King Zing bobbed up and down, producing an angry-sounding buzz with his wings as the psychic-type warped about the battle court. As he saw the young Pokémon grow up and evolve upon dodging the second wave, the Gym Leader smiled, applauding Zachary. Pokémon evolution was so amazing to see, and such a thrill to be a part of. Something in him made him want to catch another Ponyta to be able to relive the experience of being atop one in the middle of its evolution.

As fast as Josh's Pokémon were, one of the greatest checks to a Pokémon reliant on dodging was an attack from the mind. Those attacks, such as a psychic-type's Confusion, materialized and detonated at the speed of thought. He was proud to hear the command, then disappointed when Tarot YAWNED. Not letting the disobedience go unpunished, King Zing's outstretched foreleg stings began to whirl in a DRILL RUN. Were the Pokémon not able to evade, the stings would bore into the osychic-type's likely frail frame. It came with the price of exertion, the Pokémon tired from both how fast his stings whirled and its Kadabra-induced drowsiness.

"How long have you had Tarot for?" Josh asked. "They seem... like they are not trusting of you."

Psychic-types were tricky; direct attacks were often ineffective due to their ability to navigate astral highways as an additional means to avoid attacks. Tarot didn't need it; the KINESIS shunted King Zing left and toward the ground. With reflexes only a Beedrill trained by the Master of Faster, the Pokémon thrust one of his stings into the ground, using the momentum to swing back toward the psychic-type with a half-barrage of PIN MISSILES from his other foreleg barb. Too drowsy to fire the other half of the attack, the insect's red eyes faded in color, Zachary's foe immobile.

What a cantankerous Abra. If the story Zachary was telling was true, then they hadn't truly connected yet. A month was plenty of time to befriend and understand an unevolved Pokémon. There, of course, were exceptions for rare species and ones not well understood. He had Aleph for nine months and felt like he was barely connecting with the Type: Null.

"For Pokémon in their base forms, it normally takes two to three weeks to connect with them. That Tarot has been disobedient for so long means you're not understanding what it wants," Josh suggested. "Find something you both have in common. Study it and figure out how it acts when--"

The PSYCHIC blast detonated directly underneath King Zing, sending him catapulting above the arena. Seeing the end coming, Josh withdrew his Beedrill. "With that kind of power, you could win against almost any Gym Leader in Hoenn easily. You just have to learn how to control it." He undid the latch on another Poké Ball on his belt, but did not send the Pokémon out to battle Tarot. "Yes, well-trained Pokémon can battle on their own. But it's the trainer and Pokémon working together that is the source of their true strength."

Josh clicked open the Poké Ball in his hand, Nala the Pyroar emerging from it with a menacing stare toward the challenger and his Kadabra. The muscular lioness looked quite different from Rani, another Pyroar who still had her riding gear on. Though they were the same species, it was striking how different a saddle and reins could change a Pokémon's appearance. "Good luck with her," the Gym Leader smirked. "Nala, HYPER VOICE."

Inhaling deeply, the big cat expelled a mighty roar from the depths of her powerful lungs. With how brief journeys through astrial highways typically were, Josh doubted Tarot could evade an attack so wide and so loud that it could even be heard in town.

Hit or miss, when he saw Tarot whack Zachary with their psychic spoon, Josh crossed his hands. "Time out."

Nala didn't move a muscle as the SHADOW BALL flew toward her. The lioness harmlessly let the attack strike her, clawing at it to add to the spectacle. At Josh's previous command, the fire-type did not attack. "I said, time out!" he reiterated.

Only once Zachary was able to get his Pokémon under control or withdrawn would he continue. "I've seen enough of your Kadabra. It is very clear to me that the two of you have a trust issue. Whether it's on your side or on their side doesn't matter. Now, withdraw them or get control of them, or I'm calling this match off." Josh tone was a serious one, one that he had yet to expose Zachary to. While he had not yet blown a fuse, it was getting close...

Josh being angry was a true rarity. He was so nice and professional, and he had a high tolerance for misbehavior. If that line was ever crossed, he was a totally different person. The past him would have lashed out. Not his reborn self as the Knight of Thunder, though. This Josh was respectful but firm.

The Champion was happy to see Zachary at least own up to his mistake. That was a sign of good leadership. Leadership that would see him well were he to enter the Minor League. "I look forward to battling Tarot when you can control him. But not until you have control over him." With the psychic and fairy type as the teen's next Pokémon, the battle could resume. "Alright, time in."

Nala didn't waste any time; without having to worry about teleportation as a defensive measure, she could shred the Mime Jr. with claw and muscle. "Nala, TRAILBLAZE!" Josh ordered, the fire-type cutting a strip through the grass field at great speed to mow Happy down.

A simple REFLECTIVE barrier was typically not enough to stop one of Josh's lions; he was intimately familiar with their capabilities, thanks to his Sygna Suit. He knew what it was like, in part, to be a Pyroar. For in every single one of his Pyroar, there was a shred of humanity, and in his body, there was a shred of each of his Pyroar. It was like he was one of their pride-mates.

The wall would crack, imperfections shooting outward in the shape of an Ariados' web. It would ultimately hold, but Josh expected keeping up the psychic field to cause Happy a great deal of stress. "Well done!" Josh applauded. "But don't think that trick will work again!" Flexing her legs, the Pyroar leaped high into the air, aiming to BOUNCE into the wall and shatter it prematurely. Were it to burst, it might send quite the neural spike into the normal-type's mind!

Clever. Zachary was one clever combatant, and Happy was truly a wild card among the trainer's Pokémon. THE FOOL was a great designation, indeed, able to use the lioness' most powerful tactics against her. "Who says I was aiming for Happy?" Josh balked as the Happiny and Pyroar zipped past one another. She had her eyes on the normal-type's REFLECTIVE barrier -- specifically a crack that ran upward from the impact of her first attack. She dove toward it claws first, using her weight to aid in the effort to shatter it.

"I thought Justice was the greatest card in the Tarot," the Gym Leader teased his friend as the Happiny would land from its mimicked attack. Right on the back of the Pyroar, if it so desired.