Robin was showing the Rocket no mercy, wielding Mega Evolution from the word go and overwhelming the Lapras with a mighty POWER GEM. Josh reined Entei back to try to limit the DRAGON RUSH's power, but it was too late. Like the legendary Pokémon the Gouging Fire was named after, Entei was fast. Almost uncontrollably fast. Were Aqua and the Lapras unable to intervene, the two attacks would collide violently, blinding the dragon-type with briny water. The paradox's size kept the rider safe, but did he ever feel his mount's muscles tense from the polluted liquid that was especially toxic to Pokémon of his type.

The Champion turned to Aqua Kennedy , his height advantage from being mounted perhaps adding to his intimidation. "Champion Devlin. You're outmatched, little one. I have no idea why Rocket would send a minor into battle against their will," he assumed their age, "but I won't stand for it. Give yourself up, and I will do everything in my power to make your rehabilitation and amnesty as painless as possible."

Josh turned his Gouging Fire toward robin coello next. "Robin, what's gotten into you?! They're just a child!" he scolded the psychic. "Show a little restraint! They may be Rocket, but they're still a human being!"

Josh had seen many Distortions before; he loved hunting inside them to catch powerful, giant Pokémon normally too small to wear saddles. This just happened to be his first time seeing one form. Peering upward, he indeed saw the telltale clouds and veil that formed one. "Wow, you're really sensitive to them!" he mused, though Swift looked much more serious. More on guard. "I'm glad we could catch one forming from the beginning. You know how most of my Pokémon are really big? This is where I catch them from. This is Ninjask territory, too -- I'd love to find a giant one of those here!" The Gym Leader seemed way too excited around the dangerous spacetime storm that was brewing around them.

The storm expanded around them, blue and purple, bolt-like arcs forming around Josh and Swift. Building up from them was the spitting image of the Champion and his Raikou. The last time he had encountered this twisted image of himself, he needed his Sygna Suit to keep up with the Raikou's speed... and he had needed Andrea Vaneau 's help, too. This time, he had his own Raikou.

With a bolt-shaped sword in his hand, the doppelganger readied himself to ram and trample Josh and his mockery of the Beast. "Yuina..." Josh trailed off. unsure how to explain his wild story to the girl while simultaneously keeping her out of danger.

There seemed to be a lengthy conversation between Ashley Langford and her Gengar as Sidewinder circled them. They must have known each other very well, like Josh did his Manectric. She didn't seem much for words; instead, she demonstrated that the front half of her body was partially submerged within the spirit, its body keeping her in place. "That's amazing; no wonder you don't need a saddle--"

Josh took off after Ashley when he saw her mounting the wild ghost-type, his own Dragapult trying to fly underneath them so he could catch her if she fell. With talent he only knew one other person had, the young girl not only survived the rodeo, but befriended the wild. "...Do you know Shalin Nariya ?" the Champion sheepishly asked. "You remind me of her."

Squall's voice was beautiful, but nowhere near as captivating as Leonius' performance. "Is Leonius a Contest Pokémon?" Josh asked as the dragons swooped down to retrieve Nick's Poké Ball. With a powerful wingbeat from Yosei, the Gym Leader's mount lifted the capsule in the air for the other Ranger to catch. "Unless you count Pokémon races, which are an unorthodox kind of Pokémon Contest, I don't compete in them regularly." He still remember being booed off the stage the one time he tried to enter one.

Once Nick had retrieved his catch, whether on his own or with Yosei's help, Josh pulled back up, ready to take in the view above southern Hoenn again. "I've raised a Corviknight myself. Two of them. One of them didn't make it." He daydreamed for a bit, wondering how Vayu and Bora would have gotten along. Now, all that remained of the once-proud female was part of Aleph, his Type: Null.

From Minerva's perspective, Josh may have looked like a yellow and purple blur in his racing attire, his mount a swirl of varying shades of grey. The young man's skin tingled as Swift reached his top normal speed, already faster than a race car with its gas pedal to the floor. Adrenaline surged through Josh's veins as he could at last resume proper riding posture from the acceleration's squeezing force diminishing. Each of the Beast's footprints was an amazing distance apart, putting into perspective just how fast the electric legendary Pokémon was.

At the very edge of his clear vision's narrow band, Josh noticed a girl waving at her. This field was supposed to be largely deserted, especially in this weather. What was she doing out here? Unable to ignore her, the boy eased his hold on Swift, taking longer to slow down than he did to speed up. The size of the thundercloud billowing behind him shielded his back from the acceleration force. There was no such protection from being thrown forward.

After circling the younger lady a number of times, Mauville's Gym Leader at last became clearly visible. He spent some time catching his breath before addressing her. "Wasn't expecting to see anyone else out here in this weather. I'm sorry if Swift and I spooked you," he apologized, though he expected many trainers to be frightened in the presence of what they might think would be a god. Swift was no god; he was the memory of a god intertwined with Josh's interpretation -- no, idealization -- of what Raikou was.

