Sunny and Rampage, working together, were able to outpace the illusions of the Interdream Zone and reach its border, a lone Nihilego staring at the two of them as they made their way to one of the many bases that adventuring parties had constructed. The construction wasn't great, but it was serviceable, and that was what mattered most.

Josh had at last caught his breath after dizzily dismounting the Illumina Crobat. "Thanks again... Isaac. I just didn't expect that you were a witness to the biggest mistake of my entire life. I... I feel I can be a little more open with you now. You've trusted me with your true identity, and it's something that if I really wanted to, I could weaponize again you. But you know I wouldn't do that to you. Now..." he trailed off, remaining silent for an unusually long time, as he gathered the courage to speak his mind.

His entire mind.

"I feel that you deserve for me to reciprocate that trust to you. You deserve to know the truth of what happened that day. All of it. NDA be damned. The law be damned. Because I know you would never sell me out. You're the one person on the planet I would trust with this. I just need your word that this conversation stays between us."

Josh breathed a deep sigh of relief. "I'm glad you understand the trust between us, despite our vastly different situations and attitudes toward Team Rocket." Another deep breath came before. He sent Raikiri out, who would nuzzle Isaac gently if he allowed it before returning to Josh. Rather than idly hop on the mythical cat, he simply leaned against the Pokémon's saddle as he told his grim story.

"It all started when I was asked by Mauville Law Enforcement Sergeant Stafford to bring Eris in for questioning. Of course, she refused to cooperate, and I couldn't tell her what questions she would be asked, as I wouldn't be the one asking them. We had a street chase that turned into a forest chase west of town. I got desperate and demanded she tell me what she knew of Rocket's motives for killing Raikou." His tears drifted into the emptiness of the Ultra Deep Sea. "I would do anything to avenge Raikou. And to a lesser extent, that's still true today." He wanted to explain why, but he was bound to secrecy at the behest of Chu-e Choi for those details. That was one pact he wasn't breaking any time soon. "At the time, anything up to and including beating every wanted Rocket I came across to within an inch of their lives."

His tears intensified. "And that was when I had lost sight of why I had pursued Raikou in the first place. My pursuit of Raikou was never about the League or Team Rocket. The day I left the cloud, I had vowed to pursue Raikou to save Hoenn from a bleak future: the future that refused to be changed. Something in me tells me that future wasn't referring to Meteno. It was referring to something far more sinister that is yet to happen."

Raikiri, sending Josh's spiraling sorrow, gently purred, tlckling the side of him that touched the big cat's saddle. "Thanks, Raikiri," Josh sniffed. "Anyway, I cornered her after using my Luxray's Z-Move to catch up to her. You know... that one. Then I had Blitz tase her, just like one would in any apprehension operation where the suspect is prone to flee. After that, though... I lost it. I lost sight of myself, and why I was doing what I was."

"That was when I asked her about Raikou," he continued his story. "I didn't want to accept she didn't know anything about it, so I pushed her harder. Even my Luxray, one of my most obedient Pokémon, refused to obey me. He knew I was making a grave mistake, and tried to stop me. But I was stubborn and ignorant. That's when I used my Beedrill. The one Pokémon I had that would engage in violence, no matter what. I rode Eris down on my Beedrill... and you saw her wounds, I imagine. My legs and arms were killing me afterward from how hard he was vibrating. I can't imagine how painful it was for her."

Josh had heard the first bit of Isaac's retort from many different people that were familiar with the incident. His behavior that day was unacceptable, even toward a known Rocket. Callan Young was right. Even the most vile of Rocket's members deserved due process as Hoennian citizens. "Like I said, I wasn't thinking. I was desperate for answers. I believed Rockets were all the same: vile, cold-blooded scumlords, and that you were the exception: the diamond in the rough among those in Rocket. Then I started working with people who either were in Team Rocket before, or are still there. CIAN MAHER . Asher Baran . They've opened my eyes."

Even Raikiri's facial expression turned somber. It was a first; normally the aggressive cat was filled with energy. The mythical Pokémon could tell this was a kind of rite of passage for his trainer. He shook his fist, the words of MATIAS SILPH coming to mind once more.

Fuck MATIAS SILPH .

A benevolent Avatar on the outside, but on the inside, manipulating the strings of the naive to do his aggressive bidding against Team Rocket. No more. Josh was ready to cut those strings -- and ties with the Volatile, at most. It was dangerous to do so, though; with his SYGNA SUIT making him weak to Ground-type attacks, the man's Patron could slay him with but a thought. As frightening as it was to think about, that man had ruined his life.

"Arceus..." Josh broke down again. "I... I had no idea how much she had already been through. The more people I talk to, the more I'm starting to understand the difference. It's not Team Rocket the people I should hate. It's Team Rocket the organization." He listened to the rest of Isaac's story, a look of pure dread creeping onto his face. Was the League really that close to lifting her out of Team Rocket and converting her? Had Josh shattered those hopes forever? This was not the person he wanted to be. He wanted to be the League's paladin. Their shield. Their bright, glowing sword with one purpose: to smite the evil that was Team Rocket.

