Both parents nodded at that. Granted, it was in Mr. Toral's opinion that the gym leaders should be most focused on their respective cities. "That is fair. If Mauville were to fall, the League would be in huge trouble. Though I'd also argue that if it's recruiting or forcing children like Hideo Kino or Aaron to go on the front lines, the League is finished, borderline so if a draft is implemented. If Keenan so desires, he could join. Though only if he battled the two of us and win would he have our full support and blessing. Especially given his wierd stagnation." That was news to him. Rubbing the back of his head, Kee did interject.

"I don't think I'd make a good soldier. Or a more combative Ranger. I did well with Greyson's gym challenge, but that also only dealt with a single Rayquaza. Not Team Rocket and the League duking it out along with multiple legends fighting it out as well..." At the time, he also lacked firepower, getting a B on that. However, the other sections he got rated as A+ and up. Flexibility being his highest rank. Although...a battle against his parents? That was probably more terrifying than any gym battle! Kee didn't quite know how to handle this though...as real as that gym challenge seemed, it was still an illusion. Fake. Not real with actual consequences. Kee didn't know if he would curl in a ball and cry or actually act like in that challenge...





Josh Devlin

Josh's hands flew into the air as Mr. Toral brought up the idea of a draft. "I highly doubt that will ever happen. A draft would be simply throwing bodies into the slaughterhouse," he argued. "And Hideo's special. He is aware of the risks. He's a wonderful Gym Leader. Probably a better Gym Leader than I am." He only said that because Hideo was Hoenn's only Gym Leader to find Josh unworthy of his Badge... for a reason Josh thought was completely wrong. He did have a point, though, as did some of the higher-ups. The speed with which Josh battled left little time to think things through. Instinct was a wonderful tool, but it was far from infallible.

Turning his head back toward Kee, Josh tried to relate to his woes. "That's something I had to learn the hard way, too. I've been hospitalized not one, not two, but three times since moving to Hoenn. All fighting on the front lines. That was when I realized that the front lines aren't where my skill is." There was more to war than fighting. Anyone who wanted to contribute could. They just had to find their niche. "Kee, you don't have to be a good fighter to contribute to the war effort. You know what I'll be doing in the next warfront? Running supplies. Messages. War bulletins. I've got some of the fastest Pokémon in the world."

As to prove a point, the Gym Leader plucked the RAINBOW FEATHER from his shirt and began drawing the Sign's four strokes. The wind began to pick up as dark, rainless clouds rolled in. The feather's ashes, wreathed in yellow static, hovered in midair in the shape of the Sign Josh had drawn. A gigantic lightning bolt struck next to Josh, a black silhouette of Raikou manifesting in its wake.

"It's hard to deliver anything faster than by lightning strike, after all."

---

Keenan Toral

{PC: 9}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Eriette       Spectrier      Good
Hylda         Glastrier      Good
Swift         Raikou         Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good

"That depends on how they use the influx of recruits and their respective talents. If you look at history, and this is perhaps overgeneralizing and oversimplifying, but getting the most war material, troops, weaponry, Pokemon, etc, to an area the fastest tends to win more often than not." As Mr. Toral took a bite out of his sandwitch, though Mrs. Toral took up the mantle. "Special or no, he is a child, and should not be in the war, period. Yes, he's a gym leader and a talented Pokemon trainer. But those are no excuse. I highly doubt he truly knows the risks. But perhaps we just have to agree to disagree." Not to mention the boy's own parents. Just what would they think if he was in a hotspot?

Almost as if to emphasize their own point, Josh mentioned his own dealings with potential death, namely being in the hospital three times. Josh also mentioned what he'd be doing. A noble goal, but while the demonstration put Kee in shock, his parents looked on with a deadpan stare. "That's great. When radios are down, the League has a backup plan for wherever you are. But not everyone has a Raikou. Or enough people with the disembodied power of a super fast legendary. Does the League expect everyone to have such a legend? If not, I certainly hope that they have a better strategy than during Meteno when Rocket makes their move. It was very fortunate that Dialga repaired the damage done. Does the League even have an idea on what Team Rocket might be planning? Or a plan to reclaim Sootopolis? Not that I'm asking for details, I don't want to know. There's a potential dig site I'd like to get an escort for, I guess I'm just fishing to see how easy it will be to get one."

"I should also meniton that Legendaries are not unbeatable. A force multiiplier, sure, but not the be all end all most people think them to be. Johto knows that quite well. Or should at least." Mrs. Toral poked in before Josh could respond. Keenan was just in awe of the Legendary.


Josh Devlin

Josh was a grown man, and his parents were worried for him every time he went out to the battlefield, especially in his condition. Now that he was feeling mostly better, some of that weight was removed. Even so, he was just one legendary Pokémon attack from being sent right back. And any injury could end up being his last, forcing him to take an early retirement and spend the rest of his life collecting disability and selling merch. "And this is part of my role in the war. No one can get weaponry to the front liens faster than I can," Josh bragged. "And Mauville's Rangers? We ride Pyroar to come to victims' rescue. You'll be hard-pressed to find Rangers with a faster response time than ours." The more time passed, the more Josh's pride would multiply. Every generation of Pokémon would grow their numbers. Before long, every Ranger on the force would have one of Josh's lions aiding them.

Did the Torals have to be so blunt? Legendary Pokémon were powerful, no doubt. "If there's anyone who knows that, it's me. To defeat kyle lopez and become a Champion, I had to bring down a legendary Pokémon without using one. And not just one, but two. Entei and Ho-oh both." Where had Dialga disappeared to, anyway? Two years was a long time to disappear. Though to the Timelord, two years must have been a brief instant... to a Pokémon whose true residence was outside time itself.

"You said there's a dig site you need an escort for?" he asked Mr. Toral. "Have you tried asking the Mauville Rangers about it? Or even your local Rangers?" Before he got much farther, Kee's silence spoke volumes to Josh. He turned toward the young Toral with concern. "You okay?"

---

Keenan Toral

{PC: 10}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Eriette       Spectrier      Good
Hylda         Glastrier      Good
Swift         Raikou         Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good

Part of Josh's role was also transporting supplies and people to the front lines. Kee's reaction to the Raikou was to stare at it with wide eyes and mouth open with potato salad close to his mouth. What was more, to become a champion ranked trainer, the dark headed gym leader had to defeat both a Ho-oh AND an Entei! Just...what in the world did Aaron have to go through to achieve his goal? Both parents nodded, satisfied that Josh was well aware that legends were not all powerful. Though if anyone asked Keenan, he would disagree...you'd have to use an entire team of Pokemon to defeat just one. If the Torals could read Josh's mind, that would be their question as well.

"The dig site is in the deepest parts of the desert. My application is ready to be turned in to your Mauville Rangers, but I'm wondering if I should yet or just wait to see what happens in the next couple of weeks. I don't want to submit it, then something happening and the manpower is needed elsewhere." Much as he wanted to get to it, it was hardly imperative. If a disaster happens, those rangers would be needed elsewhere. Keenan had finally shoved his food in his mouth and ate slowly.

Josh then asked if he was okay. The youngest blond nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine...it's just...how do you deal with a legendary in a full blown battle? Greyson Connors's gym had me against a single one in a disaster scenario. I ended up running most of the time, just trying to help as much as I can until I had to fight it and ended up losing most of my team. If I hadn't poisoned it and also didn't have the help of everyone else, there was no way I would have beaten it! How do you take one on that's trained?!" His parents looked at each other. Had Keenan not been battling that much? Training was fantastic, yes, but actual battle experience was needed to be a good trainer was well. Was it...that Aaron was by far the better trainer?


Josh Devlin

While they weren't Josh's Mauville Rangers, he did assume a lot of responsibility for them when annalise henderson was overwhelmed. The two of them were more like Ranger Captains together, though she was the one with the title. "No reason to hold off," the Gym Leader answered. "If anything, I think it's going to get worse the longer you wait. So I'd get your ticket in as soon as you can. If anything, put my name somewhere on it. I'd love to take the ticket myself." The Great Desert was one of Josh's training grounds. It was so wide open and sparsely populated that it was one of the few places in Hoenn where the speed demon could truly unleash his Pokémon. It would take time to cross the desert even aboard a Quick Attacking Swift.

Turning back to Kee, Josh kept his smile up when he heard the young man's question. "Part of how I became a Champion was learning exactly that. How to fight a legendary Pokémon without owning one yourself. And while Swift isn't anywhere close to full power, I think the best way to learn is by doing." When kyle lopez ran the Battle Arcade, Josh had to battle Entei there. Now, he would be on the other side of that battle with his Raikou. What a golden opportunity this was. "What's a good day for you to come down to Mauville Gym and spar with Swift?"

---

Keenan Toral

{PC: 11}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Eriette       Spectrier      Good
Hylda         Glastrier      Good
Swift         Raikou         Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good

"That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to take up personal when they're needed elsewhere, but if you insist. I can note that you recommended to take this trip sooner rather than later? Or if you're volunteering, I can make that note too?" If the guy was sure about taking that ticket, then might as well. Mr. Toral's dig team typically had six to eight people by themselves. Not even mentioning their Pokemon and any Rangers with them. Mrs. Toral worked from home in IT, so she wouldn't be there. Not that she was lonely, she had friends here, and she also had her Pokemon.

Josh was quick to let Keenan and the Torals know that that was what he had to figure out to become a Champion Ranked Trainer. But the best way to learn was by doing. That was something Kee's parents liked to tell him. Instruction first was fantastic, but some things just needed to be done to learn. The dark haired man, who still had Shaymin on top of his head, enthusiastically asked for a good day for Kee to swing by and spar with the Raikou. Even if it wasn't at full power, it was still a heck of a task. The poor boy was making an odd noise as his brain shor-circuited. Mrs. Toral took charge when that happened. "Why doesn't he take you up on that offer when the application is approved and they're on their way a little early to do it? It would be a good experience..."

Keenan couldn't answer. Just eyes wide and mouth agape.



Josh Devlin

"Wonderful," Josh answered Mr. Toral. "Get the ticket submitted and I'll get everything organized. Just because I'm involved with the war effort doesn't mean I can't help Hoenn in other ways." He wasn't the one doing the fighting, either. He was a supplier. Though his job wasn't a glorious one, it was just as important. Without him, people like John Sullivan couldn't get the League's supersoldiers, their Avatars, back on their feet. The Hoennian army's commanders, like Navy and MATIAS SILPH , couldn't receive vital messages too risky to send by electronic means. Rocket had broken League encryption before. If Rocket wanted to intercept a hand-delivered message, they would have to outpace the fastest Pokémon on land.

A challenge he dared Rocket to take on.

Noticing Kee closing up again with a wide-open facial expression, the Champion tried to reach out to him again. "You sure you're okay?" he asked. "I know it's a lot. If you need time to think about it, let me know. If you're planning on taking the Champion Assessment, I think it would be a great help."

---

Keenan Toral

{PC: 12}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Eriette       Spectrier      Good
Hylda         Glastrier      Good
Swift         Raikou         Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good

"Very well, I'll also let my team know. Kee, you wanna go with?" It'd been a while since one of his boys had joined him. Though this one was riskier, Keenan did have two gym badges now. And Josh seemed to have some confidence in him too. Getting this done before the war started would be good, one less ruin to discover the secrets of...and maybe even one less site for Rocket to get a hold of. It was kind of nice that Josh's role wasn't simply as a warrior. He'd seen too many of those that were also a bit hard headed. He needed someone who also knew when to run.

Kee's voice was high pitched and squeeky. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll use my same team as I did against Greyson's gym challenge. Though I should probably mention that it was also my first gym challenge ever. And that same team has gotten a lot stronger since." His ace, Houndoom, was a lot stronger now. Spheal was now a Walrein, Vikavolt was likewise much stronger, Metang was a Metagross, Onix a Steelix, and Granbul was also stronger now too. He actually intended to use Granbul against noah faber's gym one of these days. Man that first battle just seemed so long ago...


Josh Devlin

It seemed there was an agreement. With the size of the team, almost all of Josh's lions would be needed. Even king Kovu and queen Nala. "I'll make sure to get my pride booked for the expedition," Josh confirmed with the Torals. "Don't forget your eye protection, either; if it's windy, you'll want something to deal with the sand. I've got my racing helmet, so I'll be okay."

Kee's squeaky voice left Josh concerned on the inside... that he wasn't as confident as he was saying. He went through that pain, too. The first few times Josh sparred against a legendary Pokémon, he felt helpless. He did eventually succeed against Entei and Ho-oh. If he could pass their trial, he could also pass down how he did it and multiply the League's forces capable of going toe to toe with Rocket's Avatars. "I look forward to it!" Josh replied, Swift mirroring the racer's positive demeanor. It was as though their facial expressions were in sync with one another.

With their meetings set, Josh withdrew his Pokémon team other than Swift. The monochrome Beast crouched to let the trainer aboard, the Champion holding his outer tufts of thundercloud as though they were reins. "All marked on the calendar. Thanks so much for the hospitality and the great food. I gotta get the time slot for you blocked off at my Gym and talk to Captain annalise henderson about how many Rangers we can spare for the expedition. See you 'round!" With a thunderous purr from the big tiger, Mauville's Gym Leader was gone in a flash of lightning.

---

Keenan Toral

{PC: 13}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Eriette       Spectrier      Good
Hylda         Glastrier      Good
Swift         Raikou         Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good