[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
Josh begins calling out the names of, then whistling for, some of his very fastest Pokémon. Among them are an Arcanine, a Hisuian Arcanine, a shiny Luxray, and a giant Jolteon, alongside the Manectric the Gym Leader is atop. All of them seem seem just as excited, the two Arcanine howling loudly despite the dry thunderstorm headed directly toward the Gym. As you inquire into what in the world the billowing storm cloud is, you get a terrifying answer from the Gym Leader. [break][break]

"That's... that's Raikou! It's Raikou! He's really alive!" Josh goes on and on, seeming far too excited about the dangerous storm headed straight at the two of you. The wind picks up more and more the closer the cloud gets. This time, though, there is a brilliant flash accompanying a distant THUNDER attack so powerful that you can feel the impact despite being distant from it. [break][break]

"No way... no way!!" you barely hear the Gym Leader cry through somewhat deafened ears. Looking around and up, while most of the sky is clear, the purple storm cloud is visibly expanding in the distance. "RAIKOU, I'M COMING!!" he shouts. All of a sudden, the Gym Leader bolts toward the storm cloud while astride his Manectric. His other Gym Pokémon for the most part are excited, but his Arcanine both seem worried. They all surround you and crouch down, as though beckoning you to go after their Trainer. [break][break]

What do you do?

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Accept the ride from one of Josh's Pokémon and chase him down

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Use one of your Pokémon to chase Josh down

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Take shelter inside his Gym; that storm cloud's nasty

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Ignore him and investigate for yourself

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (CUSTOM FIELD) Take another course of action

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
Without further delay, you get on the back of Josh's Arcanine, Braver, who is quick to bolt after him. It's a bit of a rough ride for anyone not used to how the fire-type runs, but it isn't too hard to get used to after finding his rhythm.[break][break]

You meet up with Josh east of the racing grounds, where you saw the cloud originate from (and knowledge of weather patterns would tell you storm clouds coming in from the east is highly unusual), you can see a medium-size circle of completely charred grass surrounded by fire. At its center is a small but fairly deep depression. East of the fire are footprints of a Pokémon you've never seen before. They are very feline, but you've never seen a feline Pokémon with a single-pointed claw before. The distance between footprints is staggering, an indication that whatever made them can move incredibly fast.[break][break]

Josh frantically reaches for his belt before coming to the realization he does not have a Pokémon on his person capable of quenching the fire! "Thanks for backing me up! Do you have a Pokémon that can put this fire out?"[break][break]

Raikou is, for the time being, nowhere in sight.[break][break]

What do you do?

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Put out the fire using a water Pokémon and examine the depression

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Put out the fire using a ground Pokémon and examine the depression

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Ask Josh to ignore the fire and follow the trail

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (CUSTOM FIELD) Take another course of action

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
While using your water Pokémon to put out the fire works, It was an electrical fire, making water far less effective in dousing the flames. After doing so, you see five depressions in the ground. Four of them are shaped like feline pawprints with a single protrusion at the end of them, as if the creature had single-pointed claws. The fifth is a small crater, the grass around it completely blackened, unlike the grass that was burning previously. As you finish putting out the fire, Josh and his Manectric catch up to you.[break][break]

Your experience with many varieties of Pokémon leads you to believe that this crater came about as the result of a THUNDER attack of divine strength. It is obvious Josh comes to a similar conclusion. "These are his footprints, but holy..." he gasps at the crater's sheer size. "I've never seen an electric attack do that before."[break][break]

As the two of you make the turns to Route 118's beach, the downdrafts continue to pick up as the afternoon sun is almost completely blotted out by the purple storm clouds, the coastline nearly dark as night. Six bright flashes, accompanied by rumbles of thunder that were as rapid as a semiautomatic firearm's discharges, illuminate the beach, the force of the lightning strikes sending sand flying into the air.[break][break]

Your close pursuit lets you catch a brief glimpse of a feline figure whose red eyes seem to stare into your very soul. A grey, crown-like faceplate covers the figure's head, and beyond it, you can see a purple cloud hovering behind it, not unlike the one covering every square inch of the sky for miles in every direction. The creature opens its fanged maw, and a roar indistinguishable from thunder washes over you. You see Josh and his Manectric preparing to enter a QUICK ATTACK chain.[break][break]

What do you do?

