Looks like some kind of ancient coin? Turning over a small disc that still retained a slight lustre in spite of the hundreds if not thousands of years since it was dropped here, the vibrant reflection that it had cast against the torch light that Sophie was using had caught her eye as she explored one of the many ancient buildings that floated above Faraday. Coming in the hopes of discovering some kind of writing or other clue that helped her to understand why this region was so diverse, the difficulty that many had in reaching these lofty ruins meant that the woman could expect that not all of their secrets had been revealed, and hopefully one of those was a secret that might help her research into this vibrant mix of ecological cultures. However, even after exploring several of the ruins scattered around the Faraday sky, she had come away with little aside from a few trinkets she might be able to offer museums. Answers seemed to be a much harder treasure to find.

I can’t even tell what the sides are supposed to depict, maybe Clefairy? Frowning slightly as she stared at the silver item in her fingers, whether it was the scratches on it or the crudeness of the representation, the diminutive figure it depicted could represent a half a dozen Pokémon easily and she wasn’t even sure if that was what it was supposed to represent. Oh the value there was in time machines!

I suppose I could find a scholar who might know… Shrugging as she slid the round sliver of metal into her ‘finds’ pouch and then straightening up, with her torchlight scanning cracked grey walls, the pink haired professor probed deeper into the sanctum she had chosen for today’s evaluation. Spending the odd day here and there whenever she had it, Miss Sequoia wondered if her efforts might be more rewarding if she brought some history buff with her, or at least someone who could decipher the runes she found? Unfortunately, Sophie also found herself wondering if she could find many archaeologist’s willing to brave the local dangers that seemed to pop out at random. Yet more than anything else she found, they posed the most intriguing questions.

Wondering since her first few visits to these ancient airborne edifices where exactly the monsters that inhabited them came from, while the flying types could be explained by the nature of their being, what about the ones that walked or burrowed? These platform-like segments of stone seemingly cut off from land and needing some form of elevation to access, were there nests hidden away at their cores to provide the scampering wildlife that popped up here? That seemed the most obvious explanation, but Sophie would have liked to have some more samples to call upon before firmly deciding on such reasoning rather than relying on simple guesswork. Lucky it was then that she didn’t have to wait long before a ‘local’ popped up to greet her, quite literally in this case.

“W-Wah!” Moving through the dim light that permeated the cracks of these old structures and finding that her path was not as stable as she might have assumed, as the ground beneath Miss Sequoia seemed to ripple with movement and a hiss broke out beneath her feet, she staggered backward a few steps to discover a shadow slinking out of the ground where she stood.
Sandile? Shining the light of her torch down at the shape she had stumbled across and finding a small but eager little creature illuminated to her, as the jaws of something more commonly associated with the desert clattered against one another, Sophie only found herself more intrigued to discover such an out of place being. However, having been stepped on by her, it seemed that this tan little crocodile was more annoyed than it was fascinated by their meeting.

Seems that I might have found a nice specimen, though it doesn’t look like it’s feeling cooperative… Hopping her way backward a few more steps as the Sandile snapped at the air near her ankles and then snarled, from the belt she carried a half dozen scarlet and white spheres, Sophie selected one and hurled it out.
Looks like I might need to give it some convincing! Smirking as the orb she chose split apart and something with ears that made it look like a rabbit broke into the dusky light, the professor decided to take this subject back to her lab even if it wasn’t a voluntary act on its behalf. Reasoning also that it would be a good chance to try out one of the newer Pokémon she had managed to get from a Verian Ranch, the Kalosian starter known as Chespin was given the chance to impress his trainer for the first time since hatching.

