Today was a maintenance day at Mauville Gym. There would be no challengers, no riding classes, and no pickup races. The main office was locked, too; the only way in was through the employee entrance. Only the sanitation crew was present inside; the rest of Josh's maintenance staff were performing tasks such as operating paving machinery, keeping the greens surrounding courses cut, and the like. It was a behemoth of a task, which made him glad Mauville taxpayers funneled so much income toward the Gym. At this point, it may as well have been the crown jewel of the densely populated municipality.

"Everything got finished with the battle courts early, so I figured I could get in a quick battle, Mika," Josh answered as the blue-haired ARAVAN ESCHER and another young trainer started a match of their own, a Dewgong splashing into the court's rectangular moat meant for aquatic Pokémon. "I'll be ready as soon as I get Suzaku's saddle unhooked." With that, he whistled for his own Talonflame, the incredibly fast bird looking like a burning comet mid-FLAME CHARGE. The cocoon on her back may have caught Mika's attention as he got to work undoing the straps.

Once Josh's work was done and the large bird's back was bare, Suzaku met Sora's hover with one of her own. She looked ready for the dogfight to come, feeling her extreme speed would give her the advantage over the smaller Talonflame. "I will permit your Talonflame to make the first move. It will be the only decision you will have time to ponder," he chuckled, the line well-practiced. It was his Gym's signature way to intimidate challengers who didn't fully understand what they were up against.

A smirk made its way onto Josh's face; while the Leader permitted Mika to make the first move, that didn't mean her Talonflame would land the first blow. "Two can play at that game, Mika," he bragged, a plume of smoke trailing from the larger Talonflame's tail as she soared toward Sora in a dizzying display of ACROBATICS of her own. It could have been bewildering to watch; how would one ride a Talonflame capable of putting those kinds of g-forces on a passenger?

The rival's Talonflame may have been caught off guard by the supreme speed of the Gym Leader's Pokémon, GALE WINGS fanning the smoke and propelling her to truly disgusting speeds. Suzaku attempted to land on the firebird and bury her talons into a Pokémon that may have been used to being king of the skies against any other opponent. If the opposing Talonflame could escape the grapple before being slammed into the ground, Suzaku would be wide open to the initial ACROBATICS attack.

As powerful of a weapon as Suzaku's great speed was, every weapon had its drawbacks, too. It took great strength from the Talonflame to maintain the vomit-inducing speed. The turbulence from Sora's TAILWIND made Suzaku lose her hold on Mika's Pokémon, giving the firebird a small but crucial window to distance itself from her.

There was a reason the Talonflame was one of Josh's steeds of choice when he needed to fly somewhere in a hurry. With a shrill cry, the Leader's Pokémon rode its foe's thermals skyward, disappearing into the sky. A sonic explosion rattled the platforms beneath the trainers, a bright corona surrounding Suzaku as the BRAVE BIRD hurtled toward Sora from above with reckless abandon and even greater speed than before. Hit or miss, the impact with either the opposing Talonflame or the ground was going to hurt!

A Talonflame's BRAVE BIRD was one of the fastest dives any flying Pokémon was capable of. It was so much that riders foolish enough to not strap cocoons to their mounts would float above the saddles or feathers they sat on as a result of negative g-forces. Fully grown bird Pokémon truly were anomalies of nature, their bodies capable of withstanding aerodynamic loads that would tear metal apart.

The collision between BRAVE BIRD and STEEL WING was violent, orange feathers and blood flying everywhere. Sora's defensive use of the Steel-type move kept him in the battle, blunting a blow that would have otherwise crushed him against the grassy court below. Most of Suzaku's lethargy came not from Sora's attack, but from the exertion of the powerful attack.

Not to say Suzaku wasn't still fast as a wildfire; even in her weakened state, she could still rocket toward Sora, switching to hit-and-run tactics with a QUICK ATTACK that made her a blur. Had Mika studied Josh's Gym before, she would know that it was the Mauville Leader's signature move. It was well-known that Josh had the bravery and physical strength to even ride his Pokémon while it used the move.

Despite Josh having so many Pokémon, he knew each of them well enough to read the signs of every single one of them running out of metaphorical fuel. Suzaku's broken fiery contrails were that sign. While she had impressive speed and strength, her stamina was lacking. Such was the price of the specialty Josh took pride in. If there was a way for Mika to win their battle, it would be by attrition.

He had to end it here.

For a second time, ACROBATICS were met with ACROBATICS, the brave, perhaps reckless fire-types leaving breathtaking calligraphy in their wake. With a sharp bank from Josh's Pokémon, the two were headed on a collision course for one another. Though Suzaku's higher speed let her soar above Sora, she no longer had the energy to maintain a steep dive angle. Would the Gym Leader's final gambit leave him the victor?

Suzaku was just fast enough to gain control of the dive, the two hurtling to the ground in what was a clear victory for the Gym Leader. With Mika having recalled her Talonflame, Josh withdrew his, as well. Walking across the battle court toward Mika's trainer's box, Josh reached toward her with his right hand extended.

"Sora's no slouch," Josh admitted. "It all came down to that last exchange. I felt I had a speed advantage on your Talonflame, and I pressed it. They don't call me the Master of Faster for nothing!" he gloated, unable to hold back a grin.

Before Mika left, Josh pointed to her and tried to stop her. "One more thing, Mika. Your Talonflame is fast. Really fast. Have you considered signing up for Mauville Gym's racing challenge? I'd love to have our Talonflame battle in a contest of speed!" While he didn't have Mika's interests directly in mind, Josh made it seem like he did. His win rate for overall Gym challenge was creeping a little low within the acceptable range, plus his challenger volume had dropped.

For the first time since taking office, Josh had racing challenge appointment slots going unfilled.