Interim Gym Leader JACKIE MYERS was overwhelmed ever since the passing of the previous Interim Gym Leader, SHAWN RICHARDS. While the weather had washed away the bloodstains and the Gym's landscaping crew had repaired the main battle court for use, the trauma of seeing her coworkers die brutal deaths would forever live within her. Today's challenge against sergei dachev , though, would be especially overwhelming. When Gym Leader Josh Devlin told her she would get to use Raikiri, the most powerful Pokémon he had, she didn't know how to feel. Even holding the Zeraora's Poké Ball gave her goose bumps. The sound of the PA system paging both challenger and Leader raised her nerves even more:

"Challenger Dachev and Leader Myers, please report to the Main Sector. Challenger Dachev and Leader Myers, to the Main Sector. Thank you."

Provided the challenger was able to follow the Gym's ample signage, he would locate the flushed-looking female standing next to a feral-looking Zeraora that moved on all fours. She was removing the saddle from an Aerodactyl that also looked like quite the opponent in battle. "Good morning!" The young Gym Trainer extended a hand toward the challenger. "Great to see you. Would you prefer Sergei, or Mr. Dachev?" she asked, trembling somewhat. The INFINITY ENERGY radiating from the Zeraora was, for someone not used to it, oppressive. How did Josh Devlin ride something like that?

Regardless of how introductions went, Jackie would finish removing the saddle from Meteos, then guide Sergei the rest of the way to the wide-open, grassy battle court that was triple regulation size. "This will be a Doubles format battle with two Pokémon per side," she began explaining the rules. "The battle is over when one side is unable to continue. According to your application, Z-Moves will be permitted during this battle. I look forward to seeing what you've come up with." With the ready signals, the trainers' boxes on the west and east sides of the court would rise via hydraulic lift, giving the Leader and challenger a view from tens of feet above. With a shriek, Meteos the Aerodactyl led the way, the mythical speedster following in a flash of electricity.

IT DID NOT TAKE LONG BEFORE THE PA SYTSTEM CALLS ON SERGEI AND A CERTAIN 'LEADER MYERS'. He checks upon his rumpled copy of a League poster, where it says a Josh Devlin runs the place. The redhead shrugs it off, thinking it might be outdated already and decides to keep it in his pocket.

It also did not take long before he reaches the Main Sector where he sees the lady with the saddled Aerodactyl and the rad-looking Zeraora.

"Morning!" He exchanges pleasantries as he focuses himself on the creatures before him. "Sorry, I've never seen Pokemons like these before." He takes a quick glance at the flying dinosaur before he focuses on the Zeraora. Something inside tells him this feline is not to be pet. At all cost. "Serj is fine!"

He then follows her towards the open field and explains the mechanics of the battle. Upon reaching his side of the court, elevating him ten feet from the ground, he then hurls the Pokeballs of his partners into the air. "Valiant, Enigma; you're up!"

Upon release, his two Pokemons dance with the wind. Roaring Moon glides in the air as the Garchomp hovers himself. It is a good thing these boxes have their own comms system, because he cannot afford shouting at the opposite side of the arena talking with his opponent all the time. "So, ladies first?"

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TL;DR
- Wonders why it's not Josh Devlin in the opposite site of the field
- "You can call me SERJ"
- Brings out GARCHOMP and ROARING MOON

GYM: QUICK BADGE
Josh Devlin

If Sergei were to look closely, he would see evidence that the feral-looking Zeraora that walked on all fours also routinely wore a saddle. As wild as the big cat looked, he was friendly around people. A bit hyperactive, but friendly enough. He just missed battling, and more so racing, with Mauville's true Gym Leader; the man was perhaps one of the only people in Hoenn that could handle his run that exceeded the speed of race cars. As though demonstrating his speed, he lunged back and forth across the entire length of the battle court in a flash.

The Roaring Moon Sergei used was a Pokémon Jackie was familiar with only from Josh using one. She didn't know the intricacies of how it fought, but she at least knew that electricity wouldn't be very effective on it. "You got it!" As soon as the side judge waved his flags for the battle to begin, the young lady fought just like the Leader would: fast and hard. Rapidly building up speed, the Zeraora darted back and forth in an effort to confuse and distract the challenger's two Pokémon, BOUNCING toward Enigma in an effort to bring the Salamence look-alike back to the ground. Meteos leaped alongside Raikiri, his sights set on Valiant as his jaws opened in a cloud of mist that was the precursor to a flesh-rending ICE FANG.

VALIANT IS THE FIRST TO COUNTER. Upon seeing the Aerodactyl's chilling fangs, the Garchomp swiftly swoops down into the ground using DIG to escape.