“OK, Castan! Let’s see what you’ve got!” Calling out to her pink nosed Pokémon as the battle got underway, it seemed that their enemy was the quickest off the mark with its offensive, seeming to be keen to get its teeth into anything it could find. The Sandile lurching forward and lashing out with a small but powerful set of jaws, Sophie’s Chespin groaned as it found its arm and chest trapped within the bite of the beast it was to battle, but proved itself to be far tougher than one might have believed.
Lucky it’s only a Sandile and not something with a bigger bite! Miss Sequoia wincing as she watched her Pokémon straining against the clamping action of his enemy with his free paw and managing to nudge crocodiles teeth apart just enough to slip free, while Castan came away with scrapes and bruises he did show some impressive degrees of toughness, and more than seemed willing to give a reply to the attack her had suffered.

“Let’s try a seed bomb, Castan!” Sophie letting free a sigh of relief as she saw her partners safety before letting loose an order for their counter attack, as her bruised but brave battler bounced up and down like a hyperactive chipmunk, the trainer was glad to see his spirits remain high. The pup of the professor trained well enough to act on her command, while this was his first real battle, from how he handled it Castan seemed to be a natural. Perhaps this reason more than anything why the Kalosians tended to give this species out to new trainers, it was certainly an asset for the blue eyed beauty.

“Excellent!” The trainer giving a little clap as her young partner unleashed a barrage of seeds that shattered so violently that they almost seemed to explode as they hit their opponent, it took only one well-chosen move from Castan to settle the match once and for all. The grumpy crocodile groaning as it was battered backward by the bombardment before toppling over onto its side, Sophie gave a cheer before hurling a pokéball, intent on adding the raucous reptile to the collection she had at her lab…

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A Wild Sandile Appeared!
Sophie used Chespin!

Sandile used Crunch! 40% Damage!
Chespin used Seed Bomb! It’s Super Effective! Sandile was wiped out!

Sophie attempted to catch Sandile!

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Claiming the Relic Silver

“E-Easy… No need to get worked up…” Palms placed out in front of her as she edged backward in as smooth a motion as she could, having rounded a bend and almost literally bumped into a bull in a place more delicate than any china shop, Sophie could see from the way that the bovine before her was whipping it’s tails that her efforts to calm it were not going as she had hoped. The pink haired professor more than capable of dealing with the power it possessed if she needed to, for the moment Miss Sequoia was trying to deal with a tense situation as peacefully as she could. After all, if she could avoid it, she really didn’t want the ruin she was creeping back through to be put into an even worse state.

A Sandile is one thing, but what’s a Tauros doing here? The wondering of the woman as to where these weird entities seemed to spring from only intensifying despite the seriousness of the circumstances, as Sophie tried her best not to provoke the Pokémon she had stumbled across she had to wonder where it had come from.
Maybe taking a break from running roughshod over plains to pursue an interest in archaeology? A stampeding animal like this hardly the type to have slipped out of a crack in the wall, with centuries of history for it to casually wreck in its wrath, the absurdity of the moment seemed so perfect it felt like it had been designed for comedy. Unfortunately, things took a rather serious turn fast as the bull began to rap its foot on the ground before lunging toward her.

“W-Wah!” Ducking to the side and rolling over her shoulder as a horned juggernaut launched itself toward her, with a flick of her hand that was more instinctive than intentional, the professor tossed out one of her Pokémon in an effort to defend herself against this out of place opponent. The sphere that she hurled splitting apart to reveal a creature that was perhaps one of the few that looked even more capable of holding its ground than the belligerent bull that the blue eyed beauty was forced to deal with, a low and rumbling growl filled the room as the heavy bodied Rhyhorn burst onto the scene and began immediately sizing up his foe.

Cera might not be as quick, but she’s certainly tough enough to handle this… Confident in her spur of the moment choice and slipping back as close as she could to the opposite wall where these battling behemoths would clash, Sophie found herself surprised by her enemies first tactic. The brazen bull seeming to be trying to intimidate the partner of the professor, the snarling glare that he gave only seemed to make Cera dig her heels even deeper into the ground stubbornly. She wasn’t about to be going anywhere.

“Let’s hit it hard before it can gain too much momentum! Use Stone Edge!” Sophie snapping her fingers as she laid out the first stage of her battle plan, with a gruff grunt the guardian of the girl nodded and seemed to lean forward a little ways. Letting out a dinosaur-like roar at the ground as she seemed to made the slabs of the floor shatter and fly away with the intensity of her voice, a cascade of ancient rock whipped across the broad corridor in which these beasts were battling and hit the bull like a shotgun. The Tauros stumbling backward as the jagged stones tore into its skin and left bleeds and bruises across its shoulders, as the attack of Miss Sequoia’s ally abated their enemy let loose an even more enraged cry and ran right for the rhino.

“It’s charging, brace yourself!” Sophie shouting toward her comrade but Cera already seeming to anticipate the response, despite the strange energy that seemed to build in the charge of the belligerent bull, with a thud the horned lady skidded back but was not bowled over by the blow she was given. Pincers of the charging challenger not enough to break through her rocky hide and seeming to only leave a surface crack, Miss Sequoia’s comrade shook her head out before looking keen to give a reply.

“Try a Crunch attack while it’s close!” The corner of the woman with pink hair’s mouth curling a little as she gave her next command, Sophie was proud to unleash her warrior woman with a few moves beyond what the average Rhyhorn possessed. A special young lady who had inherited an unusual move or two, the one that the professor chose took advantage of the sharp fangs that her fighter possessed, and with a snarl Cera sank her teeth into the shoulder of their enemy. The result of the strike seeming to provoke both pain and further fury from their foe, after howling in agony at the attack it received, the Tauros began to buck and move rather wildly and erratically.

“I-It’s Flail! One of Tauros strongest moves!” Half warning her comrade and half surprised to see one of this species finest feats being performed in front of her, as both ends of the bull began to lurch almost like a piece of heavy that one had lost control of, the sluggish Cera suffered for her lack of speed. The Tauros seeming to bound around as it bucked and slamming into the Rhyhorn in a move that seemed more accident than intent, even with the thick hide she possessed Sophie could see that the blow had hurt her partner. The armoured ally of Miss Sequoia stumbling and panting as she tried to shrug off the blow, her trainer knew that she couldn’t take many more hits like that and decided she needed to finish the fight quickly regardless of the consequences to their surroundings.

“One more move, Cera, hit it with an Earthquake!” Shaking off her worry about wreaking havoc onto their environment as she saw her friend starting to struggle, with a command for the most destructive move that her Rhyhorn knew, Sophie put her hands on the wall nearby to steady herself as she knew what would happen next. Cera flinging herself toward the still thrashing Tauros in front of her before looking like she had fallen short of her target, as the heavy Pokémon landed she unleashed a wave of quaking energy toward her target that sent ripples through the ground in all directions.

Sophie gasping as her knees nearly gave way from the rippling act, as a few pieces of the roof smashed into the ground the woman knew who would bear the brunt of this action. The waves that spread through the floor fiercest in front of her partner, the first of these seemed to knock the bouncing feet from beneath the bull and send it spilling onto the ground before the rest bombarded its body. The Tauros groaning as even something as large as a cow was thrown around the ground like a ragdoll, the professor gave a small tut of disappointment as the wall behind the beast burst from the kinetic energy that was sent its way.

I can’t really leave this bull here though, it’ll only recover and cause even more trouble… The woman with pink hair shaking her head as she watched chunks of stone drop to the ground before turning her attention toward the belligerent beast that had tried to gore her earlier, with a shrug Sophie pulled a fresh snare from her pouch and sent it spinning toward her enemy…

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A Wild Tauros Appeared!
Sophie used Rhyhorn!

Tauros used Scary Face! Rhyhorn’s Speed Fell Harshly!
Rhyhorn used Stone Edge! 40% Damage!
Tauros used Zen Headbutt! 22% Damage!
Rhyhorn used Crunch! 21% Damage!
Tauros used Thrash! It’s not very effective… 25% Damage!
Rhyhorn used Earthquake! Tauros was wiped out!
Sophie attempted to catch Tauros!

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Claiming the Strange Souvenir~

Did I accidentally find a floating farm or something? The Tauros that she had trapped soon followed up by a second hooved discovery within the floating Faraday Ruins, as something with a little less boldness brayed before Sophie Sequoia, she couldn’t help but feel like she was in the middle of some sort of prank. Yet again a Pokémon appearing in front of Sophie that had no business in the sky, though the professor was not particularly disappointed to discover a Mudbray at the same time she was somewhat bewildered by its presence.

“OK, let’s do this, Kunoichi!” Shaking off her confusion for the moment and deciding to instead focus on the beast itself than how it got here, having long had a desire to catch a Mudbray of her own, Sophie decided that no time was like the present and unleashed a watery warrior to help her with that task. A small blue frog hopping onto the scene and giving a soft croak as it landed on the floor, and Sophie decided to end this match as quickly and painlessly as she could for the sake of both of these cuties.

“Kuno, use Hydro Pump!” The swift nature of her agile partner giving Sophie the confidence to expect she could act first, with a call for one of the strongest water-type moves there was, the battle seemed close to an end only moments after it had begun. Their enemy seeming to still be nervously sizing up the strength of the challenge that faced it as Kunoichi hopped into the air, with a force and volume that one wouldn’t have expected from a being that could comfortable rest on a saucer, the agile azure creature unleashed a torrent of water from her mouth that one would have expected from a fireman’s hose.

Blasting blueness from her lips with such force that their enemy was quickly knocked from its feet, as the diminutive donkey whined and flopped around on the ground in confusion, it had to be said that in Kuno’s case big things definitely could come in small packages. Sophie smiling at the prowess of her little frog and pulling out a fresh trap, with a giggle the girl looked to make an old ambition come true as she unleashed her spherical snare, the one attack that she had offered enough to both stun and exhaust her target in one quick swoop…

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Claiming the Ice Stone~

Looks like… I might have been right? A shiver passing through Sophie Sequoia as she peered through a fractured wall in what seemed to be a ‘basement’ in the ruin, while ordinarily she would have felt happy to be proven correct, as she stared at what seemed to be a hive of Pokémon even a seasoned trainer like she was felt intimidated. Holding her breath and practically frozen in place as she stared at dozens of the Cubone evolutionary line, with a slow and nervous motion she lifted the device on her wrist in order to take a snap of the way that branching evolutions mixed before her. The Alolan variants of the species seeming to have a strong contingent among the more commonly seen Marowak’s of Kanto, the large pack featured over a dozen examples of evolved species while the rest were largely the unevolved cubs, looking like one big family.

It might be better to pull back now… Sophie not wanting to disturb the scene partly out of intimidation but also because she knew enough about the Cubone family line to feel great sympathy for these skull wearing reptiles, after taking a panoramic video of the cave in which these creatures were living she made to exit discreetly. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t count on one of their young having wandered off.
“H-Huh?” Turning on the spot and the first step she took seeming to make her stumble, to the horror of the pink haired professor she looked down to see what she might have tripped over and found a small and skull wearing ‘child’ of the tribe beginning to whimper on the floor next to her.
No no no no no no! Desperate to quiet the cub but at the same time knowing that any noise that either of them made would draw the attention of the group, as the baby began to show its distress with a wail the woman decided to run for it, launching herself forward to try and escape before they noticed her. However, it appeared she underestimated the resolve of these parentally protective Pokémon.

“W-Wah!” Not managing to get around many corners before the flame-tipped baton came whizzing past her head, as Sophie turned her head, on instinct she threw herself to the ground as she saw several more whirling projectiles launched in her direction. Grunting as she slammed herself against the ground and heard those twirling bones bass over her, Miss Sequoia blinked for a second before recognising she needed to protect herself and reached for the orbs on her belt. Tossing out a pair of balls between herself and the mob of Marowak, after rolling over and freeing the arm she had landed on, Sophie tossed out one more pokéball as she let free a trio of mismatched defenders.

