"It is," Josh nodded as the two descended a cliff trail to the main wastes area of the perpetually stormy sector of the Ultra Wilds. "It has to be. Have you ever tried to ride a big cat Pokémon bareback? It's almost painful with how much their backs flex." It was the biggest reason why big cats' saddles were so large; they were contoured in such a way that they reduced the harshness of the Pokémon's gait. Without them, only the strongest, most iron-bodied riders could brave felines' backs.

Mecha-Chomper's eyes would catch several Xurkitree whirling their cords about, dancing closer. A wave of sickening PRESSURE, one that might make even Josh and Andrea feel ill for a few seconds, made them all turn tail. Even if the Beast was an ashen memory of Ho-oh's precious child, Josh had developed a strong enough understanding of Swift that his PRESSURE was just as strong as that of a traditional legendary Pokémon. It was once nauseating for the young man. Now, as the Raikou's bearer, he had become used to it.

The coordinates that the Science Sisters, Eva Morales and illeana reyes , had provided Josh led him to an underground power facility; while the derelict city it had once powered was gone, the power plant still crackled with electricity. "The Science division determined that the Z-Energy coordinates resembling QUICKINIUM-Z were strongest here. There should be enough to make several crystals. Have you thought about teaching the move to one of your Pokémon?" he asked Andrea as he slowed Swift down some. "You just need a Z-Charm, the crystal, and a Pokémon with Quick Attack."

Andrea was right; for a Z-Move, the Hypersonic Plasma Charge that had become a staple of Josh's battles was quite weak. In terms of raw strength, it may have been one of the weakest Z-Moves around. Its utility was in being so fast as to be unavoidable, even by ground-type Pokémon. "That's fair; such a move isn't for everyone," he nodded. "I've thought about teaching it to my own Iron Boulder, Tyrfing. Of course, until my arm's at full capacity, there's no way I'd be able to ride him that way." It was one thing he wanted to do with his other Pokémon, and eventually with Swift, but could not until he was at full strength again. The acceleration from the supersonic charge felt like being fired out of a cannon, which would have undone all the hard work his doctors had done up to this point had he pulled that trigger now.

He knew better; to be at full strength when the was reached a fever pitch, he would have to hold back at its start. "It's just... frustrating not being able to give this war my all," he lamented. "I know we talked about it in the hospital. I'm starting to get better. That I can sit on Swift's back at all is satisfying." He stretched his arm as much as his rehabilitation would allow. While it wasn't perfect, much of the motion had been regained: enough for him to ride a big cat at slow speeds or a horse Pokémon at nearly full gallop. He wished he had brought his Zebstrika, but the striped Pokémon was the last cut from his team.

The Electric Terrain sped up their travels, getting both of them to the entrance of the derelict power station. "This is it," Josh exhaled. "Beneath here, there's at least one crystal of Quickinium-Z. The more I can snatch, the better; I would love all my Pokémon with Quick Attack to know the move." For Quick Attack was the key to initiating the ultrafast attack.

Terratron's ELECTRIC TERRAIN illuminated an entrance hall lined with statues of Xurkitree and Stakataka: remnants of the advanced civilization that once lived in the world now known as the Ultra Plant. Beyond a squeaky, metallic door in the opening hall was a translucent surface that looked like glass. Were Andrea, Josh, or any of their Pokémon to walk on it, they would find it extremely slippery!

Josh frowned when Andrea asked about participating in the war. "I'm a Champion now," he answered. "And the late Kyle left his Raikou in my care. He wouldn't do that unless he truly trusted me. That he was willing to be a martyr for Hoenn shows how much he cared. I will say this, though. I do not plan on following in his footsteps. Swift and I will prevail. Even if we're not feeling a hundred and ten percent."

Now inside the power tower, the Beast and Iron Boulder carefully made their way across the slick surface before making their way to a diamond-shaped chamber with another similarly-slick surface. Peering down, Josh could see the top of a colossal generator beneath where they stood, a floor panel sticking out of the little ground that was solid and not slippery. "I only need one," Josh explained. "The Passho Berry is what teaches the Z-Move, yes, but Raikiri still needs a crystal to use as a conduit for the Z-Energy. That's what I came here to replace. If I can carry a few backups back home, all the better!"

They wouldn't be the only Pokémon inside, though! As Swift activated the floor switch, the northeast wall would recede into the ground... revealing a duo of floating Magneton hungry for Swift's and Terratron's electric charge. They floated toward the legendary and paradox, their magnetic and electric fields wringing all humidity out of the air.

