maybe he should've thought twice about accepting shalin's invitation to experience a gym challenge here after all, for this was starting to grow widely out of the paldean's comfort zone. technology he hadn't seen before until recently, free to use at his own leisure? despite this environment being nothing more than a living dream to the captain, the man himself didn't believe himself to be capable of being trusted with such advanced machinery.

and yet, he finds himself being ushered towards it. more questions arose, but no answers were in sight. "i dunno about all this..." skepticism was only natural in this scenario. even if this isn't real-life depiction of such a scene, questions still remained. and even so, he eyes the empty suit. grasping a sleeve with one hand, and eventually, somehow fits into it. like gloves on calloused hands.

"i guess now's a better time than any to learn how to use this stuff...i guess?" now or never, rather.

and so the chase is on! the wolf pokémon quickly closes in on the alleged mischief-maker and its pursuer, but is stopped cold when the entity - who ultimately turns out to be just a person disguised as a pokémon after all - turns to face the beast. was this person looking for a fresh catch, perhaps? judging from their stance, that appears to be case - either that, or they're looking for a fight. either way, that is not the focus of silverio's self-appointed objective. rather, it is to subdue that pesky piece of twisted machinery.

before long, silv arrives, with his lycanroc standing at the ready in search of the prey that might have gotten away. but the masked individual makes a beeline to give chase once more. and then stopping again. it looks like someone needs to work on their stamina, but that was neither here nor there. the ranger can barely make out what was asked in between the masked being's words and their heavy breathing. "yeah, i am." he begins a response, as his canine companion commences a survey of the area by sniffing around, looking to catch a hint of that porygon's scent.

"i heard screaming, then i saw you running after that porygon. when i go to make a call for help, all of a sudden, my communicator is down! something tells that may not be the only thing that's gone haywire here, and i think that thing's got somethin' to do with it." the lycanroc runs a straight line in the direction pointed out by the stranger, stopping at a corner to take a whiff of the air there. it barks, signaling that the scent is growing stronger, indicating that the porygon may still be closeby.

"it looks like it may not have gone too far. but the sooner we can catch it, the sooner we can get our tech working right again." with that being said, he set off after his partner, leaving little time for this apparent pokémaniac to catch their breath.

the source of lycanroc's detection draws near, its shadow inching closer to their feet. the wolf pokémon's nose wincing from a smell it finds strangely unorthodox to it. a surprising scent of another animal? could it be that something was hiding amongst the darkness of slateport's alleys? did the possible suspect not wish to have their identity revealed? with each second passing, silverio's suspicious grow wider. an array of potential scenarios played in his mind like a slideshow, picture-by-picture, in black-and-white.

finally, the mysterious entity chooses to unveil themselves, stepping away from the shadows and taking a stance in the light that casts them. a faint hint of nicotine wafts in the air between silv and a woman standing before him now, the man unbothered by scent. the lycanroc, however, is left seated, poking at his own nose. wide-eyed from the surprise appearance of another humanly figure, his attention is briefly drawn to the camera in her hands, then links eyes with her once more.

"this seems like a terribly strange spot to try and snap a photo. of what, i dunno. but for a minute there, my buddy here and i were thinking that you might've been some kinda thug looking to try to mug someone." or maybe she is, and maybe's she armed. there was no such thing as being too careful, after all. the wolf approaches her with a curious nose, taking a whiff, beginning at her feet then proceeding upwards, stopping at her hands. deeming her to be harmless (for now), he sits, emerald orbs peering and tail wagging with a newfound interest.

"alright, let's see what you're working with here, why not." the man decides as he steps up with curious eyes of his own taking note of...a ball of white on the ground? grasping it with a free hand, he examines it with a gentle squeeze. "cotton...?" he stands to wonder where it came from, but then quickly recieves an answer in the form of a sheep's cry. and as if out of nowhere, a creature other than his canine companion appears, offering a bump at the ranger's legs with a body full of snow-white fluff.

great...just what he needed, more unwanted attention being drawn to him...

time to attempt that insane-looking trick again...

back to the drawing board...or whatever form of object to suit that cliché...time to dive in again!

there is a lot to consider here: the capabilities of this futuristic mechanism, the impact of its seemingly immeasurable power, and the odds of surviving a confrontation with it - especially when the opposition would be doomed to engage within the confines of a field can be said to feel like home to the ironclad gladiator. alas, as a battler himself, silverio can accurately analyze this tactic as a means for the iron valiant to give itself a quick jump-start. or rather, that's what rumors have told throughout the years.

a well-oiled machine, powered by a spark plug generated by its own supercells.

