While it wasn't as effective as a gas mask, the racer's helmet and visor shielded the Champion from much of the toxic air left in the wake of the chained Frosmoth's BLIZZARD. In a desperate effort to protect him from the attack, Alphamax lurched backward and bucked his rider off. The localized wintry blast froze the Garchomp in a purple ice cube. "So much for this being uneventful," he sighed, grabbing a Poké Ball from his belt.

The mounted specialist tossed the capsule directly beneath him, knowing where the on-fours Typhlosion would appear so that she could lift him onto his seat merely by her appearance. "FLAME WHEEL, Flint!" the rider ordered, the fire-type picking up great speed as the duo barreled toward the toxic-chained insect in a dramatic leap.

Already distressed over the loss of Aslan, Josh's eyes turned red at the second bit of awful news. "I know, Ghost," he loudly mumbled as he shook both his fists in frustration while the rest of his pride. At the mention of swordplay, Josh tilted his head back toward Elise. "I didn't know you had sword skills! Finnegan Yang taught me a while ago, but I'm really rusty. Want to spar this winter? Might be a good way to keep our skills sharp while it's cold. And this place was supposed to have warm weather year-round... stupid Kyurem..." The summers were unbearably hot compared to Johto, but the winter weather was a lot nicer than back there, when Goldenrod was covered in snow.

"Thanks for the condolences; they help out a lot," he continued, walking toward the two Shiny lions and embracing them one at a time. His entire pride surrounded him and purred in sync, shaking the air around him much like the wake of a clock tower's giant bell. "My theory is that they're trying to use her for either ransom or a prisoner exchange."

"That's one of my concerns, too," Josh sighed, finding himself adjusting his posture after slumping in his chair some. He tilted his head toward the princess before continuing. "We rely on them to be able to Dynamax our Pokémon. If one of us loses that capability, they won't be able to defend against the other. There has to be a reason why Calyrex chose you. I would be wary of accepting any blessings, though. Remiel, maybe you'd be able to shed some light on this... but I've seen too many Patrons dominate their Avatars. Melody Miro has been trying to convince me otherwise, but as my understanding is now, were Swift or another Raikou to offer his blessing to me... I'd have to decline." It was ironic. Josh, before his rebirth, wanted to be an Avatar. After his rebirth, he no longer wanted to be one. Why?

He liked Swift the way he was and didn't want him to change.

Remiel Calcifet 's thoughts were ones Josh had considered. He had many restless nights where he pondered the Beast's true nature. "There are too many variables out there right now to know for certain. I've thought about that myself, that Swift might just think exactly how I do. It might be why we work so well together. It could also be possible that I just click with what he used to be." He took in what the Calcifets were saying to one another, as well; even being able to deliver messages, weapons, and medicine at the speed of lightning, there was only so much he could do.

The League could only overcome their predicament by working together.

Josh would get better. He may have lacked strength in his arm, but he had the willpower to recover that strength. The desire to be able to saddle up again and go faster than anyone else in Hoenn. The Ranger's words helped a lot. At his lowest points, sometimes all the Champion needed was a pep talk. "If that's a Gym Challenge, I look forward to it. And I'm confident you'll do well this time," he smiled for perhaps the first time all afternoon.

The future was uncertain. He had crossed "befriending Raikou" off his bucket list. Soon, he would cross off "steering Raikou at full speed" off that list. What would be the next item? Only time would tell.

Josh returned the fist with a bump from the one attached to his good arm. "The next time you see me, I may be delivering messages and medicine by lightning strike," he bragged. "If your schedule's too tight to make any of the appointments in the near future, let me know. I may be able to finagle something."

With Poppy firmly in Etali's beak, the electric Pokémon began to soar high above the large, grassy arena. "Dive, Etali! AGILITY! Slam it into the ground!" Josh ordered, feeling that he was setting up the match's final blow.

Instead, the burning light from the Hatterene's DAZZLING GLEAM would see them both falling through the air. The speed of the Kilowattrel's dive, accelerated by tucked wings, resulted in him slamming into the ground beak first. Try as he might, Etali could not dislodge himself from the crater he had created. All the judges were waiting on was how the challenger's Pokémon handled the fall...!

