With the Mauville Leader busy on another mission for the League, explorer extraordinaire Shalin Nariya had been thrust into the line of duty. She had been tasked to head to the Interdream Zone within Ultra Sea. What terrible timing, too; with her Sygna Suit under repair, she would have to go into the alien dimension without its protection. She wondered how much her body would be able to handle, as it had been months since she had been there without its protection.

Vic wouldn't have to wait for his partner long; the piercing drone of Beedrill wings would break the silence around him. Bumbling and buzzing toward him was the source of the racket: a blue-eyed Shiny Beedrill with a humanoid figure astride it. As the Pokémon got closer, the figure's silhouette became clearer: riding the giant bug was a Ranger in a green uniform.

The loud Pokémon landed not far from Vic, Shalin setting the Beedrill's reins down and removing her earplugs once her mount's wings were at completely at rest. "Sorry for the wait!" she greeted with a wave, her legs still a bit too gelatin-feeling for her to slide down from her highly unusual ride.

It was Oyabun who perked first at the sound of mad buzzing overhead, with Vic peering up soon afterwards. Well, he had to give it to his new ranger companion: she certainly knew how to make an entrance! Not only did she ride comfortably atop her trusty pokemon, the pokemon in question was a hue unlike any he had seen on a Beedrill before to the point where Vic had to ask himself if perhaps Hoenn had its own variant of Beedrill. However as both pokemon and rider drew near, Vic was sure that the Beedrill was in fact simply a different hue from its usual yellow. Oyabun stood slightly ahead of Vic, as though to shield him from the dust and debris that flew about from Beedrill's landing, and regarded the young woman with a hint of suspicion.
[break]
"It's okay. She'll be helping us today." Instantly, the Pangoro eased and regarded the newcomer with a stern nod as Vic stepped forward. He too raised his hand in mutual greeting as he regarded the Beedrill, careful not to get too close. "Do you always make such grandiose entrances?" Vic couldn't help but be impressed, and a little envious, with not only her bond but also her skills as a flier.

Grandiose was one way to put it, though that was less her and more her ridiculously unusual ride Pokémon. For how unusual the bug-type was, she had at least a dozen more Pokémon that were at least as unusual, if not more so, than this one. She had several of those with her, though without a SYGNA SUIT, she wasn't getting on the Ultra Beast she brought with her. She was at first intimidated by the Pangoro's gaze, but relaxed after the large Pokémon returned her Beedrill's greeting.

"Only as much as my Pokémon allow," Shalin chirped back, at last regaining enough feeling in her limbs to slide down the Beedrill's back. She withdrew the large insect that wouldn't be too helpful inside the cave, instead sending out an equally unusual ride Pokémon: a Kommo-o. Mounting up, her posture made her look like she was riding on a prehistoric dinosaur. "Rookie Ranger Shalin, wildest Pokémon rider this side of Hoenn!" she bragged, her title growing ever longer as her list of accolades rose. "That was Queen Zing, and this Kommo-o is Treble. He's one of my most valuable Pokémon in underground environments. What brings you out here? You also headed to the Interdream Zone?" Now that its existence was publicly known, she could at least talk about it and not beat around the bush.

Shalin, huh? And he certainly hadn't expected the adventurer to be a rookie ranger. As though sensing his rising anxiety, Oyabun huffed and gave Vic a solid thump on the middle of his back as though to push him back to present reality. "You can call me Vic," he introduced himself awkwardly. With another huff as though to announce his presence, Vic looked up to his companion. "And this is my boss, Oyabun." There was a light hint of levity in his voice and the ghost of a smile which quickly faded away as he returned his attention to Shalin and her Kommo-o. He had rarely interacted with a dragon-type pokemon, and certainly not one as ferocious looking as this one... But Shalin seemed to be having the time of her life on the back of her pokemon so it couldn't be all that bad... right?
[break]
He saw something moving in the shadows of the cave, no doubt the denizens of the pokemon who roamed the dark cave. "Me? I'm looking to see if I can find a new helper for the flower shop I run," he explained. It seemed that the movement caught Oyabun's eye as well, but the figures within the cave retreated as suddenly as they appeared. "I'm not a brave adventurer like you, but I trust that if something goes south in there, you have my back?" Oyabun seemed to like Shalin, regarding both her and Treble with a nod of approval as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Shall we head on in? I think I'd prefer it in there than out here on the hot beach," Vic asked as he nodded towards the entrance of the cave.

"Great to meet you, Vic and Oyabun!" Shalin answered with a big smile, the Kommo-o eying the Pangoro warily. "Come on, Treble, they don't mean--" she tried to ease her mount's tension but was interrupted by the chime from the scales covering his vibrating fists. It could have been easy for Vic to see where Shalin got the name for her Kommo-o from: the treble of his shaking scales masking the bass of his humming limbs.

