(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

Single; Not Looking

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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Josh Devlin

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2023 7:28:30 GMT

The match had been put on hold for an important, hot button topic. It seemed there was a lot more to Matias than met the eye. He claimed to have a scorched-earth policy toward Team Rocket, and yet... Eris was special to even him. Was Eris another exception, just like Asher Baran and Isaac Merlo were exceptions in Josh's mind?

The longer this conversation went on, the more uncomfortable Josh became. If his suspension were publicly connected to the Eris incident, the PR shitstorm the League would have to handle would be colossal. Perhaps irreparable. With reluctance, Josh gave in. "...You'll have to fill me in. After our match. But not now. Once our match is over and we're waiting for our Pokémon to get treatment at the onsite Pokémon Center, we can talk about you-know-who all you would like. Don't get me wrong; I want to hear about it. Just not here."

Saber let out a snarl, sparks flying from his paws, looking like he could get up to speed at any moment. "I did tell you Saber here was my first Pokémon, right? He won't fall easily like the rest."

MATIAS SILPH

{WC: 193}
{PC: 15}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Saber Manectric Good
Aslan Pyroar** KO
Bladestorm Skarmory KO
Nitro Gogoat** KO
Twilight Absol KO
Resheph Dragonair KO

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played by

noodles

matias

he/him

thirty-two

november 14th

saffron

straight...unless?

elite four

champion

with you

i am born anew.

1321 height

i'll try to find you in mountains made of ash and clouds of smoke.

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MATIAS SILPH

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2023 8:42:04 GMT

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","matias2"]

"why not here, josh? where better to discuss this? the public should know, after all, of our shortcomings, our mistakes, and our failures."[break][break]

the silence feels deafening.[break][break]

"was empathy the reason why you spared a known high-profile rocket operative? why you let them get away?"[break][break]

Josh Devlin

[attr="class","matias3"]

[attr="class","matiaspoke"] kangaskhan (f) scrappy - drain punch, shadow claw, earthquake, ice punch, crunch, dragon hammer, subzero slammer (z-move)

[attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

Single; Not Looking

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

7,268 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

Josh Devlin

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2023 8:54:21 GMT

Josh shook his head. Did Matias really want to destroy him that badly? He should have known Josh had already spoken to Councilwoman Elinor Anderson about it. PENELOPE LIVY 's Accountability department knew about it, and appropriate action had already been taken against him. Did Matias not realize that fully exposing the story would not only cause the loss of a valuable Gym Leader, but damage the League's reputation greatly?

Or was that the Volatile's plan: to destroy the League from within?

Neither of those options were acceptable to Josh. "You know damn well why not here," the Master of Faster snapped back, raising his voice. At the Avatar's last remark, he stood there, stunned. Wasn't the fact that Josh let Eris go, whether by choice or not, classified? Would he go so far as to leak classified information to mutilate Josh's reputation?

"Now let's stop this insanity and finish the match. Like I said, I'm more than willing to talk about it afterward. Just not here."

MATIAS SILPH

{WC: 164}
{PC: 16}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Saber Manectric Good
Aslan Pyroar** KO
Bladestorm Skarmory KO
Nitro Gogoat** KO
Twilight Absol KO
Resheph Dragonair KO

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played by

noodles

matias

he/him

thirty-two

november 14th

saffron

straight...unless?

elite four

champion

with you

i am born anew.

1321 height

i'll try to find you in mountains made of ash and clouds of smoke.

awards

8,524 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @matias

MATIAS SILPH

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2023 10:42:15 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","matiasbase"]

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","matiasimg"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

after sparing a sweeping glance across the crowd that surrounds them, the crowd that came here to watch a battle of the highest caliber, he shrugs a shoulder, feigning a look of disappointment.[break][break]

"you heard the man."[break][break]

no truth comes from them today.[break][break]

instead, a pokeball. the mightyena that emerges reeks of negative energies, some pungent enough to spill across the ground like shadows.[break][break]

the SWAGGER comes immediately.[break][break]

"all the best."[break][break]

Josh Devlin

[attr="class","matias3"]

[attr="class","matiaspoke"] mightyena (pokérus-y) (shadow) (f) rattled - play rough, roar, swagger, crunch, frenzy plant, shadow wave

[attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

Single; Not Looking

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

7,268 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

Josh Devlin

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2023 17:45:13 GMT

"Appreciated," Josh thanked Matias for his cooperation. "I promise you, once our battle is over, I'll tell you about what happened that day. Everything." The negative energy seething from the Elite Four's Mightyena reminded the young man of the Shadow Lucario he saw the last time they had worked with one another in the field. So it wasn't just his Lucario... this Mightyena was a weapon of war. How could Matias do this to his Pokémon?

