The RAINBOW FEATHER on Josh's vest barely glowed. Swift was hurt... as much as an ashen construct could be. Many of his most prominent fighters were tapped, in the hands of John Sullivan and the League's prominent healers and doctors. War did not wait, and neither did the demand for Z-Crystals, Dynamax Bands, and the like.

The Champion would be forced to tap into his third string if he wanted to remain reliable on the warfront. He had to be, particularly if he wanted to prove to Navy and dahlia goode that he was worthy of the open Elite Four seat post-war. When his third string consisted of Alphamax, the Garchomp Josh was astride, it was a testament to just how strong he was... even if he was modest about said strength.

The Garchomp was one rough ride on land, particularly while he was also towing a small shipping crate that would be filled with Potions and Berries once he returned from Rustboro. "Ugh, all the runways are too close to Petalburg," Josh grumbled, awkwardly holding onto Alphamax's fin. "There's no good place for you to take off."

The Infinity Energy flow between Josh and Raikiri was overwhelming. With all but his final rehab session complete, the Champion was nearly at full strength a full five months after a nearly career-ending injury plagued him and kept him from serving Hoenn in the ways he wanted to. His race with Genevieve Cromwell was a good sign that the next set of sessions would be his last. There was only one thing to do that day, and that was push his arm to its limit. One no other Pokémon on his team could reach. In the future, he would solve the puzzle that kept Swift from using the Extreme Speed he was able to under kyle lopez . His body would hate him for it, but it was in his eyes necessary to be able to make deliveries anywhere in Hoenn within minutes.

"Let's go, Raikiri! We gotta get back to Rustboro to load the next shipment!" Josh spurred his quadrupedal Zeraora onward, his ARC SUIT making him look like the spitting image of the Pokémon he was seated on. "Faster!" Being able to safely give the command, despite the wave of Infinity Energy syncing the two with one another, felt liberating. Zaborg roared alongside Raikou, the Raging Bolt that the Shiny Zeraora sat astride. The electric-types looked like yellow and white comets as they whizzed around Route 104.

Petalburg had fallen, and with it, her Captain. Behind enemy lines somewhere, Shalin Nariya was far too valuable to ignore. If she were still out and about, perhaps the important port city would not have fallen. It was one of the worst case scenarios possible. Rocket now had a foothold on the mainland, and they were hungry for more. A two-pronged attack on Rustboro and Oldale seemed inevitable.

If they got to Mauville City, it was all over. The metropolis was too centralized, and with both it and Petalburg, they could supply-starve Verdanturf and the entire southwest corner of Hoenn's mainland. Though Josh could deliver supplies by lightning strike, courtesy of Swift the Raikou, he was only one person. Supply lines required the coordination of dozens of people, and a single interruption could jeopardize entire shipments the front lines relied upon.

It was part of why Josh and PETRA MONROE were supporting Rustboro preemptively.

"Gym Leader and Champion Devlin, but please, call me Josh," the Knight of Thunder introduced himself. "PETRA MONROE, is it? I don't think we've met before. Navy , Eduardo Hisakawa , and the others are depending on us," he listed those depending on having a supply of Hyper Potions, Revives, and other valuable medicine. Even medical supplies for humans were important: bandages, tourniquets, and the like needed to be readily available to get injured trainers back to fighting condition.

Behind Josh, a Type: Null served as rear guard for Saber, the Manectric that Josh sat astride. Next to him were Braver and Craggro, two hulking Arcanine responsible for pulling a wagon filled to the brim. Tucked away on his belt was Eriette's Poké Ball, and the RAINBOW FEATHER was pinned to his vest. He hoped not to have to deploy the Raikou today, particularly on the cloudless day where he couldn't simply hide in the sky...

