The December sky above Mauville was nothing of dreary. It looked like it could start raining at any moment. With his Gym staff able to handle challenges entirely without the Leader for the next several days, Josh had some time to decompress at his nearby residence. His vacation wouldn't be entirely relaxing, though; his video gaming session was cut short when he was received a text from his battle mentor, Elite Four Callan Young . "Oh #$%%, that's today?!" he exclaimed, turning off the console and dressing in his blue Elite Ranger uniform. While he wasn't technically acting in the capacity of an on-duty Ranger, it was the best clothing he had for an expedition. Once he was dressed, he texted Callan back, "Sorry, lost track of time! Be there faster than you can say Extreme Speed!"

He hadn't officially immigrated to Hoenn yet, but given his conversations with CIAN MAHER , ghost fireheart , and his family back in Johto, it was only a matter of time before he permanently took up residence in the tropical region. When he told the Elite Four he would be there faster than one could say Extreme Speed, he meant that more literally than anyone likely expected. Once he was packed up, some of his fastest, toughest Pokémon stowed away on his belt, he headed over to his Gym's Racing Grounds and sent out one of his newer additions to the team: a Dragonite who looked ready to jump into action. Purple DRAGON RAGE embers flew from her nostrils after Josh mounted up and took to the air. "Tiamat, EXTREME SPEED!" the Master of Faster cried as soon as he was far enough away from his hometown away from home.

By the time the Leader neared the island graveyard, the orange-and-purple comet that was Tiamat had to be plainly visible to Callan and anyone else near the Primal Point. The hummingbird-like drone of her wings beating in the blur necessary to maintain EXTREME SPEED was another sign of the Leader's presence. Tiamat swooped in for a landing after the gigantic speed burst wore off. "Sorry I'm late!" Josh waved shakily, his sense of touch still slightly dull from how much his dragon mount shook when performing the Sacred Arte.

Mt Pyre... Josh had promised Ettie that they'd go there, to look for Tera Shards together - those little jewels, that he had used to make Resheph all glowy-shiny-pretty. For a time thus, Ettie had lingered about in Fortree - wandering the surrounding routes, waiting for Josh to perhaps meet her there so that they could go to that distant mountain together. But, as time passed, the young child eventually became impatient - wondering where her friend might've gone.

Perhaps he was already at the mountain? Maybe that's why he hadn't shown up yet! Cause he was the one waiting, not her! Though it took a hot minute for Ettie to connect the place to the name, it was safe to say that the wildchild and her pack had no issues in moving out towards the mountain on their own. And when they arrived, it was with the hope that Ettie would be able to find Josh - and start finding as many pretty things as they could, to make the whole pack all shiny and crystalline, like the Terastallized pokemon that she'd seen!

There was no sign of Josh thus far, though - no hair nor hide nor scent of him or his pack. At least... Not until a blur of orange and purple up above cut through the sky, catching Ettie's attention. The pack's curiosity piqued, they'd follow the direction that they saw the strange blur go - further up the mountain, higher and higher... Until they were met with the sight of two trainers - one familiar, one not - and the stranger sight of what almost looked like a tear in reality itself, just beyond them.

The sight of the rift made the hairs on the back of Ettie's neck stand - and even Anne let out a soft growl by pure instinct, both mutually unsettled at its existence. Something about this felt wrong in a way that the young child could not articulate. And yet, seeing her friends here...

"Josh! Friend!" Ettie called, as she hopped down from Anne's back and approached the group. Following not far behind was her pack - though most of the canids' gazes would be locked on the rift, their expressions ranging between awe, to confusion, to even unsettled. "What is?" The young wildchild asked, pointing up towards the rift. "Is where pretty-shiny-glowy jewels?" Ettie wasn't sure if the pack would enjoy looking around here for them, but... She'd still do her best!

Johanna Joy Callan Young Josh Devlin

Oh, right. Josh had promised Ettie he would help her look for Tera Shards on Mount Pyre, too. Once he was feeling less woozy after his blistering pace of travel, the Leader dismounted from Tiamat and recalled her. "Hey, Ettie! I'm so sorry for being late! I completely lost track of time. I thought they fell on the main mountain itself, but it's very possible some of them could have fallen... there." He looked up to where Ettie was pointing.

The Elite Ranger approached Johanna with a hand extended in greeting. "No more late than I was! Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but I go by Josh. A pleasure to meet you. What's your name?"

Finally, he turned back toward Callan, flashing a smile toward Ettie. "Ettie is so resourceful. You help the Rangers out so much. I'm sure I'll have some once we're on the other side. Tiamat needs to rest, but I brought plenty of other flying Pokémon. Resheph!" Josh sent out a Dragonair that may have been familiar-looking to Ettie, due to the presence of a blue TERA JEWEL near her weather orbs. "If anyone else doesn't have a flying Pokémon, I have two more." Just as he was about to send out his Hydreigon and Togekiss, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. "Did you hear that?"

So the tera shards that she and Josh meant to look for might not be on the mountain... But in the rift, up above? Nodding in understanding, Ettie would stare up at the tear in the sky for a few moments, frowning gently as she overheard Callan's mention of the rift being 'dangerous'... Just how dangerous, though, was the question. A question that'd have to wait, at least for a few minutes more.

Namely, because there was another new person! As Johanna approached, Ettie smiled brightly - wasting no time in giving her a very Ettie greeting. "Hello! Friend!" She chirped, briefly bouncing in place. "Am Ettie! Who friend?"

But, then Callan prompted for questions from the group - and Ettie would likely be the first with a question. "Friend says is-dangerous." She spoke, pointing up at the rift. "What danger? How dangerous?" She might come off as flighty and uneducated to most people, but she certainly wasn't stupid.

