MARCH UPDATE

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 19, 2024 15:57:54 GMT

Though he had his flaws, the Emergent and his rainbow Patron had deemed Josh's good qualities to vastly outweigh the bad. His sentence cut by a year, the Master of Faster was now a Champion. Though there were still naysayers and malfeasants in Hoenn and across the world, the population had largely moved on from his one brief stumble from grace, seeing it as just that: a stumble from which he recovered and showed his true character.

Hylda's mist felt good as the Glastrier ferried Josh across the largest plains in Hoenn: Route 117. Extending well north, part of it was well-hidden from view, being in the foothills of the Chimney Mountain Range. It was the only place close to home Josh felt comfortable taking his electric tiger for a run, too; with how important keeping the Raikou a secret was for the time being, he couldn't use his Gym for it like he first did with kyle lopez so long ago.

Behind Hylda ran some of Josh's other Pokémon, Raiden excitedly shooting off sparks as Dashie's hooves clicked, the Galarian Rapidash's mane gleaming in the sun. Even Aleph was in a good, celebratory mood - quite rare for the ornery Type: Null. "Sure is unseasonably warm, isn't it?" he casually asked Greyson. "Glad I brought Hylda here with me. Never thought I'd ride a horse with built-in air conditioning, I'll tell you that much!"

Greyson Connors

{PC: 1}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 23, 2024 13:10:42 GMT

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]Greyson opts to bring his Galarian Rapidash instead of his own ice-horse.

The shiny, illumina-rune covered mare was one of his more gentle Pokémon. Her natural psychic nature kept him in the saddle even when inexperience threatened to uproot him at every bump and turn.

"It is quite a day." A neutral tone. "Congratulations on finishing the gauntlet, by the way."

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"]sprite here

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

[newclass=.snub-greyson-main] font:12.5px Tahoma; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;margin:0 auto; width:70%; margin-bottom:-120px;
[/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson a] text-transform:uppercase; text-align:right; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main b]color:#cec8ef; letter-spacing:.3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main i]font-size:13px;color:#2a879e;letter-spacing:.4px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main u]font-size:12px;border-bottom: 1.5px solid #2a879e;letter-spacing: .5px;text-decoration: none;margin: 0px -3px 0px -3px;padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main h1]font-size:12px;color:#2a879e;letter-spacing:1px;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;font-family: Verdana;display: inline-block;margin: 0px -3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson] width:80%; padding:45px; background-color:#272727; transform:skew(0deg); border:solid 2px #363636;[/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-tag] text-align:right; font-size:0px; margin-top:-30px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-tag a] color: #272727!important; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-pkmn]text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; margin-top: -30px; position: absolute; width: 75%; [/newclass]

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 25, 2024 21:27:38 GMT

As much mist surrounded Hylda, an equal amount of brightness radiated from the Illumina Rapidash, the psychic horse looking like the sacred steed of a god of light. His mind wandered to Elise Calcifet and Charles, wondering what their thoughts would be on the matter. In possession of a vial of Crystabloom essence capable of inducing the Illumina phenomenon within a Pokémon, he could make Dashie just as breathtaking if he so wanted. Twilight was once Illumina, though all traces of Crystabloom energy vanished when she Mega Evolved, learning both for himself and for the League that the two phenomena were mutually exclusive.

"Thanks. It was... a good last memory to have of Kyle," Josh tried to smile back, his eyes shifting away from the road and toward the RAINBOW FEATHER pinned to his shirt. The smile didn't last long; while he was slowly getting over the loss of a true friend, the death of the Top Champion would linger in his thoughts for quite some time. "He truly went all out against me. Did you get to watch the match back? The recording should be on the League's intranet."

Josh reined Hylda north, off the road and toward the grassy field. "Any luck finding his body? I heard that only his Solgaleo had been recovered so far. I wonder where Entei and the Great One are..."

Greyson Connors

{PC: 2}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 26, 2024 14:24:06 GMT

dahlia goode and MATIAS SILPH like this

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]Talk of Kyle brings sombers the conversation and casts grey clouds over a bright day.