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (ROLL TWICE) Approach from the right and attempt to lure the feline toward Route 119

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (ROLL TWICE) Approach from the left and attempt to lure the feline toward Route 123

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (ROLL TWICE) Charge the feline head-on

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (ROLL TWICE) (CUSTOM FIELD) Take another course of action

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
The two of you spur your Pokémon to top speed, ready to enter QUICK ATTACK chains and bursts of EXTREME SPEED when the time is right. Raikou sees this coming and calls down a line of lightning bolts, which you are going far too fast to react to. While the divine current runs through you and your Pokémon for only a split second, even Josh's Manectric lets out a pained cry as they are struck, his resistance to electric attacks meaningless in the Beast's presence. You lose feeling in all four of your limbs, an extreme tingling feeling overwhelming you as the maelstrom afflicts your exposed skin with electrical burns. Your Pokémon's muscles show signs of locking up, robbing you of a lot of speed.[break][break]

You are unable to end the chase here; Raikou bolts down Route 123. As you and Josh give chase down the marsh-covered road, you see that the swamp's water level looks much lower than normal, giving the Beast much more room to run. Lightning flashes all over the wetland like a strobe light as you begin to catch up.[break][break]

The terrain flies by, Josh's title of Master of Faster showing itself as your mount speeds forward almost as fast. You're almost certain you've never gone this fast in your life. It's simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. As you get closer to Raikou, the lightning strikes begin to get more concentrated around you and your Pokémon.[break][break]

What do you do?

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (ROLL TWICE) Continue to charge the feline at full speed

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (ROLL TWICE) Weave around the lightning bolts

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Slow down a little and give yourself more time to react

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Urge Josh to retreat

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (CUSTOM FIELD) Take another course of action

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
Your Arcanine steed's legs turn into a blur, tromping toward Raikou in a burst of EXTREME SPEED so fast that it nearly forces your eyes shut. For someone not trained in withstanding such vicious elements, the wind is overwhelming, even painful at times. Even Josh is having a hard time keeping pace with his Manectric. Vicious lightning bolts strike behind you as the legendary Pokémon underestimates the speed your Pokémon puts on. With you getting quite close, Raikou picks up the pace, entering the fastest QUICK ATTACK you have ever seen. A tingling sensation flies up and down your nerves as your Arcanine gives its all to try to overtake Raikou. Even with one final push approaching the fire-type's limits, the giant dog is unable to pass Raikou, and he tears off over the horizon.[break][break]

You catch up to Raikou again, able to hear the sound of QUICK ATTACKs behind you as Josh attempts to rejoin you. This time, the great cat is sitting down at the south shore of Lake Pyre, the vicious storm's downdrafts so intense that you imagine flying any closer would be next to impossible. While it is, of course, difficult to tell, you suspect Raikou may be recovering from the exertion of its own high speed. The sitting Pokémon eyes the two of you warily as lightning continues to strike all around you. Josh doesn't appear to be slowing his Manectric down one bit, and yet you can somehow read his intent to approach peacefully. You can catch the glint of a presumably empty Poké Ball in his hand.[break][break]

What do you do?

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Advance alongside Josh and follow his lead

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Advance alongside Josh, but attempt to capture Raikou yourself

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Challenge Raikou to a battle yourself

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Urge Josh to retreat

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (CUSTOM FIELD) Take another course of action

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
Your Arcanine mount bravely gallops forward with you in tow. The Beast side-eyes you before roaring loudly, the sky again flashing like a strobe light as a torrent of lightning bolts encircles the section of Route 123 by Pyre Bay's south shore. His Manectric stops as the purple storm cloud above you continues to swirl, growing in intensity.[break][break]

As the two of you get within a handful of meters of Raikou, Josh slides down from his Manectric's back and makes a quick prayer to the Great One before pleading his case to Raikou. He then sets an empty Poké Ball down in front of the great tiger. With curiosity, the Beast approaches the Ball, then side-eyes you one more time before crushing it beneath a paw.[break][break]

The Beast thrusts a paw into the Gym Leader's face, then yours, blinding both of you with the sharp pain of an electrical burn. His Manectric lunges in front of him, and the three Pokémon have a violent battle of thunder, lightning, and blistering speed. It is impossible for the untrained eye to follow. Even Josh himself seems to be struggling to find an opening. When he thinks he does, his foe is already a step ahead of him, throwing its body at his non-legendary counterpart and into Josh, knocking him to the ground. This battle does not seem to be going at all well for him, and with the lightning bolts still circling the makeshift battleground, escape at this point would be foolhardy.[break][break]

What do you do?

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Help Josh to his feet and fight alongside him

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Help Josh to his feet, but stay out of the battle

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ Protect Josh by taking his place in the battle

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (LOCKED) Urge Josh to retreat

[attr="class","pokemotomechc"]
❤️ (CUSTOM FIELD) Take another course of action