Even more so. Were Josh to be promoted, Mauville wouldn't be his only purview. He would be responsible for saving lives throughout all of Hoenn. From Littleroot to Lilycove, Fallarbor to Pacifidlog, Ever Grande and beyond, it would all rest on his shoulders. "Matias I get because he let his Patron control him. I think he's a bit of an extremist, even if he's got Hoenn's best interests in mind as a whole. Greyson, like I said, I think was just a bit overly harsh on me. I haven't spent a ton of time with him outside the workplace. Maybe I'll invite him here one night if he likes Alto Maren." Perhaps there was just a misunderstanding between the two. They one day might see eye to eye.

"Penny, though... she doesn't make sense to me... and she's becoming increasingly hard to trust. I met with her to get her help with developing Swift's powers. He and Chi-Yu had quite the battle." Perhaps that was the smoking gun in the room. That the ruinous Pokémon had rekindled emotions Josh had though he long since discarded into the Great One's funeral pyre. "And I'm not leaving Mauville behind. I'll still keep Mauville Racing Grounds as a battle and racing facility. It just wouldn't be officially League affiliated anymore, were dahlia goode to select me."

At last, Josh's main course came: a big bowl full of large, round, cheese-filled noodles, drenched in white, creamy sauce. He stabbed it with his fork, letting it swirl around his mouth. "Decadent," he remarked. "They give you enough here for two, even three meals."

As he took a break to let some of his food settle, Josh asked the question that had been on his mind since going to Dewford with Keldeo. "How did you and Zacian get to be friends with one another, anyway? Cause I'd seen them before that. In the RKS Simulation."

There was little doubt in Josh's mind that the methods to the League's madness would remain hush-hush. His mind would be blown, and his emotions fuming both ways, that it was just a ruse to rally their forces against Rocket. "No, I agree with you, Elise," Josh nodded, leaning forward on the plush Raikou, imagining himself picking up the pace. "I think neither one of them truly have Hoenn's best interests in mind. I do think that the League is the lesser of the two evils, which is why I'm so supportive of them."

When Elise wandered toward the plush, Josh laughed, hanging up the felt reins in their proper position. "I know it looks real, but it's just a giant plush toy, heh," he replied, dismounting from the nearly life-sized stuffie that had to have cost a small fortune. As his feet touched the office floor, the RAINBOW FEATHER's light may have reflected in Elise's face, the iridescent artifact glowing with all the colors of the rainbow. "Let's head outside."

Josh would lead Elise to the bottom level, warning other trainers and Pokémon to give the Gym Leader and princess space. Drawing the Sign's four strokes with his feather, the Knight of Thunder called upon his most sacred companion whose false emotions were a reflection of his innermost psyche.

With a tap to the Beast's crown, Swift crouched, beckoning Josh and Elise to sit upon his black thundercloud. Josh did so first, likewise inviting his friend and fellow Ranger to do the same. "Now I can't go very fast with him, so if you're expecting to ride at the speed of lightning, my body can't handle it yet." Even so, the electric Pokémon was still very fast. "Swift is... neither a god nor a shard legendary Pokémon," he answered while Elise was getting situated on the Beast if she chose to do so. "What he is... is kinda complicated."

Josh couldn't have been happier to hear Elise Calcifet 's voice, seeing Jasmine frolicking about and hearing Audrey's gears turn. Truly a team of princes and princesses, the Galarian possessed. "Thanks for dropping by," the Leader replied in a somber tone. "This has been... really hard for me since Sootopolis. Were it not for running into Entei and getting a ride back to the Gym after Sootopolis, I might not be able to effectively lead anymore. It hurts to think about." More of Josh's Pokémon arrived; even Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, the three paradoxes, were there to pay their solemn respects.

Rani gave Jasmine a gentle pat, keeping the much smaller feline's size in mind as much as possible. "We're down a member, as I'm sure you heard. And Aslan wasn't the only Pokémon that got taken from me that day, either. Resheph, my Dragonair, is dead as well. That snow cat from the Border is in Rocket's hands now. And that's how she got done in." There was a day where Josh wanted to capture the Chien-Pao from the Border and raise it to be a feline steed that he could use to chase Raikou down. After seeing how jayden cross acted under the big cat's influence, he was glad he didn't give it a serious effort.