"I haven't yet," he says with a neutral tone. Though, it Kyle has actually gone all out, he had serious doubts a single person on Hoenn stood a chance.

"Still, life goes on. The war hasn't stopped."

Losing not only Kyle but Matias as well? A powerful blow. And he could only blame one person: dahlia goode.

How many people had come to her, he genuinely wonders, about MATIAS SILPH? Warnings of the unhinged nature that would, eventually, cut down their greatest asset.

He shakes his thoughts free of the pessimism.

"I hope you've taken our lessons well. The Champion-ranked trainers will needed now, more than ever."

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"]sprite here

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 26, 2024 23:55:18 GMT

As much as Josh didn't want to, Josh needed to have the conversation with the higher-ups. He couldn't remain silent forever, but he had promised Matias that he would be quiet about his knowledge of the Top Champion's killer's identity. The truth would come out eventually.

There was also a glimmer of hope. Kyle had proven to Josh several times that death was not as final of a concept with him as it would be to less fortunate souls. He had resurrected Nala and Rani, among other people and Pokémon. Could that be why the search had been thus far unsuccessful? It was hard to say; he doubted a Patron that had helped Raikou, Entei, and Suicune cheat death -- not the Hoennian versions of them Josh wielded -- the ones revered in his home region.

"It's been going on for years, and it won't stop any time soon," Josh sighed, Hylda turning up the cold blast surrounding her. Even Greyson may have been able to feel it, the Champion's surroundings like a cool fall day. "And that's why we have to keep fighting. Rocket will think that because Kyle fell, they have free reign to invade the mainland. Expand their territory. And that... I think that's why he trusted me with Swift." Swift, of course, being the name of the ashen Raikou.

Also clearing his mind of Kyle for the time being, Josh had Hylda pick up the pace some, encouraging Greyson and his Rapidash to keep up. "If you watch my match with Kyle back, you'll see the improvements. A lot's happened outside the circuit, too. When Sootopolis comes, I'll be ready. That and all the people who take the new Gym challenge I'm drawing up."

Greyson Connors

{PC: 3}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON May 1, 2024 2:19:46 GMT

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]Rapidash picks up speed, though importantly she maintains her grace and poise.

Greyson shifts uncomfortably in the saddle, grunting. He wasn't used to riding and likely never would be.

After a few moments he raises his hand to bring this sprint to a halt.

"Your shade of Raikou is not as strong as the original, isn't that right?"

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"] rae (✨ | ILLUMINA ) ♀ | illuminate//psychic, megahorn, dazzling gleam, spotlight, heal pulse, morning sun

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON May 2, 2024 8:07:59 GMT

Josh enjoyed the high speed while it lasted, but it was clear that Greyson wasn't, his form unsteady. The grunting was a reminder that going fast put stress on a rider's body. It was stress that took time and training to adapt to. The Gym Leader reined Hylda to an abrupt stop, the horse rearing and getting a whoop out of him.

While he let the Elite Four's thighs rest, Josh enlightened him with what little he knew about his new gift. "Almost... embarrassingly so. I've run some tests with Science, and Raikou would stand a chance out there. The only move he knows how to use is Spark. He hasn't been able to defeat even a single one of my common Pokémon in battle, let alone any of the paradoxes. I expect the war to tilt in the favor of those who have mastered them."

He had all the tools to train Swift; it was just a matter of figuring out why the Raikou was so weak and devising a plan. Science still had a lot of testing to do; it would take multiple visits to the Pokémon League before he could come up with a plan. "I did notice one thing about him, though; while he can't win in combat, Swift hasn't lost any of his speed. He's just as fast as the legends say." It was an odd characteristic to preserve, making the ashen Beast overspecalized to the point where his other weapons were almost unusable. "Swift is his name, by the way."

Greyson Connors

{PC: 4}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON May 4, 2024 17:06:54 GMT

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]Greyson slaps life back into his thighs, wincing at soreness already bleeding through.

