As much as Josh wanted to, the closest he could get to the speed of light was his Pokémon's Z-Move. Riding during a Z-Move was dangerous, not only due to the Pokémon's output of Z-Energy, but the incredible stresses it put the body under. It took many months of practice for him to master it with his Manectric. His one exposure to truly colossal speeds with Rayquaza, thanks to Eva Morales , helped a lot. "I only teach that to masterclass graduates due to how difficult it is," he answered. "Easter, if you've been a member for this long, you must be familiar with Mauville Gym's unique Pokémon art, the Hypersonic Plasma Charge. Fueled by Quick Attack, it's the fastest land speed any Pokémon can reach." Perhaps if he were to meet june sleigh and her Miraidon, that viewpoint might change. For now, the move made his Pokémon the monarchs of speed.

One day, Swift would be able to join their ranks. He just had to figure out how. And with so much of his time dedicated to helping out on the warfront, that research took a back seat. If anything, working his normal job duties as Gym Leader felt like a treat compared to the hell that was fighting off ambushes from the likes of Tempest Quinn , Absinthe Blackwood , and jayden cross .

"Nope, we've got to work up to that first," Josh replied, his head shaking gently. "You've come a long way, but you've still got a long way to go. But you're advanced enough that I trust you to learn with just about any of my Pokémon." Some of his more exotic steeds would surround him at the Gym's rear entrance. Among them were Toralf, a Raichu that stood on all fours about as high as Easter was tall; Winky, a Greninja that stood a little taller than Josh and looked tremendously nimble; and Milo, a Thievul whose long, bushy tail swayed in the wind. Pura was also present, a stout-looking Purugly whose stubby paws became too blurry to see when he ran.

Just what did he feed these Pokémon for them to grow so big?!

"One day I'll be able to do the Hypersonic Plasma Charge," said Easter eagerly. She definitely wanted to learn how to do it some day! Then she'd be just as cool as Josh whenever he raced!

She eyed his Pokemon with keen interest. They were all so amazing, like stars in the sky! She wanted to try riding them all some day but for now she'd learn step by step on just one. "Alphamax! I gotta ride Alphamax! It'd be great to have at least a sense of how my own Gible will be like once she evolves." Hopefully Alphamax would take her to. Pokemon were all different with different temperaments, so she'd have to ease into their space. She definitely didn't want to cause any of sort pain to Josh's Pokemon!

Josh Devlin

As enthusiastic as Easter was, Josh had to caution the girl not to be too ambitious. "The Hypersonic Plasma Charge is a Z-Move. It can be dangerous to perform if you're not used to how much Z-Energy you have to share with your Pokémon. On top of that, it's exactly what the move says -- a run where your Pokémon gallops at supersonic speed. You gotta work up to it." The move even gave Josh trouble from time to time, bouncing him up and down even more rapidly than he could get used to.

As Belle's eyes shifted toward Alphamax the Garchomp, she called upon Josh to summon him to their side. With a whistle, he did exactly that, the dragon swooping in for a landing that mirrored the form of an aircraft. "Garchomp fly differently than any other Pokémon in the world," he warned Easter. "There are some dangers you need to be wary of before you rein up a Garchomp. They don't flap their wings for thrust; instead, they're pure gliders that use the thrusters on their ears for power. As such, they can get pretty loud, and you'll want ear protection." He would give Easter plenty to think about before she made her decision to hop onto the finned dragon-type. One that looked well-behaved, but not one to hold back, either.

Easter listened to Josh with as much energy as she could. His words were wisdom to the flying soul! She'd have to take her sweet time learning about Z-Moves as most were dangerous, such as Hypersonic Plasma Charge. As much as she wanted to jump the gun and try it out as soon as possible, Josh was right: She had to work up to it! One step at a time!

She nodded at his words. "I'll take it one step at a time, Josh. No Z-Moves today but I'll still pick your brain about Garchomps."

Alphamax landed by Josh's side like an aircraft. How cool! Easter's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Ear protection, got it! I came prepared and already grabbed some, he he. You can't be too prepared in any scenario." She looked at Alphamax, all the way up, and then all the way down. Pokemon were so huge! "How does one even reign up a Garchomp? I'll follow your lead!"

Josh Devlin

Josh's racing helmet came with ear protection not just built in, but it could be toggled, as well. Artificial noise cancelling was a wonderful piece of technology. "Alphamax's cocoon saddle is normally designed for a single rider. I'll need to make some adjustments to it for us to both fly." It was going to be dangerous for Josh, as Easter would have the cocoon's protection and the Leader wouldn't. Even so, it was the best way for the young scientist to get the experience she wanted, and Josh was confident in his own skills. On top of that, if he did fall, he had a myriad of flying Pokémon that could intercept him.

After tinkering with the Garchomp's gear, now only the front half of the seat was cocooned. "It'll be a little different for you. Once you're sitting on his saddle, wrap the hanging leather part around your legs and your waist, and zip it up," the Champion explained. "It's how a cocoon saddle keeps you from falling. Very important for riding most flying Pokémon."

Once they were both situated, Josh would go over the basics with Easter. "Is this your first time riding a flying Pokémon at all?" he asked with worry on his face. Garchomp was not an easy Pokémon to learn with, what with having to take into account many factors other Pokémon did not require.

Easter saddled herself up carefully as per Josh's instructions. This was exciting! They were going to fly any time now!

"I've only ever ridden flying Pokemon with instructors. This is my first time taking the lead!" she said, noticing just how far they were off the ground now even when not in the air. Garchomps were huge! This was definitely not like riding a Rapidash who was firmly on the ground. "What should I expect now?"

Easter's heart raced. Her parents had never let her ride alone before, saying it was too dangerous. But kids younger than her rode Pokemon all the time! It was pure chance they finally agreed to let her fly only if Josh was instructing her. She would do her best not to make any mistakes in case her parents used it as fuel to disallow her into the air. Concentration and focus! That was what she needed! Plus if all things went well she'd be able to brag to her Pokemon what she did in the air.

Josh Devlin