Josh had been aware that Councilwoman Elinor Anderson had been missing for quite some time. Had he known of her capture, Josh would have volunteered to be on her rescue team faster than one could say Extreme Speed. Perhaps it was better that he didn't, though; he was already on thin ice with the League for the Eris incident. Her wetsuit, and Josh's SYGNA SUIT, hid any injuries they had suffered for various reasons. "I'm just glad to see you're okay again. What in the world happened?" he asked, though it was doubtful Josh would get a truthful answer. He likely lacked the clearance needed to discuss the capture.

Though the Gym Leader was a watchful eye, the primary purpose of their trip along the fierce currents surrounding Pacifidlog was to let loose and get some of their less-used water Pokémon much-needed exercise. As such, Snacker and Resheph stayed at Mauville Gym. Instead, he held the reins of Keiga, his Kingdra, in his hands, the agile aquatic dragon demonstrating her ability to face and move different directions independently. With the creature's saddle precariously close to its fin, Josh could feel every swish powering her swift swimming. Near him was a saddled Greninja that was fast enough to dash over the water's surface like it was solid ground. On a nearby sandy islet, two Samurott, one Hisuian and one Unovan, kept their eyes out for predators. They, too, were geared for someone to sit astride them. "It's been a long time since I've been out this way," Josh said, Winky gracefully leaping over the tall Gyarados.

Elinor had to think for a moment on just how much she could or should say. But decided that the truth would serve for now.

“Team Rocket managed to overwhelm and capture me. And well, I am sure I don't need to tell you what happened after that.” Elinor spoke, discomfort making its way to her face as she came painfully close to talking about her time in Rocket prisoner.

Luckily riding the Gyarados and watching the variety of other Water Pokémon Josh had brought along, pulled her mind away from the darkness of her prison-time.

"Same here." She couldn’t remember when she had last been here.

Deep below the waves a Pokémon lay in waiting. The Wugtrio looked for prey that it could catch from below. It noticed the Gyarados and prepared to attack. But Elinor had foreseen potential danger, and so below the waves a Milotic swam.

The watchful gaze of the Miltoc alerted it to the danger, and it acted quickly. Sending a Dragon Pulse straight for the Garden Eel Pokemon. The Wugtrio was quickly defeated, and brought to Elinor who was quick to accept the gift.

LOCATION: Pacifidlog Water Routes
TAG: Josh Devlin

Keiga wasn't fast, but she was agile. Very agile. With her rear fin capable of moving in multiple directions, she was even capable of swimming backwards, which she was happy to demonstrate at her rider's request. "Ever thought about getting a Kingdra for yourself, Elinor? I think you'd really like them," Josh suggested as the dragon returned to swimming while facing forward.

The news came to Josh as a real shocker. "Arceus, Elinor... no wonder you disappeared for so long. Not a peep has come out of it from the League. Then again, not a peep has come out of the League about my little skeleton in the closet, either. I wouldn't want to wish that on anyone, though. Not what you went through, and not what I went through." How could have that happened? Didn't the Council have a hell of a security detail surrounding them? Even now, she had a Gym Leader keeping watch over her. One of Hoenn's best Gym Leaders, too. Perhaps not in terms of battling skill, but in terms of adaptability, compassion, and empathy.

It was evident she did not want to talk about her imprisonment any more. Perhaps she was tongue-tied by the League on what information she could share outside the AQUA Initiative. Instead, the Leader would focus on a catch of his own, a Ducklett catching his eye. While Swanna was far down the list of Pokémon he looked forward to reining up, one of his recent challengers used one, reminding him that he should probably catch one for his Gym.

Just like Elinor's Milotic, Josh subject the poor wild to a DRAGON PULSE, this one amplified by virtue of being used by a Kingdra. He bounced harshly in the saddle, feeling like Keiga was trying to buck him off mid-attack. There was no ill-will; the DRAGON PULSE simply had that much power behind it. He regained his balance just as the water-type turned tail in retreat. Not allowing the Pokémon to get away, he squeezed the aquatic dragon's sides, coaxing AGILITY from his mount. The added speed let Keiga swim circles around the wild, forcing a surrender into Josh's waiting Poké Ball.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD FEEBAS APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ADAPTABILITY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FLAIL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SPLASH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TACKLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Elinor Anderson Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD QWILFISH APPEARED!

