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"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jun 3, 2024 21:28:41 GMT

After being locked up in one prison for two days and another for six weeks, Josh found himself in a third prison: a pentientiary of immobility. Against the distant skyline of Mauville City stood Swift, the ashen Raikou the Gym Leader cherished above all else... and caused him more stress above all else. Expectations to perform higher than ever weighed upon him, being in possession of a divine Pokémon... even if it was just a physical memory.

From the ground, Josh grasped the black ashen cord sprouting from one side of Swift's face, their existence tugging at the boundary between the Champion's conscious and subconscious. "Swift, I know you want to. But I can't," he spoke to the construct like it was a Pokémon with a soul and a personality. "Not yet."

It was bittersweet. Josh had one of the fastest, if not the fastest Pokémon on land, at his beck and call. And yet, he could not sit on the thundercloud and blast across Hoenn like he did with kyle lopez . He had to relearn how to ride Pokémon, and with one arm at that.

Going back to basics, he stopped cuddling his Beast and clicked open a Poké Ball containing a Galarian Rapidash. The psychic horse levitated Josh into his saddle. With one hand on the reins and a gentle nudge to his sides, Dashie and the Gym Leader were off at a canter, one hand on his reins and the other hand attached to his bandaged arm awkwardly at his side.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 1}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Jun 5, 2024 3:23:00 GMT

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[attr="class","minimal elisa2"]

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On a path lit by moonlight, Elisabeth rode her Glastrier at a steady gallop as she assessed the perimeter of Mauville.[break][break]

She didn't expect any resistance this late at night, for two reasons. Attention would likely be diverted to cities more likely to be targeted by Rocket in the upcoming months, such as Ever Grande; furthermore, the Gym Leader Josh Devlin was purportedly gravely injured by recent events in the region.[break][break]

Against all that her reputation suggested, Elisabeth was not one who enjoyed fighting. She was a Seviper that only struck when provoked by circumstances and survival, but otherwise preferred to leave others be should they offer her the same courtesy.[break][break]

The figure blurring in the distance, though, caused her to arrest in place. With any luck, this would be like her encounter with Elise Calcifet, and the stranger would presume her to be something other than what she was.[break][break]

Otherwise, however... The shadows nearby stirred, two ochre eyes glowing with warning in the darkness as Wo-chien bided its time. Should battle commence, it would be ready to enact its mistress's GRUDGES.

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

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jun 5, 2024 20:43:57 GMT

The late night ride felt good; for as much as he loved his job, working outside in Hoenn's summers was really hot. If it got too sweaty under his bandages, the moisture could compromise how well they held his arm together. He would be able to take them off in a few weeks, at which point his recovery would be more focused on regaining full mobility. For now, its use was still limited.

The presence of a Glastrier caught Josh's attention. Perhaps Elise Calcifet was on a night ride, too. As he approached the figure and the ice-type, a horrible sense permeated his mind. It was one Josh recognized, both from Petalburg and from the prison. His heart raced, feeling like he night lose it again. And losing it was something he physically could not afford.

With a firm tug, Josh reined Dashie to a stop near the freezing horse. "...What do you want with my city?" he asked, not being openly violent like he was in the prison, but not looking thrilled to see the Scorned, either.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 2}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Jun 5, 2024 22:36:04 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","minimal elisa2"]

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"Ah." The Glastrier halted, expelling an icy puff of air as it stomped the ground. Cold eyes narrowed in on the Gym Leader and Rapidash. "You recognize me."[break][break]

It was a statement of fact, nothing more. She recognized his trademark look of disapproval towards her, too.[break][break]

Her gaze swept over him, assessing his injuries. He was in no condition to fight. Perhaps she'd be able to leave unbothered.[break][break]

"I'm merely on my way. You'd do well to travel your own way, too."

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

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jun 7, 2024 3:39:26 GMT

The gust of wintry wind made Josh and Dashie shiver, his left arm throbbing. He really wasn't in any condition to fight, was he? Though he and his Pokémon were best when he rode into combat, Josh wouldn't be doing anything of the sort any time soon. His steed would not be for attacking; it would be purely for mobility. To stay out of harm's way. "Who wouldn't? Elisabeth Fiorelli , you've been near the top of Hoenn's Most Wanted list for a while," the Champion spouted despite not being in the best of shape.

