While Shalin wasn't the dragon master like Andrea Vaneau was, she also had a Pokémon partner that housed tremendous power just beneath that of a lesser legendary Pokémon, such as Keldeo. That partner was Treble, her Kommo-o. Though they had been together for a while, she had still not developed the strength, dexterity, or stamina to truly wield the scaled dragon to his potential.

She had arrived at Meteor Falls' main cavern not long after Andrea did, her jaw metaphorically open all the way to her dragon's back as she saw Chomper shatter an enormous boulder with one vicious act of OUTRAGE. The power was frightening to see. "Wow! I'm glad the two of us are friends, because I wouldn't want to be on the other--"

The rider was interrupted by a large piece of shrapnel from the boulder flying at her. With quick thinking, Treble harshly shook his tail like a rattlesnake's, every scale on his neck and back following suit, producing a hum much like an insect's wing. The vibrating scales deflected and shredded pieces of flying rock headed the girl's way, leaving her breathless after but a few seconds of the shaking that was too fast to see.

Shalin swayed in the saddle for a while before greeting Andrea again. "As you can see, this is less about me training my Kommo-o, but my Kommo-o training me," she sheepishly admitted. "Have you been on one before? The most fun part is when his scales go, but it can be really disorienting."

Andrea, thankfully, stopped the dragons' altercation from escalating. "Wow, Chomper is something fierce! I've got a friend that's trying to raise a Hydreigon, and he's just as fierce with him!" Shalin related the tale of Josh's Hydreigon, Kokusho. He was getting a little less violent, but until Josh had a bit more control over him, that Hydreigon was one Pokémon she wouldn't willingly mount. She loved a playful bucking romp, but the sheer power Kokusho heaved with when in one of his moods looked downright painful.

"Kommo-o are really interesting as a species," Shalin responded to the girl's clear interest in the scaled dragon, though she may have been a little hard to understand as she was still a little woozy from the wild shaking he put her through. "Treble is actually a hybrid runner. He can run on all fours, where he's faster but harder to control, or he can run on just his legs, where he's slower but easier to turn."

As Shalin slowly directed her unusual, fighting-type ride toward a familiar hidden cave near the mountain interior's main waterfall, she recalled Andrea mentioning Kokoro. "If they're around, I can give you some pointers with your own Kommo-o! I'm assuming that's what Kokoro is." What was most impressive about Treble, perhaps, was his ability to keep Shalin safe despite the intense vibration that had coursed through her.

There truly was a special relationship between Andrea and Chomper. Hydreigon were some of the most vicious common Pokémon on the planet; the one Shalin's friend had was one of the few Pokémon strong enough to buck her off even when she held on with all her might! Shalin would shoot Chomper a friendly smile of her own. As the two advanced into the inner bowels of Meteor Falls' waterfall cavern, Andrea mentioned her history with the place, including the ability to use the Sacred Arte of Draco Meteor, as well as locating a deposit of Salamencite. "I should bring Sandy, my Flygon, back here," she idly mused in between the cosplayer's tales.

As Andrea turned toward Shalin, she asked the explorer a common question she got over her Kommo-o being used as a mount. "It's hard to see her saddle, since it blends in so well with her scales, but I don't sit directly on them. They'd tear me to shreds otherwise!" As if to prove a point, the smiling dragon rumbled just the scales on his back and sides, trying to keep the volume down yet shake them fast enough to get a rise out of her trainers. "WahOoOoOoo!" she whooped, her voice distorted from the rattling. "That's the most fun part of riding one!"

When Andrea trailed off, Shalin was going to say something, but she stopped herself when the cosplayer's tone turned somber. When even the vicious Hydreigon was licking her, she knew it was serious. Little did she know that in the near future, she would have to share in her sorrow. The Halls of Origin were more treacherous than anything she had traversed so far, and that included the Ultra Wilds. Her trek through them was fast approaching.

"Oh, it's a blast!" Shalin replied with a big smile, regaining her senses. While Andrea had expressed her concerns for the wild child, she actually liked the balance she had struck between safety and the thrill she loved. "But that's the most fun part! Sure, it can be a bit disorienting, but what other Pokémon can do something like that?" Though it was to a lesser extent, Andrea had seen one already: Queen Zing. "You're welcome to go for a quick run on Treble if you want! If Chomper's up for it, that is. I wonder how wild he could get if I flew on him?" If only she knew just how much more she was trying to bite off than she could chew...

Andrea was clearly one of Hoenn's greatest dragon masters, able to wordlessly communicate with a dragon-type Pokémon she had just met. Shalin frowned at Chomper's disapproval, but she understood. "My Gym Leader friend's Hydreigon is like that, too," Shalin related, of course referring to the Mauville Leader's Hydreigon. She understood, too. "My two Ninetales are like that, too. There are days where I wish they'd mellow out about it, but Pokémon have personalities, too, just like us! You have to respect them."

With Treble's reins in the cosplayer's hands, the two started bounding around the cave's perimeter. At first, the Kommo-o ran like a bipedal dinosaur, though as she picked up speed, she changed running strokes to resemble one that was more like a four-legged beast. It may have surprised Andrea to see the fighting-type could run either way. Though Treble could put on a lot of speed on all fours, he did give up the ability to use moves that required his clawed fists. Toward the end of the run, if she was willing, Treble would give her a small taste of what he put through: rattling his CLANGING SCALES at the very lowest power he could muster.

"It is, isn't it?" Shalin smiled. "That get you to change your mind at all about Kokoro? Even if it's just for fun~" she whistled, getting back aboard her own Pokémon as the two switched off. "There are only a handful of Pokémon that can even do that. I've been trying to track down a Seismitoad for a bit, but no luck. The other is Flygon. Imagine being able to do this but with their wings!" She pantomimed grabbing onto one, her skin tingling from imagining how disorienting it would be. "Have you seen how fast they go? Now that would be an amazing thrill!" It was one she would need her Sygna Suit to withstand, but it was something to look forward to!

"That is good," Shalin agreed, "but I want to go for one more run on him before heading out." The Kommo-o shook his head. "Just one, Treble!" she pleaded. He rolled his eyes at her, then bounded far away from Andrea for the dragon master's safety. An odd mixture of clanging and buzzing echoed throughout the large, main waterfall area, the dragon vibrating his scales at a speed similar to a Yanmega's wing. Within seconds, Shalin fell from her mount. "Okay... okay..." she panted, Treble helping her get back to her feet. She weakly waved goodbye to Andrea on the way out.