"Oh, I'm sorry," Josh apologized. With how much space there was and the two cabins in the back, it sure seemed like they had an entire estate at their fingertips. "Even so, the hospitality is appreciated." He waved Aleph off to spar with the Tyrantrum, brandishing his CRUSH CLAW against the dragon-type. Though he was at a disadvantage and would not likely win, it helped the Type: Null refine his skill, understanding his strengths and weaknesses all the better. "I will," he accepted the woman's offer, certain they would taste fine reheated.

Turning back toward Kee as he heard Hylda's heavy-sounding hoof clacks, Josh filled him in on what happened. "Yes, he was Lilycove's Gym Leader before lam logan took over. He was the one that taught me all the counterplay to Trick Room. Our Gym Battle actually took place in a Trick Room. It was one of the most disorienting things I've ever experienced." He remembered the battle well; it was like having his own team's strengths turned against themselves: a Slowbro that moved at lightning speed while his own Pokémon charged at a crawl through the distorted space.

Josh didn't know that Thomas in the past was a Gym Leader, too. "That's what I went after when I was a Gym grinder," he related his own story of ascension to greatness as he watched Torrent dash around the underground biome with great speed. He had learned from riding Eriette that Spectrier were incredibly fast, whether running through the material world or the ethereal one. "Are you able to recreate your Gym challenge still? I would love to take it on when I'm feeling a hundred percent. When I did the Gym challenge, I loved taking on as many non-battle challenges as I could. Thankfully, I got grandfathered in before the awful, awful changes to the Gym program happened. The last one's really hurt my business."

Josh, too, could relate to a demon of his that he had already overcome. That had been shed when he went to Kyle's chamber and let the Great One purify him from the inside out. "I can feel that. The Eris incident made my life for the worse, and I've only put it behind me recently." As he watched Torrent get up to speed, Josh brought up his own Spectrier. "Eriette, my Pokémon of their kind, isn't here. I wanted to work with these six instead. Perhaps when we meet again, we can arrange to have Eriette and Torrent work with one another."

The Gym Leader took his position next to Torrent, his paradoxical mount's ruby-red eyes rolling toward the ghost-type. "I... think I'm ready. There's certainly enough room for Raikou to get up to speed." Once Thomas gave the signal, Josh jabbed with his knees into the Raging Bolt's sides, electric dragon and trainer picking up speed almost as fast as his Johtonian counterpart.

The contact between the tough Salamence and the ultrafast Raikou was violent and brutal, even Josh able to feel the impact's power from his distance. Mighty as the ashen Beast was, even it had its limits, the Gym Leader quick to recognize them. He needed to end this now, whether in a victory or in a draw.

"Swift, ELECTRO BALL!" the Knight of Thunder ordered, his Raikou's built speed raising that of his web of shocking energy spheres. Though they lacked the size and weight of the Draco Meteor swarm, their sheer upward velocity more than made up for it. The attack was aimed not at Roc Royal directly, but the falling earth above him. Each one was pounded by a wave of electric attacks moving so fast that they looked like topaz comets flying through Roc Royal's desperation move. With each collision, a meteor would fragment into many smaller meteorites. Instead of being crushed beneath a giant hunk of earth, merely large pieces would batter the Raikou, robbing him of his speed.

Josh was ready to call the battle at any moment, his RAINBOW FEATHER in hand...

If Josh had strength in him, he would reach toward Beckett and pat him on the shoulder. "I've learned that experience is the best teacher," the injured Gym Leader replied. "There's only so much studying can teach you. At some point, you have to learn by doing. By trying and failing. And it's that process that builds your understanding of a topic, and by proxy, your confidence in it." It was a process almost every Gym Leader went through. The Gym Leaders worked with each other to strengthen one another... and for the ones that personal connections with the higher-ups, those people, too. Navy was a big part of how Josh became a Champion and one of Hoenn's most prominent Gym Leaders.

"That they are," Josh confirmed, muting the television. "Most of the ones I like are older than I am. Platformers, puzzles, racing games, role-playing games... That's what I consumed over books. Especially role-playing games." He didn't see the point of simply reading a story when he could play a video game with a good story that he could also interact with. It was, to him, the best of both worlds. Plus, he loved character advancement systems that encouraged experimentation.

Josh slid down from Eriette's saddle, nuzzling the Spectrier affectionately before facing the elder Torals. "Great to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Toral. I'm actually not the captain of Mauville. I'm annalise henderson 's second-in-command," he corrected. "But I do take on her duties when she's unable to. I will take you up on your offer; this is quite the impressive ranch. Other than the Gym, Mauville really doesn't have large properties like this. It's what happens when geography forces you to build up instead of out." Perhaps one day, Mauville City would get a fourth level and beyond, at least toward the city center.