With Miyako not having brought earplugs, Josh had to show restraint -- and hope the officer did, as well. "Yep -- I was a good friend of Rayquaza's previous Avatar. Helped her get used to flying with them."

The view from above the Sky Pillar was amazing; the two could see Sootopolis to the north, Ever Grande to the east, and Slateport to the west. The air was cold, but perhaps refreshing compared to the humid soup beneath them. The two would have to put more effort into speaking to be heard as they rose higher into the sky, in order to account for the thinning atmosphere. The height they reached was well beyond what birds could reach; dragons were simply built different.

Once Verte landed, putting on one last buzzing burst for Miyako's entertainment, Josh withdrew him and remained on foot, needing to give his own body a rest. "I'm sure Mastema will be happy to meet another Togekiss; you're not the first person to challenge Mauville Gym with one," he returned Miyako's grin with a mild one of his own, not noticing the Cyclizar performing a wheelie to make a quick turn. "That Cyclizar would be a great Pokémon to challenge the Gym with, too. I've got four or five of them back there," he teased, though he wasn't lying; he really did have several of them there. All of them controlled quite a bit differently from one another, as well. They were all used to ferrying complete beginners about the grounds, letting students young and old learn important fundamentals.

Ecco chattered proudly after a sweeping turn that got a whoop out of Josh. "I can help you with both," he answered as the two navigated the front of half of the aquatic course in reverse. "If you're worried about a battle being overly violent, what about taking on some of my less experienced Pokémon sometime? Maybe that will help ease you into it."

Part of the reason Josh kept so many Pokémon at his Gym, other than to be able to match the Pokémon of as many racing challengers as possible, was to be able to provide an appropriate level of difficulty for any battle challenger, no matter their skill level. It was not fun for the Leader or challenger if the battle was a blowout, particularly in Josh's favor. Curb-stomping a challenger was not satisfying; if anything, it made many challengers discouraged to keep going with the Gym Challenge, abandoning their Pokémon for all purposes other than being a pet. For some, that was all they wanted out of Pokémon... as much as it pained him to see.

"I do!" the Gym Leader cheerfully answered, always happy to show his friends some of his more recent Pokémon acquisitions. "It'll be a bit of a swim since Megalo's on another course, but we can pay him a visit if you want." He really did have one of nearly every mount-capable Pokémon, didn't he?

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Miyako Noguchi

Your challenge has been accepted! Please tag Josh Devlin in a new thread in Mauville City. Your movesets are not locked in until the first post of your Gym Thread. You have until October 19, 2024 to post your Gym Thread or you will lose your spot.

Had the dome remained up, the region would have suffered an equally ruinous fate: complete destruction by a meteoric impact that would have baked Hoenn in a heat flash of solar proportions. An impact that, while it was largely Eva Morales 's doing, Josh contributed to stopping, as well. Though his self-wallow did not allow him to admit it at the time, he had a critical part in Hoenn's survival, as well.

Now, as a Champion, that self-doubt had been largely cast away. Burned in his past self's funeral pyre at the behest of the Great One and one of Her final blessings before severing Her bond with kyle lopez . He was no longer the follower; that title bestowed a mantle of leadership upon him beyond Mauville City. As a Champion of Hoenn, his duties radically expanded, a vanguard of the entire region.

"PETRA MONROE , behind you!" Josh called out as jayden cross 's TREVENANT grew behind the Exeggutor, cursing his Pokémon with the bindings of thick roots that rendered them largely immobile while simultaneously overwriting their PRIMARY TYPES if they had two. "BURN UP, Braver!" he instinctively commanded to try to raze the roots to the ground. It was too late; without a Fire typing to remove, the Arcanine had been stripped of his most powerful attack. With how much they used their speed in combat, being rooted to the ground was a death sentence for the fire-types. Fire-types Josh was relying on to decimate CHIEN-PAO. "Petra! This isn't the real threat!" he warned.

Aleph crushed the roots within his talons, the eighteen Pokémon composing his body inspiring him to fight with his full strength. Rearing high, the now Normal-and-Grass-type bore down upon the accursed tree with an X-SCISSOR intended to sever key limbs from the ghost-type.

One of the most damaging things that could be done to a child's mind was long-term separation from their parents, whether temporary or permanent. The mental harm was oftentimes irreparable. "Absolutely... even if it's..." Josh trailed off before sniffing, "...not the same family from before today." Had he been raised by his birth parents, he may have found a career in music instead of a Gym Leader.

The giant gust even caught Yosei off guard, the Salamence grunting as he fought the air current from the Corviknight's giant wings. They were some of the few birds that could push even dragons around. Bora came to mind upon seeing the majestic male: a Corviknight that did not survive being put under the knife for Aleph's sake. As much as he resented the method for the Type: Null's creation, it was no reason for him to be resentful of the Pokémon. Bora wasn't coming back from the dead. Valoo wasn't supposed to, either, but the dream world is capable of very strange, wondrous feats. "I don't mind," the dragon rider confirmed. "Just be careful; Corviknight can blow even dragon Pokémon away with how strong their wings are."