The more he delved into making this wrong right, the more he realized just how complex the never-ending war was. If the conflict was simple, it would have been solved years ago. But it had been going on for years, with no end in sight.

As for Isaac's last question? "No, absolutely not. And this isn't going unpunished, either. Far from it." While he couldn't send Isaac a copy of the email, he could read it to him.

"While they're letting me stay a Gym Leader, I've been made ineligible for promotions to higher positions, such as Elite Four, indefinitely. That's corporate lingo for 'forever'. You're lucky you challenged my Gym right before this happened. I can't even visit my own Gym until September. It's been agony. Mauville Gym is my life. Ever since I found out about Raikou's death, it's one of the few things that's kept me going. It's why I got so emotional about the possibility of giving up my Gym. I wouldn't know what to do with myself without it. It's not the money, either. I'm passionate about what I do. And..."

"They're making me step away from my Gym for six months," Josh continued. "They're taking my Beedrill away from me for at least a year, too. And even if I defeat kyle lopez , the League won't recognize me as a Champion until March of 2025. And..." He briefly looked a little less somber as Isaac acknowledged his friend's greater understanding of the never-ending war between them. It didn't last long, though. "They made me name an interim Gym Leader. He was my very first hire, and my best trainer at the Gym. He was the one who activated the Great Desert's beacon when Meteno happened. Remember that?" he asked. "And now he's... AND NOW HE'S DEAD! SHAWN RICHARDS IS DEAD!" Brutally murdered by dorian westcliff . "AND I COULD ONLY WATCH HIM DIE! I COULDN'T SAVE HIM ALL BECAUSE OF SOME LEAGUE RED TAPE!" What made things worse was there was no one else at the Gym that had the battle skills, the racing skills, and the leadership qualities necessary to truly be Interim Gym Leader. Naming a new Interim Gym Leader was going to be hard. Perhaps the hardest decision he ever had to make at Mauville Gym.

The interruption about Isaac not caring about Josh's punishment and more caring that the League making things right for Eris Halla calmed him down. "And that's what I want to do. I want to be able to make this whole misunderstanding right with her, the League, and those around both. That's what true justice is about. It's not the public spectacle of capital punishment. It's about... righting the victim's wrongs. And even if he were still alive, that's something Raikou couldn't help me with. This is something I have to do myself."

A deep sigh exited Josh's mouth.

"...Isaac, I'm going to Commissioner dahlia goode directly on this one."

What happened? A lot happened.

"You see, Isaac... I felt helpless at Meteno. More helpless than I'd ever felt in my life. You should know. Remember the Beleaguered Waterway? That never would have happened if I was stronger. Like I said, I lost sight of why I was pursuing Raikou. Why I was pursuing power in the first place. Power without purpose only destroys. It destroys indiscriminately. Enemies, friends... and even yourself. Having to shift Gym Leader responsibilities to... whoever I'm going to put in the role next... there's no one as good as he was..." he trailed off, completely stiff as Raikiri gave him a gentle pat with his front left paw. "Those four people at my Gym... I feel like I have their blood on my hands."

He didn't want to drop the name, but he knew he could trust Isaac with it. "Does the name dorian westcliff ring a bell? He was the one that murdered those people. Two of my recent hires and one of my security guards in addition to Shawn. Elise Calcifet almost died that day, too. And it took every bit of my power to repel him. Even my anger. The very same anger I took out on Eris."

His thoughts went back to all the times Isaac had told Josh he was holding back. Whether it was as Blackjack or Isaac Merlo, it did not matter. "I constantly get told when I do battle, I don't give it my all. What happened with Eris is the reason I'm afraid to. It's that anger. That level of passion. I want to be able to tap into it, but I am afraid I won't be able to control it." The only time he was able to successfully control that anger was in his Gym Battle with Callan Young . The Elite Four would surely be frustrated about his valuable final lesson as a Gym Leader going unheeded.

"Isaac... I'm going to the Commissioner for help. And I need your help, too."

Josh was well aware of the consequences if word of the Eris incident were to get out. "You have your skeleton in the closet, Isaac. And now, I have mine. I don't want to admit it, but that's what it is. The thing I need your help with is twofold. One, keeping this conversation between us. The fewer people know, the better. Two, I need to ask you. One thing I want to accomplish is letting Eris know that I'm genuinely sorry for what I did to her. I want to make this right. I really do. I just feel that any reasonable approach I take will only make things worse between us. You know her better than I do. What can I do for her?"

The second concern of Isaac's was also something Josh was fully aware was an issue. "That's why I'm going to talk to the Commissioner directly. From what I know, it really isn't in the League's best interest if the public finds out the truth of the matter. But with Eris and the two of us being the only three witnesses, no one will know the full truth. My punishment's already public, to some extent. Hoenn knows I'm not welcome at my Gym until September. It's just important that the public doesn't know exactly why."

By now, they had spent so much time in Ultra Sea that Josh was having increased difficulty breathing, even wearing his suit. "Come on, Isaac. We need to get out of here."