Josh was taking some of his Eeveelution mounts out for a leisurely run when he caught sight of a Honchkrow perched at the top of a tree overlooking a medium-sized shack with a slightly ajar door and a keypad on one side. Josh slid off Janus' back and got to thinking about the Rangers' initative that had recently been announced. Was this the entrance to a Secret Base? If so, the Honchkrow guardian had to be part of the base's puzzle, didn't it?

Josh looked up Honchkrow's national Pokédex number and entered it the passcode to enter. If he was right, he would stroll on in without an issue and cuddle with the giant Arcanine plush on the bed, giving it a big hug before noticing the flag in the corner of the room. His Umbreon's heavy footfalls woke the PC by moving its mouse ever so slightly, Josh laughing at the memetastic caption.

If the password was incorrect, Josh would kick the door open fully and attempt to throw Kamuy's Poké Ball into the hallway. Both mount and rider hissed from being raked by the Honchkrow's talons before the Leader could command his psychic mount to ALLY SWITCH to safety, joxtaposing with the Umbreon. His actions would be more urgent as Kamuy would attempt to hold off the Honchkrow and retrieve the flag, taking note of the giant Arcanine plush on the bed.

"Whoo-hooooooo!!" Shalin whooped as she sped down Route 123's wet grassland, her Skuntank mount's FLAHETHROWER propelling the two southwest at speeds that would impress even Mauville's Gym Leader. Who knew, maybe one of these days, the crazy explorer would be able to convince him that Skuntank were, in fact, good at racing! They certainly could put on a lot of speed when burning away excess musk stored in the tails.

The caw of a Honchkrow was warning enough for the two to pause, Kiku flipping his tail around to let his rider hold it and aim for him. Taking her hands off the poison-type's reins and grabbing the tail, she pointed its tip toward the bird, holding the end of the tail much like one would hold a high-caliber firearm. It had the recoil of one too; her hands stung briefly after every time she helped aim the unusual steed's Sludge Bomb. All it took was a near-miss from the putrid attack for the large bird to back down. Shalin had to remember to plug her nose on the way out, because by the time they left, the stench of Kiku's discharged musk would be unbearable.

The inside of the Base that Kevin was guarding had a life-sized Dragonite plush and an Arcanine one of comparable size. She hopped off her own fluffy Pokémon to cuddle with the Arcanine on the bed. She wished she could have taken a nap there, but if the Base's master ever returned and caught her there... she didn't want to think about it. She simply snatched the flag near the PC, accidentally waking it and seeing a captioned photo that she did not understand at all. She plugged her nose with one hand and held the flag with her other, trusting Kiku to handle movement completely as they fled the base -- and the biohazard zone the poison-type had created.

It was a bit of a whiplash, going from such an extravagant base to one that was - for lack of a better term - so modest, by contrast. And yet, all the same, Makoto honestly felt a little more relaxed in such a base. Even, if upon entering, they had been beset by a protective Honchkrow - Kevin swooping down at them, as they ducked low to avoid her talons.

Tsukiko, however, was quick to warn off Kevin with a Dazzling Gleam - and though the alolan vulpix didn't go all-in on the move, the flash of light in an otherwise dimly lit secret base was enough to stun and bewilder poor Kevin. She'd waver a bit in the air, before being forced to land nearby - deciding that just taking a second to preen was better than picking a fight with the hard-counter that Tsukiko was.

Which, left Makoto free to wander. All in all, it was quite the simple base - though they had an appreciation for the plushies that were scattered about. It was quite the nice little space, for whoever the base belonged to. Although... Makoto couldn't help but make a face, at the garbage bag set atop the PC chair. Whatever was in it was starting to reek - and they were half-considering getting rid of it for the owner, at least until they noticed the decor and nametag plastered to the front.

So, maybe it was on purpose...?

But in any case, the flag was set up next to the PC - and with it in hand, they'd make their departure.