Heading back to the grounds, Josh let his Glastrier and Type: Null run loose too, the latter looking to spar with the Tyrantrum. For the moment, he kept Swift contained within the RAINBOW FEATHER. He didn't want to scare them, though by now many in Hoenn probably knew that the feather was indeed the Raikou's vessel.

With his three Pokémon running around, Josh joined the Torals for some pulled-pork sandwiches lathered in barbecue sauce. "Your cooking's wonderful," he complimented. "I didn't think anything would beat the Checkered Flag's pulled pork sandwiches, but these do." He turned back toward Keenan. "The one who gave me the most trouble was, by far, Callan Young . If he didn't step down, I don't think I ever could have defeated him."

The rhyme was part of his title's charm, and only made him easier to be well-known in the region. "The downpour, according to the legend as I know it, is connected to a different Pokémon that descended upon Ecruteak that day. Once the rain stopped, the Great One shined a rainbow deep into the Brass Tower's now-exposed basement, bringing life to three Pokémon that had perished in the tower. Those Pokémon became the three I revere over any other: the Great One's children. Their names are Suicune, Entei, and Raikou." At the name being mentioned, the RAINBOW FEATHER's glow became slightly more intense, Morrighan perhaps able to notice a few sparks descending from it.

When he was done gushing about his three favorite Pokémon, Josh returned to the story about Lugia. "After that, according to the legend as I know it, Lugia fled Ecruteak, never to return. It's been speculated that her nesting grounds were deep within an island chain between Olivine and Cianwood, but no one knows. Unfortunately, since then, she's fallen from grace. She is now under command of internationally-wanted terrorist Cillian Quinn ... and her power has only grown after joining him. The two are... almost invincible."

Almost invincible. Swift had no hope of defeating Cil and Lugia in his current state. One day, when Swift reached the peak of his power as he did under kyle lopez, that hope would exist. And it would be a lightning bolt the League would remember and cherish.

"Great to meet you, Nick!" Josh finished his greeting, frowning at the mention of Rocket. "As Rangers, run-ins with them are unavoidable. There's a lot of overlap between what we do and what Law Enforcement does. Sometimes they employ me for highway chasedowns if I'm in the area." The day he got to use Swift for one would be glorious... but that would not be for a bit longer. His rehab sessions now were almost exclusively with his Arcanine, Zeraora, Raikou, and his very fastest flying Pokémon: the ones that put the most stress on his body. His left arm was sore after each one, but without pain, there was no gain, as the adage went. "And thanks -- my pride means a lot to me. There are seven more of them back at Mauville Racing Grounds."

The Braviary reminded Josh of Slider, his own that perished in the war. Nicholas might be able to tell the flying-type's presence dredged up some memory from how long it took him to respond. "Oh, yes - that would be helpful! I don't have a flying Pokémon of my own." With the cloudless sky above them, Swift was not flying any time soon. Furthermore, his arm was not ready to withstand the descent, even if there was a cloud to jump into.

It didn't look like Nikola would back down, their two steps forward implying they still had plenty of fight and willpower in them. They even demanded his name. And his name they would get as he began to draw the Sign with the RAINBOW FEATHER's quill.

"Josh Devlin..."

Penning the Sign's first two strokes, the trail of ash the Feather left sparked white and yellow, as though it were being held in the air by static alone. Static that NIKOLA SAMSA may have been able to feel.

"Mauville Gym Leader, Master of Faster, and..."

Crossing over the top of the Sign with an extra long stroke, Josh finished drawing the Sign. A deafening, thunderous crash accompanied a bright flash of lightning, the silhouette of the tiger-Beast forming the only shelter from its brilliance. The light faded to reveal a snarling, monochrome Beast whose thundercloud was laced with high voltage.

"the Knight of Thunder."

Before Josh could apologize, Yuina had already recalibrated her device. "What are you searching for? Sounds like Infinity Energy reading if Kovu and Nala set them off," he speculated, hoping the two new leaders of his pride didn't inconvenience her too much. "The king and queen of my pride get to absorb the power of a Crystalbloom as part of their coronation. Aslan didn't make it back from Sootopolis. He... drowned." What a horrible way for a fire-type to go.

Yuina would later answer his question. "So it is Infinity Energy related," the Gym Leader replied, Kovu and Nala walking toward Yuina's piece of technology with curiosity. "I ended up finding out the hard way that my suit could no longer sync with Nala after her coronation. It seems that like with Mega Evolution, Crystalbloom technology and Sygna technology reject one another."