"It's a shade of the Legendary." At least, that's the option that makes the most sense.

"Typically you can train a Pokémon's weakness. How can you do that here? I don't think it can grow any stronger through hard work alone."

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"] rae (✨ | ILLUMINA ) ♀ | illuminate//psychic, megahorn, dazzling gleam, spotlight, heal pulse, morning sun

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON May 5, 2024 0:44:08 GMT

Josh was starting to get a little cool from how much the Glastrier was dropping the temperature around him. While natural air conditioning was nice, he didn't want to freeze, either. "Hylda, can you turn the cold blast down just a little?" With a snort, the aura of cold around her became smaller. "Thank you."

Greyson, too, brought up that the Raikou was a shade of the Beast. "If we can get a little farther out into the country, I can show him to you, if you think it would help. I'm leery of using him in public. We've done a wonderful job at keeping this development airtight. And I'd like to keep it that way until Sootopolis. That's when I want to spring Raikou on Rocket if I can get him ready in time." They wouldn't be going toe-to-toe with one of Rocket's Avatars any time soon, that much he expected. It wouldn't be a fair fight. He just wanted Swift to pull his weight in military operations.

Josh sighed at Greyson's insightfulness on the situation. A good part of it probably came through the email, but being a member of AQUA, he had no doubt helped strengthen legendary Pokémon for war. "I was going to meet with Kyle to talk about it, as he and his Patron were in the best position to answer questions I had. We even talked about meeting up around the end of the month. Of course, now we've both been denied the chance. I've been working with illeana reyes , and Science in general, to help understand a little more about him. Why he's so weak, and why he can only use Spark."

At the notion of Swift's growth being outside Josh's hands, he sighed deeply. "I wonder if any AQUA Initiative members would be able to help. Raising a legendary Pokémon is totally different than even these paradoxes. Could be worth meeting with one of them."

Greyson Connors

{PC: 5}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON May 5, 2024 3:59:16 GMT

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]It was clear to Greyson this topic weighed heavily on Josh.

He nods to the comment about going further but remains where he is; it could wait.

"The Aqua Initiative could give insight — Avatar's, potentially, most of all. But, that sort-of bond isn't like what you have. Do you have any type of bond with that shade?"

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"]
rae (✨ | ILLUMINA ) ♀ | illuminate//psychic, megahorn, dazzling gleam, spotlight, heal pulse, morning sun

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON May 6, 2024 7:04:34 GMT

Greyson Connors likes this

Josh had figured the best people to talk to about it would be League Avatars. Thankfully, he was friends with quite a few of them. Remiel Calcifet , Isaac Merlo , illeana reyes , Eva Morales ... there were so many he could go to for help. Even former Avatars like Razz Kingsman could be helpful. When asked about a bond, Josh thought about it; he hadn't known the Raikou long enough to make that determination.

"I think it's going to be a matter of time before I can figure that out," Josh answered, mist falling from the Glastrier's body. "He hasn't disobeyed me once, and he's really responsive when I'm riding him. Even at full speed. It's not like Laurence Anderson ' Articuno at all. He's got issues controlling them. If I had to guess, I'd say a tenuous one at best. He listens to me, but I feel like I'm not using him to his full potential."

As he would discover later, it would be a lot more complicated than that. "I'll definitely add to that email chain I started about him. We won't have a lot of time to hone that bond before Sootopolis; I've been hearing from the grapevine that June's the timetable. I will talk to the Avatars I'm good friends with, though; I'm sure they can help."

Greyson Connors

{PC: 6}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON May 8, 2024 21:42:25 GMT

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]Greyson nods along, uncharacteristically stoic. Brow furrowing, he turns the look onto Josh.

"Just don't rely too heavily on it," Greyson cautions, reaching out with one hand to smooth the hair of his Rapidash.

"That shade is a tool—a weapon to be wielded, at least until you can determine sentience." He pauses. "Is it sentient?"

