Apparently Josh's charge scared the Fortree Leader even though he was clearly going wide. He reined Saber even wider of the Birdfather, killing most of the Electric-type's speed with a sharp, sliding U-turn and skidding to a stop on the opposite side of the charge. "Tremble, fiend," Josh said in a booming voice, baring the plastic blade at an imaginary foe, "for you are in the presence of Josh, the Committed!" He gave the Manectric a gentle pat as the "legendary" turned to face Alex. "Isn't that right...Raikou?" The blue fur and Manectric-sounding cry were the two big giveaways that this was an elaborate costume and not the real thing.

After a few seconds, he sheathed the sword and cut the charade. "How you doing? It's that time of year, you know?" It may have been a bit, but Josh was certain his colleague would remember some of the last words that were spoken before the two left the Aviary to check on Bladestorm that fateful, stormy late afternoon.

“If I hadn’t taken the path of being a Gym Leader, I’d have been a lorekeeper instead. hilariously, though, all the stories of legendary Pokémon I’m aware of is from Unova, because I’m from there. And then some bits and pieces from Kalos and here, but that’s about it. To hear a Johtonian tale… I’d want to sit down and pick your head further.”

"And that's what I'm here to do. I have heard many tales of the Sacred Beasts of Johto. The fastest Pokémon on land. When I told you I wanted to pursue Raikou, you didn't think I hadn't done my homework on him, did you?" Of course, his knowledge of the Beast was very limited. He hoped to fix that throughout his travels of Hoenn, and live his dream of fighting alongside the fastest Pokémon on land to do his part in securing Hoenn's new, peaceful future. "First, two tales that relate to them: the tale of the Two Towers of Ecruteak, and the tale of the Hero of Johto."

Josh wasn't quite sure why the month of October was a problem; sure there was Halloween décor everywhere, you would see more people in costumes, just like the Mauville Leader was now, and there was a marked increase in Ghost-type Pokémon gathering where they normally didn't...but he wouldn't press the Birdfather about it. They had business to get to.

"Oh, is that in the distance?" Josh said, squinting and pointing. If Alex were to confirm, Josh would grin and slam his visor down, starting the charade up again. "See if you catch us there!" Of course, Alex would probably beat him there, given most of his Pokémon were birds. They didn't have to worry nearly as much about friction. Josh's Pokémon, as a Gym Leader with a Gym focused on racing, were still quite fast and could at least give the birds a run for their money.

"Straight ahead, Raikou! Let's go!" Sparks flew from the Manectric's paws as his explosive speed got the two moving forward rather quickly. "Faster, Raikou! Faster!" He was really into it, almost like a child who was naive enough to think he really was atop the electric Legendary. To emulate the Beast's speed as much as possible, Saber broke into a QUICK ATTACK chain, but even that didn't truly match his idol's sustained speed. The only one of his Pokémon that could do that was his Arcanine, Braver. And the last time he tried riding in Extreme Speed, it made him sick.

Josh was at first surprised to see Alex arrive at his humble abode first...then the Xatu next to him explained everything. "Well, that's one way to be faster than the fastest land Pokémon in the world!" the Leader chuckled, Saber letting out a series of barks that could only be interpreted as the Manectric equivalent of laughter. Josh waved to Kyouya as he dismounted. He would have withdrawn the Raikou-dressed Manectric, but it was on theme with their topic. Provided he would fit and Alex didn't object, he would leave "Raikou" out of his Poké Ball.

"Thanks again. Mind fetching me a bottle of water?" Josh asked as he found the rightmost seat on Alex's sofa. "If you want to hear about the Great One and her Sacred Beasts, we might be here for a while." These were two of his favorite stories to share. With Alex being a lorekeeper, they could well be here for hours going back and forth. Josh was smiling far more than normal.

"Thanks," Josh replied, pouring a glass of ice water and taking a big gulp of it, chewing on a small ice cube for good measure. The Wooloo cry caught him a bit off guard; he wasn't expecting Alex to have too many Pokémon that weren't birds. Saber started to nuzzle the Wooloo that was curiously observing him, though he would back off if either the static became too much or the Normal-type didn't like it.

