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"Huh?" Did Julia hear a voice just now? It wasn't the poacher; he was still groaning in frustration. Either way, the Wishiwashi that made up the fingers peeled away from the rest of the colony. They converged into the shapes of different Water-type Pokémon that all smacked the Tentacruel silly. Julia couldn't help but grin. "Cool."

[break][break]But when the school parted, the person she saw inside made her eyes widen with shock. "You?!"

[break][break]The poacher commanded his Tentacruel to Dive. "Oh no, you don't!" Julia called. She reached for a certain Poké Ball on her belt, ready to Dive right after him... only for the Tentacruel to bob, motionless, back to the surface with his rider still clinging to him.

[break][break]The poacher looked between the two. "Uh-oh."

[break][break]But Julia's attention was back on the masked interloper. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

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Shalin's description of sitting on a jackhammer already had Julia's bones ready to turn to jelly, and seeing Treble's scales vibrate like the buzzing of an insect's wings showed the intensity of that feeling. It reminded Julia of Sandy's wings fluttering behind her and Queen Zing's droning, which she'd been able to feel even without riding the Beedrill. "You have some crazy rides, Shalin," Julia said with a grin.

[break][break]Momo chittered out his version of a "You're welcome" as Shalin took his warm hand. Once Shalin was warmed up, she sent out her saddled-up Pyroar and introduced her as the grown-up Kiara. "Oh, that's awesome!" Julia exclaimed. "If only I'd brought Sparkie along. She's a Raichu now!"

[break][break]At the end of the hallway warmed by the two Fire-types was a spiral staircase climbing upward, a light obscuring its top half. Shalin sent out Prance to investigate. "Whoa," Julia said when the Wyrdeer was warped away. She returned a few minutes later, hooves covered in quickly melting frost, and used her telepathy to explain the teleporter leading to the icy room above.

[break][break]"What? How?" Julia asked, unwittingly echoing Shalin's thoughts. She squinted at the staircase, as if trying to glean the answer from it. "Maybe it's teleporting us somewhere else?" She was really glad she'd thought to bring Momo along. Her current team was geared more toward taking on Fire-types since, you know, volcano and all. At least Fire and Ice shared a common weakness in Rock, something Shellie could use to her advantage.

[break][break]Understandably, Kiara was reluctant to carry Shalin up the stairs to this mysterious room of ice. Julia gave the Pyroar an encouraging smile. "You've got this, Kiara." They, too, vanished when they touched the light.

[break][break]"We've got this, too, Momo. Ready to turn up the heat?"

[break][break]Momo squeaked and nodded excitedly, ramping himself up so the flame within him burned even hotter. Embers twinkled on his head and tail like stars, and the hand that Julia held his with began to sweat. She didn't let go, though, knowing she'd need every scrap of warmth she could get. "Okay. Let's go."

[break][break]Together, they climbed up the stairs. The light enveloped them, and when it faded, yep, wow, that was cold! Julia moved to hold Momo's hand with both of her own. The room looked more stable than the mirage-like setting below; instead, its walls and ceilings were constructed of a semitransparent material that Julia realized was Never-Melt Ice. No wonder it was so cold! When she looked down, she could see the core of Mount Chimney far below them. It was a good thing this ice couldn't melt, even if she wished it wasn't freezing!

[break][break]"Okay, we're gonna wanna be quick through here," she said. "We don't wanna wear out our Fire-types, after all." She wanted to pat Momo on the head, but with most of his flaming heat escaping from there, that'd be a bad idea. Instead, she patted the back of his hand as she looked to the east. "Looks like there's something this way. Let's go!" This time, Julia took the lead through the doorway, maybe not being quite as cautious as she could have in her haste to keep warm.

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Chester had to slow a bit to make the corner, but so did Blinky and Pinky. Julia glanced up to see Clyde and Inky soar over the first jump like the practiced professionals they were. It was impressive, and it stoked Julia's determination. "Hyah!" Julia shouted, and Chester jumped the gap with little issue. Blinky was just barely ahead of them, his electrifying quills serving as a deterrent to a Flying-type like Chester. They'd have to find a way around if they wanted to pull ahead.

