Even with tourism grinding to a halt and the looming threat of a meteor hanging literally above their heads, every Hoennite worth their title enthusiastically flocks to the beach to partake in the popular hobbie of getting sunburnt. Splashfest had called forth an enthusiasm seldom seen since the Hoenn region had slowly devolved into insanity.

Which, you know. Fair enough.

Happenstance had landed Skyler that fine morning among the crowd of beach-goers, less because she was joining them for a day of summery leisure and more because she'd just been spit out of a nearby club, still halfway drunk and with the mother of all hangovers looming on the horizon.

Looking back, it's a miracle that she's heard the alarm at all. Not that she pays it any heed. She goes in just as most people are making to leave: some curious, some frightened, some moaning about how the League never let them have any fun.

All of it goes right past Skyler's head. Armed with what remains of a tequila bottle and a stubborn resolve to wash the glitter from - well, everywhere, the captain swims past the shallows to head for deeper waters. 

In the distance, a straggler attempts and fails to execute a Magikarp Splash. Skyler snorts at the sight, reminded of her husband. 

"Hah. Loser."

Amelia Livy

☉

Skyler is highly skilled in the art of not giving a fuck, and that attitude has been known, on occasion, to come back to bite her in the butt. This time, however, said bite is looking far more literal.

The ranger and her Decidueye go unnoticed by Skyler while she dives to rid herself of last night's revelry, glitter and sweat alike. She takes her sweet time to resurface, unbothered by things such as a dwindling air supply. 

It may prove to be her downfall this time.

"Huh?" Amelia Livy 's voice cuts past the shrieking Wingull above (obviously anticipating an easy meal, the sadistic bastards). Rusty cogs within Skyler's brain hiccup into something approaching functional - but it's only when the alarmed shout of 'Sharpedo' breaks past the haze that the captain bothers to look back.

Fuck, she thinks dispassionately. That is definitely a huge Sharpedo. Heading her way. Very quickly.

There's pokeballs somewhere in her person, but she doesn't reach for them. In the adrenaline-fueled moment, instinct trumps logic and Skyler rushes for the boat. 

Fiberglass meets her reaching fingers, curling around the hull's edge as Skyler hoists herself up onto the gunwhale. "Fuck." The boat sways under her graceless entrance. By some miracle, her hand's still clutching what used to be a tequila bottle.

Silver eyes find Amelia Livy , breath ragged from the shot of adrenaline still rushing through her system. Making her bold, bolder, but most of all - gloriously alive. 

"You gon' need a bigger boat, buttercup."

Amelia Livy

☉

Whoever this person is, the captain thinks, she doesn't miss a beat. Skyler finds herself matching Lia's smirk with unabashed satisfaction despite the situation - or, more likely, because of it. Unfortunately she isn't given much time to voice her opinions, not when there's a rampaging Sharpedo out for blood - quite possibly her own given its trajectory.

Or maybe it just wanted some tequila?

These thoughts are abruptly put on hold when the ranger gracefully knocks an arrow and draws back her arm, while aiming at the single, lonely fin above the surface. She cuts an impressive figure, fine porcelain features set into single-minded focus.

A fleeting thought of 'who the hell uses arrows these days' is swiftly knocked out of her mind when said arrow finds purchase in the Sharpedo's Rough Skin, pumping sedative directly into its bloodstream.

"Huh." 

While Skyler usually prefers a more melee approach to these kinds of situations, she can't help the appreciative whistle that leaves her lips. 

By the time the furious Sharpedo falls aboard, a lot of its energy has already been sapped. But that doesn't detract from its attempt to snag both of them in its jaws, razor-sharp fangs taking to the net in fits and starts. 

The snap is louder than the lulling of the waves, louder than the staccato of her own heartbeat. It echoes in growing dread within Skyler's ribcage as she turns just in time to see the net snap. 

"Watch out!"

A hand flashes out to grip Amelia Livy 's arm, tugging her violently against Skyler herself a second before jaws close themselves around the now empty space where the ranger had been standing. 

If asked later, Skyler would simply shrug and start this whole epic spiel about how she'd fought barehanded against this muderous, bloodthirsty Sharpedo. What happens in actuality is far, far different.

Skyler all but jumps forward and grabs the Sharpedo by the gills. Her other arm draws back and hits the sedated pokemon right in the nose with the tequila bottle.

Graceful? Not even close. Effective? Most likely.

Amelia Livy

☉

The rough bark of laughter spills out before Skyler can stop it, coasting on an adrenaline-fueled high that the captain wholeheartedly embraces. It cuts past the lulling waves, utterly unashamed of itself, in response to Lia's quick-witted words.

Bereft of consciousness due to one (probably cheap) tequila bottle, the Sharpedo flops back down onto the boat with a wet 'thump' that rocks the vessel slightly from side to side. Skyler barely acknowledges it, sure-footed sea legs keeping her steady.

"I s'ppose that ought to do it." A roguish grin peeks back over Skyler shoulder's at the ranger, quickly followed by a shrug. The remnants of a broken tequila bottle and its contents litter the deck around her. "That's okay. The tequila was always meant to knock someone out." Namely, herself. "Never thought a Sharpedo would get the honor though."

There's no hesitation to Skyler as reaches out to accept Lia's help, calloused digits rasping over the ranger's softer skin. By some small miracle, she manages to not get her feet cut to ribbons.

"Lia." The name sounds vaguely familiar, and Skyler follows that thread into the depths of her memory, to little effect. It doesn't help that what tequila hasn't been spilled in their valiant fight against the Sharpedo is flowing freely through her veins right now. "Nice shot, by the way."

A hand reaches towards the ranger along with a bold grin, whetted sharp by the last dregs of adrenaline. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees something glint in the sunlight. "Skyler Dross, ship captain."

Amelia Livy

☉

Skyler would be a disgrace to all treasure hunters if she didn't take Lia's generous suggestion. The Sharpedo fangs might not have the alluring glint of gold, but they call to Skyler's greediness all the same, and she does not hesitate to swipe them off the deck. They press sharply against the roughened skin of her digits, but not enough to break skin.

Maybe Dorado would like one.

"Lia? Wait, hold on." Hearing Angelo's name strikes a chord, and a dozen or so stories come to the surface. Connecting the dots is a visible effort on the captain's part, but she does get there eventually. "Ah, yeah! Angelo's told me stories." A smirk flashes, lightning-fast, across her lips. It makes one wonder what kind of stories she's heard. "You work with my parents in the Lilycove Museum. A ranger too, right?"

Truth be told, she couldn't see her parents doing this sort of more practical work - no, that inclination belonged solely to their daughter. Sometimes it makes Skyler herself wonder if she's adopted.

"Field work suits you, buttercup." One of fangs makes its way to Amelia Livy's hand. Skyler had felt tempted to keep all of them, but she could play nice this time and give credit where credit was due. "Hit me up if you're around these parts again, and need a hand with murderous Sharpedo." Skyler's smirk is trouble, but the kind that promises to be fun. "Or if you just feel like having a drink or two."

A sharp whistle leaves the ship captain's mouth, and a stretch of silence follows. It could've been awkward and ruined Skyler's exit had it not been for the colossal shape that emerges right next to the boat, a geyser of water announcing its arrival. 

Skyler salutes the ranger, and departs on her pink-hued Wailord. Probably to sleep off the incoming hangover.

Amelia Livy

☉