Josh's move was quick, but lacked punch. That lack of power would be Nitro's undoing as Melody's grand finale crescendoed. As fast as Snacker was, HYPER VOICE was a move no amount of speed would let him evade. He knew that well from raising so many Pyroar, a number of them weaponizing their roars against foes too fast to catch. "Brace for impact, Nitro! BULK UP!"

Planting his feet, he stood in front of the shark Pokémon with bravery shared by the Gym Leader. It was not the water itself that stung; it was the sheer pressure with which the Primarina doused the bright green ride Pokémon. Were the grass-type not there to shield Snacker from both the HYPER VOICE and the HYDRO CANNON, it would have spelled curtains for him. While the best defense was a good offense, a good defense was still important. Though Nitro fell, leaving Snacker alone in combat against two of Melody's Pokémon, the tempo of the battle was shifting in the Master of Faster's favor.

"LIQUIDATION," was Josh's stern, one-word command. Despite his nasty internal wounds from absorbing the HYPER VOICE's vibration, he pushed himself to his limits for his trainer. A shield of water formed around the Pokémon's head, ramming toward Louis. "A lot more than you think, Melody. I'm a different person than I was last time we met." With Ariel breathless after the HYDRO CANNON, if this takedown was successful, the rest of the match would be a formality.

The vibrating spikes, along with the SHARPEDONITE Snacker wore. looked about ready to strike, when all of a sudden, they stopped, along with the AQUA JET the Sharpedo was about to fire to interrupt the ghost-type attack and keep the Pokémon swimming within the Idol's arena. With the right angle, the attack would strike them both. If the angle was wrong, Snacker would go careening into his own ally's SPIKES, ending the battle with a second defeat.

"Are you calling time out, Melody?" Josh asked, still astride his Zeraora. Though they were mostly still, there was something that comforted the Gym Leader when he was in the saddle of any Pokémon. Whether it was fast as a Zeraora or possessed the more modest speed of a Gogoat, it felt natural to him... almost as though the feeling let him reach a heightened state of awareness he otherwise could not react. "What for? What do you need to ask me?"

In a one-on-one match between Primarina and Sharpedo, there was an obvious winner. With all the recovery the fairy-type had the opportunity to perform, a battle between the two would only end in Josh's defeat. Why would Melody offer Josh this choice when she had the upper hand? Wasn't it the job of the Elite Four to crush the souls of candidates that appeared before them, only those who could defeat all of them at their very best earning a right to the championship match? The fewer Champion Ranked trainers there were in Hoenn, the better job the Elite Four were doing, right?

An encore would get the crowd going, though. What choice did Josh have? Not to mention, Josh would have a choice of Pokémon to face, too? Having met with Cobalion before, he knew the Pokémon was swift. It would be good practice for the championship match, where he would have to defeat a legendary Pokémon without using one himself. One god would not stop him from achieving the title.

What made two in his way any different?

Sliding down from Raikiri's back, Josh stood on his own too feet for the first time all match. "kyle lopez promised me he would use Entei in our championship match. If I can't get through Cobalion, there is no hope of getting through Entei." It may have been the more difficult opponent in his eyes, but it would best prepare him for the championship match. "I'll pick--"

Melody's last line stopped him. She was looking for flexibility. What better way to test flexibility than doing battle with an opponent he had never seen before? Perhaps Meloetta would be an easier opponent, too. Cobalion's amazing power was a known quantity. This Meloetta, though, was a totally unknown opponent. It couldn't be stronger than a legendary Pokémon, could it?

"Meloetta."

Josh's reasoning was simple, yet clear once he stated it. "I've seen Cobalion fight many times. I know Cobalion is fast. But Meloetta is a Pokémon I have yet to see in action until now. A true Champion should be able to prove they can hold their own against a Pokémon they've never seen before." He sighed deeply. "And Melody?" he asked as Raikiri leaped from the trainer's box down to the main stage.

"The next chance I get after becoming a Champion, I want to join your ranks. I've had my eyes on the Elite Four vacancy since Callan Young left. I don't think I'll ever have that chance, though. As long as MATIAS SILPH is Elite Four, he will veto it. I want to fight alongside you, kyle lopez , John Sullivan , and the others. My family is moving to Hoenn around my birthday. I want to protect them, you, and everyone else. There are too many horrible people in Hoenn that should not be allowed to roam free. I want to do what I can to get them on the right side. And those whose hearts are too hard to see their mistakes... they are the League's true enemies. They are the ones I have no mercy for."

