The ethereal world on Hoenn's other side appeared as an inverted mockery of the corporeal world, now draped in varying shades of violet. Shortly after Andrea followed him, a robotic voice echoed all around them, commanding that they both leave. "Eriette, SUBSTITUTE!" the Gym Leader ordered as Gigi's SHADOW BALL left Andrea's two Pokémon locked in a fierce tug of war.

Between Andrea, Gigi, and the Hydreigon's wrathful spirit appeared an empty husk of Eriette, shielding them against the three-headed, Shiny spirit. "I'll do my best to protect you, Andrea... but this is something I can't help you with. None of your friends can. Only you understood Chomper. Only you can calm him. Understand why his soul won't pass on to the Border." Josh had learned that the hard way with the people he had lost in the Gym attacks. Nothing was bringing them back, particularly not with Kyle gone. "But I'm here to support you how I can."

To be able to stand fearlessly in front of a legendary creature like Swift was telling of how courageous Minerva was. "Swift is... no god," Josh admitted. "He's... a memory. A memory of his original partner, kyle lopez . And of mine." The Beast was more like an inner reflection of Josh himself, though he felt that would be a bit complex and overwhelming to explain to the lady. "He was... a parting gift from Hoenn's late Top Champion. He knew the hour of his death was coming. You see, he was in possession of the ashen memories of Raikou and Suicune... that allegedly perished in the Kanto war. Before he died, he passed the Raikou on to me. I wonder who is in possession of the Suicune..." he mused, dismissing the woman's sarcasm.

Legendary he may have been, Swift was as regal as Josh was well-behaved, the Raikou's dark eyes shifting toward Minerva. "Oh, I never properly introduced myself. Gym Leader Devlin, Mauville City. But please, you can call me Josh." The young man on the Raikou held the two outer tufts of his thundercloud like they were a common Pokémon's reins, showing the level of trust they had with one another... or if she read into being a memory of Josh's inner self, that they were of one mind entirely.

An enemy combatant Aqua Kennedy was, but that didn't mean robin coello could choke them to death. "We may be enemies, but I can tell you're just following orders," Josh answered them as the BURNING BULWARK cooled down. "It's not you that I truly have problems with. It's the irredeemable decision makers at the top of Rocket. Turn yourself in, now, and I will do everything in my power to stop her," he side-eyed Robin menacingly. "Unlike Rocket, the League offers mercy and forgiveness to those truly willing to repent. Rehabilitation. Amnesty. I went through it, too," he referred to the time he nearly murdered Mesprit's bearer, Eris Halla . Though they may never understand one another, he still genuinely cared for her and her well-being.

Did Josh have a bleeding heart? Yes. But that didn't make him not Champion material. It didn't disqualify him from being Gym Leader material. Above all, it certainly didn't disqualify him from the blessing the Great One Ho-oh gave him in their final moments with their Avatar.

Entei lowered his mean-looking horn toward Robin and her Toxtricity upon seeing the familiar Shadow Pokémon that he disqualified the Ranger from his Gym over. "That's still no excuse to treat them inhumanely!" he barked. "Robin, why do you fight? Is it to obtain something? Is it to destroy something? Or is it--"

Upon the SHADOW RAVE reaching his ears, Entei reared and bucked with volcanic force, Josh frantically pulling on the Gouging Fire's reins to try to get the Gouging Fire under control. The Champion simply lacked the strength to resist, unable to keep his Gouging Fire from attempting to gore Robin or her Toxtricity (GHOSTFINCH's choice) with his wicked horn. His horn stuck in the earth, he mightily heaved with strength putting the meanest Tauros in the world to shame, sending Josh flying over the paradox Beast's crown and into a vulnerable position closer to Petalburg City.

As he struggled to get to his feet, the RAINBOW FEATHER began to scintillate with bright iridescence...

The lions' motors running in sync with one another as the team cleaned their fur was music to Josh's ears. They seemed like they were warming up to the team quickly enough, Josh giving each one of them a hug when they were clean enough. Keeping a Pyroar's fur clean was a unique challenge, given their aversion to water. While the fire-types needed to hydrate some, just like any living organism, the threshold at which water became poisonous was much lower for them than Pokémon of other types.

