"Alright, then saddle up." His plan was to make use of the high noon sun, positioning themselves that the brilliant dot in the sky might conceal their presence, helping to keep them from raising the alarum and getting themselves caught up in a tricky situation. Not that he didn't have a contingency in case something like that happened.

"Try to keep up," he muttered from his perch atop Reign's back, giving it a firm pat which prompted it to splay its wings, a grating cry escaping its parted beak as Adrian urged it forward: "Agility, now."

With such force that it rattled Pacifdlog Town's walkways, Reign took off towards the strait ahead.

---

^{Adrian Malcolm is flying Reign, uses Agility on take off. @utah is riding a spare, untrained Corviknight.}

Adrian should've had the lead for a time by his postulations. Reign had always been the fastest, the meanest, the most doom-driven of the flock...

And yet Utah was gaining on him, even overtaking him as they raced past the straits towards the open ocean, searching for signs of the Megalopolan's handiwork. He hardly noticed Utah over the wind.

"We're checking the island chains between here and Ever Grande," he tried to shout over the windforce, feeling the air crashing against the flow of his breathing, stifling his speech somewhat.

As they climbed in altitude, their speed began to balance out after the initial burst of momentum. Was it just a fluke, or...? Adrian had known it the peckiest of the bunch after Reign, even going so far as to cross talons with their flock patriarch, but this was still rather unprecedented by his account.

"The League wants intel, not another massacre. We fly in, observe from a bird's eye view, and bolt before there's any trouble."

There wasn't much else to it, except the possible task of trying not to die if push came to shove.

---

^@utah

Adrian mustered a sardonic smile. Yeah, I don't want that either. It was one thing to know these things happened, and another thing entirely to live them. Distancing from it wasn't an option though when some alien assholes came knocking on your metaphorical door, raining hellfire and brimstone.

Not to mention their pokemon truly were like demons, from what little footage he'd seen shared from the Mossdeep Raid and other independent attacks. Were they all connected, somehow?

Science always goes too far... Thoughts of Jules Coltillard come to mind, and his chimeric creations.

Adrian shook his head, rattling himself out of his trance. Right. Gotta focus. They needed to be swift and silent; stealthy as can be, like the fabled Ninja Master Koga of Kanto, or they'd risk much danger.

As they passed overhead the chain of islands, Adrian leered over Reign's shoulder, trying to get a beat on the islands' surfaces. That's when he noticed a lot of purple stains. We're probably, what... thirty minutes out at most, maybe?

Adrian plucked his cellphone from its place in his jacket, pecking at the buttons until he sent a message to a correspondent: Signs of corruption. Ten minutes out by wing, give or take. Be advised.

As his eyes had seen it, a Tentacruel had beached itself on the rocky outcropping before slathering the rock in its putrid ooze, amidst which a few Magikarp and Goldeen were flailing violently, likely in pain. It was not typical behavior for pokemon.

He owned a Tentacruel. They didn't like to feed on land, let alone corner and capture prey that way.

And yet Adrian felt they needed more to go on. Pulling over towards Utah again, he cried out: "Saw something below! Keep an eye out, there's bound to be more," he relayed briskly.

---

^@utah

As they're flying along, he notices Utah's flight pattern begins to vary, as though Corviknight is unwilling to travel any closer to Evergrande City. Despite an assuredly firm hand, the pokemon begins to show signs of mistrust, before eventually aggressively trying to shirk its passenger and bolt.

Thank the fates he was already bringing himself to their altitude when Usurper performed a barrel roll, nearly sending her plummeting for the violent, churning ocean below. Reign as able to scoop her up before she could accelerate past them, but Usurper had already ditched their heading to turn tail. What had happened back then, he wondered...

"Utah, are you okay? We're heading back..." They'd seen enough to know their were at least traces of latent corruption encroaching on Pacifidlog Town, which was in immediate danger.

He'd whistle sharply as they turned around, and Usurper seemed to heed his call, if only because they had relented and began flying homebound...

---

^@utah