The wilds of Route 123 would be the perfect place for Shalin to start training Queen Zing how to better restrain herself while Mega Evolved. While the power of Mega Evolution was strong, it was nothing unless it could be fully controlled. With the berserk state the Beedrill had gone into at Littleroot when fighting Elisabeth Fiorelli , another battle like that would put her in danger of a brutal sting if she was bucked off.

Queen Zing wasn't the only Pokémon Shalin wanted to train with, though; she had some very rowdy ones that needed to be broken to the bridle, per say. She had to get warmed up first, and her Alolan Ninetales, Letheia, would be a great place to do so next to the mountains overlooking Hoenn's largest wetland. "Alright, you know what to do, Letheia!" She buried her hands in the fairy-type's fur. "Buck 'em hard!"

The ice-type let out a cry and shot forward in Lasciel Elis 's general direction with her AGILITY, but at an angle that made it obvious she wasn't on a collision course with her. She leaped from one side of the road to the other swiftly before burying her claws in its dirt to try to buck Shalin off with sudden deceleration. She briefly felt herself floating above the Ninetales' saddle with every swerve, charge, and skid.

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 224}
{PC: 1}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia      Ninetales       Good

What was that noise? Despite the thunderclouds above regaling her with lightning and, well, thunder, every so often, it was still somewhat quiet down here. A low rumble here and there, sure, but nothing so loud that it would draw her attention much. By now, it was just background noise, really.

Which was why when there was something out of the ordinary, she perked up, even tired as she was. And while her body was still overly young, her instincts were still the same. If something moves towards you at high speeds, you react to it. Could be just a trainer pulling a stunt or not noticing you. Could also be a wild on the hunt. She did not take the risk and forced herself to jump back onto her feet and move behind the ledge. It was not high enough to hide behind, but this would offer some cover.

Reaching for the ball containing her Metagross, she waited until the last moment to actually use it. Which was good, because the agility user rushing towards her had a rider. Just one it apparently did not like very much, seemingly trying to shake them off.
Lash really did not know what to make of that. So, she just quietly watched them, eyes focused on the woman in a bit of a stare, seeing how things would develop.


Shalin Nariya

Though at first glance it looked like the Alolan Ninetales was furious at the trainer on her back, Lash may have been able to notice that both of them looked like they were having a great time! How strange that such behavior would be consensual! The green-haired wild child let out a loud whoop at the peak of a particularly strong thrust. "Whoo!" she let out another cry, at last able to catch her breath as the Ninetales came to a stop near a cliff west of the vast wetlands.

When Shalin noticed a young female observing them, a Poké Ball in hand, she turned Letheia so that they were facing her. "Oh, I didn't even notice you were there!" she blushed. "Sorry you had to see that; I guess Letheia here was playing... a bit too rough," she giggled at her own wordplay.

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 144}
{PC: 2}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia      Ninetales       Good

Despite her appearance, Lash had seen a lot of strange behaviour that needed a second glance to spot the consent, but this was something else entirely. That Ninetales was going way too wild, in her opinion, and it was but a miracle that the greenette survived that one. But, she did. And since she did and seemed fine, this was probably fine after all. No need to worry. No need to fight.

Good. She exhaled, slowly, just accepting the situation. She had seen weirder things, after all.
Then, that woman, most likely on accident, played at her small frame which immediately drew a pout from the young one. “Well, maybe you should be more mindful where you and your Pokemon are going. I might not be as big as you but I do stick out here and I would like to not be run over by someone who is getting it a bit too roughly from her own Pokemon.” She harrumphed after, arms crossed, both picking up the other’s wordplay, possibly corrupting it a little, only to then dismiss it. Because that was how Lash got when someone remotely mentioned her height.


Shalin Nariya

Even if Letheia was holding back a little, she seemed proud to have such a strong trainer. "I didn't mean it like that!" Shalin put her hands in front of her at face level, dropping Letheia's reins. "I thought were plenty clear of you! Again, I didn't mean to scare you." Her concern was warranted; the whiplash that the Ninetales could have induced in a less experienced trainer would have been a real health hazard. Shalin, though, was on par with professional trick riders, though what Letheia was putting her through was still a bit rough on her.

"Shalin, wildest Pokémon rider this side of Hoenn!" she smiled as Letheia finally gave her an extended break to catch her breath. "And who might you be?" she casually asked, the proud ice-type's face beaming. "And what's with those clouds? I didn't think this kind of weather was in the forecast..."

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 150}
{PC: 3}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia      Ninetales       Good

“Suuure,” she replied, her pitch going appropriately up a little as she said that. Clearly, she was neither inclined to just take the other at her word, nor intimidated by the Pokemon that also towered above her. “Besides, you did not scare me. More the kind of reasonable worry that one might get from potentially being run over,” she added with a shrug and a flip of hair over her shoulder, as if trying to appear cool there.

Then, she blinked. Took her a moment to realize that Shalin was not just a name but the woman’s name to boot, not the Pokemon’s. Certainly an unusual one, though she wasn’t one to talk. Thanks to her mother’s odd sensibilities, she had one too. “Anyway, I am Lash. I don’t have some kind of grand epiteth this side of Hoenn, but I think I am quite decent overall. And those clouds up there are something I want to investigate. I think it might be a space-time distortion once more.”

Shalin Nariya

Whether Lash was simply acting tough or was actually tough-as-nails was something Shalin didn't feel like testing; after all, the femme appeared already on edge from Letheia's rodeo madness. "Letheia can get a little unruly at times, but she's a sensible one for the most part," she tried to come up with an excuse for the Ninetales' behavior. "Her acting up like that was at my request, though; it's part of how I'm trying to get stronger."

When Lash directed Shalin's attention skyward, Shalin connected the metaphorical dots herself. "...You're right, those clouds do look like one!" With that, the greenette withdrew Letheia for a buzzing Beedrill that was around the Ninetales' size, also equipped with riding tack. "Got a flying Pokémon of your own?" she asked as Queen Zing waved a foreleg sting toward Lash much like a human would wave their hand in greeting. "Pokémon like her have been way more common in Hoenn since these distortions started showing up, and I want to know why."

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 169}
{PC: 4}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia Ninetales Good

“If you think that will make you stronger,” she replied, clearly not quite believing that it was a good way to do so. But who was she to complain in that regard? After all, she was trying to throw herself headfirst into a space-time-distortion, something that most people feared, in order to regain the strength she had lost before. This clearly was not the most thought-out plan of her own.

Still, at least there was a logic there. Without those wondrous distortions, she would not be able to return to her old form for years. If there was no other way, then it was fine. But there were more ways to get stronger, in her opinion. “Anyway, I saw a few people trying to just up and fly there, but they all got zapped. I think they all survived, but I don’t think it is a good idea to take the easy route. Though I can’t actually say that climbing up won’t result in the same outcome, come to think of it.” Furrowing her brows, she started thinking, not even noticing the stinger, just the buzzing of Beedrills.



PART OF
TAG WITH Shalin Nariya

The more Shalin thought about it, the more she and Lash seemed to have in common. While her plans of attack weren't the most thought out, she seemed mentally agile and sharp enough to fill in the gaps as she went along. "Did I tell you that's part of how I caught the Ninetales in the first place?" As unbelievable of a story as it was, it was true. The ice-type wasn't holding back, either; the routine was quite similar to the one she had put Shalin through when they had met twice in the Crystal Trench. Letheia wasn't getting any weaker; Shalin was getting stronger. Before long, she would feel more comfortable wrangling even stronger Pokémon.

"I'll have a peek, Lash," Shalin replied to the femme's warning. "Can't hurt to take a look, at least!" Her skin tingled as Queen Zing's wings churned at great speed, displacing any pebbles and loose grass that may have been underneath her from the whirling air her mount blew around. Once they were in the air, the vibration was nowhere near as intense. She was forced to retreat and land once more, as there were many, many bolts flying out the side of the distortion. It was impossible to approach from the side. "You're right. We'll have to take the trail upward and approach the distortion from underneath. Guess I'm... well, hoofing it for the first time in a while." Admittedly, she didn't own a single Pokémon that was adept at scaling narrow mountain trails. Withdrawing Queen Zing, she led the way upward...

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 262}
{PC: 4}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia      Ninetales       Good

“Well, it actually can – “ she started, but the other was already on her way, trying to fly up and encountering the lightning. Though, likely because she knew kind of what to expect, she ultimately did not end up being shot down by the bolt. It seemed close from her perch though, as Lash intently watched what was going on there. Granted, she was not quite certain what to make of it in general. She did not know this woman very well, so she was not inherently of vested interest in her well-being. But at the same time, it would be kind of a waste to see her shot down and injured. Plus, she would not exactly feel great about giving off a lot of Schadenfreude in that regard.

In essence, she felt kind of neutral about it all. Not like she could do much anyway, being bound to the ground. Yet, it all seemed to work out, so that was probably fine to begin with. Both the woman and her Beedrill returned soon after. “Good, now that we have sorted out that I was right all along, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I have a bit of experience with space-time-distortions. Even more experience with phenomena not turning out to be such a thing. There might just be a lot of electric types duking it out, so it’s best to keep our guard up and not rush things. Plus, I was just taking a rest here, actually.” She certainly did not feel like she could climb much further for a few minutes at least.



PART OF
TAG WITH Shalin Nariya

With Shalin forced to head to the Distortion on foot, Shalin would need a Pokémon better suited for the climb. She withdrew her other Pokémon and send out a Kommo-o to keep both of them company. "This is Treble," she introduced the scaled dragon, who also looked ready for a person to hop on. Did every single one of her Pokémon wear riding gear? Clearly she had a problem. "If you need a few, I can relax with you while you rest up. Wouldn't be good trying to climb such a tough trail without being at your best."

Good! At least Lash knew what was up with Hoenn's distortions. "I have a lot of experience around them, myself. I wouldn't be surprised if most of my Pokémon ultimately came from one. Have you noticed how many Pokémon that are just enormous for their species have started roaming Hoenn after the distortions show up? I genuinely think there's a link." She went on to describe several other Pokémon she had of similar size, including a Kantonian Ninetales and a shiny Espeon she had with her.

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 190}
{PC: 5}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia      A!Ninetales     Good
Treble       Kommo-o         Good
Starr        Espeon**        Good
Caprice      K!Ninetales     Good

Oh. A nicknamer. She hadn’t quite caught that the other time, but it was evident now that a random Kommo-o was being brought out. Lash herself had never gotten into the habit herself. It really only seemed useful when one had many of the same Pokemon, but since she almost always sold duplicates anyway, it felt pointless to her. And a Kommo-o certainly could fetch a decent price on the market.

But that was neither here nor there. She was a bit of a poacher at times, yes, but not a thief like those of Team Rocket proper. Not really due to reasons of morality, more pragmatism. It was always such a hassle to not just steal one but also to wrangle it against its will – even more so than with wild ones. Too much of a bother. Especially when the world was teeming with wild ones.
Though, fortunately, not up here. This was reasonably safe. “That is fine by me. And I guess there is a link. I mean, these distortions are wild. Anything can happen in there, as far as I am concerned. If I didn’t have something I needed from those, I probably would stay away from them after going through a few.” She sighed. It really was annoying that she had come to this very, very obvious solution after it would have been nice to not be turned into a little girl.




PART OF
TAG WITH Shalin Nariya

Shalin, likewise, had something she was looking for from the Distortions, though her desire was much more simple: find and capture as many abnormally large Pokémon from them as possible. She was certain League scientists would have a field day studying them, plus their size would mean Pokémon she had never imagined she'd be able to ride on! Every new Pokémon, after all, was a new adventure!

Her mind wandered to a Raticate and Frosmoth she had captured recently, simply waiting for their gear to be made. The tanner she was loyal to in Verdanturf had, unsurprisingly, been swamped with orders since the barrier had went down. And with how nimble they were, trying to ride a Raticate without a saddle was just asking for trouble. "I would say I've caught more Pokémon inside of them than outside, and I'm looking for more like them! What are you after inside the distortions?" she asked Lash.

---

Lasciel Elis

{WC: 159}
{PC: 6}

NAME         SPECIES         STATUS
Queen Zing   Beedrill        Good
Letheia      A!Ninetales     Good
Treble       Kommo-o         Good
Starr        Espeon**        Good
Caprice      K!Ninetales     Good