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[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
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Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 27, 2024 20:50:52 GMT
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The moment Josh's doctors had approved him to saddle up with his paradox Pokémon, he couldn't get out to 's ranch fast enough. Cuddling Raikou's face, the Raging Bolt purred powerfully, affectionately rattling the war-torn Gym Leader. "I know you're excited to see me again, aren't you!" Josh babied the Thunder Beast's ancestor before patting his partner's tall frame. Raikou crouched to let Josh climb on, his hands firmly grasping the piece of spine in front of the saddle he sat in. "Remember, we can't go too fast - doctor's orders!" he reminded the dragon Pokémon.

The long-necked paradox leaned into the wind, taking off with the spring of the tiger he was an ancestor of. What may have looked like a gallop to was a mere canter to the ultrafast creature, the Master of Faster making a thunderous approach to the Benoit ranch.








{PC: 1}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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2,803 posts
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Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 27, 2024 21:22:51 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


Following the events that took place, Thomas spent what time he could keeping busy. Between all of the training, and assignments, the Kalosian hardly had time for himself. What little time he did have was either spent with , or with all of the Pokemon on his Ranch.

As Thomas cuddled up to Audrey, the tiny Audino picked up on the sounds of footsteps. They sounded a lot like Desiree's Raging Bolt. The tiny Audino let out a soft little cry, bringing Thomas' attention to the direction of the footsteps. Thomas continued to hold Audrey, as the Mauville Gym Leader approached them.

Upon seeing the man on the back of the beast, Thomas smiled. "Josh, it's good to see you again.", Thomas greeted the Gym Leader warmly. The timid Audino, who was more than used to his presence by now, gave him a friendly wave and a smile from Thomas' arms. Even if the Raging Bolt was a stranger, she figured that if they were Josh's friend, then surely they weren't all bad.




tags:
notes: tl;dr

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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 27, 2024 23:20:17 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Josh's arm looked like it was in much better shape than the last time the two had seen one another, having briefly visited after the Ultra Space prison incident. Being able to confidently hold the reins of a paradox Pokémon felt great. The Gym Leader brought the Raging Bolt to a stop close to Thomas, the Raikou-like creature craning his neck to warmly greet him.

"As promised after we got back from Area Zero, I've brought them all here. Didn't you say you had a place that was ideal for training with really strong Pokémon?" the Champion asked, Raikou the Raging Bolt's paws sparking with excitement to truly let loose for the first time since being abducted by the Loyal Three.








{PC: 2}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
2,803 posts
part of
TAG WITH @thomasbenoit
Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 29, 2024 20:17:17 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


As Thomas got a closer look at the Gym Leader, he could see that his arm was doing better. That still didn't quell any of the worries he had for his friend.

Thomas, with gloved hands, began to pet the 'ancestor' of Raikou. Like most of his clothing, they were lined with carbon tape, thus allowing him to safely pet the Electric-type beast. Meanwhile, Audrey stared at the long-necked beast with her innocent blue eyes.

"Yes, actually. It's down in the tunnel network. Once we get to the chamber, you'll see it has more than enough space to accommodate your friend.", Thomas assured Josh.

Dede, one of Thomas' many Audino, walked up to greet the visitors. The friendly Audino let out a chipper cry, waving to the both of them. Thomas handed Audrey off to Dede, who took the tiny Audino in her arms. "I'll be back to play with you both, I promise.", he told the two, before getting up.

Though Audrey was a bit disappointed that her time with Thomas was cut short, Dede reassured her that he'd be back for her.

Thomas began to lead Josh to a large barn, which housed a massive hatch leading to the underground section of his Ranch.




tags:
notes: tl;dr


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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 30, 2024 3:40:28 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Raikou seemed friendly with Thomas, too, having warmed up to him when they were in Oldale together. Though his cry still sounded like rumbles of thunder, Tapu Koko's bearer would be able to easily tell the paradox's friendly demeanor. He would have to lower his head to be able to fit in the tunnel, but it was no big deal; the Raging Bolt did so normally when in an all-out THUNDERCLAP-fueled sprint.

