THE MESSENGER

SOCIAL

“…”

how long had it been since fernando conducted his own personal assessment? while they are just as important as they were years ago, priorities necessitated abandoning those duties in lieu of more pressing matters: such as METENO.

in his stead, kyle lopez had volunteered to step in, although his purpose was a bit more selfish than fernando would have liked. but who better to challenge these leaders than the one who conquered them, the only person who could rival and even best him in a contest of mechanics and rules, their TOP CHAMPION?

however, even kyle lopez cannot handle an entire region on his own. especially, cases such as the MAUVILLE GYM. any sentiments about the gym previously belonging to CAIT ALFRIC or KATHERINE FAIRBURNE has long been washed. instead, it’s importance as an in-land hub is what draws his attention.

that and the peculiar case of it’s current gym leader: Josh Devlin. a man with undoubtable skills but questionable judgement. a person who steers closer to Melody Miro than kyle lopez, from his discerning eye.

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

Relieved to see his Gym Trainer defeat a challenger, Josh's mind drifted back to his fantasy: conquering Raikou's Extreme Speed. Again leaning low on the soft replica of the legendary Beast, he imagined himself screaming into wind unlike any storm the planet was capable of producing naturally. The speed garnered from leaping into a cloud and striking out of it.

It was what he longed for Swift to be able to do. And one day, Swift would. But that day was incredibly distant. Before the Beast could do so, his rider and wielder must suffer unbearable loss.

His fantasy would be interrupted by a page from his secretary, SHELLY SPIEL. "Leader Devlin, Councilman Silph is here to see you."

The young man slid down from the stuffed Raikou's thundercloud. "Of course I'll see the Councilman," he picked up the phone and replied. "Send him up to my office. I'll see what he wants."

Provided the Councilman was willing to take the elevator to the third floor and up to his spacious office, filled with Raikou memorabilia, Josh would greet him with a friendly demeanor. "Good morning, Councilman," he exchanged pleasantries with his fellow Gym Leader. "Is this about the new Non-Traditional Gym Challenge I submitted to the League?" he asked. If the businessman were to inspect any of Josh's decor, he would find that the thundercloud on the giant Raikou plush was warm...

THE MESSENGER

SOCIAL

“DEVLIN.”

it doesn’t take a lot for fernando to get a feel for the room. the RAIKOU memorabilia is unmissable, peeks of yellow in every corner of his peripheral vision. even if he lost this eye, he would still be able to describe the room in detail.

a habit he had hoped devlin would have overgrown.

“indeed.”

the councilman prove incredibly concise. an enigmatic blur that sits between blunt and curt.

“and for a live demonstration.”

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

Concise as always; it made the Councilman a challenge to understand at times, for such few words could be more loosly interpreted. Josh was more comfortable with verbose clarity in communication. It was yet another reason he was a Gym Leader and not Council. "Part of the reason I designed this challenge, which I'll be submitting to the Commissioner once I've gotten some more feedback on it, is that I don't think the League values the intelligence war enough. What you will help me test is a delivery across my Gym grounds. It will simulate transporting supplies, war plans, or even food to soldiers to a safe house behind enemy lines. I don't require a ride Pokémon for the challenge, but it is strongly encouraged you have one or more Pokémon capable of transporting materials too heavy or awkward for you to carry on your own."

Josh locked his computer screen before standing up, gesturing toward the windows behind him. Beyond was a view of the property, divided into seven Sectors. Surrounding the Main Sector's ovaloid race course were bleachers for observers watch battle challenges from. Nearest the rear entrance were a grassland to the east and wasteland-type terrain to the west; in the middle, varying types of wet ground; and in the distance, foothills and crags. Atop Sector 3's tallest crag was the Operations Center. "That building in the back will be the simulated Safe House, and that's where you'll need to get the delivery to. Of course, my Pokémon will try to stop you, employing tactics similar to what Rocket would use in a real warzone. Even I can't predict exactly what you will run into out there, but in a real Gym challenge, it would be tailored to the Pokémon the challenger brings."

Josh ran his hand across the Ride-On Raikou's thundercloud one more time before turning around. "When you're ready, we can head outside. If you need to change out your Pokémon, there are PCs in the lobby."

THE MESSENGER

SOCIAL

“HM.”

fernando says nothing at first, more than happy to soak in the gym leader’s explanation. a brief thought entertains how to best approach the challenge, but that’s shot down the moment he sees the distance.