Not exactly the most natural team but capable all the same… Relying more on the fighters in her little ‘party’ who could mow down groups, it was a happy fact that one had a distinct advantage over all the group that had gathered to hunt her down, even if it was the tiny frog she had used earlier. The largest of the guardians that Sophie had called upon also having seen some action today, her rampaging rhino grumbled aggressively to warn the mix of earthy and fiery foes and was joined by something that looked an odd mix of feline and reptile. Esper the Abra hovering behind Kuno and Cera, she gave off a gentle and almost otherworldly hum as she flexed the power of her mind, and together the girls got to work against their throng of foes.

“Esper, teleport into the middle of them hit them with Dazzling Gleam!” Miss Sequoia sitting up and throwing out an order to get things underway as the mob of monsters still seemed to be sizing up the Rhino, in the blink of an eye the Abra vanished from site before seeming to appear out of nowhere among their enemies. Usually the starter species of this psychic line tending to be shy and evasive, Sophie had worked hard to train this Pokémon to do more than simply run away in the face of an enemy and with a flash of pink light it seemed that this stronger sense of assertiveness paid off. A sparkling blast exploding from the middle of the group as if someone had set off a firework among them, the responses of their enemies differed between pain and annoyance, but Esper had done her job. Warping backward in a moment to avoid any possible retribution, the magnificent mentalist moved out of the way just as another of Sophie’s group seemed ready to attack.

“That’s it, Kuno, use Surf to give them all a wipeout!” The professor knowing that the type advantage that her Froakie possessed was perhaps her ace in the whole, while the theatrics of her Abra were more meant to daze her foes and keep them busy as she let her watery warrior prepare to strike, now was the time to really make them hurt. The tiny little frog seeming to coerce the crest of a wave to build behind her before leaping onto that curving peak and launching both herself and the blue wake toward their opponents, their enemies seemed to sense the approaching danger and try to flee but reacted a second too late. The upsurge smashing their bodies and knocking most of the group off their feet, some scrambled to their feet whilst a couple were left flat out by their attack, with only a quartet of the darker coloured bodies seeming to have the courage or recklessness to stand up once again. Miss Sequoia, however, was ready for them.

“Now, let’s finish them off with an Earthquake, Cera!” Sophie having found her feet by this point and laying out her final command, as a weary bunch of warriors forced themselves back up despite their determination the professor elected to give them no quarter. The largest and heaviest member of her little team too slow to have ever achieved the first blow of the battle but making the perfect sweeper for stunned and stumbling enemies, with a leaping vault the Rhyhorn let loose the same attack it had used against the Tauros earlier in the day and the result was even more pronounced. The wave of kinetic energy sending the enemies of Miss Sequoia spilling across the floor like pins against a bowling ball, as the few that had retreated disappeared from site they were given no option to return to the battle anyway as the roof began to collapse and cut the fallen soldiers off from their tribe.

Looks like you guys won’t be getting back to your nest any time soon… But don’t worry… The warriors that were left groaning and growling as best that they could, despite their efforts it appeared that the vixen had proved victorious and to her so too went the spoil.
I’ll make sure that you’re well taken care of! Reaching into her pockets and the pouch she carried to pull out a half dozen pokéballs in order to claim these monsters as her own, Sophie found herself excited at the prospect of studying the differences between these two variants that had seemingly been born from the same family. It might certainly prove useful in discovering why the Verian region could play host to such a diverging branch of cousins…

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A WHOLE MESS OF VARIOUS MAROWAK APPEARED!
Sophie used Rhyhorn, Froakie and Abra!

Abra used Dazzling Gleam! Marowak’s took 25-30% Damage! Al-Marowaks took 13-16% Damage!
Froakie used Surf! It’s Super Effective! The Marowak group was hit for 65-70% Damage!
Rhyhorn used Earthquake! It’s Super Effective! 4X Al-Marowak and 2X Marowak were wiped out!
The rest fled!

Sophie attempted to capture 4X Alolan Marowak & 2X Marowak!

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Claiming the BIG NUGGET