[break][break]Past the sharp turns, the track straightened out, giving the racers ample room to pick up speed before the three jumps. Julia squeezed Chester's sides with her legs, and the Dodrio began to accelerate. This was one of Chester's specialties: He made up for his lack of flight with powerful jumps. Julia was grateful to Josh for picking this track for them.

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Julia felt a bit starstruck in this arena packed with adoring racing fans clamoring for a moment with the best racers in the region. She could barely believe that she and Chester were among them. She wasn't nearly as popular as someone like Eva Morales, who was practically being swarmed by fans, but she still had a few people, mostly friends and family, approach to wish her luck before the lineup. Under one arm, she held a simple red racing helmet, a gift from her father.

[break][break]There were quite a few familiar faces among her fellow competitors, too. Hoenn's Champion himself was here, as were Elite Four MATIAS SILPH (whose nickname for his Dodrio got a giggle out of Julia) and, of course, Eva Morales. She recognized Kaida from the Rangers meeting a few months back, and Fortree's own Gym Leader was here, too! Seeing Raziel Beckett made a frown flicker on her features, but it was just that: a flicker. Julia was determined to focus on the race and on having fun, not on whatever sour feelings still lingered over her fellow Ranger. Plus, some of her friends were racing with her! How awesome was that?

[break][break]And what an array of Pokémon on display, too! It was great seeing two other Dodrio on the track, something that Chester took notice of with a mix of excitement and competitiveness, but seeing the variety on the track had Julia excited to see how the race would unfold. Especially with Pokémon like Metagross, Onix, and Steelix. She hadn't expected any of them to be particularly fast, at least above ground, but the fact that they were here meant they had to be. She almost wished she were a spectator so she could see how they performed without having to focus on actually running the race.

[break][break]"Good luck to you, too!" she called back to Matt Vice with a wave. She stuck her tongue out in mock disapproval at his words to Josh Devlin. "Don't worry, I'll wish you luck," she said to Josh. "You okay? Not the nerves, but... you know." Much as Julia tried to stay positive about, well, pretty much everything, it was hard to ignore the fact that just two weeks ago, someone had attacked Josh in his own Gym. No, there was no use mincing words: someone had tried to kill him. She still didn't understand why. Was it because he was a Gym Leader? Because he wanted to bond with Raikou? Julia couldn't think of any other reason that someone would want to hurt a person like Josh.

[break][break]She let her focus move to Josh's phone, which was playing a stream of the race coverage. Oh, hey, they were talking about her! Plucky Ranger new to the racing scene, optimistic in the face of hardship, considers her Dodrio one of her best friends... Yep, that was all true! She followed Josh's finger to the view count and let out a low whistle. To think that that many people were watching this race... Julia's nerves buzzed with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

[break][break]"Gotcha," she whispered back with a conspiratorial wink. "Oh, check out what I got!" She held her new helmet in both hands.

[break][break]She found Isaac Merlo when Josh did. "Hey, Isaac!" she greeted. "Looks like you found a fast Pokémon for this!"

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Julia felt the movement next to her and cracked an eye open to peer at Pluto. His arm was extended upward, like he was trying to catch the star as it fell to the earth. Julia quickly closed her eyes again so he wouldn't notice her peeking, but she couldn't help but smile at his action. It made her feel warm inside to know that other adults did things like this, too.

[break][break]He and Julia had similar thoughts about the Granbull's cuteness, but it was Pluto who threw the Ball. Meanwhile, Chester was guarding Julia's bag from a curious Swirlix. Julia giggled to herself at the sight. Man, she was just a magnet for these hungry little guys tonight, huh?

[break][break]"I bet we will," Julia said about the Minior. "We already saw a Lunatone, so there's bound to be some Minior falling around here!"

[break][break]Her eyes wandered back up to the sky, where more streaks of starry light soared. "I wonder if any of those are one." It was a bit hard to tell from that far away.

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"Thank Momo for that," Julia said. "Great job, buddy." The two high-fived, but their celebration was short-lived when one of the Braixen teleported out of the right... right in front of Shalin and Treble. The Scaly Pokémon and his rider acted fast to drive it off with Clanging Scales. Julia and Momo both flinched and covered their ears at the sound.

