As the knife threatened to pierce Josh's chest and burst his heart, its blade crumbled to dust, becoming but a handle in the child's hand. "That is exactly how I view Rocket, Eris. The only ones in Rocket that I an truly angry at are the ones so engrossed in their hideous dogma irredeemable. The Elisabeth Fiorelli s of the world. The jayden cross es. Those who are so entrenched that nothing we do will redeem them. Rocket's rank and file that are only there because they're trapped there, or the League forsake them..."

He was an Elite Ranger for a reason. He had volunteered to work with the League's Amnesty program. Though he may not have been able to exfiltrate Isaac Merlo , there were plenty of others that he felt needed to be freed. Asher Baran was the closest. He felt he could get that petty thief out of Rocket. He was a genuinely nice kid trapped within Rocket's clutches. If there was anyone who could get him out, it was Josh.

"Saving lives is part of being a Ranger. It is why I have remained a Ranger despite being one of Hoenn's Gym Leaders. For Gym Leaders are the lieutenants of Hoenn's army. If our superiors tell us to take a life, we do so. But I do not want unnecessary bloodshed. Being both a high-ranking Ranger and a Gym Leader, I am in a unique position to save lives, both in the wilds and on the battlefield."

Eris' last request resonated with Josh perhaps more than any of her other words he had heard. "That's what I'm afraid of, too," the Master of Faster added. "That my wishes and Swift's don't coincide."

For it was at that moment Josh began to understand Swift's true nature... that he was not a true, living Raikou. Only a memory of the Raikou that perished in the Kanto invasion. Though many of the pieces remained elusive, the puzzle had started to come together. The puzzle that would reveal the Beast's identity when it had been fully assembled.

Unlike Zachary, Josh wasn't able to see through the psychic specialist's faked emotions. Thinking he was genuine, the Gym Leader upped the ante a bit. "I tell you what. When I'm feeling better in the fall, how about I take you across Hoenn's eastern half? The big loop from 118 to 123 and back to Mauville. On Swift's back." Josh reached toward the craning Raging Bolt and gave the paradox Pokémon a gentle scratch behind the ears if allowed. "I bet Hermes would have fun tethering to him and surfing, too."

The Gym Leader felt that Zachary would start begging if his wish wasn't granted, and didn't want to waste any of either of their time. "Just be careful with him, and don't complain if you feel a bunch of static." Were he to give the Beast a pet, he would get feedback: powerful vibrations coursing through him as Swift purred loudly.

In the meantime, the Type: Null demanded attention. He flashed his CRUSH CLAW toward Broly, as to challenge the Raging Bolt to a duel.

As expected, intimidation did not cause the god of envy to flinch. One did not become a god without steadfastness. Swift stared into the Chi-Yu's eyes for several seconds, electricity surging down his legs. Once the bolts discharged through his paws, the Beast picked up tremendous speed, electrical spheres forming on his crown and at the tips of his fangs.

In the meantime, Josh was fighting his own battle with the Councilwoman, this one a battle of words and of wits. She seemed to be calling the legitimacy of Josh's Champion Ranking into question. "I will admit, my Champion Assessment was not the cleanest affair. Every step of the way is a story in and of itself. Where should I even start? The interview portion or the Elite Test?"

For there were problems Josh had suffered through in both. Problems he had overcome to make himself not just a Champion in title, but a Champion in character.

"Though I do want to preface that the purpose of this battle has nothing to do with the Champion Assessment. The purpose of this battle is to help get Swift ready for the war. I may be no Avatar, but I am still Raikou's bearer. And I must bear Raikou to the best of my ability if we are to be victorious in the war."

Mirroring Josh's resolve, Swift pulled a sharp about face, letting the four incredibly fast electrical projectiles fly at the fiery fish.

Even after he was fully healed, Josh was bound to continue pushing his body beyond its perceived limits. When he pushed Swift to Extreme Speeds the first time he had met the Beast while in Kyle's command, his body ached for days afterward. The moment he descended from the cloud like a lightning bolt, absorbing the force of the Beast's violent gallop, his senses were overwhelmed. Overstimulated.

