The Sky Pillar was the Hoennian equivalent to the Blackthorn Dragon's Den: a holy ground for dragon Pokémon of all kinds. Some of the region's strongest wild dragon Pokémon made their homes inside this ancient Draconid monument erected in honor of the Skylord, Rayquaza. She had heard many stories about the emerald serpent from Josh Devlin , including an unbelievable ride on their back. If they were so fast it made Josh sick, no way. She wanted to hop on as many different Pokémon as she could, but the gods were in a class of their own. That wasn't why Shalin was present, though.

It would be an isolated place, away from Petalburg, where the SYGNA SUITED girl could train with her Flygon, the Pokémon she looked like. She had done much practice with her Beedrill and Yanmega to this point, the bug-types' wings flicking her up and down, back and forth at speeds she could not follow. Speeds that left all four of limbs a tingly, jelly-feeling mess. It all fed into what would ultimately allow the explorer to tap into the full power of her suit.

Even she was nervous. Her bug-types' wings put out a loud drone when they were in motion, and even that had overwhelmed her at times. Sandy's could put out a shriek at full speed. "Alright, it's that time, Sandy!" Shalin chirped, trying to push away her own nerves. The dragon-type let out a chirp of her own, her wings disappearing for a split second and making a shrill noise that would have been clearly audible to anyone who happened to be around.

Shalin's Flygon crouched and spread her wings wide. The suited trainer stood above one of them and let her partner use it to lift her off the ground. She could already feel how much sturdier it was compared to her Yanmega's. Flipping a valve open, she let the INFINITY ENERGY flow between herself and her Pokémon, the SYNC STONE within radiating a pleasant warmth.

This is the first time Sergei is witnessing how sygna suits work and he is overjoyed by the fact that it is a dragon-type as well. Sergei could not hide his excitement. "Yo, miss! That's so dope!"

The redhead watches as the pair attempts to lift of the ground. He notices the hint of nervousness but hides it behind more gestures and words of encouragement on his and Winter's side.

"Hey, do you think you can fly us up all the way to the top, too?" He calls out, his voice coming a bit to loud without consideration that the sounds easily resonate within. "You know it's still a long way up there!"

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MISSION: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Shalin Nariya

Before Shalin could respond to Sergei's compliment, the green, translucent wing she was holding onto started flapping, first at the pace of a small bird. Mere seconds later, they started humming like those of an insect, Shalin's eyes shut from how fast she was being flung up and down. While the buzz of a Flygon's wing was normally pleasant to listen to, the girl's presence on the wing made it far louder than normal. A heavily distorted whoop came from the suited girl's mouth as the pitch of the drone kept rising, both her and her synced Pokémon's wings nearly invisible.

After what may have seemed like an unintelligible command from Sergei's perspective, the hum slowly dropped in pitch, Shalin eventually becoming visible again when the intense vibration ceased. "Whew!" she exhaled. "I wonder why I don't feel nearly as tingly as I did doing this with Flit and Queen Zing?" she idly mused, her vision coming back to her in a hurry, as well. "What a ride, though!"

Shalin kindly asked Sergei to repeat himself. Provided he did, Shalin would nod and smile. "Gimme a few minutes to recover, then sure!" she agreed. "Name's Shalin, wildest Pokémon rider in Hoenn!"

Sergei has to repeat himself in order for Shalin Nariya to hear him. "MINE"S SERGEI!" He points towards the frigibax who stares nonchalantly. "THIS ONE'S WINTER."

He watches as the sygna-suited trainer settles herself, probably the use of the armor wearing her down from what looks like a training routine. "That one's fucking expensive, though! You must be stinking rich, eh?"

Sergei doesn't mean to pry but the idea of having a sygna suit of his own is something beyond what he and his parents can afford. He doubts his parents will even let him have one even in the name of science. But still the curiosity gets the best of him.

"How does it feel... to become like your Pokemon?"

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MISSION: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Shalin Nariya

"Great to meet you, Sergei!" Shalin replied, her voice at last not sounding like it was coming from the other side of a fan. She slid off her Flygon's wing, stumbling at first but was otherwise okay. "And you too, Winter," she waved to the Frigibax. "What kind of Pokémon is Winter? I've never seen one like that before!"

It appeared Sergei was interested in Shalin's suit; after the display she had put on, who wouldn't? Without the protection its INFINITY ENERGY offered, the vibration would have shredded the brave rider from the inside out. Instead, she had the time of her life from being flung up and down faster than the eye could see. "I lucked into mine," Shalin admitted. "I came across some rare and valuable treasure during my expeditions throughout Hoenn, and used the funds from selling them to commission this suit."

When asked about how it felt being inside the suit, Shalin didn't know how to respond at first. "From what I understand, it really varies. Not only from species to species, but wearer to wearer. Two suits built from the same Pokémon can act totally differently. When Sandy and I are together, there's nowhere we can't go. No Pokémon that can unseat me." She went on to describe her first test of the suit's power, including how she rode her Yanmega by his wing in a similar way.

The young lass shook her head. "Right, you needed to get up the tower? Hop on," she offered Sergei a lift on her Flygon. "I do want to ask you, though, do you have really sensitive hearing? If so, you might want earplugs."

"HE'S A FRIGIBAX: A RARE PALDEAN DRAGON WHICH I SOMEHOW FOUND IN HOENN!" He squels of excitement as he slowly approaches Shalin Nariya.

The suit rider explains how she got the suit and Sergei is even more amused. But what catches his attention is how Shalin Nariya describes how Sygna Suits work. He even brings out his roto-tablet just to take notes.

Sergei stops when she asks about him wanting to go to the top of the tower.

"Right! Winter, let's go!" Nodding, he takes the earplug just to be safe and then scoots into the Flygon; his Frigibax trying to get to the premium space of having lifted by the green dragon's limbs. "You sure you and your Pokemon don't mind? We must be a lot for you guys."

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MISSION: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Shalin Nariya

Paldean Pokémon... thoughts of the distant region swirled through Shalin's mind. There were so many Pokémon from there she had never seen before. "Dragon Pokémon by their nature are rare. I'm curious to see what the little one grows up into!" Many young dragon Pokémon were cute in their juvenile forms, but downright terrifying when grown. Flygon were no exception, looking and flying more like oversized insects than dragons. Bug Pokémon were unsettling for many, though Sergei didn't seem to mind the Flygon's presence.

Once Winter was securely in Sandy's claws and the two riders were atop her, the Flygon crouched and stretched her wings. For the first few seconds, her wings beat like a typical dragon's. Once she was warmed up, the red-tipped wings became a blur, sounding like an industrial fan blowing at high speed. While it wasn't deafening, the vibration was loud; it was loud enough that the two would need to raise their voices to talk to one another during the ascent. Sergei would almost certainly have experienced a strong tingling feeling from the insectile dragon's wings beating as rapidly as a Beedrill's. "Wahoo!" Shalin whooped as she reined Sandy about, the Flygon flitting back and forth across the tower during the ascent in an effort to give Sergei and Winter a thrill ride they would never forget.

THIS IS HIS FIRST TIME RIDING A FLYGON. For most dragons who can learn how to fly, they are not as thrilling as for one that is a dragonic insect. Sergei once rode his Garchomp when it finally evolve and learned how to fly, but the Pokemon can no longer carry his trainer with him and soar into the sky especially now that Sergei is an adult.

"Wahoo!" Sergei shares the same excitement as Shalin Nariya. The andrenaline rushes inside him, the thrilling excitement is something he cannot contain anymore. He wonders if Winter is also feeling the same.

But the tower is as high as it can get. Atop the clouds, beneath the blanket of white that covers the sky, a few more miles of the spire continues to crawl into the space. The pressure is almost too much for Sergei to handle, but he is holding on for his life as he continues to brace for what is to come.

Are we there yet? He can only tell himself.

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MISSION: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Shalin Nariya

Even among dragonkind, Flygon were special. Small sections of the tower's winding upward pathway crumbled in the wake of the dragon's powerful vibration. Even by the wild child's standards, it was a thrill, the rapid ascent along with the shaking getting her blood pumping. The two soared skyward, story after story disappearing beneath them. Even the light coming from the entrance far below was difficult to see with how far they had soared.

Though she was having fun at first, she snapped to her senses when she felt Sergei's hold on her tighten. The vibration's intensity dropped substantially as the green dragon simply hovered above a floor whose number she had long since lost count of. "You okay, Serj? We can hop off and rest a little if need be."

"SORRY, WHAT?" The pressure from whatever number above sea level they are is almost too much in Sergei's ears. He laughs as he starts to squinch his nose and blow through it, "Sorry, I forgot to equalize Shalin."

He can tell they are already high enough since all he sees below and above him are clouds, and that there are still a lot more storeys they have to cover before reaching the summit of this incredibly high pillar. "Yeah, I realized flying isn't really yet my strongest suit. Especially out there!"

There is a tinge of embarassment as he says it, his cheeks flushing as his hands comb through the strands of his red hair.

"I think we can take it from here. After all, Winter has to shed down those fats for the upcoming summer months. You see how flabby he is, right?" He points to his baby dragon who is acting aloof with his surroundings. "But the help is super appreciated! You also make me want to luck out on some commissions myself to buy a sygna suit myself, heh."

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MISSION: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Shalin Nariya

Right - they had gained a lot of altitude, and rather quickly at that. Most bug Pokémon had pretty harsh limits on how high they could fly, relying on the density of the air around them for their rapidly-churning wings to provide enough lift. Flygon's just happened to be so powerful that they would just vibrate faster to offset the thinning atmosphere. Consequently, the thinning air reduced the potency of the dragon-type's sonic attacks, which gave Shalin an idea that was a bit reckless, but would certainly get a rise out of them both.

"I lucked into my suit," Shalin shrugged. "As someone who explores dangerous places in Hoenn, I happen upon a lot of unique and rare treasures. By selling the ones I didn't want to people such as museum curators, I was able to get the money for one." She never would have been able to afford the status symbol of the wealthy without a windfall like that, that much was certain.

"Flying does take some getting used to," she agreed. "And Flygon isn't exactly the easiest Pokémon to learn with. They're as agile as a bug, after all!" The Flygon's wings chirped briefly, perhaps making Serj's hair stand on end from how fast they were shaking.

At the altitude they were at, parts of the Sky Pillar were open-air, letting them take an early exit if need be. "I do," she noticed, "and I have a way for him to work on that. When you're ready to head back down, how about a Flygon rollercoaster ride back to the surface? You saw what her wings can do; that'd help burn that fat down!" She wasn't kidding, either; due to the Frigibax's small size, the vibration would likely feel stronger to Winter than to the trainers.

UPON HEARING THE FLYGON ROLLER COASTER RIDE, the Frigibax immediately hides behind its trainer's legs.

Sergei chuckles as it is the first time he sees a tinge of emotion in the baby dragon's face. "Looks like it isn't," he laughingly says to the trainer in suit . He tightens the lace of his backpack as he nudges Winter to get back in-front and say his farewell. "But I think we'll be seeing each other a lot more often."

The redhead gets closer to Shalin Nariya and speaks softly in his ear. "You have a dragon and a suit that I want to study." Frigibax tries to reach for the Flygon for a hug but with its short limbs it is only able to wave a goodbye.

"Thanks again!"

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MISSION: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Shalin Nariya