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"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Mar 30, 2023 20:11:25 GMT

Cillian Quinn and Amor Rose like this

Raikiri was a fast and powerful Pokémon, and one Josh needed to understand the fighting style of if he wanted to realize his true potential in the war against Team Rocket. His battle with Amor Rose at Pyre, as well as with Cillian Quinn south of Pyre, had told him he was woefully under-prepared to use the mythical electric-type.

He not only had to train his Pokémon, but train himself to handle the ludicrous speed that came with the Zeraora if he wanted to fight as one with the strange, rare, and strong feline. And who better to help with that than former Gym Leader Greyson Connors ? Josh rode up to their agreed rendezvous point on the outskirts of Fallarbor Town, one of the few towns open enough, rural enough, and remote enough that a violent battle involving Raikiri wouldn't disrupt others' lives.

Greyson Connors

{WC: 142}
{PC: 1}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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Snubis

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Twenty-Six

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 2, 2023 0:54:58 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","greysonbase"]

[attr="class","greyson1"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","greysonimg"]

[attr="class","greyson2"]these stretch of hills were like a second home - third home? - to the former gym leader of fallabor. the the stretches between challenges, and when the weather allowed, it was here that he decompressed.
[break][break]

and it was in the same spot that josh found greyson.
[break][break]

sweat trickles down the side of his face as he follows through with each motion. the weight felt heavy in his hands, and he could already tell his calluses would only become tougher. he brings the aegislash down in a vertical motion, then back up to a readying position above his head.
[break][break]

his hands trembled from the control, but he didn't waiver. he only stops once josh approaches, and greyson tosses him a wide smile, sucking in air. the aegislash separates herself from greyson's grip, moving to float beside her trainer.
[break][break]

"right on time. how was the trip?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","greyson3"]

[attr="class","greysonpoke"]

[attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 4, 2023 7:01:01 GMT

"Rougher than I'd have liked," Josh answered, still trying to get used to Raikiri's aggressive, speedy gallop. It reminded him of when he was first getting used to Braver, his Arcanine. "And that's part of the reason I wanted to get in touch with you. I was going to ask alec foster to help me with training Raikiri here, and myself, for the war. kyle lopez trusted me with him for the good of the League. War could break out again any day now. The Top Champion and I have spent a lot of time together, and we worked out a deal where if I investigated the rifts for him and brought back something just as elusive, we would make an exchange. And that's how the big guy came into my care." The Zeraora retracted his claws and waved toward Greyson, though he looked impatient. He wanted to get started whipping Josh into shape!

"So I've been talking and trying to get in touch with other trainers with Zeraora as well. Kyle's been a big help, but I want to get used to riding on his back as well as fighting with him," Josh went over the objectives of his training session. "I went to Finnegan Yang 's place in Fortree to learn mounted combat with a sword when I heard about it." With that, he drew Danjuro, a Honedge, from his scabbard at his waist. "Might be good to go for a run out here if you've got a fast Pokémon. A sparring match wouldn't hurt, either. Long as your Pokémon can hold back."

Greyson Connors

{WC: 263}
{PC: 2}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good
Danjuro Honedge Good

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Snubis

Grey / Connors

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Twenty-Six

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 6, 2023 4:06:15 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","greysonbase"]

[attr="class","greyson1"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","greysonimg"]

[attr="class","greyson2"]greyson's careful not to interrupt. he'd learned, especially as a gym leader, to 'listen' more than he spoke.
[break][break]
an even more important aspect to that was not to craft a response as the other person spoke.
[break][break]
that.. was more difficult than it sounded.
[break][break]
he raises a hand, both to indicate a question, and to stop josh before he went any further - just in case.
[break][break]
"josh, do you ride all your pokemon?" he didn't judge. people had their battle preferences. "don't you think it'd be a good idea to have some mounted pokemon, and some that offered support in other ways?" he very well could've met these requirements in other pokemon. greyson had no clue.
[break][break]
"there's a reason you never see battles made up entirely of cavalry. they're easily countered." he offers a small smile. "zeraora, for instance, relies on its rather small size and explosive speed to dominate their opponents. a rider might hinder that."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","greyson3"]

[attr="class","greysonpoke"]

[attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Apr 7, 2023 7:12:59 GMT

Greyson's words cut Josh like the blade of an Aegislash. Technically, Josh had two, though Pokey was a garden scarecrow that almost never saw true action. He drew his only other one from the scabbard at his waist: an inert, sleeping Honedge, to try to show the former Gym Leader that his accusation wasn't entirely true. Mostly true, but he did have one. He thought about the man's words, and perhaps a riding buddy in the form of an intelligent Pokémon, perhaps a Lucario, would be a good idea.