"Heh, not if I have anything to say about it," Josh smirked. "But I don't possess that title anymore. It used to be Eva Morales that was the queen of sky speed, but now it's freya morningstar . Back when the Head Professor was Rayquaza's Avatar, I helped her get used to riding them. That rollercoaster of a dragon made even me sick." It was an experience he would never forget, and while it was possible for a Terastal Rayquaza to form at the bottom of Area Zero, the Giant Chasm was simply too small to reach the speeds a Dragon Ascent could get the legendary serpent to.

Such a behemoth would be just as likely to manifest as it would be willing to let them climb upon its back. While a Terastal-powered lesser god like Raikou only needed a little convincing, a greater one like Rayquaza would likely be too far up the cosmic scale to entertain ferrying riders purely for whimsy. "I'm not saying Togekiss aren't fast; Mastema will be a great opponent for them. But Rayquaza... is on a whole different level. But if you're that eager, Verte will put on the best Dragon Ascent imitation he can." And by that, it would be no move at all; instead soaring as high as they could before the air got uncomfortably cold.

The prospect of Miyako challenging him made Josh's eyes light up. "Absolutely!" he answered while the atmosphere was still thick enough to communicate easily. "Make sure your Togekiss is as prepared as possible. Some of the courses on my property can be brutal for a Pokémon not used to flying with their trainer. You can sign up online at Mauville Gym's website, by calling the Gym, or registering in person." Accessibility was of utmost important for Josh, both in the Racing Grounds' capacity as a Gym and as a business.

When Miyako wanted to keep going, Josh obliged, the Flygon's wings thrumming with less volume the higher they soared. "You do have earplugs you can put in, right?" he asked. "Because his Boomburst won't be loud up here, but it will be when we get to the surface. And that's the ticket to his true speed." The thrust of wings buzzing obnoxiously loud and fast, combined with the height of a dragon's dive, was as close as he was going to get to what Rayquaza was capable of. And what more fitting place was there than near the tower that pierced the clouds?

Josh scowled when he heard Kee's lack of enthusiasm. "That's not the confidence a Badge holder should have!" he rebuked the young man, Swift mimicking his glare You've got six Pokémon and I've got one. "If you've win my Gym Challenge, then you should have the eyesight and technique to at least follow Swift some. Even legendary Pokémon have weaknesses. Use what you've learned to find his." The young Leader slid down from the ashen Beast's back, walked toward his face, and cuddled him like one would a domesticated big cat Pokémon. It looked like they truly understood one another. In reality, they were of one mind; with the Raikou not possessing sentience of his own, he did the thinking for the both of them.

The unrelated question caught Josh a little off guard. If he was familiar with Hoenn's Gym Leaders, Kee would have been able to answer that question for himself. "Have you been down to noah faber 's Gym?" the courier asked, his voice distorted from Swift purring next to him while he was trying to speak. Kee may have been able to feel the rumble, too, if he was standing close enough. That was one powerful motor the monochrome feline had! "He's Verdanturf's Gym Leader, and he spars with his Pokémon almost on a daily basis. I do, too, but in a different why. Riding at high speed takes a lot of strength." Anyone could casually be ferried about by a Pokémon, but reaching truly high speeds required both Pokémon and rider to be in top shape.

Once the two had reached the familiar battle court, triple standard size, Josh let go of Swift and faced Kee directly. "Use whatever tactics you have to take Swift down. I will have to warn you. He's fast. Faster than any land Pokémon you've ever seen. This will be nothing like our Gym battle; it will require a whole different level of focus." Even with the Beast only knowing how to use three or four moves, Swift would be a handful for Kee if he didn't come prepared!

So Thomas was working with Yuina, as well. Whenever something from the ancient past was involved, she was there. "That tracks," Josh nodded after listening to Tapu Koko's partner. "We ran into an Arcanine together. Was so fast that not even Swift could outrun it with his normal speed. All she kept saying to me was that the aren't supposed to be in Hoenn, and that they're guardians too powerful to engage. Once we were out of its territory, though, the Arcanine stopped pursuing us."

As Josh paced Suicune to keep up with the Basculegion, the sea breeze feeling good in his face as he left Pacifidlog behind, he pondered Yuina's words. Were they truly benevolent beings, merely upset at those who entered their territory? What if one made its territory near or inside a city? There were too many questions he had unanswered. Questions Yuina had refused to ask. "Hey, Thomas, were you able to get any information about these Pokémon from her?" the Champion asked. "She was... not being straightforward with me at all. It's like she doesn't trust me or something." Granted, she had many reasons not to trust League officials, what with how they had treated her...