"You must have had quite the League stipend to build an underground battle facility like this," Josh asked as they descended beneath the barn and through the tunnels. They were wide enough that he could stay mounted, even. It was a nice change of pace from all the walking he had to do around the Pokémon League's giant stadiums when Kyle was still around. "Were you a Gym Leader at one point?"








{PC: 3}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
2,803 posts
part of
TAG WITH @thomasbenoit
Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 30, 2024 12:44:15 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


Thomas looked on with a bit of worry for the ancient Raikou. That perhaps Josh should've recalled them for the trek down. But if he wanted to go through this journey, that was on them. He just hoped that the Raging Bolt wouldn't be too uncomfortable.

"I never needed a League stipend for any of this.", remarked Thomas, a bit awkwardly. "My family is Kalosian Nobility, on top of owning Benoit Armaments. Not that I needed that money to buy the place. I started investing young, on top of sitting on three years worth of pay from working with the International Police nonstop. After my resignation, I found this place in a sorry state, with an owner who didn't want it, so I scooped it up, and fixed it up.", Thomas began, feeling bad about 'flexing' his wealth.

"The underground biomes, once I got approval to make them, came about to accommodate Pokemon who required special conditions to thrive.", Thomas added.

Eventually, the two reached a vast chamber. Thomas' own Walking Wake and Gouging Fire rested. An Urshifu was practicing his kata. A Shaymin was relaxing on top of a Melmetal, who was at peace. An Iron Crown, with an Iron Valiant on their back, was running an obstacle course. A pair of Zeraora, one of them being smaller than the other, were cuddling on the ground.

Finally, a Roaring Moon ran up to greet Thomas, nuzzling the Kalosian affectionately.

"Hey, Midir!", Thomas greeted the ancient Salamence affectionately, nuzzling them back.




tags:
notes: tl;dr


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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Aug 30, 2024 22:18:56 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Thomas must really have been loaded, having royal connections powerful enough to live off asset income. Though Josh had assets, too, he didn't have them on the same level Thomas did. The former International Policeman could simply live off investment income. The Gym Leader relied on his career for his lifestyle. While it wasn't lavish, he enjoyed his lower upper class life. Money wasn't an issue for him as long as he was reasonably frugal.

Josh gasped upon seeing the horde of rare Pokémon, the young Gym Leader letting out all of his Pokémon to meet their counterparts. "Wow, so many. You're a talented trainer," he complimented. "No wonder you use to be Elite Four. I applied for the last opening, but they took Navy instead. I've debated applying for the seat vacated, but I'm unsure. You've held both positions before... what's it like being there?" he asked, reining Raikou toward the other ancient paradoxes. The RAINBOW FEATHER's scintillating glow intensified in the presence of the high Infinity Energy environment.

Did Swift want to train, too?







{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
2,803 posts
part of
TAG WITH @thomasbenoit
Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Sept 5, 2024 8:35:09 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


"Funny thing is, I only really started accumulating them after I left the Elite Four.", Thomas remarked. The Melmetal was acquired around the time he had his final conversation with , where he confessed that he was Yveltal's Avatar. Other than that, the rest of the pack had been acquired following his self-inflicted fall from grace.

"Being a Gym Leader was a lot of fun. Like you, I had a non-traditional challenge, one I was proud of. I'd pit people against their inner demons, with the help of my Zoroark. We'd help them overcome said demons.", Thomas began, reflecting on his time as the Dark Gym Leader. "And to be honest, being among the Elite Four was like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. But it was a burden I was proud to carry.", Thomas continued, before frowning.

"Looking back on it, I wish I never denounced the League as I had. That despite all of my misgivings with how they conduct themselves, my actions did nothing to help the situation. I should've leveraged my position, and what happened in Sootopolis, to bring about the changes necessary to improve things. But instead, I allowed anger to cloud my judgment, and made the greatest mistake I could've made.", Thomas lamented.

