With a new month came serving a new client. Shalin had been asked to accompany and protect Kazimir Wynter on a trip to a remote Dojo high in the mountains around Fallarbor Town. With the ruins site being remote and mostly outdoors, Shalin had no problems with bringing some of her noisier Pokémon. Their sonic attacks could be useful, too, like she had found on her previous adventures. While explosives were the preferred way to break open weak walls, a Bug Buzz with the right frequency and enough power could get there, too!

As she approached the cliff leading up to the ruined fighting dojo, Shalin heard a voice that could only be her client, Kaz. "Hey!" she shouted back, waving. "I came prepared!" She released Queen Zing, her giant queen Beedrill, who immediately reared up and gave her trainer a big hug. While she was used to the wasp's Skitty-like affection, it had to be a bizarre sight for anyone else. Once they were done expressing their love of one another, she released her and turned to one side, letting her trainer climb on.

Once the green-haired girl was firmly astride the bug-type, she popped her earplugs in and commanded Queen Zing to take off. Her head tilted to her right, watching the giant wing get up to speed until it almost completely disappeared from sight with how fast it was beating. She leaped into the air, and the two were off, scaling the cliff rapidly. The loud droning echoed for quite the distance.

Once the menacing-looking insect scaled the cliff, she landed and rest her wings, waving a foreleg sting toward her trainer's client in greeting. "You must be Kazimir," she assumed aloud as she removed her earplugs. "Shalin Nariya, wildest Pokémon rider this side of Hoenn! Nice to finally meet you in person. This is Queen Zing, one of my closest friends."

Kazimir Wynter

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Sandy         Flygon         Good
Queen Zing    Beedrill       Good
Flit          Yanmega        Good
Kiara         Pyroar         Good
Treble        Hakamo-o       Good
Prance        Wyrdeer        Good

{WC: 316}
{PC: 1}

OOC note: This is a REPEAT for Shalin.

[newclass=.pokkenger] [/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger b] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger i] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #18d13f;[/newclass]

Shalin couldn't help but feel flattered at Kazimir's mimicking her style, Queen Zing getting slightly beady-eyed. "Thanks! Queen Zing here is such a sweetheart," her trainer passed that flattery on to her Pokémon. "She loves carrying guests on her back, too. I have a lot of fond memories of flying on Flit, my Yanmega, alongside a friend of mine, atop her." She had to be sounding crazier and crazier by the moment.

"What kind of Pokémon is Domon?" Shalin asked. "I've never seen that kind before." When she read the inscription about the Martial Path, she had some idea what Domon might be. "He's a Fighting-type, right?" She almost assuredly got that answer as Kazimir explained that these ruins were of a fighting dojo. She listened to the man's request, nodding in understanding as he told his story.

"Not at all," Shalin answered when Kazimir finished his story. "I love learning about long-lost secrets like this!" She giggled at his uncertainty about where she could handle the job. "Kazimir, if I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have taken the job! It's what you're paying me for, right? Can't exactly back down now. Hey, mind if I call you Kaz?" she asked.

Regardless of her answer, Shalin felt Queen Zing would not be appropriate for exploring the inside of a ruined dojo, particularly when they were searching for scrolls that could crumble when exposed to the tremendous air a Queen Beedrill's wings displaced in flight. The echoing vibration would get loud, too. Sure, the constant tingling feeling added to the rush of flight, but this was not the place for that.

She withdrew her Beedrill, replacing her with a female Pyroar that was also fully equipped in riding gear. Her Pokémon seemed to back up her self-proclaimed title. The girl gave the lioness a gentle scratch behind her ear before mounting up, a loud purr turning into a low-volume roar. At least, quiet by Pyroar standards. "This is Kiara," she introduced the Pyroar beneath her.

Kazimir Wynter

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Sandy         Flygon         Good
Queen Zing    Beedrill       Good
Flit          Yanmega        Good
Kiara         Pyroar         Good
Treble        Hakamo-o       Good
Prance        Wyrdeer        Good

{WC: 337}
{PC: 2}

[newclass=.pokkenger] [/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger b] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger i] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #18d13f;[/newclass]

Kiara returned Kaz's affection with some of her own, gently nuzzling him. Poachers loved the luxurious fur of Pyroar for how much it sold for on the black market, and he was finding out why. "I think she likes you...Kaz!" she remarked, her smile growing. She was confident that she would make a valuable friend that could help fill in her own roster's gaps, particularly for adventures such as this one where brute force would be required...or at least be a huge boon to have. "Urshifu?" Shalin shrugged. "Never heard of that Pokémon before--"

Pieces of floorboards went flying around the two as a hulking Pangoro leaped from underneath them, startling Kiara into a violent rearing motion that bucked her rider clean off. "...Ow!" the rider yelped as she landed on her left elbow, her awkward angle triggering the release of Treble, her Hakamo-o, by mistake. By the time he had fully materialized, it was too late for her to protect Kiara; the Pangoro had dropped a devastating HAMMER ARM on top of the frightened lioness, downing her instantly. "Kiara!!" Shalin cried.

