"That's me!" Josh chirped, excited to meet Kazimir in a flight. "As an ex-Elite Four... you have to hold many badges. I look forward to your challenge. Someone of your caliber would get... a very special course I rarely get to race on. I look forward to seeing what you ride to the Gym on."

Further comments would be snipped by the sound of the starting horn, the two rare Pokémon about to clash against one another. Domon was the spitting image of Shuwen, the strongest Pokémon on Michael Navidson 's roster, and one he would certainly have to get through if he wanted to be a Champion. It would be a battle unlike none he had experienced in his past.

An AURA SPHERE was unavoidable. It was an attack Josh had specifically trained his Gym Pokémon against as part of his regimen for them. Speed was a potent weapon, but not an almighty one. Raikiri realized that, making a sharp swerve to get the immensely powerful attack chasing him rather than meeting him in the middle of the court.

The mythical cat leaped toward Domon and pounced toward him, aiming to rake with his PLASMA PAWS and claws until the fighting-type blast dislodged him.

Josh's Zeraora was different from many others; rather than fighting like Domon did, the feline fought on all fours, much like a Raikou would. It was little wonder that Josh once thought the big cat was Raikou. With speed that nearly matched that of the god he revered above all others, the striped cat was one slippery quarry.

The WICKED BLOW used the Zeraora's speed against him, sending him flying into the arena wall and out of bounds at the same dizzying speeds he initially charged with. The impact with the wall made Josh wince, both for Raikiri's health and for the match score; the out-of-bounds penalty was one he could not afford in a match so tight. Now on the defensive, the thundercat circled Domon with surreal speed and AGILITY perhaps unlike anything the ex-Elite Four had ever seen.

While the hulking Urshifu was growing ever more dangerous, the sack of muscles he was draped in growing more and more dense. Those muscles might not help against what the Gym Leader had planned.

Faster and faster the Zeraora circled, Josh waiting until his partner's natural speed peaked before commanding for the use of the real threat: a high speed volley of ELECTRO BALLS from Raikiri's teal faceplate and bolt-whiskers. With how fast that cool cat could run, were the volley to land, it could devastate even the King of Fighters' will to continue.

The electric and fighting-type projectiles clashed violently, rocking the arena itself and making Josh stumble. The gallery roared, seeing two superpowers collide. A lone AURA SPHERE passed through the barrage and was on a collision course with Raikiri. There was no escaping its unrelenting path. All he could do was try to outrun it. While not a permanent answer, a Z-Move would be a temporary one.

Josh raised his Z-GLOVE, Raikiri backing into one of the court's courners, waiting until the Aura Sphere was just in front of it before disappearing into a HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE so fast even the Gym Leader could barely follow it. In a split second, the Zeraora ran from one corner to the other, taking a supersonic paw swipe at Domon. If he could stay standing after that, the line of lightning bolts in the Zeraora's wake, the sonic boom from the cat's sheer speed, and the misdirected Aura Sphere, the King of Fighters would have a substantial advantage!

Raikiri's heart was thumping after the wickedly fast attack. It was a strong heartbeat Josh was more than familiar with, strong enough to be felt through the cushion of the Zeraora's saddle. The attack left the Zeraora almost breathless. The keyword being almost.

Josh's Pokémon matched the Urshifu's war cry with one of his own, leaning low and trying to lunge beneath the WICKED BLOW with one last QUICK ATTACK to interrupt the mighty, but slow, fists. Would Domon's strength or Raikiri's speed win out? Only time could tell as the two seemed to shoot toward one another in slow motion...

The duo would not get a chance to find out whether speed or strength truly won out, as time expired right when Kaz called for the Aerial Ace. Every moment that the judges deliberated was tense. "I think they both had a lot of fun, regardless of the outcome," Josh said as he walked toward Kazimir.

After a hairy several minutes, the red flag was raised Josh's way, Kaz the match winner. "I really think these two are an even match," the Gym Leader sighed, not taking the loss hard at all. "These two could brawl over and over again, and I don't think we would have a clear long-term winner."