It was way too early.

Thankfully, Shalin's assignment wasn't too difficult. As part of the training Razz Kingsman assigned her for promotional evaluation to Rustboro Captain, he wanted to see how the green-ette would do strictly in a leadership position. She had been forbidden from helping robin coello in any way unless the mission success was in dire jeopardy.

Robin would find no trouble staying awake when a very loud drone assaulted her ears from the south side of the forest. If she were to turn her head in that direction, she would see quite the sight: a giant Shiny Beedrill dressed in riding gear similar to what a horse would wear, flying lazily in her direction. Seated in its saddle was the distinct, flowing, green hair of her supervisor for the mission, Shalin Nariya.

The giant, green wasp landed next to Robin and her Pokémon, the girl remaining seated on the unusual steed as she popped her earplugs out. "Morning, partner!" she waved. "Shalin Nariya, Captain-in-Training and Hoenn's wildest Pokémon rider! You must be Robin; I'm here as backup if you absolutely need me, but I want to see you apply what you learned in all your Ranger classes. I'll still help out if you're overwhelmed, but I mostly want to see how far you've come. Now, protect those Wooloo!" she pointed in sync with her Beedrill.

"That's right," Shalin answered, Queen Zing's wings fluttering beneath the threshold of human hearing but still fast enough to whip up quite the gust of wind. "One requirement before I can give you your red uniform is to complete a Ranger ticket without major assistance. Once you get that red uniform and badge, you'll be expected to take tickets on your own." Once Robin and her Munchlax took her place, Shalin put her earplugs in, just in case she needed to spring into action. Though the noise of the wings from a distance was loud but tolerable, sitting between them was deafening unprotected.

Observing the battle, Shalin noticed Robin's choice of a Munchlax - ill-equipped to pierce the Scizor's metal plating. Even after the reckless Belly Drum raising them to full power, the Munchlax was unable to take even one of them down. The False Swipe was a sign that they didn't truly want to hunt anything in their way; they just were looking to feed. They only intended to take what they needed to survive.

Seeing the danger Munchlax was in, Shalin hurled her Milotic's Poké Ball in Robin's general direction, the beached but still striking aquatic serpent spitting a dose of LIFE DEW toward the normal-type. "Robin, use your resources!" she cried. "Remember how to search RangerNet!" While Shalin wasn't going to tell the Rookie the answer, she would guide her in the correct direction. Every common Pokémon species had a RangerNet page with how to handle them in the wild. If she searched, she would almost certainly find a way to properly handle them...

While it wasn't quite what Shalin had in mind, the solution seemed to work, Mun's trail of delicious Berries leading the Scizor into the woods and off the beaten path. She felt bad having to tell a little white lie that she would be there backing Robin up, but per the Head Ranger's orders, she couldn't intervene unless the situation got life-threatening.

Once they had been chased away, Shalin reined her Beedrill toward Robin. The gentle giant hopped in her direction, the brief buzz perhaps a bit loud in her ear. She took her earplugs out and coached the trainee. "Good job - all the Wooloo are still alive and well," she complimented. "I do want to say, though, that even though we are not combat-oriented like those on the Gym circuit, it's very important to know your types, especially on the defensive end. Even if you like a particular type, raising a team of Pokémon that can handle any type is imperative for a Ranger, given the unpredictability of our jobs. Now keep your eyes open; I doubt those Scizor are the only Pokémon after the Wooloo!"

Perhaps the new recruit was also new to Pokémon in general; though a ground-type answer would have been ideal in repelling the swift burrower, the levitating ghost wasn't a half-bad idea... except the grinning ghost was standing on the ground. Sensitive to vibration as a result of learning how to ride while in her Sygna Suit, Shalin could feel about where the Dugtrio was going to surface next. "Your nine-o-clock, Robin! Look out!" If the Gengar didn't get out of the way, a devastating burrowing attack would have inflicted untold harm on her partner Pokémon!

Another solid blow would cause the Dugtrio to stand down, finding the Wooloo simply not worth the trouble. "...Are these all the Pokémon you have?" Shalin asked. "If so, I think a trip into the wilds wouldn't hurt. Plus, a little romp across Hoenn might be a fun way to round out your team! At least think about it."

Knowing Hoennian geography was important as a Ranger, but it played second fiddle to having a belt of six Pokémon that one could put their trust in and handle any environment thrown their collective way. "Tell you what. After we turn this in at Ranger HQ, want to come back here and go for a ride through the woods? We'll get your team filled out before you know it."

Mega Evolution? That was a bit ambitious. "I would actually... hold off on that. Mega Evolution requires you to know your Pokémon really well. I've had Queen Zing, a Beedrill I can Mega Evolve, for over a year, and I still can't fully control her when she does Mega Evolve." The Beedrill was friendly and docile as could be normally. When she was drunk on Infinity Energy, though, she acted more typical of a Beedrill: fierce, indiscriminate, and with a killer instinct. Riding the Mega Beedrill was dangerous even for her, reserving the feat for only dire combat situations. Even if she was more tame when Mega Evolved, that vibration was numbing.

Robin's concern prompted Shalin to give her a pat on the shoulder if she allowed it. "Not at all! This was a success, as far as I'm aware. Get a few more tickets behind you, and you'll get your red badge and uniform in no time at all!" Though she was not Captain yet, she was so in everything but name. "What say you we head back to Rustboro so I can get this ticket processed, then we come back here and get you some Pokémon?"