It was no secret that Raikou was very special to Josh since he was young. There were some aspects of his wishes it was best to keep to himself, such as his desire for an Avatarship with the Johto Beast. As much as he wanted to spill his guts about the full extent of his wants, some details were better off secrets kept to those he truly trusted.

"When I was younger, I dreamed of meeting, befriending, and riding on Raikou's back," Josh answered Sierra's question. "In Johtonian mythology, Raikou is the fastest land Pokémon in the world. That speed is what led me to choose an Electrike as my first Pokémon. It was the closest I felt I would get to Raikou. Together, we chased Raikou for years, and nothing came of it. But that's a whole different story." It was a chase that Josh had to put on hold not only because of his restitution, but for his own mental health. As he had learned from his conversations with other Avatars, one does not chase the gods. The gods seek out those they deem worthy. Even so, his role within AQUA's SAPPHIRE division gave him the opportunity to keep tabs on legendary Pokémon. In his eyes, it would only be a matter of time before the Beast of his dreams made their presence known.

"Long story short, Raikou's had a big influence on me, as a trainer, a Gym Leader, and a racer."

"He is. I want to befriend him more than anything else in the world," Josh answered, drawing his plush to his cheek and cuddling it like a child would their favorite toy. Its red, embroidered eyes and long, soft front teeth were almost as majestic as the real thing to him. Many of its black, thunderbolt-like stripes had faded some, showing just how loved the stuffed Pokémon was.

"It was," the Gym Leader answered, "and still is. Even in the... oh, year and a half or so that I've come to Hoenn, we've been through hell and back together. And it's only made us stronger together." If only he knew the true hell that Manectric was about to put him through...

Sierra's question took Josh by surprise. "It's a bit difficult to pick from the... oh, over one hundred Pokémon at my Gym, but... how about I just bring him in here." Holding a special Poké Ball with yellow decorations covering it, Josh stood up from his desk and clicked a button on the back wall, opening an electronic sliding door that led to a balcony overlooking the Gym's Racing Grounds. Waving toward a Zeraora in the distance and whistling toward him, he got the mythical cat's attention. The Pokémon bounded and leaped toward the building at blistering speed, leaping into the capture beam of the device.

Seconds later, Josh stepped back inside and released the electric Pokémon, the quadrupedal Zeraora making himself comfortable on the carpeted floor much like a common Skitty would. "It would be him. This is Raikiri. You might notice how similar his name is to Raikou's. That's because... I used to think he was Raikou." The most prominent feature on the cat was the cocoon saddle on his back, usually reserved for flying Pokémon. If Sierra had seen the mythical cat before, she would be aware that most of them stood on only their hind paws. This one was different, moving more like a feral cat. He was perhaps one-of-a-kind among his species.

What a question. The simple presence of the mythical cat provoked such a loaded inquiry. "If you think he's remarkable here, you should see him on the track. Ever seen a Pokémon run faster than a race car before?" he asked, his smile growing as Sierra's interest continued. That smile melted into a quizzical, almost bewildered look as she asked about their meeting.

"Wow... where do I even begin..." Josh sighed. "In short, I got him from Top Champion kyle lopez . You see, when Rocket invaded Kanto and tried to take over Johto, Suicune and Raikou repelled them at great cost. Suicune died in the war, and Raikou was believed to be dead, but we have not been able to confirm Raikou's death. My recent travels led me to believe Raikou died in the war. Raikiri preferring to run on all fours, plus his incredible speed, led me to believe the soul of that Raikou rest inside him. There's a lot more to that story, too, if you want to hear it."

Josh grinned upon hearing Sierra's enthusiasm for witnessing great speed. "If you ever become a more skilled rider, I may be able to oblige you," he teased her. "Raikiri can carry two people at a time." The only other person he had ever let on the Zeraora's back with him was Julia Davis , and she was quite worse for wear once they had reached top speed. At the mention of his name, the feline stood up and walked next to Sierra, letting her get a good look at the great cat if she wanted. The Gym's tall ceilings handily accommodated the electric-type's great size.

"It all started back in July of last year. To the northwest of Fortree is a small shrine dedicated to the legendary Pokémon Raikou. Through some painstaking legwork, I was able to learn that Top Champion kyle lopez was on friendly terms with Entei, one of Raikou's two cousins. We battled in his Battle Arcade, and Entei overwhelmed me. Not long after that, when I had to go into space to help stop the meteoroid from crashing into Hoenn, I found out that he was also on friendly terms with the Great One, Ho-oh. After we licked our wounds from that, we met up again around the week of my birthday, and he got me the best birthday present I could have asked for." The Gym Leader's excitement reached a fever pitch, ready to share the most blissful memory he had ever made during his entire stay in the war-torn region. It was a memory that kept him going no matter what calamity befell him.

"Heh," Josh's smile grew into a grin with Sierra's interest. "Perhaps if we get to know each other better, you'll get to find out about Raikiri's speed firsthand." It took a lot of trust for Josh to be willing to let a passenger aboard his most prized Pokémon. On top of that, riding so fast was physically demanding.

"The present actually wasn't Raikiri," the Leader clarified. "It's fairly well-known at this point that Kyle's connection with Ho-oh lets him command... familiars... of Raikou and Suicune. Not the real thing, but... that's the best word I have. He let me go for a ride on his Raikou familiar." He went on to describe what he felt that day. While he did not have full control over the legendary familiar, he had enough control to experience the uncontrollable speed of the fastest Pokémon on land. "Being on Raikiri's back gives me that same feeling. While it's not quite as intense - nothing can match that of the Johtonian god of speed, after all - it's very similar to what I felt that day."

With the interview wrapping, Josh's thoughts shifted from the past to the future. "For quite some time, I've had the title of Champion in my sights. And I have Raikiri to credit for a lot of my success. Other than that, be the best Gym Leader I can be, the best Ranger I can be... and follow leads on Raikou when I can. Responsibly, of course." He didn't want to say anything more; if the public was able to piece together his misdeeds involving Eris Halla , the backlash to both himself and the League as a whole would be catastrophic.

Moving his hands away from his keyboard, Josh knew he had to leave a lasting impression with his final words. And leave one he would. That final impression would be some of the greatest self-taught wisdom he had learned from the ups and downs in his life. They were lessons he learned when he nearly sacrificed the lives of every Pokémon he had just for Saber, the Manectric that was the Pokémon he most closely resonated with. Lessons learned when his Absol nearly gave her life for him. Twice. Lessons learned when he nearly took the life of a child over his obsession with an electric deity he had never met. And most recently, lessons learned in his humble experiences in combat with Hoenn's Elite Four.

"Don't give up on your dreams, but don't let them control you, either. If you let your dreams control you, you will do horrible things you never thought you would ever do. Some of my dreams have already come true. I'm racing Pokémon for a living now, and using that career for helping the next generation of trainers be ready to confront Team Rocket. Some dreams will forever be dreams and may never come true. It's the hardest thing I've had to accept. But all you can do is pursue them without becoming a slave to them."