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POSTED ON May 29, 2023 22:42:16 GMT

As grim of a promise as it was, Josh still had a promise to keep Julia Davis . Two of them. She deserved to know the truth. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth... even if sharing the truth with her was a violation of League policy. As egregious as the cover-up of the attack on Eris was, it showed just how valuable of a Gym Leader Josh was if the Council were willing to stick their necks out to keep him on the books. Julia deserved to know. Isaac Merlo had skeletons in his closet that only she and Josh knew about. She was one of the few people on the outside he could trust.

That wasn't the only reason, though; he had promised the Ranger a ride on Raikiri's back. He would deliver on that promise. The Elite Ranger was in his blue uniform, standing not far from Mauville's northern gate, where the two agreed to meet up. Raikiri was at Josh's side, the thundercat's normal cocoon replaced with a more traditional feline saddle that could accommodate two riders. Acting like nothing serious was about to go down, the Gym Leader gave the mythical electric-type a playful pet around his head, vibration from a deep purr running through his trainer's arm.

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 213}
{PC: 1}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Jun 17, 2023 19:30:32 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

If Julia had a nickel for every time a serious discussion was wrapped up in a fun activity, she'd have two nickels. That wasn't a lot, but it was a surprising look into her personality and how she handled these sorts of things. Maybe it was childish, but she didn't do well with talking about difficult subjects. They were important and necessary, but they were also... well, difficult. It was hard to be her usual energetic, optimistic self during such discussions. So having an activity to go with them, like camping or, in this case, Pokémon riding, made them easier for Julia to handle.

[break][break]She arrived on Route 111, the site of Josh's old Gym, on Chester's back. "Hey!" she called to Josh and Raikiri with a wave. She, too, was content to act like nothing serious was about to happen. Chester's middle head chirped in greeting.

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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[newclass=.juliapokes img] margin-top: -10px; padding-bottom: 5px; [/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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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2023 22:27:38 GMT

The north gate of Mauville City was quickly crowding, Raikiri walking beyond it and onto Route 111's proper main thoroughfare. Beyond was Julia Davis , already waiting for him with Chester. "Hi there, Julia!" Josh replied, waving back. "Glad you could make it!" Standing next to the Zeraora may have made Julia realize just how large his was compared to others that people like the Top Champion owned, and second, just how much similarity there was between him and Raikou. It was little wonder Josh thought Raikiri was the Beast's reincarnation.

With that, Josh scooted forward, making room for Julia on the mythical creature's back. "I believe I promised you a ride on Raikiri's back, didn't I?" he asked with a big grin on his face. There was no hiding it; with how well these two knew each other, Julia would have reasonably be able to infer that the ride Josh planned on taking her on was going to involve some serious speed. Perhaps not right away, but he definitely wanted to share the joy that washed over him when he was on the fastest Pokémon he had at his fingertips. "With how fast Raikiri is, it should only be a matter of minutes to reach my old Gym." Minutes? 111 was not a short highway. That may have tipped Julia off into exactly what she was in for.

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 228}
{PC: 2}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Jun 19, 2023 19:28:26 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Of course! I wouldn't miss this for the world." She reached out to pet the large Zeraora while she still had the height advantage of being on Chester's back. Man, how had this big fella even fit in the Rangers' conference room? Maybe it was true that all cats were liquid.

[break][break]She returned Chester to his Poké Ball and climbed into the saddle behind Josh. That grin on his face all but confirmed Julia's assumption that they'd be going fast, and his words cemented it.

[break][break]"How many minutes are we talking?" Julia asked. She figured it had to be something in the double-digits with how long Route 111 was, right?

[break][break]As she adjusted herself in the saddle, she thought of something else: "Am I just gonna have to hold onto you while we ride? Or do you have, like, an extra-long set of reins or something?" She wouldn't mind, either way; she just didn't want to fall off!

