Anarchy's Rainbow [M]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
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7,248 posts
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Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 3:53:46 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
The swarm split in two as Resheph's horn skewered several of the smaller fish, Josh trying to get a good look at Blackjack's face. No dice - not even a general build. Isaac's Rocket disguise was too good. Indeed, the two had very different goals. Josh's goal was to win the race to end the madness that Isaac had wrought. He had multiple loss conditions to Isaac's one. If one of his Pokémon fainted, he would be so far behind that that race would effectively be over.

Right as Josh passed Isaac, the swarm writhed around Resheph, the Dragonair shrieking as she felt horn and fang pierce her scales, slapping hands bruise them, and the cut of blade and whip exposing the tender skin underneath the natural armor covering her tail. He could feel Resheph's heartbeat as she struggled to maintain her speed. Ultimately, the wounded dragon-type could no longer keep up. "Don't worry about him. Just get to the end of the river. Bladestorm and I will handle things from there."

The ticking clock loomed in the back of Josh's mind too. While they had some leeway, it wasn't as much as they would have liked. One of his Pokémon crashing wouldn't be irrecoverable, but it would mean a very tight recovery window...to the point where he might not be able to make a mistake entering the override. Plus, by the time he would have to make this decision, he would be well beyond the point of no return. His own heartbeat racing, he conserved what little energy he had, holding his wounded Dragonair to as close of a second as he could.



{WC: 276}
{PC: 8}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       Good
Resheph       Dragonair      Fair
Yagyu         Doublade       Good


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 4:09:07 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]Josh was utterly passive in the face of his Pokemon's pain. But that didn't mean he was callous. If anything, Isaac was being the callous one right now for putting him through all of this in the first place. But this, too, was another important lesson. Sometimes, you couldn't save everybody. Sometimes, you couldn't afford to be the nice guy all the time. Sometimes, there were things more important, and your focus needed to remain ironclad no matter how much it hurt.[break][break]

"You're learning well," Isaac said. "There are gonna be times where you gotta make a hard choice to do what's right. There are some real sick bastards out there. Ones that make me look like a saint. And if you let 'em in your head, you've already lost. Good on you for keeping your eye on what matters here."[break][break]

"But don't think that means I'm gonna make it easy for you."[break][break]

The mobbed Wishwashi continued their advance up the Dragonair's body, its slowed pace allowing them to pass right by it. What Josh had feared from the start was now coming to pass; the bulky Wishiwashi, dented and battered as it was, now took up a large portion of the river. They reshaped themselves once more, focusing on width instead of depth to hog as much space as humanly possible. Their back half was now what looked like a flattened mouth made entirely of writhing fish tails, while their front half was a short, stubby tail made of stalwart fish faces.[break][break]

The tail-maw creaked open, and out from it flooded another torrent of Scale Shots. The force of this shot propelled the Wishiwashi forward, even as it shrank. Not only would the Dragonair have a hell of a time catching up to it at this rate, but its attempts would likely leave it battered and bruised by super effective damage. Would it be able to push through the storm? Or would it find itself sinking at the final hurdle?[break][break]

As Isaac started to pull further away from Josh, a single musing drifted along the wind. "Blade, huh? Now that gives me an idea . . ." So far, Isaac had imparted two lessons onto Josh, whether the other man knew it or not. But now he had his third and most important in mind.[break][break]

And it was all thanks to Josh.[break][break]

[break][break]





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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,248 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 5:24:31 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Josh grumbled at Blackjack's words. The Mauville Leader and Ranger cared deeply about every single one of his Pokémon. One thing Josh did not understand about Team Rocket was their emphasis on Pokémon as mere tools rather than partners and true friends. Pokémon and humans were meant to live symbiotically. The very fact that Legendary Pokémon that chose to live alongside humans existed was exhibit number one, that even some of the gods felt the need for a human to live alongside.

Of course, that was still a mere dream to Josh. If only he had Raikou on his side for this chase. He would have been able to chase Rampage down without a second thought! That was neither here nor there; he had to rely on his own wits and his own Pokémon to get himself out of this mess, and not divine speed.

