Well, this was a switch. He often didn't get to do these dangerous missions despite his qualifications. Considering the size of the desert, having a partner was nice. Especially one that can cover ground quickly. Still...Tyranitar and Gigalith. Tyranitar were bad enough, but Gigalith too was god awful. Breloom was a must here, but Oliver also brought his trusty Dragonite too. Vileplume, Lycanroc, Bastiodon, and Hydreigon rounded out his team. Fighting, Steel, Grass, and even water type attacks were all covered. Lycanroc was here to use her nose to try to locate the people. Oliver really should teach her Oder Sleuth. Sandstorm was going to be an issue though. Combat was definitely to be avoided.

Oliver himself was also prepared. Between his clothes to handle both the heat and the sandstorms, he also had goggles. Smoke bombs, flash bangs, flashlight, and a homemade stink bomb rounded out his gear. His baton would be useless against the rock types, and a taser wouldn't do much either. When he got there, Josh was on the phone. That's okay, guy was also a gym leader, he had a lot on his plate. The red head waited politely until Josh was done with his phone call. Once the man was done, Ollie spoke. "Yo. Long time no see, right? Do we have a search plan for the area?" Considering the danger of this mission, sticking together would probably be best. It may be slower going, but they don't need to be added to the list of victims themselves.

Josh Devlin

"Yo, Oliver!" Josh greeted from the back of his Zeraora, which he had to hold back the true speed of due to his injuries. Oliver may have been able to catch onto them due to the Gym Leader's posture not being as pristine as it normally was. "I do, but I'm waiting on my staff at the Gym to upload more of my Pokémon into the computer so I can withdraw them before we get in too deep."

Josh's blade wouldn't be too helpful against the rock-types. He would need to get creative with his team. "I'll bring a dragon or two to search from above. I've got several reliable--" The cry of a Type: Null got Josh's attention; Aleph had bolted off toward the sandstorm. He was bloodthirsty. "Aleph, get back here! You can't just go running in on your own!"

---

Oliver Shrakes

nndk3VQM Aleph obedience roll

{PC: 2}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Raikiri       Zeraora        Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good

Ah, so he was waiting to see the situation before getting some on call. "You're lucky you can do that. I live a bit far to do the same. Still, might think about what Pokemon might be best for a situation before even getting there. Just in case you can't do that, or electrical interruptions happen." As what tends to happen during sandstorms. Josh mentioned bringing a few dragons, but got interrupted when the Type: Null cried and then bolted off. Problem children...he knew about those. "I take it a problem child? I'll try to cut him off and drag him back...just get your team hammered out fast." Releasing Dragonite, he hopped on and they zoomed off.

Thankfully, his dragon buddy was extremely fast. To the point that even Extreme Speed using Pokemon still had issues keeping up. And he was able to cut off the Pokemon. "Don't worry buddy, you'll get your fight soon enough. But you gotta wait till everyone is ready. Including your trainer. Come on pal, let's head on back before we get caught up in that mess..." He pointed at the swirling sandstorm. However, he could see a pair of eyes stairing them down. Uh-oh. Out from the near by storm came the four legged Gigalith. Slow and steady, it threw up floating stones everywhere, a Stealth Rock. Oliver jumped off, and Dragonite closed and smashed it with an Aqua Tail...


Josh Devlin

Oliver had a point; Josh was too used to having his entire roster at his beck and call, thanks to his status as a Gym Leader. "All he wants to do is battle, especially Ultra Beasts. If you have any, I would recommend against using them," he warned. Seconds later, he received a text from Andrew back at the Gym: confirmation that the Pokémon had been uploaded into the system. With the ability to wirelessly withdraw Pokémon now due to their proximity to Mauville, thanks to the marvel of modern technology, he could bring the perfect Pokémon for the job.

One of those Pokémon was his own Dragonite. After being released from her Poké Ball, Bahamut was quick to chase after the fellow Ranger's Dragonite, though she was unable to close the gap without her Extreme Speed. That move would wear her out if used too early. As competitive as she was, she was content to fly behind Oliver's Pokémon, especially considering she was still recovering from the horrible Bolt Beak wound she suffered in the fall.

By the time Josh and Raikiri could get to the sandstorm's edge, the STEALTH ROCKS were already in place, the Gym Leader's great speed adding to their smashing force. Aleph followed up the dragon-type's AQUA TAIL with IRON HEAD. Cracks began to appear on the wild's hard body, but not enough to adversely impact its ability to fight. Several of the pointed stones in the air began to explode around both Rangers and their Pokémon, the shrapnel of ROCK BLASTS flying at them almost too fast to evade.

