Josh's main tournament experience was over; he had failed to make the top cut. He had walked out of the event with a sizable check, though! Having secured his payout, he felt comfortable entering Raikiri into one of Vital City's many side events.

Heading to his assigned arena, he saw the brown-haired girl and her Smeargle that would be his opponents. "Hi there!" the Gym Leader waved. "Gym Leader Devlin or Elite Ranger Devlin, but please, call me Josh." His Zeraora, standing on all fours, looked imposing. There was clearly something special about the friendship between the two. Supernatural, even.

Quill is the first of the pair to notice Josh and Raikiri approach- from the imposing nature of the Zeraora to the overall feeling of meeting someone new, the Smeargle is...

EXCITED!!! He bounces up from where he sits with Sio, bolting to the pair with eager barks and yaps. Giving a chuckle of their own at the display and coming to notice the Gym Leader as well, they stand, brushing their skirt off and waving back. "Ah, hello. Sio Sotí, detective and reporter extraordinaire- or simply Sio, if we're forgoing titles," they bow, coming back up with a coy smirk. "But...if you're a Gym Leader, I suppose we should put our all into this, hm~?"

Quill, meanwhile, is still sniffing the air around the Leader and pokemon duo, but stands at attention when Sio finally whistles for him. "Quill, Transform! Figure out everything you can about your opponent!"

And so, with that and some flourishes of his tail and lavender paint, Quill paints himself into a fascimile of Raikiri! A bit of a strange feeling, really, but something he could get used to- even if it meant having to be a cat instead of a dog for the time being. Especially now, as he charges with Plasma Fists to punch the other pokemon!

Gimmick: Default (+10 on 0 rolls, +30 on 100)

HP: 3/3

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Josh Devlin

Quill looked excited and full of energy - the perfect opponent for a Pokémon that very few could keep up with. "Great to meet you, and good luck! It'll be easier to have fun in these side events instead of the stressful main tournament, I think."

There would be little time for further pleasantries, Quill TRANSFORMING into a duplicate of Raikiri. Josh laughed, though it was unclear whether it was at Sio. It could well have been. The Smeargle may have been able to turn into a Zeraora, but Josh had strong doubts that the normal-type could handle his new body, nor did he have a mind that could think fast enough to move at the speed of a race car. While the PLASMA PAWS were quite strong, as Josh knew, they took a small amount of time to charge up. It was time Raikiri and his QUICK ATTACK wouldn't give him, aiming to slide by him with incredible speed and trip him.

Admittedly not that Quill would ever admit something like this, the Transformation into a Zeraora isn't the smoothest. Sure, he's more than confident as the Plasma Fists reach their charge and slam into the real deal, but it's almost like there's a bit of recoil from the whole ordeal. The fascimile wobbles a bit after the hit lands...

But with Sio's eager laughter and cheering at something that seemed utterly impossible, Quill straightens right back up. More than ready to keep being the strong funny guy and show this Zeraora who's boss, Quill swings right back with his own Quick Attack, aiming right for the face!

"Still going to laugh after that, hm~?"

Gimmick: Default (+10 on 0 rolls, +30 on 100)

HP: 3/3

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Josh Devlin

While the QUICK ATTACK wasn't as fast as Raikiri's, it had more power behind it. Perhaps Josh didn't fully understand the intricacies of a transforming Pokémon. What didn't change was how much that swift strike to the face stung.

Quill would pay for that.

Growing impatient, Raikiri about-faced, sparks flying as his paws and claws loudly scraped the court. He flung himself at his clone, rey to siphon his foe's force of will with twin DRAIN PUNCHES.

Well at this rate, if Josh wanted to learn more about transforming pokemon, Quill would certainly be free for a more proper demosntration after all of this settled down.

And, of course, after this vengeful Zeraora finally got all of his energy out.

Taunting Raikiri with a yapping laughter and a raspberry blown towards him, Quill bounces on his feet - still uneasy, but gradually growing used to this supernatural form with the heat of the battle. Trying his best to respond to the Drain Punches, he'd set out his own fury in the form of a hasty Flame Punch!

Gimmick: Default (+10 on 0 rolls, +30 on 100)

HP: 3/3
La2BxwP6


Josh Devlin

The two felines swung their paws at one another with speed that was almost impossible for the untrained eye to follow. It was exactly where Josh wanted to be. Speed was a potent weapon, but without the trainer also being able to follow the action, it was never used to its full potential. If there was one trainer that could follow even the fastest Pokémon in Hoenn, it was the Mauville Gym Leader.

"You want heat?! I'll give you heat!" Josh shouted, fired up as his Zeraora's FIRE PUNCHES were. The way they were flinging paws at each other, ignited by friction burn, one of them was going to have a big black spot on them by the end of the match! And no, not a lightning-shaped one - Raikiri already had several of those!

