The prior Glimmora swarm had, initially, been just a novel experience. It wasn't regarded as too unusual, as swarms happen all the time for one reason or another - be it migrations, shifts in the ecosystem, and the like.

But for the Glimmora swarm to pop up again - and not only that, but show up in multiple places across Hoenn? That was a sign that something else was going on.

"Maybe there's a communal nest nearby." El pondered out loud, in response to Josh's thoughts. It'd make sense in theory, for a large number of Glimmet to seek new territories upon maturing and evolving into Glimmoras. Though, were there truly nests all across Hoenn?

Or was something else going on?

In any case, at Josh's question, El nodded. "Yup! Let's go!" They responded with a smile - deciding that this time, they'd saddle up with Konchu. The Scolipede in question had proven to be a reliable steed - even if he wasn't too flexible, he was fast and strong, which was probably what they needed most here.

At their side though, Bibidi was a constant presence as always - the Alakazam glancing about at the group's surroundings just in case of an ambush...

Hopefully, though, this would more-or-less be an ordinary patrol, aside from the Glimmora problem.

Josh Devlin

Not only was the Scolipede fast and strong, Konchu's immunity to the wilds' TOXIC DEBRIS would prove to be an advantage to using the Pokémon they had raced at Josh's Gym in the Leader's absence. Josh had his own methods of avoiding the shrapnel, too. "Saber, MAGNET RISE!" At his rider's command, the undersides of Manectric's paws gleamed bright yellow, both of them floating around a foot off the ground.

As the numbers of Glimmet and Glimmora grew to the point where they were blocking the road, Josh sighed. "I didn't bring this many Poké Balls with me. This is a job we're gonna need a bigger team for. I can send Laurence Anderson an email about it. We've been on a first name basis with one another for almost a year now. If there's something productive I want done, he'll find a way."

With their progress blocked by the swarm, Josh reined his Manectric away, slowed to a stop, and even backed the electric wolf up a few paces. "Rather than trying to remove the Glimmora, I wonder if it would be better to figure out why they're appearing in such large numbers. A new nest seems most likely, but one spanning all of Hoenn? That seems so... fantastic. Then again, it's Hoenn. Gods roam the land. Anything could happen. Far as getting these Glimmora out of the way... you have a better idea than a mass Thunder Wave?"

Though Konchu and Bibidi both were well-suited to avoiding the spikes left behind by the Glimmora infestation - one being Poison-type and the other being Psychic-type - it didn't mean that they could necessarily just charge through a whole cluster of pokemon! The number was honestly a little daunting - but at the very least, the Glimmora and Glimmet present didn't seem hostile, even if something seemed to have them antsy.

As far as solutions went though, El had a suggestion. "Maybe we could go over them with Akero and Bibidi? I'm sure Akero wouldn't mind carrying you." Sure, the Togekiss tended to shuffle away from more dour people - but Josh seemed alright in the fairy-type's books. "We could even track them from above that way, and..-"

It was then though, that a certain Turtwig decided to make herself known. Coming out of the pokeball on her own, Yggdrasil had to stumble from side to side to avoid stepping on any poison debris. But once she found herself a clear spot on the ground, she turned towards the group - puffing her chest and making an eager squawk!

"Y-Yggy, what're you doing out of your ball?" El questioned, seemingly caught off guard.

To which, the grass starter pointed towards the swarm with her foot, making another squawk. She looked raring to go!

Although El caught on to what she was asking, they weren't quite as sure about the idea. "I mean, I... Suppose a Bulldoze could spook them off...? But I'd rather not risk hurting them, especially if they're otherwise not looking for a fight..." Quietly, they turned their gaze to Josh - wondering if he could give Yggy his own two cents on the matter.

Yggy would cast an eager glance towards the elite ranger as well - making a little gesture with the pointing she was still doing, as if to say 'let me at em! I can take them!'.

Josh Devlin

Josh hadn't brought a flying Pokémon with him. Perhaps a foolish decision, but he couldn't exactly patrol the rainforest's floor while seated on a flying Pokémon, could he? That canopy would get in the way, and he had few Pokémon maneuverable enough. "You know what? I'll take you up on that, El," Josh smiled, dismounting his Manectric. "It's an opportunity to see how different Akero rides than Mastema, my own Togekiss."

