Busy, busy, busy, it seemed. This was not the first time Josh had been to the Head Scientist's lab before, having asked about the large Pokémon on his team. He anticipated they had come from Space-Time Distortions, but instead learned they were simply genetic outliers. Perhaps they had been brought to Hoenn by the distortions, but they seemed to be in no way linked to Alpha Pokémon. Chalk it up to good fortune. One question still burned in his mind, and it would be certainly one requiring original research: why were extremely large Pokémon showing up in Hoenn in great numbers?

Josh slid off Ao's back, giving the feathered Paradox Pokémon a gentle rub on the head before withdrawing both his dragons. Latching their Poké Balls back onto his belt, he returned to Illeana's lab, the directons becoming more and more familiar as he followed them. At least she seemed cheerful and in a good mood.

"If I said I was doing great, I'd be lying," Josh admitted. "The last four months have been... rough. Remember that email that went out about me around the beginning of April? That thing just... completely upended my life. All for the sake of... chasing a Pokémon probably six years dead. By now, it's no secret that I love Raikou. I would want nothing more than to fight for the League alongside him. I thought this would give me time to find a lead on Raikou, but... even that trail's turned cold. I lost control that day. And now I realize... even if I found out who within Rocket was responsible, that's not bringing him back."

The Gym Leader shook his head, Ao's Poké Ball wobbling in his hand. "But that's enough rambling about the past. You wanted a report on my trips through the Ultra Wilds, correct? Well, I've been to the rifts at Pyre, the desert, and Granite Cave. And do I ever have stories for you."

Josh didn't want to dwell on the past, either. It was hard brushing it aside, and for reasons Illeana may have known; parts of his restitution would affect him for two years. The title of Champion had been important to him since becoming a Gym Leader. If he couldn't befriend the Beast of his dreams, he wanted to prove to the League he could execute during operations of utmost stakes. "Oh, I know. It was a hard lesson to learn. And I haven't stopped longing for Raikou. Of course, it's hard to say... but I think he's still out there. Somewhere. But I'm not going to let him control me anymore. I want to work on what I can control. And that's continuing making myself useful to the League above and beyond what my duties as a Gym Leader call for." His work ethic was admirable, perhaps frightening, even. A flamboyant freedom fighter not afraid to make deep sacrifices to advance the League's agenda. If weaponized properly, he could be a major threat to even those who wielded the might of the gods.

"Of course!" Josh chirped, flipping through his notes on his journeys, as well as printouts of the atmospheric, dimensional, and other environmental data she requested he collect. "I'll email you a copy of all these materials, as well. But where do I start... it was with Callan Young , Johanna Joy , and Ettie . The Border is a place where restless souls, both people and Pokémon, gather. While hunting down an Annihilape that threatened Lilycove City's westernmost residents, I lost my Doublade in the battle that ensued at the end. She gave up her life to make sure no more of Lilycove's people died. Well, I ran into her spirit there. It seems that when you go there, you attract the spirits of those important to you. Without a Sygna Suit, being consumed by their hatred is a real threat, forcing us to retreat."

The second journey there was much more harrowing for him to recount. It was truly frightening, the evil spirits having turned one of his friends against all of them. "Then when we made a base of operations within the Border, some of those restless spirits made a vessel out of Ettie , and we had to bare out Pokémon against her. It was almost like she was under mind control, not listening to anything but brute force. For a moment, I thought we were going to have to kill her. Not just that, though. The Border seems to manifest the worst nightmares of those who set foot inside. It forced our retreat for quite a while before we could return. That third trip was when I discovered how important it is to wear a Sygna Suit in those rifts. Even with a suit, that third trip was the most terrifying of all..."

"Not that I could tell," Josh answered. "The only evidence I saw of the Interdream Zone leaking into Ultra Space was at Ultra Sea during the Battle of Dewford." He had yet to visit many of the rifts at all, so it was possible that there was leakage elsewhere. "At least I didn't recognize it as the Interdream Zone at the time."

He continued recounting his tale, visibly chilled by the details he steeled himself to tell. As crazy as his first story was, this one was about to blow it out of the water.