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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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 Jun 20, 2023 8:08:36 GMT

Raikiri's eyes shifted toward Julia as she pet the large, yellow and black feline. "While it's not the same experience as riding Kyle's Raikou-familiar, it's the closest I'll ever get. After all, he is Raikou's reincarnation!" Little did he know that he would get to confirm just how fast Raikiri was compared to the Beasts, when Kyle would also let Josh ride his Suicune-familiar. Those two would have quite the competitive race if given the chance to square off!

Having ridden a lot of Pokémon, Josh knew about how long it would take Raikiri to make it from Mauville City to Trainer Hill, roughly two thirds of the way to the Great Desert. If they rode at full speed, it would take them roughly eight minutes to get there. "Answering that would spoil the fun, wouldn't it?" Josh returned with a sly smile on his face.

Julia did have a point, though; one of them was naturally going to have to take point. "Whichever you'd be more comfortable with! If you want to hold his reins and steer him, you're welcome to! I'm controlling his speed, though; I want my fun, too!"

Regardless of the arrangements, when both of them were set up, Josh would give the signal for his mythical mount to run. "Now Raikiri, don't scare her. Smooth acceleration, got it?" With a powerful purr that may have rattled Julia, the big cat nodded before facing forward, a scowl of intense focus on the electric-type's face. With a lighter than normal kick to Raikiri's sides, the two Rangers were off.

Just because Josh requested smooth acceleration didn't mean the acceleration wasn't intense, though. Raikiri was still a feline, and with it came feline strides that bounced the two about perhaps a little more than Julia was used to. Faster and faster the two sped down the rural road, already exceeding legal riding speeds on paved highways. Roadside trees whipped past the two, wild Pokémon that were crossing the road ducking for cover as sparks flew from all four paws beneath the riders. And yet, the Zeraora's strides continued to increase, both in length and in frequency, showing no signs of peaking any time soon. If Julia was wearing her Ranger HoloWear that had been given out at the Ranger meetup last fall, she might be able to see just how fast she was going.

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 398}
{PC: 3}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Jul 2, 2023 18:51:35 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"I thought you said Raikou might still be alive," Julia said. Josh hadn't been able to give all the details during the meeting, but maybe she'd learn more today.

[break][break]She giggled in response to Josh's refusal to answer. "That's true. I'll just have to see for myself."

[break][break]"Nah, you go ahead and steer. You're the Master of Faster, after all!" He'd be way better at controlling his own mount, too. Crashing into a tree was hilarious in theory, not so much in practice. She got in the saddle behind him and held onto his waist so she wouldn't fall off.

[break][break]She grinned confidently. "I'm not scared. I've been on some wild rides with Shalin Nariya's Pokémon." The powerful purr beneath her did rattle her, but it also made her laugh. It was cute, powerful, and weirdly tickly! Then, they were off, Raikiri's strides smooth yet still powerful and with that feline bounce. Faster and faster they sped down the rural road until the scenery whipped past them and sparks flew from Raikiri's paws. And they were still going faster! She hadn't had the foresight to wear her HoloWear glasses, so she didn't know exactly how fast they were going, but it was definitely over the highway speed limit. Holy guacamole, how much could this cat accelerate?!

[break][break]It was a lot different from even Shalin Nariya's wildest rides. Where Shalin was more about sensation and power, Josh was pure speed, and that was clearer than ever. Though Julia's grip was tight, she still laughed and whooped with joy, her voice wavering a bit with Raikiri's bouncing strides. She was definitely going to feel a bit like jelly after this, though.

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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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 Jul 3, 2023 7:15:31 GMT

Josh would wait to respond to Julia's questions and remarks until they were within the safety of the Secret Base; it took all of his focus to command the very fastest land Pokémon he had at his fingertips. Julia might have been able to see, and even feel, Josh continuing to jab and squeeze at Raikiri's sides, goading the thundercat to go even faster.

