The sheer brilliance of the newly-ascended Kovu and Nala, the heirs to the late King Aslan, was almost too much for the eyes to bear witness to. Joined by two hulking, muscular Pyroar named Nuka and Tazama, the newest, biggest, and most muscular members of the Mauville Pride, the four saddled lions looked ready to assist Josh and Nicholas. The RAINBOW FEATHER gleamed brightly in the light of the two Illumina Pyroar, the light they emitted making their surroundings bright as day.

At Josh's belt was one last Poké Ball containing a violent and powerful Pokémon in the event of a Rocket attack -- which felt a near certainty, what with Petalburg now firmly Rocket territory. "Nicholas?" the tenured Ranger asked from the saddle of the Illumina male. "Gym Leader Devlin or Champion Devlin, but please, you can call me Josh. What should be a simple search operation could get a bit complicated. If you see any Rocket agents, do not engage without my command. I don't want you become another victim."

With the warning out of the way, he introduced his four Pyroar. "These three are Nala, Nuka, and Tazama," he gestured toward the Illumina female, then the male, then the other female. "And I'm riding Kovu," he gently gave he Illumina male a pet. "If you need their help, they're here for you."

"Great to meet you, Nick!" Josh finished his greeting, frowning at the mention of Rocket. "As Rangers, run-ins with them are unavoidable. There's a lot of overlap between what we do and what Law Enforcement does. Sometimes they employ me for highway chasedowns if I'm in the area." The day he got to use Swift for one would be glorious... but that would not be for a bit longer. His rehab sessions now were almost exclusively with his Arcanine, Zeraora, Raikou, and his very fastest flying Pokémon: the ones that put the most stress on his body. His left arm was sore after each one, but without pain, there was no gain, as the adage went. "And thanks -- my pride means a lot to me. There are seven more of them back at Mauville Racing Grounds."

The Braviary reminded Josh of Slider, his own that perished in the war. Nicholas might be able to tell the flying-type's presence dredged up some memory from how long it took him to respond. "Oh, yes - that would be helpful! I don't have a flying Pokémon of my own." With the cloudless sky above them, Swift was not flying any time soon. Furthermore, his arm was not ready to withstand the descent, even if there was a cloud to jump into.

Josh kept his pride to a walk so that Nick could keep up easily, Tazama keeping her keen eyesight squarely on Solomon even as the Braviary became small from her perspective. While Rocket was busy with the reconstruction of Petalburg, they would be remiss not to have a few patrols about. Thankfully, Nick had the common sense to wait until night to take off. "Just make sure he stays out of any spotlights. We aren't equipped to engage with Rocket like this. If Solomon gets spotted, we abort. We don't want to add ourselves to the list of victims. They already have the city's Ranger Captain as leverage; they don't need more."

Once Nick had confirmed Solomon had found something, Tazama quickly caught up to him and purred powerfully to try to get his attention. Provided the cadet would stop, the large and muscular female would crouch and offer her back to him, her saddle perhaps beckoning Nick to accept the offer.

With how close the two were to Petalburg, an Illumina Pokémon would only attract undue attention. Reining Kovu to a stop, Josh withdrew both him and Nala, landing on the ground after falling through the space the lion king stood in. Waving for Nuka, the largest of his lions, the Gym Leader gave him a gentle pat, the giant crouching and letting Josh take to his back. Their size was breathtaking; they were about as big as Arcanine!

Josh breathed a sigh of relief when Solomon the Braviary came back, seemingly having located some survivors. "First off, did they find any Rockets on patrol? It would be very easy for them to use victims as bait to draw us out," a paranoid Josh cautioned. "I'm pretty high up on Rocket's wanted list, I imagine." If worst came to worst, he did have the RAINBOW FEATHER secured to his Ranger uniform. With clouds starting to roll in and cover the setting sun, Swift would have clouds to jump into and mask Josh and Nicholas if need be. Riding the Raikou was still stressful on his healing body, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs. Not to mention how much riding a living lightning bolt would no doubt spook Nick, in his mind.

Provided he could confirm the coast was indeed clear, Josh would propose a plan. "Tazama and my other Pyroar are good hunters. If anyone can track them down, they can. Once we get into the woods, set her reins down and let her try to pick up a human scent." He wished he had brought two of his other Pyroar instead of the Illumina ones; using them was out of the question at night... at least this close to enemy territory. An Illumina Pokémon would be visible from almost anywhere on the correct side of the occupied city...

"That's a relief," Josh sighed, looking relaxed for the first time all trip. It was just a regular mission now, with Team Rocket not as likely to be involved. Even so, he had to be ready for unexpected twists... for it was never clear when a Ranger ticket would throw a wildcard Josh's way.

Tazama slowing from a canter to a trot as she let her nose lead the way. Josh was impressed; riding a Pyroar was not easy, especially one Tazama's size and strength. He needed Shalin Nariya 's help to break both Nuka and Tazama to the bridle. They even bucked her off a few times, an impressive feat considering she was fearless on the wing of an insect.

The lions and their riders converged around the two children, Josh sliding down from his seat to get a closer look at the two children in distress. "Champion and Elite Ranger Josh Devlin. We're here to help. It looks like your friend here is badly hurt. What happened?"

That "three" was not a good sign. He needed more information to help determine whether they could even be realistically found. "Three hours? Three days? What do you mean?" Josh asked the child before turning toward Nicholas and whispering in his ear. "If it's been three days, rather than three hours, they've got to be behind enemy lines by now. It might be too dangerous to save them. Being a Champion, I'm a high profile target for Rocket, like I've said. They wouldn't turn down such a chance."

Turning back toward the children, Josh asked them, "Where was the last place you saw your parents?" Perhaps he wouldn't get an answer due to the emotional turmoil they were in. He wanted to save everyone. To get the children reunited with their parents and back to the safety of Oldale Town.

Seeing what kind of condition they were in, Josh knew he had to get them back to town to get medical attention. "Do you think you're well enough to ride on one of my Pyroar?" the Elite asked the boy. "We can get you to the safety of Oldale Town. They've got a regional hospital you can get checked at. You'll be feeling better before you know it." The biggest concern about using his Pyroar was their flexing backs making them difficult to remain balanced on. He had a solution to that, but Suicune was a terrifying solution. While the paradox Pokémon's gait was more calm, that didn't make the dragon-type any less terrifying.

The girl's non-response suggested that it was indeed the worst case scenario. The children likely had been separated from their parents because of the war. There was no escaping Petalburg. Sootopolis could be escaped by sea or by air. The relatively flat nature of Petalburg and its size meant that anyone who tried to escape could easily be shot down by a flying Pokémon. Given how far away the nearest Pokémon Center was from the part of town they were closest to, there really was no getting them back until Petalburg City could be liberated.

With Nicholas having past medical experience, Josh had to trust his judgment. "I am a little nervous about being out here, so close to the city, but you're right. We need to get him stable. I've also got a Pokémon that won't jostle him quite as much. He's a bit scary looking, but I assure you, Suicune is obedient." Clicking open a Cherish Ball, from it emerged an ancient form of the Beast of Water and Winds: Josh's Walking Wake. The raptor-like Pokémon sounded a majestic cry almost indistinguishable from a Suicune. "Other than my Pyroar, he's the best I have." He had one other Pokémon, but if the boy couldn't handle a Pyroar, he wasn't going to be able to handle the ashen tiger, either.