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"]
rae (✨ | ILLUMINA ) ♀ | illuminate//psychic, megahorn, dazzling gleam, spotlight, heal pulse, morning sun

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

[newclass=.snub-greyson-main] font:12.5px Tahoma; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;margin:0 auto; width:70%; margin-bottom:-120px;
[/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson a] text-transform:uppercase; text-align:right; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main b]color:#cec8ef; letter-spacing:.3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main i]font-size:13px;color:#cec8ef;letter-spacing:.4px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main u]font-size:12px;border-bottom: 1.5px solid #2a879e;letter-spacing: .5px;text-decoration: none;margin: 0px -3px 0px -3px;padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main h1]font-size:12px;color:#2a879e;letter-spacing:1px;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;font-family: Verdana;display: inline-block;margin: 0px -3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson] width:80%; padding:45px; background-color:#272727; transform:skew(0deg); border:solid 2px #363636;[/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-tag] text-align:right; font-size:0px; margin-top:-30px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-tag a] color: #272727!important; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-pkmn]text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; margin-top: -30px; position: absolute; width: 75%; [/newclass]

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON May 10, 2024 2:35:04 GMT

Andrea Vaneau likes this

"Of course not," Josh replied, a shift of the wind blowing the wake of cold air surrounding Hylda toward Greyson and his Rapidash. "That's one thing that the Champion Assessment, and the Gym circuit as a whole, taught me. It's okay to have a star player, but a star player can't carry a team on their own." It wasn't just the case as a Pokémon trainer; any team sport was like that.

The topic of sentience caused Josh to freeze. Was that why Swift was so eager to listen to Josh? Because the Beast couldn't think for himself like a normal Pokémon could? He didn't want to answer Greyson's question at first. He didn't want to believe that Swift was as MATIAS SILPH said: a construct.

"I haven't been with him long enough to figure that out yet," Josh answered. "Legendary Pokémon are different. I didn't want to just treat him like another member of my team. Even so, he's as obedient as any of my other Pokémon. I... I don't know the answer yet. But I hope he is. After all, even gods need friends, right?"

Andrea Vaneau was really rubbing off on him, wasn't he?

Greyson Connors

{PC: 7}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good
Dashie Rapidash Good
Raiden Zebstrika Good
Raikou Raging Bolt Good
Hylda Glastrier Good

close tab

played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

3,045 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON May 12, 2024 18:03:59 GMT

[attr="class","snub-greyson-main"]

[attr="class","snub-greyson"]"Perhaps there's a clue there—in its sentience, or lack thereof." The idea would be a difficult one for Josh to come to terms with—that his Legend was nothing more than the shadow of the real thing.

Would that satisfy the Champion-ranked trainer?

"But all of this is just speculation in the end. Just make sure before you touch ground on a battlefield, you've erased all doubts in your mind."

[attr="class","snub-greyson-pkmn"]
rae (✨ | ILLUMINA ) ♀ | illuminate//psychic, megahorn, dazzling gleam, spotlight, heal pulse, morning sun

[attr="class","snub-greyson-tag"]
Josh Devlin

[newclass=.snub-greyson-main] font:12.5px Tahoma; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;margin:0 auto; width:70%; margin-bottom:-120px;
[/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson a] text-transform:uppercase; text-align:right; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main b]color:#cec8ef; letter-spacing:.3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main i]font-size:13px;color:#cec8ef;letter-spacing:.4px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main u]font-size:12px;border-bottom: 1.5px solid #2a879e;letter-spacing: .5px;text-decoration: none;margin: 0px -3px 0px -3px;padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-main h1]font-size:12px;color:#2a879e;letter-spacing:1px;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;font-family: Verdana;display: inline-block;margin: 0px -3px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson] width:80%; padding:45px; background-color:#272727; transform:skew(0deg); border:solid 2px #363636;[/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-tag] text-align:right; font-size:0px; margin-top:-30px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-tag a] color: #272727!important; [/newclass]
[newclass=.snub-greyson-pkmn]text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; margin-top: -30px; position: absolute; width: 75%; [/newclass]

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

6,113 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin