alia was feeling incredibly grateful that a few of hoenn's finest rangers have been so kind to her throughout her training period. although everyone in the ranger program had been nothing short of supportive, ranger work could still feel incredibly intimidating at times with all of the different duties and responsibilities that it required. people like Josh Devlin and Shalin Nariya made both the training and the job feel easier. alia could only hope that she meets more mentors like them in the future. [break][break]

she was scheduled to meet with shalin at petalburg woods today, due for a specialized training session. the new captain-ranger had been all hush-hush about it, insisting for the day to be a surprise. so without a single clue about the agenda for the day, alia navigates to the designated location with the help of her dandy rotomphone. her shinx, lucian, trots besides her as he sniffs the air eagerly. so many different plants, pokemon, smells! it was also an exciting day for a feline like him. [break][break]

alia reaches the plateau, greeted by the captain in a luminous green suit. "hi, shalin! thanks for making time to meet with me today." she calls out, smile instinctively taking over her features. as the younger ranger closes their distance, she studies the unfamiliar gear that shalin had on, curiosity piqued. "what's that suit you have on? i've never seen glowing apparel like that before." 

[break][break]

+Shalin Nariya

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merely a few seconds after alia spoke, the flygon's wings start glitching in green, a matching high-pitched buzz rumbling in the air. alia's jaw drops slightly as shalin get tousled wildly on her dragon, its wing barely supporting the captain-ranger. she continues to watch the tumultuous performance in front of her, blue eyes gleaming with a mixture of shock, awe, and confusion. [break][break]

"oh, wow." is all that alia manages to say after shalin's concise explanation on sygna suits. a few more seconds pass by as she wracks her brain for the right words to proceed with. "that was really impressive...and almost concerning. are you okay? i'm both baffled and impressed by how you managed to survive that." the younger ranger admits at last, still unsure by the physics of the situation.[break][break]

"does this sygna suit help you with your ranger work?" alia further presses on, her roundabout way of questioning the wild rollercoaster of a ride. although impressive, the young ranger couldn't imagine how it would be helpful in any situation at all. if anything, it seemed like the only thing one could get out of it was a mouthful of vomit.

[break][break]

+Shalin Nariya

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shalin's excitement over the sygna suit was so contagious that alia found herself smiling as well, even if she didn't quite have a grasp on what it was. sygna suits was simply one piece out of the confusing puzzle that was hoenn - there were still many other things she didn't understand, such as mega evolution. "i believe you! i can't imagine doing that more than once, but it would be cool to try." the ranger says with a cheery laugh. even if she didn't share the same passion, it was always so heart-warming to see how excited other people could get about their interests. [break][break]

"aren't there a lot of different ultra wilds out there?" she asks, a curious glint in her eyes. "that seems like a huge project, on top of captain ranger duties. i'm impressed!" as a rookie, alia was already having a difficult time managing her various responsibilities. she couldn't imagine how shalin juggled so many different items on her plate, but alia hoped that she would be able to take on multiple roles in the future as well. she wanted to make a difference. [break][break]

halfway through the rangers' conversation, lucian had padded up to shalin and her flygon, letting out soft mewls as he circles around them. "looks like lucian got riled up from your performance, too." alia says, watching her shinx affectionately. "buddy, i hate to break it to you, but you don't have wings."


[break][break]

+Shalin Nariya

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“Oh, that’s incredibly fascinating.” Alia says, tilting her head at Shalin’s explanation. “Do sygna suits work the same for everybody? Or are they customized to each user’s preferences?” She had no particular interest in sygna suits before today, but her curiosity was officially piqued after Shalin’s wild, physics-defying performance. [BREAK][BREAK]

As the Kommo-o bounded towards the two rangers, Alia took in the rest of the clearing, noting the various ride pokemon that roamed around. It was such a beautiful sight to witness, the freedom that Shalin’s pokemon had even when not in party. The young ranger promised herself she would arrange a similar situation for her own pokemon in the future, once she was equipped with enough resources. Perhaps she could build a sanctuary or rescue, of some sort? Ever since she saved her noibat, she had always loved the idea of extending a hand to other injured pokemon in need. It would certainly hit two birds with one stone, offering her own pokemon a place to stay instead of being trapped in their pokeballs. [BREAK][BREAK]

Her thoughts are cut short by Lucian, who mewls in response to Shalin. Alia laughs lightly at the feline - he was always incredibly excited by the idea of adrenaline. She was going to have to take him on more training sessions and help him evolve soon, so he could tackle more exhilarating adventures in the future.[BREAK][BREAK]

She barely plopped the earbuds into her ears when the white dragon rapidly shifted its scales. Despite the earplugs, Alia could still hear the low vibration of the dragon’s scales as she was thrown around by the rapid movement. “Whoahhhh!” she cries out, instinctively reaching out for the dragon’s saddle. The clearing in front of her whirls in a quick blur, but settles down just as swiftly. “Um, I’m starting to have second thoughts.” Alia jokes after she stills, only half-serious. Even with just the split second of experience, she was starting to think that she may end up vomiting out the slowpoke tails she had for lunch earlier. “Any tips you wanna give me before I do the real deal?”[BREAK][BREAK]
[break][break]

+ Shalin Nariya [break]
+ mentioned slowpoke tails for bewitching brews [break]

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hoenn was certainly going to take alia a while to unravel, but thankfully she had no plans on leaving anytime soon. ever since she started dipping her toes into the region's mysteries, she felt her soul skip in a way that it hasn't in a long time - was it inspiration, passion? she wasn't sure yet, but she was going to continue chasing that feeling. [break][break]

talking about exciting things - alia never thought she would be going on a ride like this one, but there was a first time for everything. after shalin's advice, she jumped right in, gripping the reins firmly and straightening her posture. the dragon was kind enough to ease her into a more intense vibration, his scales escalating up and down like a tidal wave.  [break][break]

this time, alia was more prepared, maintaining both a good posture and calm demeanor as she bounces on top of the kommo-o. as a soft ahhhhhh escapes her lips at the peak of the ride, alia feels her voice fluctuate with the oscillation. she giggles softly - it almost felt like she was a kid again, the experience a strangely more intense version of the springy rocking horses that one might find in playgrounds. encouraged by the positive affirmation, the kommo-o speeds up his scales, bringing alia to even greater heights.  [break][break]

despite the newfound joy and appreciation for the wild experience, it was still very much an overwhelming one. the vibration in her chest drummed more heavily as time went on, and her head began throbbing with a dull pain. [break][break]

sensing the shift in her physique, the kommo-o slowly eases them into the end of the ride, crouching down to let alia unmount more easily. she slides off the dragon smoothly, making sure to pet it fondly before turning to shalin. "wow, that was quite the ride." she says breathlessly, pulling out the earplugs and handing them back to the older ranger. "thank you for sharing that experience with me - it's certainly one i'll never forget."  [break][break]

+ Shalin Nariya  [break]

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