The thought had, strangely enough, never crossed Josh's mind. If he could find Kyle at The Border, then that would confirm his death. For The Border was where restless souls wandered when they could not pass on, most commonly due to having their lives taken from them before they had completed what Fate resolved them to do.

"Might be worth taking a trip there," Josh nodded, slowing Swift down as his body started to reach its limits. Had it really been so long since being astride the Beast in Kyle's hands that his body's speed tolerance had regressed on him? To be fair, just like when he was in fervent pursuit of the Beast, there was nothing that could prepare him for the exertion. Swift's land speed truly was in a league of its own.

"That's exactly it," the Gym Leader replied. "With the number of apocalypses he's survived... he wouldn't just die from a volcanic eruption." Let alone MATIAS SILPH or Elisabeth Fiorelli ... whoever Kyle's murderer was. "I never thought I would have business there again. Not after helping Shawn's soul pass on. I... I still think about him. But he's no longer at The Border. He's in the land of paradise. The racetrack in the sky. And when my time comes, I look forward to being with him. Funny you bring this up, though. Do you have business at The Border?"

Silverio's hesitation was understandable. Most Pokémon used commonly used for transporation were herbivorous. Equines like Rapidash. Even carnivorous bird Pokémon like Corviknight were easy enough to command. Pyroar, though, were apex predators. They were Pokémon that could unseat and maul their riders at any time. Despite every indication that they were as calm as a house Skitty, the lion species' reputation as an aggressive hunter prevented them from being used more widely as steeds.

There was also the issue of how skillful a rider had to be to properly maintain control of one. A Pyroar's gallop was not for the faint of heart. Kion's strides had great strength behind them, bouncing silverio delfino more than a Rapidash would with each stride. Little wonder he held on for dear life as the two zoomed toward their destination.

As the two lions slinked around like predators stalking prey, Silverio brought to Josh's attention the bike chain he had found. His heartbeat accelerated a few notches. If this was just a lone accident, the chain would have remained intact. "This kind of damage wouldn't happen from a simple fall," Josh replied, their surroundings quiet enough that he could hear Aslan inhaling and exhaling. Their breathing was loud compared to other Pokémon, as their voices were also potent weapons. "See if you can find signs of sabotage, and keep a Poké Ball ready at all times. If you have to, Kion can fight, too." Though he wouldn't recommend Silverio be mounted on Kion in that case; mounted combat was an entirely separate animal to be tamed.

Pulling out his phone, Josh received a text from the Sheriff that he would be tardy. It seemed like he would be on his own for the training session with Keldeo. That was okay; he was a Champion now. One of Hoenn's top battling representatives. He could work with them on his own.

The howl made Josh's skin tingle in a way different than his wolf steed's static did. Saber returned the howl with a howl of his own, cantering toward the majestic, winged canine.

Reining the Manectric to a stop so he could see eye to eye with the fae wolf, he raised the RAINBOW FEATHER before him, starting to draw the Sign with hesitancy. Though Navy insisted that Zacian was not a god, Josh felt like he was in the presence of one. His eyes shifted toward Keldeo before returning to the feather glistening in a spectrum of color, completing the Sign's final stroke.



The black, white, and grey Beast materialized before the two legendary Pokémon, greeting them not with a howl, but a prideful roar that shook the mountainside like crashing thunder.

The sight of blue torches, a large treasure chest on the other side of the gate, and a red-eyed Banette meant that this was likely the dungeon's sub-boss! The Gym Leader was one for puzzles, but he loved action! He gave the Vaporeon a gentle pat before talking to her. "Sorry Kairi, but I gotta switch you out." Grasping Kairi's and Pinky's Poké Balls at the same time, he performed an expertly-timed mounted quick switch, Kairi disappearing into a beam of red light just as Pinky materialized from another. He fell part of the way to the ground before the Sylveon's saddle pushed him back up, the young man now astride the fairy-type.

Pinky leaped beyond the blue torches and into the octagonal arena, expecting some sort of gate or obstacle to lock him inside. Not wasting any time against the Banette, the Mauville Leader squeezed Pinky's sides, the charging Sylveon pointing MYSTICAL FIRE-laced feelers toward the ethereal doll.

The Inquisitor succumbed to the Monster's PERISH SONG, as did the Monster itself. His body became colder and colder until he no longer could maintain consciousness. His surroundings turned increasingly blurry until he found himself looking at the Mayor's worried face.

