Shalin's previous trips into the Great Chasm had made her feel a little more comfortable within. She still wasn't sure why she was able to command Midori, her Iron Leaves, here and nowhere else in Hoenn, but it was largely thanks other and Lathiel that the Captain could even fight back against the Pokémon. Even her Sygna Suit was not helpful against the incredibly powerful wild Pokémon, especially the Paradox Pokémon utilizing Terastallization. At a moment's notice, they could transform into a type advantageous against the one she was using. That was how both of her Sygna Pokémon had wound up on the DL: an Iron Thorns' Ice-type TERA BLAST had frozen both of her ice-weak Pokémon solid to the point where even Ice Heal wouldn't thaw them in a timely fashion.

"No, sadly," she replied, thinking of how her pursuit of Keldeo ended in disappointment when she learned that Hoenn's Keldeo was too small for her to ride. "I do own a couple of legendary Pokémon, though. They've been invaluable in keeping me alive down here." Stepping outside the research station, she clicked open two Poké Balls: one containing a Type: Null, and the other containing a Glastrier. "These two are Lathiel and Firja," she introduced the duo. Both of them wore extravagant, comfortable-looking saddles that couldn't have been cheap. Though the equine's skin looked like it would freeze someone to the touch, the cushioned saddle was warm enough and thick enough that one could sit in it without peril of being encased in ice. There was even a guard on the front of it to keep one from being thrown forward into her pointy mane.

Shalin hopped onto Lathiel's back before answering the question, looking like she was ready to delve deeper into the enormous Terastal Cavern at any moment. "They're from Verdanturf Leather and Saddle, and they're... not cheap," she advised before putting a figure to it. "Legendary Pokémon... follow different rules than most Pokémon do. You really have to pamper them. I've been raising Lathiel here for ten months, and it was only recently she agreed to wear this at all." She tugged on the normal-type's reins briefly, the Type: Null sounding a cry halfway between a purr and a dog's whine.

Firja gave Mimi an icy stare before turning away, facing the same direction as Shalin and her unusual steed. "Mimi, you have a Pokémon you can travel on?" the Captain asked, knowing her name from the mission briefing. "You'll be a lot safer with one. This place gives even me trouble." That was saying a lot, too, given how many rare and powerful Pokémon she was armed with. "If you don't have one, I've got you covered."

"It takes more time for mythical or legendary Pokémon to trust you in general," Shalin answered. "But once they do, they're not as different from normal Pokémon as you think. You just have to treat them with more respect than you do other Pokémon." Letheia was once violent; now, she was indifferent toward most trainers and Pokémon. Before long, she would have a true friend in Shalin, and more friends as she became more sociable and less of a battle machine that Type: Null were known to be.

There was a lot of danger within Area Zero. A lot of danger. "Mostly the paradox Pokémon," Shalin answered. "Midori came from here. She's my..." she trailed off, realizing the Sacred Sword didn't have an official name yet. "She looks like a Virizion, but she's... robotic. Looks and acts like a Virizion otherwise." She swapped Hylda out for Midori to illustrate, the Iron Leaves also wearing saddle and bridle. The grass-type pranced ahead, prompting her to palm yet another Poké Ball.

Clicking it open, from the capsule emerged what may have been the largest Sylveon Mimi had ever seen. Easily the size of a small Rapidash, the bright-colored riding gear on her blended in with her blue and white fur. "This is Endry," Shalin introduced the Sylveon, who let out a low-pitched squeal before crouching to let the guest aboard.

Just as Shalin and Mimi Hirose got settled in the saddles of their Pokémon, a rippling earthquake rumbled up Area Zero, several stalactites crashing into nearby pyramids of Terastal crystals and shattering them like glass. The Captain set Midori's reins down and wrapped her arms around the base of Midori's neck the best she could, gripping hard enough to brace but not so hard to prevent the creature from breathing... or however it fueled its body.

Endry braced herself the best she could, stumbling about some during the wild shaking. Seconds after the destructive seismic wave came, it was gone. "Are you okay?" Shalin asked Mimi, a look of grave concern on her face. "If that was a Pokémon move, it was... a really powerful one. I don't think it is, though. It's been a long time since I've felt an earthquake with magnitude so high."

Fast vibration didn't bother Shalin at all; if anything, she enjoyed being shaken around at high frequencies. The earthquake's rumble, though, had great amplitude. It gave even the eccentric, perhaps reckless Ranger pause. Though Shalin didn't think it was a Pokémon, it was.

The earthquake had blocked their passage deeper into Area Zero. Where a cavern once existed, naught but rubble filled its entrance now. It was proof that the planet was a living, breathing thing; not static, but dynamic. Area Zero was a microcosm of the planet as a while, Terastal energies accelerating geologic developments from eons to much more comprehensible units of time.

"...There's nothing more we can do on our own. Let's go back to Oldale and get a demolition team involved," the Captain sighed as Midori at last stood. The Iron Leaves pranced upward along the trail after Shalin switched rides to the grass-type, ready to leap out of the crater and back toward Hoenn's surface world.