It would take a lot of time training with the Raikou before he could truly fight from the saddle. It was time he doubted he had.

"It's so rough, though. With the war already in swing, I know what I need to do with him. With Swift. I want to work him. But I can't in the way I want to. And with the influx of Spectrier into Hoenn, you know how many people have come to my Gym wanting to race him?" He had the demand for what he always wanted to do: race Raikou. But he was helpless to provide the supply.

But the team of Master of Faster and god of speed would have to wait to blossom into their final form.

"I think I'm ready, though. Think Ayashi can put a little levitation on to soften the landing a bit? I can't fly on a Pokémon yet, per doctor's orders." Admittedly, he might need a bit of help getting out of the Power Spot, too...

Zacian's speed was breathtaking. Was this what others saw when Josh rode his Zeraora? A blur of colors turned into Ascalon at his throat in a split second. It was a sign for Josh his Beast, and Keldeo to hold nothing back. If he could, he would. But the Knight of Thunder was still recovering. Slowly, but surely.

The young man slid down from Saber's back and gave Keldeo a gentle pat on the head. "Great warrior, I promise you, Swift will give it his all. But I am in no condition to fight alongside him directly. I am still weakened from my imprisonment. Your Avatar was there too. He knows what I went through. In spite of that, you still wish for me to fight?"

Keldeo, with a sense of resolve, bowed his head and clinked his horn against Ascalon as to accept the Zacian's challenge. He then rest the flat of the sword upon Josh's good arm. "I want to fight alongside you. But I can't. Swift will. I want to take up my sword. I really do. But if I do now, I'll never be able to fight again. Great warrior, I have come to not only help Keldeo, but observe and better understand how Swift fights. Please understand."

For as much as Josh wanted to push himself to his limits, he had to respect his own health.

And so, he ordered Swift to step forward, the electric Beast building up speed on the battleground he was to engage Zacian upon. For he had a new trick up his sleeve that neither Avatar nor Patron had seen yet. From the tips of his fangs and the bumps on his black crown formed spheres of electricity that zoomed toward Zacian so fast that they only could have come from the Johtonian god himself.

ELECTRO BALL.

Right, weren't Kyle and Noah best buds? Yet not a word about the late Top Champion's last rites. Lars did have a point. "Same. Once I saw Shawn off, I didn't think I was coming back, either. Given he's how I can command Swift, I only owe him to see this through. Let's schedule a trip out to The Border together. We'll get to the bottom of each of our mysteries. And if we don't find Kyle there... we'll have to redouble our search efforts in Hoenn. We have to find him. Hoenn needs him to be able to win this war."

Little did they know that this trip to The Border would be delayed for months on end, for Josh wouldn't be feeling well enough to sit in Swift's thundercloud saddle for an extended period of time. And he wasn't going to be able to ride for a while with the terrible injuries he was to suffer in Ultra Space.

Eris didn't know Kyle? How did Eris possibly not know Kyle? He was Hoenn's Top Champion, one of the region's greatest celebrities and Avatars, and had never heard of the benevolent soul? He felt the pain of Eris' knife against his chest, feeling like it would pierce the skin at any moment. As his pain grew, the paralysis continued to crawl up his body. If Eris didn't take his life with a now-merciful cut, then he would suffer an even worse fate: total paralysis with no quality of life whatsoever.

Even now, speaking became more difficult, the Gym Leader rasping as his voice became raspy, breathing heavily between phrases.

"Then what... must... I do... to earn..."

The rest of the sentence remained within Josh's mind, unable to leave his lips. His eyes widened in fear as the power for him to speak had even been taken away from him. He began to sweat profusely. Eris taking his life would be doing him a service now, reuniting him with Kyle in paradise. Without her, he would suffer a slow and painful death of dehydration, with no way to get help.

His life was entirely in her hands.

