The nerves shot way up when Annalise introduced herself as a Head Ranger. One of the two head honchos of Hoenn's large organization of conservationists, she would personally be responsible for her training. "H-hi!" she shakily greeted the young woman that was about her age. Though she was aware that the high-ranking official would be supervising her initiation into the Rangers, she didn't understand why she wasn't assigned a team lead, such as a Senior Ranger or Elite Ranger, to do the job. Was this time of year really that slow that Head Rangers had time to personally oversee new recruits?

"I did," the green girl confirmed as she dismounted the giant bug, switching rides to her Alolan Ninetales, Letheia. "It sounds like the training is focused on befriending wild Pokémon, or otherwise defeating them, without battling them or trapping them," she inferred. Linoone were hard to catch; after all, they were extremely fast. They did have one flaw, though.

Linoone were limited to right-angle turns. While it would be rough trying to wear the big Linoone out in a rodeo-style struggle, she couldn't resist trying to show why she was the self-proclaimed Wildest Rider in Hoenn. "Before I get started, I just wanted to get some things clarified. Pokémon moves are still okay to use, as long as they're not Psychic-type and don't attack the Linoone directly, right?" Her eyes and smile grew wide. If the Rangers really wanted to see her ride a wild Pokémon, that's what they were going to get!

Shalin's smile had evolved into a grin, much like a growing Pokémon. With that clarification out of the way, she began setting her trap. And this one wouldn't involve ensnaring any Pokémon, whether it be a natural trap. While she wouldn't tell Annalise until after the training was over, she had experience with riding wild Pokémon. The very Alolan Ninetales she was astride was living proof of that.

As she had come to learn, Linoone were unique in how they moved. They had excellent acceleration and even better deceleration, were fantastic runners, and could make whip-like turns. The reason Pokémon racers never used them was because they could only turn on a PD if it was at a right angle. Linoone were known for struggling with gradual curves. She could take full advantage of that. "Letheia, start laying a coat of ICE BEAM down!"

Being very careful not to tag any of the Linoone, Letheia began spreading a layer of ice above the training grounds' grassy field. Once she was happy with the grid of slick paths she had set, some of which ended at tall, thick trees, she began chasing the largest of the scampering Linoone while aboard her Ninetales. The first part of her scheme complete, she just needed to get the big one to turn in the right way!

Due to the mission objective only requiring the largest of the Linoone to be captured, Shalin could ignore the smaller ones. She also suspected that they were there primarily to serve as a distraction. She wouldn't let them! The trap she had laid for the giant was twofold. First, the grid-like arrangement of the coat of ice would hinder the Normal-type more than Letheia, the ice Pokémon's rider knowing that Linoone struggled with making any turns in increments other than 90 degrees. Second, Letheia's mobility, alongside some of the trails ending in trees, would let her wear down and "battle" the Linoone without using Pokémon attacks directly. She had a much more grand plan involving the pseudo-wilds, though.

Gripping the fairy fox's reins, Shalin commanded her Ninetales to chase down the big, noodle-shaped Normal-type. QUICK ATTACKs and whip-like right-angle turns kept it handily in front of their pursuers, some of the smaller Linoone trying to cut her off to put distance between the trainee and her quarry. Once she had lured the wild onto an ice path leading directly to a tree, her snare was in motion. Linoone's paws and claws simply weren't designed for the winter weather, the charging Pokémon skidding across the ice trap at high speed and into a sturdy-looking tree.

The Linoone badly dazed, this was the only chance Shalin was going to get. While it was still dizzy from the impact, the self-titled Wildest Rider in Hoenn slid off Letheia's back and clambered aboard the wild sprinter! Her feet not far above the ground due to her new mount's very short stature, Shalin raised her legs as much as she comfortably could, buried her hands in the Linoone's fur, and held on tight.

This was gonna be rough. But fun!

The dazed Linoone walked around like an intoxicated person at a bar while on the ice. It wasn't until the Pokémon slid off the ice and onto solid ground that it was able to recover from its intense, but temporary, dizziness. At last realizing there was a human on its back, the Normal-type let out a deep cry before tearing across the training grounds in a straight-line sprint, its noodle-like body shifting not only vertically as part of how a normal ride Pokémon's gallop would, but also somewhat laterally.

Shalin was almost laying on top of the Pokémon's back due to its short stature, yet she could fit her whole body on it because of how long it was. Faster it ran down the west fence before it played its first cruel trick on her: upon reaching the corner of the property, the Linoone she was capturing in an unusual way swerved at a right angle, Shalin grunting loudly from the whiplash-inducing turn. Annalise may have been able to hear the signature sound of a Linoone's turn, similar to screeching car tires. The species was known for its speed, yes, but it was also known for having some of the greatest braking capability among any Pokémon.

After making a second such turn that made Shalin feel like her knuckles were going to pierce through her skin, getting another loud grunt out of her, the tan creature's paws began glowing with Normal-type energy. With a second loud cry, the girl's unwilling mount released said energy, its four stubby legs disappearing into a single blur that heralded the fastest Pokémon technique of all.

EXTREME SPEED was coming.

Not seeing EXTREME SPEED coming, the surge in acceleration stretched Shalin's arms straight, her Linoone mount letting a yelp from its fur being yanked. She could only see directly ahead of her; the normal-type was dashing so fast that everything was a blur. Reaching the end of the training facility, the Linoone made two consecutive right-angle turns, the second of which made Shalin shout as she felt her right thigh being squeezed with the force of the whip-like turning.

Shalin and her Linoone mount sped toward Annalise at an acute angle, unable to hear any of the Head Ranger's words due to the deafening winds the move's wake produced. With a scowl on its face, the Linoone had one last drastic and unique method to fling Shalin off.

A screeching sound akin to squealing tires pierced the air around the training facility as Shalin lurched forward from the whiplash of the most intense braking any Pokémon had to offer. Her eyes widened as the joints of her hand turned white, holding onto the long-bodied Pokémon with all her might. It took mere seconds for the Pokémon to come to a complete stop from its Extreme Speed, the girl hyperventilating as she found herself laying on the recovering Pokémon's back afterward.

She rolled off the Linoone's back, the Pokémon affectionately licking her and playing with her as though she had captured it. "Wow..." Shalin sighed, still catching her breath after the roughest whiplash she had ever experienced riding any Pokémon, wild or trained. "I had no idea Linoone were... capable of... that. That was a lot of fun, though! I'd love to come back and train with this Linoone more later on! Did I pass?"