The giant predatory insect was indeed one of the most nimble Pokémon anyone could ride. If Eddie were to glance toward Shalin observing him, he would be able to see a beaming smile on her face as Queen Zing bumbled about. It looked like he was having the time of his life, zipping about in seemingly every different direction.

As Eddie dismounted with little trouble, something that took Shalin commpletely by surprise (what strong legs he had to have for them to wistand vibration like that), she observed him rescuing an Emboar from being pinned down by an earthen spire from above a rocky protrusion above.

The insects' wings silent, Shalin called out to Eddie after he made his catch. "Wow, you're really good with wild Pokémon," she complimented, withdrawing both her insects for landbound Pokémon that also wore saddles. One was a Houndoom that seemed to love the heat; the other was a Shiny Glaceon that struggled a little more due to the hot conditions, but she knew she would be appreciated for being able to keep the group cool in the heat. "Have you thought about being a Ranger?" the Captain asked. "You really should think about it. You'd be very good at it."

"You've got great skills with wild Pokémon if you can handle a fully-evolved wild Pokémon like that, though!" Shalin insisted. The Captain did have her own unique set of talents; perhaps if she found the right Pokémon, she could show those talents off. "You don't need to! There's all kinds of resources on RangerNet to help new Rangers learn what they need to, so they can fill in their knowledge gaps. The hardest part of being a Ranger is wild Pokémon skills, and you've got that down!"

Grimmie was smack between Shalin's height and Eddie's; quite the large dog, indeed, and one capable of bearing even Eddie's weight. The Houndoom, well-trained in Ranger operations, sniffed Eddie's hand and seemed friendly enough. Unlike many of Shalin's ride Pokémon, this Houndoom didn't wear reins; riders were expected to grab onto her horns and manipulate them like a bike's handlebars. "Grimmie here is a Pokémon I caught by going for a ride on her while she was still wild!" She didn't elaborate for the time being.

The mention of Eddie expressing interest in Law Enforcement made Shalin raise an eyebrow, though she let the comments pass. The conversation quickly drifted back to Ranger prospects. "Heh, thanks!" she chirped. "There's only one other person I've seen flying on one." She couldn't remember oscar clayton 's name, only that he did so in a Pokémon race last year. "It's not just that, though. One of these days, I should invite you to meet the rest of my Pokémon at my Romping Grounds in Petalburg Woods! It's where I live with them."

Before long, whether they rode Shalin's Pokémon or traveled by foot, the duo would reach the canyon fork leading to the Mirage Palace: the mystic palace erected in defiance of reality. Though its innards had been well-documented, and by now largely devoid of treasure, it was still a dangerous place to enter.

Eddie's reaction to the mystic palace was understandable: it looked like it came straight out of the endgame of a video game or novel. "Oh, boy, is this ever a long story. A story I'd rather not tell until we go to a place that's a lot cooler," Shalin answered with a laugh. "The short of it is, this place once housed a Medallion that was one of eight keys to open a proverbial Hoopa's Box I never should have opened." Not only did opening the Halls of Origin give Rocket a resource they otherwise wouldn't have had, but it had cost her the life of her precious Kiara, a Pyroar that was near and dear to her heart.

Only its grand, bottom floor was visible; other floors above it were shrouded behind clouds so thick that there was zero visibility through them. What was perhaps most intriguing, though, was a seemingly floating sign in the middle of the space between the end of the canyon and the building itself, bubbling magma covering the chasm beneath.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] STICKY HOLD
[attr="class","wildtabox"]WRING OUT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]POISON GAS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]GASTRO ACID	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]STOCKPILE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Shalin Nariya Eduardo Hisakawa

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] INNER FOCUS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SUPERSONIC	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ASTONISH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]VENOSHOCK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ABSORB
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Shalin Nariya Eduardo Hisakawa

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

Eduardo Hisakawa CAUGHT THE EMBOAR!

Eddie's skepticism was obvious from his tone, and it was understandable; the place was fantastic. It defied reality. Shalin was scared when she explored its innards for the first time, but she and Julia Davis persevered and got to the bottom of the mystery.

"There's a way right across!" Shalin chirped in response. "That sign's built right into the bridge!" As to demonstrate what she was talking about, the girl took a step off the cliff face and toward the large double doors. Her foot made no sound when it touched the "ground" below; the only sign of her touching something solid was how her clothes rippled. She took another step, putting weight on the seemingly suspended leg, then turned around. To Eddie, it may have looked like she was floating.

"There's a bridge spanning the way to the doors," Shalin explained. "It's just masked visually and aurally by a psychic power." She even walked around it, stepping carefully to make sure didn't accidentally step outside its bounds and tumble. Even if she did, there would be plenty of time to get out a Poké Ball and have one of her flying insects save her, but there was no need to experience an unneeded brush with death.

If this was a deathtrap, it might be better that Eddie didn't see the inside of the palace. Blistering hot rooms filled with magma that geothermally powered the lower level, Braixen, Delphox, and Ninetales patrolling halls, and traps that switched the magma flow... the list went on and on. Not to mention the second floor that they certainly wouldn't be prepared for: a fortress of Never Melt Ice high above the mountain.

She turned around. "That's fair; it's mostly been picked clean anyway. There are probably a few secret passages left, but when I was in there last time, I made a fortune from relic sales. It's how I was able to afford a Sygna Suit in the first place." She made her way back across the bridge to near where Eddie was standing, once again her footsteps echoing in the canyon. "So were you headed closer to Lavaridge or to Fallarbor? I can help you get the rest of the way there if you want."