For their second match, Josh decided he wanted to wow Toshiaki with a more impressive entrance. Instead of walking alongside his Zeraora, he arrived mounted on the big cat's back. It was much more challenging riding without a saddle, but it was worth it to prove that rumors about them were indeed true. He slid down from his Pokémon's back and greeted the young trainer and his Arcanine.

"Can't get enough of me, can you?" he teased as the thundercat snarled. "If you win this, we're having a rubber match at my gym!" Raikiri flexed his leg muscles, ready to fling himself at the Arcanine the moment the buzzer sounded.

"Get under them, Raikiri!" Josh called out with amazing reaction time. "QUICK ATTACK!"

There would be no evading the wave of super-powered, Ember-like projectiles that pelted the Zeraora like the clip of an automatic firearm. Even the Zeraora's QUICK ATTACK would be too slow, the Pokémon squinting in pain as the Arcanine left him with more black spots on his fur than he would have liked.

If Toshiaki wanted to fight with raw power, he would get it. Raikiri reared, his PLASMA PAWS sparking white with electricity. With a slower, but still very quick pounce, the Zeraora would attempt to dig into the fire-type's side with voltage-laces paws and claws.

Toshiaki's Arcanine slammed into Raikiri like a bucking Tauros, flinging the electric Pokémon to one side of the arena and nearly out of bounds. It was only his sharp, strong claws that kept him from sliding over the line, a shower of sparks flying around him as he made a heroic effort to slow his slide.

With impressive AGILITY, the Zeraora circled the fire-type, turning into a yellow comet in orbit around his foe. When the time was right, he loosed a trio of ELECTRO BALLS from his teal faceplate: projectiles that would take advantage of the cat's mythical speed. It wouldn't be impossible for the Arcanine to outrun them with its own Extreme Speed If Toshiaki could read Josh's smirk, though, it was clear that it was exactly what the Gym Leader was trying to bait out.

The searing cones of flame detonated the ELECTRO BALLS harmlessly, but the Zeraora still had a massive speed advantage, running way too fast but all for the most well-trained eyes to track. He couldn't circle the Arcanine forever, though; time was running short, and he had to make a move soon.

With the sound of screeching tires, Raikiri swerved toward the great dog from behind and pounced at him. Were he to land on the creature's back and not topple it, the Zeraora would dig his PLASMA PAWS into it, clinging to it like a Joltik that refused to be dislodged.

Raikiri didn't get to slash at the Arcanine for long. His foe was one strong Pokémon - that RAGING FURY was enough to dislodge him. The Zeraora was starting to tire out, looking back at Josh for the cue to go hypersonic. The Gym Leader denied it.

Raikiri's paws were burning up, yes, but he was used to it from igniting his own with friction burn to use Fire Punch attacks. Taking advantage of the added speed his AGILITY gave him, he zoomed past the angry Arcanine in a QUICK ATTACK to get to the corner quickly. If Toshiaki remembered their last meeting, he might have known what was coming. His Pokémon would best stop the Z-Move to come before it happened if they wanted to win!

"Now, Raikiri! Let's go hypersonic!" Josh shouted over the crackling flames the Arcanine was using to propel itself. If Toshiaki wanted a contest of speed, he would get one. With glowing Z-Crystals in both Josh's Z-GLOVE and beneath the electric cat's fur, the Zeraora shot forward in a surrel burst of speed. It was the Mauville Gym Special -- the HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE Josh worked blood, sweat, and tears to perfect.

With speed that was nearly impossible for even his trainer to follow, Raikiri slammed paws-first into Toshiaki's Pokémon. Even if it withstood the paws coming at it at invisible speeds, it would also have to remain standing after a maelstrom of lightning and an aural explosion if it wanted to outlast the speedster!

Josh smiled at Toshiaki's feverish enthusiasm, though he couldn't respond before the lad stormed off. "Don't forget! You still owe me a race from the Silph Cup last year!" he shouted, unsure if his retort was heard. Withdrawing his partner, the Gym Leader fell onto the seat of a nearby bench.

"Think I got a podium spot all tidied up," he said to himself as he filled out his side of the match slip. Was Toshiaki's signature just chicken scratch? Perhaps it was in the heat of the moment. Either way, once he recovered enough stamina to walk all the way back to the commons, he dropped his match slip in the box and headed back. Were any of the sandwich shops still open at this hour? He needed food...