Ash is surprised to see a long line of Trainers waiting to challenge Skyla, the Mistralton City Gym Leader, and is even more surprised when he’s told he has to make an appointment for their battle! He learns that Skyla has a passion for flying, and to make sure she has enough time to pursue her hobby, she keeps a very tight schedule at her Gym.

And that’s not the only unusual thing about Skyla’s style! As our heroes watch the morning challenges, they learn how Skyla can fit so many battles into a single day: they’re not physical battles, but something she calls "Air Battles," which take place only in her mind! Skyla envisions the outcome of each battle, and within moments, the winners and losers are decided without actually battling.

This infuriates Cilan, who challenges Skyla, Gym Leader to Gym Leader, in an effort to show her what Gym battles should be. She accepts...and wins, much to Cilan’s dismay!

Skyla decides that’s enough for one day, and cancels all her afternoon battles. She’s about to leave when Ash runs up and challenges her, saying that her Air Battles are boring and that Trainers and their Pokémon have to battle for real. Skyla looks over Ash’s Pokémon and declares that she’d beat him easily, so there’s no point in battling, but Ash insists that she has to give him a chance! Can he convince her to battle him for real?