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it hadn't been too long since the first time he'd gotten a chance to venture out into an unknown land, or rather, a strange new world for that matter. just when he had started to think that he has seen it all, hoenn and its many so-called anomalies continued to surprise silverio at every twist and turn. his recent experience in a land seemingly ran completely be a matter of clockwork was unquestionably something he felt was worth documenting and writing home about. while his partner on that expedition, keiko, regretted not getting any pictures of the mechanical kingdom during their trip there, the ranger managed to jot down everything they had seen and done there together on paper.[break][break]

although, paper and pictures aren't particularly known to last for an eternity, although they did speak volumes of what could be deemed as a freshly solid point in history...[break][break]

much to his delight, the paldean would be joining the pinkette on another excursion through a wormhole. this time, however, he'd find himself smack dab in an unbearably scorching desert. to say the least, suppose that dressing lightly for the occasion was a good look for him in this case, with a set of sun-blocking specs to boot. to not consume the water here, though...? "noted, although, something tells me that pokémon may not be...huh!?!?"[break][break]

the ground beneath them tremored. silv instantly shook his head as keiko turned to face, then shot his eyes toward his sandslash, whose arms spread with a 'what did i do?' gesture. as rapidly as the earth trembled, the cause of the sudden quake presented itself: an unfathomably large orthworm. "that...is definitely not an illusion!!" already, the two humans and their pokémon would be met with a danger that, had it been encountered elsewhere, may be deemed unnatural otherwise.[break][break]

"go! use rollout to distract it!" quick thinking on the part of the ranger. the ground-typed mouse pokémon swiftly balled its spiny self up to roll up and around the gargantuan steel worm as its motions continued to shake the place up. hopefully that'll keep it busy for long enough to at least think of a more concrete plan. suppose that there could never be enough 'fight-or-flight' moments in these realms.

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 1 of 4[break]
✦ ---[break]
✦ ---

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the violent sands and air were quickly taking their toll on silv's skin...[break][break]

but it wasn't long before the slowking splashed into the fray. it's combined efforts along with the sandslash would prove to be enough of a distraction for the giant orthworm, with the former even able to discontinue the monster's use of its maniacally impactful sandstorm, if only for but a moment. time was of the essence, and if neither trainer could act quickly enough, then they'd both sink into the deep sands.[break][break]

the sandslash, unaffected by the residual effects of the storm, continued rolling out for several seconds until coming to a stop when he noticed his trainer being forcibly tugged away by the other human, taking that sight as his cue to flee the scene along with them. whichever direction they'd end up going, it wouldn't matter - anywhere that's as far away from that massive beast as possible would be a good enough spot for them. a sleeve held up to his mouth to block any sand from impairing his airway.[break][break]

meanwhile, the spiny mouse dove headfirst into the sands, and like a deep sea dweller, it manuevered through the them, and hopefully away from the menacing worm and tailing after the two humans. after several minutes, silv's eyes scanned the area around them. "i think...we lost it..."

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 2 of 4[break]
✦ sandslash used dig; it is currently burrowed in the sands[break]
✦ ---

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"it's too bad that you couldn't get a pic of it..."[break][break]

or did she!? suppose that behemoth may have been worth the struggle of snapping a photo, if it weren't so unceremoniously rabid. nonetheless, it could be safe to assume that the pair of adventurers were out of trouble - that is to say, at least for the moment. "orthworm is a native of paldea, my homeland, but never before have i ever seen one so massive..." as the man took a moment to contemplate on where to go next, his sandslash's piney head emerged from beneath the sands between he and the pinkette, startling the former for a second.[break][break]

"hey...!!" with a push off his arms, the rodent climbed out then shook off any sandy residue from its body. he nearly lost his breath there. "you just can't go poppin' up like that outta nowhere; for a second, i thought you were another orthworm." the spiny critter drooped its head down in defeat, quickly acknowledging its fault, but his trainer was quick to forvgive. too quick, even. "it's alright, buddy. just...at least warn someobody next time, 'kay?"[break][break]

easier said than done...[break][break]

nothing to be seen here...or maybe? an image had come into the ranger's view, albeit blurred. from what he could make out, dead ahead of him, there were hints of green. trees, perhaps? and an oval of a light blue hue hinted on the grounds there. water? wait, an oasis!? "i think...i see a rest stop...straight down that way...!!?" he called out and pointed. a rest under shades of tree leaves and a fresh wash ought to do some justice right about now.

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 3 of 4[break]
✦ 14 experience a misleading mirage[break]
✦ ---

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maybe there were many things in this realm that may be far more memorable than a near-death experience with an oversized worm. perhaps a photo from a low angle where either human could've been easily eaten alive may not be an ideal approach after all. one thing was certain though, and it was that silverio would be documenting that orthworm by way of its sheer size. what could that thing have eaten which helped grow so insanely large? alas, some questions were better off unanswered after all.[break][break]

an immeasurable amount of space away, the oasis was. still, the team's much-needed break from the sweltering heat seemed to be just moments away...until it wasn't! as the image had drawn closer, it become more apparent that it was not what it had initially appeared to be. his mind overtaken, possibly a result of oncoming heat exhaustion, he took an awkward step back as a maractus - this one being larger than normal also - presented a drink.[break][break]

what in the name of arceus...!?[break][break]

where did that come from? regardless, he remembered the advice that keiko notion when they arrived through the rift. "no thanks...we're good..." long breaths bridged a gap between words. meanwhile, the sandslash offered a poke at his trainer with a razor-edge claw, an attempt to snap silv back into reality.[break][break]

"ooww..." that seemed to work.

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 4 of 4[break]
✦ 06 do not drink water offered to you[break]
✦ ---

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it just wanted to do as his trainer himself had suggested...[break][break]

to warn him...of impending danger! as it turns out, like the imaginary oasis, the maractus was not what it appeared to be at an initial glance. rather, in reality, it was a much different species of plant pokémon - one much more vicious than what silverio had thought he saw.[break][break]

before sandslash could gesture at the girl in response, the victreebel attacked. instinctively, the ground pokémon moved to push silv away, effectively knocking some sense back into him, all the while undoing his sunglasses in the process.[break][break]

he would then follow-up after the slowking's attack; like a kid mowing a lawn for cash, it swiped a sharp crush claw at the unfriendly plant, downing it for the moment. meanwhile, silv managed to regain his senses, with help from his spiny companion, as well as keiko and her slowking.[break][break]

"phew...thanks guys...i guess we're in one helluva long trek here, after all..."

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 4 of 4[break]
✦ ---[break]
✦ ---