Unlike her Yanmega and her Flygon, the green wasp's wings were physically incapable of showing mercy to Shalin. The only warning she got was the translucent, blue-tinted wings spreading wide. In an instant, they started roaring with a piercing buzz that forced the rider's eyes shut. If Lars was listening carefully, he might be able to hear a scream over the droning, though it was difficult to tell whether it was of distress or bliss. Time itself felt like it was slowing, an intense tingling sensation shooting up her legs and arms. A second shriek followed as the pitch of the droning peaked, the Beedrill's eyes flashing varying shades of blue.

Just as the Shiny Metagross landed with Laurence Anderson in tow, the buzzing noise began to decrease in intensity, the blurred wings slowing down with them. When they came to a stop, he would be able to see a SYGNA SUITED Shalin swaying back and forth, somehow sitting on one of Queen Zing's enormous, still wings. "Yeeee-haaaa!! What a ride!" she exhaled, doing her best to keep her balance. While the suit protected her body from being turned into pudding, it did not protect her from the extreme disorientation the vibration subject her to. The green bee raised both her stings in triumph, slowly lowering her wings to the ground so her trainer could hop off when she was ready.

Shalin's skin was still tingling from the furious buzzing Queen Zing subject her to. Even by her standards, that was wild. The tingling sensation grew and shot up her legs as the Shiny Beedrill gently set her down. Not wanting to go anywhere just yet, she did her best to lift her feet off the ground, her Pokémon getting the message. "That was!" she sheepishly answered, still bewildered and dizzy from being flicked up and down faster than the eye could see. Her suit was the only reason she wasn't a pile of mush.

Shalin paused at Lars' repeat question, still catching her breath from a ride of which she may have been the only person on the planet capable of withstanding. "Around two weeks," she answered. "I wasn't here when it happened." At last, the tingling feeling wore off to the point where she could slide off the giant wasp's wing and not immediately ragdoll. "If I had my way, whoever was responsible for this... well, I'd make their ears explode." She wasn't kidding, either.

Shalin, of course, was blissfully unaware of exactly what had caused the blight; if she knew it was the legendary Pokémon Wo-Chien that had caused the blight, it would have sounded a five alarm fire that could have forced her to abandon her off-grid home and actually move to Petalburg proper. Or Verdanturf. She would eventually have to move to Verdanturf if she wanted to be that city's Ranger Captain, which she had her eyes on. Her prowess in exploration was among the greatest in Hoenn; what would angelo vestri have thought of her?

"Not exactly," Shalin answered as she withdrew the Beedrill for a much less noisy steed: a Skuntank more adept at dealing with the blight. She also sent out a Type: Null. "I want to try to save Reynir, my Galarian Rapidash, for when absolutely needed. Being a Fairy-type, he is especially susceptible to the blight. He doesn't exactly know any healing moves, but he can heal somewhat with his horn."

With a deep breath, Shalin took a seat on her Skuntank's back, leaving his reins where they were and holding the end of the Pokémon's tail to help him aim his musk if needed. "These two are Kiku and Lathiel. They'll be helping today." While Kiku looked ready to get to work, the Type: Null was less than enthusiastic, but would play along for now.

Lars seemed... quite distressed in Lathiel's presence. Had she known what he had been through, she wouldn't have sent out the chimeric creature. "It's... quite a long story. Some League higher-ups roped me into operations in the Ultra Wilds. Have you or any other Rangers you know spend much time there?" Regardless, she would tell the story of hos the Type: Null came to be. Lathiel watched Lars warily but kept her distance. "Ever since Littleroot, I've felt... helpless. Every time the League's forced me onto a battleground, I've felt like dead weight. I felt like I needed something that can go toe-to-toe with Rocket's best. And that's where...she comes in."

She described some of her trips to the Ultra Wilds, particularly her exploration of the derelict Quaestor Lucis, where she found most of the synthesis manuals needed to create Lathiel. "I'm still working to understand her. She's... different from all my other Pokémon. Almost like the door to her heart is closed." The Ranger sniffed, traumatic memories of JAMES BAKER and Rory Faust operating on eighteen of her finest partners coming to mind. "...And opening her heart up won't bring Pharika and Ellie back," she whined, referring to the Pharika and Dragalge that gave their lives during the synthesis process.

Shaking her head, she led the way around her Romping Grounds, sighting a group of Victreebel gorging themselves on the blight. Shalin's SYGNA SUIT would afford her limited protection from the living resentment, and Kiku's poison typing would protect him from the blight, as well. Sandy, still present from needing to be out of her Poké Ball for Shalin to withstand the dizzying vibration, leaped into action. She soared above the Victreebel and loosed a fierce BUG BUZZ in front of the grass-types, but not on top of them. She had hoped the noise would scare the feasting Pokémon away from the blighted land, on the other side of which Lathiel awaited to chase them off the Romping Grounds completely.

The potent vibration caused the wilds' skin to ripple. Even Shalin and her team, much more well-prepared for the sonic assauit, still felt their skin ripple in the wake of the surrounding air. If those attacks weren't enough to get them to flee, those who remained out of grit and stubbornness would find themself full of Lathiel's CRUSH CLAW. Though it had scared the Victreebel away, they had left another serious problem. Several small Pokémon remained in their wake, covered both in the blight and in Victreebel slobber after being regurgitated.

Lathiel wasn't done, though; after slicing and dicing the Victreebel, she wanted more. In a sharp maneuver to protect his rider, Kiku bucked Shalin hard. Hard enough that even she was sent flying, and not a moment too soon, either. Without so much as a command, the poison-type and Beast Killer started sparring.

The telekinetic surge caused Shalin to land squarely on her feet. Used to what psychic power felt like from riding her Espeon, she knew who was responsible. "Thanks for the save, Lars!" she cried back just as Kiku and Lathiel finished their round of sparring. Both of them had suffered minor cuts, but got back on task at their trainer's request.

Once Lathiel had chased the aggressive wilds away, more of them witnessed the scary and powerful chimeric Pokémon, backing away from the blight and leaving their victims be. Only fighting on the mind, she pursued the fleeing Pokémon, squishing an Arbok's tail underneath her. Shaking her head, Shalin let the moody Type: Null be. If all she wanted to do was brawl, then she would let her. Raising the Beast Killer was the greatest challenge she had yet to overcome... and yet, when it was all over, she would be able to go toe to toe with even Lars' Articuno. Perhaps a sparring match with the Iceborne Mirage would be warranted as a test of the Type: Null's power when the time was right.

The Skuntank found more victims. Several sickly-looking Treecko were half-hidden by black foliage, Shalin quick to capture them and add them to the stash of Pokémon to be taken to Petalburg and Rustboro for treatment. Once she had the section of the plateau for the most part cleaned up, she and her poison-type mount would return to the Head Ranger's side. "How are things going? I've done a pretty good sweep of the north side and think I got it taken care of."