Experience was the best teacher, and Josh's experience in the depths of the Ultra Sea had taught him that perhaps his Pyroar pride weren't the best fit for the stresses of unearthing Dynite Ore from the Ultra Wilds' depths. With how prevalent Ultra Beasts were, it was an opportune moment for Josh to open the door to Aleph's heart. The Type: Null was far and away the most moody Pokémon had ever raised. If raising a legendary Pokémon was like this, was Raikou truly worth the trouble for him, even if he were to land the bond of his dreams? It certainly brought the prospect into question.

This trip to the sea bottom, Josh took advantage of the environment's water-like buoyancy. He had brought Snacker, his Sharpedo, who was fully able to swim through the strange air as though it were water, using a combination of physical BITES and distant PSYCHIC FANGS to crush the surrounding softer rock, leaving only the desired ores. He had also brought Verte, whose wing vibration could grind large amounts of the softer rock to dust. Josh himself was Sygna Suited up astride his Manectric, directing the operation and protecting his partner, DESIREE BLOOMS, from the radiation. While it still leaked through his suit's protection, the burning sensation was far less than what the Gym Leader's friend would have felt without the human shield in front of him. Nearby was a giant, saddle-wearing Salazzle of all things, who was ready to defend the two from any Ultra Beasts that slipped by Aleph.

The radiation was more than mentally taxing; it was physically taxing, too. As unpleasant as it was for Josh to absorb the Pyroar's share of the core's harm, his suit kept him safe, turning the sensation from painful to merely uncomfortable. A wave of Ultra Beasts was on the way, and Aleph was ready for them. The ones that weren't deterred by the fearsome Pokémon's TRI-ATTACK lost their morale as Fire Eyes belched corrosive POISON GAS all over the remaining Poipole, dissolving their sticky flesh with the efficacy of battery acid. "And that's why I brought Fire Eyes," Josh smiled back as his Sharpedo continued to chomp away. "I had to wear gloves with a metal lining just to strap her saddle to her. Her skin is that toxic."

Josh had been to many of the rifts before, but hadn't spent much time here outside the mining operations. "I haven't; it's a lower priority. I've been putting my focus on two of the rifts: the Border and the Ultra Plant," he answered. "Remember when dorian westcliff attacked my gym? It made regional news. Well, my interim Gym Leader died in that attack, and his soul is stuck there. I want to go back there to help poor Shawn's soul pass on." A tear slid from under his eyeball and splashed onto the hard rock below. "I... I don't want to talk about it now. It's too--"

One of the Nihilego had slipped past Aleph and was headed straight for Desiree, its tentacles reaching for her head. "Look out, Desiree!" Josh cried, Saber firing a THUNDER WAVE toward it in an effort to halt its advance.

"Not that kind of plant," Josh remarked. The Unovan language, as second-nature to him as it was, was full of words with multiple meanings. "Not plant as in a grass Pokémon, but plant as in a power plant. By now, you must be aware of how much of an... admiration... I have for the Johtonian god of speed that's been M.I.A. for six years. I think he's still out there."

The sentiment was appreciated, but it was a distraction Josh could not afford. "Now's not the time," he stopped Desiree right there. "When we get back to Dewford, I can tell you more. Just not now."

As if right on cue, the Poison-type Tera Crystals formed an amalgamation of two of Dorian's best Pokémon in one: having the wings and aerial mobility of a Charizard while also having the arm cannons of a Magmortar. When ordered to perform a TRI-ATTACK, Aleph instead raised his claws and slashed across the fire Pokémon with an X-SCISSOR. The mutated Pokémon laughed before casting aside the Type: Null by OVERHEATING him. "Aleph, no!" the Gym Leader cried, shaking his head and withdrawing the normal-type. Lobbing Snacker's Poké Ball above him, the Sharpedo emerged from it, ready to ram and LIQUIDATE the mutated fire-type.

As much as Josh wanted to gush about Raikou, they were in grave danger. If they lagged any longer, both of them would be in danger of their minds being irrecoverably poisoned by Eternatus venom. The Dazzling Gleam follow-up was enough to prompt the mutated fire-type to disappear, Snacker returning to Josh's side. "Nice shot! You've been practicing, haven't you?" he asked, complimenting their battle skills as he resumed loading Saber's saddlebags with their Dynite haul.

After sliding a large scoop into place, Josh started coughing uncontrollably, flicking the visor on his suit's helmet upward in order to vomit. The toxic air his thumping head was exposed to didn't help matters either. With a prompting pat on the saddle, Saber crouched to let Josh aboard more easily. He pointed at Snacker, who knew what to do: the great shark floated toward Desiree in a position where she could ride the water-type until they made it through the rift. "Des... get on..." Josh moaned. "There's... little time..." More than half the ore they extracted would be swallowed by the Eternatus core, but it was a small price to pay to live to tell the tale.