As enthusiastic as Easter was, Josh had to caution the girl not to be too ambitious. "The Hypersonic Plasma Charge is a Z-Move. It can be dangerous to perform if you're not used to how much Z-Energy you have to share with your Pokémon. On top of that, it's exactly what the move says -- a run where your Pokémon gallops at supersonic speed. You gotta work up to it." The move even gave Josh trouble from time to time, bouncing him up and down even more rapidly than he could get used to.

As Belle's eyes shifted toward Alphamax the Garchomp, she called upon Josh to summon him to their side. With a whistle, he did exactly that, the dragon swooping in for a landing that mirrored the form of an aircraft. "Garchomp fly differently than any other Pokémon in the world," he warned Easter. "There are some dangers you need to be wary of before you rein up a Garchomp. They don't flap their wings for thrust; instead, they're pure gliders that use the thrusters on their ears for power. As such, they can get pretty loud, and you'll want ear protection." He would give Easter plenty to think about before she made her decision to hop onto the finned dragon-type. One that looked well-behaved, but not one to hold back, either.

---

easterbelle flowerly

{PC: 2}

NOTE: All of the Pokémon in Josh's PC are present somewhere on the Racing Grounds.

Katharina's courage to approach the Raging Bolt impressed Josh. Many trainers fled in terror upon seeing the long-necked, yet still impossibly fast, Beast. Anyone who was brave enough to remain in the presence of such an imposing Pokémon, well-behaved or not, deserved an answer. "Funny you speak of him. His name is actually Raikou," the Champion introduced his electric steed. "I used to think he was a Raikou in the same way Ice-type Ninetales are still as much Ninetales as the traditional fire-type. He's actually his own classification now. The League's called him Raging Bolt, but he's still a Raikou to me." Raikou's purr sounded just like the Johtonian Beast of legend -- indistinguishable from thunder. His color scheme was just like a Raikou, as did his tail, crown, and face. "I'm Hoenn's number one fan of Raikou."

That sort of thinking from Katharina Strophe was exactly what caused the League to make the determination that the paradoxes were their own species, rather than regional forms of the familiar Pokémon. "Far as we know, seven. Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cyclizar all have paradoxical forms. There is one I'm searching for today, and that's Virizion's, known as Iron Leaves." The Iron Leaves Josh wanted to catch when Kyurem opened up Area Zero to begin with. The Iron Leaves that Sigmund stepped in front of and blocked his capture.

"Far as where we are?" Josh asked to confirm. "This is Area Zero, located beneath the Giant Chasm. It is not the deepest the cavern goes, but it is as far as most trainers who explore can make it." The rider reined Raikou away from the stranger when his thundercloud was getting a little close for comfort. "Oh, I'm sorry! I never introduced myself! Champion Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but please, call me Josh. And this Pokémon's name is Aleph," he gestured toward the Type: Null on alert.

---

Katharina Strophe

{PC: 2}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Swift         Raikou         Good

Phew, the Hydreigon had fallen asleep, greatly reducing the danger for the time being. Josh's powerful Pokémon had also passed out. Having expended his last AWAKENING, only time would wake Entei. Time they didn't have. Reaching for two Cherish Balls on his belt, the Champion withdrew the sleeping Gouging Fire for a Walking Wake, the majestic, prehistoric Pokémon's sapphire crystal-horn gleaming in Area Zero's Terastal light. The Champion briefly cuddled the raptor-Beast's face before giving him a pat. His Pokémon obediently sat down, letting Josh board him.

His lower body obscured by purple mane, Josh called out to Islwyn. "I concur. Hop on, and Suicune and I will get us out of here as quickly as possible." Regardless of whether she would join him, the Walking Wake's tails would flick about after standing, the thermals from HYDRO STEAM propelling Champion and rider forward as fast as a real Suicune's Tailwind. His Type: Null, also boosted in speed from running with the great wind at his back, kept an eye behind them to ensure the Hydreigon wouldn't follow them out of the great cavern and onto Hoenn's mainland.

---

Islwyn Pryce

{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Sleep
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Swift         Raikou         Good

Josh wasn't one to back down unless things looked bleak. He had the advantage. Though Darkrai was speedy, Swift still outpaced the dark-type, the ELECTRO BALLS converging upon the legendary Pokémon. Swirling ash and lightning enveloped their foe, disoriented by the attack's extreme speed. Darkrai was smart, retaliating with an attack that didn't require aim.

