[ti]spawn[/ti][O][SPAWN] Fastest Wings in Ostellia

Being familiar with how to ride Pokémon, Shalin mashed through the tutorial, squeezing the sides of Rumble's tail. The Onix sounded a bellow before slithering across the sands, the rider smiling as she swished back and forth. Even without fully tapping into what her Beta Tester class let her do, she was having fun being rhythmically thrown from one side of the Rock-type to the other.

Next, she mashed through another set of messages, knowing that the game expected her to demonstrate her knowledge of speed control. Squeezing the saddle's sides, she silently commanded Rumble to pick up the pace, the girl whooping as the swishing back and forth became faster!

Even with her level being higher than it was last time she wandered the wilds, the Invasive Species were still murderous. Thankfully, there was no sign of that Celesteela that had dropped her and her Onix. "Oh right, the tutorial!" Shalin said to herself, checking on its status. It had apparently been completed when she successfully burrowed underground.

That was one objective down, and one to go.

Wandering the dunes aimlessly seemed to get her nowhere. As much as she didn't want to, she might have to attract a Buzzwole rather than ambushing one. "Alright, Rumble, this is what I've been waiting for! A good rattle should bring them to us!" With another bellow, the Onix raised his tail and shook it menacingly, Shalin seemingly disappearing into multiple images from how fast the rumbling got!

Shalin exhaled, recovering from the burning mental attack she didn't realize she had been victim to until well after it happened. The powerful tail vibrations had left her in such a euphoric state that it mimicked the effects of anesthesia. She winced in pain once the effect wore off, dismounting from Rumble's tail and requesting to ride the Onix normally.

Rumble obliged and lowered his head, the saddle reappearing on a segment close by -- like the creature was intended to be ridden. With the added height, she should in theory be able to hunt the Ultra Beast she desired more efficiently. It was simply a matter of avoiding the others before they wiped her out!

Shalin surfaced, though barely still standing... along with Rumble. Perhaps the next time she went through the desert, it would be better to use a stealthier Pokémon... except her only stealthy Pokémon had been kidnapped by the very Buzzwole she was chasing down. Without being a BOLTER, all of the Invasive Species could outrun her, making it a risky endeavor to try to escape combat.

Rather than actively searching for the Pokémon she wanted, the girl turned around and headed for THUNDERFALL SHRINE. That way, if she Blacked Out, she would at least respawn at a much closer location. The trip from the Noonlight Shrine was agonizing...

Without fast travel being readily available to Shalin while in Ostellia, Shalin thought about coming back after catching another ride Pokémon strong enough to contend with the Invasive Species. Supposedly there were four varieties present... and the only one she wanted to see was the red insect.

As Shalin took a seat on the Onix's back, the rock-type began flashing red, and a red warning message popped up in a prominent position on her HUD.

Warning> Rumble's condition is critical. He may respawn in the Everworld if he faints again in rapid succession. Be careful!

The girl sighed. Was this a three lives rule? Was there some damage that a shrine simply couldn't heal? She knew there were status ailments that a shrine couldn't clear. Was there some kind of hidden mechanic that left lasting damage on a Pokémon that fainted multiple times in rapid succession? Shalin checked Rumble's health, and it was completely full.

What in the world was going on?

Shalin was now stranded in one of the most dangerous parts of Ostellia, alone and without a mount. Taking shelter inside an abandoned hotel lobby, she pulled up her friends list to see who was online. Alicia, offline. Altair, offline. Alkaid, offline. Morpheus, offline. There was only one friend she could rely on, and that was Josh Devlin . He probably wouldn't be too happy to have to save her from Ostellia's dangers again, but she had little choice. Sighing, she sent the speed demon a direct message while she took cover.

DIRECT MESSAGE> Hey Josh. I'm sorry to ask you of this again, but I'm pinned within a swarm of Invasive Species in an abandoned hotel near the Dune District's south gate. Can you give me a lift out of here, please? I'll treat you to dinner tonight in Briarbane.

Send.

All she could do now... was wait.

Seconds turned into minutes, and still no response. She stared at Josh's icon, trying not to flinch as the floating stones came dangerously close to her. It suddenly turned from green to yellow -- a sign that he was AFK.

Lovely.

She scanned her friends list to see if anyone else had come online in the past few minutes. Still nothing. Her heart raced; what would happen if the rest of her team went down again? Would she lose another Pokémon forever? She didn't want to think about it.

She just wanted Josh to arrive. He was a speed demon, wasn't he? Why could he get here faster?