Alec had been offered to have his talk with Josh Devlin later in the day, which was probably for the best. It would not only give Josh time to 'cool down' so to speak, but it would also give Alec the time to think about what he needed to actually say to the Gym Leader. Alec admitted that he wasn't very good at this sort of thing, but regardless, it was something that should be addressed. Lashing out the way he did at a Gym Challenger was something that he should never do.

It made Alec think of the time when he was utterly helpless against kyle lopez's team when he challenged him for his own gym badge long ago. Although, Alec didn't lash out, but he was somewhat angry at the fact that he was powerless to do anything in that battle. Alec believed that Josh was feeling the same way, given how their battle went. After Alec checked in at the desk, he was allowed to make his way to where Josh was, seeing that he was setting up a saddle on a rather peculiar pokemon - definitely one that Alec had not seen before. "Yo," Alec called out to Josh giving him a wave.

"Figured that you'd probably be expecting me right about now," Alec had said. Alec gave Josh the time he needed in order to finish what he was doing. Then after Josh was done; giving Alec his full attention, the dragon tamer spoke once more. "So, ... about what happened in our battle," Alec said, starting to refer to Josh's reaction at the time.

---

Josh Devlin

The serious look on Alec's face started to guilt trip Josh. "Hey, Alec," the Gym Leader waved. "This is Raikiri, one of my newest team members, and he's already proven himself a powerhouse. Might even challenge the Elite Four with him if i can get him ready in time." The Zeraora reared and crashed his PLASMA FISTS together to flex his power before getting back on all fours again.

"That battle, yes..." Josh sighed. "That's one of the hardest losses I've ever taken. Generally speaking, anyone that can achieve a flawless victory... one where a challenger's entire Pokémon team is unharmed after a battle... either the challenger is truly Champion Rank worthy, or there's a serious issue with the Gym Leader's skill. And I'm afraid of it being the latter." It was one tough pill to swallow. Perhaps this was the inadequacy MATIAS SILPH had found in Josh's battle prowess? Or was this something new entirely?

Alec stood there, smiling faintly when Josh introduced his new pokemon, Raikiri. It seemed like it was a really strong pokemon as well. Alec was kind of surprised when Josh had mentioned possibly using Raikiri to challenge the Elite Four when the time came, granted he had enough time to get Raikiri ready.

Alec wondered though while keeping his thoughts to himself if he were ready for something like that. Asking that out loud would more than likely upset Josh, which wasn’t the reason why he was here. Alec continues to listen to Josh speak, waiting for him to say his piece. “I had a feeling that was the reason why,” Alec thought to himself, knowing that sense of helplessness.

“Tell me something Josh,” Alec paused, a small smile forming where Alec’s lips were. “If you feel you truly are lacking in skill, then what do you believe should be done for you to improve?” Alec asks him. “In my personal opinion, I don’t think it has anything to do with your skill at all,” The dragon tamer continues.

“You remember what it is that Gym Leaders are taught before officially taking their positions?” Alec asks him. Alec was sure that he knew, not asking Josh because he thought he didn’t know. “Gym Leaders are groomed so that they can compose themselves, no matter the situation that’s standing in their way. While their roles in the League are minor compared to those like the Elite Four, or even the Champion themselves, we still play a rather important role.”

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Josh Devlin