Cian's entrance to Mauville Racing Grounds' Main Sector, where the main battle court was located, went largely unnoticed by Gym Leader Josh Devlin. He was too busy trying to de-gear Verte, his Flygon, who was all too excited from getting to battle alongside Resheph, his Dragonair. The two had been best friends since they met, and it showed in the dragon-type's excitement. Josh's hand recoiled away as Verte briefly chirped his wings when the trainer was trying to remove the Flygon's saddle. "Ow!" he yelped from touching the vibrating wing. Even through his racing glove, that stung.

It was only when he was finally able to degear the Flygon that Resheph cooed while hovering between the two Leaders. "What's up?" Josh turned around, immediately noticing the Rustboro Gym Leader. "Oh, Cian! You're here early! I'm still on break, but we can get started a little early." He pointed the challenger to the west-side Trainer's Box, the Rustboro and Mauville crowds ready to see two of Hoenn's finest go at it. "These two are Verte and Resheph," he introduced the Flygon and Dragonair, the former chirping his briefly-invisible wings to greet Cian and his Pokémon.

As the two platforms on the sides of the vast, triple-sized, grass-covered battle court rose, Josh became suspicious of their battle at Rustboro. During his encounter with Cian as a Leader, the smaller Pokémon, not the larger one, was the biggest threat. If he wanted to hold the reputation of Mauville being one of Hoenn's toughest Gyms, he had to battle smart. The two dragons hovered above the court, just in front of the neutral zone. As Cian's Pokémon flew toward the court, the excited Dragonair leaped over the line before the referee called the start of the battle. A whistle signaled the battle was to be halted for the infraction Resheph had incurred.

"Neutral zone infraction, Leader Devlin's Dragonair. A class C penalty will be enforced from the spot of the foul. One of Challenger Maher's Pokémon will get a free shot on the Leader's Dragonair."

Josh rolled his eyes. This was a costly penalty he did not need.

Now Cian was just flexing. He got a free shot on the Dragonair, and he was going to squander it on a technique like INGRAIN, that would leave him immobile in a wide-open gym. Per the neutral zone infraction, Resheph would not be allowed to attack on the first round. Verte would more than make up for it, though. The Flygon had plenty of ways to punish the Leader's complacency. With the Trainers' Boxes being so far away from the center of the battle court, Josh didn't feel the need to cover his ears; instead he waved his Dragonair toward the edges of the grassy field, ready to build up her speed when the official gave the signal that she could rejoin the battle.

Once she was a safe distance away, Josh would show why Verte was more than capable of taking on two opponents at once. "Verte, rattle that Trevenant with your BUG BUZZ!" Giving up mobility completely, even in the name of endurance, was a grave mistake against the Master of Faster. The Flygon's wings disappearing in a pleasant hum, he began to flit toward the grass-type, attempting to land on its crown. Once he was in range, the hum would quickly turn into a harsh, grating noise as the Flygon's entire body began visibly vibrating from the speed and power he fluttered his rigid wings with.

The Trevenant's CURSE caused the rest of Verte's body to start vibrating, and not in a good way. Wrack with a burning ache everywhere, the Flygon's rhythm was badly disrupted, one wing beating faster than the other and making it that much more challenging for his Pokémon to stay on the crown. "Come on, Verte, fight it!" Josh cried. "Faster, Verte!" Letting out a loud cry, the Flygon doubled down on its skilled trainer's strategy. His wings squealing from how rapidly they were beating, Josh crossed his fingers that the sudden burst of vibration would be enough to shred the Trevenant's fighting spirit, because his own Pokémon's was out the door from overexertion.

If this turned to a match between Resheph and the Scorbunny, the Dragonair would have the clear advantage. While he wouldn't be allowed to Terastallize like in his match on Cian's home turf, the known threat of AQUA TAIL had to be lingering in the challenger's mind. Was his plan to try to outrace the Master of Faster? He scoffed. "If you think you're going to beat me at my own game, think again. Resheph, fire back with your own AGILITY! I know you're a Gym Leader too, but even you will see why I am the Master of Faster!" Surrounding herself in dragon energy, the Dragonair looked to keep pace with the small fire-type, ready to deliver a brutal blow with her AQUA TAIL when the time was right.