"We'll start with the tale of the Two Towers. This is probably the most well-known Johtonian tale out there. Almost everyone there learns this tale in middle or high school. Here goes..." He let out a deep sign and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts and visualize the happenings.

"Centuries ago, Johto had two tall towers. One captured the rising sun, and one captured the setting sun. A legendary bird Pokémon roosted atop each. Then one day, lightning struck the west tower. The two Pokémon fled, and the lightning strike ravaged the western tower, sparking a fire that raged for three days. It was only put out by torrential rainfall. Once the storm had passed, one of the legendary bird Pokémon, the Great One, Ho-oh, descended upon the ruined tower, and breathed new life into three nameless Pokémon. The Great One gave them divine forms: the forms known as Suicune, Entei, and..." Josh paused, his eyes starting to bead up. "...Raikou." Another sigh. Was even talking about Raikou this hard? He had talked about Raikou in front of so many people before, in front of Laurence Anderson , even.

"After the Great One resurrected them, they fled the collapsed tower at...surreal speeds. You wouldn't believe me if I could even begin to describe just how fast they can run. Suicune by a hurricane-force tailwind, for one. Raikou, though...Raikou's speed is in a whole different league."

Saber was a gentle giant toward the Wooloo for now; if any more of them surrounded him, his hyperactive side might take over. And that was not a good thing when inside a residence. Josh really didn't want to break anything. He heard the Manectric getting a bit restless. "I know you want to run, Raikou, but now isn't the time." Still keeping the charade up. The fantasy was just too fun to imagine, though! He longed for the day it was real.

"The Guardian of the Sea, Lugia, and according to the legend, the Beasts' sworn enemy. Whether that's real or not, I don't think I ever want to find out. The sheer devastation they would wreak..." He had always thought of Ho-oh, the Great One, as a benevolent god, and Lugia as a malevolent one. Perhaps he was just a little biased. Just a little. "Anyway, like I was saying, Raikou's speed is absolutely in a different league compared to the others. It was part of the reason initially why I wanted to befriend and ride Raikou...to experience that speed for myself. Of course, I now have a much more important reason to chase him, and that is to change Hoenn's future away from the imminent collision course with annihilation she is on. To change the future that refuses to be changed." He was, of course, referring to his experience in the Cloud. But that would come later.

"Next is about a great hero. I would call it the Hero of Johto, but I can't say for sure the origin. A couple of regions have very similar stories, but I'll go over this one with you. It's one of the reasons I'm inclined to believe that out of all the Legendary Pokémon, that Suicune, Entei, and Raikou are some of the most likely to seek human allies. It all starts with a children's song that's never truly been able to leave my mind:

A deep, deep valley blocks the way.
If you can cross, go ahead, I say.
The scary valley likes to brag,
"No one can cross my rocky crags!"
What nonsense speaks the silly valley?
For Great Raikou, it's one bound.
Hero on its back, just one bound.

"Now obviously the valley is symbolic of something far more serious. This is a children's song, after all." Was Josh the hero that would cross the deep valley in a single bound? Only time would tell.

"Not at all!" Josh affirmed. "I know it's a lot to take in." It had been long enough since his terrifying journey through the Cloud that he felt at least a little comfortable talking about it again. Still, he had to warn Alex. "We can come back to the Great Hero later. I do want to warn you ahead of time. I've told this story to a lot of people, and I've broken down crying. I think I feel better about it now, but I'll try to go over it again."

Josh completely lost track of time sharing his story of the future that refused to be changed, and how his Absol saved his life that he was willing to throw away for a chance to save that of his Manectric. "When I left the Cloud, I got them back. Everything was reversed. Except what my Absol did to me to save my life." He pulled back his left sleeve, revealing a massive PSYCHO CUT scar the width of his arm. Next, he pulled up his shirt just enough to show a cauterized yet still-healing wound of similar complexion, the entire width of his chest. "It doesn't hurt nearly as much now. But this is a permanent reminder of what happened then. And that..."

Josh's silence seemed to echo throughout the entire room.

"And that is why I want, more than anything in the world, to sit atop that thundercloud, hold Raikou's reins in my own two hands, and prevent that future from happening. I can't bear to see Raikou, or my own Pokémon, dead like that."