Shalin's ambush was not met with opposition. Not only was her shot repelled by a Butterfree, the GUST clashing with her arrow and creating a turbulent whirlwind between the bug-types, but a hidden Toxapex had filled the sky with countless poison needles. Flit, taking advantage of its SPEED BOOST, was able to let the cold wind merely graze him and keep the bug and rider mobile, but the Poison-type assault was too dense to be dodged. Not only did the gunshot wounds still bother her, but she was losing both the physical energy and the will to continue from the Toxapex's burning venom. She had to end this fast, and she didn't like the way she had to do it.

Shalin exposed herself by wheeling Flit around near where the attacks came from and dropped Treble's Poké Ball, the saddled Kommo-o emerging from it with a scowl of anger on his face. "Treble, BOOMBURST!" It was a good thing she had earplugs in and was on a speedy mount, because she could not otherwise use this tactic, thanks to the gunshot wounds Felix Gallagher had inflicted.

Treble's body became a blur, every scale on his body vibrating faster than an insect's wing. A nails-on-chalkboard screech exploded through Littleroot Town, a horrible shockwave reverberating away from the dragon-type and toward any people and Pokémon that happened to be nearby. Shalin let out a loud grunt as the shockwave passed hear her. Even though she was not directly struck, the attack's vibration coursed through her, upsetting her aim at the Butterfree and possibly making her follow-up AVIAN ARROW sail wide!

The true power of Treble's BOOMBURST was not just in the screeching noise the scales made. That combined with the low hum of the vibration itself, the clashing airflows trying to shear the targets in two different directions, was what hurt. Elisabeth wasn't one to just let Shalin beat her and her Pokémon up, either; after her arrow nicked the foe's shoulder, both that and her ears oozing red, the real battle would begin. It didn't help that Treble had exerted so much energy from vibrating his scales at full speed and power that he was in a daze, wide open to a counterattack.

"Flit, ANCIENT POWER!" Shalin commanded, positioning himself so the line of rising boulders would threaten both the Butterfree and Elisabeth. Not a split second afterward, the Butterfree launched an ELECTROWEB at her mount! Lurching as the buzzing insect put on powerful vibration that agitated her rider's wounds, he managed to at least save his trainer from being ensnared, but he could not move his wings at all. Even Shalin did not get away unscathed, receiving a mild shock herself.

Shalin undid the snaps on her cocoon saddle, then leaped off her falling Yanmega and sent out Queen Zing, a huge, royal Queen Beedrill that caught her. She buzzed her fallen ally close enough for her trainer to recall him, then bumbled skyward again, ready to meet the Butterfree and take it out.

Unable to hear much over the buzzing noise that would have been deafening if not for her earplugs, she snapped her new bug-type's cocoon saddle into place, the angry queen rearing and pointing all three of her stings at She prepared to nock another arrow in the Toxapex's direction, though the added vibration from her mount's furious buzzing combined with the burning sensation in her veins spreading made aiming more difficult.

"Queen Zing, use your TAILWIND!" Though the tingling from the Beedrill's wings churning faster further agitated her internal injuries, she couldn't let that consume her focus. At this point, she was fighting for her life. Even if she had to beat Elisabeth within an inch of her life, this was war. It was kill or be killed.

Shalin's battle with Elisabeth Fiorelli had quickly developed two fronts, and it was going to be impossible for the explorer to follow them both. She was certainly an acrobatic, lithe one, which gave her a real edge in combat. Shortly after landing in the Beedrill's saddle, she had to stop to catch her breath; her arms felt like they were on fire from the Toxapex venom. What Elisabeth had to her advantage was sheer focus and force of will, evidenced by her releasing a third Pokémon. That, and planning. The Aromatisse's PSYCHIC was obvious bait to draw Shalin to the ground. And she was going to take it.

Psychic-type moves were notoriously accurate, only limited by the mind of the user. No matter how fast a Pokémon was, they would never outrun a well-honed mind. Furthermore, if this Beedrill dropped, Shalin would be ground-bound for the rest of the battle. And a ground-bound Shalin was a helpless Shalin. It was a good thing she rode in a cocoon saddle, because otherwise Queen Zing would have flicked her off with how much the bug-type lurched backward after being mentally twisted!

She had to make a move, and fast. Squinting in pain, she raised her right hand, pinching its two fingers between her MEGA CIRCLET's Key Stone. It and the BEEDRILLITE embedded at the end of Queen Zing's saddle glowed with the purple-pink light of MEGA EVOLUTION, making the already swift wasp even faster, as well as doubling her foreleg stings from two to four.



If Shalin was a blur before, she was practically invisible now. Between the added speed of her mount and the Toxapex venom making her unable to steady her bow, she stowed it and held the reins tightly with both hands. The Aromatisse being the biggest threat to grounding them, Queen Zing pointed all four of her foreleg stings at the Aromatisse, looking to skewer it with her POISON JAB.

Meanwhile, on the ground front, Treble was badly worn down, both from Elisabeth's Pokémon and the ferocity of his own attacks. Between the Toxapex's needles and the Butterfree coming to the ground, he was surrounded. Shalin knew Treble was already tired, and it pained her inside to issue her demanding command. But it had to be done.