A Spectrier galloped into the area. Thomas smiled, stroking the mane of the spectral steed affectionately. "This is Torrent. I'll be practicing with them today."




tags:
notes: tl;dr


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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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TAG WITH @joshdevlin
Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Sept 6, 2024 23:50:18 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Josh didn't know that Thomas in the past was a Gym Leader, too. "That's what I went after when I was a Gym grinder," he related his own story of ascension to greatness as he watched Torrent dash around the underground biome with great speed. He had learned from riding Eriette that Spectrier were incredibly fast, whether running through the material world or the ethereal one. "Are you able to recreate your Gym challenge still? I would love to take it on when I'm feeling a hundred percent. When I did the Gym challenge, I loved taking on as many non-battle challenges as I could. Thankfully, I got grandfathered in before the awful, awful changes to the Gym program happened. The last one's really hurt my business."

Josh, too, could relate to a demon of his that he had already overcome. That had been shed when he went to Kyle's chamber and let the Great One purify him from the inside out. "I can feel that. The Eris incident made my life for the worse, and I've only put it behind me recently." As he watched Torrent get up to speed, Josh brought up his own Spectrier. "Eriette, my Pokémon of their kind, isn't here. I wanted to work with these six instead. Perhaps when we meet again, we can arrange to have Eriette and Torrent work with one another."

The Gym Leader took his position next to Torrent, his paradoxical mount's ruby-red eyes rolling toward the ghost-type. "I... think I'm ready. There's certainly enough room for Raikou to get up to speed." Once Thomas gave the signal, Josh jabbed with his knees into the Raging Bolt's sides, electric dragon and trainer picking up speed almost as fast as his Johtonian counterpart.








{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
2,803 posts
part of
TAG WITH @thomasbenoit
Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Sept 8, 2024 15:33:56 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


As Thomas stroked the mane of the spectral steed, the Spectrier made a goofy face. One that could be traced back to a goofy meme on the internet. Whether the Spectrier was somehow aware of it, or if it was just a coincidence, was unknown. However, it was clear the Spectrier did it because they found it funny.

"Of course, just let me know when a good time would be. The process is a simple one: after a scan by Psychic-type, my Zoroark will place the challenger in an illusion-scape that simulates an encounter with their greatest fears, or inner demons. From there, it's up to the challenger to deal with them.", Thomas explained to the racer.

Thomas climbed onto the Spectrier. "Sounds good to me.", Thomas told the Gym Leader.

After Josh got started, Thomas and Torrent came racing down the track. Thankfully, the spacious chamber gave the ancient Raikou ample room to work with.




tags:
notes: Meme


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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
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7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Sept 9, 2024 18:46:11 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Were Josh able to see Torrent's face, he would have been caught off guard; Eriette and every other Spectrier the young Leader had seen had a serious personality. "How about late this fall, when things slow down at Mauville Gym?" he proposed. "With Kyurem still messing up Hoenn's weather, it gets quite chilly there in the winter. So much that I have to recommend people bundle up before they race me."

Raikou lowered his long neck to streamline his body for a high-speed run. He loved Torrent's competition; with how speedy Spectrier were, it encouraged him to pick up the pace. His gait was bouncier than anything Josh had been on post-injury, putting the work he had done in rehab to the test. "Whee-hee-hee!" the Gym Leader whooped in celebration as he felt the wake of disturbed air against him.

It had never felt so good to go fast again. And yet, he still had a long way to go.








{PC: 6}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
2,803 posts
part of
TAG WITH @thomasbenoit
Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Sept 16, 2024 6:14:07 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


Thomas smiled as he got his answer. "Sounds good to me. Do you mind if I have my Alakazam probe your mind for material? If not, my Zoroark can use a less invasive, but less precise method to gather data.", Thomas asked the Gym Leader.

If he didn't consent, then it gave Thomas and Kuma Lisa time to brush up on the illusory test they used to conduct.

