She might've felt sillier if not for the dreadful shiver that crawled its way up her back. Logically, if Skyler had stuck to well-illuminated locales, she might have had a chance at dodging any ghostly encounters. Unfortunately for Skyler, logic wasn't calling the shots on this particular night - which became all the more obvious when she actually felt relief at the enraged Tauros that materialized out the shadows.

Turns out her screech hadn't gone unnoticed. But hey, at least it wasn't a ghost.

Silver eyes widened when the bovine charged at her, unconcerned with any obstacle in its path. There was little the captain could do but - hold on and do her best not to let go. 

Fingers frantically grasped at the brown mane of fur around the Tauros' neck, and with a sudden move of the wild pokémon's head-

She was up in the air and on the Tauros' back, somehow keeping her grip. And then being dragged over a bridge as the Tauros decided to - take them on a run.

'Oh, no. No no no no.'

The captain nearly fell a number of times, and was on the verge of being trampled a couple more. No one was more surprised than her when the safari ball she slammed down on the bovine's head actually managed to capture it.


What the hell was she going to do with a Tauros?!

CAPTURING TAUROS

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Captain Dross stared at the smattering of stars above her head with a glazed expression. She sat on the ground, leaning against a nearby shrine and gulping down oxygen like her life depended on it. Which... it kind of did. Muscles tense, the blonde was still recovering from her impromptu rodeo with an enraged wild Tauros - and possibly reconsidering a few life choices.

...Then again, that might've been giving Skyler way too much credit.

Silver eyes blinked owlishly. Something big floated in the sky above her, but the captain paid it no attention, simply watching as the dragon fluttered away, carried by a nightly breeze. 

PASS

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Silver eyes caught on a familiar shape hopping through the tall grasses nearby. The captain recognized the fluffy fur and the cute features, though it had been some time since Clarabelle had been this small...

The day she'd rescued the half-drowned Buneary from the jaws of a violent sea was still vivid in her mind. The small pokemon been so beaten up, not just by the growing storm, but from something... else. Something with more purpose. Lacerations and bruises, and her right eye missing... She'd been in a rough shape. Now she served as Captain Dross' First Mate. Beloved and cared for.

So Skyler let the Buneary hop away, a soft smile lingering upon her lips as memories carried her away.

PASS

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Captain Skyler Dross had finally gotten to her feet, at least enough to appreciate the twinkling lanterns that made their way down the brook, swaying to the current of the crystal clear waters that flowed over riverstones and plantlife. The setting was an idyllic one, despite Skyler's misadventures so far.

Leaning with her arms on the railing of the bridge, the woman let her eyes follow a meandering path, from the nearby tall grasses to the closest shrine to finally rest on the starlit sky above. Skyler was intimately familiar with the bright pinpricks of light that filled the velvety darkness, being a seasoned sailor. Constellations appeared before her eyes, there a chariot and close-by a particular one Skyler had dubbed Kyogre's Ass... For no reason at all other than to annoy a few people. And because it was funny.

A nightly breeze danced through her blond curls, the slight cold bitting at the her exposed skin. Captain Dross didn't give it much thought, the soft smile on her lips betraying her absent mind - the stars having reminded her of ocean blue eyes.

Thankfully, she missed the shadow that floated behind her. It wouldn't have been the first time she would've punched a ghost.

PASS

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One of the lanterns is not like the others.

Silver eyes narrow at the strange shape that floats down the brook, following its path for a brief moment before she decides to wander over to the side of the rushing water and keep pace. She's almost running by the time the strange shape finally drifts close enough that the captain can snatch it with a swift swing of her arm, surprise etched in her features when it is a lot heavier than she'd expected it to be.

With a grunt of effort, Skyler hauls the furry (?) thing onto the nearby grass. She moves a few blond curls out of her face distractedly as she leans down to peer at the... Chimchar? What in Arceus' butthole had it been doing just floating down the brook? Wasn't it a fire type?

Regardless, it is unconscious, so Skyler's quick to capture it. Maybe she could release it later, after it recovered somewhat from its... adventure.

CATCHING CHIMCHAR

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She isn't quite sure what to make of the upside down mouse-like pokemon that blinks down at her. It is hanging by its tail on a tree branch, swinging slightly in the breeze. At least until Skyler notices that its tail doesn't seem to be doing anything to hold it - instead, the creature is hovering.

It really shouldn't surprise her, seeing as her own Steelix did the same thing with Magnet Rise.

"Carry on, then," she told the Dedenne, cautiously stepping around the electric type with light steps. Just the proximity made her curly hair frizz slightly - she could feel the static lifting the tips of her blond locks as she walked past. "You do your thing, little buddy." The way the small pokemon stares at her is ever so slightly unnerving. Especially when it starts to hover behind her, casually following her.

"Errrr." Half a mile after this strange encounter, Skyler notices that the Dedenne is still following her. "Well, then."

There is no resistance from the electric type when she sends a safari ball to capture it. Feeling a little creeped out, the captain decides that this one should probably be traded away.

CATCHING DEDENNE

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