While Josh lamented the destruction of Hoenn's east coast, that was indeed not why he was here. "I've been in touch with annalise henderson and Lilycove's Rangers," the Champion answered. "They're putting together teams for the relief effort, and I'm sure you'll be able to get the help you need from them. But you are correct. That isn't why I'm here."

Josh deeply exhaled, his nerves masked by the anger within him. Swift's grey eyes stared toward the Volatile, cloud and crown continuing to glow with electricity. The last time Matias had seen the Raikou, his demeanor was friendly, almost like a house Skitty. This time, the visage of a wrathful lightning god was on the Beast's face.

"Groudon was integral in warding off Team Rocket during the Sootopolis invasion, and I give you credit for that. But I have a question about it. You said your Avatarship with Groudon was severed last we spoke." The bolts flowing outward from Swift gave the illusion of his rider having electric eyes.

"Why did you lie to me?"

Because Matias didn't trust him? If he was still Groudon's Avatar, then was he still under the influence of the RED ORB? There was no point in answering such a question; he doubted he would get a truthful answer to begin with.

The revelation of there being a mole within the League made Josh's eyebrows rise. "I've suspected there might be a mole myself. Even now knowing that they were modified Kanto Rocket posters, it was unlike the League to pull such a stunt and divide its members. Elise Calcifet , one of my best Gym trainers, resigned over the false directive." Granted, she had other things going on in her life, as well, but that wasn't the relevant part.

"And on top of that, the way the war's been handled so far, going right into the belly of the enemy like that was such an obvious trap. And we lost Petalburg, and Captain Shalin Nariya , over it. She is an equally valuable asset to the League... and we have no idea where she's at." Trying to read into Matias, she may have just been collateral damage in his eyes. A necessary sacrifice. "But I digress. I'm not as familiar with the League's upper echelons as you. But I highly doubt the mole is you. You may have lost control of the Red Orb, but you seemed in complete control in Sootopolis."

There was a big difference between what happened in Sootopolis and what happened at Mount Chimney: the monochrome dome from the volcano radiated far more power than what Matias had pulled off on Sootopolis' cliffs. While he wasn't at Mount Chimney with his colleagues that day, Mauville City was close enough him to feel Primal Groudon's effects on the environment. His entire Gym staff had to come inside that day and take cover in the basement halls, the heat outside dangerous. Many of his employees got to see the Gym's basement for the first time; very few workers there had clearance to go down there due to sensitive information being stored there.

Hearing Matias' gratitude calmed Josh quite a bit; it was a sign that the Volatile truly was in control of his Patron that day. "I wasn't gonna let you die out there," he replied, Swift relaxing in tandem with the Champion seated on him. "I know we're at odds with one another a lot, but the League needs both of us. You're one of Hoenn's most feared supersoldiers. While I'm not the best fighter, there is another important role that no one else in Hoenn can fill better than I can. And my time in the hospital and in rehab has showed me what that role is."

For hand-to-hand fighting was only one aspect of the war.

In past battles, Josh had fought on the front lines, both directly and in more covert operations. He had struggled in both Dewford skirmishes. Though he was speedy, all of that velocity came at the expense of physical and energy-related might. The hammer that Matias' Patron wielded was mighty enough to reshape the battlefield. By comparison, Josh's legendary partner could barely dent jayden cross and his own speedy Patron, Chien-Pao. As the Gym Leader had alluded to, there was more than raw strength to a war.

"A war courier," the Knight of Thunder answered. "An Envoy. It may not be a glorious job, but it's one equally important." With how entrenched Rocket was in the region, technology was become an increasingly less reliable source of communication. Some documents and plans were too sensitive to risk being wiretapped. Supplies were important, too. Poké Balls got crushed during the war. Expensive medicine needed to remain stocked at infirmary tents so that injured trainers and Pokémon could fight once more.

"I've learned from my battles against you, Greyson Connors , and others in my ascent to the title of Champion. While speed is a wonderful weapon, it's but a tool in your toolbox. One sudden Trick Room, and speed becomes about as useful as a trainer with a single, freshly caught, unevolved Pokémon. It uses my strengths to their full potential."

Lightning seemed to course through Josh's eyes, he and his ashen steed's minds merging with one another. More accurately, his surface thoughts and subconscious were identical. "After all, it's harder to get much faster than an emergency drop by lightning strike," he bragged of his recent breakthrough with the Raikou.

"Thank you," Josh replied, feeling that the Volatile's sympathy was genuine. Sympathy he had previously thought Matias to be incapable of. "It's going to be hard going on without Resheph and Aslan. Resheph in particular was special to me. Of course, I will be looking for another Dragonair, but there is no replacing her." He thought of all the fond memories he had made with the Dragonair. How many Pokémon races they had participated in together, both as part of his Gym and on the circuit. The thrill ride he had taken Isaac Merlo on long ago that had helped the Liberator get out of the dumps while he was still in Rocket. Many other memories. "Did I ever tell you I won Resheph from Celadon Game Corner? I played Voltorb Flip every day of my trips -- over several trips to Kanto -- when I was younger. That I was able to turn her from a failed experiment into what she became... that's how much she meant to me."

Looking at how much of Matias' ranch was in ruins, Josh felt bad for the tattooed man's own losses. "If you need the support, the Mauville Rangers and I are here to help. While I don't think delivering wood by lightning strike would be very effective, I've got plenty of other Pokémon capable of rounding up all the materials you need to rebuild. No one deserves to lose their home." Josh didn't have it in him to love his enemies, like the Johtonian Scriptures taught. But he wasn't going to hold a grudge against them. Not outside Elisabeth Fiorelli 's direct presence.

"In the coming weeks, I'm going to hold a hunt and a coronation for my other Pyroar. With the king's death, a new king must rise to the throne, just as Melody Miro has in kyle lopez 's absence."

It was a big job, and one Josh felt bad for Matias doing alone. Perhaps it was his pride keeping him from enlisting the Rangers' help. Or even it was, like he said, simply to keep him out of trouble. Trouble seemed to follow the Elite Four wherever he went. As much as Matias had wronged him in the past, Josh wasn't one to hold grudges, unlike Elisabeth Fiorelli . For the Scriptures said:

Love your enemies. Show mercy to those who have wronged you.

It was a mantra that few in the AQUA Initiative embraced, John Sullivan being one of those shining diamonds. So many people on the Initative seemed hungry for war in Josh's eyes. Hungry for violence. Was this what Avatarship did to people? Made them into monsters that he once was before the Great One cleansed him?

"Melody is no Kyle," Josh replied, not mincing words. "But she's the best we've got. I can't think of anyone better for the position. She's strong, compassionate, and genuinely understands what the League stands for." She was one of the people responsible for Josh's ascension to Champion, having spent a lot of time with him both within and outside of the Assessment. "Speaking of which, I've been pondering applying for her old seat for a while... though something tells me I won't be the one the Commissioner chooses. Not because of my qualifications... but because I'm too valuable in my current position. Plus, Mauville is a... very strategically located city. I can't let it fall. It won't fall."

For if it did, Rocket seizure of the city would put League supply lines in a stranglehold that only he could free the region from.