It would not take Josh long to show up at the League research station he would be meeting CALLISTA MOON at. He and Tyrfing the Iron Boulder had spent so much time in this place that the paradox Pokémon had agreed to wear a saddle to make it easier for Josh to hold on during the high speed charges the Terrakion look-alike had become known for.

"Aha, CALLISTA MOON ? There you are," Josh waved from the back of the psychic-type, setting the robotic Sacred Sword's reins down. "Gym Leader Devlin, but please, just call me Josh. Let's get--"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Gym Leader could have sworn he felt a seismic eruption somewhere as the loud roar of a Gouging Fire echoed a bit too loudly and closely for comfort. A smile grew on Aleph's face, the Type: Null excited to at last battle a worthy opponent. "...Entei, too? They're all down here? What in the Great One's name is going on...?" he asked. "Sadly I don't think we have the luxury of time now. We're gonna have company. Soon."

"Callie it is, then!" Josh replied, awkwardly extending a hand to shake; sitting upon the Iron Boulder's back left him far enough off the ground that it may have made reaching that hand awkward.

Before Josh could answer Callie's question, a large and powerful Pokémon he recognized from Navy the last time they were in Area Zero was rampaging a bit too close for comfort. It trampled through Aleph with ease, using its BURNING BULWARK in a mighty shield bash. He felt a seismic shock, almost like the prelude to a volcanic eruption, as the paradox Pokémon barked.

"Hoennian Entei," Josh answered Callie at last. "I hope you have a lot of water or ground Pokémon on you. They're just as dangerous as the Johtonian god of fire." He wanted to catch this one. Having never been on Entei's back when he visited kyle lopez made him want one all the more. It was not his to catch, though. Raikou, his Raging Bolt, allowed himself to be captured by Josh. The Gym Leader had saved this Raging Bolt when he had taken the form of a Raikou during his trip there with Andrea Vaneau . He had no such prior relationship with the Gouging Fire. It would be Callie's to catch, or theirs to bring down.

The Onix that burst from Callie's Poké Ball towered over over the Gouging Fire. Although an Onix's IRON TAIL was potent, it was a slow attack that had no hope of hitting such a fast Pokémon on its own. Josh needed to create a diversion.

Luckily for CALLISTA MOON , Josh's extremely swift Pokémon were good at just that. Seeing the danger they were in, Aleph worked with Tyrfing, keeping up with the bounding Entei look-alike thanks only to training under the speed specialist. Skillfully controlling Tyrfing by harnessing their mental link with one another, Josh and his paradoxical steed cut into the armored Pokémon with a swiftly-drawn SACRED SWORD, the Onix's steel-type assault adding gash to slash.

Even through such a display of speed and power, the Gouging Fire remained standing, ramming and trampling Aleph with a DRAGON RUSH that rendered the chimeric creature unconscious. With only a sigh, the Gym Leader reached for Aleph's Poké Ball and withdrew his moody, fallen ally.

The drawing of a pistol and the gunshots that followed took Josh by surprise, at first not realizing Callie was with Law Enforcement. He knew how to use a sword, but he was so far out of practice that it may as well have been useless. Perhaps setting up a meeting with Gwyar Wledig for refresher training was in order.

The QUICK GUARD left the Gouging Fire reeling for a split second -- all Josh and Tyrfing needed to deliver the coup-de-grace. Extending his sword to its maximum length, Tyrfing brought his thrusters up to a high throttle, ramming into the fire-type a second time with a MIGHTY CLEAVE. If it wasn't bleeding before, it was certainly bleeding now. "Now's your chance!" Josh urged. "Catch it!"

It was over.

Josh's jaw hit the ground. He wasn't expecting the capture to succeed. To him, the only reason he had been able to capture his Raging Bolt, Raikou, was because of the rapport they had built up when he had befriended the creature while it took the form of a Johtonian Raikou. These Beasts would not let themselves be caught by just anyone.

"...May the Great One's blessing be with you and your Entei," were the only words he could manage. None more were needed; in the Gym Leader's eyes, she had received Ho-oh's blessing, like he soon would. She was out of breath, much like when Josh captured the Pokémon he named Raikou.

"...Let's head back to Oldale. Before anything else crazy happens. Either way, congratulations."