Tiamat's wings sounded like a revving engine mid-EXTREME SPEED, the Dragonite chasing a Latios who had come to assist with stopping the poison from spreading. The duo had split up long before running Noel Parker . The purple goop barely moved even in the wake of the swift dragon-type's wings. Just how viscous was this venom?

The Gym Leader flipped his helmet visor up and slid off the Dragonite, recalling him and sending out two poison-type Pokémon that were better equipped for the job. To his left, a Gliscor; to his right, a Skuntank. Both of them, just like the rest of Josh's Pokémon, were all harnessed up for riding, their immunity to poisons letting them traverse the hazardous wastes without fear of being turned into one of these zombies themselves.

"This is horrible," Josh sighed as he took a seat on Seizan's back, the Skuntank snorting in approval. "We need to make sure to use just enough force to knock them out. They may be infected and aggressive, but they're still people."

There was also the issue of the virus spreading. Had it been airborne, the League would have opted for a quarantining approach instead. If it wasn't an aerosol, then the next most likely scenario, given how fast its spread was, was that it was a contact poison, absorbed through exposed skin. "This was like... Noel, did you read that one report about the Megalopolans' return? Was from last August." It was about a Bloodmoon Ursaluna and some unknown poison-type Pokémon.

"Do you have a Sygna Suit, Noel?" Josh asked. "I might have to fly back to Mauville and change into mine if this stuff is a contact poison. It's full-body, at least on the Manectric side, so it should keep me safe. Tiamat here is super fast, so a round trip shouldn't even take that long." Given that he flew faster than a commercial jetliner, a trip to Mauville and back would take a half hour. It would also let him bring a team of Pokémon better-equipped for the task. "I can leave Seizan and Steel Needle here to back you up."

As things stood, Josh had brought a team of poison Pokémon to ferry victims not yet infected. Every person he had run into so far was infected. Being able to ride through the tar-like goop did little good if their victims were unwilling to be rescued in their current state.

Josh at first thought Noel using his Shaymin's SEED FLARE was reckless. He knew the power of that move, both from when he fought his own Shaymin high above Route 117 on an island in the sky, and during the Vital City Tournament, when the two mythical Pokémon clashed in a violent match. It was impressive how much control the grass-type had over the unwieldy attack, particularly when Terastallized. "Be back as soon as I can!"

Over a half hour later, the hum of Dragonite wings would fill the air around Noel again. This time, Noel would see Josh dressed in his Sygna Suit: a sleek, aerodynamic racing suit with a Manectric motif. He slid off Tiamat, withdrew her, and clicked the Poké Ball corresponding to his Sygna Pokémon. The synced Manectric appeared next to the Gym Leader, the saddle on the electric wolf's back in the image of the purple thundercloud Raikou carried with it.

A faint, yellow glow surrounding them both as they gathered Infinity Energy around each other. Together, they pushed a STATUS SHIELD outward, trying to encompass Noel in it, as well. "This will protect us from the poison. Try to stay near me. We have some time, but I can't keep this up forever. Let's make it count."

Josh sighed in frustration for his lack of preparedness. "You take as much time as you need, Noel," the Gym Leader assured. "We've got your back now." Shaymin's EARTH POWER kept the goop from advancing any closer to them. "Steel Needle and Seizan, knock them out, but be gentle with them," he calmly ordered his team. The Gliscor tried to immobilize as many of the remaining victims as possible, one at a time, with his ICE FANG, Seizan ferrying them away from the venom-drenched scene afterward.

"This is... really concerning," Josh sighed, breathing more heavily than normal from maintaining the STATUS SHIELD. "We're probably going to have to forward a lot of them to Petalburg. I doubt a small-time hospital such as Littleroot's can handle so much volume." It happened in Dewford, too, the hospital system being overwhelmed with patients who had been injured in the war. Many had to be airlifted to Slateport for treatment in their larger facilities. "And these chains... if we can get one of these chains off them, we'll need to have Science study them. I'm sure illeana reyes would love to get her hands on one."

Josh, too, was getting sick from holding up the STATUS SHIELD to repel the effects of the poison. Even Noel and his powerful Shaymin were showing signs of exhaustion. He doubted the mythical grass-type could resist for much longer. He had to make a move now. Dropping the shield entirely so his Pokémon could put his full focus into the next technique, the rider let out a hacking cough as the toxic substance splashed onto him.

"Saber... HEAL BELL!"

With a thunderous bellow followed by a gong, the citizens that were knocked out slowly came to. While it was no miracle cure, the HEAL BELL suppressed the effects of the poison.

"I... don't think... we can... do anymore..." the Gym Leader managed, hacking between breaths. It seemed like Josh, too, was getting sick from being too near the TOXIC CHAINS...