The Turtwig had a good idea, at least in the battle-crazed Gym Leader's eyes. For a conservationist, he went for the violence-as-intimidation option perhaps a bit too much. It was part of the reason Josh was Mauville's number one choice to hunt dangerous marks that threatened the lives of Hoennians region-wide. "I think the Turtwig has the right idea, but I agree with you. I think that a Thunder Wave will scare most of them off, and your Pokémon can clean up the stragglers," Josh explained to them. "The ones that Yggy would be handling would be the ones that wouldn't be leaving without a fight, anyway. Why not let your Pokémon at them? Would be a great way to make them stronger!"

Provided El agreed, Josh would mount Akero and experiment with the Togekiss' capabilities, seeing how hard he could turn, how fast she could accelerate, and so forth. Saber would carefully tread through the swarm of Glimmora and discharge a THUNDER WAVE in all directions, trying to nail as many of them as possible with a strong, but ultimately harmless, tingling jolt.

El still appeared a little uncertain at the plan - but wanting to trust in their senior, they nodded. "Alright..." They murmured - getting off of Konchu's back to switch him out for Akero, as they watched the plan at work. They weren't exactly looking to become strong - nor were they looking forward to the idea of fighting these wild pokemon - but if Josh said so, then well... They supposed they'd go along with it.

Jolts of electricity went flying from Saber - and between this and the Manectric's approach, the swarm reacted in a number of different ways.

The smaller pokemon - mainly the Glimmet - wanted none of the situation, and would proceed to scatter - causing brief chaos amidst the swarm. A few of the crystalline flowers would knock into one another in their scramble to bail, causing them to let loose light amounts of Toxic Debris.

There were a few who would end up paralyzed by the Thunder Wave - which meant that either they dropped to the ground twitching, or otherwise had no choice but to beat less-than-hasty retreats.

Some of the Glimmora would back away - not outright leaving, but either trying to assess the situation or otherwise get out of the way of the mayhem brought on by Saber's attempt to flush out the swarm.

However, there were the remainders amongst the group that did not appreciate the electric wolf's barging in. These Glimmora flared their jewel-like petals in a threat display, the only warning that Saber would get before they would attack - Power Gems coming his way!

This was when Yggdrasil would come in, however. The turtwig would let out a squawk as if to tell Saber to get out of the way - lest he be hit by the upcoming attack - before she began to stomp and bounce about in a Bulldoze!

Josh Devlin

Through a wide variety of methods, the two Rangers dispersed much of the Glimmora horde whilst harming as few of them as possible. The ones that Yggdrasil's BULLDOZE incapacitated were ones that weren't yielding without a fight anyway, in the Elite Ranger's eyes. "If they're stubborn about it, then that's their fault," Josh said without remorse for the hard-headed poison-types brought to unconsciousness. "I've had to learn this the hard way: you can't save everyone. I think that given the knowledge we had, we handled it the best we could. As much as Rangers are supposed to be conservationists, there are some Pokémon that are too hard-headed to listen to anything but battle." He figured El wouldn't agree with that take at all. Experience was the harshest but most effective of all teachers, and one that shaped Josh's life.

Coming to the center of where the swarm use to be, Josh attempted to swoop Akero lower when he felt a sudden vibration around his waist. "My Tera Orb...?" he mumbled before addressing El, "Did you feel that, too? Something's going on with my Tera Orb."

El couldn't help but wince at the sight of the KO'd Glimmora - with their typings, being hit by Bulldoze likely hurt. But, frustration briefly simmered under the surface - it wasn't solely the swarm's fault, and they knew it. Sure, they weren't supposed to be here, but their reactions to a seemingly unfriendly pokemon barging into their personal space was perfectly justified. And they still had an alternative plan in flying over them - it all just... Felt a little unnecessary.

Even if Josh was right, in some pokemon being too hard-headed and ornery to reason with, it wasn't as if the way forward was completely blocked off.

