"Best of luck to you, Finn," Josh replied in a friendly demeanor before a focused look washed over his face. It was the same look that Cillian got when he squared off against Josh the last time. It was the same Zeraora, too. The same quadrupedal Zeraora, unable to hold back. On the prowl with the ferocity of a Raikou, he met Faolan's PLASMA PAWS head on, the claws clashing in an electric fireworks show that threatened to short out the lighting and the scoreboard from how far the sparks reached. It was a terrifying exchange of blows, one Raikiri only barely came out on top of.

Faolan was no ordinary foe, either. The Lucario may have been the most vicious foe he encountered all tournament. Showing zero mercy, the Zeraora took off across the court, screeching to a stop to ignite his paws from friction alone. Josh's prized Pokémon zipped back in the Lucario's direction, lunging at him with paws ablaze, striking with the vigor of a martial artist master's FIRE PUNCHES.

"The closer matches are more entertaining for us, too," Josh replied. "Ever had a day where just every single challenger you get has no clue what they're doing? It gets so boring." The prospect of close, exciting matches not only meant more educational opportunities for spectators, it also meant higher ticket sales. Though education was the main purpose of Hoenn's Pokémon Gyms, hence why they received League subsidies, it was still important, at least in Josh's eyes, for Mauville Racing Grounds to remain profitable. He eventually wanted the Gym to be profitable without accounting for his generous League stipend. If he could get that figure out of the red and into the black, it would give him so much more job security and not have to cull his ranks in the event he had to step down as Gym Leader.

"Mind counting me in on that test run?" Josh asked. Scolipede were huge, capable of seating several people on their backs. "It'll help me decide whether I like it or not." He truly did want one of every common Pokémon that could bear a rider, didn't he? He wondered how much he had spent at his favorite saddlery in Verdanturf. A small, if not a mid-sized fortune, at least. It was all worth it to him, though. He could not only follow his passion for racing, but share it through every challenger. Before long, there would be serious money to be made in the sport in Hoenn -- and possibly attract people back to the region despite war tearing it asunder.

Another loud purr from Pura startled Josh. "I think she wants to go for a run, Lam," he idly remarked. "I'll try to stay in sight, but she has a mind of her own."

The gait reminded Josh of Goroh when he was getting up to speed, before he inflated his air sacs and really got going. The speed was already well beyond what any of his Cyclizar were capable of in a gallop. The feel was much the same, though. "It does," Josh nodded in agreement as the dragon-type bounded about the cave floor. "A lot faster, though. This is way faster than Goroh can run. Now when he gets on his wheels, that's another story."

Josh smiled. "...You're the dragon master. Kora it is!" he ceded, though the Koraidon was named Diesel in his mind. Despite their very high speed, the turns were gentle...except the one onto the wall. That one nearly forced Josh off the paradox Pokémon's back, making him clutch Andrea's waist tightly while the two went vertical.

"Runs like a Cyclizar, climbs like a Salazzle or Sceptile," Josh mused, reminded of some of the rougher rides Fire Eyes took him on. This was somehow faster yet smoother than any of them... almost like the species itself was meant to be ridden without any sort of tack or even a saddle at all.

The two broke the fog covering the top of the Terastal Cavern, the duo beholding a long, spiraling, almost strip mine-like chasm that seemed to lead upward into infinity. They could race around in circles for a long time and never make it to the top. It was gorgeous, as were some of the Pokémon populating the seemingly endless ramp. Glimmora and a lot of Pokémon from the Interdream Mist. Even a Roaring Moon or two flew in the glinting landscape dotted with crystals, unblemished grass, and crystal clear waterfalls. "It's... so beautiful here..." Josh gasped as the Koraidon pushed away from the clifftop.

Victor's suggestion was well-placed. Riding a dragon was completely different than other flying Pokémon. With their high intelligence, reins were often more symbolic than practical, the trust between dragon and rider the true steering mechanism. If freya morningstar 's expertise was to be believed, trust was the only bridle a dragon was willing to accept. "I'd give it until at least the spring. Sidewinder's more than willing to let you take the helm, that much I'm certain of. But give your dragon a couple months or more to warm up to you."

Dragonair was also a good species to learn with, Their serpentine bodies got riders ready for the g-forces many dragons could subject their partners to, yet they were relatively easy to command. The most important thing for Victor to learn was what his dragon wanted out of their friendship. Friendship with Pokémon was a two-way street, but it was especially important for raising a dragon.

"I've got a couple dragon Pokémon that have eluded me over the months," Josh answered. "Think it's just Druddigon and Tyrantrum. If I can get those two, I should have one of every saddle-worthy common dragon Pokémon at Mauville Gym."

