One of the voices in the choir of Flygon was not like the rest. Rather than producing an alluring tone, this one was as grating as a revving race car's engine. From within the sandstorm's center, a BOOMBURST exploded outward, the storm's swirling sands rocketing outward and sand-blasting everything around it.

Josh groaned, his back and thighs sore from absorbing Verte's vibration at full speed. The shockwave was so intense that it created an eye-like hole in the storm, perhaps giving nina larson a chance to see that there was a blue-garbed Ranger astride the largest of the Flygon.

While Flygon could all use their wings to produced loud noise, Josh's was on another level, Verte's BOOMBURST created from a layer of discharges produced by his wingtips exceeding the speed of sound. Such power did not come without a price; maintaining the attack for long put Verte under a great deal of stress.

Though many of the Flygon scattered in the wake of the dragon's voluminous assault, a few did not. One ensnared a Gyarados and traveler in a SAND TOMB that grew over time, threatening to bury the duo alive. He had to disrupt the attack now, and without Verte's greatest weapon. Letting Verte rest ihis wings from truly draining attacks, he instead ordered the Flygon to scorch the wild with paralyzing dragonfire. Verte did as asked, inhaling deeply before spewing white and purple DRAGON BREATH toward the smaller Flygon.

Verte turned toward the fleeing Flygon and loudly buzzed his wings, as if to say good riddance. The vibration pounded at his thighs until the dragon landed. Josh loved the agility of the ground-type dragon, as well as how cheerful he was, but feedback from his wings was so powerful. It was like using an electronic massager with the settings cranked all the way up.

"No problem!" Josh answered, his voice still tingling some. "Just happened to be in the area. Was on my way back from Lavaridge to Mauville after helping with the search for Kyle. I'm the Gym Leader there."

With the sandstorm dissipated, Josh, too, could relax and properly introduce himself and his Pokémon. Even so, the desert was an unpredictable climate, and another sandstorm could pop up at any moment. Whether it was a larger one created by a weather system, or a smaller one created by a Pokémon, they needed to be on their guard.

"Yep, Mauville's Master of Faster," he confirmed. "But just Josh is good. And this is Verte," he gently pat his Flygon as he hung the reins at the end of the dragon's saddle. "It's come up negative. I want to believe he's out there somewhere. He's Ho-oh's Avatar; I'm having a hard time believing he truly died."

The Flygon's eyes shifted beneath his red shields, keeping an eye out for Pokémon that could whip op another sandstorm. "Which direction you headed in?" the well-traveled Ranger asked.

"Thanks!" Josh replied as Verte chirped with his wings, kicking up a mini-sandstorm away from the duo. The ground-type dragon species was a curious and unique one, possessing the fastest-beating wings out of any known Pokémon. Had Josh read more of the results of freya morningstar 's Dragonology study, he would have withdrawn Sandy for a different Pokémon; the shrill wing vibrations attracted prey. They would be surrounded by wild Pokémon were they to linger in one spot for too long!

"No, I don't think the media got it wrong," Josh sighed, unable to get his mind off the late Champion for long. "I just don't think Kyle really died. His Patron is the Great One, you know? A Pokémon that defies death itself. He brought two of my Pyroar back to life when they died. And I have a hard time believing both of them died at the same time. It's just a matter of finding them. This region needs him."

It seemed like their paths would not cross for long today. "I'm headed toward Mauville, but I don't mind a little backtracking. Riding is so much fun, and this will let me enjoy it just a little longer." His eyes shifted toward the Gyarados. "Your Pokémon is really well-behaved, too. What are your names? I'm sorry for not asking!"

The longer Hoenn went on without Kyle, the more it had the potential to blow up in Rocket's faces if Josh's theory was correct. The Great One was a powerful deity who could not be controlled by bit and bridle. For some Pokémon, particularly rare and powerful ones, trust was the only bridle they would accept.

Josh blushed when Nina called him a hero. "Th-thank you..." he sheepishly trailed off before collecting his nerves again. "Kyle and I were great friends even outside the workplace. Once every few months, we would ride his Sacred Ash Raikou and Suicune together. And now, we won't be able to do that again until I find him," he said, working his hardest to maintain a straight face, though ultimately letting a subtle smirk through.

"Great to meet you, Nina," Josh waved. "I have a Gyarados, too. His name's Roil. Many of my Pokémon's names are either from other worldwide myths, or just an exotic word that describes what they do. Words you rarely see used." He paused to think of a good example. "I've got a Salamence named Yosei and a Roaring Moon named Ao, for instance. They're named after a Kantonian dragon god of light, but in different dialects depending on what part of Kanto it's revered in. Their names mean roughly 'morning' and 'dawn' in the common tongue."

They couldn't dawdle any longer; if they did, they would be encircled by the rock-type and grass-type prey Verte's buzzing attracted, and it was approaching them quickly! "Nina, we gotta get a move on," Josh pointed. "You know how to ride, right?"

"Can I keep up?" Josh guffawed. "They don't call me the Master of Faster for nothing!" He squeezed his Flygon's flanks, the green dragon zipping above the desert with a noisy buzz. All the prey he had attracted converged upon one another, confused from being unable to see the Pokémon through the sandstorm he left behind. Rather than get way ahead of Nina and her Gyarados, Verte flew around the water-type dragon with the precision of a Ribombee. To the water dragon, it may have sounded like a bug Pokémon buzzing by its ears over and over again.

Josh would accompany Nina to the northern edge of the desert, Verte landing and sharply vibrating his wings to get a rise out of his trainer. "Hey, watch it!" he quipped, the dragon laughing hysterically before getting hold of his emotions again. "Anyway, that aside, I think this is where we part ways. I gotta get back to Mauville." Once his body was no longer tingling like mad, he and his Flygon took back to the air, this time much higher above the desert sands as to not attract prey.