Josh was feeling somewhat better, at least; his time between LIFE DEW therapy sessions had grown to six hours from four, letting Mastema, his Togekiss, get some much-needed shut-eye. He distinctly remembered the haughty fairy-type's red eyes from being able to sleep for less than four hours at a type to keep him from going into potentially lethal shock. "I am," he answered, his left arm still in a splint. If Andrea were to look at a nearby X-ray of his arm, she would see it healing nicely, the gel holding the bone fragments together having set. While it would never be able to withstand the type of punishment it once could, he would be able to ride and fight again soon. "Thanks for dropping by, Andrea," he waved toward the dragon master and Fuecoco with his good arm.

His eyes shifted toward the bouquet of Johto-native flowers and the RAINBOW FEATHER nearby. "...You don't look so hot yourself," Josh inquired, noticing how sleep-deprived she looked. "You okay? Have a seat," he gestured toward the chair on the other side of the bed, turning the television down. At least they got PSPN; without being able to watch sports, he would have gone even more stir crazy.

Thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, Josh's arm would be almost good as new once the doctors and their healing Pokémon were done with him. The real pain would be rehab: having to relearn how to use his left arm again. "Arceus..." Josh sighed. "And I thought I had it bad. If I could trade you, I would. Just so you wouldn't have to suffer through that. No one does." Physical pain could be treated, but mental pain often scarred its sufferer for life. The pain of abuse. The pain of being lied to. In Andrea's case, the mental pain of having to relive that abuse over and over again.

"Have you ever thought about renting a Musharna from someone? Or even just having one of your Pokémon use Dream Eater on you when you're asleep?" Josh asked, not immediately thinking about the consequence of a Pokémon dining upon a bad dream.

Swiveling the arm of his table toward him, Josh took the RAINBOW FEATHER out of the vase it was stored in, started twirling it between the fingers of his good hand, and drew the Sign on the surface of the table. Swift did not appear; for the Sign to work, it must be drawn in midair. Ashes still collected in its wake, giving Andrea a good look at the shape of the Sign he had drawn.

"I feel all of your pain, too. I finally have the means to live the dream I've had since before I was old enough to be a trainer. And now, this... this fucking arm is standing in my way," he swore. Andrea had known Josh long enough to understand how seldom he cursed. "It hurts, Andrea... it hurts. Do you know how much Swift means to me? And yet..." he trailed off, lost in his internal agony. Agony he needed to vent to get out of his mind.

It was one of the roles of a Champion: to shoulder the pains of those that looked up to them. Though he didn't want to admit it, Champions, too, needed partners to shoulder their own pains. Andrea Vaneau and Josh Devlin , if he had his way, would ease one another's suffering. They were there for one another.

"Was just the first suggestion that came to mind," Josh replied. "Might need to find someone that studies the dream world a little more closely. I'd at least look into it. For your sake. You don't look so hot."

Andrea's words came off as scathing, revealing of what Josh revered Raikou for. Kyle had told him in the final days before he passed away that Swift was different from the Raikou he knew and loved. He was just as fast as Josh imagined him to be, if not even faster. His many runs across Route 115 were all euphoric, the Beast unleashing its full speed upon Josh and leaving him with an adrenaline high unlike anything he had experience before. Even with the Raikou under Kyle's control.

"Don't get me wrong, Andrea," Josh retorted. "I'm appreciative of the Great One's blessing. It's just frustrating that I can't do what I love about him most and have dreamed about the hardest." The suggestion of combat was one he had tried, though in limited capacity. "Haven't really had the chance outside the walls of the Pokémon League," he answered. "He hasn't been able to defeat a single one of my Pokémon. The closest he's come to winning a battle is against Nuka. She's the newest member of my pride, and she's still a Litleo. Nala gave birth while I was gone."

The Gym Leader shook his head again. "I tell you what. Once I'm out of this hospital bed, how about we make plans for Swift and your new friend to go at it?" he suggested.

"Like I said, that's what I've been working with AQUA for," Josh reiterated. "Traditional training techniques haven't worked so far. It's almost like Swift's... missing a part, or even multiple parts, of what makes him a Raikou."

That was the first step in truly understanding what Swift was. Over time, Josh would discover that Swift was Raikou exactly as the Master of Faster imagined the species to be deep within the recesses of his subconscious.