By the time the feline was about to pounce, the spinning Pitch-Black Pokémon created a DARK PULSE dome around itself. rapidly expanding and forcing both Beast and wielder through the same ring that Xuying Zhou had leaped through. If he wasn't paying attention to the ring, he and the great tiger might have landed on top of him! Landing from the rough fall, Swift was having difficulty holding his ashen body together. Josh recalled him back into the RAINBOW FEATHER before anything worse could happen to him. Reliant on his Type: Null now, the Gym Leader clicked Aleph's Poké Ball open, the two trying to make headway on wherever the simulation sent them next.

---

• Into the dead of night.

RKS POINT: 100

Xuying Zhou

{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Swift         Raikou         Poor
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Nala          Pyroar         Good
Kovu          Pyroar         Good
Kokusho       Hydreigon      Good
Pazuzu        Pidgeot        Good

Unlike the stories of many legendary Pokémon, those of Hoenn were bring written in the present day. Thanks to the phoenix's blessing, Josh himself was one to ride into legend -- both in the sense that he rode a legendary Pokémon and that he drove Raikou's story. Even if that Raikou wasn't alive like other Pokémon was, the memory of the electric Beast was still very real to him. As the former Champion's successor, Hoenn's balance hinged partly on what he did. How he acted. How he and the Raikou developed alongside one another.

He wasn't getting off this train until it arrived at its destination.

As someone who loved Pokémon mythology, Josh took up Morrighan Cahill 's offer for contact. "Absolutely. I possess other rare Pokémon, too. If you found my story fascinating, it might behoove you to drop by Mauville Gym." With that, he sat upon the ghostly horse's back once more, one hand on the reins and the other waving toward her. "Have a good one!" With a light slap of the knees, the Spectrier was off, Hylda and Aleph trailing behind.

---

Morrighan Cahill

{PC: 9}

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

Little bit of a large shop post, mostly redeems from past events! Thanks for processing!

1x Any Evolution (Water OPS)
Evolve Herc the Meowth to Persian

1x Type 2 Evolution (II Endeavors)
Evolve Blex the Venipede to Whirlipede

1x Type 3 Evolution (II Endeavors)
Evolve Blex the Whirlipede to Scolipede

2x Starf Berry (Tales Beneath the Dyna Tree; 1x grown)
Change Granmarg the Mudsdale's gender to Male
Change Herc the Persian's gender to Male

4x Level Tutors (02: II Endeavors; BRAN-NEW pokejob; The Wilds reward)
Herc the Persian learns Power Gem and Play Rough
Iceman the Braviary learns Tailwind
Blex the Scolipede learns Megahorn

13x TM/TR (A Deadly Job (Feb '24); 02: WATER OPS; Duplicitous Masquerade; 3x: Battle of Sootopolis 3x; Wrath of Registeel; 3x purchased) (180 PD)
Herc the Persian learns Agility (over Scratch)
Regole the Dragonair learns Thunderbolt and Iron Head
Blex the Scolipede learns Agility (over Toxic)
Keleth the G!Rapidash learns Smart Strike, Megahorn, Agility, and Bounce
Hamza the Donphan learns High Horsepower (over Growl), Trailblaze, and Smart Strike
Ghido the Whiscash learns Dragon Dance and High Horsepower
3x Move Tutor (II Endeavors; Voltorb Obstruction; Duplicitous Masquerade)
Acro the Bruxish learns Ally Switch
Iceman the Braviary learns Heat Wave (over Peck)
Blex the Scolipede learns Aqua Tail

1x Egg Tutor
Hamza the Donphan learns Ice Shard (over Rollout)

1x Shiny Swap (The First Wave)
Make Regole the Dragonair shiny

1x Ability Capsule (Poison Patrol II)
Change Blex's Ability to Speed Boost

Total PD: 180

What a relief; Dragonite were fearsome foes. Quite rare in the wild, they could cause serious injury to an unprepared trainer. "Thanks," Josh replied, taking one knee to retrieve his catch. "You hear that humming noise it was making? That's how Dragonite use Extreme Speed - by flapping their wings like a bug." While it didn't afford them immense agility, it was part of how they reached supersonic flight speeds. "I'll have to come up with a name when I get back to the Gym."

Helping Miyako get to her feet if need be, Josh would ask her a question that might affect which wild Pokémon they ran into. "It's pretty calm out today. Would you want to fly to the top of the tower, or go on foot with Suicune?" he asked, teasing that he had multiple flying dragons with him...

---

Miyako Noguchi

skipping!

{PC: 7}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Suicune       Walking Wake   Fair
Yosei         Salamence      Good
Ao            Roaring Moon   Good
Verte         Flygon         Good
Reverb        Noivern        Good
Ares          Charizard**    Good

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

"Alright, Nala, match Zira's pace, okay?" With a nod and a purr that made Josh's hair stand on end briefly, the two were in agreement what to do. Zira let out an equally powerful purr that may have felt like a massage to Lisette before cantering forward.

