Shalin remembered the battleground that was Littleroot Town far too well. So did Queen Zing, the Beedrill buzzing unusually loud and angrily. It was as though her Pokémon considered the town and surrounding area a hunting ground now, ready to rematch Elisabeth Fiorelli at a moment's notice. Even the BEEDRILLITE in her saddle was glowing, as though she wanted to Mega Evolve and at least wreak havoc on something. "It's okay, girl, it's okay," her rider said in a motherly voice that only the mount could likely heard.

The distinct sound of Beedrill wings buzzing was the best advance sign illeana reyes was getting of Shalin's arrival at Littleroot. She landed on the green close to where the Primal Point was located, "Now you behave, okay?" she requested as she slid down from the insect's saddle. "Professor! There you are," she greeted Illeana, the one who had helped her understand a lot more about Alpha Pokémon and why the large Pokémon on her team behaved the way they did. "Other than Queen Zing giving me a bit of trouble, it was uneventful. I still think she's got some resentment toward being here. She fought here hard that day. Probably instinct."

That was in the past, though. She had to have been called here for another reason. "What do you need me for?" she asked the scientist.

The silence from the scientist was telling; she, too, must have had personal investment in the Littleroot operation. Just as she was about to answer, she felt the tingle of vibration as Queen Zing buried her front legs in the dirt and started buzzing, drowning out their conversation. Shaking her head, she withdrew the noisy insect. "Sorry about that. I think she's still a bit traumatized about being here." She instead send out a saddle-wearing Vaporeon comparable in height to the small, green-haired female. "This is Rielle." The water-type smiled and waved a paw toward Illeana.

"What is it? I'm all ears." Her curiosity was piqued. "Have to return the favor for you teaching me so much about Alpha Pokémon." Even the Vaporeon tilted her head, likewise curious to see where Illeana intended to take them.

The scientist understood how traumatic Littleroot was that day. Perhaps she was there, but it was a day Shalin didn't want to talk about more than necessary. Given how many of her Pokémon came so close to giving their lives there, it made a lot of sense that the mere presence of the town would get them riled up. "I'm just glad the worst of it is behind us. We'll be reeling from it for months still, and I don't think Hoenn will ever be back to the way it was before the barrier went up. But if this is our new normal, it's not so bad."

Shalin's eyes lit up at Illeana's offer. This was right up her alley; she had gathered the Medallions of Eight, looking forward to unsealing the Halls of Origin, and claiming whatever potent weapon, forbidden knowledge, or forbidden Pokémon was within in a big win for the League. "You couldn't have asked a better person! Count me in!" There was not one bit of hesitance in her voice or demeanor; if anything, she looked thrilled to meet the obvious dangers head-on.

Ah, Shalin, Shalin... so brave, so naive, such misplaced optimism. Hoenn would never be anything resembling normal. Her idealism wouldn't let her downplay her dream of a Hoenn at peace, where she could embark on personal expeditions rather than ones with region-altering consequences. "I could go on all day about the places I've been that are more dangerous than anything you could imagine. An ice castle buried under Shoal Cave, millennia-old ruins filled to the brim with Mega Stones, a palace of fire and ice, and even a molten world underneath a basalt dome."

The phrase "for the League" echoed in her mind as she described each of her grand adventures to prove her experience exploring the unknown. Illeana's past study of Queen Zing could well have served as evidence of her experience, as well. "This whole thing has just opened my eyes to how horrible Team Rocket is. I've avoided taking sides for so long, but I don't think I can stay neutral anymore."

The prospect of worlds unlike anything anyone in the League had ever seen was simultaneously exciting and terrifying to Shalin. She wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to be among the first to set foot in a brand new world, despite Illeana's suggestion to be quite cautious. "It's not like any of those other places stopped me, but I will be careful." Of course, careful was a relative term for the wild child.

Rocket was pretty bad, but what could have been worse than them? "Even with Meteno being no more? What could possibly be worse than a world-ending meteor?" Regardless of the answer she received, she was grateful to have the opportunity. "Perfect! So, where and how shall I start? Gotta bring the right gear and Pokémon for the job, of course!"

Shalin was blissfully unaware of Hoenn's recent history with disasters, but she was more than willing to put her skills to use in quelling them. In her own way, through excavating the Medallions of Eight, she had already been doing good work for the League. The list of threats the Science Sister presented went on and on, Shalin shivering at the idea of cannibalistic aliens in particular. This really was just as serious as the meteor.

"Two," Shalin answered quickly. "The Granite Cave rift and especially the Petalburg Woods rift. You see, I live in the northwest corner of Petalburg Woods. That's why I got so upset when I found out about the League's plan to put one of those portal thingies here."

She paused to collect her thoughts. "Far as the Granite Cave one, I've suspected there may be a link between the Halls of Origin beneath Sootopolis and the rift there. More and more clues I've found retrieving them point to a link between the Ultra Beasts and the Halls of Origin. It's making me second guess whether opening them with the Medallions is the right thing to do." It was indeed a challenging decision to make, what with how difficult it would be to get back into Sootopolis, given her first intrusion there so long ago after acquiring only her first of the eight. If she knew the truth about THEO BECKETT , it would have made the decision all the more difficult...

It seemed there was little advance information Shalin would have to go off of. She was used to that, though! For all eight of the Medallions she had retrieved out of some of Hoenn's most dangerous environments, she had next to nothing to go off of: merely a one-line, cryptic hint as to the location. "Looks like I'll have to be the first to get you detailed reports, then!" Shalin chirped. If anything, perhaps she was a little too eager to explore what was clearly a world beyond Hoenn.

When prompted to make a decision, it was an easy one. "I'd prefer to start by the rift closest to my home, in Petalburg Woods. It's been my home since I came to Hoenn, and I couldn't bear to see it consumed by an expanding rift, or whatever lies beyond." Her determined demeanor was obvious from her body language. "Just hook me up with what I need to help you study it, and I'll be good to go."