Not only were Spectrier typically wild, but they were breathtakingly fast. They were perhaps the fastest equine Pokémon out there. He recalled the first time he rode one with Remiel Calcifet . Now, he had one of his own to command. "Great to see you, too!" Josh waved, Eriette snorting toward the Captain and Llamrei. "I'm just glad you were able to transfer to Rustboro instead of Petalburg. Otherwise, you could well have wound up captured instead of her."

Hearing that most of Shalin's Pokémon were okay made Josh smile all the more, on top of the princess working with the Beedrill. "She's such a sweetheart, too. I never thought I'd say it, but that's a Beedrill that gives really good hugs. Have you ridden her yet? I don't really care for the vibrations, but she seemed to love it when I flew on her the one time." The Gym Leader faced eastward, ready to get going down the longest highway in Hoenn. "I'm excited; this is going to be my first truly fast ride since being in jail. I've got the new king and queen from the coronation on my belt, too, if Charles wants a ride!"

Josh's face was beaming when he heard of Elise's progress with her fear of insects. "I'm so proud of you. I remember when you wouldn't get near even one of the smaller ones." He expected a Flygon would help quite a bit; being atop the insect dragon was a great way for Josh to prepare for flying on his own Beedrill, King Zing. "Was it fun? I have my own Beedrill and Flygon with me, too."

With the Hare King's acceptance, Josh would click open Kion's Poké Ball, the large male perhaps being familiar to Elise for being the very fastest of his pride. "That's so sad... those three look like they're made for each other," he remarked, knowing how hard she had to hunt for both of the Galarian king's precious steeds. "I hope you can get to the bottom of it soon. You ready?" he asked. Were she to be so, Josh would kick at Eriette's sides, his Spectrier accelerating up Route 116's slight incline. The rest of his Pokémon followed, though they lacked the power the ghostly horse had.

"I'm so proud of you," Josh replied with a beaming face. "I wish Shalin was around to hear of your accomplishment. We'll find her, wherever she is. The League would never abandon her." Just like it would never abandon him, even if at times he felt like they did.

Eriette was every bit as fast as the Crown Prince's Spectrier and then some, the wind howling around them as they galloped toward Rusturf Tunnel with speed that may have terrified Elise if she didn't have experience from Mauville Gym. It was every bit as thrilling as he remembered it was. With a phantom horse of his own now, he could go truly fast on, ironically, one of the gentlest Pokémon that could reach such blistering speeds. There was not a Pokémon easier to test the outcome of his rehab better than this one.

"Ready for Phantom Force?" Josh asked the princess as their swift horses leveled off in speed, their peripherals turning into a blur from how quickly they covered the long road. "On three! One... two..."

Seeing his former apprentice keeping up with the Gym Leader warmed Josh's heart even more. When she had first joined the Gym, she had serious speed tolerance issues. Even after pushing the Spectrier to incredible speeds, she seemed calm, collected, and in complete control. "You're one of the few people I would trust to go full speed on Swift's back," he mused as the ghost-types reached the velocity needed to initiate the dimension-shifting technique. "I did bring him with me if you want to give it a try on the way back," he offered, the scintillating RAINBOW FEATHER's plume flat against his outfit that whipped about in the harsh winds.

"...Three!" he shouted, Etiette loudly neighing. Were Llamrei to follow Josh, the duo would find themselves in an inverted-color world of the one they had previously ridden through. The atmosphere was oppressive and bitterly cold, but not nearly as much as it was the last time they had been here on the Champion's Dragapult. Once the horses were in the ghostly world, all physical limits seemed to disappear from them.

Now that the two were inside the ethereal, Josh could share something he had been meaning to since he discussed it with Navy . "Once the war has ended, I need to be ready to step down from leading Mauville Gym," he revealed with a somber tone, clearly audible with the lack of winds ravaging them in their ghostly environment.

Elise's agreement showed how long the two had worked together. How much they had trusted one another. Being able to hold on to Llamrei while moving at the ludicrous speeds ethereal travel opened up was one of the reasons why Josh had opened up the offer to her. Once they were done with their private, sensitive discussion, he would put that skill to the test with as fast of a run as both of them could handle.

One of the most odd sensations of riding through the ethereal was a lack of wind. Despite both horses sounding like a giant stampede with how rapidly their hooves clicked against the ghostly road, there was no wind resistance to speak of. It was as though the riders themselves were ghosts, too, no longer limited by real world physics. It was liberating to dash across one of the back sides of Hoenn in peace.

"I really enjoy it... and the challenges aren't going anywhere," Josh answered. "I haven't submitted it to dahlia goode quite yet, but I have an application ready for the Elite Four seat that Melody Miro vacated. Were I to be selected, Mauville Racing Grounds would continue on. The only change would be that it would no longer be an official Gym." It was a bittersweet admission. He wanted to continue to serve Hoenn, especially after Navy 's endorsement. Supply lines would inevitably become an issue in the war, and he wanted to have a platform to talk to the Council about them. "Please, though, keep this hush hush. It's a big potential change, and Navy is the only other person that knows about my intent to apply for the seat."