He listened to the Monster's story and frowned. "So the child was hypnotized and brainwashed, just as I suspected..." That frown disappeared upon the Mayor remarking Josh not making the killing blow himself. "It was my job to ensure that justice was served. It was not my job to determine what that justice is. If the village did not feel the Monster deserved death, then killing the Monster myself would be a grave and unforgivable mistake."

Even if the Mayor asked him to find the missing people, Josh would refuse. "I don't think I'm in physical condition to be going back out there right now, anyway," he sheepishly admitted. "I do have one request, though. Tell the child that I'm thinking of him. No one deserves to be separated from a perceived friend like that, even if that friend's not what they think they are. If he wants me to hear him vent, I'm more than willing to listen." The Inquisitor, as fierce as he could be against true enemies, had a heart that could get him in trouble against more deceptive attackers...

Josh was proud of Megalo for keeping as close of a pace with ACE SHEEKE and Buzz as he did. The Floatzel was one of Josh's fastest Pokémon, but also one of his most frail. One hard impact with a wall could be race-ending for the speedy otter Pokémon. Ace was a skilled racer of his own right, having been employed at Mauville Racing Grounds since it opened. The orange and white species was fast, but had a tiny metaphorical fuel tank. If he was going to catch up to him, it would be at the end of the race, when the Floatzel inevitably ran out of oomph.

Megalo's, on the other hand, was quite large, and his streamlined body also made him an efficient swimmer. Josh gripped the multicolored serpent's reins tightly before jabbing his knees into Megalo's sides. "This is our chance! Megalo, use DRAGON DANCE!" With sweeping tail strokes, the blue and pink scales at the back of his body turned a draconic purple, the Pokémon madly swerving back and forth to build up great speed. Josh braced himself in preparation for the harsh turns the Milotic made, even submerging as the Champion's mount rotated his entire body to turn harder.

With the introduction of speed-increasing Pokémon moves, the complexion of the entire race changed. Pokémon could float, slide, and twirl around curves faster than ever. With increased speed, however, came increased responsibility. Those confident in their Pokémon's turning capabilities could go all-out and leave the competition behind, but those who overestimated their prowess were subject to dire consequences, such as ARAVAN ESCHER. While he held off on his PRIMARINA's attacks, he did not slow the fairy-type one bit navigating the opening stretch's increasingly sharp U-turns. The vocalist let out a shrill yelp as its scales scraped against the channel's submerged cement and letting ERON IUNIS and Elaine Highland make up valuable ground against him. The two were neck and neck until the DRAGONAIR's tail vanished into a blur of immaculately-timed EXTREME SPEED, giving them a rough half-second edge over the challenger.

Even the Gym Leader was not immune. The DRAGON DANCING MILOTIC rammed the inside of the channel as a result of Josh Devlin signaling the turn much too early. Their impact was with such great force that he was ejected from the saddle completely. having to swim back down to sit in it once more before they could take off. They had lost so much time that Leader and challenger would find their MILOTIC swimming alongside one another as the backstretch came.

ACE SHEEKE and his FLOATZEL cut through each turn with sublime precision, the water-type's tails buzzing against the cement from getting just a smidge too close to them. Even a single degree sharper would have caused painful scrapes and a great loss of speed. Half the gallery watched the intense, four way battle for second place farther back, while the other half was fixated on the redhead and his incredibly fast Pokémon. He continued to push the FLOATZEL's limits. For he wasn't content with just winning. No.

He was on a mission to break his own course record.

Prompt: After the leap on the backstretch were two fairly long straightaways, the second narrowing over time. They were separated by a gentle right turn that would be trivial for most Pokémon to make even at full speed. While it was a great place to let loose with a burst of speed, Pokémon would have to slam on the brakes when the course narrowed - that deadly chicane was coming!

Target Number: 100 (Reaction)

Special: None

That was the origin of the Raikou's nickname. It was a name the Gym Leader came up with when he was a child, and one that just stuck. Little did his child self know he would get the opportunity to fight alongside his idol in this way. It brought him great pride to turn the tide of battle using the Pokémon of his dreams.

Fate had other ideas in store for the Gym Leader, however.

