There was something unsettling about Gerald's tone. It was as though her opponent's pleasantries were completely false, as if there was more than fame and money on the line for the tournament. Shalin, on the other hand, grinned when she saw the Absol. The Beedrill's wings roared the moment the starting horn sounded, drowning out all other noise as their wake cleared the battle court of snow.

With impressive agility, the bug-type zipped toward Gerald's Pokémon, thrusting her rear FELL STINGER toward it in a violent jab. Though contact with the pointed tip would be painful on its own, it would be the potent toxin that caused the true pain, making whatever it touched feel like it was on fire.

The Absol's reaction time was simply too slow; by the time the STONE EDGE shield came up, Queen Zing was already past the dark-type, ready to deliver a painful sting. Were the Absol unable to dodge, she would latch on, and things would get far worse for Gerald and his Pokémon.

One painful sting would turn into three, the green wasp thrusting her TWINEEDLE-capped forelegs toward the foe. With three stings pumping burning venom, there were very few Pokémon that could withstand being dissolved from the inside out by the acidic secretion.

The dark-type's PSYCHO CUT sailed wide, leaving Gerald's Pokémon in a dangerous position. Shalin's MEGA CIRCLET gleamed with a flash of purple-pink light, a sign that Queen Zing desired to Mega Evolve. While she would normally oblige the wasp's request, it might put the Absol in real danger if it couldn't fight back right away.

Shaking her head, the disappointed Beedrill simply buzzed her wings at top speed, digging her POISON JABBING stings deeper into the Absol. If its blood vessels weren't burning yet, they surely would be after their match was over

The foe's MEGA EVOLUTION forced Shalin's hand, Queen Zing struggling to stay aloft after the PSYCHO CUT left a crack in her carapace. Lifting her right hand to the MEGA CIRCLET on her head, she, too, became enveloped in the light of MEGA EVOLUTION.



The Beedrill's demeanor change from kind and competitive to ruthless. Berserk. As violent as the tournament's rules would allow. Now boasting five venomous barbs instead of three, she whirled her four front ones much like a Rhydon's horn. The sound of the whirring DRILL RUN matched the volume of her even louder wings: a truly mortifying combination that would strike fear into all but the hardiest of combatants.

The sound of Queen Zing's giant wings clicking against the pavement made Shalin wince; there were very few things more painful for a bug-type than their wings clashing against a solid surface dozens of times per second. Despite the Absol's pin, the Mega Evolved Beedrill had five stings. There was no way she could immobilize them all. She could cover three, but not five.

The close-range PSYCHO CUT left the insectile predator unsteady with the two remaining spear-like stings she had free. She shakily raised them to the Absol's sides, stabbing and POISON JABBING from both directions. If she could skewer the Absol, she could free herself and turn this match around!

The two extra stings from Queen Zing's Mega Evolution proved to be the deciding factor in the close and intense match between Mega Evolved Pokémon. Shalin breathed a sigh of relief when the Beedrill skewered her opponent seconds before time was called. No judge decision was needed, as the Absol was clearly spent. Reverting from her apex form, she could no longer hold her foe. Her entire body, too, shook as she had pushed herself quite hard during the match.

How was she going to get through her last match of the day.

"Great match, Gerald," Shalin said, extending a hand toward the man. "Sorry if I bubbled you out of day two. I hope your breakers work out to where you can get into tomorrow's competition with a win." With that, she withdrew Queen Zing and headed back to the commons to relax and get her partner restored for her final match of the day.