another dive, another ball. but not the type of ball that he would prefer to have. where was the value in the ones he'd been picking up to this point in time? simply put, there was hardly any! in fact, any spectators would likely assume that silverio and frogadier were now just attempting this for sport...which is partially the case...

but what good is a sport if there was little to no prize to be won? who knows...and so, another try at it...

arceus have mercy on him...

that flare - he had mentally prayed that she wouldn't notice that. while their camaraderie had grown to become second-to-none throughout the time they've worked together and otherwise enjoyed leisure, sudden bodily contact like what she had just initiated had always taken the man by sweet surprise. that's not to say it was a problem or anything, but he would never anticipate it coming, especially now when there was a job to be done. and to think that she would have the nerve to ask why he'd be like this? if he were to say that it was because of her, then he would only be playing to her strength. that strength being her feminine charm, of course...

"...whatddya mean? it's just hot over here, that's all." sure, that totally wasn't because of the crown of flames stirring nearby. nope! and yet she continues to poke some fun at his expense. honey, hah! he'd rather be feeding her something else entirely. "oh i dunno, i hear that honey is a pretty strong ingredient in shampoo - maybe it'll give you some extra shine...not like you would need it or anything, just a thought..." and it would be at that moment where he'd stop to admire the woman, if only for a second, sidetracked by thoughts and possibilities of having more moments like this with her...

stop...need to finish this job...!

speaking of being sidetracked, a means of distraction may be needed to get closer to the hives. silv's eyes follow airi's, leading to that infernal primate. his eyes then shift between his trainer's and the woman's, and it was then that he'd gotten the hint which rendered the animal dramatically wide-eyed. "right...most bug pokémon aren't particularly fond of high heat..." the paldean crouches faintly to meet his fire-fighter at eye level. "whaddya think, pal? think you can draw them out with your flames? we'll need you to be very gentle and completely stilled though; think you can do that?"

oh how that infernape was tempted to object...

after a moment, the monkey nods whilst pumping its massive fists. "alright, you got this!" the infernape swiftly turns towards a hive and begins to crawl, seeking to position itself underneath it. the plan was to have his hot head heat up the hive from the bottom, to a point where the temperature would be unbearable enough for the combee to flee the scene.

another hour, and another rescue mission undertaken. only moments prior, silverio had just accomplished a deep dive into the unknown in search of valuable resources that were said to be detrimental to the league's relief efforts. and even before, he had managed to help one of the captains build a safe haven for those affected by collapsed structures and raging tides. today? more folks were reported to be endangered in some way, and fortunately, silverio would be joining a familiar ally on a quest to free them from said dangers.

"no sweat, i've got two here with me." water-type pokémon, while not strictly a necessity, were greatly beneficial to the rangers' operations. or at least, that is to say this was certainly the case with the paldean champion and his two aquatic companions of which he would summon now from there spherical chambers. an ambitious amphibian and a hard-scaled insectoid. "the more, the merrier, yeah?"

he quickly looked over his equipment - wetsuit, oxygen supply, medkit, four other pokéballs. good, all set! "alright...we're ready when you are."

"then, if it's alright with you, i'd like to stick around here with you and help make sure no water gets into this area." he suggests, hinting at the outer edges of this makeshift town, accepting appreciation from the people he'd be helping.

she got the name down right that time, not that it mattered at this very moment. what did matter at this very moment was the safety and the security of those affected by the ongoing phenomenon. meanwhile, the golisopod peeks into some of the instinctively-constructed homes, only to solicit a scare out of some of the ailing folks, prompting his trainer to swiftly pull the aquatic bug samurai aside. "i don't think these are big enough for you, buddy."

instead, silverio instructs the insectoid to gather larger materials to amplify the shelters' structures, and also to forge a barricade in a wide area around them. with his, ambitious amphibian serving as a lookout, silv turns his attention to the captain once more. "there, that should hold long enough to block off the tides should they ever come to pass. what about you though? how are you holding up?" he dares to ask.

while securing the affected folk was important, supporting comrades was equally vital to the team's success in this operation.

it seems to be that water was the kind of rejuvenator that she needs, and the timing for it couldn't be any better perhaps. there would be plenty more to spare on-board the ship if she'd want it. and maybe the need for additional resources wouldn't pose to be as much as a concern as the man had envisioned. he briefly examines the two small water pokémon accompanying the young woman, both appearing to be in a fair enough shape, and apparently were of a great deal of help despite their size.

one of those valuable life lessons he had come to learn during his expedition as a competitive battler in paldea was to always look to take advantage of any resources that are either given or found; suffice to say that the marill and the froakie were prime examples of this. while he appreciates the praise, saskia's pokémon played a considerable part in locating her. "it's no problem really, and besides, if your froakie here hadn't been able to use smokescreen the way it did, then chances would be that i might not have been able to find you at all. so...yeah, thanks for that." he responds, offering acknowledgement in kind.