But, a soothing mental touch from Bibidi helped them temper the frustration - and Josh's mention of something being up with his Tera Orb would help distract them from it completely. "Your Tera Orb?" El murmured - before reaching into their bag. Indeed, they could feel it as their fingers brushed over the surface of it - thrumming with energy aplenty.

Pulling out their Tera Orb, El could see the way that it was glowing - as if the energy within was reaching a fever pitch, and could barely be contained. El blinked. "This... isn't normal." They murmured, glancing to Josh, then to their orb - equal parts awe, curiosity, but also uncertainty in their gaze. "It's like it's filled to the brim, or like right before you Terastallize a pokemon..." But even when it's charged, it shouldn't just be glowing on its own quite like this, right...?

What was going on..?

Josh Devlin

Ground-type attacks were incredibly painful for Glimmet and Glimmora, though the very habitat they were in discouraging their use due to the threat of a cave-in was a natural defense in and of itself. As the two reached the cave entrance, it seemed that El's TERA ORB, as well, was vibrating and glowing similarly to Josh's. Now past the swarm, the Gym Leader coaxed Akero into landing so that he could safely slide down and onto Aslan, his Pyroar. The masterful rider pulled off the switch with fluid grace, the big cat's throat rumbling as he led the way in.

Not far in, the brown cave walls yielded to blues and violets, all kinds of rare Pokémon wandering as the tunnel expanded to reveal a large hollow filled with crystals not unlike the ones on display when Terastallizing a Pokémon. "I've been meaning to try something. Stand back." Still mounted on his Pokémon, Josh bopped his trusty lion steed with his TERA ORB. Seconds later, both rider and mount were encapsulated in a pyramid of green crystals. The crystals shattered within seconds. While Josh didn't change, the lion was encased in a green body of Terastal crystal, making him a Grass-type. He could also see a wild Pokémon, already Terastallized, though its distance and the bright, Dragon-type Terastal body made it difficult to identify. That distance was closing, though, as whatever it was was bounding toward the Pyroar!

The discovery of a cave entrance was one that was met with a bit of surprise from El - and they'd look it over for a moment. "This... Was this here, before?" They wondered out loud - tracing their fingers along one of the edges. It looked jagged - like an egg cracked open - with the tunnel beyond seeming to dip further down at a steady pace. "It'd... Probably make a good environment for some Glimmora to nest, I think, in any case." They mused. Glimmora usually liked deep, dark, caves like this looked to be - right?

But, this didn't appear to be a normal cave. Even as El switched out Akero and Yggdrasil for Konchu to follow after Josh and Aslan, they had that faint nagging feeling at the back of their mind that something was off. This feeling was only confirmed as the group went deeper in - Bibidi following behind - to see as the earthen walls shifted to that of brilliant crystals. The pokemon here seemed to be what one would expect - the occasional Glimmora, a couple of dragon-types, a Dunsparce....

El blinked a bit as Josh terastallized Aslan - though the grass typing he took on would be met with a curious raise of their eyebrows. "Grass... To cover for water types? Or, uhm, does he know Trailblaze or Solar Beam?" They questioned curiously, unable to help briefly examining and admiring the change in appearance. Though, something else caught their attention as well... "Is... that your Tera Orb still glowing, by the way?"

But, before they could be fully addressed, something was fast approaching. A pokemon of some form, glowing with terastallization of its own - the violet colors appearing to be that of Dragon-type. Initially, the pokemon were tense - expecting a fight...

... What nobody expected though, was for the terastallized pokemon - a Fraxure, as it turned out - to continue running right past them. And this dragon was not alone, either - a number of other local pokemon also simply stampeding by, paying zero mind to the two rangers or their pokemon (besides moving to get around them.)

El blinked. They didn't need the input that Bibidi provided to know what was going on - yet they voiced her thoughts all the same. "Bibidi... thinks they're scared of something." They spoke, glancing over their shoulder at the fleeing pokemon. Was that what caused the Glimmora swarm, up above? "But... what has them so frightened...?"

