A click of FERNANDO SILPH 's tongue and a shift in the Councilman's demeanor made Josh sweat. Visibly. Beads of the stuff visibly dripped from the Gym Leader's hair with every breath Fernando took and every scathing remark he made. He began to physically shiver in the imposing man's presence, as though the politician would lash out at him directly for his blasphemous projections onto the Johto Beast he loved.

The last questions Fernando asked Josh was his most challenging one yet, perhaps testing his knowledge of what Avatars truly were. "They are extensions of the Patron Pokémon, right? That's my guess, anyway. I... I've never given it much thought. Wouldn't they be seeking like-minded individuals? I really don't know." Laurence Anderson had warned Josh not to get over his head into the supernatural, and it was clear now that he was head deep in it. "I'm sorry to reverse the question, but why did your Patron acknowledge you?"

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“AVATARS ARE HUMANS CHOSEN BY POKEMON TO ENACT THEIR WILL.”

his words are certain and punctuated full stop. it is the basis of everyone’s understanding but rarely do they ask beyond that. knowing just that is enough to make them go wild. to throw themselves into volcanoes or assault children.

as an avatar, such behavior is nothing short of revolting.

“that is the extent of what you know? and you are willing to throw your life away? for a far-fetch assumption? do you think the world revolves around you? that it will obey your standards of what is good enough?”

an error that must be dashed immediately. one of the only reasons why fernando entertains such conversation.

“these pokemon, who have hidden for centuries, are returning because they sense a disturbance. they are looking for individuals who can prevent or mitigate this danger.”

fernando turns around to look at his whiteboard. it’s empty now but that’ll soon change. he grabs a marker and twists off the cap.

“explain to me, why raikou would bargain with you, when you are already so willing to lick the dirt off its paws without ever having seen it?”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Josh Devlin

“AVATARS ARE HUMANS CHOSEN BY POKEMON TO ENACT THEIR WILL.”

Those were words that made Josh's world come tumbling down. It seemed that everything he knew about Avatars, and about the way they interacted with their Patrons, couldn't be farther from the truth. "So it is not a symbiotic relationship... like every other Pokémon... but a parasitic one?" the Gym Leader, filled with trepidation, slowly replied, his hands and arms involuntarily twitching.

Fernando's last question was the most difficult one of all. He closed his eyes, his tears, emotion, and sorrow in his voice making his words difficult to understand. At times, it was little more than incoherent babbling. "Raikou", "dream", "FORESIGHT", "JUDGMENT", "INSIGHT", and "lie" were emphasized words that were easier to understand, as well as his final sentence. "Great Raikou, that vision you presented me... WAS IT ALL A LIE THE WHOLE TIME?! FROM BEYOND YOUR OWN GRAVE?!!"

In reality, that vision was not from Raikou. It was a manifestation of Josh's desire to meet, befriend, and ride Raikou. It was a desire that turned into an obsession after Kyurem's GLACIATE and Deoxys' METEOR BEAM nearly took from him something that was in reality far more important to him: his closest Pokémon. After learning of Raikou's passing in the Kanto War, it spurred him to find answers, which ultimately led to him nearly becoming a murderer. It even made Josh believe that Raikiri, his Zeraora, embodied the soul of the Johto Beast that allegedly perished in Kanto. Perhaps kyle lopez passing Raikiri down to Josh was a mistake?

The emotional lability Callan Young directly cited in his interview with the Gym Leader, as well as was indirectly cited in Josh's deposition, was on full display in front of one of Hoenn's strongest leaders. The pressure inside him had built up like the steam of an overheated kettle, its top ready to blow any second. That second came as the Mauville Leader let out a loud scream of frustration not at Fernando. Not at Eris. Not at the League. Not at Raikou. No.

This angst was self-directed.

Having heard enough, Raikiri leaped out of his Poké Ball and socked Josh with one of his front paws. No electricity - just physical force. It was no love tap, either; it caused the Master of Faster real, physical pain, its bruise clearly visible on his exposed skin. The next few taps from the Zeraora were gentle pats to his cheeks in an effort to rouse Josh from the unconsciousness the electric-type had induced. With a groan, he opened his eyes to see Fernando in front of him again.

