These were in the last series of matches Josh would be able to take on to pad his position. The farther he could make it in this last tournament flight, the better. The fewer truly skilled opponents he had to deal with, the better. Perhaps this next one would be one of them; Megan Whitmore was a name Josh wasn't familiar with.

Josh and his Zeraora entered the arena complex largely devoid of matches; entry had already closed, the Gym Leader only permitted to complete matches in his current flight. While Raikiri was ready to go, well-fed during the break, Josh was a lot less so. He had run himself ragged three days in a row, already having called his Gym to reschedule his challenges for the next day. He might just sleep all of tomorrow away.

"Gym Leader Devlin, but I go by Josh," he weakly waved to Megan, clearly not his normal, chipper self. In peak condition, he expected this to be an easy match. With how exhausted he was, it was anyone's win to claim.

Josh smirked at the mention that Megan was a Gym Trainer at Rustboro. "Sounds like CIAN MAHER . That's why I've been trying to get in as many matches as I can. He's the only one ahead of me on the leaderboard." And win as many as he could. He not only had one of the highest scores, but one of the highest win percentages. It was a testament to how terrifying of a combatant he was.

The starting horn would silence any further conversation between the two. Lucario was a Pokémon he was familiar with, able to match and even exceed the speed of the Zeraora's Quick Attack. Even if he could train a Lucario to move on all fours, their bodies were just too thin to strap a saddle to. That he did it with the Zeraora was a minor miracle, but an incredibly rewarding one.

The METEOR MASH was a huge threat, but a slow one; if it hit Raikiri, the impact would be devastating. He couldn't allow that, the electric cat trying to slip under the astral punch and BOUNCE the Lucario into the air instead.

"I'm... used to it," was all Josh could say in response. Part of being a Gym Leader was taking challengers. Mauville Gym handled perhaps the highest volume of challengers in the region. If it wasn't the highest, it was second to Alexei Ivanov 's Gym. How could he keep up with so many appointment slots? This was the most he had battled with a single Pokémon, though; Raikiri would be getting a nice, long vacation after this tournament. Weeks, if he wanted.

If Megan could MEGA EVOLVE her Lucario, she was no ordinary trainer. Perhaps this would be a bit more difficult than he expected it to be. Even so, he had to remain vigilant. He would only have one chance for Raikiri to go hypersonic, and it had to be timed perfectly. This was not that time, and without it, Raikiri had no way to outrun the AURA SPHERE.

Simply letting it collide with him and taking the powerful attack in stride, he grunted through the pain and grit his teeth. Taking advantage of the position he was in, the thundercat's PLASMA PAWS erupted white and yellow, ready to pounce upon the Lucario upon landing from his high jump.

As fast as Raikiri was, there was one Pokémon attack that could outspeed even him, and it was one he longed to learn. The dazzlingly fast showcase of EXTREME SPEED left even the Zeraora bewildered, striking hard. The Zeraora shook his head, bewildered as he looked around for where the steel-type disappeared to.

After his PLASMA PAWS caught nothing but air, he needed a new strategy. The thundercat started circling the court's outer bounds, building up speed before slamming his paws into the ground. They screeched loudly like a vehicle's tires did when a driver slammed on the brakes. His paws ignited from the friction of the sharp turn, the feline zooming toward the Lucario with paws that mimicked a martial artist's FIRE PUNCHES.

While the Lucario had more strength, there was no getting around that the Aura Pokémon typically did not handle fire well. He expected the fighting-type to give chase with Extreme Speed once he backed away, never giving the electric-type the chance to get into open space again.

Unless she was paying attention to the Gym circuit, it was unlikely for her to know of Josh's secret weapon. The Zeraora's QUICKINIUM-Z glowed a bright white and yellow as Josh turned his Z-GLOVE around, the thundercat disappearing into a HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE so fast that even an Extreme Speed user had little hope to keep up. Electrified paws flew toward the Lucario that was in Close Combat. Even if it could parry them, the foe would have to contend with a line of lightning bolts in the zipping Pokémon's wake, as well as the shockwave from the Zeraora breaking the sound barrier!

The Mauville Gym Special's triple threat saw Raikiri to yet another victory, letting the electric duo continue further in their last flight. If he kept winning, he would get a nice paycheck as a cherry on top. Spending it on a nice summer vacation sounded good when the weather got hot and sticky. Perhaps a trip to Galar? He had never been to Galar.

"You're welcome," Josh returned the pleasantries, offering Megan a handshake. "There's no shame in losing to Raikiri; he's got one of the highest win rates in the entire field. Gonna be sticking around for the award ceremony? I'll probably have to, considering I've got a podium spot all locked up."