Glancing ahead, they'd find their answer. A familiar pink mist was beginning to fill the tunnel ahead, and was rapidly spilling out in the group's direction. And from that direction, a roar bellowed out from some unknown beast - a sound that made El shudder a little. But despite them appearing ready to leave, they glanced to Josh - looking to see what his thoughts on the matter would be...

Josh Devlin

"It's covering for water-types, yes," Josh explained as even his lower body glowed the same green color as the Terastal crystal surrounding his mount. He had long since discovered it to be a visual effect of riding a Pokémon that had undergone the recently-discovered phenomenon. When El brought to the Gym Leader's attention that his Tera Orb was still glowing, he looked at it, making an amazing discovery. "It's... it's still fully charged. Could it be that this place is filled with so much natural Terastal energy that the orbs never lose theirs? Cause normally, when you use a Tera Orb, it takes a long time to naturally recharge - usually about a day. Gyms and the Pokémon League have technology to get around it, but on their own, they take about a day."

An idea got into Josh's head. "Let me try something." The Gym Leader also sent out Saber, his Manectric. The electric-type let out a greeting bark before trotting toward El and nuzzling them with his snout if they allowed it. The young man raised his Tera Orb above his head and hurled it at Saber in an effort to also Terastallize his Manectric into a Flying-type. The sphere bounced off harmlessly, both to the Pokémon and to the object itself. "That answers that question. Though it still has a charge, it seems that you can only Terastallize one Pokémon at a time."

The loud roar had even the Terastallized Pokémon quite frightened. "Whatever it is, El, it's..." he trailed off, seeing the pink mist leaking from beyond the tunnel Saber and Aslan were cantering through. "There's only one such Pokémon I know of that can make a roar like that. It's just like Ao... You've met Ao before, right?" he asked the Ranger.

Saber's nuzzle would be met with a happy laugh - a hand reaching over to scritch him behind the ear. "Hey, buddy - it's been a minute, hasn't it?" El greeted the Manectric, the scritches trailing along his jaw - before ending with a little boop on the nose.

But, in seeing Josh's attempt to terastallize Saber fail, El hummed. So only one pokemon at a time still - they wondered why. Was it because the orb was still... 'linked' to Aslan, for lack of a better word? Can't hook up multiple things to a singular outlet? "Huhm... If we had extra Tera Orbs besides yours and mine, I wonder what that'd look like..." They pondered out loud - would that allow them to have multiple terastalized pokemon?

Not that they had much time to muse over the potential hypotheses. For something to frighten the wild pokemon like this, it was surely be an imposing presence - and the roar only proved it. Josh seemed to recognize the type of creature it was from, however - even had one, by the name of Ao. "I- I don't think I've seen Ao?" El murmured with uncertainty, staring out towards the mist.

Last two times they stepped into the mist, the creatures they ran into were robotic. As if borne of a far-flung future. But the sound that came from beyond here didn't sound quite the same. It didn't have that electronic tinge, that crackle. This sounded like the call of a flesh-and-bone pokemon of some form; not that they could identify what.

However, it did not take long for the creature to make itself known.

A Roaring Moon emerged from the mists - heavy steps thudding, claws clicking against the stony ground. Behind it, a long sinuous tail lashed, wings briefly flexing upon its back. The way it carried its head high, and sauntered without a care in the world, spoke of an undeniable confidence. The beast regarded the duo with narrowed eyes, nostrils flaring - as if it were considering how to regard them... Before its lips curled in a fearsome snarl, the only warning given as it charged with a bellowing roar..!

Bibidi reacted first - reaching out with Telekinesis to try and stop the dragon in its tracks; but the Roaring Moon easily shook off her psychic influence. Instead, with an almost insulted-sounding snarl, it charged forward and knocked her aside with a retaliatory Throat Chop from a swing of one of its front limbs, sending her tumbling back.

Konchu hissed low - and though he prepared to charge the dragon with Rock Climb, he would be stopped in his tracks by Flamethrower - stopping short to avoid getting El caught amongst the flames.

Josh's pokemon were not spared from the dragon's aggression, though. As the dragon would maintain the Flamethrower, to sweep it in Aslan's and Saber's directions!