"Raikiri... thanks."

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FERNANDO DOES NOTHING DURING ALL OF THIS. it is not his place, nor his concern, really, to handle whatever cathartic release josh undergoes. if anything, this is courtesy. a small gift to someone bold enough to seek out his time.

“quick to blame and quick to assume. not a particularly good combo, devlin. and, whatever all this is.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Josh Devlin

The Zeraora's slap felt like a shot in the arm. A shot of the most painful medicine one could imagine. Yet with no pain, there would be no gain. It was as though the paw jolted Josh out of whatever trance his obsession with Raikou had left him in. "Last December, when I rode kyle lopez 's Raikou-familiar, I thought that would be enough to let me hang it up. Then when I found out about Raikou's death after traveling to Johto to visit my family, I was adamant to find out who within Rocket was responsible. That's what led to me doing what I did. And my time away from my Gym has made me realize that no Pokémon, not even Raikou, is worth that price."

He sniffed. His conversation with the charismatic figure felt like full-on psychological warfare.

"Like I said before, if Raikou truly wants me, he knows where to find me. Anyway, I'm done venting about it. I want to leave Eris behind. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm paying the price for it now. I want to leave the last thirteen years of my life behind, and focus on what I can change. What I can do for Mauville. For the League. I know it's something I won't be able to change overnight, but I want to be ready for our next big battle with Rocket. I want to be able to pull my weight this time. I just want to know where I can start."

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“THAT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE AVOIDING IT,” he accuses. “you’re on the right track but you won’t give it up.”

he draws two circles, overlapping, creating a venn diagram. in each circle, he draws the number one. in the middle, where they cross, he labels it with the number two.

“there is much you’re still missing. about avatars. about trainers. about what you need to be.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Josh Devlin

The diagram Fernando drew made Josh feel like there was something he just wasn't understanding. It had to be something subconscious; he had laid out his resignation that no legendary Pokémon, and certainly not Raikou, would choose him as he was. He still held a grudge against Matias. Indoctrinating within him a scorched-earth, all-or-nothing attitude toward Rocket, while it was not the sole cause of his admiration turning to fanaticism, was a big catalyst, he felt. Of course, he would not voice that to Fernando unless asked about it.

"May I ask you to elaborate?" was Josh's only response. It was right there on the board the Council member had drawn on. Whatever it was that the experienced man was trying to communicate to him, the Mauville Leader on probation simply could not put two and two together. Even Raikiri looked disappointed in him.

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“LEGENDARY POKEMON ARE CAPABLE OF AMAZING THINGS,” he notates by pointing at the left circle. “they are capable of amazing feats. they are entities that stand above all else.”

he points to the right circle.

“and there are humans that are equally exceptional. trainers who do not need to rely on others. people who can make the impossible happen.”

then the middle.

“to combat regional threats, they join hands to become something better. avatars represent the epitome of what this world can bring. multiplying two wholes to double their effectiveness.”

outside of the diagram, he draws a thin crescent.

“then, there are people who think they need legendary pokemon. those that idolize and worship will never realize what they can do on their own. people like you devlin.”

next to it, he draws a half circle.

“the change you think will suffice is just that, a half measure. the fact you’re open to raikou coming to you means you won’t let go of this fantasy. in the end, if it comes, which you are sure it will, you would still try to make it your own.”

he points back to the first circle.

“avatars are trainers who are willing to disregard and decline these legendary pokemon. if raikou comes to you, you need to be able to say that you don’t need it. this is what makes champions like kyle lopez.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Josh Devlin

The analogy was sound when Josh thought about it. What did Raikou have to gain from joining forces with him? If the tale of the Hero of Johto was true, Raikou did have something to gain from joining forces with him. He was one of the few in Hoenn with the speed tolerance needed to withstand being astride Raikou. While Fernando was drawing the crescent outside the diagram, Josh spoke up. "And being able to physically handle and handle Pokémon that can keep up with Raikou's speed when others cannot means nothing?"

The final part of the Councilman's explanation confused him more. He tried to break the statement down as much as he could. "So what you're saying is Avatars are all people who have had the divine power forced onto them by legendary Pokémon, against their will? Do I have that right? If I have that interpretation right, that's not what kyle lopez told me when I talked to him. He told me there was nothing wrong with that as a wish, as long as it stayed as a wish, and not an objective. That's what I want it to be: a wish and nothing more."

A thought came to his head. For the first time all meeting, Josh cracked a smile.

"Besides, I already have a place to fantasize about it. Have you heard of the full-sim MMO 'NINE: True Goddess Reincarnation'?"

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“NO,” he answers immediately. “that is your own warped perception and projection.”

he takes a long pause at josh’s next question, unsure of how he came to such a conclusion. a brief glance back at the whiteboard proceeds him before he clarifies further.

“i told you, devlin, that you always have a choice. pokemon, humans, avatars. they are no different.”

the mention of kyle lopez doesn’t dissuade him. where his lecture ended on a positive note, fernando’s errs pessimism. that is the difference between their champion, a scion of hope, and their councilman, an accountant of doubt.

“trainers who are capable enough of denying a legendary pokemon, confident in their ability to stand without them, are the ones that are most deserving. should ho-oh’s view no longer align, kyle would have no issue with abandoning his avatarship and still change the world. it is these people, these driving forces, that the world needs to save it.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Josh Devlin

There was no response to Josh's remark about the game. It didn't surprise him; executives like him didn't have time for entertainment requiring a level of commitment that a full-sim game did. "Long story short, I can live my fantasy in that game. I have a Raikou skin for my mount there." He wouldn't elaborate further.

Josh thought about his conversation with Kyle again. He had missed one detail: Kyle had done much to make a name for himself prior to Ho-oh contacting him. So had Katherine Fairburne . So had John Sullivan . "End of aside, so what you're saying is they are people who have demonstrated they are more than capable of altering the world without their powers.... to be able to make a difference on their own. Rather than outright refusing the help, they demonstrate they are capable trainers without it. Am I anywhere close?"

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“CLOSE ENOUGH,” concludes their lesson. a brandished erasure clear the board. leaving it just as empty as when josh first entered.

“someone such as yourself will always cling to your ideal. you say that you will become better for yourself but if raikou were to appear, you’d be open to it. that is you lying to yourself. because you are obsessed. because you are not confident in your pokemon. so that is why you must discard that notion.”

he looks to the zeraora.

“and, at the utmost, it is disrespectful to the pokemon we call our partners. our companions that we ask to fight, hurt, and die for our cause. i can already see how you would abandon them to focus on raikou, should the possibility ever present itself. and, as a pokemon trainer, i see that as a tragedy.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Josh Devlin

Every person who was a League Avatar had proven they had done great things without needing their powers.

That was the point Josh had missed until the Silph had pointed it out to him. What he was saying was true; Josh did have a confidence issue. Legendary or no, they were still Pokémon. They had strengths and weaknesses, like any other. "I see your point, but I'm going to have to partially disagree with you there. I do agree with you that at the time of the incident, I did have an obsession with Raikou. I let the pressure build up to the point where my dream became more than a dream. I let my dream shape a false reality around me. Like Kyle said, there is nothing wrong with a healthy dream. It's just a matter of bottling that dream back up and putting a cork in it so that it stays that way."

Josh nodded as he noticed Fernando's gaze shift to Raikiri. He stood up and gave the powerful Pokémon that struck him another hug. "You are right, come to think of it. Raikiri is a perfect case study. When I got Raikiri from Kyle, I would spend day after day with him, drunk on the speed high he gave me. Just like I used to with Saber, the Manectric my Gym is known for. He was my very first Pokémon; I've had him since I was ten. He was special to me. Then Raikiri found his way into my lap, and everything changed." He wanted to continue speaking on the matter, but could not find the words. He became lost in thought for a full thirty seconds before an epiphany reached him in the form of a single word.

"Moderation."