Once the noise ceased, she listened for the reason Vic was at such a dangerous, formerly restricted area. "We'll have to split up once we get to the rift, of course, but I can keep you company in the meantime!" She undid the latch on another Poké Ball on her belt. "Come on out, Starr!" Clicking the switch in its center, a Shiny Espeon of considerable size emerged, most of her back covered in a saddle. She notably lacked reins and halters, unlike Treble. "This is Starr," she introduced the large Psychic-type, who would mentally greet Vic; she knew trying to communicate with the Pangoro mentally would most likely be impossible.

With that, Shalin and her motley crew faced the cave mouth. "Most of the cave is pretty well lit, given how many military personnel go to and from the rift. If we explore off trail, though, her Dazzling Gleam will be really helpful in lighting things up. You're more than welcome to get on her back, if it would be easier!"

The gentle greeting that chimed in his head calmed Vic down after the somewhat aggressive showing from Treble. "I think I'd really appreciate that. It sounds like you're pretty experienced with this sort of thing." Even if Shalin was a ranger, she didn't seem to be aware of his history nor did she seem to be inclined to give him any sort of trouble. He slowly reached out to pet Starr atop her head, a small smile forming at the warmth of her fur.
[break]
Oyabun lifted his head, woefully ignorant of the Espeon's greeting, and quickly moved in front of Shalin and Vic to bring his arm down on top of a suddenly charging figure. All Vic could catch in the spray of sand was vivid blue feathers, almost as blue as the sea and sky itself. Instinctively, he reached for his belt and threw an empty pokeball at the wild pokemon.

Starr responded to the warm greeting with a mew before sitting down and letting Vic hop on if he so desired. The green psychic-type's gem glowed a bright red, entering Shalin's mind with a warning that a potentially hostile wild Pokémon was on the way. "Keep your guard up, Treble," she gently guided her mount, the dragon shifting locomotion styles. While Treble could run faster on all four limbs, the Kommo-o was more than capable of maneuvering on two, as well.

Earthen shrapnel flew toward both trainers and their Pokémon as a wild Gible emerged from its underground burrow, one of the pieces getting stuck between two of the Kommo-o's scales. With a short burst of vibration that made Shalin's hair stand on end, Treble ground the lodged shard of earth to dust, letting the rest fall to the subterranean surface.

A sudden cloud of DRAGON BREATH from the juvenile dragon's mouth forced Shalin to make an emergency dismount, diving from the saddle and nearly rolling into a cave wall. Ordering CLANGING SCALES here could very easily cause a cave-in from how loud it would get, so that was not an option. Shalin ordered that Treble use a more precise strike, rushing toward the teal, big-mouther creature with a single vibrating fist clocking it countless times per second. The CLOSE COMBAT demonstration still shook the ground near where the battle took place, Shalin hurling a Poké Ball toward the foe before the scales could cause any stalactites to fall on their heads.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] MOLD BREAKER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HORN DRILL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MUD SLAP
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FURY SWIPES	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]FISSURE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Victor Ranallo Shalin Nariya

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] KEEN EYE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]COMET PUNCH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TACKLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MACH PUNCH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]LEER
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Victor Ranallo Shalin Nariya

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

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

Well.
[break]
That was exciting. Almost too much excitement for one day, if Vic had anything to say about it, and yet they had barely even stepped foot into the Granite Cave. While the dust was still clearing, Oyabun stooped down and picked up the two pokeballs and handed them to their respective trainers. "Are you alright...?" Vic asked Shalin with a few coughs, waving away some of the residual dust that still remained in the air. He then took the pokeball from Oyabun and smoothed it over before shrinking it down to size to clip onto his belt. "Don't tell me all ranger outings are like this?" he couldn't help but crack a smile as he reached out and smoothed out Starr's fur to free it from dust.

"Thanks, Oyabun," Shalin smiled, getting back on her Kommo-o after accepting her catch from the kind Pangoro. She tilted her head toward Vic, leading the way deeper inside. "I'll be okay! I just forgot how strong Treble's vibration can get without my suit on!" To reinforce the point, the dragon-type rattled his body scales just fast enough to be audible. Strangely enough, she looked like she had fun being shaken and rumbled about. Those not familiar with her now-famous escapades might question how her thighs weren't throbbing after the stunt.

Shalin giggled at Vic's remarks about the perceived danger of Ranger work. "No, of course not! It's just... the rift. Ever since the rift showed up, the wild Pokémon have become a lot more on edge. It's our job to ensure Ultra Beasts don't go flying out of those rifts." Just how long had the rifts been a threat now? Going on nine months? They felt like a part of Hoenn at the rate things were going. Even she personally owned three: a Buzzwole, Pheromosa, and Poipole. Even after being fitted and looking as tame as one could be (though the Pheromosa wore only reins because of how Shalin had to ride him), they still looked utterly terrifying.