By the time they had leveled off in speed, the riders' peripheral vision had shrunk quite a bit from the maddening pace Josh was pushing his Zeraora to. A lion-like roar was the indication that they had reached top sustained speed. It was faster than a Rapidash or even an Arcanine could run. Though it wasn't by much, even stock race cars would come up just barely short of the clip they were moving at. For Josh, the speed was euphoric. The Gym Leader matched Julia's whooping cries with some of his own. He truly thought he was riding Raikou's reincarnation, with just how fast the electric-type got.

Perhaps now Julia had come to the realization that Josh wasn't exaggerating when he said they could get from Mauville to Trainer Hill within minutes. "Think you can handle a QUICK ATTACK?" Josh asked, though at the speed they were hurtling toward their destination, she may have only been able to understand his last two words.

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 229}
{PC: 4}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Jul 9, 2023 21:44:35 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

When Josh had said minutes, he had meant minutes. Julia could feel her skin stretching against her bones as Raikiri approached its top speed. She had never even dreamed of going this fast before. She was used to Chester's speed from riding on him so often, but this had to be at least triple that. Even her time on some of Josh's fastest Pokémon couldn't compare. It was exhilarating, but it was also kind of scary. Her grip on Josh tightened. She trusted him to steer them safely, even at these ludicrous speeds, but she still didn't want to fall off!

[break][break]Josh's question whipped past her ears, carried by the wind that lashed around them. She caught just enough to figure out that he was asking if Raikiri could do a Quick Attack.

[break][break]"Probably not!" Julia shouted back. As curious as she was about how fast Raikiri could really go, she didn't think her body could handle it without the kind of training that Josh had.

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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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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POSTED ON Jul 10, 2023 6:56:27 GMT

The two words Josh could understand were enough. Even with Josh shielding Julia from the wind, the speed was clearly a bit much for the female Ranger. She seemed to be having a great time watching Route 111 fly past at speeds most Flying-type Pokémon would dream of. They were even outrunning a Skarmory at a full stoop, which was terrifying to think about on its own.

At top speed, every turn felt like Raikiri was yanking them to one side. The crackle of electricity reached the rider's ears, sparks flying from the thundercat's paws to maintain the surreal land speed. Julia was right, too; Raikiri's Quick Attack would put a lot of pressure on even the Gym Leader's body.

As Trainer Hill's Battle Arcade ran by Top Champion kyle lopez rapidly came into sight, Josh flicked the feline's reins. "Jump, Raikiri!" Springing skyward, the Zeraora gave both riders a good view of the Mauville Leader's old Minor League Gym, though many of its features were not recognizable due to the property no longer being maintained.

After sailing over the chain link fence, Josh eased his hold on the Zeraora's sides, gently pulling back on the reins with both hands. The deceleration was still strong, the riders being flung forward in their seat. For as long as it took for Raikiri to get up to speed, it took longer to shed all of that speed. Once the two had come to a stop, Josh set the reins down and stretched his arm out to try to prevent Julia from attempting a dismount right away. "You'll want to give it a bit before you slide off... unless you want to faceplant in the grass," Josh half-jokingly warned. Perhaps what was more remarkable was being able to feel the feline's incredible heart rate, far exceeding that of any other Pokémon of Josh's that Julia had been on... yet the Zeraora didn't look at all worn out.

Mythical Pokémon were something else, weren't they?

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 333}
{PC: 5}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

As Route 111 flew by, every turn seemed to yank the riders to one side, and electricity crackled in Julia's ears and flew from Raikiri's paws, Julia thought that bringing this thundercat onto the racetrack would definitely be cheating. She didn't know why that was at the forefront of her mind instead of the intense feeling of riding this fast. Maybe the ride was rattling her brain and making her thoughts tumble around everywhere.

[break][break]"Whoa!" Julia shouted, awestruck, as Raikiri's powerful jump launched them high enough to get an aerial view of Josh's old Gym. As awesome as it was to experience this view and the sensations that came with riding a Mythical Pokémon, Julia couldn't help but feel a little sad that the land was essentially wasted now that the property was no longer maintained.

[break][break]The landing and deceleration flung her forward in her seat. Raikiri's intense speed meant that it took a long time for them to come to a complete stop. When they finally did, Josh held out an arm to stop Julia from immediately dismounting.