Shiver's SCALE SHOT was coming as the water-type obstructed the point where the river turned back toward the Racing Grounds' entrance. This was as far as the Dragonair was going to swim. "Resheph, jump out of the water and use your EXTREME SPEED!" He braced himself for the Dragonair, surrounding herself and her rider in purple dragon energy, to leap out of the water at the speed of a rocket.

3 MINUTES TO MAIN GENERATOR EXPLOSION.

She was too deep in the swarm. While the Dragonair was able to free herself after being picked off by the close-range SCALE SHOT, her momentum sent Josh hurtling into the air and over the outside riverbank. He reached for Bladestorm's Poké Ball, withdrew the battered Dragonair, and released his Skarmory, who was quick to make sure his trainer landed in the saddle. After getting to level flight, the first thing Josh did was get harnessed up, snapping the cocoon part of her cocoon saddle around his legs in case they needed to pull any evasive maneuvers.



{WC: 317}
{PC: 9}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       Good
Resheph       Dragonair      KO
Yagyu         Doublade       Good


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 17:01:09 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]"Atta girl, Shiver," Isaac said, the main Wishiwashi poking out from the collective to bump Isaac's outstretched fist with her snoot. Unlike Josh's haphazard exit, Isaac left the scene in a cool, collected fashion. He released a Pokeball into the air, his trusty Crobat swooping down to lift him off of the Wishiwashi's head. He recalled them on his way up, the distorted fish grinning contentedly at the satisfaction of a job well done.[break][break]

Between the blaring sirens, the explosion warnings, and the tension thickening the air, Sunny shot Isaac a concerned look. "Hey. You don't gotta fight if you don't want to," Isaac assured him. "You just focus on moving, okay? I've got this covered." One final Pokemon released into the air, the twin blades of Luck & Pluck wrapping their tassels around Isaac's arms and folding across his lap.[break][break]

By the time Josh was ready, he'd find Isaac sitting patiently and waiting for him. It seemed he wasn't going to capitalize on that head start. He didn't turn to acknowledge Josh's presence, but he spoke nonetheless as he stared into the empty crowds. "Last leg. Feeling the burn yet?" he asked. "No? Well, that's okay. You're about to. It'd be real unfair to these guys if we made them do all the work, don't you agree?"[break][break]

Sunny turned around in a single wingbeat. As he did, Isaac drew his Doublade from their sheaths in a single, elegant motion. He kept one blade raised in a defensive position, but jabbed the other towards Josh in a single, accusatory point. "If you say you deserve this gym, then prove it! Draw your blade and face me!"[break][break]

It was more than just a flashy accusation. Where Luck & Pluck pointed, the shadows would start to ripple and waver. The Doublade's own shadow would emerge from the spot, pausing for but seconds before swinging down at him. His Shadow Sneak made his intentions as clear as day. This duel wasn't a request; it was a command.[break][break]

All the while, Sunny's rear wings would greedily scoop up air for his forewings to smoothly glide across. Crobat were already notoriously agile Pokemon. With this Tailwind, he'd be able to float like a Butterfree. All the while, Luck & Pluck would sting like a Beedrill.[break][break]

Was this race truly at its halfway point? Or was Josh staring down his final trial?

[break][break]





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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,248 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @joshdevlin
Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 18:32:42 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Josh came into this confrontation expecting a simple race to the Operations Center. The situation escalated when he understood that attacking the other's mount was not off limits. And now, it escalated again as Blackjack drew a Doublade on him. His rival's taunt about making the Pokémon do all the work rubbed him the wrong way. That wasn't how being a Pokémon racer worked at all! Yes, the Pokémon did a lot of work, but so did the rider! The two worked as a team! Blackjack and his Doublade were certainly no strangers to teamwork - the two hid in the twilight, cutting through the Leader's racing suit. Luck & Pluck got the pleasure of tasting fresh blood from right above Josh's Psycho Cut wound that transcended the Cloud. He hissed loudly. At least it didn't cut that nasty wound back open - that would add so much to the already lengthy healing time!

Blackjack had some keen eyes. How did he noticed the Doublade sheaths Josh had on him? It wasn't like he had much of a choice. He had to knock the Crobat out of the sky. Bladestorm would help with that a lot, but it seemed he wanted a direct confrontation. "Alright, Bladestorm, I trust you. Tonight, we dine on Crobat." The Metal Menace sounded a screeching cry as Josh hung his reins at the end of the bird's saddle, then drew both blades comprising Yagyu. If Blackjack wanted a joust, he was getting one! Josh, likewise, kept the blade in his off hand raised in a defensive position, much like one would use a shield. The blade in his main hand was pointed at Isaac much like a polearm.

Then, Sunny's TAILWIND came. Or in Josh's case, a stiff headwind that would have made holding on difficult if he didn't wisely outfit his aerial squad with cocoon saddles. The resulting turbulence made it difficult for the Leader to keep his arm steady. Both blades disappeared into the twilight, Josh appearing to hold only the sheaths as a sinister absence of light enveloped both the ghost-type and her wielder's hands. If Josh was truly the Hero of Johto that he thought Raikou was looking for, this would be wonderful practice for mounted combat. The high-speed NIGHT SLASH, if it landed, would leave the Crobat reeling to the point where Josh could focus on just having Bladestorm make a beeline for the Operations Center. He spurred the Steel-type into AGILITY in an effort to add gash to slash...




{WC: 354}
{PC: 10}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Josh          Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       Good
Resheph       Dragonair      KO
Yagyu         Doublade       Good


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 4, 2022 23:48:21 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]A quiet "tch" escaped Isaac's throat as he saw the shadowy Doublade slice into Josh's back. Blood gleamed from its illusory edge for but a single second, at which point the shadow faded back into the aether. He watched as the drops fell down, down, down to the turf below. It was all he could do to avoid cringing at the sight of a good friend getting backstabbed.[break][break]

He wanted to cringe at the sight. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to call the whole damn thing off, because this exercise was getting more out of hand with every passing moment. He never wanted things to escalate this point. He never wanted the gym to be at actual risk. He never wanted to draw first blood on his own friend.[break][break]

But if he said all of that, than what would be the point? At least as the villain of this story, he could push Josh to fight harder, run further, grow and be nurtured in the garden of pain. All of that would be for nothing if he pulled the rug out at the last minute. Josh could hate him all he wanted. And he could take that hate and tuck it away in his pocket, right alongside his mask, his jacket, and the hate he felt for himself.[break][break]

Even as his head pounded, his eyes hardened with resolve. "I gave you a warning," he said. "Be more prepared next time."[break][break]

It's what would have told him.[break][break]

Resolve hardened in Josh's heart as well. He made a beeline for the Crobat, blades wreathed in the sinister shadows of a Night Slash. His Skarmory sped up, flooding extra momentum into the strike. If it made direct contact, it was going to hurt. But Isaac had no intent of letting that happen. Instead, he goaded Sunny to fly lower, dipping beneath the strike.[break][break]

When a Doublade swung, its blade demanded satisfaction. To simply dodge one was an impossibility. However, by dipping downward, Isaac had given him just enough room to swing his own Doublade into the path of Josh's. Shadows intermingled with shadows as the two pairs of Night Slashes collided, a painful blow dealt to the core of both ghosts.[break][break]

"Fight through the pain," Isaac whispered, curving his wrists inward. Luck & Pluck slide forward crossed their blades behind the other Doublade, as if trying to hold their mirror match in a clinch. If he could restrict their motion, their attacks would be far weaker.[break][break]

As they flew in parallel, Sunny turned to Bladestorm. His mouth spread wide as he unleashed a Supersonic right into the Skarmory's face. Would its resolve hold? Or would it find itself losing focus at such a critical point?

[break][break]





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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,248 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @joshdevlin
Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 5, 2022 3:03:53 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
It took great effort for Josh to not focus on fighting back after Luck & Pluck well...plucked skin and blood from him. It could have been worse. It could have been a frontal wound rather than a wound from behind, which would have sent a rush of air between his racing suit and his body. If he had to be cut anywhere, his back was one of the best places for it.

It seemed Blackjack's jousting skills matched Josh's. The two Night Slashes met with force that caused even the hilts to dig into their wielder. Unsurprising, given their ludicrous closing speed that exceeded that of every land-bound Pokémon in his Gym. Both his hands throbbed as Luck & Pluck knocked Yagyu out of both of Josh's hands, leaving him unarmed and extremely vulnerable.

Bladestorm was having such a hard time shaking Sunny, the two almost evenly matched in terms of speed. The Crobat's SUPERSONIC, while not as debilitating for Josh due to his helmet blocking some of the sound, rang through the Skarmory like a tuning fork. His now-erratic flight path caused the two to yield the lead to Blackjack and his Crobat. After the second wrong turn, Josh filled his empty hands with the bird's reins, wrenching full manual control from the Metal Menace. Too confused to even retort with a compressed Air Slash from between the wings, he couldn't even strike back.

2 MINUTES TO MAIN GENERATOR EXPLOSION.

The Operations Center was in sight, behind the tallest peak on the northwest corner of the properly. With Bladestorm unable to comprehend verbal directions, it was up to Josh and his airmanship alone to end the crisis brought on by Team Rocket.




{WC: 283}
{PC: 11}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Josh          Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       Confuse
Resheph       Dragonair      KO
Yagyu         Doublade       Good


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 5, 2022 3:53:37 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]Isaac must have been tenser than he expected. What he intended as a brief clinch to slow Josh's strikes had turned into a full-on disarm. But it wasn't very surprising. Isaac's own strength was starting to shock him, and Josh's focus was more on his pace than on his grip.[break][break]

Still, Isaac's brow furrowed. Did he not realize how easy it would be for his foe to close in and run him through with those Doublade? He'd let his only defense, his literal lifeline, be slapped from his hand with such ease. Part of Isaac wanted to toss him one of his own blades so he could at least put up a token effort. Yet another part of him knew that when Josh's focus was set, nothing could change it.[break][break]

His focus was on flight, not fight. So Isaac would give him something to fly from.[break][break]

He pulled back against Sunny, guiding the Crobat to flare out his wings and back away from Bladestorm. No longer would Josh be harried by jukes, fakes, slashes, and distractions. He'd have the open air in front of him and the operations center in plain sight. In fact, for a second it might have even felt freeing. Maybe a little too freeing.[break][break]

Behind Josh, Isaac crossed his blades above his head. Luck & Pluck's blades were surrounded by an ominous purple haze. Then they absorbed the haze turned a pitch black, highlighted only by a faint outline of Infinity Energy. Once they were as black as the void itself, Isaac touched their tips together, pulling them aside to open a gateway into the void.[break][break]

And then the void consumed all.[break][break]

 [break][break]

The timers surrounding Josh were now all reading the same thing, the sound of klaxxons becoming little more than a fading echo as the harsh red numbers stopped blinking. The courses beneath Josh were now broken, scattered messes, caught up in the wake of this great disaster. The land they once stood upon was little more than scorched grass and faded soil. Even the mountain that stretched before the ruins of the operations center had a large chunk blown out of it. All was dark. All was cold. All was still.[break][break]

All but the yawning void that was stretching behind Josh, growing larger by the second. Purple hands launched from the vortex one by one, clawing holes the sky as they tried to grab for Bladestorm. By now, Isaac, his Crobat, and his Doublade were barely visible. They were but a speck in the sky, backdropped by the terrible and awesome majesty of the void.[break][break]

Despite this, Isaac spoke. "This is what happens if you fail," he said. "Are you going to give it power over you? Or are you going to end this?" He pointed his blade down at Josh like an executioner's sentence. By now, the "ruins" of the operations center would be close, so close. If Josh could stow his fear, pierce the veil, and do what needed to be done, he'd make it with time to spare. If he hesitated, the spectral hands behind him would coil around one another, forming a single, hellish arm. If it reached him . . . no, no need to consider the unthinkable.[break][break]

"Prove it! Show me you have what it takes to handle what comes next!" Isaac roared. He could barely stomach the sights he had conjured up, but he refused to tear his eyes away. He had to see what happened next. He had to know how this was going to end.[break][break]

He had to find a silver lining in his Never-Ending Nightmare.

[break][break]





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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
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7,248 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 5, 2022 5:10:44 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Without his trusty sidearm in hand, all Josh and Bladestorm could do was flee. Flee toward the Operations Center, enter his access code and the override, and restore meaningful power to his Gym. Then he could get ahold of Mauville Law Enforcement to get assistance in arresting this goon that was proving to be less a nuisance and more a real danger. Not being able to shake off the Crobat was rough enough, but Luck & Pluck were far stronger than Yagyu was, able to withstand the NIGHT SLASH while his own Doublade was not.

As Blackjack crossed the jet-colored blades in hand, each seeping purple haze, a vortex opened behind him that pulled at the two of them and kept them from advancing to their in-sight destination. "AGILITY, Bladestorm!" The Skarmory engaged full thrust, but the longer he struggled, the more intense the suction became.

Josh and Bladestorm became separated from one another, the force of the suction becoming so great that it undid the snaps keeping him harnessed to his Pokémon. He emerged wearing a ruined racing suit, his skin underneath covered in electrical burns that had shredded large portions of the scab covering his Absol's Psycho Cut wound from his trip to the Cloud.

What few arena scoreboards' screens remained showed zeroes in grey. Broken glass littered the property as every single light had its lens blown out. Bleachers were shredded. The only building that remained was the main office, its doors and windows shattered from a series of shock waves caused by the power overload Josh had failed to stop. The entire Operations Center, along with each building housing a power generator, had been completely leveled. He was no longer a Gym Leader. He had failed in his most sacred duty he had promised the League he would fulfill.

Then again... Josh had seen a similar landscape to this before. In the Cloud. How could he forget? That moment...the moment he saw the one he felt he was destined to bond with. The legendary partner he felt he had the birthright to sit astride. That moment he saw the sacred Beast dead, alongside his six closest Pokémon, including Saber...that was the moment that drove him to his real purpose, his real calling. It was the moment that had led up to every single one of his successes in Hoenn. And he was not giving up until he could convince his idol that those two were meant for each other.

Shifting his sight upward as he tried to stand, Josh was quickly met by Blackjack, Luck & Pluck in hand and practically touching the spot between his eyes. "So you have spared me yet again...who are you?" Josh rasped through his electrical burns. "Just tell me...who are you?" He continued to listen to Blackjack's philosophical assault.

"You...you're right. Seeing that hellscape once was enough. But twice...no. If there's one thing I've learned from that day...that horrible day when I saw Raikou die...it's that the past can't be changed. The present can't be changed. But the future...the future CAN be changed. No matter what anyone says. And I will CHANGE THE FUTURE THAT REFUSES TO BE CHANGED!!" he screamed, hissing from the strain of forcing that through his weakened vocal cords.

Moments later, Josh's vision faded to white, waking up sprawled over rocky terrain, short on breath, and his ears full of klaxons. Bladestorm was nowhere to be found.

60 SECONDS TO EXPLOSION.

He shook his head. Whoever this lunatic was, he had just spared the Gym Leader's life a second time when he was to rights a dead man. Groaning, he got to his feet, finding himself outside the double doors leading to the Operations Center. He quickly entered the combination to the secured building and dashed to the top floor as quickly as his weakened legs could carry him.

50 SECONDS TO EXPLOSION.

Josh panted as he grabbed onto both railings of the staircase, getting as much support as he could, his heavy legs pounding against the metal frames. He was already past the point of no return. He was going to save his Gym...or he would spend his afterlife in Luck & Pluck's NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE. For real this time.