The Master of Faster took a deep breath as Raikiri dashed around the arena's perimeter in a burst of AGILITY that turned the Pokémon into a blur. As much as Josh wanted to go into the battle with sparks flying, he needed to learn as much as he could about the psychic-type before making his stand.

"I want to save people on both sides of the aisle. I really do. But I also have no patience or remorse for Rockets who double down on their awful agenda."

It was true that Cobalion was not the one of the Sacred Swords particularly known for speed. That was MATIAS SILPH 's Virizion. It was the last fond memory Josh had of the Elite Four before learning of his true nature. "Not Cobalion's greatest strength, I imagine, but one to be respected nonetheless," he clarified his understanding. Perhaps his understanding of Alexei Ivanov 's tale was not entirely correct, or the tale itself had lapses of truth about the steel-type's capabilities.

Either way, it was not relevant. Josh had a match to win.

The lullaby was of great concern. Josh was learning more and more about Melody's mysterious Pokémon as the long match went on. He was glad the match was untimed! Needing to make a quick move before the Meloetta's song crescendoed, the Gym Leader put his trust in his instincts that had kept him alive through multiple giant battles and world-ending events. "Raikiri, quickly! ELECTRO BALL!"

The bounding Zeraora dug his claws into the floor, snarling as he shifted his weight toward the psychic-type. With a bright shower of sparks, he about-faced in the foe's direction, thrusting a small sphere of electricity toward them. While he lacked the speed to build the attack up fully, the high-speed sphere would still pack quite a wallop if it were to hit. Success or no, the tendrils of sleep would find Raikiri during Meloetta's chorus. Even Josh himself yawned, having to slap his cheeks a few times just to stay awake during the mythical singer's performance.

With the mythical thundercat snoozing, the psychic dancer and singer had all the time in the world to line up a flurry of ACROBATIC kicks. "Raikiri!" Josh shouted in an effort to arouse his partner, but it was no good; the waterfalls masked too much of his voice for the sleeping electric-type to reach. Acrobatics, though? That was quite the unusual choice. If this Pokémon was a singer, wouldn't something like Hyper Voice have been a better move to use? Surely the Elite Four knew the feline's typing, at least? "Raikiri!" he shouted again.

The Meloetta's rapid blows left their mark upon Josh's most prized Pokémon. Ineffective as they may have been against the Electric-type, they would sting once the Zeraora had been aroused from his slumber. Was this part of Melody's plan? To pelt the foe with blow after blow that were not heavy enough to wake him up, then finish the battle with one mighty attack?

ROLE PLAY.

A weapon more devastating to Raikiri than anything the Zeraora had in his arsenal. It neutralized any speed edge the thundercat had; an Electro Ball now would only rejuvenate the Meloetta all the more. The only relief Josh got was his continued shouting getting through to his Pokémon in the relative calm. With a yawn, Raikiri got to his four feet and snarled at Melody's prized partner.

Josh guffawed at Melody's taunt. "Think fast? I'm the Master of Faster. There's no one better than me at thinking fast! And that includes you!" While he could no longer use his Zeraora's devastating Electro Ball, there was one more electric attack he had that would put Melody in a tight spot, or perhaps even win him the match out right. It was one that he developed as a countermeasure to his idol's extreme speed. "HYPERSONIC..."

The sphere of electricity surrounding the feline preceded speed that was what Mauville Gym was all about. When used by his electric Pokémon, it bestowed upon them unparalleled speed. Speed that not even Raikou could keep up with. It was the young man's signature move, and perhaps the only person in the world that could follow it.

"...PLASMA CHARGE!!!"



Tearing into the arena floor with his claws to make a sharp about face, Raikiri lunged toward Meloetta in a maelstrom of lightning intense enough to overload even the dancer's newly acquired capability to absorb electricity. As much as he wanted to save it for the element of surprise, if Raikiri hit the ground one more time, it was over.

He had to make his move then and there. And so he did.