The League is a monument to the wrong. A shrine of corruption and falsehood and inequity and sin and all that is evil within modern civilisation. It must be torn down. And to do that, examples have to be made of its faithful, no matter how naive they might be.

Josh Devlin is nothing more than a figurehead. A gym leader. A public face. A role model for the young and the foolish, the sorts of people who'll hear their personal hero tell them to eat their vegetables, take their vitamins, and say their prayers, and do so without a second thought. What will those people think when they see their precious icon beaten and broken? Brought within an inch of his life, and discarded onto the streets of Mauville City like common trash?

You intend to find out.

"Walking Wake, Draco Meteor."

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▃▃▄▄▅▅▅!"

A warped howl fills the air, and out from the heavens, stars begin to fall from the sky upon the Raging Bolt rider.

---

Josh Devlin

The screeching sound of a DRACO METEOR wave was distinct: he had learned of its warning signs from battles both with and alongside Andrea Vaneau . With Navy 's many dragons. Other talented trainers, too. For the few familiar with the "Hoennian Beasts" as Josh called them, they would have known Raging Bolt to be tough but the slowest of the three in terms of raw speed.

Not Josh's. His gave up a significant amount of toughness to mimic the raw speed of his Johtonian counterpart as closely as possible. Not used to such speed after only occasionally having ridden Kyle's Sacred Ash Raikou that was now his, he lost control of his ultrafast steed, On pure instinct and without the control of an expert rider, a volley of celestial projectiles surrounded Josh and his mount, the boy bracing himself as one fell far too close for comfort.

Raikou the Raging Bolt roared. in far more pain than would be expected from such a legendary creature. Was this paradox Pokémon part dragon-type? Josh didn't have time to ponder that now, his head pounding from the waves of draconic anger rippling through him. His skin felt like it was burning upon holy fire, and not the refreshing kind the Great One exposed him to.

Hissing and breathing deeply, Josh reined his elextric steed around, both Raikou and Josh looking for the source of the Draco Meteor attack. He started in the direction of the familiar-sounding howl. A Hoennian Suicune...?

From up high, you have a grand view of the chaotic aftermath of your attack. You watch intently as her rushes about, struggling to steer his steed out of harm's way. His Raging Bolt seems faster than yours, but frailer, too. That tracked. From the brief skim you did of Team Rocket's intel on him, maximising speed seemed to be his MO.

Or, to put it bluntly, this was his gimmick. And while it might've worked against the average gym-goer, it wasn't going to work against you.

"Aqua Jet, now."

Another distorted snarl burst out, and the Walking Wake surges forth upon a road of rushing water. There is no deception, there are no feints. Its path is as straight and narrow as such an unruly move can be, speeding like a bullet to make direct impact against both Josh and his Raging Bolt at once.

Meanwhile, you put one foot in front of the other and start the long walk down from the treeline upon the hill down to the battlefield proper. The ambush is over. Now? It's time for the fight to begin.

---

Josh Devlin

Indeed, it was the cry of a Walking Wake -- in Josh's eyes, a Hoennian Suicune. The ancient water-type zoomed toward the Champion and Raikou at the speed of an explosive volcanic eruption: a speed few Pokémon had any hope of outrunning.

Fortunately for Josh, he was astride one of the few Pokémon that could.

"Extreme Speed, Raikou!" Josh ordered, bracing himself for the whiplash-inducing force his partner's acceleration would expose him to. The move that Josh thought was his Raging Bolt's Extreme Speed was, in reality, THUNDERCLAP: a wicked, lightning-wreathed charge not dissimilar aesthetically to the Z-Move he developed. It would be a shame that the paradox could not learn that same technique.

At their terrifying closing speed, it was unclear which of the two paradoxes was faster or which would strike first. Were the Walking Wake to remain standing in the midst of the high speed attack, Josh would steer Raikou away from the ancient-looking foe, using the Raging Bolt as a means to remain mobile. One more solid attack, and he would be a sitting Ducklett. Against a Pokémon so fast, it was asking for trouble.

Clicking the button on another one of his Cherish Balls, Suicune the Walking Wake now ran alongside Josh. This Pokémon, unlike the electric-type, wore no riding gear; was the crystal-bearing Pokémon not trained for it yet?

The two Pokemon clash with intense speed, and both are sent skidding from the force of the impact. Had it truly been Raikou and Suicine battling it out, then the lightning might have beaten out the rain.

But they aren't, are they? No, draconic ancestry runs deep in the blood of these Paradoxes, raw and savage and primal and fierce. Even the forces of nature are but trifles to them. Instead of falling, both Walking Wake and Raging Bolt alike stand tall. Yet, his has lost its fighting spirit, while yours is eager to finish its hunt.