A ray of azure light parted the clouds above Kyogre, the behemoth's mouth opening wide as an ORIGIN PULSE flew toward the white cliff walls that shielded Sootopolis from the outside world. If he got the inkling that Rhea Armistead didn't want to fight, he would have called the attack out. But he didn't. He was certain that the woman was too indoctrinated in Rocket to be swayed to the side of good. "Jump, Sigmund!" the rider ordered, the Iron Crown tightening his psychic hold on him before leaping into the air.

A split second later, a savage explosion rocked their surroundings: the impact of the strongest aquatic attack in the world against Sootopolis City created a shockwave that loosed a horrible earthquake upon its surroundings. Even the air itself rang, crashing into the steel and psychic Pokémon and sending them flying into the eastern cliff wall that remained. Josh groaned after he and his mount slid down the cliffside, the rider rubbing his left arm as the robotic Sacred Sword's optical diodes flickered. Provided Rhea Armistead wasn't likewise overwhelmed by the attack, she would have a golden opportunity to complete the objective she was fighting Josh over... or inflict serious harm upon him.

Navy did indeed have to go through a lot of hoops to get the Sacred Sword's apprentice to Dewford Town, but there the little one was, ready and raring to go. He loved the way the foal moved, a certain pep in his step that looked like he was bucking an imaginary rider just through normal motions. This Pokémon looked quick -- and a good opponent for Swift despite the type advantage he had.

"Thanks for doing this again, Navy," Josh greeted his friend and boss, waving from the back of his Manectric, Saber. After having made it through his seventh week of rehab, he had at last been cleared to saddle up the electric dog he had cherished since the day he first became a trainer.

He never thought feeling pangs of static coursing through him could be so good. So refreshing. So empowering.

"And Swift is special to me the way Raikiri, Saber, Blitz, and my other electric Pokémon are. Swift may be a Beast of legend, but I couldn't have met him without Saber." The Manectric helped him through the worst of times and basked in the spotlight alongside him in the best of times. It was a Pokémon he saved for his toughest challengers: the ones with many Badges. There were so many things he wanted to do when his arm was at full strength again. He wanted to compare Saber's speed to Swift's when it was augmented by his Sygna Suit. He wanted a challenger to drop by his Gym with a legendary Pokémon so that he could race his Raikou. Most importantly, though, he wanted to practice making deliveries by lightning strike.

For that would be how he would deliver supplies and information from one side of the battlefield to the other in seconds.

"If you can do that, I'd love it. Keldeo and Mew both sounds like fantastic opponents for Swift," Josh nodded in agreement, grateful that Navy had such sway and trust with the League. "From what little I saw of him, he's incredibly fast. I wonder if Keldeo would enjoy racing Swift?" he speculated before Navy cut him short. "Sounds good. We can pick this up over a meal. You know of any good sports bars in Dewford? I'm not down here often enough to pay attention."

"You asked for it!" Josh smirked in the face of Roc Royal's INTIMIDATING presence, even Swift taking caution as he ran circles around the triple-sized arena. The distance between his pawprints once he got up to speed was remarkable, a thunderous roar shaking the air around the Salamence and two trainers much like a close thunderclap would. The Raikou truly was an embodiment of the speed of lightning, taking a long time to get up to speed. It wasn't account of him being slow to accelerate, either. His top speed was just that high.

"QUICK ATTACK, Swift!" the Champion ordered. Kicking up dirt and grass, the monochrome tiger pounced toward Roc Royal so fast as to become camouflaged against the overcast sky. It may have given Ghost an idea what he was in for, were he to accept the later invite to sit astride the Raikou later in the year.

Putting them to sleep was a good solution, albeit a temporary one. After a few hours, the storm of Deino would be awake and causing problems again. The Elite Ranger mumbled to himself, Pinky's low-pitched squealing interrupting the conversation he was having with himself. He was curious to see what kind of permanent solution Ghost would come up with.

The Meganium's SWEET SCENT made Pinky cry happily, Josh reining the Sylveon back to remind her to be quiet. The scent attracted a pack of Jangmo-o line Pokémon, their Kommo-o leader in the front, following the scent toward the still-distant grass-type. What would Ghost do to prepare for the dragon-types clearly motivated by a need for sustenance?

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X TM/TR (Imminent Instability Endeavors)

- Swift the Raikou forgets Spark and learns Electro Ball.

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD