Kiran and Vern continued hopping along the rocks together, until they came to a place in the path where the stones grew much sparser and the dirt gaps between them much broader. These were taken much slower as they'd square up, squat down a bit, and make the longer stronger jumps between. They were actually managing to stay together and on the rocks, though... until after one landing Kiran realized Vern was on the hem of their robe, and they just sort of... tugged it out from under his feet to make him fall off the rock.

Vern squeaked and flailed a moment before looking up with betrayal in his eyes, but upon seeing Kiran's bright smile and light laughter, he found himself shifting to more of an 'okay, you got me' mindset, heh. But two could play at that game...

They continued as the jumps grew farther and harder, and after a few Kiran was realizing neither their muscles nor joints were in great shape for this, and while their feet were pretty tough some of the rocks were kind of rough to be landing on with force, so maybe they should... ah Vern got ahead of them now. Well, couldn't let him get too far, so Kiran made another jump and--

Ow-- okay, okay they were a little wobbly but they were--

They would have been okay and caught their balance okay if Vern hadn't lightly nudged them, causing them to finish losing it instead and fall on their ass. "AA--" Ow.... Aching a bit now, they glared, but Vern only flashed them a smile and a little wave. ...Pfff, okay, that was fair.

Their stalker Dratini remained unnoticed once again.

As Kiran got back to their feet and continued along, Vern in tow, they'd soon realize the ground was starting to get moist, the rocks shifting a little when they landed. Curious, they'd stop and press their toes into the soil off one rock, feeling how much cooler and softer it was. They'd wonder briefly if there was a nearby or underground water source or if this was an outside catalyst, but then their question was answered as it began to rain only in a small bubble.

Oooh, a Rain Dance user? What could--

As the little blue Pokemon came into view, Kiran did a double take, then gasped. "Vern!" They really wanted a Castform! Vern tried to Giga Drain, but Castform floated up really high.

The Treecko frowned; Kiran had been so nice playing with them all day, and they wanted to make this a quick easy capture for them. Not planning to miss again, they fired a homing Magical Leaf. That got the Castform's attention, and he retaliated with a Hydro Pump to the face.

Vern stood soaked and annoyed, but now that the Castform was engaging him and not just parading around, it was easy to land a Giga Drain, healing much of the damage he'd just taken and fainting the Castform in the process.

"Ah!! Great job!!" Kiran dug out their Safari Tag, and tossed it at the Castform.

As the ball wriggled, Vern started to glow, drawing Kiran's attention. Could it be?? Another evolution so soon after their beautiful new Decidueye? But it was true! By the time the ball dinged, their new Grovyle was checking out his new appearance. Aaaah!! If Kiran had to be fully honest, Grovyle was always a little more aesthetically pleasing than even Sceptile, though that wouldn't stop them from enjoying Vern's full power when he evolved again of course. It just meant they'd very much enjoy seeing him in the meantime.

After they picked up the ball, a loud crash was heard nearby. Turning, Kiran could see that a Bagon was smashing his head against a cliff face, and they frowned. Best to go around the long way; dragons sometimes had fire moves and didn't take much damage from grass. Tilting their head, they signaled Vern to follow.

Kiran and Vern would continue scouring the Highlands for what felt like ages. Their feet were getting kind of cold, and it was getting less and less amusing trying to make a game of the environment. It was fun at first, and Kiran felt like Vern had warmed up to them a good bit as a result, but after a few hours, they were pretty ready to go home. But they really, really wanted a Type: Null. If they could just hold out a little longer, surely--

"Dit?"

The high voice turned Kiran's head to find... oh. Oh uh... They pulled out their one remaining Safari Ball and looked down to it. ... They supposed Type: Null could wait.

"Vern, Swords Dance," they mumbled with no further hesitation. The Grovyle cocked his head, but soon did as ordered.

"Dit??? D:" The Ditto hadn't especially planned on fighting, but the human and its friend seemed aggressive? O-okay, fine, they guessed they'd Transform into Grovyle too and--

"X-Scissor." Annnnd that quickly did in the pseudo-Grovyle. Kiran tossed the ball, glad both to have a neat new Pokémon (even if it wasn't the main one they came for) and to have the excuse to go home.