The instant taunt drove Saber into a berserk state, tearing across the battle court at full gallop. "Saber, DISCHARGE!" the Mauville Leader shouted in an effort to get his prized Pokémon to snap out of it. Instead, a dense mist came out of the electric-type's maw, looking to freeze the Mightyena solid with ICE FANGS. In his unbridled rage, the Manectric overstretched a leg muscle, disrupting his high speed rhythm and causing the canine to fall flat on his chin... right into devastating melee range from the Mightyena. "No, Saber, you need to stand up and get out of there!"

The order was likely already too late. Matias had Josh right where he wanted him. Perhaps he would humiliate Hoenn's most delusional and questionably competent Gym Leader, perhaps teaching the rest of the League a lesson in how not to represent Hoenn's government.

- Saber's ICE FANG fails due to confusion, leaving the Manectric vulnerable. Any attack targeting it next turn will be a critical hit that cannot miss.

MATIAS SILPH

{WC: 221}
{PC: 17}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Saber Manectric Good
Aslan Pyroar** KO
Bladestorm Skarmory KO
Nitro Gogoat** KO
Twilight Absol KO
Resheph Dragonair KO

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played by

noodles

matias

he/him

thirty-two

november 14th

saffron

straight...unless?

elite four

champion

with you

i am born anew.

1321 height

i'll try to find you in mountains made of ash and clouds of smoke.

awards

8,524 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @matias

MATIAS SILPH

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 27, 2023 4:29:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","matiasbase"]

[attr="class","matias1"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","matiasimg"]

[attr="class","matias2"]

no order needs to come from matias. the SHADOW WAVE that washes over the fallen manectric comes naturally, second-nature and purposeful, drawing the challenge to an official end.[break][break]

an official loss for Josh Devlin.[break][break]

"unlucky."[break][break]

but not unexpected.[break][break]

the mightyena is recalled before it can do more damage.[break][break]

Josh Devlin

[attr="class","matias3"]

[attr="class","matiaspoke"] mightyena (pokérus-y) (shadow) (f) rattled - play rough, roar, swagger, crunch, frenzy plant, shadow wave

[attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

close tab

played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

Single; Not Looking

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

awards

7,268 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @joshdevlin

Josh Devlin

(Elite Test) The Determined and The Volatile, Act 1

POSTED ON Jul 27, 2023 5:29:18 GMT

The SHADOW WAVE struck Saber cleanly, squarely, and instantly; with the Manectric prone, he let out a squeal unlike anything Josh had heard from his most precious partner. Yes, there was a safety system protecting the Pokémon from permanent harm, but was it truly necessary to use such a powerful, cruel attack? Wouldn't a lesser attack have sufficed? Or perhaps cruelty was the point. Was that what Matias was trying to teach him - being cruel to every opponent was the norm in Hoenn? Perhaps there was simply no room in Hoenn for empathy or even sportsmanship.

Was Matias right the whole time? Was there truly no room in Hoenn for a competitive yet sportsmanlike soul? Those were questions he would have to ask the Volatile after the match. Silently and with a head tilted toward the ground, Josh withdrew Saber and waited for his platform to recede into the ground before exiting the stadium. Not even heading for the showers, he made a beeline for the onsite Pokémon Center, then Matias' office.

He had so many questions for Groudon's Avatar.

MATIAS SILPH

{WC: 182}
{PC: 18}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Saber Manectric Good
Aslan Pyroar** KO
Bladestorm Skarmory KO
Nitro Gogoat** KO
Twilight Absol KO
Resheph Dragonair KO

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