With Kee's Aerodactyl and Tyranitar securing their makeshift camp around the pyramid of jagged, well-secured rocks, Josh nodded in agreement. "Exactly. There's no sense in going there like this. Let's rest up and tackle this in the morning." The Champion withdrew most of his Pokémon, only keeping Swift outside the RAINBOW FEATHER. It may have been heartwarming -- and perhaps even thought-provoking -- to Keenan Toral seeing a legendary Pokémon act much like a normal one would.

Gods some of them may have been, but even they still needed friends.

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.

"It makes sense when you put it that way," Josh replied, thinking about it. If the Raikou's flight was only limited to where storm clouds were present, was it true flight? Even so, it would be incredibly useful... once his arm had the strength to withstand riding the Beast mid-lightning strike. "That's quite the tale. If it's on eBook, I might have to grab it and read it the next time I have to fly out of region." As convenient as riding Pokémon was, there were few, if any, that had the stamina to cross oceans. Riding was fun, but his thighs wouldn't be able to stand being in the saddle for hours at a time, particularly at the blistering speeds a Dragonite was capable of.

Circling the main generator, Josh found a series of levers on its back side, their text in a Megalopolan script he could not understand. "Think I found the control panel, but it's not labeled in a language I know," he relayed to Andrea, who was soaring above the room looking for clues. "Only one way to find out, and that's by moving some of them."

Many of the combinations Josh tried didn't change much, other than make a few crackling noises. One, though, charged the thundercloud above them, making a boom so loud that the noise rung in even Josh's ears used to thunder. The entire room was illuminated by electrical arcs, its lowest level covered with them and making its ground impassible.

Were Andrea to be on the correct side, she might notice a light above the door turn from red to green...

Josh, being in the back of the pack, had front row seats to evaluate his friend's skills and bond with Zagreus. He smiled when he heard how confident she was that a Pokémon as bulky and difficult to control could make it through the extremely narrow path among the jagged turns. A Pokémon stubbing their foot against one of the corners was a real danger for challengers.

He was so proud of the Ranger... and would be even more proud of her were he to find out she was on Hoenn's most elite defense force.

"After them!" Josh ordered after lining up on the same trajectory Genevieve and Zagreus did. The aggressive FLARE BLITZ kept them from approaching too closely... but he would have plenty of other opportunities to make his move after threading the needle. Even he flinched when he heard the air displacement from the outer corners of each curve whipping past him.

With many of the Pokémon in the field being large and requiring a lot of strength to turn, there would be no getting through these turns "legitimately". Four out of the five Pokémon aligned themselves into the most organized single-file line the Gym Leader had ever seen on any race course. ARAVAN ESCHER had more room to work with than others by virtue of his quick SALAZZLE's body being narrower than the hulking trio of ARCANINE behind him and the low-to-the-ground LINOONE in front.

Hearing the FLARE BLITZ coming from behind him, ERON IUNIS braced himself for what was to come. His mount excelled at right-angle turns, and demonstrated that prowess in a loud and obnoxious manner. True to the LINOONE's name, the normal-type's paws made horrific screeching and squealing noises with every zig and zag, hurling the white-haired Gym Trainer back and forth in the saddle with whiplash-inducing power. How did the two not fall over?

Wind would blast Genevieve Cromwell , Josh Devlin , and ACE SHEEKE as their three big dogs narrowly avoided the first two corners. In an effort to hold off his coworker from passing him with the KANTONIAN ARCANINE's superior speed, the redhead started making his final turn onto more open track early. A bit too early. His mount's toe grazed the sharp corner, the rock-type sounding a low-pitched squeal that could have been a distraction for other racers. The two lost a lot of speed from the collision, Josh whizzing past him. The Gym Leader had a good look at the challenger and ARAVAN ESCHER, their SALAZZLE and ARCANINE locked in a heated battle for SECOND PLACE.

Prompt: Seconds after the brutal, right-angle curves, the course narrowed to be only wide enough for three Pokémon to run. At the end of the narrow stretch was a big jump that it was important to get as much distance as possible, because the track below, while wide, featured mogul-like terrain its entire width. While there wasn't a common Pokémon out there likely able to clear all of it, the farther the leap, the less of the rough ground the Pokémon would need to handle!

Target Number 1: 165 (Endurance)

Special 1: Each rank in Speed adds 15 to your roll on this Obstacle instead of 10.