---

Oliver Shrakes

udrqPfAo Aleph obedience roll

{WC: 271}
{PC: 3}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Raikiri       Zeraora        Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Tiamat        Dragonite      Fair
Resheph       Dragonair      Good
Kairi         Vaporeon       Good
Nitro         Gogoat**       Good

Thankfully, he didn't have any Ultra Beasts. Battle hungry wasn't entirely bad...one just needed discipline. Hence the problem child comment. By the time Josh arrived, the Stealth Rocks were already set up, and attacked Josh's pokemon. The Type: Null followed up one super effective hit with another, using an Iron Head. Sadly, the Gigalith's defense was monstrous. The creature then fired off Rock Blasts at them. That made Oliver actually stumble back. A shard scratched against his cheek, cutting it. Dragonite weathered the rocky storm with injuries, but was still in the fight. Oliver was prepared with a few potions, but that was between battles.

The big orange beast closes in, grabbing the Gigalith and headbutting it with Iron Head of his own. Hopefully Aleph would do the same...increased chances for flinching, and giving them another opportunity to finish it off. Best make this one quick...it won't be the last one they'll have. And they had an objective in mind...the civilians caught in this mess. Time was ticking and they needed to end each fight fast and hard.


Josh Devlin

Oliver would get his wish; Aleph indeed had a follow-up bash of his IRON HEAD At the ready, toppling the Rock-type and causing it to slowly sink into the sands. With one less Gigalith, the churning sandstorm decreased in strength, letting Josh see through it to the other side of the dunes.

Josh leaned low on Raikiri's back, the two bravely charging alongside Aleph toward a humanoid silhouette beyond. Was it one of the adults trapped by the wild Pokémon, or was it a brutal Tyranitar? Only getting closer would let the Gym Leader discern so...

---

Oliver Shrakes

nkoLNxMO Aleph obedience roll

{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Raikiri       Zeraora        Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Tiamat        Dragonite      Fair
Resheph       Dragonair      Good
Kairi         Vaporeon       Good
Nitro         Gogoat**       Good

That was one down. And who knows how many more there was. The sandstorm dyed down a little. Oliver sighed a little in relief, hopping onto his Dragonite, and the two rangers started their adventure. Oliver also released Lycanroc (day form), to hopefully sniff out the missing people. Instead, the two of them found a humanoid form. Both of the red head's Pokemon tensed up, and moved forward. Only for his Lycanroc to get excited and darted forward. The form collapsed as they got closer, and it was definitely human. With part of his shirt around his eyes and mouth to try to protect against the storm, the man as gasping for breath. There was some injuries on him too...pretty benign ones, especially considering the type of swarm that was out there. Returning Dragonite, Oliver summoned Bastiodon. Both of his sandstorm immune pokemon made a perimeter around them, lessening the effects enough for the red head to start first aid.

He also gave the guy some water too. "There there, take it easy. We're rangers. We're trying to find you and your wife and daughter. Where are they? You were presumed dead..." And with such minor injuries...what had happened? The man took a moment to get his bearings, and then spoke in a calm panic. "Right, you must find them! My Audino and Mightyena are the only reasons I'm alive...please don't let them die in vain...I saw three Tyranitars and four Gigaliths heading in their direction...northeast from here, close to some cliffs...my family found a cave to hide in when the storm occured. They might still be there..." Well, that was helpful. Oliver had Lycanroc escort the man out, towards their rendevous location. So, a small force was already on their way. "What do you think, Josh? Just forgoe caution and just get over there with sheer speed?" Speed was nice, but not always the answer. But then again...the storm did look like it was getting worse in that direction. It certainly did give the man some credibility on where some wild Pokemon went...


Josh Devlin

OBJECTIVE C: COMPLETED

Phew, it wasn't a Tyranitar. It was one of the people they were looking for. Not only that, but they had information on the others' whereabouts. "Great work! Now it's just a matter of--" Josh had to do a double take. Did he say his Audino and Mightyena died? Horrible. Though Josh's time in the war had made him less emotional about the finality of death, it didn't make such an event any less miserable. "I am so sorry for your loss. I know how unbearable it can be. I lost my Braviary in Dewford. Silder, when my time comes, I hope to see you in the Firmament that day. To be with you in paradise."

The injured man continued to provide details of his family's whereabouts before Oliver's Lycanroc whisked him to safety. Turning to Oliver, Josh gave his take on the situation. "This is... not good. The cave's slightly off ground level, which will make it a little harder on us. With that many Tyranitar and Gigailth, I think we've got to find them and get them out of here fast. The longer we stay, the more likely we'll get surrounded. I think we find them and make our escape by air if we can." Little did they know that the positioning of the cave, as well as their Rock-type foes, would significantly complicate those plans...

---

Oliver Shrakes

79DTfmpg Aleph obedience roll

{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Raikiri       Zeraora        Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Tiamat        Dragonite      Fair
Resheph       Dragonair      Good
Kairi         Vaporeon       Good
Nitro         Gogoat**       Good

Oliver was silent. He hadn't had that pain of losing a Pokemon. So he just waited patiently. The Johtonian hadn't done any Pokemon hunting or any operations here, so he wasn't the most familiar with the desert. Even if a Flygon was on his radar. Josh gave his take. Yeah, speed it was. Putting on a pair of goggles, returning Bastiodon. "Speed it is. If you can take the women, I'll use Breloom to spread sleeping spores around. May help calm most of them down, or at the least create more than a few openings. We'll see what the exact situation is when we get there though." Taking Dragonite back out, he also gave him a pair of goggles as well. Once Josh was ready, they were off again, heading towards the thickest of the storm.