[break][break]Julia giggled, the sound borderline delirious. "Yeah, don't wanna do that." She didn't have the brain power to really care that she was basically lying on Josh's back. She could feel Raikiri's heart racing at unbelievable speeds beneath her, but the feline didn't seem all that tired. It reminded her a bit of Chester, but he at least had three hearts and three sets of lungs to explain his seemingly endless stamina. Raikiri was just something else.

[break][break]"Phew, okay, I think I'm good now," she said after letting her body readjust to not going hundreds of miles per hour.

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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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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POSTED ON Jul 14, 2023 8:39:00 GMT

The issue at hand wasn't that bringing Raikiri to a racetrack would be cheating; it was that Raikiri's speed was so high that courses simply were not designed with that kind of speed in mind. Taking turns at that kind of speed would be nigh impossible, whipping riders violently back and forth with the sheer power needed for the mythical cat to navigate them. It was for that reason Josh's Gym Challenge had a very special course for Pokémon of that caliber, as Laurence Anderson found out for himself.

As both of them recovered from the adrenaline rush that came from riding one of the fastest Pokémon on land, Josh led the way down to the basement of his former Gym's maintenance building. At the bottom of the stairs was a creaky, metallic door and a glow-in-the-dark curtain with an image of Raikou appearing to charge at them. Beyond was a sight that could have been familiar to Julia. To her left, a trophy case that had one more trophy than it did before: his bronze plaque from the big Fortree race. To her right, a home Step Step Revolution setup that was one of the highest quality ones possible without owning a private cabinet. And finally, straight ahead, an enormous, almost life-sized Ride-On Raikou plush that looked like it cost a small fortune. The "riding gear" on it did not look like it was part of the original plush, instead borrowed from another one of similar size. In front of the adorable yet vicious-looking facsimile of Raikou was a square table and three chairs to let explorers rest during the Flagventures campaign.

"This... this is my sanctuary. My home away from home," Josh said with an unusually solemn voice as he scampered aboard the Raikou without hesitation. Holding the reins and leaning low, he looked like he was about to go flying forward. He closed his eyes briefly and imagined reliving his experience with Kyle's Sacred Ash Beast. He still longed for partnership with the sacred cat, though not with the dangerous passion he once had. Opening them, he took a deep breath before resuming his conversation with Julia.

"Julia... what I'm about to tell you is very hard for me to say. It's also not all public information. What I say to you today can't leave this place. It's... it's about my suspension. That's why I took you on Raikiri's back first." Even the Zeraora was wide-eyed, curled up on the tile floor next to the trophy case as he charged batteries hidden behind the wall, providing reserve power to the place. "If that's the last thing we do together, I want it to be a memory neither one of us will forget. But... yeah. I need your word none of this will leave this place. Not a word to anyone. Not even the Head Rangers."

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 479}
{PC: 6}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Jul 29, 2023 22:40:16 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Though no longer in danger of hilariously faceplanting, Julia still felt lighter than usual when she slid out of Raikiri's saddle, which ended up making her prosthesis feel heavier. She walked with something of a limp as she readjusted to her own weight, but it didn't seem to bother her much. By the time she'd made her way down the stairs a bit slower than usual, she was walking normally again.

[break][break]She'd been here before for the Flagventure, but that fun memory was squashed by the solemn way Josh spoke. Julia remained quiet while Josh collected himself. Julia scrunched her eyebrows together.

[break][break]"I don't get it. Why wouldn't I be able to tell the Head Rangers? They're the ones who suspended you, right?" But then, with an owlish blink, she realized: "You're really not supposed to tell anyone, are you?"

[break][break]She sank down into one of the chairs in front of the Ride-On Raikou. "What the hell did you do?" And why wasn't it public knowledge?