"If not Mauville, then where?" he demanded, obvious from his tone and body language that he did not trust the bioterrorist. Making eye contact with the Avatar, Josh looked like he wanted to cross his arms in disgust. "And don't you dare lie to me."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 3}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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POSTED ON Jun 7, 2024 5:19:08 GMT

BARNABY FINCH and PENELOPE LIVY like this

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"Surely there are higher names on that list than mine," she replied, reigning back her Glastrier. THEO BECKETT or Cillian Quinn came to mind, though her recent crimes had undoubtedly fed her infamy. "Would it comfort you to know others outrank yours on mine as well?"[break][break]

The TABLETS OF RUIN pulsed on Wo-chien's back, burning bright in the darkness. Familiar names had etched themselves there, though Josh Devlin would not find his among them.[break][break]

She regarded his disgust with a nonchalance that suggested it was to be expected. It neither offended her nor surprised her.[break][break]

"Mauville is not my target." The presence of BARNABY FINCH there ensured it. "Were I to have my way, we'd burn Ever Grande City and its leadership to the ground."[break][break]

She had no doubt that PENELOPE LIVY and freya morningstar would wish the same upon her in Sootopolis.

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

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jun 8, 2024 23:03:37 GMT

MATIAS SILPH and Elisabeth Fiorelli like this

Elisabeth's words were true; while she was far from number one on that list, The Scorned was certainly high up enough to be considered a major threat best locked up behind bars. In the moonlight, on the TABLETS OF RUIN, burned several names that the Gym Leader was familiar with in passing. Three, though, jumped out at him: MATIAS SILPH , Eva Morales , and Isaac Merlo .

"MATIAS SILPH has changed since Kyle died," Josh frowned, not backing down even in Wo-Chien's frightful presence. Aleph bared his claws and fangs toward the grass-type, sensing conflct between them was imminent. "For the better. Just... just what went down at Mount Chimney?"

Though he was relieved to hear Mauville wasn't Elisabeth's direct target, Ever Grande was a far worse one. "And I would stand in your way," Josh defiantly answered. "Ever Grande is more than the Pokémon League. There are people there, too." The language she described the proposed attack with was sounded hauntingly familiar. "You sound just like Matias used to, before he changed."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 4}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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POSTED ON Jun 11, 2024 4:58:56 GMT

MATIAS SILPH and emma stone like this

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"Do I?" Her reply came out even and level, albeit ringing with the faintest hint of amusement. "Far be it from me to think MATIAS SILPH is comparable to anyone, myself included."[break][break]

She shut out the memory of him tenderly cradling her face in his hands, forehead pressed to hers as each was spared a glimpse into one another's inner torment. Neither Groudon's Avatarship nor that of Wo-chien had been kind to their psyche.[break][break]

"As for what happened at Mt. Chimney? That's quite simple. Matias's own pride let him be fooled by a pretty face, and kyle lopez paid the martyr's price to spare him. They were both weak."[break][break]

A tightness in her chest whispered at the more complicated theater that had played out in that betrayal, but she pushed it down, unwilling to acknowledge it beyond this simplified version of events. They had allowed themselves to be exploited, and Rocket had done so--it required no more explanation than that.[break][break]

She refused to let herself regret it, or so she told herself.[break][break]

"Is that why you're here?" she asked him pointedly. "Do you seek to avenge Kyle's death, and accuse his blood of being on my hands?"

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

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jun 11, 2024 8:54:56 GMT

"He was reprehensible until after Mount Chimney," Josh clarified. "I once asked him how many people trapped in Rocket against their wills he would be willing to kill to take out someone in a position of power. Someone like you. Back then, he told me it was as many as it took. That makes him no different than you. Mass murdering the enemy makes him truly no different than Rocket. Dictatorship under the guise of justice and good is still just that, a dictatorship." Swift snarled toward the Underboss, his actions reflecting the kettle of Josh's emotions primed to pop its top.

