Ever since the Mad Dog's recent attack, security had tightened substantially, Josh again having to hire an outside firm to help ARCHIE COOK keep Mauville Racing Grounds safe until he could find staff willing to work for him directly. Given how his Gym had suffered two high profile attacks in less than a year, it was little wonder he couldn't get applicants. Clearly there was someone, whether Rocket, DRK Triad, or elsewhere that wanted his guts.

After check-in, staff would lead Aubre to the sprawling backyard of Mauville that was Josh's prized Racing Grounds. The facility was enormous, featuring all kinds of terrain for land, sea, and sky races to take place. Provided Aubre followed the directions to get to the Main Sector's primary battle court, he would see Josh seated on Aslan, his Shiny Pyroar. "There you are, Aubre," Josh greeted the female who had helped treat the big cat. "As we promised, I won't use Aslan against you. I just figured you might want to see him again! He's doing really well, as you can see; I've even got him racing now!" The Shiny lion let out a greeting purr that echoed around them.

The Gym Leader directed the Pokémon therapist toward the west side of the triple-sized court, toward the Trainer's Box on the challenger's side. "According to your application, this will be a half-team Doubles match. The first side to incapacitate all their opponent's Pokémon will be the winner. The challenger is permitted to withdraw Pokémon, but the Gym Leader is not. There will be a ten-minute time limit. Once time expires, the side with more Pokémon standing will be the winner. Ties will be broken by sudden death. Good luck to you; you'll need it."

Once the two trainers were positioned, the small gallery cheered, primarily for Josh, as the platforms rose to a height of roughly ten feet. The Gym Leader hurled two Pokémon toward the circular pool surrounding the inner ring of the battle court, a Dragapult and Noivern ready to do battle. "Now, bring forth your first two Pokémon. I can assure you it will be the only decision you will have time to ponder," Josh taunted as the move timer counted down on the scoreboard clearly visible to the challenger.

A Swampert and a Jumpluff emerged from their Poké Balls, the grass-type floating swiftly in the wind. Josh didn't seem at all rattled by the Water- and Ground-type's presence; many trainers brought the species to his Gym as a direct counter to the fire and electric Pokémon he was known for.

Just because Aubre showed nerves didn't mean the Gym Leader wasnt going to go easy on her. If anything, it gave Josh a reason to go as all-out as the constraints of the challenge's rules would let him. It may have been a good thing Z-Moves weren't permitted; seeing an electric move overwhelm a Ground-type could have been overwhelming. "Reverb, BOOMBURST!"

Acting in tandem with Reverb, Sidewinder phased out of the material world in time to evade the Swampert's own sonic attack, ready to appear behind Serena with PHANTOM FORCE when the challenger's Pokémon least expected it. A crashing sound overload erupted from the Noivern's ears, aiming to explode the eardrums of the combatants present. Though the trainers were at a safe enough distance to avoid real internal damage, the loud explosion could have been unpleasant for Aubre. Josh was quick enough to cover his ears.

The BOOMBURST was not strong enough to overpower the SCREECH, causing Reverb to lurch back after the war of sound overloads. The Noivern was in a very vulnerable position, dazed from the opposing sonic attack and having a hard time remaining airborne. A well-timed strike could allow Aubre to gain an early lead!

Just as Serena started pelting Reverb with large rocks that threatened to tear holes in his wings, Sidewinder emerged from behind him in a complete surprise attack. The PHANTOM FORCE had such speed behind it that it would have even caused Josh to whoop and cry in bliss if he were seated on the ghost-type. The strike was sudden and silent.

The phantom dragon's speed was not without drawbacks; his emergence preceded the ROCK SLIDE. The sharp stones rocked both of Josh's Pokémon, Reverb screeching and struggling to stay airborne after the critical hit to his wing bone. "Reverb, take a breather! Use ROOST!" The black and purple dragon landed awkwardly, stumbling before taking advantage of Sidewinder's aggression to catch his breath.