"I have Danjuro here," Josh answered, raising the ghost-type as to be clearly visible, "but that's about it. Given what my Gym is about, I felt that catching only ride Pokémon would be necessary. You do bring up a point, though... perhaps a Lucario." He was right, though. Cavalry were easily countered. While they had speed and maneuverability, they lacked the precision of infantry. The remarks about a rider holding a Zeraora back particularly stung, as that was one of the reasons Josh came to Greyson in the first place.

"It's true that even among a species as rare as Zeraora, Raikiri here is highly unusual," Josh admitted as the electric-type's head tilted upward to give the wise man eye contact. "Unusual both in his large size and the way he fights. He fights more like a Pyroar than a Lucario." He found that out from his meeting with kyle lopez , getting a glimpse into how very different the two fought. "Raikiri, I don't slow you down much, do I?" The thundercat let out a sound somewhere between a powerful purr and a roar. "Alright, I'll jump down and let you go at it." With that, he slid down from the feline's back, giving Greyson full view of the exotic, custom-crafted saddle Raikiri wore. "It's worth a try, at least."

Greyson Connors

{WC: 282}
{PC: 2}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good
Danjuro Honedge Good

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Snubis

Grey / Connors

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Twenty-Six

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 7, 2023 14:12:07 GMT

[attr="class","wownew"]

[attr="class","wownewtag"] Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wownewmain"]"well," he starts, feeling a twinge of discomfort at his continued critique. "that's not entirely what i mean. here, take a look."

rolling down his sleeve, he reveals the circlet of flowers that's wrapped around his wrist.

"you need to consider that speed isn't everything, nor is simply attacking." he takes out a pair of house keys, and with a grunt, draws blood into his palm.

"you need to make sure you cover your weak areas." a flower floats over, ethereal and shining a pink green. it settles onto the wound, glows softly, and when he pulls it away, the wound is gone completely.

"furthermore." a veil of mist white begins to trickle from the comfey, a SAFEGUARD settling around greyson. "the methods you can support your current style is endless. what works for me, doesn't necessarily work for you."

he watches the mythical prepare itself.

"think - what can you do that not only emphasizes your speed, and combat style, but expands upon it? what can cover your weak areas, so your strengths shine through?"

[attr="class","wownewpoke"]

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 10, 2023 20:08:23 GMT

Josh winced at seeing Greyson cut himself on the blade of a key. Though the pain was fleeting, his Comfey spreading flowers over the cuts to heal them, it was still a bit drastic in the Mauville Leader's eyes. As he listened, Josh timed his Zeraora over a set distance to determine if riding him slowed him down at all. It was marginal, but there was a slight speed increase from the big cat being riderless.

"That was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn, but Callan Young , Elinor Anderson , Katherine Fairburne and others helped me. I have a plan for Trick Room teams, thanks to Callan. I have a plan for really tough Pokémon, thanks to Elinor. I have a plan for handling Pokémon faster that mind, thanks to Katherine."

He recalled his battle with at-the-time Gym Leader Callan. "Quick Attack and other extremely fast moves have been able to see me through challengers that think Trick Room is a get-out-of-jail-free card for Mauville Gym. It's not. I understand that pure blitzkrieg is not effective against Pokémon that are physically tough. That's what moves like Dragon Dance are for. Opponents that are faster than I am is what I've struggled with the most."

Greyson Connors

{WC: 206}
{PC: 3}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good
Danjuro Honedge Good

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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 15, 2023 17:39:55 GMT

[attr="class","wownew"]

[attr="class","wownewtag"] Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wownewmain"]in the end, greyson acquiesces josh's point.

"so, by your declaration, your issues are only with pokemon that are faster than what you field?"

he reaches for a pokeball, rolling it around his fingers.

"i'd like to test that theory, if you're willing."

[attr="class","wownewpoke"]

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Apr 17, 2023 19:30:40 GMT

"That's right," Josh confirmed. "The very fastest Pokémon are often ambush predators. That, or predators that don't need to hide and are simply fast enough to outrun their prey." Reflecting on it, many of his favorite Pokémon were extremely dangerous species to run into in the wild. Aslan was a regal and proud lion, but still capable of shredding Pokémon and people that got on his bad side... not to mention almost all of his dragons that possessed dangerous power. "When predator becomes prey by virtue of encountering something faster, though... that's when I get put in a tight spot."

Impressive. Greyson had a Pokémon even faster than Raikiri? That list had to be incredibly short, legendary or no. "It's rare to even encounter them, but it's something I need to prepare for if I want to have a hope at being victorious against the Elite Four. Let's do it."