{WC: 708}
{PC: 12}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Josh          Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       KO
Resheph       Dragonair      KO
Yagyu         Doublade       KO


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 5, 2022 23:44:00 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]How much of what had transpired was real? How much of it was fiction? Such was the strength of the Never-Ending Nightmare that Josh may never know for sure. Yet within the nexus of shadows and fears made manifest, he seemed to find his resolve. He spoke of another nightmare, an older one, a future where the legend he revered had been unceremoniously slain.[break][break]

To most, this would seem like a ramble. Yet he wasn't the only one there. Isaac, too, had been present in the Cyberspace realm. Where Josh had chosen to pursue the future, he had chosen to live in the now. If Josh thought the sight of a world dead was bad, a world dying may have been even worse. Arceus itself was choking the life out of its own creation, time and space roaring in agony as they were held back from intervening. Had his urge to fight not been equally strangled, who even knew how he'd react?[break][break]

Maybe the future could be changed. But the present was the only day you had control over. It was where the seed of that change needed to be planted, and fostered, and grown. Had Isaac continued to waste his present away, he would have never been standing here, throwing his weight around in skirmishes with the best of Hoenn's best. He would have never discovered how much potential he had failed to live up to.[break][break]

He would have never remembered to care, a blessing and a curse as it was, and succumbed to the slow death of apathy.[break][break]

Echo teleported by his side, the Ralts not wanting to be anywhere near the scene of the incident when Josh entered the building. He nudged at Isaac's leg, trying to get him to move. Yet Isaac remained standing where he was, close enough to watch the Operation Center yet far enough to avoid disturbing Josh further.[break][break]

Maybe the smarter play would be to teleport out now. He could get far, far away from here, leaving no trace of his continued presence. Or he could teleport back into the bathroom, slipping right back into the hostage role that felt so far away by this point. But he couldn't, in good faith, get either of those plans back into motion. Not until he knew that everything was going to be okay.[break][break]

And if it wasn't? He'd get his ass in that building and make it okay.

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
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7,248 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 6, 2022 4:04:10 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
While trying to be hasty, Josh knew his steps had to be accurate, too. Climbing the steps two at a time, he couldn't go up them full speed in his wounded state. If he tripped, it was all over.

40 SECONDS TO EXPLOSION.

The master power controls were located on the third floor of the Operations Center. Nothing but pure adrenaline was fueling the Gym Leader now. One floor down, one to go.

30 SECONDS TO EXPLOSION.

Josh's heart was beating dangerously fast, pushing his body to his absolute limits. One disadvantage to riding everywhere is only very specific muscles were toned...and not the ones that propelled the human body to high speeds on its own power. He reached the third floor entrance to the room with the master power controls and kicked the door open.

20 SECONDS TO EXPLOSION.

He sat down in front of the master control panel and began entering his override key, having to answer several security prompts first. His heart and head pounded with every few keystrokes. One missed input and it was over.

TEN. NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN. SIX.



The noise and flashing lights stopped. It was over.

As he turned around to leave the facility, the adrenaline rush left him, his jelly legs unable to support his own weight. In his weakness, he dialed for his Gym's secretary, Shelly. "I...need..." were the only words that left his mouth before his eyes closed. She understood that while the Gym was safe for now, the emergency was not over. She dialed for emergency services and gave them his location. Luckily, he didn't close a single door behind him, so they would be able to locate him! It was just a matter of response time...




{WC: 290}
{PC: 13}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Josh          Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       KO
Resheph       Dragonair      KO
Yagyu         Doublade       KO
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
24
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
I've got a, I've got a
Pocket fulla sunshine
Short King height
Short King height
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,402 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @isaacmerlo
Isaac Merlo
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 6, 2022 4:25:46 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]The alarms turned a cool green. The klaxxons stopped blaring. The gym had settled. The breath that Isaac had been holding in his gut released. It was over. Josh had completed his gauntlet, even if by the skin of his teeth. And now he stepped out from the shadows, ready to leave the gym leader with a last cryptic warning.[break][break]

But Josh never came.[break][break]

A knot of concern tightened up in Isaac's gut. Did a last malfunction catch him off guard and end up hurting him? Had Luck & Pluck sliced him deeper than expected? Had the Never-Ending Nightmare fried him from the inside? Josh wasn't the subtle type, or the quiet type. If he was in any good state, there's no way he wouldn't come rushing out of there, full of thunder and lightning and demanding absolution.[break][break]