Maggie's BOUNCE against Reverb struck the Noivern true, stabbing pain shooting from behind the dragon's neck through his wing joints. At first, all he could do was watch Serena and Sidewinder go at it, the swift Dragapult evaded the first volley of waves with ease. His ghostly tail whipped through the air and let him change directions with ease. He built up speed before ramming toward the Swampert, the size of the contrails running from his wingtips an indicator of the power behind the DRAGON RUSH. It was only the distance that let the Swampert react, their final WATER PULSE largely bouncing off the ghostly missile's body. The purpose appeared not to inflict true harm, but to deflect the powerful dragon-type attack.

As Maggie's light frame took back to the air quickly, Reverb experienced a small second wind, able to flap his wings and fly after the grass-type. With another deafening burst of noise, the Noivern loosed a different kind of storm upon Maggie: a HURRICANE from the bat-like dragon's giant ears.

Behind the facade of his ferocity, Josh whistled. That Jumpluff's toughness was incredible, able to shrug off such a powerful flying-type attack like it was nothing. With a Pokémon that tough, the Gym Circult should, in theory, be easy to conquer. All of a sudden, Josh found himself in a bit of a tight spot, Reverb's second wind expiring and leaving it on the ground, taking a stance to Roost but unable to do so, catching his breath after the intense discharge of wind.

SIdewinder put on full display why he was one of Josh's most prized aerial racing Pokémon. Though not good at flying long distances, the speed the phantom had was completely surreal, perhaps impossible for Aubre to keep up with. The Swampert's HYDRO PUMP struck the Dragapult's midsection rather than the face, thanks to a sudden maneuver his Pokémon had become well-known for. Though much of the water-type attack phased through the dragon, he was starting to show signs of wear. Acting with urgency, the missile-like Pokémon fired a Dreepy barrage at the Heliolisk and Swampert, looking to explode DRAGON DARTS in their faces.

Sidewinder's Dreepy missiles were powerful, but they lacked punch. They served as a distraction for the true power behind the species. The WATER PULSE was something the Leader could not allow to connect. Even if it didn't drop the Dragapult on its own, being stuck in the ethereal plane would not be pleasant, even if it was only temporary. "PHANTOM FORCE!" Josh commanded, the speedy dragon-type vanishing from sight completely. Even the Leader didn't know exactly where he was, though he had ridden Sidewinder into the ethereal often enough to know how the Dragapult fought: a rear ambush even the most astute or agile Pokémon could not dodge.

The THUNDER that Alastor rained down upon Reverb was too much for the already crippled dragon to handle. With a shriek, the Noivern's chin hit the grassy court. "Noivern is unable to battle," the side judge announced, raising a red flag. "Judges' call: one point, challenger McKenna."

With a loud purr preceding the announcement, Josh complimented Aubre on a battle so far well fought. "You've got more talent than I thought. Taking down Reverb is no easy feat. While I did promise you that you wouldn't see any of my Pyroar, you'll still have to take down this big cat if you want a Badge!" Blitz leaped off the Gym Leader's platform, sounding a war cry of his own. With Dragapult ready to handle the Swampert, the yellow and black predator raised his tail, shooting a SIGNAL BEAM at the water-type's face.

Aubre looked focused from the moment Sidewinder vanished into the ethereal realm. The focus was real. The determination to win was real. It was exactly what Josh was looking for in challengers. Even if things looked bleak, persistence was important. If the challenger didn't try, they would always lose. Try they must. Try they did.

And a great try they made.

A successful try, at that; whether by sheer luck or knowledge of how long a Dragapult could remain in the ethereal for, the ROCK SLIDE was perfectly timed, resulting in a double knockout. Knowing his ghostly ride's limits, Josh withdrew Sidewinder.

"Dragapult and Swampert are both unable to battle," the side judge confirmed the double knockout. "Judges' call: one point, Challenger McKenna; one point, Leader Devlin. Double match point; the next knockout will determine the winner."

"Well done," Josh complimented the doctor once again. "You've got quite the eye to be able to see that one coming. But it's not over yet. Now you get to face me in my element: an electric battle between my Luxray and your Heliolisk. You better be ready, 'cause I'm bringing nothing short of a thunderstorm!" The crowd roared in response to Josh's taunt, the Shiny Luxray looking to end the battle immediately with mist-laden ICE FANGS. If Blitz were to find the right spot on the foe's body, he could encase the Heliolisk in ice completely, leaving Josh with a nearly insurmountable advantage.