As fast as Raiden was, Llamrei was simply speedier. With Josh unable to ride mid-Quick Attack with his arm in its current condition, his co-worker would be the first to arrive. "Your Spectrier is so fast," the Gym Leader exhaled, breathing heavily from his arm being put under a lot of pressure. He slid down from the Zebstrika, leaning against him and recovering his strength. Though the ride was slow by his standards, Josh wasn't capable of much faster in his weakened state.

Once the duo had arrived on the second floor, Josh brought out both Raikiri and Zaborg, the Zeraora duo's fur standing on end from the static in the air. "It's... much worse than I thought," he sighed, seeing the electricity readings being well over double capacity. "One of us is going to have to monitor the reading so that we don't overstress the generator in getting it stable again, and the other will have to go down to the generator itself to get the voltage down with our Pokémon. What are you more comfortable with?" he asked Elise, his eyes going back and forth between her and the red numbers on the display. The sound of electrical discharges beneath her, as well as an alarm on her current level, may have hastened her decision-making process...

"Her brother?" Josh asked. "Oh, you must mean the Pokémon that's with Greyson Connors . Honestly, the last year's been such a blur. Between Galar, the Champion Assessment, and now, getting to live my dream... once my arm's at full capacity. And when that day comes, I'll make good on my claim as Hoenn's Master of Faster."

The duo would give new meaning to the phrase "ride the lightning".

He listened to Navy 's origin story, resuming eye contact when he mentioned Zacian wasn't a god. "Neither is Swift," Josh nodded back. "After seeing kyle lopez at The Border, and as a result, learning that he's gone gone, I've come to grips with it. He's not a Pokémon. He's a memory of a Pokémon. But that doesn't matter. He's still as precious to me as the real thing would be. And he fights just like the real thing." To Josh, the monochrome tiger was as real as Isaac Merlo 's Suicune, kyle lopez 's Entei, and any other god he admired. Only this one was in perfect sync with Josh's subconscious. Every day he fought alongside the Raikou, he learned to control his inner self just a bit better.

And once both were in harmony, he would be able to go toe to toe with one of Rocket's Avatars. On equal footing.

"Valkyrie?" Josh asked. "She wouldn't be a Spectrier, would she? You should meet Eriette sometime," he referred to his own. Before he could get any farther, their server came back to check on them, offering them cake and ice cream for dessert. "Not tonight," the Gym Leader politely declined. "Just one more lemonade refill and the check, please."

Should the League lose the war, the many would be enslaved for the benefit of the few. That was not acceptable to Mauville's hero, the Knight of Thunder. The blood that Hitoshi Inoue had shed was equally unacceptable. While he could condemn a single soul to death, or even a few of them at a time, in his mind, not even the League's cause was worth laying waste to dozens or hundreds of people and Pokémon. He went through that in Dewford once, having taken many lives in the aftermath of Xenon Antheil 's operation at the core of the resurfaced island.

Never again.

"Counter-current, Bladestorm! MAX AIRSTREAM!" Josh shouted as the G-MAX WIND RAGE roared terrifyingly close to the Checkered Flag, a restaurant that was near and dear to him. The two metal birds' windstorms merged into an updraft that swept Josh high into the air. Unable to reach for his DYNAMAX BAND to deactivate it, allowing his Skarmory to come to his rescue, he had only one option, and it wasn't a great one.

Drawing the Sign once more, a weakened monochrome Raikou materialized on a nearby roof before leaping skyward in an effort to intercept Josh. As he tumbled, Hitoshi might hear a clink against his Gigantamaxed Pokémon's metallic body... and might notice a small, metallic object headed toward his face. Were he to examine it, he would find it to be the Hoenn League's QUICK BADGE. And not just any badge.

This was the master badge, the one personally belonging to the Gym Leader. Until Josh realized it was missing and could report it to the League, Hitoshi Inoue could initiate a nasty cyber attack on Mauville Gym if he wanted to...

