"Not like I would hold back anyway," Josh smirked, unfazed by the unfamiliar Pokémon next to the fairy-type Gym Leader. "I've got a tournament to win." Raikiri returned the Hatterene's trill with a loud purr that his trainer could feel vibrations from, and perhaps even Desiree could feel them, too.

Not wasting any time, the thundercat rocketed toward his foe in a blistering fast QUICK ATTACK the moment the starting horn sounded. With him trying to make a big push up the leaderboards, he wanted to end this match as quickly as he could.

Desiree didn't even get a clever retort, only a scowl from the Master of Faster. That scowl would turn into frustration when the fairy TERASTALLIZED, the QUICK ATTACK going right through her and leaving him open to the rain of SHADOW BALLS.

Unable to rely purely on speed, Josh and Raikiri had little choice but to audible to overwhelming power. With a loud purr even Desiree may have been able to feel vibrations from, the Zeraora's PLASMA PAWS sparked, the cat rearing and pouncing the Hatterene with white arcs of electricity.

Desiree would get no answer yet. Not until the match was over. With the PSYCHO CUT backing Raikiri into a corner, Josh had to stay focused. Seeing the Gym Leader raise his Z-GLOVE above his head, the Zeraora took the cue to back into a corner of the battle court. His QUICKINIUM-Z glowed likewise, too. The two had become so close to one another that Raikiri had become adept at firing off his Z-Move without the callout his Trainer made with his other Pokémon.

The result was a HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE of awe-inspiring speed: paws and a column of lightning bolts zoomed toward Gloss at a speed far too high to follow. If the Terastal ghost-type could withstand both the immunity-piercing claws and the lightning, she would also have to avoid being blown away by the sonic boom afterward!

"I didn't mean to ignore you," Josh answered, momentarily taking his focus off the battle while Raikiri was recovering from the exertion of his supersonic run. "After the match, Desiree. After the match."

With both Pokémon on their last legs and Quick Attack ineffective, Josh had only one way to finish the match with great speed. Lacking the energy for an Agility-powered charge and about face to fight fire with fire, the Zeraora instead dashed toward the Hatterene, trying to BOUNCE Gloss high into the air.

Whether it was by happenstance or Raikiri had planned it the whole time, the Zeraora happened to be looking partially away when Gloss fired the spectral flash. It still impaired the feline's vision, several blind spots showing up in his peripheral, but it was clear he had the advantage with the two in the air.

There was only one way for Josh to end the match.

Raikiri landed within the rafters before pouncing Gloss from above, the force of his PLASMA PAWS threatening to slam the Terastallized Pokémon into the ground. Gravity was a merciless weapon, amplifying the strength and speed of the strike. It was a risky maneuver, though; if Raikiri whiffed, he would be at the mercy of his own speed, likely not able to stand after his own impact with the court floor!

And just like that, it was over. Gloss had withstood Raikiri's assault; the feline's energy had expired not just from the whimsical Pokémon's attacks, but by his own exertion. Speed was a wonderful weapon, but it came at the price of stamina. "...I hate to admit it, Desiree, but that makes you the superior trainer of us. I respect your decision to not want to graduate to the Major League, but you have the chops for it. If you ever decide you want to move up, I'll vouch for you. Believe me."

Breathing a deep sigh, Josh was prepared to answer Desiree's questions now that the match requiring all of his focus was over. "I went to war in Dewford, then spent over a month in the hospital having Bullet Seeds cut out of my body. It was miserable. I'm still training to get back to full strength. How about we meet some place private; I'd rather fill you in on the details there."