It was yet another reason he was skeptical of even the League's Avatars. Was their relationship truly symbiotic, or was it dominating?

"While I wouldn't wish any of what happened to Shalin Nariya on anyone, I'm glad you ended up transferring to Rustboro. Had you been stationed in Petalburg, that could have been you," the Leader continued as he procured two clumps of ROWAP BERRIES for the new king and queen of his pride. "Kovu, Nala, it's time." He whistled for the two and directed them toward the royal feast before them. Taking a bite out of them, the lion and lioness began to glow a brilliant gold for several seconds. Once the light faded, their fur reflected that new color, Kovu the spitting image of the late Aslan.

With how close Josh rode his Luxray, he couldn't help but overhear Airi's introspection. "If you put your mind to it, you will," the Champion encouraged her. "I'll put it this way, though... collecting all the Badges you need will be the easy part. Hoenn's Elite Four are among the most talented trainers on the planet. There's a reason all the top finishers in the Vital City Tournament all came from this region." A tournament he was on the podium of: yet another validation of his Champion Assessment being legitimate.

It was clear that Airi had questions about Mauville City Gym. "For both challenges, really. I'll put it into perspective for you: in the racing challenges, you'll likely be riding on a Pokémon that's much faster than legal highway driving speed," he answered with a slowly-developing grin. "There are certainly no shortage of Gyms, and each one tests you in a different way. While type-based Gyms tend to be easier to overcome, a simple team of psychic-type Pokémon will not defeat noah faber , for instance."

Josh's smile turned into a frown when he heard Airi remark about the bond he had with his Raikou. "Swift is... not a real Pokémon," he admitted, having come to grips with the reality that his legendary partner was not truly alive. "He's... a reflection of me, deep down within me. It's why we seem like we're in perfect sync. Even Swift winced, reflecting the pain of Josh's admission. "But he's still precious to me. He's Raikou as I've imagined him to be."

And soon, how the Master of Faster wanted him to be.

All of a sudden, a golden coin ricocheted off Swift's black crown, his grey eyes staring at the Meowth assailant. The Beast purred rumbles of thunder, perhaps even Airi able to feel them. Having realized her mistake, the speedy feline began to flee... but nowhere close to fast enough to avoid the Raikou's QUICK ATTACK. The helpless Meowth screeched, the tiger pinning the normal-type down on her tail; he behaved much like a cat playing with its mouse prey in a similar fashion. Just as the wild began to desperately squirm, Josh rolled a yellow Ultra Ball toward her. "She's quite a bit bigger than your average Meowth," he noted aloud. "I wonder if she'll be big enough as a Persian?"

That "three" was not a good sign. He needed more information to help determine whether they could even be realistically found. "Three hours? Three days? What do you mean?" Josh asked the child before turning toward Nicholas and whispering in his ear. "If it's been three days, rather than three hours, they've got to be behind enemy lines by now. It might be too dangerous to save them. Being a Champion, I'm a high profile target for Rocket, like I've said. They wouldn't turn down such a chance."

Turning back toward the children, Josh asked them, "Where was the last place you saw your parents?" Perhaps he wouldn't get an answer due to the emotional turmoil they were in. He wanted to save everyone. To get the children reunited with their parents and back to the safety of Oldale Town.

Seeing what kind of condition they were in, Josh knew he had to get them back to town to get medical attention. "Do you think you're well enough to ride on one of my Pyroar?" the Elite asked the boy. "We can get you to the safety of Oldale Town. They've got a regional hospital you can get checked at. You'll be feeling better before you know it." The biggest concern about using his Pyroar was their flexing backs making them difficult to remain balanced on. He had a solution to that, but Suicune was a terrifying solution. While the paradox Pokémon's gait was more calm, that didn't make the dragon-type any less terrifying.

