RKS

ft. Josh Devlin

This again.

The unholy screeching reverberated in his skull, like a drill attempting to carve its way into his eardrums.

But, he had already seen what happened when one blasted the screamer to smithereens.

What else could be done...?

Raki, his partner for this particular leg of the journey, stepped up to propose a solution of his own, reeling back before HOWLING at the top of his lungs, seemingly attempting to drown out the screaming by superior force of lungs.

Unfortunately, there was a reason the thing had been dubbed Scream Tail.

---

TL;DR:
-Join it.

Scream Tail, indeed.

Even with the earplugs he had brought for riding King Zing, they seemed to help little. The noise was not only maddeningly loud, but at just the right pitch that his ears felt like they were going to bleed from how much they rang.

Josh, too, had seen what fighting got them, both in the simulation and in the real world with DESIREE BLOOMS . Paradox Pokémon were no joke, and a HYPER VOICE from one of these monstrous creatures could completely destroy his Type: Null's already strained ears. Waving for the chimera to take cover behind him, Josh guided his Shiny Pyroar steed, Aslan, near the Scream Tail. Deeply inhaling, the golden lion loosed a NOBLE ROAR.

RKS

ft. Josh Devlin

Well, that didn't work. It looked annoyed now— and was coming at them.

Gwyar grit his teeth, just glad it had at least fallen silent, however briefly. He reached for the sword at his hip, his shadow growing darker as his Aegislash lunged out—

Only to get beaten to the punch.

They were no longer at risk of having their eardrums torn— The little screamer had been turned into a greater predator's meal.

"Well, this is just marvelous." The knight muttered, annoyed, as he dragged his sword out of its sheath, a blue glow enveloping its edge as his sygna suit roared to life.

His Aegislash wasted no time switching targets, throwing out its shield at the jurassic titan's face before ramming directly into it, repelling the creature backwards with the king's shield.

---

TL;DR:
• Holds onto his butt.

Josh moaned in pain as the Pyroar's flexing back and bouncy gait put a lot of stress on his left arm. The RKS Simulation was a great place to learn what his limits were and what he could and couldn't do in the real world.

The screaming had stopped, but for all the wrong reasons: a Walking Wake had devoured the performing Scream Tail. The water-type paradox let out a scream of its own: a cry that resembled one of the sacred Beasts the Champion revered. "A Hoennian Suicune!" Josh gasped, waving toward Gwyar Wledig . "Hop on and let's get out of here before it can outrun us!" Sitting on the lion's back would certainly be more awkward with the Galarian taking up half the saddle and Josh's left arm a useless hunk of flesh, though the alternative was being boiled to "death" in HYDRO STEAM, resulting in an early exit from the RKS Simulation.

RKS

ft. Josh Devlin

In fight or flight situations, Gwyar tended to pick fight. He was fairly confident, you see.

But he wasn't one to separate from the pack just to throw down. With feline grace, the man moved atop Josh's ride as his Aegislash merged with their combined shadow, the squad riding out as the beast recovered from shield bash.

A massive (if not quite as shrill as before) roar came as it gave chase.

But the simulation was done and over with by then. The world was dissolving to white.

And then, they were standing in a familiar enough location. A familiar simulated man told of a story Gwyar was already acquainted with, the blonde taking a moment to get off his partner's ride, his Sygna suit coming to life.

"Stay alert, Mr. Devlin." He said, unsure if Josh had been through this particular simulation before. "A Glastrier will be upon us in a second."

Normally he would've left pacifying it to the experts, but Josh was injured. There was no need to risk failure due to an injured arm slipping a critical moment.

Suddenly, the booming sound of stomps filled the air as a silhouette appeared from the snowy mist. Their exposition NPC shrieked in horror and began running towards the village as Gwyar stepped forth, his Aegislash rising from his shadow.

"Create a diversion. I'll tame it." He requested of Josh, drawing his sword.

---

TL;DR:
• Tame it.

