There appeared to be more to this Caesi than she looked; she wielded one of Junji's kind. A Pokémon Josh had acquired recently, he knew little about the species. It may well have been just as rare as Raikiri was.

There would be little time to ponder Rhodium's capabilities, the sound of a horn interrupting any other greetings the two wished to exchange. Josh and Raikiri knew that in the face of unknown opponents, it was best to take them down as quick as possible. The Zeraora would leave no haste behind, flinging its body beneath the rising metallic dragon before BOUNCING skyward at a high rate of speed.

The barrage of FLASH CANNON projectiles sent Raikiri wildly off course, sending him out of bounds and compounding to the huge blow gravity dealt to the thundercat. He was already in trouble. Just who was this Caesi, anyway? She was good. Very good, and the Pokémon she wielded was rare. It took quite the adventurer to obtain one.

He could not dwell on the anomalous trainer now; he had a match to turn around. If raw speed wouldn't dethrone the dragon, then perhaps the sheer power of Raikiri's lightning-laced PLASMA PAWS would, leaping into the Iron Jugulis. A collision, with how electrified Raikiri was, would threaten to short circuit the three-headed machine completely.

That Iron Jugulis was so tough, able to withstand the fastest, strongest attacks Raikiri had thrown at it. He knew the mechanized dragon was a tough customer, having raised Junji, his own specimen of the paradox Pokémon. There was one choice the Gym Leader had. Build up as much speed as possible, and end the battle in one ultrafast strike. The Zeraora's QUICKINIUM-Z glowed, a sign to Josh that he wanted to go hypersonic to get out from under the trap Rhodium had set.

Josh denied him the chance, keeping his Z-Glove where it was.

Instead, he ordered the big cat to fight defensively, putting on a huge burst of AGILITY to try to slide underneath the three streams of fire ready to singe him.

Rhodium's HURRICANE was a powerful move, but it would take time to build up the wind speed needed. It was time Caesi didn't have. "Alright, Raikiri, we're going hypersonic!" Josh cried, exposing the mythical creature to his Z-GLOVE. It and the crystal the electric-type held gleamed a brilliant white, heralding the use of Mauville Gym's signature move.

In a split second, the HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE carried Raikiri from one side of the battle court to the other. Even if Rhodium could dodge paw and claw flying at them at ludicrous speeds, there would also be a line of lightning bolts in his wake, as well as an aural explosion that would rattle the mechanical dragon!

Rhodium's three heads charged up a HYPER BEAM that would leave nasty stings and burns the already huffing Zeraora would never recover from. An attack that required time to charge, though? Big mistake on Caesi's part. Even the smallest split second of time was something the Mauville Leader was used to capitalizing on. He didn't need to overpower his opponents; he just needed to be the one to make the first strike.

With one final heroic gallop, the Zeraora zipped toward the Iron Jugulis in what the Gym Leader expected to be a match-ending QUICK ATTACK. Were it not, his Pokémon would be eating a point-blank HYPER BEAM that could affect performance in future matches, depending on how strong the attack from the Paradox Pokémon was. Raikiri was swift, but was he swift enough to beat Rhodium's attack?

Josh breathed a sigh of relief as Raikiri's QUICK ATTACK struck just before time expired, making the knockout count. "Phew!" he exhaled, wiping his brow. "You're a tough competitor, Caesi. You'd do well on the Gym circuit," he complimented as he recalled the thundercat.

One more match win, and he would take home yet another nice check. He at first wondered why Gym Leaders didn't get appearance fees for participating in tournaments like this one. He didn't need them to turn a profit. Turning around, he waved goodbye to the young girl. "Hope to see you around, Caesi! You're a pleasure to be around."