The sudden sound of CLANGING SCALES from above would greet robin coello 's Drakloak for trespassing, its source not far outside the hollow tree's rear, second-floor exit. The attack was at a frequency not meant to harm, but meant to intimidate, much like that of a giant snake's rattling tail.

When Shalin heard the noise, she reined her Ninetales, Caprice, back in the direction of her home. She knew that specific frequency as an alarm that someone or something had trespassed into her humble abode, where intentional or not. Within minutes, robin coello would find two massive Ninetales, each easily the size of a Rapidash, charging in her general direction before dramatically sliding to a stop in front of her. The Captain-elect's demeanor immediately changed when she saw the young lady.

"Oh, Robin!" Shalin greeted, grunting when the fire-type she was seated on reared sharply. The Alolan Ninetales next to her was pumping out a chill mist that may have made the trainee Ranger feel a little cold. "I remember you from the most recent Ranger class. Fancy running into you out here!" Her head warily tilted toward the Drakloak that was peering into her living space.

Shalin wasn't quite sure what Robin was referring to by traveling like her Drakloak did. She had her own quirky ways of bonding with her Pokémon; one of the ways she forger the bond with Letheia was rodeo runs on the Alolan Ninetales. She was strong; on days when she was at her peak, she could either wrench Shalin off entirely, or buck the poor Ranger so hard that it hurt even her.

"...This tree is actually my house, Robin," Shalin answered, steam flying from the two Ninetales' tails as some of them touched one another in the wind. "I guess I forgot to tell you I live off grid with my Pokémon upstairs. I know how to cook, and they hunt for me. With electric Pokémon to charge my phone and such self-sustaining Pokémon, it saves so much money on rent!" She left out the detail that having anything delivered to her was a nightmare; it got to the point where Shalin would ride her Pokémon and have them drag things back to her abode for her.

"I found Letheia here in the deepest part of Shoal Cave, in a place you'd have to see to believe. Even if I told you what was down there, you probably wouldn't believe me." It was a dangerous, yet extraordinary marvel of a Hoenn of ages past. "She's a different kind of Ninetales, using ice instead of fire." Letheia eyed Robin and her Drakloak warily. "So what brings you out here?"

Robin's facial expression was not unexpected; living off-grid in such a technology-dependent world was outlandish, if not asinine. Petalburg was in that perfect part of Hoenn where it wasn't uncomfortably warm except for a few weeks during the summer, and winters were mild enough to be comfortable. She had ice Pokémon to help with cooling during those hot months, too. "You can find them on the upper levels, too, but they're a little more common in the depths," she replied, though the arctic fox was a rare species to begin with.

The ice-type's eyes shifted toward Robin warily before returning straight ahead. "Dragon Pokémon are like that. You just have to give them more attention than others on your team," Shalin gave the Ranger a friendly point of advice. She had raised a few dragon-types herself, though primarily her Flygon. Now, the dragon-type served as her primary partner. Perhaps if they returned to her home later, she would be able to see her Flygon Sygna Suit.

"Maybe we could plan a trip to Shoal Cave one day if you're looking for one?" she suggested, the golden and blue foxes' tails blown around by a gust of wind. "Petalburg Woods is a great place to expand your Pokémon team!" She gestured toward the Alolan Ninetales. "Feel up to a little ride through the forest? I'm sure we'll find something for you!" The ice-type shot Shalin a glare of reluctance before calming down and crouching in front of Robin, beckoning her to sit in the fairy fox's bright, sparkling saddle.

Shalin cautioned Robin on a trip to Shoal Cave, especially without fire Pokémon to keep warm. "It gets dangerously cold on the lower levels, and there's an Articuno that makes its home in the ice dungeon at the very bottom," she cautioned. "That and there's a Glastrier that roams the place freely." She wasn't as worried about them because she knew Laurence Anderson well, but Robin? Not so much. And with the Iceborne Mirage being more feral after the bond of the Composed went haywire, a mistake could mean being frozen in NEVER MELT ICE for all eternity.

The Rustboro Captain and Caprice lined up next to the guest rider. "You could say that!" she chirped as she faced forward, ready to let Robin dictate the pace of the run. "Have you gone Pokémon riding at all before? If you have, she controls just like any other common Pokémon. If not, I can show you the basics!"

Shalin frowned at Robin's willingness to see the Iceborne Mirage. "You... you don't want to see this one, trust me. They turned one of my Pokémon into an ice cube." She wouldn't elaborate; if a psychic Pokémon were to pry into her brain, they would learn that Kiara, the Pyroar frozen that way, had died quite a few months ago.

"Oh, that more than counts," the Ranger stepped back with a look of surprise on her face. "Hydreigon are mean. At least usually. If I'm not wearing my suit when I try to ride one, they'll wreck my hips." It was strange to her how Robin would be comfortable riding dragons but not a Pokémon like a Ninetales, which was much easier to control normally. Perhaps she let the dragons ferry her on automatic pilot?

"It's really simple. You just have to remember two things: her reins are for direction, and your leg pressure is for speed," Shalin educated her friend. "When you pull on her reins with one hand, it'll turn her head in that direction, and that's how she knows to turn. If you squeeze her sides, she'll go faster, and if you loosen your hold on her sides, she'll slow down. It really is as simple as that!" While there were more advanced techniques, such as jumping, she wanted Robin to get used to the basics. "Now, let's ride! I'll do my best to keep pace with you!"

To be a rider, one had to be in sync with their Pokémon. Without coordination between rider and mount, both would flounder. "It's less about your approach and more about understanding what your Pokémon wants from you," Shalin suggested, having wrangled with many Pokémon before. "There's not a one-size-fits-all approach. I learned that with my Espeon, Starr. She doesn't like to wear a saddle; she prefers to harness me to her back using her mind. Even the little things matter."

Shalin laughed at the Drakloak's enthusiasm and determination to stay in front of the two foxes as they slowly got up to speed. She let Robin dictate the pace of the run. "Your Drakloak has a desire to go fast, it seems. After he evolves, have you thought about taking him to Josh Devlin 's Gym? It's the perfect playground for Pokémon like him. I couldn't bring myself to go there. The kind of speeds his Pokémon get to make me sick."

A smile lit up Shalin's face as Robin picked up the pace, the foxes now fast enough to bounce their riders up and down with their strong running strokes. Coming up on a sharp northward turn toward Rustboro City, Shalin pulled on Caprice's reins tightly, coaxing the fox to make a sharp slide that left her whooping with joy and her stomach in knots.

Shalin's smile grew, letting Robin and Letheia catch up to Caprice. While their pace was still brisk, the two reduced their speed enough to carry on a conversation with one another. "Just remember that it should be a two-way street," she advised. "Don't pamper your Pokémon, either; they need to understand that both of you are there for each other."

The forest gave way to the fields south of Rustboro City, a sign for the two to turn around if they wanted to remain within the woods' confines. "I can't recommend Josh Devlin 's and Alexei Ivanov 's Gyms enough. They're all about riding Pokémon in one way or another. I can't challenge Mauville Gym because he requires challengers to have a registered address, but I had such a good time at Fortree. You and your Pokémon won't be disappointed."

The foxes came to a stop right at the woods' borderline, Rustboro's tall yet modest skyline visible to the north. "Whether a run where you ride your Pokémon or run alongside them, that's a great start." With Robin mentioning the Drakloak as a ride Pokémon, Shalin took another look at the ghost-type. "Your Pokémon might be big enough for you to hop on as is. I can recommend a place to get him fitted. Verdanturf Leather and Saddle. It's on the main road passing through town. Both the Gym Leader and I spend a lot of money there. It's well worth it, though; they've got superior quality that will make both you and your Pokémon comfortable."