At last, it was getting warm enough to go for a swim in Hoenn's seas anywhere, not just in the far southeast. Shalin had taken a seat in the sadle strapped to her Seismitoad, the blue frog hunched over on all fours like normal while on land. The bumps on his head, arms, and beneath where the girl was sitting began to mildly vibrate, causing Shalin's hair to stand on end. "Not so fast until my Sygna Suit's active, okay?" she asked kindly, ready to bring out her Flygon. Once the Infinity Energy conduit between the two was open, the ground-type could unleash a full-blown Earthquake and Shalin would be fine. Even on its lowest setting, the vibration tickled!

All of a sudden, Shalin heard a young man calling out to him. The amphibian rapidly hopped toward Knight. "Captain Shalin Nariya of Rustboro," the Sygna Suited Ranger introduced herself, looking more like a Flygon than an on-duty League official. "You said you lost a Poké Ball?" she asked, sending out a second Pokémon: a Type: Null. She looked scary, though her facial expression and demeanor were decidedly neutral. Enigmatic. "Mind if Lathiel here gives you a sniff? She should be able to track it down."

When Knight began flattering Bass Boost, Shalin instinctively clicked Sandy's Poké Ball open, making sure the Flygon was out and about to channel Infinity Energy between them. It was not a moment too soon; a few seconds later, the ground-type reared and began vibrating all the bumps on his body. Shalin and the saddle she sat on appeared illusionary as the frog rocked and rattled her, Flygon and the Sygna Suit's wearer glowing a brighter green.

While Bass Boost was humming up a storm, Aleph emotionlessly sniffed Knight before turning around and following the boy's scent. It did not take him long to locate the device, though reaching it would be difficult to do alone. It had become nestled beneath the branches of a shrub. Having little choice, the normal-type raised her CRUSH CLAWS, slicing and dicing the plant to shreds before kicking the missing Poké Ball back toward Knight.

"They are!" Shalin cried, her still-woozy eyes on the Nincada that appeared to be way bigger than she knew they could grow. She debated catching it for the Mauville Gym Leader, but ultimately decided against it. Someone as tall as he was wouldn't be able to fit on the back of a Ninjask anyway. Shalin could, but she had an entirely different issue with the ultrafast species: its high sustained speed would make the girl incredibly dizzy.

Lathiel remained stoic and emotionless. If she appreciated the praise, she didn't give any indication of it. "Lathiel's not really a... people Pokémon, if you get what I mean," Shalin explained, trying to explain why the Type: Null was so antisocial. She smiled upon seeing the young one get excited over hunting a Scatterbug. After adventuring with John Sullivan and his Orbeetle, Shalin had concluded the psychic bug was simply not her style. She loved a lot of bug Pokémon, just not that one.

All was calm until an Incineroar stared toward Knight with obvious intent to break up their battle and perhaps even bring harm to him. Not wanting to take any chances, she clicked open her Flygon's Poké Ball, her Sygna Suit activating.

The Infinity Energy flowing between the two, Shalin created a NORMAL ZONE around her amphibious steed. The Seismitoad held fast to the ground with all four of his legs, every bump on his back and arms vibrating harshly to simulate the HYPER VOICE of other Pokémon. Shalin and the saddle she sat in turned into a blur, the girl somehow riding a living earthquake. The shockwaves chased the fire-type away in a hurry, the water-type's bumps slowing their frequency after the big cat left. "Phew! What a close one!" Shalin panted, though her voice may have been too distorted for Knight to understand.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD NUZLEAF APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] PICKPOCKET
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FAKE OUT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]RAZOR WIND
[attr="class","wildtabox"]GROWTH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TORMENT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Knight Naito Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD DURANT APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] TRUANT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ENTRAINMENT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BUG BITE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FURY CUTTER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]VICE GRIP
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Knight Naito Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Knight Naito CAUGHT THE SCATTERBUG!

Shalin was eccentric and quirky, but that didn't stop her from being a good leader. So what if Bass Boost was rocking her like a bass guitar amp at a rock concert? It was fun to her, and they were far enough away from civilization that the noise pollution would not be an issue.

"Nope, all yours!" Shalin gestured toward the two Pokémon. "My rule is if it can't wear a saddle, I don't want it!" Granted, Shalin very much stretched the definition of what could wear a saddle. She loved the whippy turns that Yooka, her Sceptile, could make. She sat between the wings of a Frosmoth before, and was running out of months to do that without wearing the icy bug out, too.

There really were some Pokémon only she would be willing to hop onto, weren't there?

"Yep, they are!" the Captain happily chirped. Her definition of what was a ride Pokémon was... substantially stretched from what most would consider one. If their trust blossomed, maybe one day he would get to see Nymris, her Pheromosa, working together with her Flygon in enabling her to hop on the Ultra Beast's wing. They were incredibly sturdy, especially with the limited reinforcement Sandy could offer Shalin through her Sygna Suit. They couldn't vibrate without flinging her off, but she could at least run incredibly fast while keeping them still.

As the loud crash reached Shalin ears, she felt a surge of shaking from beneath her. Not wanting to become woozy a second time just yet, she slid out of the saddle, giving Knight a good look at it when Bass Boost loosed a deafening HYPER VOICE toward the Tyranitar still trying to right itself after the failed charge toward the amphibian. The attack's purpose was not to shake the rock-type up, but to deny it hearing. That way, the strong Pokémon would never be able to tell Shalin was tailing it... until it felt her grab onto its spikes on its back, find purchase between more of them with her feet, and mount it like one would ride a dinosaur Pokémon.

Just like she did with Kouji Matsubara 's Tyranitar.

With a loud roar, the destructive Pokémon began to haphazardly charge through anything it could in an effort to dislodge the unwanted human astride it. She would make this Pokémon her own... if she could survive perhaps the wildest, roughest rodeo she had been on to date!