The pleasant hum of fluttering Flygon wings broke the silence of The Border as Shalin passed through the Mount Pyre rift to the land of the dead. It was a place where restless souls floated through the smoky air, reducing visibility to quite short ranges. Even with the dragon's buzzing wings blowing the smoke aside, seeing the mountainous terrain was difficult, forcing the girl to ride much more slowly than she wanted.

The four seals in the mountains leaked gas that only a SYGNA SUIT could repel. Thankfully, she wore one to protect herself not only from the harsh environment, but the feedback from her mount's vibrations. Descending to the minimum safe altitude, the Captain-to-be kept her eyes out for a large cave mouth, an overhang in the valley below, or some other place where she could build a campsite to come back to. She kept her eyes on Lathiel, a Type: Null who was on the prowl for Ultra Beasts, as always. Little she they realize it was unlikely for them to be found here...

The buzzing became louder as Shalin descended, Ranger and mount pestered by a Drakloak that was following them. It was only when the two touched down within eyesight of robin coello that she recognized the Pokémon. Tilting her head, she caught the trainee Ranger out of the corner of her eye, gently pulling on the dragon's right-side reins to get them directly facing her. "Oh, hi there, Robin!" Shalin waved, her Flygon's wings gently humming and distorting her voice some. "Didn't think I'd into you in such a dangerous place! What--"

Shalin was cut off by a furious-looking Type: Null that lunged toward the dragon from behind. Upset that there were clearly no Ultra Beasts present, the normal-type tagged dragon and rider with the burning beam of a TRI-ATTACK, Shalin's screaming only becoming louder with the painful raking of a CRUSH CLAW across her back. Determined to silence the disobedient Pokémon, she channeled her inner BRAVERY through her most trusted mount, the Flygon's SYNC STONE glowing a bright green. Her wings vanished, BUG BUZZING at a deafening volume and with such power that the rider could no longer feel her legs.

Once she was cognizant again after absorbing Sandy's furious vibration, Shalin noticed Lathiel was fast asleep, having wore herself out in her anger. Knowing her, the nap would not be long, but she would relish every moment she got without the needy Pokémon awake. "I should be okay," she weakly replied. The Hydreigon was able to easily handle the many ghost Pokémon they had attracted, evidenced by soul gem after soul gem being crushed between the dragon's three sets of jaws.

"That must be the Hydreigon you talked about," Shalin said, pointing toward the six-winged monstrosity. "I'm impressed with how well-behaved they are." The topic quickly switched to Lathiel's tendencies. "So she's built differently from other Pokémon. Type: Null are biological weapons developed to fight against Ultra Beasts specifically. I take her through the rifts every time I come because there are usually all kinds of them. This one, curiously, has none, which is probably why she was so upset."

A bright light caught Shalin's eye as Sandy's neck stretched downward to munch on a SWORDCAP, the muscles around her wings bulging. "What is that?" she pointed toward a fireball streaking through the sky, headed above them at almost an exact angle toward them. "Whatever it is, it's fast. Really fast."

Shalin would have gone on about Hydreigon being far from an easy Pokémon to raise. Robin seemed to have hers under control, which was an accomplishment in and of itself. Documentation on Type: Null was quite limited, as well, making it even more difficult for her to appease the most powerful Pokémon on her roster.

Not a moment too soon did Robin's Phione's RAIN DANCE shrink the fiery combet headed toward them, its true identity an ethereal MOLTRES just as vengeful as the real thing. The HURRICANE blew Shalin off her mount, slamming her, her Flygon, and her Type: Null into the ground, felling them both in a single attack that would even pierce PROTECT.

With her sygna Pokémon out for the count, the protection from her suit began to fade, exposing her to the Border's toxic atmosphere in the same capacity Robin was. Coughing up blood, she wearily clicked the switch on her Beedrill's Poké Ball. The giant wasp bravely dashed toward the legendary, brandishing stingers ready to POISON JAB. Little did she know that her Pokémon's wings would be singed well before it got within range. Shalin's bugs would be helpless against such a powerful foe. It was all up to robin coello now...

Seeing the water and rock attacks coming, the clever legendary self-immolated, BURNING UP the Pokémon in a huge radius around it. Switching off her SYGNA SUIT, Shalin rose her fingers to the MEGA CIRCLET beneath the scales covering her head, the BEEDRILLITE in Queen Zing's saddle glowing with the light of MEGA EVOLUTION. The surge in INFINITY ENERGY was not to attack, but to defend against severe burns from the powerful attack. The bird's wings reduced to cinders, the water and rock-type attacks by and large bounced off the legendary.

The tremendous wounds inflicted upon the Mega Evolved Pokémon were a sign that this Moltres was way out of their league. "We need to get out of here!" Shalin shouted, withdrawing the rest of her Pokémon and sending out her Scyther and Yanmega. A sudden coughing fit overcoming her, she swallowed a dose of SUPERB REMEDY in an effort to stave off her weakness. Scampering aboard the green mantis, she urgently waved for Robin. "Hop on!"