"That's very fair. Being a Gym Leader is a lot of work!" he agreed with Joy. "I oo need to head to Joyland again to ride the legendary carousel more. The Giratina was one I never got to hop on!" There were plenty of other saddle-wearing legendary Pokémon there. Any one of them looked fun to hop onto, imagine his legendary steed a Patron, and ending the war against Rocket for good.

That daydream would be interrupted by the starting horn. With the Claydol's defenses making Raikiri's electric attacks useless, the Zeraora's offensive abilities would be limited. Electricity arced down all four of his limbs as he zipped about the arena at blistering speeds, sliding under the ground-type and looking to BOUNCE it high into the air.

It was as expected from a former Gym Leader. The Joy Badge's progenitor hadn't lost a lick of skill; that Claydol was just as tough as Josh remembered it being. Not only had Raikiri failed to launch the ground-type skyward, but its burst of EARTH POWER had been timed perfectly, thrusting the Zeraora back into the air and into a painful landing on his side.

Shaking his head, the thundercat stood back up. With so many eyes, the Claydol could keep one of them on Raikiri at all times, no matter how fast he went. With his electric attacks mitigated by his foe's lightning-retardant body, his options were limited. After building his AGILITY up, the Zeraora sharply about faced, his paws igniting and burning with the ferocity of FIRE PUNCHES headed toward Joy's Pokémon faster than a wildfire!

Raikiri's blazing paws connected with nothing, the Claydol putting distance between them with a TELEPORT. As fast as Raikiri was, the race-illegal technique was faster. It also didn't give Josh the sensation he loved: mental movement did not carry with it the adrenaline rush that physical movement did.

By the time Raikiri turned around, he was met with a face full of ICE BEAM, the extra warmth from his paws the only thing keeping him from freezing solid on the spot. With his paws still on fire, he bounded across the field, trying to fake the Claydol out three times before pounding it with FIRE PUNCH-like paws on the fourth juke.

Josh was too tired to pay attention to his VITAL GEAR, and he had paid the price. Raikiri was trapped in the Claydol's TECTONIC RAGE. By the time he had realized what was going on and could get his Z-GLOVE in the air, the Zeraora was already in a heap. A red flag waved toward him, signifying his loss.

"...You didn't beat me, Johanna," Josh sighed. "I beat myself. We'll have to have a rematch sometime. Maybe in one of the side events on Sunday if I don't top the event. What a punt..." It was one thing for Josh to lose to a more skilled trainer. He could not stand it when he lost to his own mistakes.