Except it was far from bravado. Josh genuinely believed he could help the League triumph. He was given Swift for a reason, and not just because he was such a big fan of the Beast. Plus, Champions didn't run away. They fought like hell for the region they championed. Josh was done running from his problems. Any personal suffering he went through was worth it to make sure the region was a safe place to live.

Josh guided Swift across the slick surface to two crossing paths of more solid ground. Before he could slide off to let the Raikou fight, Terratron had already rent the Magnezone asunder. "Terratron's fast!" Josh complimented the Iron Boulder. "Maybe they're your Swift!" If was, after all, the fastest land Pokémon he had seen.

With the threat dispatched, Swift wandered toward the loose panel at the room's center and stepped on it. As if on cue, the northeast wall receded into the floor, revealing a ramp leading down to the lower level -- and access to the humming generator beneath. "Great work, Andrea!" he said with a smile as his mount tread downward.

Ignoring the bottom of the generator, Josh's interest was solely on some rumbles of thunder he could have sworn he heard. To the west and south of the generator was another slippery floor, this one assaulted by lightning strikes on its near and far ends! Peering upward, he noticed black storm clouds obscuring parts of the ceiling. "Even for me, this is a lot of electricity. I think I know how we'll have to deal with this. Raikiri can protect at least one of from the lightning..." he trailed off, unsure at first how to keep them both safe.

"You're probably right," Josh admitted. He knew Swift well from when he was under Kyle's control. When he got to Extreme Speeds, there were few, if any, Pokémon that could keep up on land. Even flying Pokémon had a hard time keeping up. It was part of what made Raikou so elusive. By being the king of land speed, nothing on the ground could catch him. Even Pokémon faster than Raikou in the sky couldn't truly chase him down, for his electricity would clip their wings. What a majestic, yet terrifying, Beast Josh sat upon, even in his lesser form.

Josh shrugged at Andrea's remark. "We're not in Hoenn anymore. We're in Ultra Space. The laws of nature as we know them might not apply here," he suggested, having quite a bit of experience exploring the various realms beyond the rifts. This one just happened to be his favorite.

Andrea's suggestion was one Josh had thought of an adjacent solution for, but not the exact one. "That's a good idea, too; with Raikiri able to absorb electricity, and Saber able to draw it toward himself, they should be able to keep us safe." He brought out his two other electric Pokémon, Josh's skin and hair tingling from the number of extremely powerful electric Pokémon in the air. His SYGNA SUIT's stone humming reminded him that due to their bond, the Manectric radiated just as much Infinity Energy as a legendary Pokémon did.

"On three! One... two... three!" On Josh's count, the electric-types leaped over the gaps in sync, bouncing off the far wall and to safety. Proceeding deeper into the basement, the explorers were challenged with more electric obstacles: Xurkitree wiring handing from the ceiling and growing from the floor. Each pair of wires glowed intermittently, powerful bolts of electricity flowing between the two like clockwork. "It's like whoever engineered this place didn't want people going through it without specific Pokémon," Josh mused as he studied their patterns, looking for a point where he and his team could safely cross. "We might need to wait for Saber to discharge. The electricity here is anything but ordinary. I can feel it."

Mecha-Chomper's destructive HYPER BEAM indeed would carve a path through the wiring, but it would also cause a maelstrom of short circuits that showered the duo in sparks. Swift's thundercloud glowed white with each one that landed on it, making Josh's hair stand on end from absorbing strong shocks. His limbs convulsed from absorbing a current that even he wasn't used to, the Gym Leader rubbing his agitated left arm as Swift walked across the now-disabled electric trap.

Leading the way downstairs, Josh and Swift now two levels underground, he couldn't believe his eyes. They were on the inside of what was clearly a Megalopolan power station. The multi-level structure, held in place by several electrically-charged floors, was unlike anything even in Mew Mauville's state-of-the-art underground plant. The power efficiency and raw voltage were both off the charts.

"Something like this had to have powered cities like Ultra Megalopolis," Josh remarked, an eruption of sparks rising from the bottom floor that glowed yellow and white. "Be careful when crossing the catwalks. If we slip and fall, we're goners. Maybe Swift can keep me safe, but I have my doubts. That's a lot of electricity."

Surrounding the level's concourse were several gates. The north one was sealed by lock and key, and the direct west and south ones were sealed by columns of equally lethal electricity. That left a south gate and a north gate that appeared unguarded and operable. "Want to stick together, or take one apiece?" Josh asked Andrea and her paradox Pokémon.