Josh's thoughts again drifted to Kyle. Just how much of this had he witnessed as the Great One's Avatar? And what happened to Her abyssal counterpart. Lugia? Was she the same one that once roosted upon the Brass Tower ravaged by lightning and fire? Or, like the Suicune that had departed Isaac Merlo in search of another partner, was the one in Cillian Quinn 's control different than Johto's silver bird-dragon? He may have been able to shed some light... but he was also not around to ask. Officially dead, but from Josh's view, still out there somewhere, alive and kicking. For an Avatar of a Patron with resurrection powers could defy the permanence of death.

"That explains why Swift is a husk, a memory, of what we see before us now," Josh replied, a few tears cascading down his cheeks upon seeing the battle rage before them with no way to intervene. It felt like a fixed point in time, much like his time in the Megalopolan prison. A point in time that could not be altered.

As serious as Eva Morales 's words were, they were equally grounded in reality. "That's... part of why I don't want to be an Avatar anymore, Eva," he sniffed, only stopping when he heard huge explosions of fire, lightning, and water from the Beasts defending their leader's city against Rocket's invading army. "When we first saw one another and got to know one another, I wanted to be Raikou's Avatar more than anything else in the world. Then I saw what Avatarship does to people. It completely transforms them, and all too often in negative ways. MATIAS SILPH 's Avatarship ruined him. Laurence Anderson 's, too. Cillian Quinn 's. And so many others." There were, of course, many cases of symbiotic relationships between Patron and Avatar. There was Kyle. Navy . illeana reyes . So many gods that were amicable, or at least on good terms with, their Avatars.

"I love Swift just the way he is. We're of one mind, we understand one another, and he's everything I've ever wanted a Raikou to be. And Eva?" he asked, letting the silence sink in before resuming voicing his thoughts. "Power is never the reason I pursued Raikou. I pursued him at first to live an innocent childhood dream to shatter the Pokémon land speed record. After meeting Entei and Swift while they were under Kyle's command, after nearly losing Saber inside the Cloud, I knew I had to pursue him to protect those in Hoenn who cannot protect themselves. He may not be as powerful as a real Pokémon, but he can do something better than any Pokémon on land can. Go fast. And I don't need to be an Avatar for us to use our talents the best we can."

Extreme speed, in a vacuum, was a potent weapon in and of itself. As a weapon, it was unwieldy. As a shield, it was a much more effective tool. A tool not to usurp, but to safeguard. In the nearly twenty years Josh had dreamed and fantasized about sitting upon the purple, majestic cloud and holding the metaphorical reins of a living lightning bolt, his motives were always pure of heart. Not always selfless, but without greed or lust.

"After all, it's hard to get a package to its destination faster than in the saddle of a living lightning bolt, heh," he laughed, trying to cheer the doctor up.

The clicking noise, quiet as it was, seemed louder than the sound of battle that its coming had halted. What a golden ending this was to their trip to Area Zero. Not only had Katharina Strophe 's Pokémon saved the Teddiurse's life. The use of the HEAL BALL didn't go unnoticed, either; while the remedial Poké Ball wasn't as effective as a stock Ultra Ball for catching powerful Pokémon, it would put an end to the Roaring Moon's suffering from Entei's terrible horn.

The three paradoxes gathered around Katharina and her new catch, Josh relieved that the threat was over. "Amazing..." the Leader trailed off, unsure what to say in the sudden and rare calm within the Chasm's depths. "I've raised one of those Pokémon myself. It took months of care before Ao would even listen to me. Be patient with them... but once you two get to know one another and understand each other, you'll have a hard time finding a faster aerial mount." Entei lowered his horn, letting Josh wipe it clean of blood with a thick cloth.

Zaborg's speed and strength met the steadfast and immovable Torterra in a dead heat. An intense one, but one that did not leave him unaware of the pouncing Incineroar. The electric feline let go of Lusitania's trunk in order to claw and PROTECT himself from the taller and more muscular feline's chompers. Getting the hint and not wanting to expose himself to being bucked off, the electric-type slid down from Eddie's Pokémon and back onto the Raging Bolt.

Josh didn't even need to command Raikou; Zaborg had fought alongside his other Pokémon for so long than he trusted them to battle exactly like he would. Spurring the Raging Bolt sharply with his nails, the Zeraora goaded his paradoxical mount into a lightning-fast THUNDERCLAP, mount and rider aiming to ram and trample the rival cat.

If the ceiling was high enough and there weren't too many obstructions, Josh would leave Raikou out of his Poké Ball; otherwise, he would withdraw the legendary-adjacent paradox and let Illeana lead him to her office alone. "Only if I push my movement beyond what I've been used to, but that's just part of rehab," the Leader answered. "The prize at the end is well worth it." That being the Quick Attack. While it would be under the supervision of Josh's other fast Pokémon, the anticipation of racing the ashen vestige made his skin tingle just thinking about it.