Perhaps the gym leader knows that, too, as he reaches for another Pokeball and sends out a Walking Wake of his own. The two stare each other down, yellow eyes regarding each other with suspicious and disdain. Two predators, competing against one another to be apex.

Yours is the first to move.

Waters fills its mouth from the edges of its teeth to the back of its throat. It overflows, pouring through its fangs and trickling down its chin. Then, the water is superheated, boiled and boiled until it is so searingly hot it cannot remain as it is. Then, with a breath of contempt, your Walking Wake releases a Hydro Steam, aiming to scald enemy, trainer, and mount all at once.

---

Josh Devlin

The scalding steam created more than an unbearably hot dome of humidity; it also whipped up damaging winds that lifted Josh and Raikou into the air. His skin flaked and began to blister from the inhospitable conditions, as did Raikou's. The Raging Bolt howled in pain as he fell from underneath Josh, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Suicune howled loudly, the Walking Wake bounding toward Josh who was hurtling toward the ground. When it looked like he wasn't going to make it in time, the water-type ejected its own burst of HYDRO STEAM. Not to attack, but to shift the wind. A north wind gust ripped from behind Suicune, the Walking Wake's attack a great imitation of what the familiar Johtonian Suicune could do. With a loud cry as he pushed faster, he reached his trainer just in time, Josh finding himself seated on the Walking Wake's back. "...Suicune?" he moaned.

The paradox cracked a smile for the first time outside of Area Zero.

"Suicune. I... put my trust in you." With no reins to grab onto, Josh buried his hands in the Pokémon's purple mane and held on as tightly as his remaining strength would let him. With another loud howl, the clouds parted, heralding a SUNNY DAY. Suicune's legs bulged and claws glowed in PROTOSYNTHESIS, making the paradox far faster than he was before.

As you reach the bottom of the hill and arrive at the battlefield proper, you find yourself looking at imminent victory.

The trainer? Beaten and bloody. His Raging Bolt? Knocked out. It's your Walking Wake against his, and if you were a betting man, you'd go all in on yourself. Still, as the clouds begin to part and the sun begins to shine, your eyes narrow. No point in getting cocky. At least, not until you've got this firmly in your grasp.

As your own Paradox Pokemon's Protosynthesis bulks up its vicious maw, his seems to empower its legs. Still trying to outspeed you, even now, hm? This guy really is all cheap tricks and going quick, isn't he? What a mark.

"AQUA JET, AGAIN!"

With a hiss, your Walking Wake repeats its prior trick, bursting forth in a blast of water as it sprinted straight towards its mirror image.

---

Josh Devlin

Where Shred's Walking Wake excelled in power, Josh's excelled in speed. The sun beat mercilessly over their heads, yet he did not sweat. Both were powerful weapons when properly utilized. The paradox lunged toward Josh and his ancient Beast with great speed, speed that would have overwhelmed anyone else. With the steam-powered, Tailwind-like gusts roaring from behind, Josh's was ready to run.

No one was beating the Master of Faster at his own game. No one.

"Suicune, Extreme Speed!"

Extreme Speed it was not; for that move was in the purview of a Johtonian Suicune, not the Hoennian one Josh was astride. The crystal-helmed dinosaur roared and rammed toward Shred and his own Walking Wake, While Suicune's AQUA JET may not have had the power that his rival's Walking Wake did, his might strike first and blunt the impact of the other's. As cheap of a trick as it was, attacks too fast to react to were still deadly weapons in the Gym Leader's arsenal!

...Extreme Speed?

You blink.

"That was an Aqua Jet." You state the fact. Seriously, what the hell? Was this guy dropped on his head? Do they really just let ANYONE be a gym leader these days? "Are you fucking stupid?"

But despite your remarks, his "Extreme Speed" beats out your Aqua Jet. In a battle of speed, a little more makes the difference, and in the ends, the difference in Protosynthesis wins Josh Devlin the clash. Your Walking Wake staggers back, its brain bounced around its skull, while his makes it out fairly unscathed.

But just because he won the clash, that doesn't mean he'll win the battle.

"Fine. You want 'Faster'? I'll show you faster."

With two quick taps, you recall your Walking Wake and send forth your Raging Bolt. See, isn't this better? Your Electric-type against his Water-type. While you might've been even in the mirror match, you've firmly got the advantage now.

And it's time to press it.

"DRAGON HAMMER!"

With a screech, the towering beast swings its neck around like a morningstar, before smashing its head down towards Josh's Walking Wake.

---

Josh Devlin

Josh was not stupid. A little delusional at times, but he was far from unintelligent. "Only one trainer in Hoenn can beat me at my own game. And that's Dr. Eva Morales ," he retorted as Shred's Walking Wake staggered back, giving the crystal-crested paradox an opportunity to fall back in preparation for the next ramming attack. "And I'm not as thick as you think, either. This Suicune's Extreme Speed may look different, but it's still a Suicune's greatest strength!"

That strength was in danger of being sapped away as Shred withdrew the Walking Wake for his own Raging Bolt. Taken aback that, in his mind, a Raikou was being used against him. "I've been chasing Raikou for fourteen years. I know his strengths, and I know his weaknesses, too. In chasing him, I've learned the weaknesses of Pokémon that go fast. One you will see now! Suicune, use DRAGON PULSE!"

Again, the move was not Surf; instead, the Walking Wake's body began to heat drastically, making the Gym Leader sweat. The Beast's body glowed a deep purple, a hemisphere of burning purple energy expanding outward from him. If his PROTOSYNTHESIS made him fast enough, he might be able to blunt or even completely deflect the DRAGON HAMMER!

Raikou? Suicine? Does he really think...? Fucking hell. Okay. Nevermind. Devlin isn't stupid. "Stupid" is too kind a word. He's a dumbfuck, and even then, that's probably still too kind! But he's a half-decent battler, and it seems that's given him two things: Delusions of mastery, and a big mouth.

And you intend to break both.

Dragon Hammer and Dragon Pulse clash, and the ensuing explosion of draconic energy sends your Raging Bolt skidding back. Tch. There's something about watching his Pokemon fight that's deeply infuriating. He's driving a pickup truck like its a luxury sports car, and acting like he's correct. And yet, that's just it, isn't it? He might well have mastered this style of battling. Hell, when it comes to these Paradox Pokemon, he might even be better than you! But his tunnel vision has damned him. He thinks he's reached the pinnacle, but all he's found is a dead end.

He thinks Thunderclap is Extreme Speed? Ridiculous. Thunderclap is Sucker Punch. Case in point...

"THUNDERCLAP!"

As the last specks of purple energy begin to fade, your Raging Bolt pushes its neck forth like a cannon extending. It takes barely a split second to ready, and only another to aim. And then, with a third, it fires, and a blast of sheer lightning launches forth from its stomach, through its throat, out of its mouth, and towards Josh's Walking Wake.

---

Josh Devlin

To Josh, the THUNDERCLAP looked like a Raikou's Extreme Speed: fast enough to make one's skin peel and savagely strong. Many would not have been able to see the attack coming and react to it at all. Josh could, reining the Walking Wake away from the blast of lightning.

Not fast enough, the explosive discharge sent Suicune flying -- and Josh with him, leaving them both vulnerable to the DRAGON HAMMER follow-up. Even Josh's skin was tingling, the THUNDERCLAP having engulfed him as well. Only his experience with electric Pokémon kept him from wailing loudly.

It was not the mount's capabilities, but the limitations of a human rider, that caused Suicune to fall. There would be a moment for Shred to close the distance as Josh reached for Entei's Poké Ball. By the time the Gouging Fire emerged, the Rocket could already be on top of him, if he desired.

You could well have been on top of him, if you so wished. But Josh Devlin was little more than a figurehead, wasn't he? A gym leader, a public facem a role model for the young and the foolish, the sorts of people who'll hear their personal hero tell them to eat their vegetables, take their vitamins, and say their prayers, and do so without a second thought. He's nobody important. Not really. He doesn't set the taxes. He doesn't evict tenants who miss rent, or evoke benefits from those who need them, or anything of the sort.

No, Josh Devlin is simply a small little piece in an inconceivably large and inconceivably cruel machine. He has no control over the world. He cannot even steer the ship of his own life. He has no choice but the follow the whims of his superiors.

And that's why you're going to let him go.

"Run."

As the gym leader scrambles to recover, your fingers dance upon your Pokeballs. First, that of your own Gouging Fire. Then of your Great Tusk, then if your Slither Wing. Four Paradox Pokemon stand to attention, growling and snarling and trumpeting and chittering all at once. It's a herculean effort to coordinate even three Pokemon at once, let alone four. But you don't need to coordinate, do you? No, you just need to attack. To rampage indiscriminately with as many biting mouths and ripping claws as you can. To attack man, to attack Pokemon, to attack without mercy. To attack and attack and attack, until he runs or you win. Until he's gone upon the horizon or a corpse at your feet.

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, BOY! AND DON'T YOU DARE LET ME CATCH YOU!"

It's up to him which he wishes to be, but between dead and alive, you know which you'd prefer.

---

Josh Devlin