"Hyah!", Thomas cried out, as he spurred the Spectrier to speed up.

Despite his initial reservations in riding one of the steeds, given what happened in the RKS simulations with Glastrier, Spectrier didn't threaten to forcibly bond with him. Perhaps one day, he'd attempt to ride a Glastrier for real. After all, several people already did, so why should he have been so afraid of riding one?

As Thomas rode with the Master of Faster, he watched to make sure the injured man didn't end up going too fast for his state.

"You're doing good, Torrent!", Thomas assured the steed.




tags:
notes: tl;dr


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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
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Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Sept 17, 2024 23:39:23 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
"Not at all!" Josh answered. "I trust you. If anything, it'll make the challenge all the more productive." No matter how pure he became after his rebirth, there were always inner demons for him to conquer. Demons that he would have to conquer if he wanted to do his part in making sure the League defended Hoenn from the invasions to come.

None of Josh's other horse Pokémon could keep up with Torrent and Eriette. That Raikou could keep up with the Spectrier showed how fast the Raging Bolt was. "Let's hold at this speed for now," the Gym Leader suggested. "Don't want to overdo it!" The electric dragon sounded a thunder-like roar, rounding a corner as the duo observed many of the rare Pokémon. "When the war's over, you should finish your Champion Assessment yourself." Perhaps they might end up battling one another there if Hoenn got to a spot where she could know peace.








{PC: 7}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine
he/him/his
28
October 31
Shalour City, Kalos
Heterosexual
Ranch Owner
Ex-Elite 4
Desiree Blooms
"My guiding light."
6'04" height
6'04" height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
2,803 posts
part of
TAG WITH @thomasbenoit
Thomas Benoit
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Oct 9, 2024 20:40:08 GMT
Thomas Benoit Avatar


"Sounds like a plan, then.", Thomas responded to the Gym Leader, a grin forming on his face.

Thomas and the Spectrier, like Josh and his Raging Bolt, held at a steady, but 'reasonable' speed. When Josh brought up finishing the Champion's Assessment, Thomas chuckled. "That sounds good to me. I owe it to , after all. I owe it to you, too.", Thomas remarked.

His last battle with the newly minted Elite Four, one of his final battles as Dewford's Gym Leader, was but a preview of what he'd face, should he make it through Victory Road. He didn't just owe it to the ascended Sheriff, or Josh. He owed it to everyone he befriended and challenged along the way.




tags:
notes: tl;dr


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played by

raikourider

Master of Faster
He/Him
25
December 12
Goldenrod, Johto
Straight
Mauville Gym Leader
Champion
Single; Not Looking
6'1" height
6'1" height
"With great speed comes great responsibility."
awards
7,240 posts
Josh Devlin DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @joshdevlin
Josh Devlin
[S][C/Thomas] (Paradox) Beast Riding
POSTED ON Oct 9, 2024 23:36:38 GMT
Josh Devlin Avatar
Josh owed the success of his Champion Assessment to dozens of people, Thomas being one of them. "And likewise to you. Without you telling me of the connection between and Swift, I never would have been where I am now. I look forward to the challenge, even if your Badge won't be official anymore." He had no reason to challenge Gyms anymore. He was a Champion; there was no point in collecting Badges. It wasn't about the Badge, though; it was about how a Gym Leader, or even ex-Gym Leader, could improve him as a trainer and as a person overall.

The Raging Bolt's gallop was rough on his arm. When he noticed that Raikou's turns were starting to drift right, Josh knew it was his time. "Raikou, we should stop. My arm can't take much more." Relaxing his leg pressure, the paradox Pokémon responded with slow deceleration to keep the recovering Gym Leader as comfortable as possible.

Turning toward Thomas and his Pokémon once they had come to a stop, the young Champion exhaled. "I think that's about all my bad arm can handle. Did you want to spar with any of my Pokémon while we're still here? I do have Swift with me if you want to see him."








{PC: 8}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Sigmund       Iron Crown     Good
Tyrfing       Iron Boulder   Good

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