Meanwhile, Enigma embraces the incoming impact of the Zeraora's attack. Wincing, the Roaring Moon uses the opportunity to trap the feline in its ruby-colored wings as it CRUNCHES through its flesh.

"Those are really flashy moves!" Sergei exclaims with excitement. "But I gotta show you my partners' zing too!"

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TL;DR
- GARCHOMP uses DIG; GARCHOMP evades AERODACTYL's ICE FANG
- ROARING MOON is hit by BOUNCE; traps the ZERAORA inside its wings
- ROARING MOON uses CRUNCH against ZERAORA

GYM: QUICK BADGE
Josh Devlin

Meteos lunged for the Garchomp's tail, some ice crystals falling on the burrowing Pokémon but causing no real harm. While the Aerodactyl was safe from the dragon-type's wrath, Raikiri wasn't. Far from it. As the Roaring Moon and Zeraora struggled, Jackie whistled for Blitz, the electric-type making a heroic leap to join the Interim Gym Leader on her platform. If Sergei was overly familiar with Mauville Gym, he would have know that this was a tell that something big was coming. It was the signature Z-Move the Gym was known for.

Raikiri couldn't use the move while immobilized beneath the strange Pokémon's red wings, though. "Raikiri, use ELECTRO BALL!" Jackie commanded. While the attack wouldn't be particularly effective against most dragons, the Zeraora was Josh's very fastest Pokémon, and easily the best wielder of the move that rewarded ludicrous speed. Meteos, too, would get involved with freeing the trapped electric-type, flying low to the ground and attempting to slice into the dragon's scales with sharp, STONE EDGED talons. It would leave him susceptible to the Garchomp's DIG attack, but it was a small price to pay to keep the blistering fast electric-type on his paws.

THE FELINE EASILY BREAKS FREE FROM THE ROARING MOON'S WINGS, with the help of the STONE EDGE TALONS by the Aerodactyl the dragon loses its grip. Zeraora then leaps a gigantic height to which it shoots the light's speed ELECTRO BALL into Enigma.

But despite the situation, Sergei just smiles. "Don't think you get us yet."

Contrary to what Jackie might expect, the Garchomp breaks free from the land and dashes like a bullet into the feline's direction. It matches the speed of the projectile, the dragon feeling the tingling, stinging sensation that tickles its skin as it dives into the ELECTRO BALL, and then into Zeraora with its fins first.

It is Enigma that retaliates at the fossil Pokemon. Grimacing from the attacks it has survived, the Roaring Moon's paws glow a bluish white light and pounces with a BRICK BREAK into the Aerodactyl's right wing.

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TL;DR
- ROARING MOON is hit by AERODACTYL's STONE EDGE; letting go the ZERAORA from its wings
- GARCHOMP uses DIG at ZERAORA; GARCHOMP is hit by ZERAORA's ELECTRO BALL
- ROARING MOON uses [BRICK BREAK against AERODACTYL, targeting its right wing

GYM: QUICK BADGE
Josh Devlin

Jackie did a double-take when the ELECTRO BALL slammed into the Garchomp. Was one of Raikiri's special powers the ability to harm ground-type Pokémon with his electric attacks? Was that the reason Josh's ace in the hole was so feared? Zeraora were truly something else. With speed that rivaled even some legendary Pokémon and that, why had Josh been so hellbent on befriending Raikou? Perhaps the Gym Leader was right when he said Raikiri was the reincarnation of the Raikou that died in the Kanto War. It made the power she wielded even more frightening.

"AGILITY, Meteos!" Having been distracted by freeing Raikiri, Meteos would have been caught completely off guard by the Roaring Moon's BRICK BREAK if not for the Interim Leader's shout. The BRICK BREAK instead left a visible imprint on the flying dinosaur's tail. It still stung. Badly. The important thing was Meteos was still flying. "You're naive to think you can land a called shot on a Pokémon so fast," Jackie confidently retorted.

Josh was one to have a quick trigger finger. Part of what held Jackie back was her unwillingness to commit. She could battle with her own Pokémon much better, but her personal team traded a substantial amount of speed for durability. It was the antithesis of what Mauville Gym was to teach trainers. She had to think like Josh would. It was reckless, and if she was off by even a split second, the battle was lost. She climbed aboard the Luxray and twisted the electric lion's reins in the Z-Pose she had carefully studied. "HYPERSONIC..."

