Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
TAG WITH @joshdevlin
Josh Devlin
KINDNESS (Social)
POSTED ON Nov 26, 2022 17:14:23 GMT
Elinor was right in so many ways. Josh's life in Johto was orders of magnitude simpler and more sheltered than his brief life in Hoenn, and it showed with not only his battle, but with their previous battles, as well. He was an idealist, wanting to put a veil in between the negative aspects of everything around him, except his own. His very desire to see the world not as it was, but of its greatest potential, masked the flaws of the rest of the world behind the curtain that was his own.
Josh's battle strategy was effective, no doubt. He got to the position of Gym Leader for a reason: confounding speed was a highly effective, even frustrating, tactic to employ. Speed was a sharp blade and a sturdy shield in one. Like any tool, though, it had to be honed to be properly wielded. On the outside, he appeared to have shown mastery over that weapon. Deep down, though, Elinor, Callan Young , and Melody Miro had exposed flaws that only the very best trainers would be able to take note of. While he did not realize it, it was this very flaw that stopped his Johto Gym Challenge in its tracks.
Gym Leaders by their very nature were well-known trainers. Being a Hoennian Gym Leader put one in automatic celebrity status. It was a position Josh had no previous experience in, and it was showing like rust on a derelict sword. Before Josh could answer Elinor's question, he felt Saber violently shaking his Poké Ball around, trying to get Josh's attention, It was as though he had something to say to him. The Leader obliged by releasing the Manectric. "Yes, Saber? What is it?" he asked. The Manectric let out a pair of barks, followed by a whimper alongside a pleading face. He stepped toward Josh and nuzzled him, beckoning his trainer to embrace him.
While the two could not speak the same language, the communication couldn't have been more clear. The level of sync the two had went beyond perfection. They were almost soul linked. As evidence during their trip through the Cloud, the two would do anything for each other. If Josh were to die, Saber would quickly lose the will to live. While it wasn't that extreme anymore on the other side, the sync the two shared was so perfect that they knew what each other were thinking at almost all times. Saber would, of course, listen to verbal commands. But that didn't mean he needed them. He could battle without them.
In trainer education, there was so much emphasis placed on how to get Pokémon to trust their trainers. Not having that same level of trust in his Pokémon was holding them all back. It was without a doubt, a very unusual problem to have. It was a problem that surely Alexei Ivanov had to deal with at one point, and perhaps he would be able to teach him. That last comment perked Josh up.
Josh returned Saber's affection with a big hug and tears.
"...Elinor, I approached you because I needed help in turning my battle skills around," he began to answer, still crying. "I never expected an introspection like this. It hurts me to say this, but I think the issue might not be with raw battle prowess. I think it's a deeper problem. To be able to go through an entire battle without verbal commands requires incredible sync with your Pokémon." That level of sync was something only time and great effort could build. Effort needed to build an unbreakable, two-way bond of trust. He strove for perfection and could not stand his own mistakes. That was his fatal flaw not only as a combatant, but as a person.
"Sync on that level requires an exceptionally strong, mutual bond of trust between a trainer and their Pokémon. Most trainers struggle with getting their Pokémon to trust them. With all the racing i do, clearly that part of the bond is there. They're willing to run themselves ragged, pushing themselves the hardest at the very end of the race when they're already tired." His race with the Drift King, Matus Baran , with the help of ana fell , came to mind. That moment gave Josh and Twilight the sync needed to achieve Mega Evolution.
"It's so strange to experience the reverse, though." While not sobbing, tears were still sliding down the Gym Leader's cheeks. "I imagine it's not a problem you run into too often. The problem of a Pokémon trusting their trainer, but the trainer not giving that same level of trust back. I never trusted my Pokémon to go completely without commands because I thought they would make a mistake that would cost me the match. Clearly I'm just wrong." Saber let out another whimper and started crying himself. This was something he had been trying to tell Josh for years: to stop being so hard on himself and just trust him back.
Elinor Anderson {WC: 834} {PC: 13} NAME SPECIES STATUS Resheph Dragonair KO Twilight Absol Good Nitro Gogoat Good Bladestorm Skarmory Good Saber Manectric Good Aslan Pyroar Good
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