As the hours passed and the day turned to night, Fayne began to believe the expedition would end in failure. This fact wasn't too disheartening, for she'd grown accustomed to such disappointment while studying in Sinnoh. Most field trips were boring or uneventful, with successful or exciting trips being the outliers. Today's expedition consisted only of a bunch of rocks, a sunbathing Chimchar, and a colony of Bonsly huddled together in a faux bush. There wasn't much else of note.

[break][break]That was, until Fayne stumbled across a Carbink. It was in distress, being smacked and battered about by a hungry Sableye desperate to pry the gems from the small fairy's body. In any other situation, Fayne may have let nature take its course. Predators deserved to eat just like anyone else; it wasn't a human's place to step in and punish a creature for trying to survive. But her heart ached at the sight and a selfish desire to capture Carbink led her to act.

[break][break]In a flash of light (Dazzling Gleam), a Gardevoir appeared on the battlefield and both the Carbink and Sableye winced away from the brilliant aura that now engulfed the area. The tiny fairy was fast to recover from the attack and successfully escaped from its assailant's grasp. Sableye, on the other hand, screeched and batted at the air in front of its face, desperate to shield its sensitive eyes from the light.

[break][break] As the shine faded, the gem-eyed monster's focus adjusted, and it realized that it was outnumbered. Not only was it being confronted by its prey but also a red-headed trainer and a battle-ready Gardevoir. The dark beast made a chittering noise that resembled an nervous chuckle before turning tail and running away. "Good riddance," Fayne said with a sigh of relief. She was never a huge fan of battling, so the sooner a fight could come to an end, the better.

[break][break]Only then did the young researcher turn her attention to the Carbink who floated nearby, watching on in curiosity and wonderment. "Hey," she began, holding one hand up in a "I'm not a threat" position while her other hand slowly drifted down to her belt to retrieve an empty pokeball. "You look pretty hurt." It didn't move, just continued to stare. "If you come with me, I can heal you up. I'll protect you. Give you a new place to call home."

[break][break]She lifted the pokeball up and held it out like a peace offering while taking a few steps closer. "What do you say?"

[break][break]

+ Spawn 1 of 3, capture attempt
[break]+ Me: I won't catch anything other than a Solrock. // Shiv, probably: Imma call your bluff.

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Once Andrea left, Fayne felt like she could finally concentrate on what needed to be done. With Solosis' aid, she was able to keep Fishie on track — or as "on track" as an empty-headed dino could be. If he acted out upon noticing his trainer was gone, Cyto would have done his best to redirect its attention to another test (which the blue beast may or may not have ended up destroying). Taking a blood sample was objectively the most difficult task Fayne set out to do, but that too was handled with ample distractions and treats.

[break][break]After roughly 30 minutes, the young researcher concluded her studies and recalled both the Dracovish and Solosis to their pokeballs. She retrieved both from their slots on the control panel and returned to the building's lobby where she expected to find Andrea waiting. "Miss Vaneau? We're finished with our tests. Fishie was a..." Fayne began, pausing only long enough to consider what word she wanted to use, "...chaotic subject, but they did very well." She held out Fishie's pokeball before saying, "Thank you for coming in."

[break][break]

+ Andrea Vaneau in Life, Uh, Finds A Way
[break]+ Sorry about the long wait and the rushed ending. I was thinking we could end the thread here.

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Fayne made a mental note when Andrea asked if Fishie was hungry. It was possible. Larger species were generally able to survive for long periods of time without sustenance, so it stood to reason that Dracovish were similar in that aspect; however, Galar's infamous fossil Pokemon defied all laws of nature by simply existing. Perhaps Fishie and their kin burned all their energy just trying to survive, and as a result, perhaps it had an insatiable hunger.

[break][break]Then again, maybe the blue beast's antics in the lab were a result of them feeling bored.

[break][break]Regardless, Fayne unclipped a pokeball from her belt and slotted it in a second divot on the panel. Andrea wasn't sure how Fishie did around other Pokemon, but she did admit they could be skittish. Anxious creatures had the possibility of lashing out when feeling threatened, but the red-headed researcher was willing to take the risk. She'd observed Fishie, and they didn't seem to be aggressive by nature.

[break][break]As Fayne typed something into the keyboard, she just hoped her deduction was correct. As the oversized test subject slammed its face against the glass wall again, a Solosis appeared in the chamber, floating at eye-level a short distance away from the prehistoric hybrid. The sentient cell warbled a few times, as if to get Fishie's attention, before twirling in mid-air to show that it was friendly and wanted to play.

[break][break]While her Pokemon attempted to befriend the subject, Fayne addressed Andrea's question about how many tests were left — sort of. "Why don't you go run some errands and I'll call you when we're done here," she suggested, a bit of a bite to her tone. This is exactly why she hated having to deal with other people. They always asked too many questions and were always so impatient when it came to research.

[break][break]

+ Andrea Vaneau in Life, Uh, Finds A Way
[break]+ Fayne, play nice!