El, meanwhile, could only hang on for dear life - fingers tightly wrapped around Konchu's reins as they watched the dragon with a mix of shock and awe. This was different from the robotic beasts they ran into before - very different - and they couldn't help but find themself observing, to try and get an idea of this Salamence look-alike.

Josh Devlin

Saber sounded a friendly yip, followed by a second one when El playfully touched his schnoz. They, too, seemed curious about why the attempt to Terastallize Saber failed. "I don't know if it's that simple," Josh began to elaborate. "If it's anything like other forms of advanced energy, I think you need a Pokémon, the materials, and a person to be the conduit linking the materials. In the case of Mega Evolution, a Mega Stone and a Mega accessory like my Mega Glove. In the case of Z-Power, a Z-Crystal and my Z-Glove. In the case of Terastallization, a Tera Shard and a Tera Orb." There was still so much unknown about the phenomenon. There were many similarities, but two correlations did not a trend make. "Right, I haven't! Ao is a--"

The Roaring Moon's heavy, imposing footfalls mirrored its loud roar as Bibidi was cast aside by a destructive THROAT CHOP. It wasn't done after that, though; with amazing speed, the dragon-type's PROTOSYNTHESIS-fueled FLAMETHROWER raced toward Josh and Saber. The Gym Leader leaned in, using the red-furred lion as cover against the attack. Forgetting that he had Terastallized Aslan, the Grass-type feline's body did little to deflect the firs attack. A critical hit downed both his Pokémon in a single blow. "Saber, NOOOOOOO!" Josh screamed, echoing down the Terastal cave. He withdrew the fallen Manectric for his Jolteon, Blinky. "Blinky, WISH for Bibidi's well-being!" he commanded before facing the young Ranger. "El, I think we might need to make a tactical retreat. Roaring Moon, what Ao's species is and what this is, are maddeningly powerful. We probably should come back here with a plan." Of course, El was free to keep going if they wanted. Josh clearly didn't want to; he looked like he was in a lot of pain from burns...

The Roaring Moon truly is a dragon - wild, powerful, and uncontrollable. As Josh suggests a retreat, El nods - eager to get out of here. "Bibidi, Konchu - t-this way!" They called, wheeling the Scolipede around to flee back the way they came.

Which, Bibidi - even if she was hurting - was still conscious enough to act. The Alakazam picked herself up and got moving; but as she did, she turned her attention to Josh. She wrapped him in a Telekinesis to help him up onto his feet, and into Blinky's saddle - and with her telepathy, impressed upon the Jolteon the urgent need to Run.

But, the Roaring Moon did not seem keen on letting the group leave so easily. The dragon let out another bellowing roar as it took flight, giving chase with frightening speed! Another Flamethrower burst out from its maw - and with precision, the attack was swept towards Konchu!

Which, the bug-type could see the attack coming as it scorched the ground before him; and he knew he didn't have much of a chance to dodge. Bucking, he threw El from his saddle to keep them from being hurt as the flames washed over him - a shrill screech escaping the Scolipede, before it collapsed upon the ground with a skidding and tumbling stop.

El yelped sharply as they hit the ground - yet even as their shoulder lanced with pain, they couldn't help but focus on those around them. "K-Konchu!" Thankfully, it appeared that he was alive - but badly hurt for sure. They were quick to recall him, scrambling for Akero's ball...

... But the Roaring Moon was quickly upon them - landing further up the tunnel, to block the escape. The dragon let out a low and rattling hiss as it watched them, and slowly began to prowl forward, bit by bit. However, El was not alone.

With a surprise Bulldoze, Yggy would emerge from her pokeball - the little Turtwig slamming into the Roaring Moon's head, briefly startling it! The dragon reeled back with a snarl, nostrils flaring as it attempted to get a bearing on this sudden new opponent - eyes locking onto the grass-type.

"Y-Yggy, we need to switch out - this isn't a good match-up!" El called - reaching for her ball with every intention of recalling her. The Turtwig, however, responded with an indignant squawk, eager to stand her ground...

Josh Devlin