The southbound lanes of Highway 110 had been closed for a construction project; an additional lane in each direction was to be added. Actual work on the highway was to begin tomorrow, but they had the two south lanes already closed. As Mauville's Gym Leader, Josh had been given that knowledge in advance, and he was going to take advantage of it. He had brought just one Pokémon to the wide open road, and that was his Manectric, Saber.

"Hey, Cian!" Josh waved to the Rustboro Gym Leader from his Manectric's saddle. "A bit nervous, but otherwise okay!" Saber barked toward Cian and his Kecleon in greeting, his purple saddle crafted in the likeness of Raikou's thundercloud. Electricity crackled among his legs. He was excited for the same reason Josh was nervous.

"I am, with the only Pokémon that I have the requisite bond with," Josh replied. "You see, I've known Saber for... fourteen years now. Been riding him for twelve years. I've read that that kind of bond you need for the creation of a Sygna Suit is on that level. Which brings me to why I wanted to bring you out to this closed highway."

Josh didn't seem too worried about Cian's lack of riding gear for his Pokémon. "No biggie; after all, it's largely trainer preference where they use one or not. Most Pokémon can adapt to it, with or without. You did bring a Pokémon for the run, right?" It didn't have to be ridiculously fast like Saber was, but with the kind of speed Josh planned on reaching to truly bond with his Manectric, it would take far too long for a trainer to catch up on foot. "Not like any of your Pokémon would be able to keep up with... what we have to do."

The final component of Josh's Sygna Suit was a bond that transcended the physical limits of what humans were capable of. The Top Champion, kyle lopez , was generous enough to let him live his dream. When he sat astride the Beast and leaned low, no amount of preparation had readied him for the crushing acceleration force of the noble and legendary creature's EXTREME SPEED. He got a taste of that speed on Meteno's surface, when he rode Saber during his ultimate burst of speed, HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE. The reduced gravity on the meteor greatly reduced the speed of the lightning-fueled sprint. Today, though, that would not be the case.

The final component to Josh's Sygna Suit would be withstanding a ride on Saber's Z-Move. The one move he could use to outrun Raikou in the event another one showed up. Stranger things have happened in Hoenn; seeing the multiple Deoxys go at it opened his eyes to the notion that there was more than one Raikou out there.

"Did I tell you about how I got to live my dream last month, and how it's prepared me for this very moment?" he asked Cian with bated breath, now visibly shaking.

Josh was impressed with Cian's Hisuian Samurott, the Kecleon looking adorable atop the water-type. "Pretty slick! Samurott are not slow, whether in the water or on land. If the opportunity comes, I'll definitely catch one and raise one for the Gym." The Z-Charm beneath Josh's racing outfit glowed yellow, as though Saber was ready to draw energy from his Z-Crystal. This would be only the second time he had used his blindingly fast Z-Move without being hampered by low gravity, and the first time Josh had been along for the ride.

His humbling experience on Raikou's back had prepared him for this moment. While it wouldn't last for minutes on end, the few seconds the Z-Move lasted would peak Saber at a speed even higher than the Johto Beast was capable of. It would be his one ticket to "catching" Raikou like the Beast of his dreams beckoned him to. How real that was, he would never know.

"So when we went on vacation, I told you about how Raikou died in the war? Well, it's not the same as the real Raikou, but I got to ride on one of the Top Champion's... Raikou-familiars. It's almost exactly like the real thing. Riding on Raikou's back was something I had dreamed of doing since I was a child."

While alternate avenues of battle were something Cian had apparently been exploring, Josh's true motive for becoming a Gym Leader was to spread his love of Pokémon racing. It was a desire evident in the types of Pokémon Josh captured and how he battled with them. Perhaps after their rematch, Cian would warm up to the idea of racing him, even if there wasn't a badge on the line.

Josh's smile turned to a grin. "Everything I dreamed of and then some. In fact, too much of what I dreamed of." He vividly reccounter the trip from Pyre to Mauville in particular, taking place in what seemed like minutes. "That leg of the trip in particular was when I rode Raikou's EXTREME SPEED. It was...paralyzing. Though I could see exactly how fast he was going, thanks to Josh Dragomir 's new gadget, putting a number to it doesn't really put into perspective what it was like." Saber let out a cheerful bark, the pair's Z-Charm and Z-Crystal glowing again.