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[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] INTIMIDATE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TOXIC	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ACUPRESSURE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]AQUA TAIL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ROLLOUT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] BARB BARRAGE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Elinor Anderson Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

“I’ve considered it.” Elinor acknowledged Josh’s suggestion. Though it was half dragon type, it wasn’t exactly the type of Pokémon she would go out of her way to get.

But moving on. Josh offered his honest reaction to the news. She found herself slightly surprised as it seemed he had heard naught about it.

Has the League been THAT tight lipped with it? She pondered, even felt a sense of disappointment that The Council hadn’t used it as a PR opportunity.

While Josh’s little battle against the Ducklett was going on, and right after Elinor’s Milotic gave her the first catch, a Quilfish charged through the water toward them.

It tried to intimidate them with Aggression, but found neither Elinor nor her two Pokémon to be particularly scared. It was too late when it realized its folly. Unfortunately neither Pokémon was intend on letting the bully get away. Gyarados was about to dig down and bite it, when Milotic stopped it. Reminding it that Elinor was still on his back AND biting a poison type wasn’t smart.

Instead the Milotic froze it, quickly defeating it and letting Elinor capture the bully for who knows what purpose.

LOCATION: Pacifidlog Water Routes
TAG: Josh Devlin
OOC: Capturing Quilfish

"They're great for seafare of all kinds," Josh continued to upsell the species to Elinor. "They can swim any direction while facing any direction. They can be a bit challenging to ride because you need to keep clear of their fins, but it's rewarding. I bet we could go all the way to the Seafloor Cavern together if you had one." Come to think of it, he had never been down there before. It was one of Hoenn's greatest wonders, a gigantic air pocket caught beneath thousands of leagues of ocean water. Given how rarely it was traveled, he couldn't go there on Ranger duties easily. It would be on his own time and his own dime.

Elinor's silence spoke volumes. It was understandable she didn't want to talk about it. That, or she lacked the clearance to divulge details to Josh. It was more likely the latter. He would have had pondered running for Elite Four when Katherine Fairburne was promoted to Council, but his restitution left him hamstrung in that department. Plus, Greyson Connors was a far more skilled combatant than Josh was. As he stood now, he didn't have the chops to be a member of the Elite Four. Furthermore, he loved his Gym too much. He wouldn't give it up for anything. Not even Raikou, as much as it pained him to think about it.

Before Elinor could speak again, the splash of a rather nearby Feebas caught his attention. As many aquatic ride Pokémon as the Gym Leader possessed, Milotic was not one of them. They were time-consuming and expensive to evolve, too, many in the hands of Pokémon Contest winners for a reason. With him earning his full Gym salary again, he could at least afford to hire out the work.

Winky circled the small water-type, hurling WATER SHURIKEN toward it, one after another. While the veil of water surrounding the aquatic throwing stars dulled each blow, that was not their purpose. The swift frog's strategy was to juggle the Feebas with them and keep it out of water for as long as possible. Seeing one such star sail wide, Josh saw Winky wouldn't have time for another, hurling an empty Poké Ball at it.

Why was Elinor so quiet, though? It had to be more than the prison time...

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MOTHIM APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

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[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] TINTED LENS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]AIR SLASH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SILVER WIND
[attr="class","wildtabox"]CONFUSION	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BUG BUZZ
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Elinor Anderson Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD AXEW APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

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[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] RIVALRY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BREAKING SWIPE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DUAL CHOP
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BITE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]LEER
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Elinor Anderson Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

“Oh, do you want to go there?” Elinor asked, trying to keep the focus of the conversation on Pokémon. After all, it was better this way, better to avoid relieving the memories of the Rocket-prison time, and better for Josh to not have more fuel to throw on his bonfire of Rocket hate.

Something far away caught the attention of Elinor’s Milotic. It was water splashing about as if someone was fighting to survive above water. And as it quickly checked up on the situation that was exactly what it found.

An Axew fighting to swim for its life.

Milotic offered it help and safety, and it was all too quick lto accept.

