"Considering you're Rustboro's Gym Leader and I'm Rustboro's Captain now, how could I forget you?" Shalin replied, clutching her Beedrill's Poké Ball. That she would be matched up against a Gym Leader this late in the tournament surprised her. Was Cian having a bad run, or did Shalin simply luck into good tiebreakers! There would, of course, be no time to dwell on that mid-match.

Pitching her Poké Ball toward the center of the court, a Shiny Beedrill popped out of it in a flash of white light, her droning wings drowning out all other sound. This would be a battle of agility, the small frog surely a difficult target to pluck with her stings. With a terrifying buzz, the green giant's vibrating wings propelled her toward the Froakie with great speed, her FELL STINGER pointed right at the water-type's midsection.

Flying bug Pokémon were not known for being able to take heavy hits, but they didn't need to be; with their buzzing wings giving them flight precision beyond the most seasoned helicopter pilot, a water blast as unwieldy as HYDRO PUMP stood no chance to hit. Though she almost certainly could not be heard, Cian may have been able to see Shalin giggling as the green queen circled above.

The Beedrill and Froakie were both masters of ninja-like agility. The entire match could easily come down to who landed the first blow. Recognizing her foe was just as nimble as her wasp was, she gave the command to use a quick POISON JAB. Her right sting was a feint, intended to bait out a leap into her left.

The illusory frog was far speedier than Queen Zing was. In her current form. "Watch its shadow, girl!" the Captain ordered as she raised her right hand above her forehead, pinching the KEY STONE of her MEGA CIRCLET. It and the BEEDRILLITE her Pokémon carried glowed with the bright, purple-pink light of MEGA EVOLUTION.



Boasting five stings instead of three and wings that propelled the wasp much faster, the berserk, nearly uncontrollable Pokémon's compound eyes stared at the ground. Her vision would perhaps allow her to identify the true Ribbit, dropping a quartet of barbed DRAGON HAMMERS in its path. Even if they were all to whiff, the Froakie might be running too fast to react to them and slam into one.

The sudden leap and subsequent SMACK DOWN hurled Queen Zing to the ground. Were she not Mega Evolved, drunk on Infinity Energy, such a blow would have left her with barely any breath. In her apex form, though, she felt unstoppable, even for the moments she was on the ground.

With an angry buzz, the blue-eyed wasp took back to the air and stared down Ribbit. In her heightened form, she pointed all four of her foreleg stings toward the Froakie, whiring fast as a Rhydon's horn mid-DRILL RUN.

JUst as the green wasp was about to recover, Ribbit's HYDRO PUMP pinned her back to the ground. Lacking the Infinity Energy to main her apex form, Queen Zing reverted, too tired to fly. Now the Froakie had a big advantage, able to put a lot of power into a stationary target. It looked all over as Shalin's insectile partner fired a desperation barrage of TWINEEDLE toward Ribbit.

If she was going to lose to anyone, a Gym Leader was best. At least that would, in theory, give her very good tiebreakers.

Coming off the Infinity Energy high was simply too much for the Beedrill to handle. Confused by Ribbit's movements too fast for the weakened wasp to comprehend, she tumbled backwards, landing upside down. Were it not for the strength her wings built up from Shalin riding on them, she could easily have suffered an injury.

Grateful for how her Pokémon fought, Shalin withdrew her. "I figured I would have little hope against a Gym Leader," she remarked, extending a hand toward Cian. "Taking someone as talented as you to the brink is a win for me. I'll be cheering for you when you make the brackets!"