"I've got a few things on the itinerary," Josh mused while they were in transit, his mind swirling with questions to ask the researcher. "They're mostly to do with Swift, the Hoennian Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, and rehabilitating a Type: Null." Perhaps the Alchemist would be able to at last set Josh's understanding of the ancient trio straight with recent advancements in knowledge...!

Josh recognized Vespa's symptoms quickly. He was used to seeing them from teaching people how to ride flying Pokémon. While height was not an issue on a normal flying Pokémon, dragons' wing and lung strength could propel them to incredible heights. Cold was one threatening element of soaring so high, but another was the thin air. With how high the Sky Pillar stretched, anyone who was not used to flying on a dragon routinely could have breathing issues. Hypoxia was a real threat for dragon riders.

"You mean descend, right?" Josh clarified as he withdrew his Pokémon for Verte, the Flygon's wings humming for a brief moment before letting the Gym Leader aboard. "The air is thin up here." He even had to put more effort into speaking due to his voice not carrying at higher altitudes. "Let's head back to the surface." With an insectile takeoff, the two were airborne, following Vespa Baskerville and her Roaring Moon to more breathable air beneath them.

The walk to the main battleground was a long one due to the Racing Grounds' sheer size. Used to the Raichu's bouncy gait when running, Toralf's muscle movements seemed relaxing by comparison. Once he had dismounted the electric-type and removed his partner's riding tack, the battle could begin.

The enormous rat the size of a small horse was nimble, but not nimble enough to avoid such a wide STOMPING TANTRUM. As Toralf swerved out of the way of one sharp slab of earth, another flung him into the air faster than he could react. He landed on the Raticate's opposite side, nearly falling into the water... and the rodent's stubby limbs did not make him a good swimmer. "Temper, temper..." he tsked, having learned the sound and motion from FERNANDO SILPH so long ago. "Put that naughty Raticate in time out, Toralf!" The Raichu fought through his pain, his paws screeching against the dirt with every sharp turn. The Gym Leader attempted to feign his intent to whip at the Raticate with the sharp bolt of his tail... only to leap into the dark-type's face and leave it delirious with a SWEET KISS.

The reason the Commissioner gave for the delays was not only understandable, but prudent. With the Champion Assessment being halted indefinitely, the Gym grinders had little motivation to visit Mauville Racing Grounds. He couldn't imagine how busy the Elite Four would be when the challenge reopened. Perhaps even busier than Mauville Racing Grounds was on opening day. "I do. It's paramount that Rocket doesn't seize any more of the Hoenn mainland. I've done a lot of work with annalise henderson shoring up the city's defenses. I think it's a likely target for attack due to its strategic location. Were Mauville to fall, Verdanturf, Lavaridge, and Fallarbor would all be very quickly supply starved."

Upon seeing the resting Stoutland, Josh's pride grew quiet, turning down their Illumina light as low as possible. "I love it," he answered enthusiastically, in no subtle means expressing his happiness. "It's the perfect way to use Kyle's gift, one that I am eternally grateful for. It's a lot better than having to take lives on the front lines, where Swift is so fast that his speed is almost unwieldy. After struggling with it for two years since becoming Gym Leader, I've finally found my calling in the League."

With Mauville, and Hitoshi Inoue 's attack on one of the city's largest department stores on the mind, Josh brought up his first major order of business with the Commissioner. "I know Dynamax Bands are a recent technology, and Power Spots are not fully understood yet. From what you've discussed with the Science division, how feasible is it to disable Mauville City's Power Spot, even temporarily?" He had dodged a bullet with the Gigantamax Corviknight's attack doing large, but repairable damages to the city, with minimal loss of life. A more strategically-placed Dynamax attack from Rocket could level an entire district, and with the tri-level city building up instead of out due to its geographical state, the loss of life could potentially be colossal.

Upon hearing the invitation, Josh twisted the door's handle, opening the heavy entrance with a loud creak that made his eyebrows drop. "That door could use a little oil," he remarked, his Shiny Zeraora walking behind him. Though the electric-type was muscular, his thighs were ripped, showing just the level of prowess Zaborg had in the saddle. Both waved toward Nick before taking a seat on the sofa-like seat wide and long enough for one to take a nap on.

"What happened?" the Champion asked. "Was it the war?" He had managed to avoid injury in the most recent skirmishes, though his most valuable partner had suffered the equivalent of a serious one. Not even drawing the Sign would get the Beast out of the feather that contained him. It was taking an awfully long time for the Raikou made of ash to recover. Was there another way to restore the feather's light?

