Josh shook his head. One gulp of that air made him feel like his lungs were burning. Matias had to have taken at least ten breaths down there. He would have melted from the inside out in conditions like that. Those were conditions training alone could never let a human endure. "...I find that hard to believe, Matias," was his first response after a lengthy delay. "But the important part is you were able to do something I couldn't, and that was save the lives of that teenage trainer."

"Thanks," Josh answered. "I did what I could, and we were able to save all four lives we were tasked to save. That's what matters. Now how about we head back to Lavaridge and go out to eat somewhere? To decompress, at the very least." This mission taught Josh that while there were human limits, the species, just like Pokémon, had evolved ways to transcend those limits. The INSIGHT to realize first impressions weren't everything, and anyone, no matter how ordinary they seemed, could possess superhuman, even divine powers that went beyond known limits, were out there. Perhaps if he could impress the Johto Beast with his actions today and going forward, he would be among their ranks one day. But for now, he would do what he could without them to steer Hoenn toward a future less bleak than the one it was on a course with.