As sharp of a lateral curve the last one that flung Josh to the side was, this next one was even sharper, and it was a vertical turn. These were at least equally challenging, if not more so, due to one's blood rushing to the head and the muscle power required to maintain proper posture. Battling the rushing wind would make leaning forward to correct after the turn arguably required more strength from the rider than from the Pokémon. Taking this vertical turn at full speed would almost certainly tear Josh from the saddle.

"Pump the brakes, Mastema!" the Leader ordered, letting his legs relax and hang from his fairy-type mount's sides. Though he couldn't tell, Mastema appreciated the break himself, effortlessly gliding toward the steep slope until he felt a strong upward pull from his reins. Raising his nose in response, the Togekiss caught an updraft and soared above the steep grade within bounds. The more adept Noivern could pass him for all he cared.

For once they crossed that starting line, the real race would begin... and Lutgarde's tolerance for Extreme Speed would be tested in quite the harsh manner if they wanted to win the Badge.

The biggest challenge of an aerial race was its three dimensional nature. Those used to racing only land Pokémon would almost certainly struggle with vertical turns, and this was a harsh one. Pokémon with great stamina had an advantage as they worked against gravity, as did ones with powerful wings that could lift them quickly. ERON IUNIS' BEEDRILL lacked that kind of power. Much of the gallery winced as a loud clicking noise echoed from the giant bee's wings smacking the pavement beneath them repeatedly. Josh Devlin 's TOGEKISS did, as well; though the Leader's mighty upward tug saved them from wiping out completely, the fairy-type's soft underside barely scraped the peak of the curve. The mistake cost them enough speed for ARAVAN ESCHER's NOIVERN to zip past.

With a primal screech, ACE SHEEKE's AERODACTYL zoomed upward with a heroic stroke of its wings, creating an updraft that Lutgarde Dijkstra and their TOGEKISS rode up the steep grade. As taxing ad the white-haired racer's mistake was, his BEEDRILL was quick to get up to speed, the three crossing the starting line at almost the exact same time. If the buzzing noise wasn't deafening before, it almost certainly would be now.

If Josh Devlin had anything to say about it, this lap would be a battle of Extreme Speed.

You Got Boost Power! Speed-increasing moves, such as QUICK ATTACK, AGILITY, and EXTREME SPEED are now allowed. Pokémon will be able to use such speed-increasing moves a number of times up to one plus their Endurance ranks for the rest of the race. Speed-increasing moves will grant you ADVANTAGE on Speed-based Obstacles for the posting round, meaning you will [ roll ] four times instead of two for that post and ignore the lowest two rolls. For the second lap of the race, the Leader's rolls will be capped at 150, before modifiers are applied.

Beware! Taking tight turns and stamina-draining Obstacles at high speeds can result in dire consequences, and may impose DISADVANTAGE on Endurance-based and Reaction-based Obstacles, meaning the highest two of the four rolls will be ignored. If the lowest two of the four rolls would still pass the Obstacle, Track Position for that Obstacle will be instead calculated based on the highest two rolls.

Prompt: Leading up to and past the starting arch was a long straightaway. The racers would still have to deal with some turbulence from the repeated small dips in the course's bounds, but there was little in the way of turns. They would need to eventually slow down to get through the mess of turns afterward, but for now, the Pokémon could really let loose.

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Special: None

Staccato missed Josh; with the war starting, the Gym Leader had been stationed near Sootopolis and Ever Grande. He had kept the Primarina and several of his other more gentle water Pokémon busy taking on shifts at Slateport Beach. From time to time, swimmers would catch a glimpse of the saddle on the fairy-type's back, recognizing the two Ranger and League logos on it. The singing Pokémon could have belonged only to Mauville's Gym Leader. A few younger swimmers asked if they could go for a ride on the Primarina. Staccato shook his head in response, his saddle only to ferry the endangered back to safety.

The impact of Whiskers' DRAGON HAMMER created a wave that capsized a small inflatable, Staccato quick to notice the kicking legs flailing about the surface. Swimming into action, he flailed his tail back and forth in a swift AQUA JET, putting on the brakes as to not impact the occupant's body with concussive force. Josh's Pokémon skillfully swam underneath the righted teen, who was shivering in fright as he found himself clinging tightly to the saddle. He had never ridden a Pokémon before, though on the inside he was still grateful for the save.

