The first rays of sunlight shone through the thick storm clouds, a reminder that it was still the middle of the day. It was a relief to see; that storm was a flash in the pan, but was it ever intense.
"Now it's just a matter of getting the cops out here." With it not pouring down rain, he could now place a call to Fortree's Law Enforcers to capture these two. After hearing the dispatcher's reply to his report about two of the Black Emboar, he couldn't help but chuckle. Apparently they were a big problem not just in Hoenn, but in other regions, as well. They were based out of a distant region called Borrius, a region with massive gang problems.
When Elinor approached Josh with the notion of joining the Rangers or Hoenn's League police, he at first protested, even stammering.
"I t-took martial arts classes when I was younger, but that was a d-decade ago!" His eyes shifted about, lost in thought. Resheph was all too excited; while she wanted to see Josh grow as a racer, she would be thrilled to see Josh putting his racing skills to a use that would benefit others! While she couldn't communicate telepathically with her rider, the two had enough of a link to get the message across.
The young man removed his helmet completely, revealing his messy, black hair.
"...I don't think I could be a cop," he signed.
"I really don't. Their code is too strict for me, plus it's not something you can do part time. That's a career in and of itself, and I don't want to give up my dream. Not of being a pro Pokémon Racer...and not of..." He sniffled and shed a tear.
"...This is embarrassing. Can you keep this quiet from everyone else?" If Elinor agreed to keep silent, Josh would continue.
"...Him." he sighed with a heavy heart, pointing in the direction of the shrine they had just saved.
"This is going to sound like it's coming from a six-year-old, but...the whole reason I became a trainer in the first place..." His thoughts whizzed through his mind at hundreds of miles an hour, unable to finish one story without interrupting himself.
"So for my tenth birthday, I asked for the Electrike you saw as Saber. I asked for an Electrike, even though I knew they were difficult to raise, because it would be the closest I could ever get to..." He trailed off again, then minimized all the applications on his phone's screen, all the way down to his wallpaper: an artist's rendition of a first-person view from above Raikou's back. The creature's thundercloud was drawn in shocking detail. Just looking at the rendition made him tear up more, given his mental state. Beat.
"...That," he said, turning the screen toward Elinor.
"This is why I chose to be a Pokémon racer!" he raised his voice.
"I WANT TO SEE HIM MYSELF!" Not once could Josh well up the courage to mention the majestic yet savage Pokémon by name. He couldn't help but fully break down in tears. Whether or not he actually had a connection to the Burned Tower Beast, he believed it so much that he felt deep down it just
had to exist.
He cried for several minutes straight before turning his phone off completely.
"I'm so sorry to have to put you through that, Elinor. It's already one in a million just to see him. But to get on his good side and forge a bond with him like with Saber...that's another one in a million on top of that. It's embarrassing. But I can't let it go." He shook his head.
"Anyway, back to what you were saying. I don't think I could be a cop. I don't like the rigid code, and it's full time. Rangering, on the other hand..." He took another long pause. Maybe this was the start of a new journey: one where he could use his unique skillset for something more than the glory of competition.
"...It's not something I can commit to year round, because I don't want to give up my racing career. But...oh Arceus, count me in." Resheph let out an excited coo, though she stayed mostly still. Josh put his helmet back on and slammed his visor back down; it was a sign of almost arrogant confidence in his off-season career change.
"You said you were a League officer, right? Where do I start?"Elinor Anderson NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Twilight Absol Critical
Aslan Litleo Good
Saber Manectric Critical
Ares Charmeleon Good
Snacker Sharpedo Good{WC: 755}
{PC: 7}