Josh, too, had been pushed quite far from the intense fight. The clash of Z-Moves left him weak, feeling like he had come back from a war zone. "It shows why we're both Gym Leaders. You're talented," he complimented the tagteam expert. "It's also just a tough matchup for a bird. That Pops can even remain standing after being rocked by Raikiri's fastest and strongest attack says something about your talent."

After turning in the match slip, Josh walked over to Lam and sat down to chat with him a bit. "Sometime after the tournament, when it gets a little warmer, would you have fun experiencing Raikiri's speed for yourself? Going for a ride on him together might be fun. I need to get used to his full speed again after being bedridden for so long after the war."

Josh's eyes, on the contrary, were well-trained. Though Huggles was invisible during his fastest spurts, the speed demon of a Gym Leader could still follow him some. It strained his eyesight to do so, but he could. The low hum of the Dragonite's wings meant that Andrea's partner had mastered the Sacred Arte of Extreme Speed.

"That's awesome!" Josh chirped back. "You fly on him like that often?" he asked. "I was going to take a more leisurely flight to the hotel so we can unwind, but if you're really in a hurry to get there, I can bring out Tiamat. She's my own Dragonite!" And they could get there in a real hurry, too. While breaking the sound barrier above town was likely illegal, they could fly just below sonic speed and still make it to the venue in very little time.

Regardless of how they got there, the two would arrive at the venue without incident, check-in a little busy not not too bad. Was there some kind of event going on at the hotel's lower levels? There were an awful lot of decorations in the lobby. Once they had their keys in hand, getting to their rooms wouldn't be difficult at all.

With the rooms designed to be occupied by four, both Josh and Andrea would each have their own bed. The room was spacious; they had quite the annual travel stipend available to them by virtue of being Gym Leaders. "Phew!" the Master of Faster exhaled, taking his winter coat off and turning it inside out, letting it dry over the register. "This is gonna be a great couple of weeks away from Hoenn. Obviously we need to hit up a supermarket tomorrow morning, but we should see about planning our schedule out. Of course leaving room for flexibility. Obviously we'll want to take several trips to Coronet, but there's plenty to do otherwise!"

Raikiri was far too tired to even try swerving out of the way of the TERA BLAST. The incredibly fast move was powerful, yes, but it left its user winded afterward; the exertion of ramming and trampling a foe far faster than the user's body was designed to move at was a danger of the attack. With no energy to evade, the explosion sent the motionless Zeraora flying into the air, later hitting the court with a loud thud.

"Such a close match," Josh admitted. "If anyone had the chops to withstand my ultimate move, one I pioneered myself mind you, it was a Gym Leader like you." Withdrawing his Zeraora, he shakily smiled. "One of these days, now that you're in the majors, I'll have to come back and meet the Raikou of my dreams again. In a different adventure, of course."

All the time while Sylv warmed up its voice. a trio of ELECTRO BALLS formed on Raikiri's teal faceplace and the tips of his bolt-shaped whiskers. The fairy-type's song disrupted the Zeraora's concentration, causing the three spheres to fly toward the Eeveelution before they had been fully formed. Without the focus the electric-type lost from the soothing song, the mythical feline collapsed in dizziness.

The horn sounded one more time as the exchange happened, this one almost certainly coming down to a judge decision. Even if Sylv were to fall to the barrage of electric attacks, did the electric cat get the attack off before the clock read zeroes?

In what appeared to be a twist of impressive fortune, the Meltan stumbled out of the way of the entire barrage of electric attacks, the Zeraora open to a HEADBUTT to the underbelly! Raikiri hissed loudly, stunned from the cut the sharp edge left on him. What kind of Pokémon could see through an attack that fast? There was something truly special about the Pokémon before Josh.

He couldn't hold back anymore, Josh lifting his Z-Glove to eye level. He was pondering pulling the trigger on Raikiri's ultimate move. Ultimately deciding against it, he simply let the battle continue as it was. The electric feline, discouraged by his ranged attacks' ineffectiveness, leaped toward the rafters. When the time was right, he would BOUNCE off them and toward the Meltan, his aerial charge made even faster by the force of gravity.

Josh wasn't the only one that brought food, it seemed; whether planned or not, it seemed like this was going to be a potluck. Leftovers weren't a bad thing; he could take them back to the hotel room. With a good ride Pokémon, he might even be able to heat a slice or two between rounds if he finished one in a sweep. Plus, who could say no to Alexei Ivanov 's macarons and a can of lemonade?

Speaking of the Birdfather, his remarks about the Dynamax phenomenon did not go unnoticed. "Alex, I know you have your reservations about it. I do, too. I'm sure that's one of the reasons Michael Navidson and the bigwigs set this meeting up for us: for us to be Gym Leaders and work this out like adults. We're Leaders for a reason: to resolve conflicts." As the bird trainer dashed off to let lam logan in the door, noah faber returned Josh's reply with one of his own. Josh grabbed a plate full of most of the food varieties brought, except for the tuna sandwiches (the texture, eww) before sitting down next to the Machampion.

"We all know CIAN MAHER 's got the tournament mostly locked up. Man's got more stamina than a Machamp," he answered. "I just want to be on that podium when it's all said and done. Thanks to... you know, the Eris incident last year, and the fines from it, I've been a bit cash-strapped, only rebuilding my finances recently. If I can keep second place, I'm going to use the prize money to get myself a Dynamax Band. I really don't want to spend the money on it, but..." he trailed off, setting his Raikou stuffie to one side and taking a bite out of his meat-lovers' slice. "I just think there's undocumented health issues with them. Not to you, but to your Pokémon. It's why I want to petition higher-ups to give a grant to Science for research on them. I'm just afraid... something really bad is going to come to Pokémon as a result of this."

Before long, the man of the hour arrived, alongside Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki . Before he could say anything to the Councilwoman, the meeting was starting. "Isn't it expected that we all perform well in the tournament?" Josh half-joked before his tone became more serious. "That's actually something I wanted to bring up to both you and freya morningstar . Don't get me wrong, the racing challenge at Mauville Gym tests the bond between trainer and Pokémon, but how does it help the city prepare for a Rocket invasion? Evacuations, maybe?"

Josh would offer a direct answer to Michael Navidson 's question before continuing on. "The number of Gym Trainers at Mauville has been growing a lot. I've recently recruited Raju Mystic onto my roster, and he's showing a lot of promse. He might even be my interim Gym Leader if something prevents me from doing my duty. We can handle 'em. Since dorian westcliff attacked Mauville Gym in the spring, we haven't been touched. Whatever we're doing, it's working. We've also got one of the fastest response times in Hoenn. Going fast isn't just for show!" Largely, it was, but it had its niche uses the Gym Leader was gonna work hard to sell. It would be wrong to say he wasn't biased, however.

The gears had been turning on the idea for such a challenge ever since the day the Dewford Gym Leader visited him in the hospital. It still had a long way to develop in his mind, plus it needed to be approved by the League. He still wasn't quite sure who in the League was responsible for approving Gym challenges. "I... I am considering the implementation of a more relevant non-traditional challenge at Mauville Racing Grounds. It's war courier training. My injuries at Dewford taught me a lot. Not everyone belongs on the front lines, you know? I tried to play hero, and look where I wound up. I almost died out there. Messengers are just as important as fighters. Maybe even more important. They supply medicine that keep the front lines healthy. More importantly, they can relay war plans in a form that can't be intercepted. Can't wiretap pen and paper, after all. I'm still working on the details, but I wanted to add it as an option to earn my Badge. The racing challenge is far too popular for it to go anywhere. Thoughts?"

Being a new Gym Trainer, Raju indeed had limited options. For a moment, it made Josh take for granted his ability to raise so many different Pokémon. He never imagined that he would run into space issues at his Gym, but with a hundred Pokémon and counting, there wouldn't be room for many more.

"Sounds like a good idea," Josh nodded in agreement, leading Raju back to the lobby indoors. On one side of the waiting area was a water dispenser and a stack of foam cups, normally used by challengers waiting their turn to see the Leader. "Help yourself, and don't be modest! We've got plenty more tanks downstairs."

The Gym Leader would take a seat next to Raju while both rehydrated. "One of these days, when it's after hours, I'll have to show you some of my... really special Pokémon. I've come into quite a few of them over the recent months. Might be helpful to get to know them in case you have to take a challenger that has one, too."

Though he survived being perforated with hard, Grass-type projectiles, the experience kept Josh from doing what he loved for what seemed like endless weeks. Even now, he could not ride as fast as he wanted to. Raikiri was out of the question; the Zeraora's rapid running stroke would simply put too much stress on his body after not having raced at breakneck speed since the fall. "That's very thoughtful of you, Nikola," he answered.

Blinky appreciated the affection, though Nikola would need to be careful of static electricity and the Jolteon's quills. She longed for Josh to feel well enough to ride her again; she wanted to be able to use her speed again; as talented as Josh's Gym Trainers were, they simply did not have the core strength to push the blindingly fast Eeveelution to her full potential.

"To an extent," Josh answered. "I just miss doing what I love - going fast. I've lost so much speed tolerance after not being able to ride for what... over two months now?"

Makoto's opponent would be a familiar one - the Gym Leader of Mauville City, Josh Devlin , whom she had squared off with at Dewford. Not the most recent time, but the time before. It was sad that there had to be a distinction between the two due to them occurring in the same year.

There was something unsettling about the purple-haired girl that kept him from saying too much other than a simple greeting. "Hi there! Gym Leader Devlin, but you can call me Josh. And this is Raikiri," he gestured toward the Zeraora, who waved his front right paw toward the ice fox that looked almost as speedy. "Your Ninetales looks quite fast. This should be a good match."