[nospaces]

Ghost was glad that the subject was changed and to a happy tune sort to speak it was bittersweet. But at last, it was a happy one. Although the way he brought it up was kinda crazy seeing what was going on. But as the mom and son duo was talking. Ghost would say to his mother. "Hey, your son he will be more than alright. He trained dragons for a living and raced on them. He is a gym leader and a fellow chaser. Trust me if anything the boy you raised turned out to be a cool man. However, he is jsit like me when it comes to chasing Pokemon we need to know everything and anything about it and that is how he is talking about this big step in life. So I take my hat off to you as you raised a fine being of justice."

After he said that he would stand up and take a bow. It was time for him to leave as he was to meet up with the pair tomorrow. Thanking them he would head out to sleep under the stars and by that he really did sleep outside. 

Now at the station if the other two news watching right along with the others. They would notice that Ghost was having a stare-down with his Steelix as he would tell out. "MAXIE NOT TODAY NOT NOW." However, the giant steel type was not trying to hear it. She wanted more Pokemon snacks. Plus Ghost went broke feeding her. 

Josh Devlin

Saying their goodbyes to Josh's mom, the trio would be on their way to Ecruteak City, the most religious town in the region. It was quiet, quaint, and traditional; the only modern buildings in the city were League-mandated, such as Pokémon Centers and Marts. He wasn't here for that, though. He was here to get confirmation on what kyle lopez had told him around his birthday, regarding the fate of the Pokémon he had chased for the better part of a decade.

Possessing Ecruteak City's Gym Badge allowed Josh access to the Burned Tower. "According to Johtonian legend, this is where the Guardian of the Sea, Lugia, roosted until centuries ago, when a triad of disasters struck the city." He pointed toward the tower east of town, where the Guardian of the Sky, Ho-oh, likewise made its home in times long past. "A powerful lightning strike reduced the tower to cinders, the resulting fire burning for three days before a torrential rainfall put out the fire. And such, the Great Raikou, Great Entei, and Great Suicune were born."

Formerly nine stories tall, all that remained was the first floor, a corner of the second, and the foundation. "That altar on the lower level is where Ho-oh, the Great One, gave birth to the Great Raikou, the Great Entei, and the Great Suicune. I have been here many times to pray to them. And now... and now..." Tears flowed from his eyes. Cian, having lived in Hoenn longer, may have known why Josh was crying. It was about the bad news that the Top Champion broke to him about the Pokémon he was chasing.

---

CIAN MAHER ghost fireheart

{WC: 275}
{PC: 7}

NAME           SPECIES         STATUS
Saber          Manectric       Good
Pazuzu         Pidgeot         Good
Resheph        Dragonair       Good
Nitro          Gogoat          Good
Twilight       Absol           Good
Bladestorm     Skarmory        Good

[nospaces]

As Ghost looked on he would be in awe as Josh explained everything to them. Ghost would be a bit spooked at the story. Because it was the real deal and he found it both scary and amazing. "Ya know Josh that is one heck of a story man and what makes it even cooler is that it's all real. To think the legend trio was born in such a way. But one thing I know that is you can't go chasing ghosts. But you can chase lightning and catch it". 
Soon he would look on and start to take pictures of the burn tower. 

"So Josh I notice as you were telling the story and this is a wow Guess. But you weren't as excited as you normally are. Is everything ok brush?" Ghost would ask truly worried about his friend. 


Josh Devlin

"It's just..." Josh continued to sniff. He appreciated Cian's comforting remarks, but the crushing news, despite the Rustboro Leader's consolation, was so overwhelming. It wasn't enough for him to just hear it from the Great One's prophet; he had to do secondary research to confirm the deaths himself. Of course, with legendary Pokémon, hard evidence didn't truly exist. The memorial dedicated to the Great Raikou, Great Entei, and Great Suicune, erected not centuries ago, but in 2017, was all the evidence he needed.

"No, EVERYTHING'S NOT OKAY!" Josh balled. "What have I been DOING THE PAST FIVE YEARS?!" He raised his arms, clenched his fists, and screamed in despair, slamming them into the ground with one loud thud followed by another. "Why is the Great Raikou trying to reach out to me if he's been dead for five years?! Is it ALL A LIE?!" Was Raikou truly trying to reach him, or was it merely his desire for Raikou taking over his fragile, sheltered mind full of folklore about a Hero of Johto?

As his waterlogged eyes peered toward the altar in the basement, he could have sworn he saw translucent figures vaguely shaped like the Great Raikou and the Great Suicune, along rumbles of thunder that perhaps were also figments of his imagination. When he rubbed his eyes, the yellow and blue translucent quadrupedal figures vanished like a trick of light. "They... they really are gone."

With a solemn nod, Josh rose from his knees and wiped his eyes clean, though his face was still flush. "This is one of the worst possible outcomes I could have ever envisioned, Ghost. To chase the Beast of Thunder for so long, only to find out for five years, he has passed on... at the hands of Team Rocket, at that. First, Team Rocket almost took my family away from me. And now, they have taken Raikou away from me." He was still sniffing and wiping tears out of his eyes. He had previously withdrawn Saber before entering the memorial area, but the electric-type refused to stay in his Poké Ball. He popped out, all on his own, and sounded a whimper following an affectionate nuzzle toward the trainer he had forged an unbreakable bond with over the last fourteen years.