"I saw the Pokémon from the Ancient Tomb. The snow cat." He gave an accurate description of the Chien-Pao he had met in the Border. "It came from this leaking seal. The yellow mist coming from the south of the rift's entrance was impossible to travel through without a Sygna Suit, and even then, it was so oppressive. So hateful. That day at the Ancient Tomb, before we got taken to Galar, I felt that kind of hatred again. I wonder if that was part of what drove me to do what I did to poor Eris." The Gym Leader sighed. He thought he had left that behind. There truly was no getting away from the Eris fallout, was there?

"But I didn't come to talk about Eris," Josh continued, shaking his head. "It was that snow cat, and there was a Marshadow riding it and mimicking me. Of course, I didn't recognize that it was a Marshadow until later. It even called the Pokémon a name I can't remember. Maybe that was its name? Anyway, everything about it was snow. The cat wore a saddle made of snow, the Marshadow held reins of snow, and it even wielded a spear of snow. Holy shit did that hurt to get hit by." Illeana may have been aware of how little Josh cursed. When he did, it means that the extraordinary emphasis the act brought was warranted.

"Whatever that snow cat is, it has amazing speed and power," the Gym Leader continued, clearly enamored by the legendary Pokémon's physical characteristics. "It's... dare I say, fast as Raikou himself. I barely got away from it with my life, but I did manage to befriend the Marshadow in the process. That Marshadow is with kyle lopez now." Having told his story from The Border, Josh smirked. "I'm going back there, though. That snow cat... is mine."

"I wasn't making direct observations," Josh admitted, "but all of the data you need should be within the devices you asked me to bring into the rifts. They're on the table I put your equipment on when I came in. Of course I'll need it back to keep collecting data when I go back. Still have a lot of work to do." Provided she wanted to, all of the memory sticks within were hers to examine and copy into her lab's systems for analysis.

The rifts needed to be closed, yes, but Josh was opportunistic; if he could find a way to take advantage of them, he would. There were plenty of rifts he hadn't spent enough time in; during the League's mining operations in the Ultra Sea, he wanted to catch one of those giant, needled dragons for himself. Strapping a saddle to one would make him much more adept at exploring the other rifts.

Josh raised his eyebrows at the scientist's accusation. "Of course I wouldn't be going back there only for it," he answered. "There's still plenty to do. Plus, do you remember dorian westcliff 's attacks on Mauville Gym? The spirits of many of the people that died in that attack are at unrest there, and they won't be able to pass on without my help. Don't get me wrong; I still want to make it my own. I might be one of the few people in Hoenn with enough experience with high speeds to actually follow its motions. But for now, I shall heed your warning and simply observe it." Little did he know of its true power, how malicious it was, and how malicious its benefactor would be...

Josh had been to the rifts many times. The Ultra Plant in particular was second nature to him. If anything, he enjoyed going there due to the added speed the realm's lightning storms bestowed upon his already swift Pokémon. "Of course."

The conversation drifted toward the spirits of The Border. "Pulling their spirits back into their bodies will not be possible, as their bodies were immolated that day. I just want their souls to be able to go on to the afterlife in peace. And doing that should be simple in theory." It would be as simple as avenging the source of the spirits' grief.

"dorian westcliff needs to be chastised for his crimes. Bringing him to justice, or otherwise avenging them, should release them from the burdens holding them there."

There was, of course, no way to know for certain. The only certainty was that they were not coming back to life as they were. Without a body to return to, the afterlife was their only destination. A destination only reachable at the whims of the gods. "It is the most likely reason they are stuck. I worked with them since I opened my Gym in the Minor Leagues. I will of course keep an open mind."

Illeana's words were among the toughest for heroes to learn: that saving everyone was impossible. Ideally, he would want to save everyone. But if it was only possible to save one, it would be the spirit of SHAWN RICHARDS. If for some reason he had to pass his Gym on to another person, it would be him. Of course, that was moot now.

"Not as of yet. I will be in touch with you as I continue to explore the realms beyond Hoenn. If we ever see each other on an unrelated assignment, I'll be sure to get you up to speed there."

If the scientist had no other remarks, Josh would wave goodbye, climb onto Yosei's back after leaving the lab, and soar into the clouds toward the mainland.