoto were free to make the rest of the climb.

Soon, the two of them made it to the top. Koa rolled onto his back and tried to catch his breath. He flexed his fingers a bit before he sat back up. The Hoppip simply floated about happily, more impressed than annoyed with the tactic they employed. He brought Ali'i back out, who bounced on ahead. "Well...!" Koa stood up "You all good to keep going?" He asked. They all nodded and looked ready to continue on! Makoto and Toki looked a little tired from the Fairy Wind, but they weren't going to give up so easily.

mtq6NFIE

Word Count: 360
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Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jae]

Nothing happened!

All rolls were passed.

Koa Leilani

Even being a little tired you're doing great! The next part is just a quick series of jumps down a couple of landing pads to get back to the ground again. Seems there's a lot of ups and downs on this obstacle course. 

[Koa Leilani]

Ali'i immediately took off and bounced up and down these next platforms, using the momentum to bounce higher and higher. He looked to be having a pretty good time of it too! The benefits of being something that is always bouncing around to get from place to place.

Toki and Makoto soon followed suit while Koa hopped off one platform. He underestimated the drop, and almost stumbled forward when he landed. He'd have to remember to roll upon landing for these. He ran after Ali'i and the others, who expertly jumped and navigated this terrain. It made sense, all of these Pokemon belonged to rather rough terrain that had a lot of ups and downs.

Koa climbed up one of the platforms and understood the nature of this test. Get used to as much terrain as possible no matter how different or difficult it was to navigate. He dropped down another platform and rolled before he kicked himself back up into a sprint to the next one. Soon he had a rhythm and flow going as he climbed and dropped from different platforms. He was even keeping pace with his Pokemon! He learned some parkour during his time with Team Skull, but doing it in this sort of situation was entirely different. He had a feeling he looked pretty cool doing this, but he didn't want to brag.

9IZz7Ukz

Word Count: 228
-----

Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jae]

Nothing happened!

All rolls were passed.

Koa Leilani

You manage to get to the ground below-- and immediately it caves under you! If you fall in, you're going to have to get your Pokemon to help you out! If not, well, good on you keep going! 

[Koa Leilani]

That landing was rough and unexpected. "Wha-!" Koa shouted as he fell through the floor and into a hollowed out chamber with no real way to climb back up. He landed with a heavy thud, but was unhurt from the fall, more or less. "Aagh...that's going to hurt tomorrow..." He groaned as he stood up. His Pokemon thankfully avoided falling in with him. "Hey! Go see if you can get help! A rope, a Pokemon, one of the proctors, anything!" He called to them. They looked at each other before they rushed to search for a way to help Koa out of his predicament.

The three of them looked around the immediate area. Was there a rope? Ladder? Anything that could help Koa get out? They frantically searched around. There was no such item, but in the distance, a large Machamp wandered around. It seemed to ignore the group, but the three of them rushed over and started communicating and gesturing over to the whole. The Machamp's whole demeanor changed and hurriedly followed the three of them over to the hole. Machamp was able to reach down far enough for Koa to grab onto its arm. Once he was holding on, Machamp pulled Koa up with ease and gently set him down at the top. It gave them all a thumbs up and walked off. Koa wondered if this was a test to seek help if left helpless. That must have been it, he thought. He took a moment to kneel down and hug his Pokemon "Thanks, really." He said as the group continued onward.

YwBYtOf8

Word Count: 266
----

Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[bone]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Koa Leilani

You exited the pitfall trap with ease, enjoyed a tender moment with your Pokemon, and confidently strode forward . . . only for the ground beneath your feet to collapse. Oh come on! What kind of obstacle course designer would put pitfall traps directly in front of each other like that?

[Koa Leilani]

As soon as the ground began to shift ever so slightly, Koa immediately reached down to pick up his Pokemon. He scooped them up close to his body and sprinted forward, almost falling flat on his face but he somehow managed to run and leap towards the edge of the collapsing pit. Ali'i's orb almost went flying, much to his panic, but Koa reached out and grabbed it just at the last second before he set his team down and placed the orb back on his head "Guess you all were too light to trigger that platform collapsing...got to be prepared for anything out on the field."

Koa would take his next few steps very carefully and test the ground before moving forward. This whole test was an endurance match of how many things could go wrong in a row. Still, he and the others had to take this challenge in stride if they were going to prove themselves to the Rangers. His Pokemon followed close behind, feeling a sense of admiration for Koa due to how quickly he took to action in order to save them. Just a few obstacles left and they should hopefully be ready for grading.

Q3wqi509

Word Count: 201
-------

Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[bone]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Koa Leilani

That next obstacle is a rickety, swinging bridge, high above a gentle stream. So far, so good . . . yet as soon as Koa sets one foot on the bridge, a Gyarados would come bursting forth from the waters! It doesn't look happy (albeit its anger seems rather performative), and its thrashing and raging risks making even standing on the bridge a danger!

[Koa Leilani]

There was a moment of stunned silence as the Gyarados jumped up from the water and roared at the group. They all held onto the ropes of the bridge as it rattled and shook from its leap and subsequent dive back down into the water below. "Okay, they're really upping the game here!" Koa shouted. He had to recall Ali'i again. Poor guy spent most of his time in the Pokeball given the nature of most of these obstacles.

"Makoto, Toki, climb onto my back and hold on tight!" He ordered. The two of them jumped up and clung to his back as he took slow, careful steps along the bridge. He flinched as the Gyarados roared at them from the water. It splashed and thrashed, tail occasionally slapping the bridge and making the group bounce. One board snapped beneath Koa which made him lose balance and fall to a knee "Keep hanging on...we'll get through this..." He said. He wanted to keep the team's spirits high as he struggled to get his leg back up to the bridge. With slow, light steps, he walked along one board at a time and braced himself whenever the Gyarados roared and jumped. He and the others were getting soaked by the water that was splashed upwards. He had no items or anything that could calm the Gyarados and honestly he didn't think that was the point. Once more, making the best out of perilous situations was key.

Finally, he made one final jump to the other side and just like that the Gyarados calmed down and started to swim around without making a fuss. Koa let Toki and Makoto down while he dried off his clothes "You two okay?" He asked. They nodded happily as they shook water off their fur. Makoto glared back at the Gyarados, but ignored it otherwise. There was no point in unnecessary fights.

IcmJsxIr

Word Count: 317
------

Team/Level/Energy

Makoto (Pancham), Level 8, 5/5

Ali'i (Spoink), Level 12, 5/5

Toki (Mienfoo), Level 8, 5/5

[Jenesis]

Nothing happened!

All rolls were passed.

Koa Leilani

You make it across the bridge safe and sound. Your next obstacle requires crawling through the mud, under a net, on your hands and knees.