Josh was not in the greatest of shape. While he was still able to breathe on his own, they did have him hooked up to a machine to monitor his vitals constantly. He was on quite a bit of pain medicine, all of it available only by prescription. THe first emergency procedure had gone well, and his two primary wounds were dressed. There was more minor evidence of full-body trauma from the NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE Luck & Pluck had subjected him to that day with his unknown assailant, Isaac Merlo , but the worst of his wounds had been treated and at least bearable.

The biggest issue with speaking to visitors was he could not sit up easily, nor could he put pressure on his back for very long. He even had a special setup in his room, fitting the Mauville VIP. His hospital bed had been pulled out of the wall, the backboard removed to let him sleep with his belly facing the floor. Between the bed and the wall was a monitor where he could watch television. The Unovan football game between the Nimbasa Sparks and the Blackthorn Blackwings had just returned from the halftime show, ready for the Blackwings to receive the second-half kickoff in a game separated by only a field goal. As a fair catch was made fairly deep in their own territory, Josh heard a knocking noise, his nurse letting him know he had a visitor. "Send them on in," the patient replied.

Provided he heard the door open, Josh would turn on his side to see exactly who was coming. It was Julia Davis ! That was sure a sight for sore eyes. "Julia! It's you! Thanks so much for stopping by. About the only thing that's keeping me going is football season," he rolled his eyes, doing his best to keep pressure off his back while still trying to engage with his Ranger friend. "I get the feeling I'm going to be on the DL for a while."

Josh smiled when he heard Julia's gratitude. "Thanks," he groaned, squinting as he accidentally agitated a nerve around one of his stab wounds. If Julia took a closer look, she would be able to see the bottom end of SHADOW SNEAK wounds from a Doublade, as well as general wounds from a NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE he had been directly struck by, thanks to the back of his shirt being pulled up from repositioning himself in his bed. "I wish I could, but I can't have to be careful about how much pressure I put on my back. A virtual hug will have to do. I appreciate the sentiment, though; it means a lot." He rolled his eyes at another penalty marker being thrown in the game. "Come on Blackthorn, not another offsides!"

When Julia brought up the PSPN article about the attempt on Josh's life, he let out a sigh and muted the game. "It's...complicated. A lot of it is public information, and a lot of it isn't. A lot of it is going to get out by the time I'm out of this damn bed. Come a little closer. And this conversation never leaves this room and never happened, okay?" Provided he could get the Ranger to swear to secrecy, he would begin recounting.

"As you are most certainly aware by now, I am chasing Raikou. How familiar are you with the AQUA Initiative and Avatars in general? A lot of what I'm about to tell you will build on that." He, of course, would be building up to the aftermath of his announcement the day of the Lilycove meeting, known to many Rangers. Too many people.

An air hug was as good as a real hug in the condition the Gym Leader was in. "I'll remember that. I'm giving you the biggest hug I've got once I'm out of this Arceus-forsaken bed. I'm tired of it already." With the game muted, he could concentrate on recounting his story. He made sure to speak quietly to be sure no one from another room could overhear him. It was difficult for him, what with how his voice normally carried. "Thank you. I figured I could trust you, and this information will all come out eventually. It's just privileged right now."

He started giving his unknowingly false description of his attempted murderer. He believed it to be one of the DRK Triad, when in reality, it was Blackjack: the Isaac Merlo he didn't know. The real Blackjack was, of course, much shorter and much skinnier than he remembered. "Good." He continued on. "You are correct. That is exactly what that group is. They're a coalition of League-aligned Avatars that are a task force for region-wide disasters. They are by far the most powerful force the League has. You can throw every person who isn't an Avatar in all of Hoenn at one and they would be able to decimate every single one of them. It's terrifying to think about."

Josh did his best to recall his conversation with Mauville and Greater League law enforcement that day. "I think it is," he admitted. "Remember the stories that day about the Cloud? That's where I first heard of them. The DRK Triad. They are Avatar hunters. Whether they hunt only League Avatars or Avatars in general, they want to see no more than the Reins of History be put back where they were, out of reach of the Hands of Man."

Josh shuddered, recalling the extent of the damage. "Whoever was responsible for this was willing to destroy an entire Gym to do so. That's one of those crimes that can easily get you locked up for the rest of your life. You see, they're not just going after Avatars. They're going after those with strong potential to be Avatars, too." He audibly gulped. It was terrifying to think about. The DRK Triad were preemptive, powerful, cunning, and almost surgically methodical in their mad schemes. Even if they weren't really targeting him now, would they in the future if he continued his chase, success or failure?

As a Gym Leader, Josh had rather easy access to many League Avatars. He knew some of them from outside the workplace, though he was unaware of some of their identities. He would find out in due time, particularly if he continued to do important work for the League. Obviously it was in his best interest to keep their identities hidden until just the right moment, and that moment was typically on the field of battle.

He couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with MATIAS SILPH , the Volatile, that day in Lavaridge. That day was his firs real introduction to just what Avatars were capable of. The man could walk through boiling air like it was nothing; air like that would have cooked anyone else alive. Including Josh. He was really craving some Alto Maren. Once he was feeling better, he was going to treat himself by going back to that very restaurant.

