While it wasn't as effective as a gas mask, the racer's helmet and visor shielded the Champion from much of the toxic air left in the wake of the chained Frosmoth's BLIZZARD. In a desperate effort to protect him from the attack, Alphamax lurched backward and bucked his rider off. The localized wintry blast froze the Garchomp in a purple ice cube. "So much for this being uneventful," he sighed, grabbing a Poké Ball from his belt.

The mounted specialist tossed the capsule directly beneath him, knowing where the on-fours Typhlosion would appear so that she could lift him onto his seat merely by her appearance. "FLAME WHEEL, Flint!" the rider ordered, the fire-type picking up great speed as the duo barreled toward the toxic-chained insect in a dramatic leap.

LIQUIDATION was a potent water-type move and could easily drown Flint if she got too close. Being a Champion, he had experience fighting against almost any Pokémon, including Toxapex. He knew the weaknesses of the species and the limitations of the short-range torrent. As soon as the water raced toward him, Josh yanked hard on Flit's reins with his right arm. His mount's explosive fur breathed the vents on her neck, making the rider sweat as they skidded out of the way of a direct hit. Even a glancing blow still stung, what with the raw strength of the attack. The soaked Typhlosion shook her fur dry, startling Josh before he got his ride under control, facing the Rocket and Toxapex.

"Pokémon combat isn't just paint by numbers," Josh taunted Absinthe. "It's knowing what your team can and can't do, and knowing every angle of attack they're capable of. That may have worked on others, but not me. Flint, ZEN HEADBUTT." Typhlosion was not a species known for being dangerous at range, but Josh's was, the fire-type telekinetically projecting an image of itself in front of her foe and ramming into it!

The Crobat was incredibly fast. Far faster than Flint was. Josh had sat in Flowen's saddle several times. He knew exactly the kinds of speeds the poison-type could reach, even when not specializing like his own did. Flint reared to protect Josh from the attacker, the flying bat's fangs finding the Typhlosion's side. The rider could see and feel perspiration building up from his mount's fur; that was how he knew the nature of Absinthe Blackwood 's strike.

The Absinthe Blackwood Josh recognized in the Gym was not the same one before him now. She seemed to be a cold-blooded assassin, much like Hitoshi Inoue who had taken many lives the day his Gigantimax Corviknight laid siege to Mauville's North District.

As the Crobat was passing by, Josh flicked Flint's reins, the female fire-type leaping into the air. Her claws were laced with the high voltage of an electric-type, twin THUNDER PUNCHES aimed at the large vermin. When the Typhlosion landed from the jump, it was with unsteady limbs. Her legs began to buckle, and she collapsed from her exertion.

"You're not bad, but you're not the only one with wings," Josh taunted, grabbing Pazuzu's Poké Ball from his belt. Clicking its switch and hurling the device beneath him, he skillfully let the Pidgeot emerge beneath him such that the bird's expanding body would lift him into the saddle directly. Zipping the cocoon up and flipping his helmet's visor down, the duo took off, ready to chase down the Crobat.

Even after the horrific electric attack, the Crobat still flew. Any trainer with morals would have recalled the poison-type in their condition. Either Absinthe was a lot tougher than she looked, or she was foolhardy to leave the flying vermin in battle. The Gym Leader recognized it and held off his attack, yanking upward on the bird's reins. "Pazuzu, AGILITY!" he ordered.

With a loud screech, the strong bird ascended sharply, letting the CROSS POISON attack sail beneath them. Josh may not have fought from the saddle himself, but they fought more effectively together than apart. Leaving steering to his trustworthy trainer, the Pidgeot could focus on putting all his effort into going on the offensive. He let go of the reins, even pushing down on the flying-type with his hands. Pazuzu tucked his wings in and plummeted toward the Crobat, the skin beneath Josh's helmet pushed to the back of his head in the middle of perhaps the fastest AERIAL ACE the Rocket had ever seen.

Rustboro would not fall. Not on Josh Devlin 's watch. Not when Captain Elise Calcifet was depending on him. When the Champion was down in the dumps after reaching his rock bottom from the Eris aftermath, Elise was there. Every time Josh was in the hospital after suffering a major injury, Elise was there.

This time, it was his turn to protect her.

"That may have worked on another trainer. But not me," Josh retorted as the Shiinotic ejected SLEEP POWDER upward. Raising his MEGA GLOVE above his head, both rider and mount became veiled in a bright, purple-pink light. The already-large Pidgeot grew to an even more impressive size, plumage featuring vibrant blues and reds that made the MEGA EVOLVED bird a true force to be reckoned with.

"This one's for you, Eva Morales ," Josh exhaled, recalling the grand adventure the two had gone on in the Temple of Winds, dedicated to the skylord Rayquaza. It was her as Peacekeeper that inspired Josh to push Pazuzu to his limits. "HURRICANE!" With mighty flaps of his wings, the mega-evolved Pokémon surrounded himself with a cyclone that threatened to uproot the grass-type and send its spores back into Absinthe's face.

That was what Rocket got for sending a single grunt to intercept one of their most storied trainers. Soldier he was not, but he didn't need to be. He was a Champion. He was more than capable of fighting if he needed to, but fighting wasn't his forte. His strength was in extreme speed. And extreme speed came with glaring weaknesses -- ones that Greyson Connors had tried time and time again to bring to his attention. No eye was keen enough to discern minute details while moving at a speed more easily expressed as a factor of Mach. Sometimes, one needed to slow down to win the race.

That was the Elite Four had been trying to teach him during his entire Champion Assessment. His demonstration of that understanding with kyle lopez was a start. Now, he needed to further act upon that understanding if he wanted to be a more serious contender for the Elite Four.

As the Salazzle's toxic SMOG spread outward, Josh reined his Pidgeot above it. Were his mount's Hurricane not on cooldown, he could easily have blown the attack, and the user, far away. Even Pazuzu could not keep up the relentless, powerful assault. "TWISTER, Pazuzu!" Josh called, the Mega Evolved Pokémon flying above the cloud and compressing it into a toxic whirlwind. His eyes shifted to the ground for signs of Absinthe Blackwood and her Salazzle.