Josh's skin shook as Swift accelerated, making wide circles around Minerva and giving her plenty of space to remain out of the elements. It was like watching a Linoone hunt, their stubby legs moving impossibly fast as they sprinted after their prey too fast for wildlife their size to bear witness. The ashen Raikou's strides were just as rapid, only with much longer legs that multiplied the speed of the charge. Were she to focus on Josh, she would be able to see how far and how frequently the Champion was being bounced up and down on the black cloud. How were his thighs not sore from that kind of punishment his legendary mount put him through?

The Master of Faster was ready to show the true prowess he had honed. Making his final lap around Minerva even more wide than before, he tugged on the right, outermost tuft of thundercloud to get the Raikou to line up for a charge Minerva would be able to get a wonderful view of. "Swift, QUICK ATTACK!" the Leader shouted over the wind.

With a thunderclap that sounded like a violent motorcycle kick from having pure nitrous oxide mixed with its fuel, legendary Pokémon and knight sprinted wide of minerva valentine , giving her a sense of the speed god vestige's pace. The concentration it had to take to remain seated on the Raikou, let alone direct the feline, may have been unfathomable. If she had seen an Arcanine use Extreme Speed before, this put that to shame.

He could travel between Verdanturf and Mauville in minutes.

While the Quick Attack was fairly weak compared to an electric attack, particularly against a Walrein, the ramming attack's primary purpose was not to inflict harm. No. It was to get the Johtonian legendary Pokémon up to frightening speeds. The split second the ashen construct spent in the fog was plenty to make him feel drowsy, particularly with the exertion from running faster than he could sustain. "You won't be able to hide from this, Kee!" Josh shouted over the inclement, wintry weather. "Swift, ELECTRO BALL!"

It was the second half of a one-two punch that exemplified what Josh was all about: speed in its purest form. That inner and outer desire to be the fastest Pokémon trainer in the world was reflected in the Beast's methods of combat. A barrage of electrical spheres swirled around the large field, coming from all directions. To the untrained eye, they may have looked like an electrical tornado that threatened to suck the Walrein inward. The real sting of the attack was the spark-filled projectiles whistling around so fast that even the Champion himself had a hard time tracking them. It was double-edged, ice shards from the Walrein's BLIZZARD caught up in the vortex, as well.

While the YAWN and cold weather would not put the Raikou completely to sleep, the effort it put into the mighty electric attack left him shivering and his movements sluggish... by Raikou standards. For the time the drowsiness lasted, it may have felt like fighting a more ordinary electric Pokémon, such as a Luxray!

While Lutgarde was helping direct Josh's Pokémon as well as their own, the Elite Ranger and Gym Leader was busy placing phone calls to Ever Grande Ranger HQ as well as those of other nearby cities. While he wasn't able to get too much help, every Ranger they could get onboard helped. He also placed a phone call to his Gym back in Mauville to get several more of his water Pokémon on site to help the two out; much of the help he got were newer Rangers that did not have a reliable water Pokémon yet.

Once he was off the phone, Josh turned back to Lutgarde Dijkstra , watching Oreo impressively balance on a huge piece of flotsam. "You sure they're comfortable with that?" he pointed toward the psychic-type, doubt coming over him. "More power to them if so. I've got half a dozen Rangers on the way. They're wet behind the ears, so they'll be working with some of my other water Pokémon. Keep an eye out for a Ranger skiff, okay?"

Saving lives was what brought Josh to be a part-time Ranger in the first place. He had a unique talent revolving around extreme speed, and the best way he felt he could use it was reaching distressed people victimized by nature. In those situations, time was of the essence. Time that he was best at using most efficiently in those types of high stakes scenarios. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Josh added, a prideful expression on his face. "Many of my Pokémon are among the fastest of their kind on the planet. One of my Pyroar has the world record for fastest sustained land speed for their species." Kion's Flare Blitz was almost painfully fast for a rider to endure; the burning lion's gait while using the attack could have easily been mistaken for a Pokémon using Extreme Speed.

The whole thing brought Josh back to his days when he first started out as a Gym Leader, having very limited staff and working himself to death keeping the Gym upkept and within League compliance. "I couldn't do it without my... almost forty coworkers now. I couldn't run the Gym without them." Was his payroll really that expansive? It just seemed like yesterday he only had five employees. Out of all the things the black-haired man anticipated would be on his life's Bingo card, sole proprietor of a Pokémon-related business was not one of them.

What Eddie had going for him that made him stand out was his strength. His attitude. His stalwart personality that refused to back down no matter the odds. Most importantly, a spotless track record. Josh's was peppered with failure. Failure he had bounced back from with greater strength every time, but not without concerning blemishes on an otherwise immaculate report card.

"You know, this takes me back to when I was still in the Minor League, preparing for my Champion Assessment by battling former Councilwoman Elinor Anderson in this same fashion," Josh reminisced. "We didn't battle at my Gym. We battled deep within the plains of Route 117, for our battle was too violent to take place at a Gym that wasn't fully funded. This facility can handle a battle of that caliber now. So let's get this started!"

The nimble, white-furred Zeraora leaped into Raikou's saddle, the Raging Bolt's cloud glowing a brilliant white. Riding the long-necked paradox Pokémon as skillfully as Josh would, the white mythical let sparks drip from his claws, forming an ELECTROWEB behind him that would make keeping up with the galloping dragon-type nearly impossible. Unlike Swift, who summed rainstorms with his, Raikou's white cloud heralded a SUNNY DAY of prehistoric proportions, his PROTOSYNTHESIS making him as fast as the legendary Beast he resembled.

Josh figured Matias has his doubts. The Champion was aware from their interview as part of his Assessment that he had his soft spots. He recalled that one of the reasons Matias did not pass him was for his softer attitude toward the rank and file of Team Rocket. He had seen people rise from the Amnesty program into the ranks of AQUA.

If there was something he was doing wrong, he wanted to know about it.

"We've known each other for a long time. I know you don't like to beat around the bush, and neither do I. Just tell it to me like it is."

Josh hadn't flown so high in the air on a dragon Pokémon in so long. The air was a bit thinner than he was used to, forcing the rider to direct his dragon steed downward. Even from their reduced altitude, one could see for miles. Sootopolis, Slateport, Dewford, and Mount Chimney were all clearly visible, though the mountain's collapsed crater looked far different than when he took Isaac Merlo for a flight above Hoenn so long ago.

Rather than wheel Miyako about, Josh kept Ares' flight steady; he was still unfamiliar with the cop's talents as a rider. In this muscular form, the Charizard had frightening strength; as much as Josh wanted to guide the dragon into a dive and swoop, the power behind his wings risked flattening the two. Instead, he directed his mount into a shallow dive, picking up speed as his shadow descended upon Slateport and Route 110 like a low-hanging cloud. The two whizzed past several wild bird Pokémon, many screeching as they swerved out of Ares' way.

Once Mauville was in sight, Josh made sure Miyako had good posture before reining his ride straight back. With a growl the two could feel, the Charizard raised his wings, creating drag to serve as an air brake. Dragon and riders circled Mauville City once before landing not far from Mauville's north gate, giving Miyako a good look at his Gym grounds to the west. "We've arrived at my home town, Mauville City," Josh announced as he slid down from Ares' back, the Charizard's Mega Evolution growing unstable and forcing him to revert to his standard form. "This city never sleeps; whether at dawn, dusk, or in the middle of the might, there's always something going on. You can get almost anywhere in Hoenn easily from here." He would list suggestions for tourist attractions, hotel recommendations, and restaurant recommendations. "It's been fun, but I need to head back to my Gym to catch up on some reports. I'm sure we'll see each other again!"

What a sharpshooter Montgomery James was; were he on a Zebstrika instead, the scene of him shooting through the critical threads of the Galvantula webs would have looked like it was straight out of a western Unovan film. The loud noise caused the Galvantula and Joltik attending the webs to flee for their lives.

"Great shots," Josh complimented as his Manectric and Jolteon cleared away any loose, hanging threads blocking them. "I was always better with a sword than a bow or a gun." Mounted archery took incredible skill, particularly from the backs of Pokémon he favored. It was hard enough to shoot from the back of a horse Pokémon, let alone from one with a more pronounced gait like a big cat. "Now keep your eyes open and your ears keen for our victim. They can't be far now."

No matter how much Josh tried to convince Commissioner dahlia goode to meet up at Mauville Gym instead of the Pokémon League, he did not succeed. With Petalburg's fall and the densely-populated, strategically-placed city a juicy target for a Rocket takeover, bringing the Commissioner anywhere near the city was too great of a security risk. He had been to the Commissioner's office before, as well. Knowing it would be far too small for his Pokémon to run about, a compromise had been made. With one of the Elite Four's seats unoccupied, the two had agreed to have their meeting there. The last time he had been in the chamber was with Melody Miro over a meal. While this time it wouldn't be over lunch, there would at least be room for his Pyroar, Raging Bolt, and ashen Raikou to wander about.

