By now, unfortunate rumors had spread of the DRK Triad setting up shop deep within Area Zero, no doubt in Josh's mind due to reports of legendary Pokémon showing up. It was his best lead to find Hoenn's missing Raikou. Responsibly, of course; he couldn't have another Eris incident on his hands.

"There's been... a lot of legendary Pokémon spotted out here, from what I gather," Josh answered, sitting on one himself. It was Hylda, an equine that the Composed was no doubt familiar with. Next to her was Josh's Type: Null, unusually placid. "That's why I brought all my rare Pokémon with me. We're going to need all the power we can get if one of them shows up." He wasn't lying, either; an almost intoxicating amount of Infinity Energy was radiating from his belt containing Raikiri, two legendary Pokémon, and three paradox Pokémon. There were pangs of redness on his skin as his body was subject to the energy fields wearing him down.

Josh had focused so much on the mission that he had failed to watch out for his own health. "It is?" He asked, looking down at his arms. While not solid red, there were a significant number of rashes on his exposed skin. "This is... concerning," he slowly added. "I need to check something. Be back shortly. And no peeking!" He hopped off Hylda's back, letting the Glastrier keep watch as he went a few feet down a cave offshoot. Undressing himself other than his undergarments, he took a look at what he could and gasped.

The rashes were all over his body.

By the time he returned fully dressed again and was ready to deliver his findings, Laurence Anderson had findings of his own. "I've never seen a coin like this," Josh added. "Might be worth taking this to a museum. If it's rare, you could get a real payday for it. Enough to afford to go on vacation again." It may not have been about the money, though; with Lars no longer being on AQUA, perhaps he got less PTO than he did before.

As he got back on his Glastrier, the other rare and powerful Pokémon on his squad following him, Josh asked Lars about the rashes. "I know you're not a medical expert, but have you ever seen rashes like these before? They're not just on exposed skin. I took my clothes off, and they're all over my chest and legs, too. I think they might be popping up over my whole body."

"I run into all kinds of people at the Gym," Josh half-joked, shivering at Lars' scathing remark. He couldn't bring himself to respond to the Avatar directly. Before he could say anything more, a loud cry echoed in the distance below. "...Kora?" he asked under his breath before shaking his head.

"I've heard that cry before. It's Kora from the RKS Simulation." Perhaps it was a different Koraidon, but the cry was distinct and one he would remember. The ancient form of Cyclizar was a Pokémon that tested his loyalty to Raikou, demonstrating speed greater than even the Johtonian god of speed could sustain. Perhaps once the species was discovered and merch was made of it, he would have to commission another Ride-On stuffie for another corner of his office. Koraidon and Raikou were both so amazing.

Lars' attention went back to Josh's condition. While the rashes were all over his body, they were concentrated in the midsection, and they felt... cold to the touch? "Might be from Hylda's cold; might not be fully adapted to her yet. She is a legendary Pokémon, after all." To save his strength, he withdrew his Glastrier and brought out his Iron Crown, who was also unusually mild-mannered. Resting his hands on the paradox Pokémon's back, Sigmund's digital eyes returned an only slightly antagonistic expression. It was a polite but firm rejection. "Still no, Sigmund?" He didn't dare try with Aleph, given how much the Type: Null normally lashed out...

"Kora is the Koraidon that Andrea Vaneau and I befriended in the RKS Simulation," Josh clarified. "The cry I heard sounded exactly like him. He..." he trailed off, lost in thought. The experience he had within the simulation's bounds was unlike anything he had experienced before. When he was gripping the paradox Pokémon's steering bones, he felt invincible, shredding anything in his path with the dragon's air sacs spinning about fast enough to make whirlwinds on their own.

"I... might like him more than Raikou. If he's out there... I want to be his friend."

His words echoed loudly within Area Zero's confines, despite being softly spoken. The Master of Faster's loyalty to Raikou had been upon the premise of it being the fastest Pokémon on land. With how much Kora had left Raikiri in the dust, the Pokémon world had a new king of land speed. Whether it was Tyrfing or Kora, Josh might never know. One thing was certain if all his observations were correct: the Johtonian god of speed had been dethroned.

Shaking his head like he came out of a trance after hearing Lars' last question, Josh nodded. "It couldn't hurt." If he were to offer the cream, Josh would happily apply it himself before continuing. "Now I know for the future not to bring them all here at the same time."

Once Josh had applied the topical medicine, he clicked open a special Poké Ball painted yellow with black stripes, his Zeraora emerging from it. It was the one Pokémon he was familiar with enough to not be overwhelmed by high Infinity Energy doses. Once he was feeling well enough, he climbed atop the big cat, treading cautiously deeper. A tingling feeling shot down his spine as larger and larger crystals came into view. Almost like... he was being watched. Aleph, too, was on edge.

His experience that day, deep in Shoal Cave, changed his perspective completely. Recalling what Elisabeth Fiorelli did to Shalin's home and how MATIAS SILPH was completely off his rocker made Josh wary. "I thought I said this at the bottom of the cave. I don't wanna be Raikou's Avatar unless he forces it upon me. Look at angelo vestri before he became an Avatar. How long did he travel with Latios for? Long time."

The cry repeated itself again. "Kora... Kora's close," Josh slowly added. The paradox Pokémon's cry was alluring. Perhaps one day, he would be able to truly race Kyle with a Pokémon just as fast, if not faster than, his three Beasts. "Let's pick up the pace." With a light tap to Raikiri's sides, the Zeraora accelerated briefly, though not at a pace that would be uncomfortable for Aleph and one of the ex-Head Ranger's Pokémon to keep up with.

"That's not a mistake I'm making twice," Josh replied. He had served his time... almost. With just a few hundred hours of community service left, he would soon have a lot more time on his hands. Time he could put into caring for his Gym Pokémon. After all, it took a lot of effort to give proper attention to... what was it now, somewhere between 100 and 150 Pokémon? "You don't have to worry about that. After seeing what Articuno put you through, I don't want to be an Avatar anymore.

As the two rounded a corner toward the very bottom of Area Zero as they knew it, an earthquake suddenly struck, Raikiri backtracking to a larger rock formation to brace against. A fall from such a height would almost certainly be lethal, and getting out of a cocoon saddle would take more time than Josh would have.

"That was..." Josh panted, "...a not insignificant tremor. But we have to keep going. Find out what those calls are from. If these earthquakes are caused by whatever made that call, then we'll be in some real trouble." What made things even more troublesome, unbeknownst to them, was a DRK presence...

"Don't get me wrong: I still love him," Josh replied with a nod. "Have you seen my office yet? Can't remember if we went up there after your race." Knowing the ex-Head Ranger, he probably would have pinched his nose upon seeing the giant Raikou stuffie in the corner, with felt reins on it. Though it was not commissioned (though it was an extremely limited quantity item, costing a small fortune), it sure seemed like it was.

They had reached the known bottom of the Terastal Cavern, Raikiri giving Josh quite a rise by shaking his fur clean of the pool of cool water he had landed in. "Easy, boy!" Josh yelped, tensing his hold on the reins.

Before he could answer Lars' question, though, a barrage of HIDDEN POWER sizzled toward them both. Sizzled was the best word to describe their travel, because every single projectile was Fire-type. It was as though their assailants knew that the fire-weak Lars was coming. Aleph also was on edge, his X-SCISSOR at the ready...