Sure, Sio wasn't some high speed racer or even a well ranked gym leader of any kind- but in times like these, when any and every detail of an exchange needs to be properly remembered and documented? They're more than determined to keep up with the lightning speed of the two felines. "How can you, when you've hardly kept up~?!" Sio shouts in taunting back, laughing. After all, they were a junkie for adrenaline, even if it took the backseat on most occasions.

Quill stumbles back as one of the Flame Punches finally connects with his face. Growling, he forces himself to recollect himself as quickly as he feasibly can before getting right back into the fight. Reeling himself back, an Electro Ball forms between his paws before he lunges it at Raikiri - hoping to deal the final blow!

Gimmick: Default (+10 on 0 rolls, +30 on 100)

HP: 2/3

DkuQsxL9


Josh Devlin

At Sio's last taunt, Josh's demeanor turned from competitive but friendly to generally livid. If there was one thing that got under his skin, it was him being belittled about his specialty. Mercilessly raising his Z-GLOVE as the volley of electric pellets flew toward Raikiri, Josh scowled first in his Pokémon's direction, then toward Sio. The fiercely fast feline was about to get faster. Way faster. He slid toward one corner of the arena, then vanished in a lightning-wreathed HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE too fast for the untrained eye to follow.

Even if Quill somehow leaped out of the way of the paws coming at him at supersonic speed, the line of white lightning bolts loomed behind Raikiri, and would overload the Smeargle's borrowed capacity to drain electric attacks. There was also the aural explosion from the Zeraora zipping from one corner to the other, outrunning his own sound waves!

Perhaps Sio was in the same boat as Josh when it came to such a grievance- but right now, still in the heat of a battle that made their own headlines for them, they hadn't the afterthought to care.

Quill can't seem to have any capacity to even taunt anymore - not when Raikiri's Hypersonic Plasms Charge SLAMS into him, thoroughly knocking the wind out of him...

As well as the transformation. For a moment the Smeargle sits on the battlefield- battered, disoriented and dizzy, whimpering from the surges of electricity still thrumming in his fur. But he can't fully give up yet, can he?

Dazily trying to follow the Zeraora's moves, Quill stumbles to his feet. And, with a huge, messy splash of purple-black paint, he does his best to hit Raikiri with some Bitter Malice!

Gimmick: Default (+10 on 0 rolls, +30 on 100)

HP: 1/3

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Josh Devlin

Raikiri's most potent display of speed hit so hard that it even broke Quill's transformation. Robbed of its speed, the Smeargle would be an easy target. All it would take would be one swipe of his PLASMA PAWS, and the match would be over. Glancing at the match clock, he didn't have time for that. He was in time trouble again. Several of his matches in the main tournament were losses because of time trouble. He wouldn't let that happen again.

With a QUICK ATTACK that left Raikiri shaking from exhaustion afterwards, the Zeraora made one last desperation charge, Josh crossing his fingers that those lightning-laces claws would touch Quill before the clock read zeroes.

"No one goes faster than me. No one." The Gym Leader's booming, stern voice may have been frightening for Sio to hear in the moment.

Sure, Raikiri had plenty of speed- enough to potentially break the sound barrier, Sio muses to themself. And yet, as the ghostly cursed paint makes successful contact with the Zeraora and knocks him down one last time-

"Hah..hahah...amazing. Amazing..!"

It's clear that craftsmanship still reigns supreme.

Finally tuckered out for the time being, Quill plops back down onto the ground- his trainer soon crouching down to comfort him with pets and check on his overall condition. After all, they too had finally started to wear down from the inital high of the battle.

"That was...absolutely astounding. A wonderful fight. I.." Sio trails off, catching breaths they hadn't even been aware that they were holding. "I apologize for that final jab. You and your pokemon both put on a spectacular show of speed that I highly doubt I could replicate- and perhaps one I'd like to learn more about at a later date."

With that, Sio hums- now offering the Elite a warm smile and an extended hand to shake.

Gimmick: Default (+10 on 0 rolls, +30 on 100)

HP: 1/3



Josh Devlin

Josh, too, came down from the high of competition, resuming his friendly demeanor. When things got tense, he could become terse, disrespectful, and even just plain mean to whoever was standing across from him. "Good luck with your next two matches," he answered, pulling out his phone to register for another flight. There was a long time before the top eight battled it out for the title of Vital City Champion. Though he was disappointed he would not be on that stage, he had the opportunity to meet so many great people.

"If you want to learn about that kind of speed, come sign up for a class at Mauville Gym," the Gym Leader plugged his establishment. "They call me the Master of Faster for a reason!"