With twin bursts, they searched. Oliver flew over one group of Gigalith, luckily not a single one noticing him. Then another group of Tyrannitar. They did, but Olliver moved too fast for them to do anything. Oliver and his Dragonite almost rammed into a wall. But looking at it...it was easily climbable. Going up, there was one down Tyrannitar. But nothing else. No clear direction where they went. The storm had long since buried their tracks. But the cave has to be nearby. Yelling at Josh, he asked a question. "Do you know a nearby cave?" He only yelled due to the sheer noise of the storm. Maybe radios would have been a good idea...

Josh Devlin

With the settled plan of getting in and getting out as quickly as possible, Josh slammed his helmet's visor down and dashed into the storm, squinting to look for shadows of Pokémon and people within. The wake of the Pokémon passing at high speed alerted the trio of Tyranitar to their presence, each slamming their tails into the ground to create an EARTHQUAKE that sent plumes of sand flying into the swirling winds. If there was one attack the Gym Leader knew how to handle, it was that one; he flicked Raikiri's reins, BOUNCING high above the seismic waves.

As he soared, Josh faintly saw two human-shaped figured waving with both arms. While he wasn't able to identify them, they were at least a lead. "Oliver!" he shouted upon landing. "Fly up to the top of that cliff!" he pointed before being knocked off his mythical thundercat's back by a STONE EDGE that left the Zeraora in no condition to be ferrying him around. It was up to Aleph, who responded to his trainer's cry by charging his Tyranitar assailant with an X-SCISSOR that pierced the behemoth's natural armor.

---

Oliver Shrakes

HTSdkG_j Aleph obedience roll

{WC: 191}
{PC: 6}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Raikiri       Zeraora        Critical
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Tiamat        Dragonite      Fair
Resheph       Dragonair      Good
Kairi         Vaporeon       Good
Nitro         Gogoat**       Good

Josh ended up answering his question. The cliff...there! Then the guy got knocked off of his Zeraora. Crap! Oliver released his Vileplume. "Use Energy Ball, then Aromatherapy! I'm going to get the two, then swing back here! Support Josh in any way possible!" The flower nodded, and fired a green energy ball at the Tyranitar, hitting it in the head and making it stumble, ready for Aleph to take further advantage. Then Vileplume spread a nice aroma to help calm down not just the one Tyranitar in front of them, but hopefully in the general area as well.

Oliver, meanwhile, headed towards the two humanoid figures. There they were! The mother and the daughter. "Come on! Your husband is already safe! We just need to pick-up my partners and we'll be out of here!" Releasing his Hydreigon to put the ladies on, they went back. There were a lot more there now. The dragon and dark type fired off an array of Flash Cannons, along with a stronger dose of Aromatherapy from Vileplume. Hopefully that would be the opening that josh would need to get on something that can fly and get out of there.

Josh Devlin

Holding down the fort for Oliver Shrakes was brutal. Even with his X-SCISSOR rending one of the rock-types into unconsciousness, there were simply too many of the behemoths for the legendary normal-type to ward off. The STONE EDGES they wielded were sharp and heavy, cutting through Aleph's plating. One even pierced into the creature's soft skin, Aleph shrieking in pain from the critical hit that let him unable to keep battling.

Just as he was to grab Nitro's Poké Ball, the dose of AROMA THERAPY wafted about the bloody battleground. With the wilds momentarily distracted, the Gym Leader instead reached for Resheph's Poké Ball, taking a seat on the Dragonair's back and recalling the rest of his Pokémon team.

Once he was free of the sandstorm, Josh slumped forward on his Dragonair, sweaty and exhausted. Though he was happy to have helped with lifting the three scared civilians out of danger, it was clear this was the only ticket he was handling today. "Couldn't have done it without you," he panted. "Just like... old times. Now let's get them back home."

---

Oliver Shrakes

{WC: 181}
{PC: 7}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Raikiri       Zeraora        Critical
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Tiamat        Dragonite      Fair
Resheph       Dragonair      Good
Kairi         Vaporeon       Good
Nitro         Gogoat**       Good

Vileplume distracted them enough, along with Hydreigon's own attacks, to let Josh get out of there on his old reliable Dragonair. Oliver also returned Vileplume, and the three escaped to the skies. He was going to recommend a few ranger teams with an emphasis on sleeping and calming moves to settle down the group. That was...yikes. They soon found his Lycanroc heading back, and was returned then. When they reached the rendevous point, they saw the husband being treated by a medical team. They dropped off the women, and after a very teary eyed reunion, they all headed off to Mauville's hospital. Oliver and Josh then headed to the Pokemon center. The red head didn't know how hurt either the Type: Null or the Zeraora was, but everyone needed a check up. It just took a lot longer on Josh's two Pokemon than normal. That group really needed to be quelled...as strong and good as both of them were...it was just too much for two rangers to handle. Hopefully his request would be granted.



Josh Devlin