"This is not the way I wanted this to end. When I sat on the Raikou-familiar's thundercloud and rode all across my old Racing Grounds with kyle lopez that day, I didn't fully understand what happened so long ago. But now... I think I do." He paused for a long time, silent other than his sniffing. "My chase... is over. Unless Raikou is still out there somewhere. But it's pretty damning seeing this and hearing it from Kyle that Raikou did not survive the Kanto War. So I'm instead going to dedicate myself toward carrying on the late Raikou's wishes: eradicating Team Rocket from Hoenn... and from this entire planet. I want to see every single one of those sleazeballs burn to the ground. It's not good enough for me to see Team Rocket be rendered powerless." Yes, even Isaac Merlo . That was why he needed to get him out of there, out of Team Rocket, before things started to get really messy.

"And to do that... to hone the skills needed to eviscerate Team Rocket from Hoenn... I must demonstrate the power to become a Champion. Not for myself, but for Hoenn. And for the safety of Johto and Hoenn. It's what Raikou would have wanted. And you know what, Cian? When we get back to Hoenn, I'm issuing you an official challenge."

---

CIAN MAHER ghost fireheart

{WC: 602}
{PC: 8}

NAME           SPECIES         STATUS
Saber          Manectric       Good
Pazuzu         Pidgeot         Good
Resheph        Dragonair       Good
Nitro          Gogoat          Good
Twilight       Absol           Good
Bladestorm     Skarmory        Good

[nospaces]

Before Ghost could even respond to Josh's speech. Cian already has. But this was again something that he heard about not everyone in Team Rocket being bad. But still why represent them if they are still doing bad things? But as he looked on he would hear Josh say that he was going to take on the gyms. This put a smile on his face. 
As he did not want to state that he was taking them on as well. But he did say this. 

"Cian you a gym leader, that is nice. But I do agree with what you just said. If you go around trying to destroy them then you are no better than they are. Let's simply end their TERROR the right way." As he looked on he would then say. "I put this badge on the line right with my life. I will always do what is right and my pain and heart goes out to you Josh. But all I ask is you do be careful at going against them. They are no pushovers after all."

Josh Devlin

It was very clear from his reaction that Josh had been indoctrinated, perhaps even dogmatized, by his traumatic experience with Team Rocket and his family as a child. Getting word of Raikou's alleged death in the Kanto War fueled that zeal and had caused Josh's emotions to boil over; emotions that Cian was doing his best to temper. He could say with confidence that Isaac Merlo fell in one of those two categories. That, for Isaac's safety, Julia Davis ' safety, and his own safety, was knowledge he was taking to his grave. "Which is why it's important to do what we can to exfiltrate those people out of Rocket before we burn the holdouts to the ground. With the size of the League, I'm sure there are bad actors within, too. Somewhere."

Ghost was in respectful disagreement with the hot-headed Gym Leader, as well. It was ironic that one who liked electric and fire Pokémon so much could get hot-headed or short-circuit from time to time. Or both. Ghost did have a point, though; it was truly those at the top that were responsible. Getting them to disband Team Rocket would be the same as burning them to the ground. in terms of the outlook for Hoenn. "I'm aware. Remember the HNN news story about me in October? The assassination attempt?" He wanted to continue, but he couldn't risk exposing Isaac to even the most vague of hints. Besides, the true assassin wasn't Isaac; to Josh, it was Blackjack, who was trapped within Isaac. To him, they were not one person, but two different people. And Blackjack was a person he would implore Isaac to leave behind.

"Thanks for listening to my long story about, ultimately, why I get so fired up about Raikou, and about working for the League in general," he did his best to calmly say through heated emotions. "How about we go sightseeing for a bit and forget about Raikou and Team Rocket for now? It sounds like work, and I'd rather not work on my vacation."

---

CIAN MAHER ghost fireheart

{WC: 340}
{PC: 9}

NAME           SPECIES         STATUS
Saber          Manectric       Good
Pazuzu         Pidgeot         Good
Resheph        Dragonair       Good
Nitro          Gogoat          Good
Twilight       Absol           Good
Bladestorm     Skarmory        Good

[nospaces]

It was all smiles from here on out. As Ghost would let out a large Yawn. He would start to stretch his body out. "Sightseeing aye. I am Guessing from the sky land or sea tell me am I right?" He would start to laugh. As it was like saying pick a number between one and three. 

But then he would say to them, "No work huh lol I am a Chaser and Ranger I wish I had a day off. But I could take time away from my busy schedule and I don't know sayyyyy. Take on both y'all Gyms." He would start to laugh at the very thought of it. But just then as he was laughing at what he just said. A red light would beam out and out came Moxie. It was his Steelix and for some odd reason, she kept leaving her Pokeball. As he looked on he would quickly turn to her with her Pokeball in hand. 

"No no no, we are not doing this today not right now so time to return." However, as he aims the Pokeball at her she would start to run away leading to Ghost trying to catch the Giant prankster. As they ran back and forth between around Josh and Cian until finally, he put her back in her Pokeball. "Geez"



Josh Devlin