“we can attempt it with what i have on hand. it’ll be good practice to adapt to whatever pokemon you’re carrying on-hand.”

he follows josh out.

“although, i’m curious to hear what makes you think the league does not value intelligence.”

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

Josh raised his eyebrows at the Councilman's remark. Perhaps what he said came off as a bit abrasive and misleading. "I never said the League didn't value the intelligence war; I just implied they could value it a little more. Plus, you're AQUA. You have more information than I do. I was just making a comment based on the information I had."

Josh opened the sliding door for FERNANDO SILPH , showing him the diversity of his Gym's vast landscape. Outside was the aforementioned supply crate, filled with water bottles, a briefcase representing war plans, and the like. It was medium-sized: just awkward enough that carrying it or dragging it oneself would be problematic, but it would be easy for a Pokémon to transport. "This is what you'll need to take to the Safe House. As I mentioned, my Pokémon will be out there, employing tactics similar to what Rockets would on the battlefield. At the end, you will face a powerful foe. Who knows? Might even be a legendary Pokémon. Once you and your Pokémon are ready, let me know, and I'll give my team the signal."

The grounds were vast and had a wide variety of terrain: plains, hills, wastes, rivers, wetlands... it was almost like a miniature Safari Zone. Mauville's citizens were wealthy and paid a lot in taxes, but the funding needed to expand to such vast acreage was colossal. Just how well-off was the Gym Leader?

THE MESSENGER

SOCIAL

“MORE IMPLIES NOT ENOUGH,” he says with little contest. “nothing wrong with making such a claim, devlin, but an empty statement should be backed up by a tangible ‘why’.”

a cursory glance between his package and his destination weighs the mental math of how long it’ll take to transfer. given the nature of the challenge, he mulls on it for a few moments before adjusting his suit’s lapels. with a slow, dim morph, it transforms to his SYGNA SUIT.

“no other rules, i presume. just get the objective to point a?”

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

"All the standard Gym Challenge rules apply, of course," Josh reiterated. "Don't want any Pokémon getting seriously hurt just because of a training exercise, after all. But yes, use any moves and abilities you and your Pokémon have in your arsenal to make it from one side of the Racing Grounds to the other." Were FERNANDO SILPH to gaze northward, he would see many of Josh's Pokémon on high alert: bird Pokémon in the sky and feline Pokémon on the ground. The main path to the safe house atop the hills was clear, but also heavily guarded. The grounds were vast, though; perhaps the resourceful Councilman would be able to trailblaze his own path.

Trusting that Fernando had his own way to transport the crate, Josh was ready to begin the challenge. "Good luck out there. And remember, it's a warzone out there. You might take a few hits. Stay strong, and if it ever becomes too much, just holler and I'll call 'em off." The Gym Leader hurled Mastema's Poké Ball to the ground, nimbly climbing aboard the Togekiss. Leaning low in the saddle and zipping the cocoon into place, they disappeared across the sky in a barely-subsonic flash of EXTREME SPEED.

[player]https://fi.zophar.net/soundfiles/nintendo-64-usf/goldeneye-007/112%20Streets.mp3[/player]

MUSIC: Streets - GoldenEye 007

Along the coned path leading to the Main Sector, all was calm for the first few hundred feet. Just beyond was Josh's main battle court, both of its platforms raised to a height of roughly ten feet. Atop the west platform stood an Espeon whose forehead gem gleamed a bright red. Near it was a floodlight powered by the MOONLIGHT of an Umbreon on the opposite platform, focused upon the light's lens. On patrol around the SPLIT OVAL, the Main Sector's track, were a Raichu with skyward-pointing ears, a Luxray whose eyes gleamed brightly, and a Shiny Cyclizar whose eyes followed the floodlight when it wasn't behind her.

The only cover around the wide-open course was behind the Jumbotron-like scoreboard on the east side of the battleground's green, as well as the tall deck of bleachers on the west side. Thankfully for the Silph, the floodlight was shining nowhere close to him as he approached, but it was headed toward him.

Directly beyond the Main Sector appeared to be the fastest way to the safe house. Alternatively, a trail beyond the scoreboard would take him to the grasslands of Sector 1. Its wide-open nature would make hiding almost impossible. A trail beyond the bleachers would lead to Sector 6, a wasteland-like biome where steady footing would be at a premium.