The long-bodied water-type paddled toward the shore and let his passenger dismount, singing a triumphant fanfare and giving the teenager a gentle bump with his snout before getting back to work.

When Josh and Eris first met, he was selflsh. Ambitious. Desperate for divine companionship. How far he went made him realize that no power was worth scarring the life of a child forever. She asked why Raikou chose Josh. It was a question Josh did not fully understand, either. He understood the very basics, but not the intricacies.

For it was not Raikou that chose Josh, but the Great One and Her Avatar.

"Swift, my Raikou, trusts me because kyle lopez trusts me. Because Kyle and Ho-oh forgave me for the atrocities I committed against you and the people around you. They saw I had repented. Carried my cross. Knowing the hour of his death, Kyle entrusted me with the Raikou. And I swore upon him to use the Beast according to the Great One's image. She is a benevolent god, and reflecting that benevolence is one of my duties as the bearer of the Raikou."

Kyle had seen many candidates for Champion in his waning hours. Among them all, he was the only one where he truly went all-out, fielding his Patron and saddling him with the gargantuan task of doing battle against the very god he worshipped. The goal of the battle was not for Josh to win; defeating the patron deity of Johto in battle was nigh impossible with the Pokémon he had. The goal was to test his character.

"I was rewarded with the Raikou because Kyle trusted me with him. Trusted that I would do the right thing."

Even in the face of Eris' tattered clothes, wet skin, and the overwhelming stench of blood, Josh remained empathetic. As Reiner collapsed in a heap, the Champion asked her one more question in his helplessness.

"Did you trust Kyle?"

"I learned that the hard way," Josh replied, the Beast stepping next to Janus and lowering his head to him so that the two could nuzzle one another. It may have been strange to see a legendary Pokémon behave in such a way, and may have tipped Zachary off that the Raikou was a construct -- an ashen memory, not a real Pokémon. Whatever emotional state Josh was in was mirrored in the Raikou. Swift was not the Raikou that died in the war. No, Swift was the Raikou that Josh imagined -- no, desired -- him to be: one of the friendliest gods imaginable among friends, yet one of the most savage when dealing with enemies.

He highly doubted a real god would let him saddle up on a whim, as much as he wanted to gallop, swim, and soar atop as many different legendary Pokémon as he could.

The presence of the Raikou paradox warmed Josh's heart. It seemed Zachary had love for Raikou, too, given how far he would have had to go out of his way to capture the Raging Bolt. "So you, too, have a Hoennian Raikou," Josh replied, referring to the Raging Bolt that way as he was unaware of the name the League had settled on, if any. "He's the spitting image of my own." All of a sudden, Aleph became aggressive around the Raging Bolt, as though he had found a worthy opponent to spar...

It had been quite some time since Josh had been to the Authentic Power Spot where he and howard slayte battled some of the first Dynamax Pokémon spotted in Hoenn. Seated in his Manectric's thundercloud saddle wrought in a Raikou's image, the Gym Leader felt more comfortable navigating the ruined power station. There were still plenty of wild steel, ghost, and electric Pokémon ready to harass the trespassers, but he had a special weapon that would cause them all to back down: the legendary Beast within his RAINBOW FEATHER. The sacred object glinted in the low light, casting a long shadow from Aleph the Type: Null. The enigmatic normal-type was surprisingly calm; was he at last warming up to Josh?

"Thanks for coming down here with me, Yuina," Josh sighed. "We've still got a ways to go before we get to the Power Spot. What you been up to since I was stuck in the hospital? My rehab's been going well... well enough to ride some of my Pokémon again. I can't fly yet, and I can't ride a cat Pokémon faster than a trot, but I'm at least well enough to... half-run my Gym."

They would have a lot of catching up to do as he took Celebi's bearer through the Mauville Ruins, toward the large, derelict generator room housing the Power Spot... and the place where Rime the Alolan Ninetales had perished.