Josh's expression quickly turned sour at the notion that Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, in their new forms, were not meant to even exist. That there were so many of them was a bit jarring; just from what he had seen, he knew about Shred 's trio, zachary stellar 's Broly, and countless others that came into possession of the Beasts in their strange visages. Even Navy was confident that these new forms were ancestors of the Beasts that Josh adored.

There were several rare electric cats on Josh's property, and every single one of them was precious to him. And he loved them all. "Even if they aren't meant to be here, they are now," Josh huffed, his passion for the big tiger spilling over. Even if one was a dinosaur-tiger.

Recalling the awful events of the Megalopolan prison, Josh shared more of his story with Lydia. "I was in the Weak ward. That ogre dog was my warden, and he's part of the reason I'm...unable to take on challengers as I once could." While not swollen to the point of grotesqueness, his left arm was still significantly larger than his right, and it was still painful to put pressure on. Sitting in the saddle of any Pokémon other than a psychic-type was ill-advised. While he did have a few, they were few and far between... and Tyrfing the Iron Boulder was far too fast for Josh to control in his weakened state. "I could have sworn he popped my kneecap open with how hard he swung his Toxic Chain. And that ogress, too. That Pokémon stoking Nihilego into a frenzy is how my arm got messed up in the first place."

Once the two had reached the building's main entrance, Josh closed the double doors behind him and began to draw the Sign's four strokes. Electrified ash hung in the air, the static burst blowing out a nearby window as the ashen Swift materialized. His monochrome gaze was just as menacing as a that of real legendary Pokémon.

"Oops..." Josh trailed off in embarrassment.

While the ramp had retracted some, just like on the overland course, it was less impactful than it was for those Pokémon, by virtue of being able to fly. This made getting the angle of attack even more important than before... and also made remaining aerodynamic paramount. The Champion leaned as low as his cocoon would allow before digging his heels into the fairy-type's sides -- an order for the Togekiss to go all out. "We'll catch them yet! EXTREME SPEED!"

Though Mastema wasn't too happy about Josh's means of it, the haughty yet loyal flying-type complied. A cone of wind enveloped the two, their peripheral vision blurring heavily as they looked like a white comet on a collision course with the lower surface. Even at tornadic speeds, the Leader kept his cool. As big of a lead as his challenger had, they could not relax. "This... isn't over yet!" he cried loudly through the tremendous pressure squeezing his midsection.

Indeed, the Gym was quite advanced; some courses, such as the AERO DIVE, had elements that could be dynamically modified lap to lap. It kept challengers' awareness, and even that of the Leader and Gym Trainers, quite sharp. While likely intended to be more of a hindrance to the competition than a true increase in speed, Lutgarde Dijkstra 's TOGEKISS goading ARAVAN ESCHER's NOIVERN to FOLLOW ME backfired. The bat-dragon was too smart.

Showing them what a real speed boost looked like, the dragon-type caught lift at the exact angle needed to slowly make up time on the challenger in the wake of a tornadic TAILWIND. With every passing second, that lead grew less comfortable. The wind was so intense that Lutgarde Dijkstra may not have even been able to hear the sound of an AERODACTYL's screech and a BEEDRILL's noisy buzz, the Pokémon piloted by ACE SHEEKE and ERON IUNIS desperately mustering final bursts of AGILITY in an effort to keep up with Josh Devlin 's EXTREME SPEEDING TOGEKISS.

After one last hairpin turn, expertly handled by the entire field, the home stretch was upon the racers. Though Lutgarde Dijkstra held onto the lead, that NOIVERN was proving to be the faster of the two! Would they have enough of a lead for it to hold?

Prompt: The home stretch was all that remained, an official standing near the starting arch and waving the checkered flag. There was little risk of an accident on this straight sprint to the finish! Now was the best opportunity for the five Pokémon to give it everything they had!

