Shalin looked confused. "I don't think we've met, Caesi?" she asked with a shrug. "You must be thinking of someone else." She would not get an answer to her question until at least after the match, the starting horn sounding and her Shiny wasp's wings overpowering all other noise where they did battle.

What a miserable matchup; it was one of those robotic Pokémon, making Queen Zing's venom completely useless. She was far from helpless, though! If she could just sever a critical cable in the Iron Jugulis' body, she and her trainer would remain alive in the tournament. Even with no venom, her stings were still sharp, those barbs more than capable of creating pilot holes for her POISON JABBING spears to widen.

The trio of blazing cones merely grazed Queen Zing's wings. Flying would be more difficult once Rhodium was able to dislodge the Beedrill. She wasn't holding on to the Iron Jugulis with her wings, though; she was holding on with her four legs, and with her position, brute force might be the best way to swat the wasp away.

Resting her wings, the void they left in the court's cacophony was replaced by another terrifying sound: that of the bug-type's stings whirling much like a Rhydon's horn. While there would be no flesh to rip apart with the DRILL RUN, there would be plenty of wires she could snap and circuitry should could leave in disrepair. Perhaps if she could bore through the right one, she could leave both of them grounded!

That sensitivity was something Shalin was acutely aware of as a trainer who rode but Pokémon routinely. Their omnidirectional vision allowed Queen Zing to see Shalin manipulating her reins mid-flight. While it came with benefits, it also came with a drawback the Iron Jugulis was poised to exploit.

The ELECTRIC TERRAIN confused Queen Zing's senses, the wasp's FELL STINGER expanding and contracting rapidly in her delirium. Perhaps by chance, she would be able to sting Rhodium with her rear, but with how chaotic and unrefined her thrusts were, it seemed unlikely to strike.

Two of the three FLASH CANNON beams sailed wide, but the third struck Queen Zing squarely, blasting her well out of stinging range. As much venom as she injected into the Pokémon, no doubt in her mind corroding the robotic Pokémon's insides, she couldn't rely on just that to win. Queen Zing's wings roared as Shalin exposed her partner to the light of MEGA EVOLUTION from her MEGA CIRCLET, the wasp sprouting a second pair of foreleg stings.

Her much larger wings buzzed far louder and more menacingly, bestowing upon her much greater speed. It was speed that would make the green insect even more slippery than normal. With a TAILWIND giving her the ability to zip back and forth, she would try to land on Rhodium, buzzing her wings at full speed to vibrate the Iron Jugulis harshly. If that didn't mess up its inner circuitry, then nothing would!

As powerful as a Mega Beedrill's vibration was, it was also unwieldy to use as a weapon. The elemental burst kept Queen Zing far away, but Shalin was unsure if that was necessarily a bad thing. Time was running out, and she was confident the judges would rule her way if the match came to a decision. Even so, she couldn't risk a last-minute knockout.

Waving for her Beedrill to stay near, Shalin made a shooting motion with her hands, like she was holding a firearm. With a nod, Queen Zing pointed her four stings toward the foe, spraying a large barrage of TWINEEDLE the paradox Pokémon's way.

Shalin breathed a sigh of relief when the judges waved red flags in Caesi's direction, giving her credit for the match win. Even Queen Zing was spent. It would take a bit of extra time in a healing machine for the wasp to fully recover for her next match. If only there were healing machine like that for humans... because Shalin looked tired. Especially after such an intense match.

"Good luck in your next two..." Shalin trailed off before stumbling, catching her balance on a nearby bench. Grabbing onto a nearby rail, she would inch herself toward the nearest healing machine before passing out at a small table. Only the announcement of the twenty-third round would wake her up...