Josh wasn't thrilled with the outcome of his battles, either. Sure, Swift had regained some of his lost powers, but it had come with the steep price of the lives of two of his Pokémon: Aslan at Rhea Armistead 's hands, and Resheph at jayden cross 's. Meeting Entei again, something he would have otherwise been happy about, was a consolation prize for the loss of two of his most well-cared Pokémon. They were both Pokémon integral to his rise to Champion Rank.

Even Champions needed time off to reflect.

As Josh and his own Dragonite, Tiamat, swooped toward Mauville's rooftop level, he caught sight of a familiar Ranger and his own Dragonite. Once the Gym Leader had reined his dragon toward Oliver Shrakes , Tiamat briefly hummed her wings to get his attention. The large Pokémon landed on a nearby landing pad meant for those traveling by air, letting Josh dismount. The Dragonite carefully walked alongside Josh, making sure not to inadvertently swing her tail into anyone else eating or drinking there. "Oliver! Long time!" Josh waved, his RAINBOW FEATHER still inert after the horrible battles around Petalburg...

Josh's life had been a whirlwind since the two had met in the desert to handle some unruly rock Pokémon making travel between Mauville and Lavaridge difficult. "Too much," he replied, flinching as the RAINBOW FEATHER's quill poked his skin. He set the dull, multicolored artifact on the edge of the table as he placed his order for three grilled chicken subs: one for himself, and two for Tiamat. The milkshake looked good too, prompting Josh to order a strawberry one.

"Where do I even start?" he asked Oliver, bewildered. "I'm sure you've heard by now that I'm a Hoenn League Champion... and about Kyle... and about... him, too," the Leader's eyes shifted toward the feather whose quill sparked with a mild jolt of electricity. "He was Kyle's last gift to me before he..." Josh trailed off, sniffing as the Emergent's ultimate sacrifice came to the forefront of his mind.