It was not too long afterward that Julia asked Josh the difficult question he had been dreading since that fateful day at his Gym. There were multiple ways to answer that question, and almost all of them were correct. "I've had... a lot of time to think about that," Josh answered. "There have been a lot of high-profile assassination attempts in Hoenn in the last five years. Having to increase security not only at my Gym, but personally, hurts me. It's something I failed to consider when I took on the position." A couple of tears rolled down his cheeks and the monitor he was previously watching the football game on.

"Julia, I love my job too much. I love my Gym too much. I miss taking on challengers and showing them how to keep their cool under pressure." He began to well up not over the assassination, but over the passion he had for being a Gym Leader. "And that... is something I'm not willing to give up. Chasing Raikou puts me in this same kind of danger." While Josh didn't know it, many of Hoenn's Gym Leaders were also Avatars. All three of Mauville's previous Gym Leaders were. Perhaps by default, the DRK Triad went after Gym Leaders for their such potential.

"And that..." he sniffed. "And that..." Again. "...That is why I have to continue the chase. Not for myself. And not just for the future of Hoenn as a whole. But for their future. The future of my co-workers. Those three are obviously a threat to Hoenn and must be handled. As a Gym Leader, I cannot stand by." He caught himself slowly raising his voice, bringing it down. "And that, Julia, is why I'm doubling down on my effort. And if Raikou says no..." He sniffed again. "...that's his decision."

Taking a mental step back, it should have come to no surprise to Josh that there would be unscrupulous ones out there that wanted no more than to see him removed from the face of Hoenn. After all, Gym Leaders were as much politicians as they were battle savants. He co-managed Mauville City with the elected mayor, though by choice he deferred much of his municipal authority in his position to the elected official. The Master of Faster was no politician. He was a Pokémon racer. He was a mentor for young, new trainers in Mauville, and all of Hoenn.

Clearly, Julia was at first shaken by his determination and resolve bordering on foolhardiness. After hearing his speech, though, she seemed to at least back him up. "At first, I didn't want to consider the possibility of rejection. It's hard. But it's something that my time here has let me think about." It wouldn't be easy to face, but it was something he had to be ready for. "To truly live my dream, I don't even have to be the one Raikou chooses. I just have to know the person he does pick."

To try to get his mind off the heavy thoughts, he turned the football game back on, though he kept it on a low enough volume so their conversation would drown it out. Blackthorn had the ball deep in their own territory, and they were down by eight about a third of the way through the fourth quarter. It would be an exciting finish, for certain. "Thanks. And don't think for one second I wouldn't do the same for you. I have your back, too. Once I get out of this damn bed, I want to do more work with you again. You're one of the few Rangers that get it. It's just so sad that Ranger work is so slow this time of year."

Arceus' Most Sacred Creation truly were enigmas. Many of them were more intelligent than humans, and they all had divine powers beyond ordinary Pokémon. At least the Originals did. Some, like Tornadus, had chosen to bestow fragments of their essence to select humans rather than fully bond with them, as was the case with Alexei Ivanov . As time went on, Josh would discover that the type of bond he wanted was with a replica of Raikou and not the original. That epiphany would come in due time. "It really isn't up to me. It's up to him. But I want to make myself as presentable as possible to him...you know?"

Josh paused at Julia's question. It was a simple one to ask, but not one for him to answer. "The answer to that is...complicated. And it's one that has changed over time. And it's..." He rolled his eyes, mostly at himself, though it may have been tough for Julia to see. "I'll put it this way. My reasons for pursuing Raikou aren't all selfless. Yes, stopping the future I saw is most important. And even if we prevent that future from happening, there are other futures the AQUA Initiative was formed to prevent. Being involved with them would let me meet so many Pokémon I could have only dreamed of meeting as a child."

Josh muted the football game again, though he kept the monitor on. "Raikou is what inspired me to become a Pokémon racer. You know that feeling you get when you're riding Chester? That feeling. You know what I'm talking about, I'm sure. It's why..." The Leader paused his face beginning to turn red. "This is so embarrassing..."

From his visions, Josh knew the voice speaking out to him, which he thought was Raikou, would not meet him until he had prepared himself spiritually. He had finished that long ago with the development of the Three Virtues. Next, he had been asked to prepare himself mentally. What followed in his mind, naturally, would be preparing himself physically. That was what he meant by presentability. He wanted to make the best impression on Raikou that he could. While it was ultimately the Beast's decision, he wanted to make himself the best candidate he could.

"...You're absolutely right," Josh admitted. While he did want to prevent Hoenn's bleak future from happening, there was no reason he couldn't live his childhood dream in the process, was there? "And who says I wouldn't be able to do both? Clearly, Raikou enjoys running to begin with. And when it comes down to it, a Pokémon is still a Pokémon. If we want to grow our strongest, we need each other. What difference does it make if the Pokémon is rare?" It was an evolving fantasy that grew more and more elaborate as the years. passed. "Of course, not on any official courses. They're simply not designed for that kind of speed. But imagine it. Going faster than any other Pokémon on land, with Hoenn itself as the course. Even if I just get to do it once, it's something I would never forget."

A bright, multicolored light shined through his window. While it was the season for the Northern Lights to show up, Nauville wasn't very far north. If the aurora was this bright here, it had to have been blindingly so back in Johto. "What in the world is that light? Aren't we too far south to see the Aurora Borealis?"