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Running into the Chimchar was a nice reminder of how far Fayne had come in her journey, and it brought back good memories of her starter Pokemon, but there were more important things to do than reminisce about the past. Without a word, she turned away from the sunbathing rock and continued her climb through the rugged terrain in search of a Solrock. She tried not to get her hopes up, especially since the day was already half over her and the window for finding one was closing as the sun travelled across the sky, but she still remained optimistic. She'd found a Lunatone in this area, so it wasn't absurd to think its counterpart could've been lingering nearby.

[break][break]

+ Spawn 0 of 3, captured 0 of 1

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It took the better part of a minute for Fayne's eyes to finally adjust to the lighting — or lack thereof. She hadn't been cast into pitch blackness, but the sudden shift from day to night was something unexpected for both her body and mind to comprehend. At first, she was convinced that she had been teleported by a Pokemon; however, a quick look around disproved that theory, for the landscape looked identical to the one she'd been standing in before the shift occurred.

[break][break]Perhaps something had blotted out the sun, casting the land in a veil of darkness. That also didn't seem to be the case — not on a global scale, at least. Not only was Fayne unable to see the sun, but she was unable to see the sky or even the distant horizon. It almost appeared as though she was caught under some kind of energized dome. "Curious," the researcher muttered to herself before kneeling down and unzipping her backpack.

[break][break]As she reached into the bag, Fayne spotted movement in her peripheral vision, just beyond a cluster of nearby rocks. This made sense. A change in the atmosphere would no doubt upset the local wildlife, sending most running for cover. She'd probably see a lot of movement as a result of the rift's appearance. For this reason, she felt no need to look up or pay attention to her surroundings while retrieving the hand-held Geiger Counter from her bag. Unfortunately for Fayne, that had given the enraged Annihilape plenty of time to locate her.

[break][break]It was only out of sheer luck that she happened to look up and spot the grey-pelted monkey as it leapt off a rock with the intent to strike her with a well-placed punch. With a yip of surprise, she scrambled to her feet and ran a few paces away, narrowly running into a girl and her Lycanroc as she did. "Oh, thank Arceus!" she exhaled upon spotting the backup. "I really hope your Lycanroc knows how to fight," she mumbled while turning around to face the Annihilape that stood before both trainers.

[break][break]

+ Lasciel Elis in Surviving Space-Time

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Intelligent species made do when it came to the button test, whether or not they had hands. Paws, tails, and even snouts were often used in order to select the correct button. Time would tell if Fishie was one such intelligent creature; and despite Andrea's concerns regarding the test, Fayne remained unbiased. Even if the bipedal fish didn't interact with the buttons, that would still provide valuable insight for the researcher.

[break][break]Once again, the young trainer's question went unanswered as Fayne observed her subject in silence. Fishie did, in fact, interact with the buttons — and, what more, they even pressed their face against the correct color! Unfortunately, they didn't seem to comprehend how buttons worked. Instead of pressing down on the hard plastic, they opted to instead gnaw on its outer ring, drooling all over the expensive equipment.

[break][break]At least it wasn't trying to tear things from the wall anymore.

[break][break]Perhaps it needed a bit of guidance, Fayne thought. "Is Fishie friendly around other Pokemon?" she asked while casting Andrea a glance and thumbing a pokeball on her belt. If the prehistoric mutant was friendly, she'd send Solosis in to show them how the test worked; however, Fayne didn't want to risk a fight if Fishie was antisocial.

[break][break]

+ Andrea Vaneau in Life, Uh, Finds A Way

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No sooner had Fayne summoned the bite test rod did the Dracovish chomp down and tear it free from the wall, taking not just the padded section with it but the entire robotic arm. The young researcher was reasonably aghast at the sight. With eyes wide and mouth open in shock, she watched in horror as the prehistoric beast whipped its new toy around the room, seemingly unaware of the damage it had caused in the process.

[break][break]A flashing red light on the monitor caught Fayne's attention and she quickly came to her sense. Without a word, she turned back to the computer screens and typed away. The panels of the chamber wall which previously separated to reveal the first test shifted quietly back into place, hiding the exposed wires and bent machinery that were a direct result of Fishie's antics.

[break][break]Despite the damages, the sensors had managed to record the beast's jaw strength up until the very moment its connection was forcefully severed. It was in the tens of thousands, meaning that Fishie was not only capable of breaking rocks and bones with nothing more than a bite, but it also had the potential of chewing straight through steel. And yet, it had proven itself capable of controlling that strength early on, when it "kissed" Andrea. This was a fascinating discovery!

[break][break]When Andrea tried to ask what sort of tests the lab would be conducting, Fayne swatted the air dismissively, not caring how rude or antisocial she was being. She was too engrossed with her findings to worry about being a good host. Once again, she typed something into the keyboard and watched as a rectangular panel opened up inside the chamber, revealing three large buttons. One was blue, one was green, and one was red. After a long moment, the green button lit up and a flute noise played, hopefully drawing Fishie's attention to the new test.

[break][break]

+ Andrea Vaneau in Life, Uh, Finds A Way

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