Greyson Connors

{WC: 154}
{PC: 4}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good
Danjuro Honedge Good

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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 18, 2023 17:43:35 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","char-wrap"]

[attr="class","char-main"]

[attr="class","char-words"]he offers josh a frown, wanting to ensure he didn't confuse the other trainer.
[break][break]
"i think you're underestimating your weaknesses." a bright light dies down to reveal an albino salazzle. she stands on her hind legs, long neck reaching upwards to take in her surroundings. her maw opens to reveal a snickering grin.
[break][break]
"i want to show you that speed isn't everything. after, we can perhaps test how fast you're truly capable of going."
[break][break]
from an outstretched jaw, POISON GAS begins to trickle out slowly.[break]

[attr="class","char-notes"]

notes

Josh Devlin[break]
ghost ♀ | oblivious//poison gas, encore, dragon pulse, poison fang, disable, fire lash

[attr="class","char-pkmn"]

[newclass=.char-wrap] margin: 0 auto; width: 420px; background-color: #272727; box-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #333333,-2px 2px 0px #333333,2px -2px 0px #333333,-2px -2px 0px #333333; border: solid 1px #232323; border-radius:3px; [/newclass]
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[newclass=.char-notes a] font: 13px Quattrocento Sans!important; letter-spacing: .5px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #d4a53c; [/newclass]

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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6,069 posts

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 19, 2023 5:44:17 GMT

Indeed, speed wasn't everything, as Elinor Anderson had shown him, and as several of his Gym challengers, like Aaron Toral and Amor Rose had shown him, as well. While speed was his preferred weapon, it wasn't his only weapon. "If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get. Afterward, absolutely! I still am trying to fully understand what Raikiri is capable of. From what little I've ridden him, I'm not the one pushing his limits; he's the one pushing mine." He wondered if Zeraora, like Raikou, could be taught how to use EXTREME SPEED.

Josh's first instinct upon seeing the Salazzle belch POISON GAS was to try to interrupt it with the burst speed he knew his electric-type for. This battle wasn't about winning, though; it was about learning different fighting styles than a simple blitz. "Raikiri, BOUNCE above it!" Josh ordered. The thunder cat's paws left a trail of sparks behind as he got up to speed. His powerful leg muscles propelled him high into the air, ready to pounce on the poison-type once the gas had been blown downwind as much as possible.

Greyson Connors

{WC: 184}
{PC: 5}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good
Danjuro Honedge Good

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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

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Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Apr 19, 2023 15:00:02 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","char-wrap"]

[attr="class","char-main"]

[attr="class","char-words"]"good, good!" he encourages, less for josh's sake and more for his thrill of the battle. greyson shelters his eyes with his hand as he looks up, spotting the dot that hovered, silhouetted by the sun.
[break][break]
"you know what to do." and she does.
[break][break]
ghost's lithe form slides effortlessly across the plains, hiding in the dense thick fog of her POISON MIST. from deep inside her domain, her eyes flash a piercing yellow, vertical slits pointed at the mythical above.
[break][break]
she needed to DISABLE that BOUNCE.[break]

[attr="class","char-notes"]

notes

Josh Devlin[break]
ghost ♀ | oblivious//poison gas, encore, dragon pulse, poison fang, disable, fire lash

[attr="class","char-pkmn"]

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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6,069 posts

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Apr 20, 2023 18:26:47 GMT

While the wind had dispersed the cloud of POISON GAS some, the crafty lizard moved with it, which would still leave Raikiri poisoned upon landing. His momentum was still his to command, though, and he was still high in the air before Ghost's gaze interrupted the BOUNCE. The gaze did, however, give away the Salazzle's position.

Josh still felt he had the upper hand. While he wasn't a master of stealth, his Pokémon didn't need to be; they were fast enough to catch any prey imaginable. "Plasma Paws, Raikiri!" the Gym Leader commanded, the more appropriate nickname he had given to his Zeraora's PLASMA FISTS attack. While it would have been ideal for Raikiri to land directly on the poison-type with the electrified paws, the mythical creature was more than capable of chasing his quarry down if need be.

Greyson Connors

{WC: 140}
{PC: 6}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Pois
Danjuro Honedge Good

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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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3,041 posts

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON May 5, 2023 1:59:40 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","char-wrap"]

[attr="class","char-main"]

[attr="class","char-words"]greyson recognized the technique, and knew full well the destruction it could wrought on an unsuspecting foe. the cat descends into the POISONOUS GAS, disappearing beneath the murky substance. greyson could only crack a half-smile.
[break][break]
the PLASMA FIST doesn't immediately strike salazzle. her lithe and agile form prove to be a valuable asset against the first few strikes, but inevitably, the speed of the mythical pokemon in-front of her wins out. she takes a glancing blow and the impact-site immediately locks up from the instruction of electrical energy.[break][break]

hissing in pain, she whips out her tongue in a FIRE LASH, aiming for the enemies feet. even if she didn't succeed, ghost was already thinking ahead, using her small form to dash through the larger-than-average zeroaora's legs.[break]

[attr="class","char-notes"]

notes

Josh Devlin[break]
ghost ♀ | oblivious//poison gas, encore, dragon pulse, poison fang, disable, fire lash

[attr="class","char-pkmn"]

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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6,069 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin