Rusturf Tunnel was built to connect Rustboro and Verdanturf, but the tunnel went through an environmentally sensitive area full of Whismur and other Pokémon sensitive to sound. Shalin's favorite ride Pokémon had to stay at her Romping Grounds, though she was certain they would entertain some of her wilder friends, such as Julia Davis , if any of them stopped by. This would give Shalin a much-needed chance to play with some of her newer Pokémon.

Shalin was seated atop her Raticate in riding gear, Squeals, who had recovered from a painful extraction of stem cells needed to synthesize the Type: Null that would put her on even footing with some of the more powerful agents of Team Rocket she would assuredly encounter the longer the war went on. For now, though, she had to train the normal-type!

The green-ette looked almost comical on the Raticate; even at her enormous size for her species, she was the size of an adolescent horse not quite ready for most adult riders. The vermin Pokémon's saddle had to have supports to keep her rider's feet from dragging on the ground during her rapid running stroke, particularly at high speeds... such as the ones she was running at now, playfully fleeing Serena, a saddle-wearing Persian that was also quite large, in a carefree game of cat and mouse. It would have been nearly impossible for bystanders to miss their antics.

Colton tapped his foot nervously as he waited, his head turning at the slightest noise both in hope that his guide had arrived and in fear that he was going to be jumped by a wild Pokémon. But what did he have to be nervous about? He had both Burnout and Arti, both quite strong Pokémon in their own right. They would be able to defend him against any wild threats no problem. And then there was always the subject of Ferrous...

Colton pulled Ferrous' Pokéball from his waist and looked at it. Compared to his other two Pokémon, the little Beldum was nowhere close to being battle ready and he dreaded the idea of tossing the Pokémon headfirst into danger. And yet, without that experience, it had little chance to ever reach its full potential, that of a mighty Metagross. He had seen videos of the Pokémon in battle, an absolutely terrifying force of nature and one he really had no right to say was his partner.

Colton sighed, putting the Pokéball back onto his belt when a loud squeaking noise reached his ears, jumping in surprise as his head snapped towards the source. He hesitated, frozen in place before Arti bumped into his back and sent him stumbling forward. He glared at the Rotom, but continued on anyway, nervously peaking around the corner to see what was probably the strangest site ever. A young woman with green hair, riding high atop a Raticate that was chasing after a Persian. He watched in confusion for a moment, only to suddenly raise his hand in a wave.

"Hello."

Shalin Nariya

The young man's call got Shalin's attention, reining her Raticate to a stop. The normal-type was quick to respond, the rider not expecting the kind of braking power Squeals had. The green-ette waved back. "Hi there! Rookie Ranger Shalin, wildest rider this side of Hoenn!" she introduced herself, Serena slinking toward Colton and nuzzling him gently. It was clear she wanted attention. "These two are Squeals and Serena," she introduced the two Pokémon she had out of their Balls.

Shalin's eyes shifted toward the floating, zipping Rotom. "That's got to be a handy Pokémon to have around!" she complimented the man's choice of partner. "Rotom aren't my style; if I can't hop on it, I don't want to raise it. And what might the names of you and your Rotom be?"

Colton looked between the Raticate and Shalin as she introduced herself and her Pokémon, laughing at the description she gave herself. "I can definitely see that. I don't think I've ever seen anyone riding a Raticate before," he responded, jumping slightly as the Persian suddenly nuzzled against him. Tentatively, he reached down and rubbed its head as Arti curiously peeked over his shoulder. Colton looked back at his Pokémon as Shalin addressed it, inadvertently picturing himself trying to ride around atop the floating washing machine.

"This is Arti, short for 'Artificial Intelligence.' Its my primary research assistant and my best friend, if I had to put it to words, and I can't really remember a day without it," Colton said as he gestured towards his Rotom. "My name's Colton Boothroyd. It's a pleasure to meet you." He went to extend his hand to shake hers when Arti's power cord tapped him on the shoulder. He looked towards his Pokémon before his gaze shifted towards a pair of Pokémon that had wandered out of the tunnel to inspect the noise. A Mawile and a Donphan, if he remembered right. He felt his gaze shifting towards the Mawile, fascinated by its massive jaw on the back of its head.

"Incredible...the mechanical strength and toughness of those teeth..." Colton said, pulling Burnout's Pokeball from his belt and releasing the Revavroom. He gulped nervously, as he'd only battled on only the rarest of occasions. "Okay, um...Mawile is a Steel and Fairy type, right...? So...Burnout, Spin Out!"

The wheels on the Revavroom began to spin as purple spurts of flame fired out of his cylinders before he suddenly burst forward and forcefully bashed into the Mawile. His tires spun along the ground as the Mawile reeled back, Burnout's mouth turned upwards in a smile as his tongue wagged happily. "A-awesome!" Colton said, fumbling to pull an empty Pokéball from his pocket and throwing it at the stunned Pokémon.

Shalin Nariya

Before Shalin could answer, the rumbling of a Donphan rolling through the tunnel, followed by the echoing screeches of distant Whismur, was a sign that trouble was afoot. Serena crouched and looked ready to pounce, her claws glinting as she raised her right-front paw, ready to rain FURY SWIPES upon the charging ground-type. "Serena!" Shalin exclaimed, trying to retract the feline into her Ball. Just before the red beam hit her, the wild gored the Persian, KNOCKING OFF her saddle.

"Letheia!" she called out, sending out an Alolan Ninetales easily the size of a grown equine Pokémon. Just like the girl's other Pokémon, she, too was wearing riding gear. She was very quickly demonstrating her title of wildest rider in Hoenn! The arctic fox opened her mouth and expelled an ICE BEAM, freezing the wild in place. Shalin hurled a Poké Ball toward the Donphan before sending her Persian back out.

"Whew, what a mess that was!" the girl sighed before getting to work getting her Persian's saddle back in place. "Neither have I! Then again, a lot of my Pokémon are like that. Every new Pokémon is a new adventure to me, after all!" Perhaps she was a little too proud of her unique talent. "Great to meet you, Arti and Colton! What's your field of study, if I may ask?"

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD BRONZONG APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] GENDERLESS	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] HEAVY METAL
[attr="class","wildtabox"]PSYWAVE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]EXTRASENSORY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BLOCK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HEAL BLOCK
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Colton Boothroyd Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SWINUB APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SNOW CLOAK
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MUD SPORT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MUD BOMB
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ODOR SLEUTH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MIST
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Colton Boothroyd Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

Colton watched the chaos unfold, the Persian leaping into battle against the Donphan without much regard for her master's wishes. Despite that, Shalin was quick to adapt, tossing out an Alolan Ninetales to pick up the mishap without hesitating. Her battle ability was insane, way better than Colton could ever dream of being. Even Arti and Burnout were watching in fascination. "I can imagine. I'm certain you see a lot of Pokémon on your travels, huh?" he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. He suddenly felt very small compared to her, as this simple trip out to Rusturf Tunnel was just about the most adventurous thing he'd ever done.

Colton sighed inwardly, adjusting his glasses before Shalin's next question made him perk up slightly. If there was one thing he enjoyed talking about, it was his work. "Mechanical, technically, but my research is the mechanics of Pokémon and their potential interactions with technology, like Rotom." He gestured to his partner, Arti smiling proudly in response. Colton could feel himself readying up for a in depth explanation, one that could very well go over Shalin's head, that he stopped paying attention to the area around him. It took a sudden, deep reverberating gong to draw his attention back to the reason why they were there in the first place, just in time to see a psychic attack hitting Burnout, sending the engine like Pokémon tumbling back. The source let out the gonging noise again, a Bronzong already hovering its way closer.

"A-ah..." Colton was frozen in place, caught off guard by the wild Pokemon's sudden appearance, needing a quick zap from Arti to bring him back to his senses. "R-right, right! Um..." He fumbled at his belt, pulling out Burnout's Pokéball and recalling him back as ideas ran through his head.

"Okay, just think, just think, just think...Bronzong is a Psychic type, right...? But I don't have anythi-" his eyes suddenly went wide behind his glasses before he looked at Arti. "Thunder Wave!"

The Rotom responded swiftly, releasing a pulse of electricity that made the Bronzong freeze in place. Sparks crackled across its body as Arti, seeing the plan in motion, released a HEX that made the Bronzong crash to the ground with a heavy boom. Surprisingly quickly, Colton pulled a fresh Pokéball from his belt, tossing it directly at the fallen Pokémon with a grunt.

Shalin Nariya

While Colton was battling the Bronzong, Shalin had finished adjusting her Persian's saddle. Thankfully nothing was damaged; it seemed that the Donphan had simply gotten a tusk under a hook and unhooked it. Meanwhile, a wild Swinub had taken interest in playing with Letheia's icy tails. At first the large fox turned around with disinterest, but the wild's persistence was rewarded. Letheia eventually gave up and let the chilly ground-type gently push them out of the way, getting inebriated in Fairy-type energy. Keeping both the wild's wishes in mind and that she still needed Ground-type stem cells for her Type: Null, Shalin tapped the swaying creature with a vacant Poké Ball.

Regardless of success, Shalin would give Serena a break, climbing aboard her Alolan Ninetales. The green and cyan colors may have complemented one another well, the girl looking like a natural rider. "Yep! I want to get on as many different Pokémon species as I can! There's nothing like the freedom of traveling on a Pokémon's back!" She listened to the scientist's field of study and tried to act interested. Sadly, machinery just didn't interest her. "I'm an expeditionary for Hoenn and nearby regions. I'll take my clients to places no one else will! They can be a bit on the wild and dangerous side, but my Pokémon will keep them safe!" She recently shared a story of how she got to see a volcanic world hidden underneath a basalt dome within Mount Chimney's crater.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SANDACONDA APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SAND VEIL
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HEADBUTT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SAND ATTACK
[attr="class","wildtabox"]WRAP	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MINIMIZE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Colton Boothroyd Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MUDBRAY APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] STAMINA
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MEGA KICK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MUD SPORT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SUPERPOWER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]STRENGTH
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Colton Boothroyd Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

Colton could see in Shalin's face that she wasn't at all interested in what his research was about. It was something not many would be interested in, given it was all numbers, paperwork, and hours spent cooped up in a lab. From what he knew about Shalin with even this short interaction, she was the very definition of a free spirit. If Colton had gone into his full explanation, she may very well have fallen asleep. But, her energy was infectious and he felt himself wanting to go on a proper adventure of his own, though his nature as a homebody quickly beat back those ambitions. Eventually, he'd venture further and further out, but he would need to take it in his own time.

"Perhaps I'll try and acquire my own Pokémon that I can use a mount one day, though maybe one that's a little more traditional," he said with a chuckle as he walked over and picked up the Pokéball containing the Bronzong before hooking it onto his belt. He had to admit, after two successful captures, his confidence was beginning to fly. Maybe he was a natural at this whole battling thing and he only thought he wouldn't be able to do this simply because he hadn't tried. So, when he saw a Sandaconda come slithering on by, the researcher was wearing a cocky smile on his face. "Alright, Arti, you know what to do," he said, the Rotom grinning as the door to its washing machine body opened up and a powerful HYDRO PUMP shot towards the wild Pokémon, an easy, one shot takedown.

Only for the Sandaconda to suddenly shrink and completely avoid the gush of water now uselessly flying over its head.

Colton blanched, left unable to respond as the wild leapt forward and WRAPPED itself around his partner, forcing the door of the washing machine closed again. Arti struggled, its mouth turned into a frown as it tried to free itself from Sandaconda's grip. "Crap, crap, crap..." Colton mumbled to himself, looking down at the Pokéballs at his waist. The Mawile and Bronzong were too weakened to be useful and Burnout was already hurt. That left only...

"Ferrous! T-tackle!" The Beldum appeared from its Pokeball, confused for a moment before responding to its trainer's commands and throwing itself headlong into the Sandaconda, only for the wild Pokemon's tail to swing out and knock Ferrous away, sending it tumbling end over end. However, it was just enough for Arti to free its body, the door swinging open once more and another HYDRO PUMP overtakes the Sandaconda, making it fully release its grip and slump to the ground, Colton tossing another Pokeball to capture it before running over to his Beldum.

"You okay, buddy?" he said as Ferrous lifted itself off of the ground, shaking its body free of dirt as its eye turned upward happily. Colton sighed in relief, patting his Pokémon on the head as Arti floated over, Sandaconda's Pokéball wrapped up in its plug. "Guess I've still got some work to do, huh?"

Shalin smiled at Colton's willingness to try. "There's nothing like the freedom of traveling on a Pokémon's back. Trust me. You're more than welcome to try with one of mine if you want, when you're ready to head back! We're a long way from both Rustboro and Verdanturf, after all!" For her, though, it wasn't about the freedom. It was about the thrill. The adrenaline rush. A rush she could demonstrate with the sight of a Mudbray, a Pokémon she had never been on before. She was about to attempt a Pokémon capture in perhaps the most unusual way Colton had ever seen.

Letheia used her EXTRASENSORY power to hold the Mudbray in place long enough for Shalin to climb onto the wild ground-type, palming an empty Poké Ball into her left hand while holding on with her right. From the very start of the ride, the equine's thrashing and bucking was mighty, Shalin turning white-knuckled as she struggled against the muscled Pokémon. The wails of disturbed Whismur surged from the tunnel's lower levels as the bucking rampage continued, the makeshift cowgirl wincing at the recoil of a MEGA KICK that nearly unseated her. For a mount on the smaller size, this one sure was strong! She let go of the Poké Ball in her left hand, letting it drop onto the wild. Her mount disappearing beneath her, she collapsed to her knees as she landed on jelly legs.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD KLEFKI APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] PRANKSTER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HEAL BLOCK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]CRAFTY SHIELD
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TORMENT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MAGIC ROOM
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Colton Boothroyd Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD KINGAMBIT APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SUPREME OVERLORD
[attr="class","wildtabox"]NIGHT SLASH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]FURY CUTTER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]RETALIATE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TORMENT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Colton Boothroyd Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!