As the scene faded from white into a different kind of white, that being the Crown Tundra, Josh was happy he had brought his Pyroar. The lion turned up the heat to keep both riders warm. "Just be careful," the Champion warned his coworker. "It's looking for an Avatar. I got to be this Glastrier's Avatar, and it's... not a benevolent Patron."

Even so, Josh wouldn't stop Gwyar; without speaking to other Avatars directly, who wouldn't want to be one? He had two fewer Avatars on his side, what with Rayquaza and Articuno both having cast their Patrons aside. He doubted Hoenn's Councilwoman would give Josh a chance to relive the experience he got with Eva Morales ; it would be one he would have to treasure within his heart. That or go back to Area Zero. Even if it was a fake, soaring through the vast crater on the emerald serpent would be just as fun as it was after they celebrated post-Meteno!

"Got it," Josh confirmed with a nod, grabbing Aleph's Poké Ball and hurling it toward the ice-type. He gave no order to attack; the Type: Null would simply stare at the Glastrier menacingly to serve as a momentary distraction.

RKS

ft. Josh Devlin

Fortunately, it was not Gwyar's first rodeo with that particular Glastrier.

The man chose to ride it out until it exhausted itself, his jaw clamping tight as the frozen chill climbed up his limbs. It was never a comfortable experience, but if anything, it was an easier than usual Rodeo.

The longer it went, the less energy you needed to exert to stay on top— you were getting more stuck to the horse by the second, after all.

This, one imagined, was the fate of any fools that attempted to tame the frozen stallion of the tundra by force of will alone. Much too different from those like him, that had planted the little frozen carrots the creatures seemed to love so very much.

Eventually, he brought the creature back to his Josh, his limbs frozen to its mane as the village of NPCs celebrated in the distance.

The blonde did not appear too fazed by his predicament— not in the least because it was not real, and would disappear soon enough, once the simulation marched on.

"What do you suppose is the purpose of these sort of simulations?" He asked of the younger man conversationally as they waited.

---

TL;DR:
• Tame it.

Gwyar showed his equestrian skills as he wrangled with the bucking and pitching Glastrier, reminding Josh of the Rustboro Captain's skills with wild Pokémon. "I've been in that seat, too," the Gym Leader added. "Enjoy being an Avatar for a day." He could say no more, wincing in pain from how much Aslan's bouncy gait jostled him and his arm.

He pulled backward on Aslan's reins with his good hand and arm, the Pyroar stopping just as the Crown Tundra faded away. "I think it's to let us experience things we wouldn't be able to in the real world," Josh speculated. "Have you been inside the Scarlet Book with Shalin yet? She's come up with this Gym Challenge where you can see what it's like using a Sygna Suit." And it was an acid trip and a half. Simulation or real life, never again would Josh sit upon the wing of a Beedrill.

RKS

ft. Josh Devlin

"Hardly an avatarship." Gwyar responded simply, peering down at the stallion beneath him as it disappeared with the changing simulation. "An avatarship must be offered, and accepted. This is little more than a slow death."

Avatars would not be as arrogant, had they been forced into their stations.

He hummed as the younger man spoke his thoughts, nodding slowly.

"That does seem to be the League's purpose for them, yes." Gwyar said, looking into the white void. "But the league didn't create the content of these simulations, yes? We merely gained access to them."

So what was the point of them prior? Who created them? The first of them had been that item found deep in the innards of the ultra deep sea— now recognized as the vast insides of Eternatus, the skeletal dragon.

Who planted it there? Why?

They didn't have much time to really ponder this— the simulation marched on.

Straight into a cacophony of death and destrution.

"This again!" Grunted as he was dropped from his now gone ride. His movements were a step slower than usual, icy sheets still covering the surface of his skin as he attempted to leap out of the Regirock's blasts.

His Aegislash came forth, launching into an offensive.

Hopefully, this wouldn't go poorly for them.

---

xpSDujp1

TL;DR:
• whoops.