LOCATION: Pacifidlog Water Routes
TAG: Josh Devlin
OOC: Capturing Axev

"I do," Josh answered. "When illeana reyes , Eva Morales , and I were searching for a replacement Absolite for Twilight," which Elinor may have remembered playing a key role in their bitter battle, "we also found the signature for Sharpedonite radiation coming from there. If I were to serve the League in a greater capacity, excavating a hunk of it to craft a Mega Stone would be quite beneficial."

His operation with Genevieve Cromwell came into mind. Making sure Rocket didn't have a back door to the Ultra Sea was one of his recent fine accomplishments. "And if Dewford said anything, we need to be prepared for naval battles. I already rode a Sharpedo into battle once to stop a follow-up operation in the area. I think a Mega Stone would be a good investment. If it's anything like what I had to do to get the Absolite, it won't be easy."

Thinking about it brought his role in AQUA: Sapphire to mind. "Unfortunately, the trail for Raikou has turned cold again. I think it's best if I keep my attention on the Champion Assessment... even if I can't become a Champion in name until 2025." From his tone and body language, it would be easy for Elinor to determine his attitude toward Raikou was again a dream, like it had been when they had first met over a year ago, and not the passion that led him to nearly murder Eris.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MARSHTOMP APPEARED!

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[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

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[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] DAMP
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ROCK THROW	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TACKLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]WATER PULSE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ENDEAVOR
[attr="class","wildtabox"] BITE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Elinor Anderson Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD YANMEGA APPEARED!

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[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] TINTED LENS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SUPERSONIC	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DETECT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]NIGHT SLASH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SONIC BOOM
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Elinor Anderson Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Elinor Anderson CAUGHT THE AXEW!

“Oh no doubt about that. It would definitely be a worthwhile investment, especially in your hands.” She could think of no better person to utilize the speed and power of a Mega Sharpedo.

And for a moment she focused on her Pokemon, making sure they weren’t up to any misdeeds before listening to Josh’s next suggested topic.

Raikou.

While Elinor noticed the tone and body language, she paid it little attention. One might even said she did not care to note it down.

“Yeah that is probably for the best.”

Hunting for Legendary Pokemon, whether it be Raikou or not, was surely a path that would only lead to disappointment. After all, where were they in Hoenn’s hour of need? Nowhere. Where were they when SHE needed them? Nowhere.

LOCATION: Pacifidlog Water Routes
TAG: Josh Devlin
OOC: Skip

Josh's passion for Raikou was still within him, though it had been tempered by the aftermath of misdeeds ne never fathomed he would commit. It was the Gym Leader's lust for power, though in this case speed was that power, that had put him in the lamentable situation he was in now. He was still dealing with it, too, having to take on almost all of his Ranger tasks unpaid just to make the community service requirement of his restitution. Between that and his Gym Leader duties, he had very little time to himself. "Thanks for the company," Josh said as Keiga leisurely floated toward the shore on her momentum.

One last interruption would capture the Elite Ranger's attention: a Yanmega flitting back and forth near the island city's port, making it impossible for a nearby watercraft to dock. The dragonfly was massive for its species, too; she was larger than even Flit. As much as he thought it wouldn't be a good idea, he had a few brave challengers register for his racing challenge with a Yanmega. Perhaps Shalin could give him pointers on how she rode the green, hovering bug-type, though if King Zing was any indication, the vibration would take some serious getting used to. Even if capture wasn't in the cards, he still had to chase the thing away.

Staying a safe distance away from the flying pest, Keiga squinted, LASER FOCUSED as her snout glowed a royal purple. The ears of both Pokémon and rider rung from the wild's wings churning full force in a SONIC BOOM, the shockwave creating a miniature tsunami that threatened to wash them both out to see. Now or never, the skilled SNIPER took her shot, her DRAGON PULSE striking the foe square in the face. Jumping over the wave not an option for the Kingdra, Josh held his breath and reined the dragon downward, where the water's waves would be less powerful.

Bravely swimming through the shockwave-induced current, the Kingdra and rider surfaced near the port and the unconscious Yanmega. Josh was quick to bop the defeated foe with a Poké Ball before helping guide the vessel the rest of the way to port. Once its passengers had safely disembarked, Josh retrieved his catch and waved goodbye to the Councilwoman.