She had to be the Gym Leader in the moment. That meant not only trusting in the precepts Josh had taught her, but trusting in the Leader's Pokémon. If they were too fast for the girl to follow, they were likely too fast for Sergei to follow. Josh had taught her how to go fast. Today, she would teach this challenger the power of going fast.

"...PLASMA CHARGE!!!"



The reverberation of a sonic boom nearly blew Jackie off the electric mount she used to maintain the Z-Pose needed to initiate what was possibly the fastest Pokémon move in the world. In one frame of human eyesight, the thundercat was in one corner of the large battle court. In the next, he was on the far aide, the Garchomp right in between the two points. If the Garchomp withstood the attack, though, Raikiri was in huge trouble, winded after the display of supreme speed and a sitting Ducklett for the shark's DIG attack.

THE DIP INTO THE GROUND IS CRUCIAL because it is the foundation of Valiant's strategy to win. Despite the overwhelming speed of both the dragon and the Zeraora, its cobalt eyes will eventually notice the vortex of sand swirling around the Garchomp, his SAND VEIL from the DIG cushioning itself from the power of the other Pokemon's attack.

Garchomp withstands the strike: the speed of the creature doing most of the work than the electricity charged. The Garchomp losses his momentum to strike but the situation turns into an unexpected opportunity to make it advantageous. Mimicking the Roaring Moon's attempt to lock down Zeraora, Garchomp grasps the creature by the torso with its fins as he dives head first in an attempt to BULLDOZE through the ground.

On the other side of the field, Enigma sneers. It may not be as fast its opponent, but it has all the power it needed to tank the game. Sergei is confident with his Pokemon's skills, and so he doesn't mind Jackie teasing his dragon's agility. "It doesn't matter, it's still a strike!"

But truth be told, the dragon can still boost its power. It lifts from the ground and twirls into a DRAGON DANCE, the moon-shaped creature flapping its wings like a moth, hovering around and above the Aerodactyl. Catching a decent altitude, the dragon attempts to tower over the battle field, waiting for its turn to unleash its secret weapon.

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TL;DR
- GARCHOMP activates ability SAND VEIL (the intent is that the sand veil is just there, the sand from when the Garchomp digs covers around its body as it bullets through the Zeraora)
- GARCHOMP is hit by HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE
- GARCHOMP misses DIG
- GARCHOMP wraps its finned limbs around ZERAORA; dives headfirst with the ZERAORA using BULLDOZE
- ROARING MOON uses DRAGON DANCE

GYM: QUICK BADGE
Josh Devlin

Though powerful, the Garchomp still remained standing after Raikiri's ultrafast ramming attack. The SAND VEIL had blunted the attack just so, leaving Josh's prized thundercat in a highly vulnerable position. While the impossibly fast attack was potent, it had plenty of weaknesses. The first was it was, by the scale of a Z-Move, weak. The cost of its blistering speed was raw power, striking with about the force of an ordinary THUNDER attack. Second, it left even the hardiest of Pokémon that used it in delirium. Not even the Top Champion's Pokémon were immune to the wave of exhaustion that came with one of the fastest Pokémon moves on the planet. It was the lynchpin Josh would rely on were he to engage in a battle of speed against the Beast of his dreams.

The helpless electric feline squealed loudly as the ground-type rammed him down and tore into him. At the first sign of blood flying, the side judge raised a red flag. "Zeraora is unable to battle. Judges' call: one point, Challenger Dachev. Match point: Challenger Dachev."

Interim Gym Leader Jackie trembled as she withdrew one of Josh's most precious Pokémon. Meteos was out there alone, defending against two vicious dragons, one of which she had no idea what it was capable of. Peril from above in the form of a Dragon Dancing Roaring Moon. Peril from below in the form of a Garchomp. She could, with her misunderstanding of the Roaring Moon's typing, down either one of them with a single ICE FANG. With only a split second to decide, she saw the wounded Garchomp as the greater threat, diving into it with serrated ICE FANGS wide open.

GARCHOMP'S VULNERABILIY FROM THE AERODACTYL'S ICE FANGS is a price that Sergei is willing to pay in order to one up Jackie and the Zeraora. When the electric file is finally out of commission, Sergei sighs a relief as he moves on the next phase of his attacks.

The weary Garchomp tries to block the chilling fangs, calling upon the earth for STONE EDGE as it attempts to shield itself. However, the previous injuries from its scuffle with the Zeraora made it slow to materialize, with the Aerodactyl taking advantage of its previous agility to hit first with its super effective move and eliminate the Garchomp.