"Thanks for making time to talk to me again, Commissioner," Josh greeted dahlia goode , gently running his left hand over the Beast's grey whiskers, the two truly in sync with one another. When he first inherited the Raikou from kyle lopez , he could barely control the legendary creature. After being in the Prismatic Penitentiary, losing two of his most beloved Pokémon to save MATIAS SILPH 's life from jayden cross 's merciless snow cat, and turning on fellow Leaguer robin coello to save an innocent life, even if Aqua Kennedy was on the other side of the aisle, he felt like he was in control of his inner self, and thus, in control of the Beast of his dreams.

A low rumble left the electric feline's throat, the Raikou's purr sounding like distant thunder. "I sent you an email not long ago wanting to discuss a few important topics about how I feel I can be of greatest service to the League. As you may be aware, the late Top Champion and his Patron, the Great One Ho-oh, left me a gift I had been chasing for the better part of half my life... that being Swift here," he gestured toward the black-and-white fanged predator. "And I feel the best way to use him... is as a war courier. Delivering valuable medicine, war reports too sensitive to transmit electronically, and the like. I know it may have slipped through the cracks, but I submitted a request for a new type of non-traditional challenge, beta-tested by Eduardo Hisakawa and FERNANDO SILPH . Was there ever a status update on its approval?"

The young man frowned in disappointment, only somewhat distracted by the display pieces that served as evidence of the curator's hard work. He made no attempt to read any of the scripts, even the ones in common language. With all of her unusual Pokémon and her investment in Pokémon history, Josh thought she would be the key to getting the answers he wanted about the glowing Pokémon.

"Even hearing your theories would help," the Gym Leader insisted. If there was room in her office, Josh would let his Manectric out of his Poké Ball, not in an effort to pressure Yuina, but to give him a friend to cuddle and pet. He, too, was growing weary of not having any answers, and he felt it was only a matter of time before something truly disastrous happened. "As a prominent Ranger, I've received other reports of these yellow Pokémon. Even if it's just a theory, anything will help. It's only a matter of time before one pops up too close to a city." Mauville already had a huge target on her head due to her geographical position in the region. She didn't need another attacker threatening to devour her.

Creepy halting his attack didn't go unnoticed; perhaps she really was an innocent bystander, genuinely looking for care for her wounds. "Can you sit in a saddle?" the Gym Leader asked. If Rose needed help getting seated, Josh would be more than happy to help her. "I've got several Pokémon that can get you there, including Ares here." The late Kyle had taught Josh that the true enemies in war were the zealous conscripts. Those who lacked conviction could be swayed... and those were the people to extend aid to, regardless of whether they were League aligned or Rocket aligned.

For those trapped within Rocket, all it often took was a single Leaguer to reach across the aisle to help them. To get them to gather the courage to shun Rocket, see the error of their side's ways, and jump off the sinking ship. Not that the League was much better in his eyes; they were just the lesser of the two evils. "I'm so sorry for the loss of your city," he apologized as he got ready to transport Rose to the League's medical tents, regardless of method. "Was your family able to escape the city before it fell?" He stopped asking questions after that final remark that Rose was in pain, urging his Pokémon to pick up the pace.

Before long, they would arrive at one of John Sullivan 's many tents where the League kept their wounded. If she needed any help checking in and getting medical care she needed, the Champion would help her. "Got another displaced Petalburg refugee," he explained, expecting that the League's medical corps would know what to do with her.

It felt like the RKS Simulation had crafted a worst case scenario for Josh and his legendary partner, Swift. Mauville City had fallen, and Team Rocket had seized his Gym, his Racing Grounds, and nearly all of his Pokémon. The only ones he had with him were the six on his belt. Being the greatest war courier in Hoenn's army, he was tasked with not only getting a critical message across enemy lines to the supply-starved Slateport City, but also escorting Christopher Carter safely.

"It makes me wonder if Commissioner dahlia goode crafted this scenario herself," the Champion mused as he sat astride his ashen Raikou on the cloudless day. There would be no leaping into the clouds with Swift; he would have to find a way around the strategically-located city he once called home.