The name brought a smile to Josh's face. "That's a cute name," he mused, the thought getting his mind off Kyle for a fleeting moment. He had fond memories of a few Pokémon still stuck between Johto, including a mean-spirited Lapras he never truly tamed. Classie was one rough ride -- certainly unconventional for the most common aquatic mount in the country.

That smile again turned upside down as Swift walked toward Genny, gently nuzzling her in an effort to comfort her if she allowed it. As a Ranger, she may have been able to see the link between the Beast's behavior and Josh's emotions. "Yes, Swift was Kyle's Pokémon. We met the December before last, when I got to go for a ride on him as a birthday present. And now, I can do so of my own accord... or I could, if my arm didn't get smashed in that ship. Fuck, this is so frustrating!" he swore. His professionalism was almost spotless when on the job, either as a Ranger or as a Gym Leader. To hear such foul language come from the Champion's mouth was a true rarity.

Josh thought that MATIAS SILPH had killed Kyle. Or more accurately, Kyle had given his life to protect Matias. He had sworn that fact to secrecy; betraying Matias now would be to burn a bridge with him. They could be friends once again, now that Groudon was no longer influencing him. "He was at Mount Chimney when the volcano erupted. He died in the eruption," Josh told a half-truth. "No one's been able to recover his body. But given that he was the Great One's Avatar, I don't think he's truly dead. He's out there somewhere."

Josh stretched as he rose from the simulation pod, groaning as he rose to his feet. "It's just like at the Chasm..." he sighed, facing his colleague. "I think it's gonna take everything the League's got to repel him if Regirock escapes from Area Zero. Cause if it does... nothing's stopping it. My Roaring Moon is still on the DL even now, after eating a Hyper beam from him."

Josh shrugged at Gwyar's question. "I think the best way to start is by cross-referencing simulation data with data from the excursions to Area Zero. The collation sounds like work for Project SAPPHIRE."

Stretching one more time as he headed for the door, he waved goodbye to Gwyar. "Thanks for coming with me. See you 'round. Something tells me we'll be back here again. And no more Pyroar riding until this arm of mine's better."

Josh had been through a similar experience in the PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY: a horrible injury that had kept him from doing what he wanted to do. It was doubly painful for Josh, too. After chasing the Beast of Thunder for a decade and change, Swift was at last his. His Raikou. Yet a tragic injury had prevented the Knight of Thunder from honing his skills with the Pokémon of his dreams.

He knew the pain Remiel Calcifet was in, being stuck in bed. The best he could do was comfort the Crown Prince and visit him in his most dire time of need. When Josh pushed the door open, Remiel would be able to see an Espeon a little shorter than he was, fully equipped with riding tack. There was only one trainer in Hoenn that felt a measure like that necessary.

It was Mauville's Master of Faster, Josh Devlin .

The two walked around the Avatar's bed, Josh taking a seat in a chair next to it, and his Espeon sitting on the floor next to him. "Hey, Remiel," Josh greeted the royal as he stroked his Pokémon's silk-like fur. "How you doing?" Were he to tilt his head, he would see the glint of a RAINBOW FEATHER pinned to the Gym Leader's shirt.

Radagast's APPLE ACID flew toward the Bronzong's eyes, splashing in its face and blinding the titan. "Great shot, Remiel!" Josh cheered, feeling like the two were finally making some headway by interrupting its psychic assault. He wasn't going to let this opportunity to go to waste. "Now, Nitro! Slice up its face with a barrage of RAZOR LEAF!"

Defiantly standing in front of their massive foe, the mount Pokémon reared, launching a blanket of sharp foliage toward the psychic-type's face. Were the field of projectiles dense enough, some would inevitably scrape the titan's giant eyes!

"Exactly," Josh nodded as he and his Milotic bobbed up and down on the surface. "That's the way to go about it: one Gym at a time. The circuit's tough; I had to use different Pokémon for almost every challenge. The creativity of our region's Gym Leaders is off the charts. It's why Hoenn's Pokémon League is one of the toughest in the world. Good luck to you, and may the best trainer win."

Once the five were lined up, three images of the legendary Pokémon Raikou at full gallop appeared on the banner monitor above the starting arch. Behind them was a "GET READY" prompt, Josh and his Gym Trainers tensing their legs in anticipation. The first of the three images began to fade away, with it sounding a loud squawk as a simultaneous aural warning that the race was about to begin. A second, then a third followed. When the final image of Raikou disappeared, the prompt changed to a green "GO" alongside a longer and higher-pitched squawk. The hum of Buzz's tails sounded like a marine motor as he and his rider dashed off the line, the rest of the competition's long and undulating tails churning up some rough surf behind them.

After each posting round, a prompt describing the upcoming section of the track will be posted. These prompts may highlight different sections of the course on each lap. You will react to the prompt, then [ roll ] twice. For the first lap, the Leader's rolls will be capped at 130 before modifiers.

Prompt: After a long and straight opening stretch, the course's titular feature loomed ahead: a series of three U-turns that started out gentle and wide, but became progressively tighter and more narrow. The first two, especially while the Pokémon were still getting up to speed, would likely pose little trouble, but the third would require braking or drifting! The former would likely ensure successful navigation at the cost of speed on the backstretch. The latter would be faster but more difficult, risking a collision with the inner banks if the drift started too early, or a painful scrape against the outer banks if they started too late!

