Seeing the once-beautiful Petalburg City in its destroyed state made Josh's blood boil. An anger that Josh could feel as the RAINBOW FEATHER, even in its inert, faded state, throbbed and sparked, making him flinch from the mild electric shock. Capturing a Ranger Captain and doing Arceus-knows-what to her was already a felonious transgression, an unforgivable war crime.

That it was Shalin Nariya who had been forcibly removed from the now-ruined city made things personal.

Still, Josh was nervous. He knew how tightly-patrolled the Rocket-occupied city was. Even as a Champion, he could never let down his guard. In opposition tallying sufficient numbers, even an Avatar could be made helpless. With his Sacred Ash Raikou still on the mend after the violent clash with robin coello , he was down his mightiest weapon and partner, leaving a hole in his inner self.

"I'm sorry, but can you go over the briefing again, please?" Josh asked the cowboy as Eriette floated just off the ground, the Spectrier silently walking toward Petalburg with the Gym Leader in her saddle. Even the normally loud Type: Null next to the phantom horse was quiet. "It's already risky for me to be out here. Let's do what we came here to do and go." How reliable was the intelligence of Shalin Nariya being transferred to Petalburg? Was it true? Or was it a false lead, a honeypot fabricated to entice those close to her toward Rocket's clutches?

Josh was not complaining; he was simply cautious. Perhaps overcautious. "Simple enough," he answered. "I'm just a little concerned that this is bait to get me out here. I knew Captain Nariya personally, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to use her to get to me." Though little was known about the female's capture, she was strong. She could be a Champion herself if she put her mind to it. The conditions for her capture had to have come on suddenly, like a Pyroar waiting in the brush ready to pounce.

When asked to dismount, Josh blew Montgomery off. "If detection is the issue, Eriette can go ethereal. Good luck finding her unless you've got a ghost Pokémon yourself." The ghost-type mare snorted, knowing just as well as her trainer did that she had that extra dimension most Pokémon didn't. Being able to take Josh with her into that cold and inhospitable world was a godsend for as long as the Champion could last.

Not a split second after the deputy told Josh to drop, he and his steed instead vanished into the ethereal. Not only would they avoid whatever he warned him about, but they might be able to see some of the ghosts haunting Petalburg...

Perhaps Josh should have listened to Montgomery; a Pokémon as large and as loud as a Spectrier wasn't exactly stealthy; Sidewinder may have been a better choice. Even so, he loved the ghostly mare enough to use her despite not being the best Pokémon for the situation.

Eriette galloped across the ethereal back side of Petalburg's outskirts, only to find a horde of Misdreavus and Mismagius. More disturbingly, the spirits of Petalburg's rebels were present, unable to escape to the Border thanks to the ghost-types trapping them within the twisted maze of plaster, wood, and metal that was the western city's ruined districts. A ruinous omen that howard slayte had wrought.

Returning to Montgomery's side in a great burst of speed from the back half of PHANTOM FORCE, Josh relaxed his legs and pulled back on her reins, Eriette obediently slowing to a stop. "Misdreavus-line Pokémon. Lots of them," the Champion reported. "Be ready for illusions and hallucinations. They're very tricky Pokémon." He hadn't seen the destruction of Petalburg firsthand until now. It made the state of Sootopolis look like a thriving municipality by comparison. "So many people died... and their spirits can't get to the Border. Think you can handle the Pokémon if Eriette and I try to lure them out?"

"On it," Josh replied, he and his ghostly steed vanishing into thin air; Montgomery James 's call of his name would go unheard. The momentum of Eriette's PHANTOM FORCE was difficult to control, the equine galloping across the ethereal Petalburg with great speed. So much that not even the Misdreavus and Mismagius could avoid the brave duo. What they had in ectoplasmic strength, they lacked in reaction time. Reaction time that would enable Josh and his partner to interrupt SHADOW BALL attacks aimed at them.

Many of the ghost-types were trampled underhoof, screeches grating at the rider's ears. The ones that managed to escape to the material world did so alongside Josh, the Spectrier letting out a loud whinny from zooming back into the material on the speed of the back half of PHANTOM FORCE. Despite his adrenaline pumping, the Gym Leader remained silent, knowing letting it all out in a whoop would no doubt attract attention from nearby Rocket patrols.

The remaining ghosts would find themselves subject to the cowboy's wrath.