Saria persisted, the tip of her vine floating around Shalin. Her suit was still fully recovering from the last time the Venusaur had hurled her around at ludicrous speeds. "I'm still not feeling great after our last run." Sighing, she sat on the vine's end like it was the back of a Pokémon. "But keep it fairly still." Even with Saria lifting Shalin off the ground, the Infinity Energy flowed between the two enough for a faint, green outline to appear around the duo. It was a visual sign of Infinity Energy being exchanged between trainer and synced Pokémon.

Saria let Shalin down not long after Gwendolyn Conway called out to her. "Oh, hi there Gwen!" the Captain greeted her. "What questions do you have about the assignment?" She listened to the first one and frowned. "Sadly, we won't be going anywhere. We're going to be protecting a research station. Some of our best scientists are studying one of the new paradox Pokémon from the bottom of Area Zero. Our job is to protect them."

The Gabite had every right to be curious, Infinity Energy radiating from the duo even as the vine was still. That she was sitting right on the end of it looked even more unusual. Her smile slowly grew as the vine waved back and forth, giggling with every gentle flick every time they changed direction. Once she was sufficiently warmed up, Saria extended her vine next to Gwen.

So the questions weren't about the assignment. They were about self-improvement. Being brave. Shalin stuttered for a bit before composing herself, feeling she wasn't great at what she was being asked to do. It wouldn't look good on her as a Captain if she blew Gwen off, though. "Take little steps outside your comfort zone," Shalin replied. "That's the best advice I can give you for self-improvement. It worked for me when I was trying to find the limits of my Sygna Suit. Look at me now," she gestured toward what was beneath her. "When I first started using this suit, I never dreamed I would be able to do this. You know how fast a Venusaur's Vine Whips move?"

Shalin let the question sink in before continuing. "It was way outside my comfort zone. Just push your boundaries a little at a time. If you try to go too fast, that's not being brave. That's being a fool. How deep have you gone into the Giant Chasm? Next time you get the chance, go a little deeper."

Ah, such was the struggle of clothing. As the Gym Leader's lifestyle changed over time, so did his clothing size. He had a drawer of folded clothes too large for him back at his folks' apartment. Moving from Johto to Hoenn was a hassle, especially for a duo in their sixties, but the older couple got the job done.

Yes, Josh had old parents.

Shalin grinned, knowing how the vines of a Venusaur cut. "That cracking noise you hear is actually the tip of the vine going faster than the speed of sound. I don't hear it. All I hear is silence." Without knowing how Sygna Suits worked, it had to be a terrifying thought. How did Shalin live to tell the tale of her supernatural feat?

The girl withdrew her Pokémon other than Lathiel, the Type: Null crouching to let Shalin upon her back. "You got a Pokémon you can hop onto? The cliffside can be a bit rough to travel. If not, I've got you covered!" Without a saddle, she was unsure if the Gabite could carry Gwen. They were also a bit on the smaller side as a species; while they could certainly grow large enough to hop onto, body composition mattered a lot.