Josh knew of Area Zero's dangers, and he took no chances. With the RAINBOW FEATHER still inert after the Skirmishes of Petalburg broke out, he had to bring the next best Pokémon on his team. Five Cherish Balls, each with custom decals on them, were at his waist. Within the ones on the left side were Raikou and Entei, the paradox Pokémon that were what the Great One's children could have been in the distant past.

On the right side, three more were linked to the metallic Sacred Swords that took turns being the bosses of Josh's war courier training course. Sigmund, the Iron Crown, remained in his Poké Ball. Josh was astride Tyrfing, the Iron Boulder, and dirk summers could be on Caladbolg's back if he desired to ride the Iron Leaves alongside his boss.

"Once we get below the cloud level," Josh pointed to the opaque fog at the bottom of the Giant Chasm, "we'll be in Area Zero proper. The Pokémon down there are really dangerous," he reiterated as his Type: Null stood guard behind them, calm yet vigilant. "It's why I was surprised to hear this is where you wanted to hunt for Pokémon." The Champion could feel the Terrakion look-alike's hoof thrusters warming up, their hum adding to the tension in the air.

Seeing the once-beautiful Petalburg City in its destroyed state made Josh's blood boil. An anger that Josh could feel as the RAINBOW FEATHER, even in its inert, faded state, throbbed and sparked, making him flinch from the mild electric shock. Capturing a Ranger Captain and doing Arceus-knows-what to her was already a felonious transgression, an unforgivable war crime.

That it was Shalin Nariya who had been forcibly removed from the now-ruined city made things personal.

Still, Josh was nervous. He knew how tightly-patrolled the Rocket-occupied city was. Even as a Champion, he could never let down his guard. In opposition tallying sufficient numbers, even an Avatar could be made helpless. With his Sacred Ash Raikou still on the mend after the violent clash with robin coello , he was down his mightiest weapon and partner, leaving a hole in his inner self.

"I'm sorry, but can you go over the briefing again, please?" Josh asked the cowboy as Eriette floated just off the ground, the Spectrier silently walking toward Petalburg with the Gym Leader in her saddle. Even the normally loud Type: Null next to the phantom horse was quiet. "It's already risky for me to be out here. Let's do what we came here to do and go." How reliable was the intelligence of Shalin Nariya being transferred to Petalburg? Was it true? Or was it a false lead, a honeypot fabricated to entice those close to her toward Rocket's clutches?

COSMOLOGIC QUARRY[break]SIGN-UPS

INTO THE ULTRA WILDS

CHARACTERS: Josh Devlin Locke Jamison Thomas Benoit Roy Aker[break]
LOCATION: Ultra Plant[break]
GIMMICKS:

Josh:

- Mega Evolution Pokémon
- Z-Move access
- Arc Suit
- Tera Orb
- Dynamax Band

Locke:

- Z-Move access

Thomas:

- Mega Evolution Pokémon
- Z-Move access
- Arc Suit
- Tera Orb
- Dynamax Band

Roy:
- Mega Evolution
- Z-Moves
- Tera Orb

[break]
READY CHECK: Ready[break]

Though the Beast's electricity harmed neither of the two riders, it didn't make their ride any less intense. The saddle-like thundercloud beneath Eva and Josh turned white, Swift letting go of the cloud above him. The two descended the stormy Johtonian skies riding lightning itself, the jagged bolt anything but smooth. Perhaps the feeling Eva experienced would be similar to the day they rode the back half of Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent, fully protected against the elements.

Even beneath his helmet, the skin around the front of Josh's face turned red and white from the surreal speed. Was this what Shalin felt when she got into her Sygna Suit and rode on her Venusaur's Power Whipping vine? The last time he had felt something so intense was when he rode Swift's EXTREME SPEED while the Beast was under kyle lopez 's command. Was this his inner worry for the battling Beasts' fate drawing out the ashen legendary's ultimate attack? At least the ultimate attack in Josh's mind...

The landing was heavy, but not flattening as it should have been. The riders would fall through the buoyant thundercloud at impact, feeling ashen mane beneath them with the texture of feline fur. On the ground, the Beast coasted on his momentum, letting his immense speed diminish to the point where the two would be able to speak again. "It's all... so horrible..." Josh lamented as he watched the spectral scene unfold. The battle between the Great One's most sacred children and swaths of Rockets raged on, the Beasts dashing about in blurs of yellow, red, and blue not unlike the white one Eva and Josh had been part of moments before.

"They... really died that day, didn't they?" Josh trailed off as Swift galloped toward the city under siege. "How can Rocket do this? Are they really so powerful that they can just... defy the Great One's will?"