The senseless murder of the Captain's fellow Ranger left Shalin angry, the impaled body bursting in a violent, heat-powered explosion that left no identifiable remains. There was little hope for the poor Ranger's murder to be solved as his innards turned to ash. The only silver lining is the brave fighter went instantly. Even so, there were still rules of war to be followed. Even within Rocket, only psychopaths murdered the defenseless.

"No one does that to MY RANGERS and gets away with it!!" the incensed Rustboro Ranger shouted, Flit hovering just above the ground and vibrating his wings with equal fury. The Sygna Suited female glared at Dorian, the small tremor from the buzzing Dorian's only hint that a barrage of ANCIENT POWER was headed their way.

Shalin grinned. If Dorian wanted to make this a jousting match, a jousting match it would be. Rapidash had incredible speed, but Yanmega had agility to match that speed, able to fly in any direction while independently facing any direction. The girl hurled her Flygon's Poké Ball skyward, the vibration from both her Yanmega's wings and her Flygon's perhaps headache-inducing for Dorian.

The CONFUSE RAY left Flit much more difficult to control, every command on his reins greatly exaggerated. The dragonfly spun out of control like a whirling propeller, making the Sygna Suited rider dizzy. Taking the initiative, her dragon buzzed toward the Magmortar and attempted to land on top of it. Successful or no, she would churn her wings, invoking her EARTH POWER as the vibration disturbed the very earth beneath the combatants.

The Rapidash's FIRE SPIN caused the delirious insect to spin about all the more. While there was little the rider could do to protect Flit, she could protect herself and Sandy from the blazing hot attacks. Both her and her Flygon glowing a bright green, she raised a cone-shaped SPECIAL SHIELD around herself and her partner, making the flames nearly harmless to the dragon and dragon-suited Ranger.

Using the molten geyser to launch herself high into the air, Sandy dove toward the two fire-types, her wings buzzing louder and louder. Their pitch grew as they disappeared, beating invisibly fast. Though it looked like she was about to slice into the horse with a Dragon Claw, it was a feint for her real attack. Her shrieking wings were beating so fast that a layer of sonic booms roared from them as they repeatedly passed the sound barrier, resulting in one of the strongest BOOMBURSTS any Pokémon could achieve. Perhaps it would even disrupt the fire attack long enough for Shalin and her burning bug to escape it.

Shalin's sweat began to at last evaporate in the cool air surrounding the island, at last released from the infernal clutches of FIRE SPIN. For all the good being free did her, her Yanmega was anything but; a fake-out mid-ACROBATICS exposed the bug-type to a nasty sting to the underside, Dorian's Gliscor felling one of the girl's strongest partners.

With her SPECIAL SHIELD protecting her and her Flygon from the smog's toxins, Shalin could move around unimpeded. She hurled another bellowing Pokémon toward the poison and dark-type duo: a croaking Seismitoad with a saddle right over the bumps on its back. Wading into the shallows, Bass Boost's bumps whirred and hummed before the ground-type carried Shalin high into the air, a seismic shockwave-fueled wave of MUDDY WATER washed toward the Gliscor and Houndoom.

While her protection lasted, Shalin took advantage of being able to hide within the smog. The purpose of her leap was not to stay out of the way of attacks; instead, she would use the smog to attempt to avoid detection from the Houndoom. If she were to get close enough, she would vault herself into the black dog's back, grab onto its steering horns, and hold on tight!

The Gliscor coming into melee was exactly what Shalin would have wanted, were she able to pay attention. The two knew each other and how they fought so well that they didn't need to coordinate verbally. Bass Boost bravely faced the Gliscor's NIGHT SLASH sting with one side. When it attempted to retract its tail. the saddle-wearing Seismitoad would vibrate every bump on his body violently, an unusual form of HYPER VOICE that sought to harm the Gliscor not only through the shockwaves of its own sound, but also the intense shaking and rattling shooting up its tail.

Meanwhile, Shalin was hooting and screaming as the Houndoom thrashed about. It sounded like she was enjoying the rodeo dance with the cruel Pokémon. While the tail was just barely long enough to attempt to grab Shalin, the hellhound's own chaotic motions made it difficult to do so. She thrust her hands to one side on the steering horns, trying to "control" Dorian's Pokémon and get it to turn.

After a few more kicks that failed to unseat her, Shalin realized that this was not a wild Pokémon. Ultimately, it was her enemy in war. She didn't have to treat it with the respect she did wilds or her own Pokémon. She squeezed and jabbed at the sides of Dorian's Pokémon powerfully, digging her heels into the poor fire-type's flanks to contribute to the battle in her own way.

Yeehaw! Shalin loved every moment of Bony Buddy's wild ride. The Houndoom's bucking and thrashing grew fiercer with every blow the girl made to his flanks. She squinted and clutched the horns for stability before digging into his sides even deeper, almost like striking the dog's rear with a whip.

That was her mistake.

With Grimmie, her own Houndoom, unable to do so, the dark-type wrapping his tail around her ankle took her by surprise. She struggled against it, her knuckles turning white as she kept her hold on her ride's ivory horns. His immense strength overcame hers, hurling her from the Pokémon's back.

As the Gliscor's insides turned to mush, Bass Boost cast the poison-type aside and hopped toward the fallen Shalin. When flames foamed from the dog's mouth, the giant frog croaked loudly, skies turning from clear to overcast during her RAIN DANCE. The Houndoom's fires turned from unbearable to painful, her quick action preventing her trainer from receiving a burn that would take weeks to treat.