The vile tone underlying Robin's already hateful words left Josh in shock. This was not the robin coello that walked into his Gym that day. This was a monster. He never thought he would see a League fighter more unhinged than MATIAS SILPH . The Volatile had his maniacal and narcisstic moments, but he had never heard such vitriol come from a Leaguer's lips before. It opened the Leader's eyes to just how much hypocrisy there was within the League's ranks. How much dissonance there was. Was this why Rocket hated the League so much? With the number of fanatics in the League's ranks growing, those on the straight and narrow path, like Josh himself, seemed to be growing increasingly rarer by the day.

Josh had been called a Rocket sympathizer before for his more moderate stance in the war. It was part of why he had not passed the Champion Assessment's interview the first time. His career path as a Ranger guided him to his political stance that the truly evil ones within Rocket were at the top. Not the helpless-looking Aqua Kennedy before her.

He had to do something.

With a frightening bellow and a rear, Entei stood between Robin and Aqua before stomping the ground violently, forming a BURNING BULWARK around himself, the Rocket, and his rider. "Robin, get ahold of yourself! Please!" Josh pleaded, leaning around the Gouging Fire's crest to make eye contact with her. "They're just on Rocket's rank and file, following orders! Think about all the people from Rocket that have become heroes! Think of Isaac Merlo ! Of CIAN MAHER ! Of Remiel Calcifet ! They're dying! You don't have to kill them! Bring them in alive, and let Law Enforcement decide how they're punished. They may be Rocket, but they deserve to be treated with humanity and due process, just like the rest of us!"

He was certain that Hideo Kino would be proud if he saw Josh now.

Eva's heartwarming compliment toward the ashen Raikou made Josh feel like he was melting. In a good way. "You're one of the first people that has complimented me about that name," the Gym Leader replied. "Andrea Vaneau is, to my recollection, the only other person that's told me they like the name for him." At the same time as Josh basked in that warm and fuzzy feeling, so did the Raikou. It was as though the two were mirror images of one another. The racer's inner strength and resolve fueled his Beast's outer might. If his were to wane, so would the Raikou's. "She's one of the few people that understands that even Pokémon gods are still Pokémon. And even gods need friends."

When Josh brought up the Skylord, it seemed it was a point of pain for the doctor. A point of tremendous pain. The revelation made him wince. "I'm... so sorry. I can't imagine how awful that must have been for you. When I saw freya morningstar at Sootopolis, I had assumed you were joint Avatars. I didn't realize Rayquaza abandoned you."

And with that, any hope of ever soaring the skies on the emerald serpent again. "I haven't really shared this with anyone yet, but... this is why I don't want to be an Avatar anymore. I don't want Swift to change." He had been to the Border and back to speak with kyle lopez about it. He knew the ins and outs of the ashen construct. How to make Swift stronger. Faster. "I know he's not a real Raikou. And I've come to grips with that. But... he's still my Raikou. A reflection of how I've imagined him to be. How I want him to be." He leaned low in the saddle to reach the ashen fur around Swift's cheeks and rubbed it as though it were real. Grey dust blew away from the Raikou from the tailwind growing in strength behind them.

"I don't want to get trapped by a Patron. Like MATIAS SILPH was. Like Laurence Anderson was. Like many of the Rockets we fight against are, I'm sure. The Johtonian legend as I remember it stated that Raikou was the most savage of the Great One Ho-oh's children. The least likely to ally with a human." He was about to ask more about what being an Avatar was like, but refrained when he saw Eva growing increasingly uncomfortable. She would move on not topically, but by force, Josh gasping as he watched her suddenly vault into Hades' fur and take off at blistering speeds. They were gone in a huge dust cloud, the fire-type's legs a familiar blur.

Eva wanted to see what the Raikou's limits were, didn't she?

And she would get to see those limits. "After them, Swift!" With a roar indistinguishable from thunder, the electric feline zoomed forward with a shower of sparks flying from his tail and paws. No matter how many times he experienced the tiger's acceleration, it seemingly became no easier to endure. Skin stretched over his skull as his cheeks slid to the back of his head. Even with all this speed, all he could do was keep pace with the dashing Arcanine.

It was just like his first ride back when the Beast was under kyle lopez 's command: his own Arcanine, mid Extreme Speed, could only keep pace. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for a whiplash-inducing speed boost he had not experienced in nearly two years. It would truly push his left arm to its current limits. "Swift, QUICK ATTACK!" the Master of Faster boldly ordered. An ELECTRO BALL formed from the tiger's crown, hurtling forward on a trajectory well wide of the Arcanine.

In a flash of yellow and white, Champion and legendary Pokémon passed it.

Eva Morales ' entrance took Josh somewhat by surprise, not expecting her to come as early in the day as she did. "Thanks!" he returned the compliment, though distorted from Swift's purr. "This is why I was a little hesitant to offer you the Quick Badge when we flew together with Rayquaza," he continued, his voice now a lot more understandable with the Raikou not loudly running his motor. "I figured you'd be one to enjoy a Gym Challenge like this. You're welcome to sign up for an unofficial challenge if you'd like, especially since the year's winding down and I'll have to close the aquatic courses until the Spring."

The Gym Leader noticed the green-eyed professor's gaze shift toward his legendary partner. "Funny how role reversals like this can happen, isn't it?" he asked, referring to their fateful Dragon Ascent that marked the only time the Master of Faster became motion sick. "I was about to go for my first Quick Attack run on Swift here. That's what I named him; it's a name that stuck since I was a child and imagined being friends with Raikou. You graciously let me soar the skies on your Patron; it's only right for me to return the same favor. With how fast they were, this should be a piece of cake!" Little did he know that Rayquaza only had one Patron, not two as he thought...

As much as Andrea wanted to ignore it, war was a reality within the region. Though skirmishes broke out from time to time, Sootopolis and Petalburg marked the war's true beginning. It had taken Josh three ventures, but he had at last found the way to best use his unique skill set to serve the League in their effort to oust Team Rocket like had taken place in his birth region so many years ago.

"I know that feeling all too well," Josh replied. "I went through it with my closest coworker. After dorian westcliff killed him and six other people at my Gym, his spirit wouldn't pass on until I went to the Border and avenged him." Even a year and a half later, Josh still had not found an employee worthy of being an Interim Gym Leader in the event he became ill and needed to temporarily step down from his important role.

An OMINOUS WIND blew over both adventurers, blowing around a wholly unnatural mist. Eriette stopped and loudly snorted several times, cautious and perhaps afraid of the paranormal presence. "I'm going to the other side to see what's there, Andrea," Josh said to her as his hold on the Spectrier's reins tightened. "Eriette, PHANTOM FORCE!" Seconds later, horse and rider vanished into thin air, reappearing in a color-inverted version of Hoenn whether ethereal beings dwelled...

Robin was showing the Rocket no mercy, wielding Mega Evolution from the word go and overwhelming the Lapras with a mighty POWER GEM. Josh reined Entei back to try to limit the DRAGON RUSH's power, but it was too late. Like the legendary Pokémon the Gouging Fire was named after, Entei was fast. Almost uncontrollably fast. Were Aqua and the Lapras unable to intervene, the two attacks would collide violently, blinding the dragon-type with briny water. The paradox's size kept the rider safe, but did he ever feel his mount's muscles tense from the polluted liquid that was especially toxic to Pokémon of his type.

The Champion turned to Aqua Kennedy , his height advantage from being mounted perhaps adding to his intimidation. "Champion Devlin. You're outmatched, little one. I have no idea why Rocket would send a minor into battle against their will," he assumed their age, "but I won't stand for it. Give yourself up, and I will do everything in my power to make your rehabilitation and amnesty as painless as possible."

Josh turned his Gouging Fire toward robin coello next. "Robin, what's gotten into you?! They're just a child!" he scolded the psychic. "Show a little restraint! They may be Rocket, but they're still a human being!"

Josh had seen many Distortions before; he loved hunting inside them to catch powerful, giant Pokémon normally too small to wear saddles. This just happened to be his first time seeing one form. Peering upward, he indeed saw the telltale clouds and veil that formed one. "Wow, you're really sensitive to them!" he mused, though Swift looked much more serious. More on guard. "I'm glad we could catch one forming from the beginning. You know how most of my Pokémon are really big? This is where I catch them from. This is Ninjask territory, too -- I'd love to find a giant one of those here!" The Gym Leader seemed way too excited around the dangerous spacetime storm that was brewing around them.

The storm expanded around them, blue and purple, bolt-like arcs forming around Josh and Swift. Building up from them was the spitting image of the Champion and his Raikou. The last time he had encountered this twisted image of himself, he needed his Sygna Suit to keep up with the Raikou's speed... and he had needed Andrea Vaneau 's help, too. This time, he had his own Raikou.

With a bolt-shaped sword in his hand, the doppelganger readied himself to ram and trample Josh and his mockery of the Beast. "Yuina..." Josh trailed off. unsure how to explain his wild story to the girl while simultaneously keeping her out of danger.