"A pretty face..." Josh trailed off, trying his best to keep his emotions under control like a true Champion should. While he was not Melody Miro , he needed to reflect as many of the Top Champion's positives as he could. The Great One wouldn't have it any other way, he thought. "Are you saying... that it wasn't the eruption that killed Kyle?"

As Elisabeth continued to goad Josh, Dashie trying to calm him with a HEAL PULSE, her words cranked the stove beneath Josh's kettle to nearly its hottest setting. "You... you killed him, didn't you?!"

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 5}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Jun 12, 2024 3:16:54 GMT

MATIAS SILPH likes this

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"Matias Silph, 'reprehensible,'" she said, tilting her head as she weighed the thought. "What an ugly word to describe your Elite Four and the professed 'Hero of Kanto.'"[break][break]

Of course it hadn't been without merit. He'd threatened her enough times for her to understand the ugliness that man possessed, wrapped up in his arrogance, his greed, and his selfishness. There had been other moments, though, too. Moments of boyish excitement in the field of battle, glimpses of unexpected vulnerability hidden beneath his endless bravado.[break][break]

He'd been more than she'd given him credit for being. More than the League had given him credit for being, too.[break][break]

Whatever change they'd witnessed in MATIAS SILPH now had, in some way, existed before what she'd done to him. She knew that much, though she'd never say so.[break][break]

"Well," she said at length. "He never killed me, and he certainly had plenty of chances to do so. Perhaps he would have benefited from being as reprehensible as you say."[break][break]

Wo-chien slithered near, watching the HEAL PULSE fail to soothe the Gym Leader in front of them. The sinister energy exuding from the Ruinous Beast seeped into the night air, coating it with GRUDGES and resentment in a silent bid to overwhelm the man. It stirred something in her too, a strangely possessive instinct she couldn't explain.[break][break]

"I struck no fatal blow, but if you are looking for the person who caused Mt. Chimney to erupt--" She held herself higher in her seat, staring down at him like an indifferent queen before a starving peasant. "--then blame me, for the Red Shard that cursed MATIAS SILPH and killed kyle lopez was mine to give."

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

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jun 12, 2024 7:48:10 GMT

As Josh listened to the Underboss' words, GRUDGES familiar to him from the day they escaped the Megalopolan vessel were the catalyst that popped his top. Ultimately, it was the revelation that Elisabeth Fiorelli herself was indirectly responsible for the death of his one of his best friends that caused him to embrace the negative emotions within. Emotions cultivated by both Matias' past, corrupted self and the evil before him now.

His blood was boiling now.

"I knew it! He wasn't at all himself until Kyle died. When I first met Matias, he was a hero. A role model. Someone the League could look up to. Now it all makes sense. It isn't Matias I should have been furious at all this time. It's YOU!" A crashing roar left Swift's mouth, rattling and rumbling the night air loudly enough to wake any sleeping Pokémon in the area -- and possibly Mauville residents on the west side of town.

If there was a time he wished he wasn't injured, it was now. He wanted to beat the Scorned to within an inch of her life, haul her to Ever Grande's penitentiary, and question the Avatar himself. Of course, he couldn't fight at full strength, and Swift was far too weak in his eyes to stand up to WO-CHIEN. "So you set them both up..." he muttered, thunder rumbling from Swift's jaws. "You're... you're a monster. Upon the Great One's most holy name, I swear, Elisabeth... you will reap what you have sown. If not in this life, then the next... you will pay the price for your unforgivable sins."

Enthralled with the ruinous GRUDGES instilled upon him, Josh pointed toward the grass-type. "CRUSH CLAW, Aleph." The legendary normal-type galloped toward the slow-moving Pokémon and leaped at them, sharp claws and talons glinting in the moonlight.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 6}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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POSTED ON Jun 13, 2024 3:34:15 GMT

MATIAS SILPH likes this

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Each embittered insult, each enraged cry, all affected her no more than a howling mind moved a mountain. She weathered it with stoic indifference, a small and stifled laugh building inside of her at his proclamations.[break][break]