Isaac reached down, taking Echo's hand. The Ralts shot him a quizzical look. "C'mon. It's the least we could do," Isaac whispered. In that moment, it occurred to him that this could have been a trap. Josh could have been waiting there with handcuffs and a team full of Pokemon pointed right at him. But that didn't seem like Josh. He took a deep breath, and then the two vanished. Isaac could only hope his intuition was right.[break][break]

There he was. Out like a light. Isaac sighed softly. "Life Dew," Isaac commanded, voice a low whisper. "Just a little. We're not waking him up." Echo nodded, rubbing his hands together and drizzling the water of life over any of Josh's visible injuries. Once that was done, he returned to Isaac's side. And then they teleported out, never to return.[break][break]

That was a lie. They returned briefly, teleporting back to tuck a cushion from the lobby under Josh's head. And then they were gone.

[break][break]





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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,248 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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TAG WITH @joshdevlin
Josh Devlin
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 6, 2022 4:47:42 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Josh woke up to the sound of emergency personnel storming up the stairs to escort him out of the Operations Center. By now, the power had been fully restored to all areas of the building, and the generator's power output was no longer at a dangerous 317% of capacity; it was at a much safer 98%. The residue of LIFE DEW covered every single one of Josh wounds, though he would need to have the back of his racing suit re-stitched. There was even a purple, thundercloud-shaped cushion under his head.

Did Blackjack save his life for a third time? What were Blackjack's motives? Josh was dead to rights not once, but twice today. All it took was a single moment for him to teleport into to the room with his Ralts and put a knife in the Leader's heart. Instead, he patched Josh up.

Emergency services were surprised to see Josh awake. While he was conscious, he was still too weak to stand. They used several psychic Pokémon to teleport him to the outside of the building and onto the back of a police Arcanine, who whisked him to safety at a pace much slower than he was used to, but one that was needed for the situation.

Blackjack substantially reinforced Josh's FORESIGHT that day. He had trusted his instincts all day, but recognized that during Luck & Pluck's NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE, everything he had worked so hard to trust tried to deceive him all at once. He shook his head, fought through the nightmare, and managed to save his Gym with some outside-the-box thinking, an adrenaline-fueled act of desperation, and even a little luck. His FORESIGHT was the reason the Racing Grounds lived on and continued to serve trainers of Hoenn in passing on not only Josh's honed Three Virtues of COURAGE, CONFIDENCE, and AMBITION, but his new set of Virtues: FORESIGHT, JUDGMENT, and INSIGHT. The Three Virtues had become the Six Virtues.

As he passed out in the police Arcanine's saddle, a noble, familiar voice echoed in Josh's head:

"Alongside COURAGE, your FORESIGHT has flashed like a lightning bolt. Alongside CONFIDENCE, your JUDGMENT has echoed like booming thunder. Alongside AMBITION, your INSIGHT has roared like a shredding downburst."




{WC: 370}
{PC: 14}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Josh          Human          ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Aslan         Pyroar         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       KO
Resheph       Dragonair      KO
Yagyu         Doublade       KO
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played by

SHIV

GONGAGER
he/him
25
October 13
GONGAGA
gongaga-romantic
gongager
gongago
me?
gongaga
808 height
808 height
WHERE ARE UNOVA REMAKES
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41,427 posts
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shiv
Anarchy's Rainbow [M]
POSTED ON Oct 8, 2022 0:46:58 GMT
shiv Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","TRAINER"]
[attr="class","omaccepted"]
[attr="class","omacceptedtop"]MISSION COMPLETE!

[attr="class","omacceptedmid"]

YOU RECEIVE THE REWARDS BELOW:[break]


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The Shula Region
Hogwarts AU
RPG Unlimited
MR
The Enroi Region
N:FB
Vyrehaven
Celestial Guardians, AU Sailor Moon RP
EO GENESIS
Code and Crown: An advanced literate warriors cats RP, set in medieval times
Swords Clashing