As Alexei greets them, El and Akero both perk up. The young Ranger smiles bright and waves, nodding. "Mhmm! Hope I'm not too early?" They respond, extending a hand to Alexei for a handshake as they approach. "Just wanted to make sure I was ready, incase there's anything we needed to hash out ahead of time."

Akero, meanwhile, would greet Alexei with a happy trilling whistle, preening at one of her wings idly. She was eager to fly, and see what this gym challenge was all about!

Alexei Ivanov

El was eager as they followed Alexei's lead - and the sight of the flying pokemon overhead brought a delighted smile to the young Ranger's face. They laugh alongside the gym leader, mentioning "That must mean they're feeling good, though!" with a beaming grin. "You have so many flying - and not even necessarily flying-type - pokemon, though; it's great!"

There's a moment where El is distracted simply watching the flock zip about above - trying to see how many of the pokemon they could identify just from a glance alone. Their inner nerd was absolutely thriving here, to say the least!

But as Alexei speaks up and asks a question, they blink - snapped from their little reverie. "Oh! Uhm - I had signed up for the obstacle course because, well..." They glance over to him, and consider their words for a moment. "Akero here... He started off as mostly being just for races; being speedy and maneuverable, right? But I've recently started trying to train him to be able to help me out on the field - with Ranger work - which is more than just, uhm, being able to get from A to B really fast."

"I've taught her a few moves for different utility - like Reflect, to act as a windshield or provide protection from collisions. Or Defog, to clear up low visibility conditions." El smiles brightly with this, clearly proud of their decision-making. "But I want to give her more experience flying around in tricky conditions that aren't just the wide open sky... And an obstacle course seemed like it'd be a good test, without actually putting either of us in a dangerous situation."

Alexei Ivanov

At the mention of the Silph Cup, El perked up - smiling bright. "Yeah, Akero and I were!" They chirped in confirmation, "It was a ton of fun - even if it got a little bit hectic, especially towards the end. Even if I didn't win, being in the top 50% is pretty good, right?" Their smile grows into a bright grin in Alexei's direction - adding "Maybe next time, I'll win the cup like you did - and like my brother did in the one before that!"

They were eager to work towards plenty of accolades, and catch up to Isaac Merlo in one way or another. Because even if he was already plenty proud of them, that was no reason to stop trying their best!

But, then came the approach towards the obstacle course; and as Alexei called a Hydreigon over, El couldn't help a soft laugh. "Maybe I oughta bring my Hydreigon next time I visit, then? Ysera's a real sweetheart." They mused out loud, as they visibly admired the gym leader's own dragon.

Following Alexei's lead though, they'd fit the goggles on - before settling into Akero's saddle. "Let's go, buddy;" They murmured - stroking the Togekiss' feathers before they nudged her to take flight.

Akero, clearly delighted to finally take wing, would whistle in joy as he ascended into the air - and would even give a cheery sing-song whistle to the receptionist and Fearow in greeting, as the duo approached!

El, meanwhile, would listen close as the rules were laid out - it was all pretty simple and straightforward enough, so they'd give a nod in turn. Just get to the end - which, in theory, didn't seem too hard...

... But, that was until they were faced with a blinding Sandstorm..! El blinked owlishly at the sight - and at just how fearlessly Alexei dove into the howling winds... But they wouldn't let themselves fall behind..!

"If this storm is self-contained... It's probably not all blowing in just one direction, right?" They mused to Akero - otherwise, the sandstorm would be all over the place and making a mess of things! If this was something closer to a twister... "Don't hurt or tire yourself going against the wind - if we follow the flow, it should carry us to the other side!"

That was just simple physics, with how wind usually moved, right?

Akero whistled in understanding - and going forth, he'd let his wings catch the howling winds and carry him, to conserve his stamina. All the while, El would similarly focus in on their hearing and sense of direction... But, that was until a dark shape beared down on them from above! "W-woah..!"

They had to have Akero bank to the side to avoid a falling boulder - and before they knew it, there was another coming the duo's way!

Just what sorts of real-life situations was this course supposed to prepare you for?!

fWONMMaX
Alexei Ivanov

While preserving Akero's stamina by following the flow of the wind was probably the right call - it was safe to say that the plan had been thrown a bit off-kilter by the presence of other obstacles.

The two would dodge out of the way of another boulder even as it was split - El holding tight to Akero's reins all the whilst, leaning low against her to keep themself safe. However, in the process, Akero would brush up against a sharp rock that was hovering in the air - which scraped at her feathers, drawing out a startled and pained keen from the Togekiss!

"That's..." That looked like Stealth Rock, right? Did that mean that the boulders that they were trying to dodge past was a Rock Tomb or Rock Slide?

Were Akero's moves not forbidden, a Defog or Reflect would've surely helped a bunch... But, they had to make do with what they had - which for the Togekiss, was stamina and maneuverability.

As the two had to bank out of the way of another boulder - this one having come flying from an awfully odd angle - El would lightly tug Akero's reins to bring the Togekiss back on the 'path'. "Focus on weaving between the Stealth Rocks - I'll try to watch for boulders," They told her.

Akero whistled in affirmative, beating her wings a couple of times to slip between a few of the levitating stones.

El could only hope that this would be enough to make it out of the storm alright...

MOS6IOXE
Alexei Ivanov

The sandstorm, safe to say, had been a bit of hell for the two. But at the first glimpse of sunlight past the swirling sand and flying rocks, El is quick to direct Akero out of the storm. They're a bit battered by it, and it certainly took a bit more out of the two than they had expected...

... But as El shakes a bit of sand off their jacket, they're ready to continue forwards..! "Ehehe; we can see, we can fly!" They'd crack a joke to Akero, spirits still feeling good.

Akero, in turn, would whistle cheerily... Though, her call would rise into a startled keen as a few Bullet Seeds nearly hit them! El, similarly, couldn't help a yelp as they had Akero bank to the side to avoid the barrage!

Seeing as the Toucannons were above, though... "Keep your distance, Akero!" The more space they had to dodge, the better!

bVLSPWT8
Alexei Ivanov

So far so good; this was going a bit better than the sandstorm hell that they had to traverse before. Akero would dance between the volleys of 'bullets' without too much trouble, banking and rolling as need be! All the while, El held tight to the saddle - eyes scanning their surroundings... Only to spot the ringleader, a shiny Toucannon that was riling up the rest of the flock!

Diversity win: The bi pride bird was trying to kill them. But, at the very least, it seemed that Alexei wasn't spared from the wrath of the flock, the Hydreigon's roar briefly drawing El's attention. Poor guy...

Though, they had their own troubles to worry about. "I'll keep an eye on the ones above - you watch the ones below." They told Akero - adjusting their grip on her reins. Hopefully, a bit of coordination would be enough to get them through this slice of the gauntlet..!

W_VV9xV1
Alexei Ivanov