quite a threat, indeed, but the paldean's visage remains stilled. unfazed, azure irises locked-on dead ahead. this is a tactic he has seen used by various trainers in the past, but none had utilized it in any way similar to how the sheriff's super-robot is commanding it here. given his past experiences as a competitor, silv deduces that he and his dark knight will playing this game with a disadvantage from the get-go, and quite possibly, until its eventual climax as well.

and yet he and ceruledge stood unharmed...for now...

they wait until the stage is set so that their performance may commence without a hitch, as the ranger is asked about his homeland. particularly, if there were other beings like the one belonging to the sheriff. silv's eyes drift downward towards the sparks flying beneath him, then up again, offering a nod to confirm navy's presumption. "yeah they do..." he begins, his attention then drawn towards his own knight that dons malicious armor, and back to the opposing trainer once more.

"a space, or perhaps a time, secluded from the rest of our existence is what houses these entities. or at least that's what they say, according to legends...yours seems...different, somehow..."

and he is not, by any means, alluding to its missing limb...

regardless, the ceruledge stands firm. at the ready, by his commander's orders.

part of most gyms? perhaps at least here in hoenn. before recent expeditions, they were non-existent to the man. seeing some of those up-close and personally? an experience that might have otherwise been imagined in a dream - or a nightmare, depending one's perspective. suppose that would explain the materials provided in this makeshift realm, all of which were well-suited for battle, particularly under extreme circumstances. except...no gym that he had ever been generous enough to supply such resources to their guests or challengers.

such is the essence of simulation...

"that's strange...where i'm from, there weren't any of those at all." but that was neither here nor there. times change, circumstances change, and above all else, landscapes are bound to change - especially in the years past since his departure from his homeland. perhaps silverio may need to add this to his list of never-ending things to write home about. as for the aforementioned resources? while he is, in fact, in possession of a mega stone by default, the paldean has not yet seen or encountered any reasons to use it. not yet, to say the least.

and as if things couldn't get any wierder...

eyes widen as they turned upward towards the captain. "wait a minute...you're not suggesting that we try battling with this stuff here, are you...?" the cadet deduces; given the nature of this virtual scenario, she probably is.

will he get it right this time...if not, gotta go again...

something useful, but not as valuable perhaps. another try then, to claim that precious gem of a prize...

downtime has never come easy for the rangers, especially for one foreigner in particular whom to this day has been swept up in just about any ongoing or impending debacle imaginable. in fact, just recently, he had assisted in efforts to relieve the inhabitants of sea mauville from the suffering endured after much of the venue had been sunk - quite literally. and what a grand ole time that was; the man himself had come close to visiting davy jones' locker on a great number of occasions during that stretch.

and now...

a well-earned break from the job, and possibly from society, would be invested in time for himself. accompanying him today was an emerald-eyed quadraped baring fur akin to the setting sun at dusk, despite the hours being well beyond that at the moment. no better way to seek respite than to be off than a stroll on serene streets with one of your poképals as you take in the sights of slateport's nightlife. however, as if he had just mentally jinxed himself...

lycanroc, the wolf pokémon, speeds ahead of his trainer. the beast swiftly strafes to and fro with his acute nose whiffing every inch of the pavement beneath him. "what's up? d'you spot something unusual?" asks the paldean-born ranger. hearing his words, the creature born in dusk barks sharply, indicating that he suspects some odd behavior in the vicinity, and that it may have caught on to the scent of the potential culprit.

"alright, let's see what we've got here..." suppose that the hearty dinner at the stall of which he had made a beeline for would have to wait until whatever or whoever this disturbance was is dealt with in a timely and orderly manner. short but quick strides forward towards a shadow standing beside a nearby stall.

the lycanroc sniffs the area once more, but makes no motion to pounce. perhaps this scent was familiar somehow...?

after hearing what was to be an explantion of the visuals surrounding him now, made clear by the league's emblem splashed all-around, sudden reminders of the challenges he once faced before in his homeland began to play across his mind like a slideshow, shot after shot, in black-and-white, culminating in the attainment of the title he once held proudly - one that holds no meaning here in hoenn.

but to hear that a fellow pokémon enthusiast was...

"really? josh is a gym leader?" good arceus almighty, talk about doing double duty, which includes his work with the rangers. that's funny; he's never mentioned that to me before. i can't imagine how big of a workload that must be for him." commendation would be in order, but here and now was neither the time nor the place to offer such a sentiment. with eyes widening, his interest piqued, he'd dare to ask, "you think that if i were to-"

challenge him...

but before he could express that thought aloud the sight of..."no way...!?" a power spot. he could've sworn that wasn't here a minute ago...! for being an optical illusion...it undoubtedly looked real...

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