"...Thanks," Josh humbly replied. "Thought I wish it wasn't preceding such grim circumstances." He was slowly getting over losing Kyle. Slowly. Even in the face of loss, a Champion had to remain strong... particularly the last one Kyle had crowned before his passing. "Was Kyle's request the battle remained private for now." They would release the footage to the public eventually. Due to the passing of the Sacred Ash Raikou, it was strategic to the League to keep the event under wraps.

While they didn't seem terribly fast, the Mamoswine and Hippowdon would keep Kazuya's share of the eggs safe. Plus, they were more adapted to navigating the desert. What surprised Josh more was the presence of yet another Hoennian Raikou. He froze when he saw the Raging Bolt's colors: they were identical to the Raikou declan walsh tempted Josh with during the night Father Winter visited, presenting him with an alternate history where the Gym Leader's nobility cost him his life.

He needed not worry about that history now. Raikou -- as real of a Raikou as Josh believed it to be -- was his. His hands were tied in Swift's use until the invasion began, though.

Just how many of these paradox Beasts were there?!

Josh and the other Champions had planned a celebratory dinner for both reaching the pinnacle of the Gym Challenge and the passing of the torch from Kyle. That dinner happened without the Top Champion, having died days before the gathering was to take place. "I'm aware it wasn't my fault. Even so, it was such a hard loss. Kyle was one of my best friends. One of the few people in Hoenn who truly understood me."

At Kazuya's lament, Josh tried to crack a smile. "The keyword being yet." The battle would eventually go public... after the Sootopolis invasion took place and Swift was a known quantity.

The Gym Leader froze for a moment, Ghalta continuing to tromp northward across the sands. "I'm just a bit surprised to see another Raikou," he answered. "Well, more than a bit surprised. I thought Raikou was supposed to be a legendary Pokémon." Aleph was on edge in the Raging Bolt's presence, mirroring Josh's inner tension upon seeing the long-necked Shiny Pokémon. "Raikou's been my favorite Pokémon since I was a kid. And seeing so many people with one makes me... jealous, you know?"

"You're not the only one looking forward to it," Josh answered as the desert sands transitioned to shrubs, short grasses, and tall, ash-coated grasses. "Almost to Fallarbor now. But yes, it's I would say the greatest moment of my life. Kyle had legendary Pokémon, after all. More than one." The Emergent wielded almost everything he had in the thunderous knight's challenge for the most elite trainer title Hoenn had to offer. It was a match any other challenger would have killed for.

Kazuya's laugh was met with a quizzical expression from Josh. "But it is a Raikou!" the Champion insisted. "You know how Vulpix and Ninetales look different in Alola instead of elsewhere in the world, yet they're still Vulpix? Same thing here. Johtonian Raikou and Hoennian Raikou." He wasn't sure how many legs the theory had behind it, but it was his way to express his love of the ancient form of Raikou.