The ghost-type's PHANTOM FORCE took Verte into the ethereal with it, the loud vibration eerily ceasing. The duo reappeared on top of the Dragonair, in a position where it was easy for Cian's two Pokémon to pincer attack her. The only reason the Dragonair was still up was due to how strong Josh's bond with her was, being part of the six Pokémon he most trusted.

Hopps' QUICK ATTACK came from underneath Resheph's blind spot, the young fire-type smacking her schnoz in a smashing success. While the swift strike was not powerful, it distracted the serpent long enough for the small Pokémon to pull ahead. "Don't you dare let it get away, Resheph!" Josh cried as his Pokémon gave chase across the grassy, empty field. "Trip it with your AQUA TAIL!"

Both Pokémon were incredibly fast; Cian showed Josh that he had the chops to earn his Badge, regardless of the battle's outcome. Rustboro's Leader was proving to be a master of underdog Pokémon. While the more advanced Trevenant looked like the main threat, it served as a mere distraction for his true ace: a Scorbunny that was stronger and more nimble than any Cinderace Josh had ever seen. It was one of the most difficult feints to execute in all of professional Pokémon battling, but when done properly, it caught so many opponents off guard. Successes often became local and regional news media sensations.

Josh's mind was set. This battle was close enough that Cian clearly was deserving of the Quick Badge. That Scorbunny was proving itself to be able to think fast, as did its trainer. It was still in his personality to at least give the challenger the illusion that failure was still possible, though! "EXTREME SPEED, Resheph!" Josh shouted, the Pokémon lowering her horn in the blink of an eye. Surrounded with purple dragon energy, she launched herself directly at the bouncing Scorbunny's kicking foot, trying to take advantage of the ludicrous closing speed the two attacks were on a collision course at. There was no denying that the impact with the fire-type's kick was going to leave Resheph badly stunned, if not out of the battle outright. Josh held his breath as the two were about to crash into one another...

The two Pokémon screeches drowned out much of the noise from the crash, the iron-hard foot and sharp horn slamming into one another. The sweating Dragonair collapsed at the same time as Cian's Scorbunny. The side judge ruled, "Challenger's Scorbunny is unable to battle. Leader Devlin's Dragonair wins the match."

Josh exhaled deeply and loudly as the Trainer's Boxes retracted into the ground. He withdrew his fallen Dragonair and approached the Rustboro Leader, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "What a close match," he said with another big sigh. "You were so close to a victory. I want to give you this Badge. I think you deserve it in every way. But League regulations, as I am sure you know, mandate--"

"The previous exchange is under review," boomed the head judge's voice over nearby loudspeakers, the exchange of BOUNCE and EXTREME SPEED being played back on the big screen from multiple angles. All of the match's judges were in a huddle, discussing what the outcome of the match should be.

"I hope this review goes your way. I really do," Josh empathized. "You're so talented to be able to defeat me as a Challenger. As a Leader, it should be easier for you to win. I wouldn't want a wrong ruling to deny you the Badge you deserve. This is why I'm happy the Hoenn League has a review process for close matches like this one." He began to shake and sweat; were those real nerves? Josh wasn't one to get nervous often.

After the longest few minutes in Josh's Gym Leader career so far, the head judge came back onto the field. "After reviewing the exchange, the Scorbunny's feet touched the ground after Resheph collapsed, Therefore the call on the field is overturned. The match goes to the challenger, CIAN MAHER !"

Josh's face turned red with joy for the Rustboro Leader. "I guess you get your Badge after all!" With that, Josh reached into his pocket, clenching one of his beacon-shaped symbols of victory in his right fist, then hold it above Cian's hand. When both were ready, he would drop the Badge into the challenger's open hand. "Befittting of someone with the title Gym Leader, you have shown your ability to act calmly under pressure. Wear Mauville's Quick Badge with pride. This Gym has a storied history of being run by some of the toughest and most successful Leaders in Hoenn. You should be proud of yourself." The crowd gave Cian a standing ovation for his exploits.

"Oh, and one more thing. When's our rematch in Rustboro?"