So he wanted to punish her, did he? Wanted to make her suffer the way MATIAS SILPH and kyle lopez had suffered? How comical. He didn't understand.[break][break]

To be Wo-chien's Avatar was to be the embodiment of suffering.[break][break]

"Purge me, then," she taunted him, watching as the Type:Null brought its claws down towards her Ruinous patron. "Take the price in blood, if you're so bold."[break][break]

Aleph's slash met empty air as its SHADOW SNEAK moved to evade, though its ghostly attack did nothing to the Normal-type in retaliation. Neither successfully struck the other, resulting in a stand still.[break][break]

Her emerald eyes shifted towards the cityscape beyond them, then back to the enraged man before her.[break][break]

"It'd be a shame, for your civilians to awaken and find their loyal Gym Leader buried alive."[break][break]

Her Glastrier raised two front hooves, summoning an AVALANCHE towards the man and his Pokemon that intended to do just that.

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

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[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jun 14, 2024 3:15:10 GMT

This was not the first time Josh had drawn the ire of one of Rocket's top dogs. Long ago, when Raikiri was his strongest Pokémon, he had run afoul of Cillian Quinn , who had overwhelmed him to within an inch of his life. Josh had the Zeraora to thank for his survival that day. Today, though, would be different.

For Elisabeth Fiorelli was not the only one with a god on her side. A false god, a shell of the true Johtonian god of speed, but in the Champion's eyes, a god nonetheless. Even so, he could not trust Swift to be able to do the job on his own.

This would be a team effort.

"Unlike MATIAS SILPH , I never wanted to carpet bomb Team Rocket. The organization will fall the moment I cut down the truly evil and abhorrent within its ranks, all in the Great One's name. And those trapped within can atone for their sins without fear of retaliation from swine like you."

The snail was a lot more swift than Josh expected such a creature to be, Aleph not having time to power through their shell with a Crush Claw. Though he wore no saddle, the Type: Null was still nimble as Josh's other Pokémon, a TRI ATTACK forming from three of the prongs of his retainer.

"For the wages of your sins, may you know naught but the fires of hell in the afterlife."

The opposing Glastrier's legs smashed the ground with great force, loosing a terrifying AVALANCHE toward Josh and his own mount. If there was one Rapidash that could evade such a savage attack, it was his. "BOUNCE, Dashie!" Josh commanded. With speed that would have uniquely identified the Pokémon even if the Champion wasn't nearby, the Galarian equine leaped suddenly and sharply, Josh wincing as the force of the move knocked his arm out of its comfort zone of motion. Though the snow boulders harmlessly rolled beneath him, the attack had accomplished its purpose.

"Even if you were to win the battle, the Great One shall thaw said ice. She and her knights are loyal to one another. Her Knight of Thunder will not fall."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

{PC: 7}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Dashie G!Rapidash Good
Aleph Type: Null Good
Swift Raikou Good

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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4,757 posts

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Jun 14, 2024 4:28:09 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","minimal elisa2"]

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"How little you think you know."[break][break]

'The Great One.' 'The fires of hell.' He spoke of it all with such confidence, as if he truly believed in the religious ideals he spouted.[break][break]

How absurd.[break][break]

"You speak of gods as if they care for you. But they damn us and bless us as arbitrarily as any mortal might."[break][break]

Living, dying, all of it was hellish in some way. The difference was living had choices. Living had freedoms. Death was a perpetual loop of nonexistence, taunting the possible of resurrection with the liminal space of the Border.[break][break]

The dead didn't always remain dead.[break][break]

Wo-chien hissed and snarled as the TRI-ATTACK found purchase, withdrawing into a SPIKY SHIELD while the normal-Type remained on the offensive.[break][break]

Her Glastrier mirrored the Type: Null's strategy, redoubling its advances on the Galarian Rapidash with HIGH HORSEPOWER that sent shockwaves through the ground towards the trainer as the BOUNCE landed.[break][break]

"Each and every one of us has to seize our own fate. Else gods and men will decide it for us, whether we are Rocket, League, or something in between."[break][break]

If that fate made them enemies, so be it. She had gained power this way, and she had no intention of relinquishing it.

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

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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7,268 posts

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