[break][break]The Braixen all vanished when the third collapsed. Shalin sat stock-still on Treble's saddle, dazed from being right at the epicenter of the Pokémon's attack. Julia beckoned Momo to follow her and stepped toward her companion, only to stop with a shocked "Whoa!" at the column of flames that shot up in the center of the room. Momo, too, squeaked out in surprise. The inferno left behind a small, metallic chest, which Treble kicked open to reveal a chrome key on a Klefki-styled key ring.

[break][break]"This place is so weird," Julia said, awestruck, as she took the ring. Honestly? It was really cool exploring this palace that seemed to exist outside of the boundaries of reality. But it had quickly become clear that it was also dangerous.

[break][break]Julia and Momo stood on either side of Treble, ready to catch Shalin in case she fell. "You good?" Julia asked when Shalin could speak again.

[break][break]Before following Shalin north, Julia checked the area around where the fire pillar had appeared to see if she could figure out how it worked. Regardless of the result, she stepped through the newly appeared doorway with Shalin. She wanted to see if she could figure out how that worked, too, but the goosebumps that suddenly crawled across her skin snapped her attention to the dining hall beyond.

[break][break]It was a really nice-looking dining hall, which was strange when the rest of the palace didn't look nearly as well-maintained. Stranger still were the murmurs she could hear in the seemingly empty room. "Yeah," Julia whispered back. Momo peered out from behind her legs, then retreated back, shuddering.

[break][break]Shalin got the heck out of Dodge before Julia could say anything. Julia gave the room one last glance before following. "Okay, so something's definitely up with that room," she said. She reached down to soothingly pet the back of Momo's head, being mindful of his searing head tuft. "Maybe it's Ghost-types?"

[break][break]Julia couldn't quite see past the mounted Shalin, but she definitely felt the chill that enveloped them as they went farther in. It was different from the empty cold she'd felt in the dining hall. Shalin said it best: It felt like a fall day. Julia had come dressed for volcanic exploration, so she hadn't exactly brought a jacket along.

[break][break]"Good thing I've got Momo," Julia said. "Mind helping us warm up, buddy?"

[break][break]Momo chittered happily and took a moment to focus. The tufts of fur on his head and tail began to waver and glow softly, creating a warm aura around him. Julia reached down to hold the Simisear's hand and sighed in relief. "That's better. And he's got two hands if you need some warmth, Shalin!"

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Julia smiled back, proud that she knew the reference. She also smiled, albeit softer, at the still of Raikou that appeared on the countdown screen. Josh really was dedicated to Raikou, wasn't he?

[break][break]The first squawk from the speakers summoned Julia and Chester's game faces, the latter's mostly manifesting on his right head. Julia held tight to the reins and took a deep breath to steady herself. As soon as the word "GO" appeared, both trainers used their legs to spur their Pokémon forward. Josh's taunt had Julia grinning excitedly. "We'll see about that!" she shouted back. Chester's right and middle heads cawed while the left continued to watch the track.

[break][break]And it was a good thing it did, for the track snapped into a sharp left turn tens of meters from the starting line. Worse yet, it was all uphill, meaning neither rider nor Pokémon could see what lay on the other side. She'd have to trust Chester's three brains to come up with a plan in record time if they wanted to get past this without slowing down too much. Julia, too, kept her eyes peeled for whatever lay ahead. If two heads were better than one, then four heads had to be exponentially better!

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Julia beamed. "Thanks! I've had a lot of practice with it. I dunno if I would have noticed that Bonsly without Chester, though. Then again, a mountain isn't the best place for those little guys to hide."

[break][break]Something roared deeper in the mountain's caverns, agitating Soot, but Pluto was able to calm him down. "Yeah, they're gonna be so cool," Julia chimed in. "Oh, look, there's one!"

[break][break]A single star streaked across the sky, the herald of the show to come. Was it childish to wish on shooting stars? Maybe, but Julia closed her eyes, anyway, sending her hopes up to the stars to shine down on the world.