Driven into a frenzy at seeing the Pyroar brought down in a single attack, Treble flung himself toward the Pangoro, encased in brilliant, blinding light accompanied by the sound of harsh vibration. It sounded almost like a giant insect's wings going at full speed but without the whirling noise of the rapidly-displaced air. Shalin had to turn away and put her earplugs in, her senses of sight and hearing overwhelmed with the tremendous power Treble's evolution put on display. The vibration became more intense-sounding, then stopped without warning at almost the same time the burning light faded.

Treble, now a Kommo-o that stood taller than her, walked toward Shalin and showed her the devastating power of his CLOSE COMBAT that felled the Pangoro just as decisively. "Treble!" she shed tears for one of her more recent additions to her squad, yet just now proved he was a mainstay on her rotation. "You evolved to save me!" She slowly got back to her feet, still wincing in pain from the strong impact, before embracing her fighting-type.

If that Pangoro wasn't knocked silly by Treble's rapidly-vibrating claws, it would have a big incentive to turn tail and leave them alone. She turned toward the unconscious Kiara and drew her back into her Poké Ball to get a much needed rest. What she really needed was to be taken to a Pokémon Center, but she wasn't going there any time soon. "Phew!" Shalin sighed. "Fighting-type Pokémon are something else, aren't they?" Shalin asked as she noticed Treble sitting down. "Wait, Treble? You want me to hop on?"

Kazimir Wynter

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Shalin        Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Sandy         Flygon         Good
Queen Zing    Beedrill       Good
Flit          Yanmega        Good
Kiara         Pyroar         KO
Treble        Kommo-o        Good
Prance        Wyrdeer        Good

{WC: 451}
{PC: 3}

[newclass=.pokkenger] [/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger b] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger i] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #18d13f;[/newclass]

Shalin wasn't new to riding Pokémon bareback. After all, she had ambushed and ridden on the backs of wild Pokémon many times! She was just used to more tactile control, plus a saddle kept both the rider and Pokémon more comfortable. She did as Treble was requesting, swung her leg over the Fighting-type's back, and mounted up. To her surprise, the Kommo-o's scales weren't extremely slick, like many dragon Pokémon had. While she would certainly get Treble fitted the next time she returned to the tanner she was a loyal customer of, this would do nicely for now. "Alright Treble, you lead!" the dragon rider said with a smile.

Once the two were off, Shalin turned toward Kaz again, her face beaming at the compliment her new Pokémon was getting. "Thanks! It was really hard to find a Fighting-type Pokémon I liked. I think this might be the only Fighting-type Pokémon species suitable for...well, what I do." Except Keldeo. But that was a story for another time, and not a story to share with someone she not only just met, but would likely never see again. This quest wasn't even personal to her; this merely paid her bills. Hoenn was a surprisingly small world, though; maybe they would run into each other again!

Though the dojo was in a ruined state, some of its upper levels were still intact. Shalin had her new ride Pokémon carefully ascend the stairs; she was quickly finding Treble had both bipedal and quadrupedal running strokes, making the Kommo-o a valuable partner for exploring non-natural dungeons such as this one. At the top of the stairs was an open cabinet containing a single scroll. Treble stopped next to the cabinet, picked up the scroll, and handed it to Shalin. She opened it, finding it was in a language she could not understand. "Hey Kaz, can you read this? It's not in Common or Johtonian."

Kazimir Wynter

{WC: 328}
{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Shalin        Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Sandy         Flygon         Good
Queen Zing    Beedrill       Good
Flit          Yanmega        Good
Kiara         Pyroar         KO
Treble        Kommo-o        Good
Prance        Wyrdeer        Good

[newclass=.pokkenger] [/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger b] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger i] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #18d13f;[/newclass]

Shalin giggled at Kaz's voiced thoughts about never considering Kommo-o as a ride Pokémon. "They definitely don't seem like they're for beginners, heh!" she replied, still laughing a little. "If you can't handle a sudden tingling sensation, I would be really careful. But you never know!" She was used to that sort of feeling; as it turns out, she had to be in order to sit mere feet from giant wings beating over a hundred times per second. The species was definitely was an exploration mount and not a combat mount; Clanging Scales was completely out of the question. Best case, a rider would slide off in a split second; worst case, serious injury could occur...perhaps even lethality if the scales went at full speed and force.

Shalin listened to Kaz as he attempted to read the scroll, though it seemed everything past the first few lines was faded and challenging to read even though he knew the language. "I've been a lot of places, but I've never been to Galar before," the girl remarked, Treble edging behind the former Elite Four to try to read the scroll himself. He couldn't understand it, either. "If Urshifu is a Galarian Pokémon, then that makes a ton of sense."

It seemed there were several cabinets on this floor, containing an armory of ancient Kantonian and Galarian-style weapons; nunchaku, katana, sai, bo, and the like. Shalin didn't dare pick any of them up; the only weapon she was good with was a bow. "There's a whole armory up here!" She noticed Kaz flicking a pair of nunchaku around in ways that did not look he knew what he was doing. "Be careful with--"

Too late.

The fighting-type specialist could not avoid smacking himself in the cheek. "Are you okay?!" Shalin exclaimed, dismounting from her Pokémon immediately to be able to see what kind of shape he was in. Treble was ready to try to massage Kaz's pain away with the lowest-power CLANGING SCALES he could manage, if things escalated further.

Kazimir Wynter

{WC: 341}
{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Shalin        Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Sandy         Flygon         Good
Queen Zing    Beedrill       Good
Flit          Yanmega        Good
Kiara         Pyroar         KO
Treble        Kommo-o        Good
Prance        Wyrdeer        Good

[newclass=.pokkenger] [/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger b] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger i] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #18d13f;[/newclass]

Yikes. That was quite the mark. Nunchaku were brutal bludgeoning weapons, crashing into their foes much like whips but much more humane about the type of wounds they inflicted. This wound, as awful as it was, would be one Kaz would likely recover from. Even better, it seemed like Kaz wasn't as shaken up as he looked.

The martial artist and his Urshifu led the way to the far right of the floor, leading the explorers to a series of paintings depicting Pokémon that were masters of martial arts. There were many fighting-type Pokémon Shalin recognized, but the one whose picture Kaz detached from the wall was one she did not recognize. "Those should fetch a really good price to the right curator," she agreed with her partner, completely missing the word "donated". "I have to ask, though...what is that Pokémon? I've never seen it before."

Kazimir Wynter

{WC: 150}
{PC: 6}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Shalin        Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Sandy         Flygon         Good
Queen Zing    Beedrill       Good
Flit          Yanmega        Good
Kiara         Pyroar         KO
Treble        Kommo-o        Good
Prance        Wyrdeer        Good

[newclass=.pokkenger] [/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger b] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger i] color: #18d13f;[/newclass]
[newclass=.pokkenger u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #18d13f;[/newclass]

"Marshadow? Never heard of it, either," Shalin admitted, listening to the capabilities of the fighting-type Pokémon. "So almost like Ditto, then?" As the explanation continued, it seemed like it was a different kind of transformation than a Ditto. It was fascinating how two Pokémon with very similar abilities could use them in vastly different ways. "Sounds like it would be great to meet Marshadow! I can't imagine what it would be like to fight yourself." Shalin, on the inside, would be afraid to meet a Marshadow copying herself. That would be one battle that would not end well for her.

"Sounds like it!" she agreed with returning to Fallarbor Town. "Looks like you got quite the haul, too! I would get your cheek looked at, especially if it starts swelling real bad." It seemed like she may have a repeat customer. "You've been a real pleasure to fight alongside! I'd love to be able to take you some place else in Hoenn!" Her beaming smile grew at how impressed the martial arts master was with Treble. Once the two had reached the bottom, Shalin swapped Pokémon to her Beedrill and mounted up, waving goodbye to Kaz before putting her earplugs in and noisily taking to the sky.

Kazimir Wynter

{PC: 7}

NAME           SPECIES         STATUS
Shalin         Human           ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Sandy          Flygon          Good
Queen Zing     Beedrill        Good
Flit           Yanmega         Good
Kiara          Pyroar          KO
Treble         Kommo-o         Good
Prance         Wyrdeer         Good