Target Number: 125 (Reaction)

Special: Any TP lost as a result of a total roll that is more than 25 beneath the Target Number is doubled.

With Michael having heard of them, Josh elaborated on why they were pertinent to his team being so big. "While no one's been able to prove a link, most of my really big Pokémon have come from them." They were also dangerous; those red-eyed Pokémon within were apex predators of their time and space. While they could be captured, their ruby gazes did not remain after being drawn into a poké Ball. Their size and strength did stay, and that was what hammered to him.

"That's okay! I've got you covered," Josh smiled as he took the final Poké Ball off his belt and held his finger on the switch. "When Elmyrja grows up, I'm sure she'll be a wonderful mount. Ares, my own Charizard, is a joy to fly on. Maybe you can meet him some day."

Clicking the device's switch, a Mightyena, also fully geared for riding like the rest of his team, appeared and began to sniff toward Michael. "If you're familiar with horse Pokémon, then Voja here should be a breeze for you to control," the Gym Leader gestured toward the female. "She's strong and obedient." Perhaps the saddle on her back would beckon Michael aboard.

Josh frowned when he heard the news that their final delivery was supposed to bring one last sense of joy about a dying woman. "I am so sorry for your loss," the Champion sympathized. "We will make sure the Pokémon within these eggs are given good homes. It what your grandmother would have wanted, right?"

Josh was more than familiar with the pain of loss, though with Pokémon. How many of his partners had died for the war effort? More than he wanted to admit. Seeing so many be taken from him had almost hardened his heart to the concept of loss. Once they were away from the final destination, ready to head back to Slateport Ranger HQ to report their completed task, Josh shared the news with dem.

They were for that resident's grandmother, who passed a week ago. I'm going to take them to HQ so that they can find better homes; I'm a little picky about which Pokémon I raise. Did you enjoy riding Medli? You're more than welcome to come out to Mauville Gym to learn more.

Even in a moment of loss, he couldn't resist being a shill, could he?

Psychic-type Pokémon were very challenging to raise for all the reasons Zachary had thought of. Josh didn't have a lot of experience with psychic-type Pokémon, but he knew someone that did. "...Seek out Gym Leader Hideo Kino ," the Master of Faster suggested. "He is a psychic-type specialist," and maybe even a psychic himself, he left out. With him being blind, Josh wondered if the child could see through a mind's eye.

As for his progress toward being a Gym Leader, Josh nodded and smiled. "I think you should apply for the Minor League," the tenured trainer advised. "I would temper expectations about being accepted the first time, but I think you should apply. If you fail their entrance exam, you can study up on the parts you struggled with and try again." The Master of Faster had the knowledge base, and most importantly, the customer service skills, to see himself through the exams, both written and practical. "If you ever need to brush up on anything, let me know, and I can do my best to help you with it. And if you do get accepted, I'll be the first one to give your Gym an inspection!" he winked.

Josh's Champion Assessment had taught him that very lesson: even legendary Pokémon were not invincible. Ordinary Pokémon were capable of defeating them, even at full power. Plus, wielding a legendary Pokémon in war made one a giant target.

"Swift will need to rest for the rest of the day," Josh replied, the Sacred Ash composing the Raikou's body back in the feather serving as his vessel. Reining his Rapidash closer to Razz, the rider nodded in agreement. "You're right; we still have a lot of training to go through. Long ways to go before he'll be ready. But I do have other powerful Pokémon. Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, from Area Zero. Aleph, my Type: Null. And of course, Saber."

Josh would have little time to ponder the true purpose of the simulation, what with the immense danger the next scenario put him in. "It's just like Area Zero, Gwyar! Look out!" Josh cried, doing his best to control his feline steed with one arm. His other arm throbbed from how rough the Pyroar's gait was; even with a saddle designed to reduce the ride's bumpiness, it was still more strenuous than riding horseback.

With the rock-type attacks flying at him and his mount, Josh squeezed Aslan's sides. He squinted and hissed as he felt the force of the acceleration upon his weak arm, fleeing the legendary Pokémon with all the haste he could withstand. If Josh was in this much pain from simple high-speed riding, he might need to do as his colleagues suggested and sit these battles out. Even in his condition, though, he couldn't talk himself out of defending Hoenn from Rocket.

Such was the mindset of a Champion.

Phew - that beam of pure DYNERGY was way too close! Josh was sweating; he could feel just how hot it was from it nearly grazing him! Nitro's previous Leaf Blade had left a chink in the metal titan's armor; if he and others could focus-fire strong attacks into the cracks he had just created, he could open up a big gap for his friends to aim for.

Every hero's role was important: even ones that could not fight directly.

"Great shot, Nitro!" Josh encouraged. "Now, dig deeper into the same spot! HORN LEECH!" With another swift running start, the Gogoat leaped toward the same spot he had sliced at with his Leaf Blade in an effort to bring the Registeel off balance. Tearing off a small metal plate would be a nice bonus!