[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Whoa," Julia said to herself when she saw the giant, hollowed-out tree that served as Shalin's secret base. A Noivern was watching the entrance, but he didn't try to stop Julia when she stepped inside. The interior was a cozy little wilderness home stocked with basic amenities. A familiar sight glistened on a small table: the medallion that she and Shalin had found in the Mirage Palace and its seven cousins. Wait, no, a closer look said these were just replicas. Still, what cool decorations!

[break][break]And there was the flag! Julia reached over to pluck it up, only to realize it was paper-thin! It was a fake! Of course the real flag wouldn't be nearly this easy to get! Silly Julia! She climbed up the ladder to the second floor and emerged on a secluded plateau where several of Shalin's Pokémon were gathered. There were a lot of familiar faces: Treble the Kommo-o, Kiara the Pyroar, Levy the Milotic, Sandy the Flygon, and...

[break][break]She met the eyes of Queen Zing the Beedrill. In the Mirage Palace, she'd carried Julia away from danger, but the ride had almost been too much for Julia to handle. But that had been in the midst of danger. Here, in a safe, controlled environment, would it really be that bad? Shalin rode her all the time and even survived her Mega Evolution's power.

[break][break]As if reading her mind, Queen Zing flew over to Julia and hovered low to the ground in front of her. Human and Pokémon stared at each other for several seconds, Queen Zing's surprisingly gentle demeanor helping to quell Julia's trepidation. Julia smiled.

[break][break]"Let's do this."

[break][break]She climbed onto Queen Zing's back and held on tight. The Beedrill's wings buzzed as Julia's only warning before they were airborne, the vibrations already shaking Julia to her core. It was a lot, but Julia was prepared this time. She even started giggling as the buzzing tickled her tummy.

[break][break]"Whoa!" she exclaimed as Queen Zing bucked beneath her. It wasn't forceful enough to knock Julia off, but it was enough to catch her off guard. "Hey, I thought we were friends!" Julia chastised playfully. Queen Zing buzzed and did it again, making Julia's butt momentarily leave the saddle. Not being above rising lava made it way less scary. Actually, it was pretty fun!

[break][break]"Whoo-hoo!" Julia cried, her voice a bit distorted. Queen Zing never went hard enough to make Julia feel like she was in danger, but she did keep the girl on her toes the whole ride. Finally, they descended. Julia felt like there were a bunch of little bugs buzzing in her body as she slowly dismounted. That was fun, but it wasn't something she wanted to do too often unless she wanted to feel like a swarm of bees herself!

[break][break]She took a few minutes to rest and greet Shalin's other Pokémon before going back inside the tree. On the wall just across from her was a flag, this one thicker- and sturdier-looking than the fake on the table. She couldn't reach it herself, though, so she sent out Sparkie to levitate over and grab it for her. Mission accomplished!

[break][break]Her legs still felt a bit like jelly when she reached the ground floor. Maybe Shalin wouldn't mind her resting in her hammock for a little bit...