The noble Arcanine's flames rushed toward both its smaller brethern at speeds Josh thought was impossible. "EXTREME SPEED, Craggro!" the Gym Leader cried, bracing himself against the rock-type's fur. With whiplash-inducing speed that mildly agitated his left arm, he managed to avoid most of the golden inferno, with Craggro only being grazed by the flames.

"But what is it?!" Josh shouted over the carnage. "It's clearly an Arcanine, but I've never seen one like this!" The golden giant started to give chase, Josh avoiding the noble foe's charges with predominantly sharp right turns. Eventually, though, the yellow dog would catch on, ramming toward the racing duo with primal RAGING FURY.

"Ah, looking for a quick lesson?" Josh asked the detective and the child he could only presume was his son. "We routinely offer classes for riders of all skill levels, from beginner to expert. If you find yourself interested, feel free to register when the next one opens up. But I can certainly go over the basics with you."

The two felines would crouch to let Kyle and the boy hop on if they so wanted, Kovu giving preference toward the younger one.

Depending on how young he was, he may have had trouble reaching the Illumina Pyroar's reins. The Gym Leader himself took to the back of Saber, his Manectric, who howled in excitement. "How much experience do the two of you have being on a Pokémon's back? That'll help me figure out where to start." The course they had been racing was a thrilling one, too, containing two jumps that could leave the child's heart pounding in excitement...!

Ana and her Espeon were traveling Hoenn's longest straight road: the west side of the main thoroughfare between Verdanturf and Rustboro. Its lack of a speed limit made it a popular destination for regulars at Mauville Gym. As vast as the Racing Grounds were, this road went on for miles in one direction. It was perfect for trainers that had a need for speed... even the Gym Leader himself.

The artist and her Espeon might feel the whoosh of wind pass by them as a purple blur passed by them using QUICK ATTACK. Once the Pokémon's enhanced speed had worn off, its was more easily recognizable... and perhaps baffling.

Was that an Espeon the size of a small horse? And was that a black-haired man riding it?!

With the weather beginning to cool down, Mauville Gym had become busier, attracting "fair weather" trainers that stayed indoors during Hoenn's warmest months. The appointment list had started to fill again. With Josh not having replaced Elise Calcifet yet, workloads were high. It was still unreal seeing her on the Racing Grounds' list of terminated employees.

If it were to remain this busy, he would have to consider offering extra hours... which he didn't want to do. As nice as it was to be on the receiving end of overtime, being on the paying end was not.

The footsteps Eddie heard were the sound of Josh's receptionist, SHELLY SPIEL, approaching him. "Eduardo Hisakawa ?" she asked, trying to get his attention. "The Leader will see you now. Follow the signs to the Main Sector, in the center of the Gym." Provided he was able to navigate the vast grounds, he would see Josh Devlin astride his ashen legendary Pokémon. Taking his racing helmet off, the Master of Faster revealed a head drenched in sweat.

"Hi there, Eddie!" Josh waved, the monochrome Beast and a nearby Type: Null looking noble but stern in the soldier's presence. "What brings you out here? I just got done with my first rehab session with Swift here. A gallop like his really pushes my arm to the limit." No wonder he was so sweaty; anyone would be after traveling at the speed of lightning!

Well, this sure was different.

The last time Josh found himself astride a Cyclizar in the RKS simulation, it was in a world before true civilization existed. This time, it was in a world seemingly millennia into the future. "Is this Mute City?" he jeered aloud, watching hovercars fly above him. As he watched the road for a highway entrance, he noticed a familiar face on another Cyclizar. "Oh hey, Xuying!" he greeted the traveling trainer. "Didn't expect to run into you here!"

Noticing the jet seat on his acquaintance's Pokémon, Josh peeked behind him, seeing his own was outfitted with one, as well. "Hold on tight! Floor it, buddy!" he called out, bracing himself for what he felt would be explosive acceleration. Inflating his air sacs, the dragon-type let his body fall onto them, the ride on the futuristic road buttery smooth. After the Pokémon turned onto a highway, a surge of dragonfire came out of the seat's exhaust, propelling Josh and his mount to racing speeds.