Shalin had five of the Medallions of Eight in her possession, but the last three would be monumental challenges to collect. Based on what she had seen in the entrance to the Halls of Origin underneath Sootopolis, even getting to the last three locations would be difficult. She had been to the entrance to the Shark's Maw before, though she was repelled by a Space-Time Distortion containing multiple Alpha Dragon Pokémon that could have taken her life without some quick thinking on her part. With how much more widespread large Pokémon were becoming, even if there wasn't a Distortion there this time, she might have to deal with them again. Then there was the matter of the last two locations she had never even been to.

The seventh was inside "the shadow of the grandest tombstone." Only one location in all of Hoenn fit that phrase, and that was Mount Pyre. She would have to handle almost nonstop trickery from Ghost-type Pokémon, and they were among the craftiest Pokémon around. Master of ambush, they could disappear and reappear in even sneakier fashion than Psychic-types could.

The eighth was in the "hottest, fiercest depths of Hoenn's red earth." That could only have meant Mount Chimney, but that mountain may have been the single most dangerous place in Hoenn. She would need to find a way to protect herself from extreme heat before she could even set foot in there. What she needed was a wider variety of Pokémon. And what better place to go hunting than one of the most rural corners of Hoenn? Astride Queen Zing, her Beedrill wearing full riding gear, Shalin's eyes shifted back and forth, keeping an eye out for Pokémon to add to her team as the bug-type bobbed about above the trail.

When Shalin heard the crash of the nearby Delcatty's impact, she directed her bug-type to land, taking her earplugs out and greeting the sharp dressed man. "You saved us both! Thank you," she gratefully replied, Queen Zing waving a foreleg sting in greeting. "I don't know how both Queen Zing and I missed that Delcatty. Shalin, the wildest--" She froze up. This man was dressed business professional for a simple trip between Littleroot and Oldale. She figured he thought such a title would be uncouth.

Canning her usual greeting, she nervously tilted her head toward Dollar. "E-e-excuse me, j-just Shalin's okay. Your Persian is wonderful! I've always wanted one for myself, but have had no luck! This is Queen Zing, one of my closest partners." The Beedrill was far too well behaved for her species; even tamed, most could not fully suppress their instincts. But not this one! If anything, she looked like she wanted to give an affectionate hug. "A little windy, but perfect other than that, isn't it?"

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD DUBWOOL APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] STEADFAST
[attr="class","wildtabox"]COPYCAT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]COTTON GUARD
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DEFENSE CURL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HEADBUTT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Martín del Mar Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SEEDOT APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] CHLOROPHYLL
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ABSORB	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TACKLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MEGA DRAIN	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]GROWTH
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Martín del Mar Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Martín del Mar CAUGHT THE DELCATTY!

Dollar's greeting was befitting of a big cat. It reminded Shalin so much of her own big cat. She slid off her flying insect's back, walking around to her front side and letting the queen carefully embrace her trainer with her foreleg stings. The Beedrill hug had to be alien but heartwarming to see. "Thanks! She's a sweetheart of a queen. That's why she's so big! While I don't have a Persian yet, I do fancy big cats myself."

Shalin switched out Queen Zing for Kiara, her Pyroar, who was eager to chat up a storm with Dollar. The lioness, just like the Beedrill, was wearing full riding gear, hers quite a bit more elaborate. Clearly it was designed to stabilize a rider, what with how much felines' backs flexed.

"I am!" Shalin responded, getting a little more comfortable around the imposing figure. "Great to meet you too, Martin. And this is Kiara," she gestured toward the fire-type lioness before climbing on. It seemed the primitive-looking girl was much more comfortable on the back of a Pokémon than traveling on foot. "What do you do? I'm a freelance wilderness or safari guide, taking the adventurous to the most remote corners of Hoenn!"

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD CHATOT APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] KEEN EYE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FEATHER DANCE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MIMIC
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FURY ATTACK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]GROWL
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Martín del Mar Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD KIRLIA APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] TELEPATHY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]GROWL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HEAL PULSE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DISARMING VOICE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HYPNOSIS
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Martín del Mar Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Martín del Mar CAUGHT THE SEEDOT!

Though the two had vastly different reasons why they enjoyed being around big feline Pokémon, it was still a point the two could get to know each other through. While the Persian was likely a status symbol for the financial tycoon, for the explorer it was the thrill of having a super swift predator carry her across the land. Kiara let out a loud purr toward the Chatot as it passed by. "Hey, that tickles!" her rider giggled from absorbing the purr's rumbling sensation. The fire-type's roars were so loud and powerful that even a friendly purr would shake whoever sat in her saddle.

"Wait, you're the boss at POG Bank?" Shalin gasped. WHile she didn't know exactly how wealthy Martin was, he was, by virtue of being the chief executive of one of the largest financial institutions in the world, one of the richest people in the world himself. "I do my banking with a subsidiary of them! Small world, huh?" While she was being quite informal in Mars' presence, it was through no fault of her own; she didn't really have a filter for talking to anyone hat was this much of a VIP. Her serious face was broken by her own laughter as she heard a wild Chatot echo the words POG Bank.

When asked about her favorite expedition, Shalin related the tale of her trip to the Crystal Trench deep within Shoal Cave, including how she got to ride a wild Alolan Ninetales. Of course, she would leave out the part about how Altagracia Contreras was there with her, as that could get her in legal trouble. "It's really hard to say, but that's one of my memorable recent ones. As long as my clients understand the level of risk they're taking on, I'll take the job on!"

"Absolutely," Shalin answered. "Rates are competitive, the experts are knowledgeable, and the customer service is great overall. Nothing negative to say about them. You truly run a diamond in the rough." While she didn't follow it, there were so many big banks out there with scandalous histories. Finding a trustworthy financial institution was surprisingly hard in the modern world, but POG Bank was one of them. As far as she knew, they had a clean record.

Shoal Cave was the only area in Hoenn hospitable to ice-types, including the Alolan Ninetales she had added to her team from that journey. Letheia was no joke in battle, having been on both ends of combat with her. She had taken some pictures from inside the Crystal Trench, too. Reining Kiara back to a walk, the girl looked like she wanted to show Mars some of them. Two in particular she would show, if Mars was interested, would be what appeared to be the inside of an undersea ice castle, as well as an ice prison, as though there were once an ancient castle long before the underground area in north Hoenn froze over. "It's something straight out of a fantasy novel, almost. I couldn't believe what I saw."