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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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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7,271 posts

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Aug 1, 2023 5:12:56 GMT

The words that were to come out of Josh's mouth next hurt. "If word of this became public, there would be backlash the League cannot afford right now. I've already been punished for what I did accordingly. Real talk, though, they let me off easy. If it were my decision to make and someone did what I did, I would expel them from the League and tell them to never come back. Someone who did what I did is no better than Rocket."

His eyes began to well up. Setting the reins down and hugging the back of the plush tiger's head, one of the Gym Leader's emotional breakdowns was inevitable. "Does the name Eris Halla sound familiar to you?" Josh asked. "High profile Rocket under League custody. Well... I was responsible for transferring her to a League facility in Mauville for questioning. She got away from me and I chased her down. And knowing, or at least thinking I knew, what Rocket did to Raikou in the Kanto War, I thought a high profile operative like her would have answers." He paused to sniff, dismounting the plush legendary just long enough to blow his nose. "Excuse me." He stepped outside, using one of his water Pokémon's water attacks to clean his hands off before taking a seat on the Beast again.

"So... things escalated from there. Largely of my own doing," Josh admitted, recounting his traumatic tale with Mesprit's wielder. "I got the upper hand and demanded answers she didn't have. Even Blitz thought I took matters too far. He stopped listening to me. In the heat of the moment, I tossed out the one Pokémon I knew wouldn't hold me back, and that was King Zing. We rode Eris down, and... and nearly killed her over Raikou." He buried his head in the base of the plush's thundercloud, unable to look at Julia. "That's not the kind of person I want to be. I just wanted answers, and was desperate for them, willing to do anything to get them." Even Raikiri stepped away from charging electronics to give Josh a gentle pat on the back.

"I let my passion for Raikou control me."

NOTE: This thread takes place in the days after Rangers Rising II.

Julia Davis

{WC: 367}
{PC: 7}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Raikiri Zeraora Good

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played by

Alicia Jewel

she/her

July 5

Fortree City

pansexual

Ranger

Elite Ranger

135 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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612 posts

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TAG WITH @julia

POSTED ON Aug 6, 2023 20:26:00 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","julia"]

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Backlash from the League? Josh believing the act should have gotten him expelled and making him no better than Rocket? The more Josh spoke, the more Julia's chest clenched with worry. She tried to make it loosen up. Whatever he did couldn't have been that bad, right...?

[break][break]"Eris Halla?" Julia echoed. "Isn't she, like, 13?" How could someone that young be "high-profile"? It was bad enough that someone that young was associated with Rocket, something that made Julia's fury toward the organization grow further, but were they really sending kids to do high-profile work? More pertinent was that this was related to Josh's love for Raikou.

[break][break]The full story came to light after Josh remounted his plush Beast. Julia stared blankly at her fellow Ranger as she tried to process what she was hearing. He had thought that Eris, who would have been maybe 7 during the Kanto invasion—had she even been part of Rocket then? Julia recalled reading that she'd lost her parents during that war—would have had answers about what had happened to Raikou. And he had nearly killed a 13-year-old girl, Rocket or not, because of it.

[break][break]"None of this makes any sense," she said, voice quieter and flatter than Josh had probably ever heard it. "You... You thought this kid would know what happened to Raikou? And you attacked her over it? And nearly killed her?!" Her voice rose in disbelieving outrage as she continued, standing. "Did—Did she attack you first? Did she have any dangerous weapons? Were her Pokémon trying to hurt you? I-I don't understand any of this!"

[break][break]Disbelief, anger, confusion, and sorrow clashed in Julia's head, pitching her voice to a near-shout. This couldn't be real. There had to be a reason for it. Why would Josh do this? No matter how reckless he was, surely he wouldn't let someone innocent get hurt, especially by his own hand. That's not what Rangers did. They protected people, Pokémon, and the region itself. Even if that meant sometimes getting into fights, nobody was supposed to get caught in the crossfire. So what the hell was going on?!

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

[attr="class","juliapokes"]
CHESTER ♂︎ early bird / swords dance, quick attack, drill peck, lunge, jump kick, stomping tantrum / z-powered

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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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