Big Bert looked strong. Strong enough to fling even the talented rider off his back with ease. Maybe one day, she would find a Blaze Breed Tauros of her own and find out for herself. Even if she couldn't last long, fighting against the type of flailing one was capable of seemed fun.

As the starting horn sounded, Queen Zing wasted no time, stretching her venom-coated foreleg stings toward the black-skinned bovine. Drawing her left sting back, she thrust it toward her foe. Were it to strike, the POISON JAB would make even the fire-type feel a burning sensation, the toxic substance eating at him from the inside out.

The impact cracked Queen Zing's carapace, embers dropping through the point of impact and leaving the wasp in trouble already. Shalin had little choice; raising her hand in front of her MEGA CIRCLET, she directed the Infinity Energy radiating from it toward the vicious-looking wasp. Two more forelegs grew new stings in the light of MEGA EVOLUTION.

The once nice-looking Beedrill looked mean and berserk, as though she would sting anything in sight mercilessly. Luckily for the two trainers, she was completely occupied with Big Bert, using her enhanced speed to try to land on the Tauros. Were she successful, she would jab her FELL STINGER into the fire-type as many times as she could.

The exchange of horn and stinger was brutal. Big Bert's horn punctured the Mega Evolved wasp's hard carapace, while it looked like the injection site on the fire-type's skin would swell at any moment. Even such a tough Pokémon might have trouble remaining composed in the face of such potent, skin-dissolving venom.

Only the adrenaline of being on an Infinity Energy high kept Queen Zing in peak fighting form. Once she reverted to her standard form, she would barely have the energy to battle. She had to make this volley of four-pronged POISON JABS count!

Searing horn met oozing stinger, Big Bert's immense strength repelling the insectile menace and causing her to revert to her much friendlier form. Even so, the damage had already been done; even a Pokémon like a Tauros would find its strength sapped by venom ravaging its insides.

Queen Zing's apex strength having left her, Shalin waved with both hands toward her noisy Pokémon. The gesture was meant to communicate an order to keep away from the Tauros and let the venom do its work. By churning her wings to form a TAILWIND behind her, she was able to maintain the same speed she flew at while Mega Evolved, but without the ability to counterattack. She didn't need to; Shalin was watching Big Bert's stamina tick down on her VITAL GEAR. It was only a matter of time before her victory, even if her Pokémon remained passing.

What impeccable timing from the Tauros! No wonder Raju was Josh Devlin 's Gym Trainer; it took a special kind of eyesight to be able to track such a fast-moving Pokémon, let alone land an attack on it. Not expecting the black bull to be able to attack from a distance, fleeing the bovine was no longer an option.

She had to make a disabling move in the last few seconds.

Lacking the strength for a Drill Run, the only attack that Queen Zing had the strength left for was a thrust of her FELL STINGER. Slowing down to the point where she was visible to the naked eye, she raised her abdomen to Big Bert's face level, the extended barb a terrifying sight for many people and Pokémon. Shalin had the timer to worry about, too: with the final seconds ticking down, the match could easily go to a judge decision. With how Raju's Pokémon hung tough in the face of defeat, the decision could go either way!

A split second before the stinger entered Big Bert's body, the horn sounded, signifying the end of the match. The judges waved off Shalin's final attack, the girl shrugging and raising her hands in disgust when they announced her finishing blow would not count. The victory was awarded to Raju Mystic after a very quick huddle.

"He's strong!" Shalin chirped, quickly getting over the sting of her loss. "We should meet up again after the tournament. I'd love to see Big Bert try to buck me off. Did I tell you I'm Hoenn's wildest and most talented Pokémon rider?" she bragged. Raju may have known one more talented, though. Possibly one he worked for.