"Other than being paralyzed at his very fastest speeds, it was the most fun I've ever had. One thing is clear, though; even if I were to befriend Raikou and have him at my side, Federation courses simply aren't designed with that kind of speed in mind." He firmly held Saber's reins and lined himself up for the run he was able to go on. "And it's prepared me for the final component of the bond I need to create a Sygna Suit in Saber's likeness. Cian, have you heard of the Z-Move, HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE?"

"It's a Z-Move I discovered through a dream where a Raikou, which I'm pretty sure is another world's Raikou, used it." Even in slow motion, the move was terrifyingly fast. The vivid nightmare came to mind, where he had to watch his Pyroar, Aslan, be slain in a single blow from the move. Not just knocked out, but completely slain.

Josh took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do. He hoped that the wound on his chin wouldn't reopen, but he had to be prepared for anything. "Far as I know, it's the fastest Pokémon move in the world. You know how EXTREME SPEED is so fast it can interrupt any move? Well, this one is so fast that it can interrupt even that. It's my ace in the hole for chasing Raikou should the opportunity arrives. A move so fast that not even Raikou's EXTREME SPEED can keep up." He paused to let that sink in. "And not just that. It's an electric attack that's irresistible. Not even Ground-types are immune to it."

Saber began to bound down the closed highway, picking up speed. Josh clicked his helmet's visor into place as the two took off. "And that is the final component to my Sygna Suit. Our bond needs to be strong enough that I can ride him like that. And I'm gonna be honest with you. After what Raikou did to me, I'm scared. But it has to be done."

"There would almost have to be," Josh nodded in agreement. "And who says there's not more than one in our own world?" While that may have been true, the uncertainty made Raikou a phantom Josh could no longer chase until evidence pointing to a second one in Hoenn showed up. His ride on kyle lopez 's Raikou-familiar was something he would never forget, and he longed for the privilege to do that at will. If he could, perhaps his body would eventually be able to adapt to the EXTREME SPEED that left him temporarily paralyzed.

If he wasn't careful with this final component, though, he could wind up being paralyzed like that again. His experience in Raikou's cloud-saddle would be integral in today's test of his endurance. "All I can say is go as fast as you can on your Samurott," he advised. "Just try to keep me in sight in case something bad happens. But I don't think keeping me in sight will be...feasible. Thanks, though." He deeply sighed, slamming his helmet's visor down. "...See you on the other side."

And with that, Saber was off, electricity flying among his four paws as he barreled down the closed road. Faster and faster he ran with Josh at his reins, the trainer clutching them tightly. As the two reached top speed, Josh knew this wasn't getting any easier. It was now or never. "And Saber, don't hold back." The Manectric let out a trusting bark. The rider inhaled deeply. "HYPERSONIC..."

Exhale.

"PLASMA CHARGE!!!"

Saber's acceleration from the discharged Z-Move got a grunt, then a shout, out of his rider. The speed reminded Josh a lot of his experience with Kyle's Raikou-familiar, and he was grateful for that experience before attempting this madness. Lightning strikes from a highly localized storm system circled the electric Pokémon and Gym Leader. As Saber's speed further grew, the concentric lightniing strikes came closer and closer to him. This was the "Plasma Charge" part.

The "Hypersonic" part came with the first bolt struck near Saber's snout, the crashing noise causing even Josh to flinch. Just before the lightning would have struck Josh and the electric steed he rode, dodging the circling lightning bolts by outrunning them. The crushing recoil he felt reminded him of when Eva Morales let him experience just how fast Rayquaza's DRAGON ASCENT was.

A silent scream followed.

Saber's legs merged into a single a white, yellow, and blue blur that glowed bright as a lightning bolt. It was the same blur a Pokémon's legs disappeared into when using EXTREME SPEED. As the surroundings other than the road directly ahead of Josh turned to a similar blur, bright lights flashing on each side of the Manectric, he knew his hidden weapon to catch Raikou worked. Not even Raikou's EXTREME SPEED could match the Z-Powered burst speed Saber put on.

A second silent scream followed as the skin of his cheeks was pushed almost all the way back to the back of his head, his chin bone poking through his scar there. Blood sprayed beneath his lower lip from the violent burst of acceleration accompanying the fastest Z-Move he knew of.

It only lasted ten seconds, yet the distance they covered in that brief time was incredible. He wondered how long it would take for poor CIAN MAHER to catch up and see the pained look in his face from how much that whip-like acceleration hurt. Pain that was a sign of a friendship that couldn't possibly blossom to a greater degree. A friendship worthy of the creation of a SYGNA SUIT. If that friendship wasn't so strong, Josh may well have not survived the ordeal.

The two were truly inseparable.