Swift was so fast because that was what Josh revered Raikou for -- his incredible SPEED. Being separated from Swift for two days felt like an eternity, building up grudges against the Loyal Three and reaching a fever pitch. Through Elisabeth Fiorelli 's Patron, the Beast's SAVAGERY instilled itself into his wielder's mind, striking Cyllora with perhaps the fastest QUICK ATTACK in the known world.

"He's in better shape than he was when we first met," Josh added. "When Kyle handed him down to me, the only move he could use is Spark. Then all of a sudden, on the ship, he used Quick Attack without so much as a word. Legendary Pokémon really are built different, aren't they?" Perhaps Andrea would have some insight, what with Ogerpon allying with her...

AQUA was a very sensitive topic for Josh; it was something he had flip-flopped on multiple times since learning what it was about. "No. And I'm not sure I want to be, either," the Champion answered. "And I think it might be for the best that it turned out this way. You know how badly I wanted to be Raikou's Avatar when I first came to Hoenn and found out about them?" he asked, reminiscing of his first Avatar conversations with MATIAS SILPH . That was almost two years ago; how much had time flown by since!

"Last fall, I had this vivid dream about being Raikou's Avatar," he recounted, completely muting the television as it was still being a distraction. "The powers I had were unreal. I had this sword, shaped like a lightning bolt, that could cut cleanly through almost anything. My Pokémon were all much faster than they are now. I felt like I could ride at the speed of sound for hours and never get tired. And craziest of all, I felt like I could see in slow motion for short periods of time." It was certainly a synergistic power to have when riding on a living lightning bolt that might be able to give the Skylord a run for their money.

"Let me put it this way: until I'm an Avatar, the easiest way for me to get into AQUA is to apply for Head Ranger. And I'm not giving up Mauville Gym to do that. Plus, I've seen some... toxic Avatarships. Laurence Anderson . MATIAS SILPH . I don't want to end up like those people."

Josh had a long time to think about what happened in the immediate aftermath of Mount Chimney, as well as his training with Raziel Beckett and illeana reyes . His cabin fever had him pondering what Swift could do well and what he couldn't do well. To improve Swift, he would need to improve himself.

"You see, I'm starting to understand it. Swift is a Raikou... that's exactly how I've imagined him to be. Not like the one that died in the invasion. I think that's why he's super fast, but that's the only thing he's good at. It's just... so sad that the person who could help me best understand Swift is gone. And no one else in Hoenn, to my knowledge, has studied Raikou like I have. Maybe battling your friend will make me realize something new about Swift and point me in the right direction."

Fear of failure. Fear of being dominated by a Patron that clashed with Josh. One of his worst fears, as his training session with illeana reyes and Palkia, was to earn a Raikou's patronage, only for him to not be able to enjoy what he did with Swift in the days leading up to his imprisonment.

It was for that reason he suspected the Great One did not bless him in the same way Avatars were. Without a personality to balance, Swift could be exactly how Josh wanted him to be... if he trained his subconscious to reflect his surface desires.

"An ideal partner..." Josh trailed off, thinking about Remiel Calcifet and how his Patron represented ideals. "Perhaps I should see the Galarian crown prince again when I have an arm that won't feel like it's on fire from doing something as simple as grabbing the TV remote," he mused. Perhaps he would invite the man to his Gym for a race: Swift vs. Zekrom.

"Let's count on that. Perhaps after my first stage of rehab," Josh proposed. "And one of these days, I think we need to take another trip away from Hoenn. To the most wide-open fields in the country, where we can go as fast as Swift can carry us without a care in the world."

Johto was a wonderful idea; Josh hadn't been to the region since last fall, when he helped his parents move to Mauville City. It would be a great way to let off some steam, particularly after being incarcerated for seemingly no reason. "I'd love to visit the Tin Tower. I'm sure the sages there will let us in if they see Swift. The Great One might have returned there, too," he speculated, the fate of Kyle's Patron still uncertain. "There's also the PokéAthlon, plus Johto has a strong racing scene! Would love to take you to the course I learned Pokémon racing at, too."

His eyes glittered at the prospect of returning to his homeland, particularly when the weather was nice. "There's also Route 38. It's one of the flattest stretches in the region. Goes on for miles. All I can say is... if we get to spend time out there, buckle up, just like we did in Area Zero," the Champion teased. "But what did you want to do there? I don't want to make it just about me."