"although i can't help but wonder how no one had answered your distress call sooner..." never mind that, there was still a job to do after all...

his frogadier is then designated as a lookout for any other would-be threats to either the group or the soon-to-be collasped environment, but not before having its attention drawn to its amphibious brethren perhaps, with a tilt of his wet head.

swiftly, he takes her canister, then from a less-than-conspicuous compartment on the boat, he snaps on a new oxygen container with the needle on its gauge pointing out to the far right, which would indicate that it's completely filled and prepped for usage. "all set, here you go."

he's then hit with a valid question, and a rather common one at that. he answers as the golisopod readied itself to use its muscles to propel the boat off-shore, the frogadier instinctively hopping on board as it does so. "i'm stationed in rustboro, though most other cities have been stretched thin lately, so i've been called to help pretty much anywhere i'm needed really. what about you?"

escape from a watery doom was a sweet escape indeed.

seeing that the horde of binacles didn't bother to give chase was a sign of life, no doubt. regardless, silverio would rather not have to contend with them again, not while there was still a great deal of things left to do here in order to help the poor unfortunate soulds of sea mauville, as well as the pokémon that inhabited it.

the light of day was near, and at the sight of it, frogadier shot out of the waters like a cannon in a circus, sticking a firm landing on both of its webbed feet. while rex was quick to lay himself out, silv took the minutes allotted after emerging from the depths to swiftly discard his oxygen tank and goggles.

shaking at the mention of a sandwich, the paldean dropped down, crouching near the winded mission partner. "you better savor every bite of it then." the ingredients didn't come cheap, after all. silv rose to return to a firm stance, but before dismissing himself to tend to other rangers and objectives, he turned to rex once more...

"oh, and for the last time...it's silverio."

evidently, securing the precious cargo was only half of the battle. and the other half? it was to return to the water's surface in one piece. while silverio had managed to lock the safe into the place on the hook-and-cable, his frogadier's clones would begin to disperse, one by one. suppose that was a sign telling the humans that their time here was growing thin, but even so, the rowdy binacles refused to retract their impending wraths, relentless in their approach.

one binacle moved to swipe at the ranger, only to be intercepted by a froggy copy that would dissipate on contact. it was at that moment when rex would call for the safe to be tugged up and away, prompting silv to take hold of the cable. seeing this, the frogadier dismissed its remaining clones and shot upwards to follow suit of the humans, grasping its trainer by his foot to join in on the ride back to the surface.

if it were possible, then silverio would rather wish to avoid a battle with disgruntled pokémon - especially while submerged into the deep blues where, unless you possessed some form of affinity with the waters yourself, mobility would be significantly limited.

regardless, starting a fight here of all places was not silverio's intention by any means, and he could only hope that it would be rex's either. he dove in with his amphibious friend a few strokes behind him to act as the humans' guard if needed.

with the safe coming into their peripherals, silv's eyes turnabout from within the goggles, quickly inspecting for other potential hazards aside from the aforementioned pokémon. one wrong move and either of the two men would be initiating a battle that may be seemingly impossible to win.

and in comes some support in the form of a hook-and-cable. but as luck would have it, contact was made with a binacle, coutesy of rex. suppose it was only natural that it would react in such a way. seeing this, silv directed his frogadier to swoop into the fray, casting a double team - clones of itself swiftly formed around the group as a means of a distraction.

meanwhile, the ranger moved to reach for the hook in his partner's stead with one hand, and with the other, he pushed towards the safe. all the while, more binacles that were likely disturbed by the ruckus had emerged, firing bursts of bubbles. silv's frog shifted to counteract them, giving an opening for him to link the safe to the hook as quickly as he could.

"hope you like prosciutto..." the paldean-native ranger retorted, mainly in jest before securing his breathing tool. silverio would take a moment to double-check his equipment. wetsuit on, nice and tight. oxygen tank at the ready, his amphibious companion standing by. cool, he deemed himself ready to dive into the great beyond.

sapphire pupils directed down beneath the surface. indeed, there was something there. perhaps that was the precious cargo in question? but what would concern the man moreover was the herd of creatures converged around it. perhaps the frogadier hadn't considered them a threat? regardless, not enough to deter silv from the objective.

"binacles...? they shouldn't be a problem as long as we don't do anything that would disorient them. i've already arranged for backup in case things go south." with that being said, silverio moved to dip into the abyss.

operation start!

couldn't stick the landing that time either. no rest for the weary, or so they say. little time to practice beforehand, and yet, somehow...silverio had a sense that he would land this big one today. perhaps not at this very moment, but suppose that he was making progress, with each attempt seemingly closer to the end goal than the last. up he'd go again...would he land it this time...?