The two would be looking for Illumina Pokémon, it seemed. Fascinating. With every answer seemed to come two more questions; such was the scientific method. "Have you noticed an increase in Crystalblooms appearing in the wild?" he asked. "Illumina Pokémon don't really appear in the wild much. If they've started showing up, they must be growing on their own again."

The challenger was a talented one indeed, racing the Leader with a Zeraora. So many of them had turned up in the hands of trainers after the big tournament in Lilycove that challengers had thought they could get an advantage by using a rare Pokémon. What a rude awakening they would get, and what a crowd-pleasing show it would be. Josh had acquired so many rare and fast Pokémon that he could fill an entire racing challenge with them, no longer needing Braver to TELEPORT them to a ghostly course above Mount Pyre.

Josh's challenger had bit off more than he could chew; in the final lap of the race, her body shut down from being unable to withstand the intense aura of Infinity Energy and the sheer speed a QUICK ATTACKING Zeraora could muster. She didn't even make the podium, finishing a distant fourth behind Raikiri, Entei, and Tyrfing, a Gouging Fire and Iron Boulder. After the awards ceremony was over, he approached the young female.

"You've got good fundamentals, but I think a Zeraora is too advanced for you to handle. I know they're incredibly fast and powerful, but you need to recognize your own personal limits, too. I would give careful consideration to your team within the next 45 days, find the one that you can work with best within your limits, and only issue a challenge when you have become used to your new Pokémon. Remember, the bond between trainer and Pokémon is two-way. You can't rely on just your Pokémon's strength; your own is important. If you don't want to directly practice, exercises that stress your midsection can help with the endurance you'll need. I look forward to your next challenge!"

With the award ceremony over, the bleachers began to clear out, the last challenge before lunch having been completed. The Gym Leader slid off the back of his Zeraora, the paradox Pokémon scattering to the corners of the grounds. In their place galloped a Manectric, Luxray, and Illumina Pyroar male, Josh giving each of them, including the on-fours thundercat, a great big hug.

Lisette's curiosity was not uncommon among even Gym visitors familiar with Josh. His Pokémon were simply quite big for their kind. "I do! Exhibit A: Nala here," he replied, patting the Illumina female he was mounted on. Sensing Lisette's friendliness, the Pyroar ran her powerful motor, purring enough to perhaps induce a tickling sensation.

As the young lady bravely interacted with the various members of Josh's pride, he smiled at her continued interest in the saddled Pokémon. "They don't call me the Master of Faster for nothing! That's my title as a Gym Leader. They might be the quickest of their kind in the entire region."

While Josh lamented the destruction of Hoenn's east coast, that was indeed not why he was here. "I've been in touch with annalise henderson and Lilycove's Rangers," the Champion answered. "They're putting together teams for the relief effort, and I'm sure you'll be able to get the help you need from them. But you are correct. That isn't why I'm here."

Josh deeply exhaled, his nerves masked by the anger within him. Swift's grey eyes stared toward the Volatile, cloud and crown continuing to glow with electricity. The last time Matias had seen the Raikou, his demeanor was friendly, almost like a house Skitty. This time, the visage of a wrathful lightning god was on the Beast's face.

"Groudon was integral in warding off Team Rocket during the Sootopolis invasion, and I give you credit for that. But I have a question about it. You said your Avatarship with Groudon was severed last we spoke." The bolts flowing outward from Swift gave the illusion of his rider having electric eyes.

"Why did you lie to me?"

The farther the battle veered from Josh's Gym, where safety protocols were engaged, the more lethal the battle became. By now, Verte and the Corviknight were completely outside the metallic fence surrounding his property, the battle continuing above Mauville proper. Hitoshi Inoue 's bloodthirsty Honedge tasted Verte's innards, making a deep cut through his scales as though they weren't there. The HURRICANE splattered the Flygon's fluids through the air around them, perhaps splashing Hitoshi and the Corviknight he flew on.

Unable to maintain his own flight, the dragon-type tilted his wings away from the Gym, crash landing on the roof of a library. The Champion, though shaken up from the impact, stood on his own two feet. Crashing out in a Pokémon race was part of the sport, making him used to impacts of a certain intensity. That experience kept him well enough to defend Mauville City from the SPECTRA agent in the sky. "Beat me up all you want, but you leave my people out of this!" Josh barked, clicking open not one, but two Poké Balls after withdrawing the fallen Flygon.

Twilight the Absol roared loudly, goading and TAUNTING the Corviknight into attacking her. It was all a distraction for the Gym Leader's Zeraora, Raikiri, to build up speed by hopping from roof to roof in a show of extreme AGILITY. If Hitoshi had studied the Mauville Leader before, he might have an idea what was coming next.