"Treble, use your CLANGING SCALES!"

If Treble's Boomburst was his vibration at its strongest, the Dragon-type attack was that at its fastest. His entire body blurred, he attempted to destroy the ears of anyone nearby with a high-frequency shockwave accompanied by an unearthly, grating screech on the upper range of human hearing. Had the dragon's saddle not been weaved directly into his scales, it would have been shredded from how intense the vibration was!

Shalin's head was pounding as the burning sensation had spread to all four of her limbs. Worse yet, it was starting to move up her spine, as well. If she didn't take an antidote soon, it was going to reach her skull. Once that happened, it was all over! She had to end this fast. As much as the vibration hurt with those pellets lodged inside her, she had to remain mobile. By now, she had completely stowed her bow, her scathing arms barely able to hold her Beedrill's reins steady. Her Pokémon would be on their own.

Elisabeth's Butterfree launched a whirlwind toward Queen Zing. While inside her cocoon, she was in no danger of falling...but she was also unable to dodge attacks directed at her mount, either. The moment the clashing winds met, the enormous bee churned her wings at full throttle, squealing in pain from Felix Gallagher 's pellets tearing her up from the inside out. Vibration was proving to be a double-edged sword; while she had nearly torn Elisabeth to shreds with it, she had an equal vulnerability to it.

Treble, defenseless after the storm of sound, quickly fell to the Poison-type's very cold ICY WIND. Shalin felt bad for the danger she put her dragon in, but she felt it was the best way to get the Rocket to back down. The brave Pokémon let out one last pained cry before collapsing with scales coated in ice.

After struggling against the clashing winds for around fifteen seconds, the buzzing slowly decreased in intensity. Queen Zing had finally exhausted her strength, the buzzing slowly getting quieter as she started falling. Shalin, in her dizziness, undid her cocoon and reached for her last two Pokémon. Unfortunately for her, the two wings ceased vibrating at slightly different times, the bee quickly descending inverted. She tossed the Poké Balls containing a Milotic and shiny Espeon to the ground, the two emerging to protect their trainer. By the time Starr could react to what was going on and prepare to ALLY SWITCH with her trainer, it was too late.

The rider was pinned underneath her unconscious Beedrill, who had reverted out of Mega Evolution. Not even needing a command from Shalin, Starr's red forehead gem glowed, making a WISH for her to feel better, while Levy coiled around them both, PROTECTing them from being killed on the spot and covering for their retreat when Shalin mustered the strength to recall her yellow and black bug.

Shalin's heart raced with dread. This was the end for her, wasn't it? If she died, Team Rocket would be in possession of the five Medallions of Eight. With the Halls of Origin being in Sootopolis, it would be trivial for them to learn the location of the other three Medallions and open the Halls of Origin. The forbidden powers sealed within, the ones she vowed to use against Team Rocket, would fall into their hands. Was it a legendary Pokémon thought to have left Hoenn? Would it result in the birth of a new Rocket Avatar? Or was it far more serious? She would now never know as the Toxapex pointed VENOSHOCK-laden needles at the pinned Shalin. Levy moved his long body in a vain attempt to cover his trainer, but even he could not cover all of Shalin's skin.

And then the Toxapex suddenly stopped.

Through intense pounding in her head, she was able to understand every second or third word Elisabeth Fiorelli was saying. Something about a choice to not die. Something about having repaid a debt to John Sullivan . In her extreme weakness, all she could do was give a weak thumbs-up before the marine Pokémon's venom sapped the last of her consciousness. She was motionless, and her heartbeat was getting weaker and weaker by the moment.

As Elisabeth disappeared into the MISTY TERRAIN, Starr's WISH came true, but far too late to restore her consciousness. Instead, the wish purged the venom coursing through Shalin's bloodstream. Blood vessels within her were still dissolving from the damage the poison already did, though. Her skin was mostly red from internal bleeding, and she needed to see a doctor urgently. Even with the poison gone, she wasn't going to make it.

Starr had an idea, though! With her and Levy, she could get the fallen rider back to the medical tent. It would be a very slow and very painful process, and leave the trainer highly vulnerable the entire time. All it took was one Rocket looking for an easy mark to swoop in and slit Shalin's throat, and the entire effort would be for naught.

Levy could PROTECT the two of them while Starr ran ahead of them, to the limits of how far her ALLY SWITCH could teleport them, and juxtapose with her unconscious trainer. It would require many, many teleports, each of which could stress her trainer's body beyond the breaking point and kill her. But what choice did the Espeon have? If she did nothing, she would have to watch her trainer die anyway.

The beached Milotic, with bated breath, watched Starr repeatedly ALLY SWITCH with the dying Shalin as he covered their retreat. And it would be a slow retreat, what with the water-type having to crawl along the surface. He also had his own supply of oxygen to worry about. While most purely aquatic Water-types were okay being out of water for a small amount of time, he, too, could suffocate if this wasn't handled swiftly! The three worked together to get the help they all desperately needed to leave this warfront alive and live to fight another day!