That is just the moment Enigma is waiting for; a moment for it to shine. Up in the air above everything else, the Roaring Moon spreads its wings like a crescent moon but its body glowing a fiery color: the CROWN OF ECLIPSE, a z-move Sergei discovers with just a limited amount of time studying the creature, sends a HEAT WAVE towards the two as it triggers the HARSH SUNLIGHT in the battle field.

On top of the Dragon Dance, Enigma's PROTOSYNTHESIS is now in works. Let Jackie and Meteos be damned in the scorching heat of its power.

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TL;DR
- GARCHOMP uses STONE EDGE; misses
- GARCHOMP is hit by ICE FANG
- GARCHOMP faints
- ROARING MOON uses Z-MOVE: CROWN OF ECLIPSE
- THE SUNLIGHT TURNED HARSH

GYM: QUICK BADGE
Josh Devlin

No matter how fast it was, there was no outspeeding the sun. Soaring in the sun's direction, Enigma had tangled Meteos' flight in its Z-MOVE: CROWN OF ECLIPSE, a move that discharged a heat wave hot enough to make the Aerodactyl's rocky body glow. Were it not for the prehistoric Pokémon's inherent heat tolerance, the move would have ended the battle right there. Furthermore, the Paradox Pokémon's PROTOSYNTHESIS let it keep up with the Aerodactyl, wiping out his speed advantage and offensive advantage in one spot.

The surge in heat was beyond that of an ordinary Pokémon's Sunny Day, and one that Jackie was not used to. Enigma's CROWN OF ECLIPSE had raised the temperature to that of a historic heat wave, the Gym Leader's breathing becoming more difficult. "ICE... FANG... Meteos!" she managed before leaning on the rail for support. She wouldn't be able to keep her hands on it long, though; that metal was heating up from the relentless, orange and yellow sky! While the attack would work well against the dragon, the Interim Gym Leader has forgotten one thing:

The heat made ice attacks difficult, if not impossible, to use.

SERGEI CAN SEE THE AERODACTYL STRUGGLING FOR POWER, its repeated attempt to use ICE FANG amidst Enigma's scorching glare leaves room for the Roaring Moon to overwhelm it with its might.

"I hope you like the heat cause this one is gotta be fire!"

Thanks to the boost of the DRAGON DANCE and PROTOSYNTHESIS, the power of the HARSH SUNLIGHT boosts the dragon's HEAT WAVE to exponential levels. As soon as the Aerodactyl's fangs connected with it, albeit wincing, the dragon sends the close-range fire-type attack in its direction.

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TL;DR
- GARCHOMP is hit by ICE FANG
- GARCHOMP uses HEAT WAVE will Aerodactyl is connected (powered by HARSH SUNLIGHT, PROTOSYNTHESIS, and DRAGON DANCE)

GYM: QUICK BADGE
Josh Devlin

"Quick, Meteos! AGILITY!" Jackie ordered. His efforts were in vain. The HEAT WAVE's close range made the attack unavoidable. Its intensity was unlike anything she had ever seen. Its ferocity rivaled even that of legendary Pokémon, reminding him of when he stared Entei down in battle. Were these Paradox Pokémon truly on or near parity with the gods?

While the volcano-like temperature of the HEAT WAVE did not melt the Aerodactyl's rocky body, it did cause the webbing of his wings to catch fire. Having seen enough, the Interim Gym Leader withdrew her Aerodactyl. With the lifting of a red flag, the side judge ruled. "Aerodactyl is unable to battle. Judges' call: one point, Challenger Dachev. Match victory: Challenger Dachev." Even they were sweating in the dangerous heat, somewhere between a normal SUNNY DAY and the primal weather spoken of in ancient Hoennian legends kept under lock and key. It was top secret; so secret that even Gym Leaders were not authorized to know.

The trainers' platforms receded into the ground, Jackie sweating profusely. "Can we handle the rest in Josh's office?" she asked Sergei. "I can't stand this heat!" Provided the challenger agreed, she would lead the challenger to the Leader's third-floor office, filled with Raikou memorabilia. The most notable parts of the collection were a shelf containing a single copy of every Raikou card from the official card game and a small plush of the legendary at the corner of his desk.

"That was well-fought!" the female complimented Sergei on his win. She reached into her pocket for one of the Gym's many Badges. It landed on the desk with a clink. Seconds later, she slid it over to the successful challenger. "Your Pokémon completely overwhelmed me. I've never seen a Pokémon like that before! I'm not one for big speeches, so all I'll say is I'll get your win logged to make your Hoenn League Quick Badge official!"

Once all the paperwork had been signed, Jackie would lead Sergei back to the lobby. "Good luck with the rest of your Gym challenge!"