There were quite a few forms of luck in the tournament. Matchup luck was the biggest one of them. No matter how well-trained your Beedrill was, it was unlikely to beat a Pidgeot. Capabilities were also a factor. As Josh had taken advantage of many times in the tournament, a lot of power didn't do Pokémon much good if they couldn't hit their target. The mythical thundercat was fast enough to frustrate trainer after trainer on Day One. Day Two was a different story.

Josh also knew of the dangers of being in melee against an Absol. Those claws, and more importantly that horn-blade, could cut through even the toughest flesh. With great AGILITY, Raikiri zoomed around the court's edges, trying to get the Absol to jump after him.

The Zeraora was on the fastest prowl any of Josh's Pokémon could muster. He circled the Absol faster and faster as the foe sharpened its blades. "ELECTRO BALL, Raikiri!" Josh cried, reinforcing the importance of staying as far away from the Dark-type as possible.

With how fast the big cat ran, the volley of high speed electric projectiles seemed to come from all directions. Josh couldn't imagine being on the Pokémon's back while circling like that. It would make even him dizzy!

The Absol had skillfully weaved around Raikiri's spray of high-speed electric projectiles, blindsiding the feline with a vicious NIGHT SLASH from its claws and blade-horn. Sparks and blood sprayed from the deep cuts, the thundercat's head thumping.

Shaking his head, the rare Pokémon scowled in sync with his trainer. Josh raised his Z-GLOVE above his head, the QUICKINIUM-Z hidden beneath his partner's fur glowing a bright yellow. Awkwardly standing like he was riding a Pokémon, he sent the Zeraora all the Z-Energy he could muster.

Wreathing himself in the lightning of his HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE, the dangers to the Absol would be threefold. If the force of the blindingly fast ramming attack and the line of lightning bolts trailing him did not ravage the Absol, then the explosion from the Zeraora speeding past his own sound waves would!

There was no PROTECTING, DETECTING, or feinting the hypersonic ramming attack. Rather than overpowering the shield like most Z-Moves did, Josh's was special. It struck before the Pokémon could materialize the defensive measure. Pressing his advantage, the Zeraora would rear suddenly, slamming his paws into Cordy in an uppercut-like DRAIN PUNCH, trying to flip the foe onto her back. Were Raikiri to succeed, the vibration from his loud purring may have added to the Absol's discomfort.

On Josh's face was a serious look unlike anything Jack had ever seen from him. "No one goes faster than I do, Jack. No one."

There was no taking Raikiri by surprise. Zeraora was one of the fastest Pokémon species in the world, capable of competing with even gods of speed. In the hands of a trainer who specialized in raw speed, Raikiri may have been unparalleled among his entire kind. The world around him seemed to slow down as he leaped at Cordy. The slow-motion footage of the SUCKER PUNCH and QUICK ATTACK colliding would almost certainly make the thirteenth round's highlight reels.

"You hear me, Jack?! No one goes faster than me!" the Gym Leader shouted again, losing his sportsmanship in the heat of the competition. Yes, speed was his domain, but being superlative in that domain may have been a bit ambitious!

Jack was right. Josh had been drunk on delusions of grandeur in more ways than one. Not just this tournament, but his crusade to be the Great One's Knight of Thunder. To a lesser extent, even his bid to be a Champion. What would he do with his title? What would he do with Raikou? He wanted to go faster than any other Pokémon trainer on the planet, but to what end?

"Good match - sorry about the outburst," he apologized. "I... got caught up in the heat of the moment, that's all. Want to cool off? I saw maintenance filling one of the vending machines near our arena when I came to our match. Maybe they're done filling it by now."