It was so quiet that Josh could hear the sound of Tyrfing's thrusters at idle. The Terrakion look-alike was surprisingly calm, the Gym Leader hunched over on his back. They looked ready to spring into action at any moment, alongside an anxious-looking Aleph. The Terastal Caverns, and the utopic cliffside landscape above, were the only two places in Hoenn where the paradox Pokémon was tame enough to be ridden. Outside the place, the Iron Boulder was a totally different personality; he would risk meeting an untimely demise from being bucked into a glowing Sacred Sword.

Sigmund was present, though inside the research station; he had volunteered the Sacred Sword for some study there. "For now," Josh interjected. "Figured we could catch up while keeping watch; what you been up to of late? These two have been a handful."

Though Josh had been hospitalized, he hadn't been truly sick since he got to Hoenn. "After Dewford, I was stuck in the hospital for a few weeks. I've got a whole cup of bloodstained Bullet Seeds to keep myself from forgetting that hell." It was on his desk on the third floor of his Gym, the only haunting memory amongst the large room's lavish collection of Raikou memorabilia. Sitting on the Ride-On Raikou stuffie in the corner of that office was one of his best ways to destress. Losing himself in the fantasy of being the Cavalier. The Knight of Thunder.

It was once a dream he wanted to live above all else. With every passing battle, he questioned if it would be worth the tremendous burden. With every passing battle, the answer slowly inched toward "no".

Josh was a bit confused at the namedrop. "What's an Iron Leaves?" he asked. Were there even official, League-approved names for the paradox Pokémon yet? If there were were, he didn't know them. It was a good thing he gave every single one of his Pokémon names of their own!

Suddenly, Josh felt Tyrfing's hold on him disappear, the rock-type hurling him off. "What gives--" Only a split second later, the Sword of Justice found himself locked in a skirmish with Aleph the Type: Null, the two of them going at it with their claws and hooves. Noisily, at that.

Robin's description jostled Josh's memory: when the futuristic Sacred Swords charged him the day Keldeo appeared, it was the one Josh wanted. Even if it wasn't the real Sacred Sword, sitting in the saddle of a Pokémon that mostly looked and moved like Virizion would at last separate the final good memory he had with MATIAS SILPH . Instead, he was stuck with both the other two, though it was not a bad thing. He had discovered Tyrfing, the Terrakion counterpart, was incredibly fast. "So that's what they're called? I hadn't heard an official name come down from the League yet."

The cry of the Pokémon now before the duo was quite distinct, even though its form was not. "It's... Suicune, the Johtonian god of winds! Hold your fire, Robin!" First Raikou, and now Suicune? He thought Suicune had chosen his friend Isaac Merlo . Was there more than one roaming Hoenn?

The Gym Leader bowed out of respect for the Walking Wake he mistook for one of the gods of his homeland. "O great Beast of Winds, we do not intend to harm you. We ask you stay your anger against those inside the building over--" He was cut off as the Walking Wake pounced him in a blistering fast AQUA JET. Hearing their trainer's cry, the paradox Terrakion and Type: Null zipped toward the commotion to defend Josh.

Josh would mentally note the name, though he would not use it in an official capacity until the League named the species. It seemed to be rare and powerful, like a legendary Pokémon was. He felt that power every time he sat astride Tyrfing, the speed of his Quick Attack equals with Raikou's.

There would be no time to discuss semantics; there was an angry wind god on top of Josh, belching SCALDING water all over him and leaving his face with painful burns that would require an outpatient visit to treat. Thankfully the League provided Hoennian Gym Leaders with fantastic health insurance. While it wasn't complete insurance like members of AQUA received, it would cover such an injury almost completely; he would only be out of pocket a tiny amount.

The POISON JAB caused the Walking Wake to reel long enough for Josh to stand, his head still thumping from the deluge of burning water washing over him. The aquatic raptor was just as fast as a Suicune, too, his speed-trained eyes barely able to keep up. He withdrew the rock-type as quickly as he could, calling on Sigmund's help instead. "Suicune, stop! We don't want to hurt you!" Josh continued, the Iron Crown and Type: Null defending their trainer with SACRED SWORD and CRUSH CLAW at the ready.

Tyrfing and Aleph bravely stepped in front of the Walking Wake, taking the brunt of the follow-up HYDRO STEAM and letting Josh crawl away. Thankfully, his legs were mostly unharmed, so he could at the very least stand. Only able to see out of one eye due to the steam and blisters surrounding the other, Josh reached for Valoo's Poké Ball, the fastest Drampa in Hoenn spiraling out of it and picking Josh up.

The Gym Leader ordered the dragon-type to shatter the station's window with a DRAGON PULSE, letting Josh get close enough to withdraw Sigmund from the outside. "GET OUT, NOW! FLY AWAY!" Josh screamed into the building, the panicked scientists leaving all but their most important notes behind. Leaving through the large main entrance, they took to the skies on the backs of various flying Pokémon.

By the time they were all safe, Tyrfing had fallen to the HYDRO STEAM, and Aleph was badly burned. Scooping his other Pokémon up into their Poké Balls, he shouted "Coming!" back to Robin. The Walking Wake leaped after the fleeing crowd, belching FLAMETHROWER in their direction.

Wait, Flamethrower? Since when Could Suicune learn Flamethrower?