[break][break]CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

[break][break]Weird, stars weren't supposed to make noises like that. Julia opened her eyes and peered down to see a blue-and-gray figure ramming its head into a cliffside. And then doing it again. And again. She had no idea what the little guy was trying to accomplish. Chester, annoyed, squawked at it. The two Pokémon stared at each other for a few moments before the Cranidos decided to go bash its head elsewhere.

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"Yes!" Julia whispered to herself when the Tentacruel hesitated at the icy barrier. But then it hoisted itself onto the icy patch and shakily began to walk across it with its tentacles. "Not yes! Hurry, Lazuli!" Lazuli let out a cry and pedaled her fins as fast as she could.

[break][break]Okay, so her plan to cut off his escape route hadn't quite worked out. Maybe if she just kept freezing the path, she could slow him down enough to catch up? No, that probably wouldn't work with the angles she'd need. Would Lazuli's Sing be loud enough to lull the poacher and his mount to sleep? Maybe a Confuse Ray would work? Or—

[break][break]CRASH!

[break][break]... Or a giant fist could break through the ice?

[break][break]"Wha—?!" Julia exclaimed. Lazuli startled to a stop at the sight. Small shapes launched out of the hand; they were Wishiwashi! Maybe they were defending their home. What a heck of a way to do it!

[break][break]"Let's go, Lazuli!" Thanks to the friendly fist toppling the dastardly duo, Julia had an opening. With a more upbeat cry, Lazuli charged forward, spraying surf behind her. The combination of the ice and the fish punch got Julia just close enough for another order: "Use Confuse Ray!"

[break][break]Lazuli sang out a warbling note, and several colorful orbs of light danced out of her mouth toward the Tentacruel. The poacher tried to get the Pokémon to move out of the way, but it couldn't tear its glare away from the Wishiwashi in time. The lights bobbed up and down in circles around its head, all but forcing its eyes to follow until they were spinning.

[break][break]"Dammit, snap out of it!" the poacher growled. "Oh, for the love of—Sludge Wave 'em!"

[break][break]The Tentacruel gurgled, trying to summon enough poison in its beak, but the confusion was making that difficult. If the Wishiwashi wanted to go in for another strike, their foe was wide open.

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Julia rolled her eyes lightheartedly at Isaac's quip. "You do not." She grinned knowingly at his comment about Josh's usual intensity, a look that was vindicated when Josh confirmed her suspicions.

[break][break]She glanced over at Matt to see him practically lying on his Arcanine. "That looks comfy," she said unironically. When he asked about Chester, she replied, "He usually can! Sometimes he thinks a bit too hard and freezes up, though. We've known each other since I was a kid and he still only had two heads." She reached up to give each head a scratch.

[break][break]She looked a bit confused when Matt moved closer to her and began to quietly apologize. She kept her voice low so that Josh's explanation to Isaac would cover it: "You don't make me uncomfortable. And I don't not like you. A lot of people got really upset during that meeting, and it all just kinda exploded out. Including me." Embarrassment flickered across her face, but she tamed it into a smile. "Josh chose to stand up for you, and I think that was really cool of him. It sucks he got in trouble for it, but it wasn't your fault."

[break][break]She giggled at Matt's teasing of Josh, glad to see that smirk on his face. Hopefully, he'd feel more comfortable now.

[break][break]Josh led them to the main battleground, where a few Gym Trainers had fast-paced battles that perfectly fit the Gym's racing theme. Julia watched in awe, her eyes darting back and forth between the four combatants. It was a bit like her own battle style, only much more refined and specialized for pure speed.

[break][break]"How many actual battle challenges do you usually get?" Julia asked. She assumed that the main attraction of the Gym was its various racing courses.

[break][break]Next, she followed him across a bridge over the winding river. She nodded as he explained and traced the water's path with her eyes. For a moment, she wondered if the diversion had affected the local Pokémon populations, but Josh was a fellow Ranger! There was no way he'd do this if he knew it would hurt the nature around it.

[break][break]"Yeah, Snacker can move," Julia said, recalling one of her first missions with Josh.