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Special: None

Seeing his former apprentice keeping up with the Gym Leader warmed Josh's heart even more. When she had first joined the Gym, she had serious speed tolerance issues. Even after pushing the Spectrier to incredible speeds, she seemed calm, collected, and in complete control. "You're one of the few people I would trust to go full speed on Swift's back," he mused as the ghost-types reached the velocity needed to initiate the dimension-shifting technique. "I did bring him with me if you want to give it a try on the way back," he offered, the scintillating RAINBOW FEATHER's plume flat against his outfit that whipped about in the harsh winds.

"...Three!" he shouted, Etiette loudly neighing. Were Llamrei to follow Josh, the duo would find themselves in an inverted-color world of the one they had previously ridden through. The atmosphere was oppressive and bitterly cold, but not nearly as much as it was the last time they had been here on the Champion's Dragapult. Once the horses were in the ghostly world, all physical limits seemed to disappear from them.

Now that the two were inside the ethereal, Josh could share something he had been meaning to since he discussed it with Navy . "Once the war has ended, I need to be ready to step down from leading Mauville Gym," he revealed with a somber tone, clearly audible with the lack of winds ravaging them in their ghostly environment.

Once Josh was done embracing Kovu, he found himself in the presence of a child. A child that was far too young to own a Pokémon of his own. "Of course, you can, little guy!" the Gym Leader encouraged. "Just be careful around Saber's and Blitz's yellow fur - you might get a shock if you pet them the wrong way!" The Shiny Luxray in particular seemed enthusiastic to play with the child, even sitting down and offering his back to him. Were the child to pet the Illumina Pyroar, he would gently purr in an effort to tickle him.

Once the child seemed entertained, Josh would take one eye off him to greet what he could only presume was his father. "Hi there! Leader and Champion Devlin, but please, call me Josh. What can I help you with?'

"It's just... the way he treated me during the three times we battled up to and including the Champion Assessment," Josh recalled. "I get that he was trying to teach me, but he seemed overly harsh. Like deep down, that he regrets giving me the pass. Almost like... almost like speed isn't a valid strength in Pokémon combat. It was something Melody recognized. Kyle recognized. Hell, even Callan recognized." Were the sheriff astute, he may have been able to pick up on PENELOPE LIVY 's influence over him. Influence that had been lingering since Swift and Chi-Yu had battled. Influence that had been stoked at Sootopolis.

An ENVY that had penetrated to all but Josh's subconscious depths.

"It's like the upper echelons of the League are trying to call the legitimacy of my entire Champion Assessment into question," Josh frowned. "If it was just one person, I could more easily write it off. It's just harder to write off a shared sentiment like this." Self-doubt that Josh thought the Great One, Ho-oh, had incinerated him and purified him of had resurfaced, turning into ENVY at the whims of the Coveted.

That frown turned upside down when Navy said he was looking at Josh as a good candidate to fill the vacant seat. "You flatter me," the electric Knight replied. "But I think, given what's happened since Eris, that it's warranted. I will put in my application for the seat when it reopens." He listened to the arguments for his competition, and nodded in agreement with both. "Genevieve Cromwell has signed up for a rematch at Mauville Gym, too. I'll get to evaluate them there. I think she would make a better Head Ranger than Elite Four, though. Her skills, for what I've seen of them, are better apt to the field than pure combat."

Josh had given his successor some thought. Mauville Racing Grounds would stay as they were if he were to pass the torch down. They just would lose their official status as Gym, as well as the League stipend that came with them. By now, they were profitable even without League funding. He might have to take a pay cut, but he was sure the raise by being promoted would more than make up for it. "What about zachary stellar ?" he asked the Warrior. "He's got a good head on his shoulders, and he's talked to me about being a Gym Leader ever since we met. I've worked with him a lot, both on the Gym side and on the Ranger side. Have you worked with him much?"