Meanwhile, as Josh let out Resheph, Anne would glance to the dragonair - before giving her a nod and gentle chuff in greeting. She didn't need to see the jewel, to recognize a friend's scent. Glancing up to the rift once more though, she'd let out a low rumble with a questioning or inquisitive hue - did Resheph feel the same sense of unease from it, that she did?

And Josh seemed to have heard something - at least, judging by his question. But as Ettie glanced towards him, she'd cock her head. "Hear what..?" She asked - trying to listen closely to their surroundings... But not hearing anything amiss, she'd shake her head and glance to her pokemon, asking "Pack hear?" But, they'd shake their heads one by one as well.

Johanna Joy Callan Young Josh Devlin

"Johanna Joy ?" Josh asked. "As in the legendary nurse family? Bless your family's name." He subtly sighed after being left hanging, though Ettie may have been the only one perceptive enough to hear. His mind was other places, and one wasn't on the mission at hand. It was on Yagyu, the Doublade that Haunted Fist claimed the life of during Josh's very first Ranger mission as an Elite. It was more traumatic than anything he had experienced in his Cyberchase Hell. More traumatic than Meteno. "...I'm going to defer that to Callan Young , as he's the commanding Ranger, from what I gathered."

It was the first time one of his Pokémon had died under his watch.

The distracted Gym Leader turned toward Callan to hear that there would be no real plan other than recon. "Arceus... the Spacelord, Palkia? He's here too?" he swore. "What in the world is going on?" While rescues were Josh's forte, he was excellent at protecting others, too. His specialty as a Pokémon putting the trainer was putting the pedal to the metal. The rift being a portal to the spirit world only further distracted Josh, and it was evident from his body language.  "Nothing in there is dangerous if it can't catch us. I have Resheph and Tiamat, whom you've seen. I also brought Braver, my Arcanine, and Mastema, my Togekiss. You know what those Pokémon have in common? They're the only ride Pokémon, barring the gods, with the Sacred Arte of EXTREME SPEED. One for each of us. With them, there's no danger we won't be able to run away from." He smirked, sending out the Arcanine and Togekiss in question in case anyone else needed a lift. "The only danger might be in trying to keep your lunch down."

It seemed Josh was the only one that heard the sound of the swords being drawn. "You didn't hear that, Ettie? You have the best hearing out of anyone I know. It must have just been me." The sound rang again, this time louder, though he was still the only one that could hear it. "From the rift!" From beyond the rift, he could see two transparent swords in the form of a floating Doublade's spirit, clashing with one another repeatedly. It seemed no one else could hear them, and perhaps no one else could see them, either. At least not until they crossed the rift.

"...Yagyu!!" He hooked the Dragonair's reins back into a neutral position, using his legs as an awkward method of full control. Drawing the twin swords that formed the husk of his deceased Doublade, Josh pointed them toward the rift. "Resheph, AGILITY, now!" Without warning, the two of them shot toward and through the rift at high speed. "Yagyu, I'M COMING!!" he shouted as he disappeared through the gate...

"Johanna! Callan! Good-friends!" Ettie spoke with a bright smile, nodding eagerly.

Some of Callan's briefing would end up ultimately going over Ettie's head - terms like 'spacetime' or 'spirit worlds' being a bit beyond her. But from what she could understand, this rift was created by a pokemon of some sort named Palkia. It led into another place - a place that could be potentially dangerous, not only to explore in, but to Hoenn as a whole. And the others were here to explore, figure it out, and close it.

While Ettie wasn't sure about the potential forms this danger might take, though, she wasn't alone - there was strength in numbers after all, and Callan and Josh both intended to be here to protect them. "Pack help Pack!" Ettie mentioned to Callan with a warm smile - she was ready to lend a hand however, to aid in this entire endeavor.

And speaking of pack - Josh would send out more of his pokemon - including an arcanine, a large canine that caught Ettie's attention near-immediately. He was large, larger than even Anne - something that was a source of awe to the pack as a whole. Anne would chuff and dip her head in respectful greeting, whilst Ettie eagerly approached - reaching up to let Braver sniff her hands, and unable to help but bark in greeting in her excitement! "Arf!"

However, it seemed that Josh was getting increasingly bothered by something, and was continuing to hear sounds that noone else could. And not only that - he was beginning to see things. As he called the others' attentions to the rift, Ettie glanced up - and yet... "What?" She questioned - because no matter where in the rift she looked, she didn't see anything that stood out or was particularly different from a minute ago.

But despite it all, Josh was off - racing ahead and into the rift, chasing after someone - Yagyu? Ettie blinked, visibly alarmed and confused - though glancing to Braver, she already had a plan. "Josh-pack fast! Hide now, come out after." Ettie spoke to her pack - pulling out their pokeballs and offering them to each pokemon. If she tried to chase after now, a lot of the pack would be left behind - it was better that they remain in their pokeballs, as much as Ettie preferred them to be out and readied.

One by one, her pokemon returned to their balls by their own volition - even if Ruffian and Anne both were reluctant at the idea. And once the pack was accounted for, Ettie wasted no time in mounting up - not even waiting for Braver to crouch before she leapt onto his side and pulled herself up onto his back! "Follow Josh - help Friend!" She wasn't sure how to properly use the cocoon saddle that the Arcanine bore, but she'd brace herself against the front of it - laying close against Braver's body - and hung on as tightly as she could with her arms and legs, hands gripping the reins.

She would make no attempt to control Braver's pace - she was happy to trust his judgement, and this was not the time to try and direct a pokemon she didn't yet know the cues of. All she knew, was that she wasn't about to let a friend go into a supposedly dangerous place alone.

Johanna Joy Callan Young Josh Devlin