The lioness' flexing back may have been a challenge for the guest rider, bouncing her quite a bit more than a horse Pokémon or even her grandmother's Gogoat would. Pyroar were not designed to be ridden by humans; they were ambush predators, their muscles designed for bursts of high speed. Through specialized training, Josh's pride had shed a fraction of that speed for greater endurance, allowing them to travel many miles without tiring... though they still lacked the stamina of a Rapidash. Such were the limitations of a feline predator.

A Pyroar's canter was already the top speed of many Pokémon Lisette may have been familiar with. "If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can also flick Zira's reins to make her jump," the Gym Leader taught her. Just how fast could this regal lioness run?

---

skips!

lisette bellamy

{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Simba         Pyroar         Good
Nala          Pyroar         Good
Zira          Pyroar         Good
Vitani        Pyroar         Good
Simba         Pyroar         Good
Aleph         Type: Null     Good

The prideful roar of a Salamence invigorated Josh, having never been happier to sit astride Yosei's back. The Salamence, TRUANT for a year and a half due to having dragon-type stem cells extracted for the creation of a Type: Null, had at last completed all of the therapy he needed to become his old self again. A Type: Null that proved to be even more of a headache than his Raikou. All the amalgamation wanted to do was fight. Fight, fight, fight. While being a good combatant was important for a Gym Leader's Pokémon, there were other aspects he wanted to develop in the normal-type.

That would wait for another day. "Tell me about it," Josh answered. "I'm glad we're not riding down the highway to Slateport. Look at all those Pokémon and cars down there. I haven't seen the highway this busy in a long time." Trailing them was a Tropius who was being steered by Zaborg, a shiny, bipedal Zeraora trained for riding the Gym Leader's other Pokémon. "Having fun back there, Zaborg?" His purr pierced the wind, though its thrum did not reach the two in front.

---

nicholas steele

{PC: 1}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Yosei         Salamence      Good
Zaborg        Zeraora**      Good
Zetalpa       Tropius        Good

The number of new recruits to Josh's Gym was growing; it was getting to the point where due to the number of large Pokémon there, he might have to purchase more land for them to roam. East wasn't an option, for Route 111 was a major public road. He would need to expand west. Expanding and adding three more Sectors to the west was a long-term goal of his; were all to go according to plan, he would be able to secure the land early next year, and have twelve new courses ready in time for the 2027 season.

The weather was beginning to cool off, as well, putting a limit on how much Josh could enjoy riding his water Pokémon through his courses. Processing Lutgarde Dijkstra's Gym badge could wait. Pushing his desk's chair in, he withdrew Inky the Glaceon into his Poké Ball and took his Gym's elevator down to the lobby. Not to take on a wave of challengers, but to simply have a good time with many of his Pokémon.

With the sound of a gentle bell, the elevator doors opened to reveal Mauville City's handsome Gym Leader in all his glory, RAINBOW FEATHER pinned to his shirt. With a yellow and black helmet covering his head, he was ready for the great outdoors.

---

Blossom Delier

{PC: 1}

NOTE: All of the Pokémon in Josh's PC are present somewhere on the Racing Grounds.

The MAX ROCKFALL's building-sized boulders left a ring of craters, sending dirt flying into the air and onto the flames, putting them out. As Josh watched the destruction he had wrought, it became more and more important to get in touch with Head Professor illeana reyes about getting Mauville's Power Spot removed. It was far too densely populated of a city for Pokémon of that size to clash with one another. This was the precise reason why he was vehemently opposed to Dynergy at the Gym Leader summit in the winter. Frustrations with upper management continued to grow. Every mistake the League made was one that Rocket would pounce on... and the less Josh had to use these accursed bands, the better.

Ultimately, he had thwarted Rocket from expanding toward Rustboro today... but Josh knew that the war was far from over. There would be more Rockets trying to stake claims into Petalburg Woods and beyond. Withdrawing the giant Skarmory back into his Poké Ball to end the Dynamax effect, Josh immediately sent him back out to get his saddle properly secured again. Once he had done so, he zipped himself into the cocoon and took to the skies. "It's not over yet. Others are depending on us for supplies and intelligence."

For a wartime supply runner's all-important duties never ended...

---

Absinthe Blackwood
{PC: 9}

MP TOTAL: 675
- Posts (90)
- Enemy KO (25)
- Self-KO (Garchomp) (50)
- Mega Evolution (10)
- showcase your own character's strength(s) meaningfully. (50)
- showcase your own character's weakness(es) meaningfully. (50)
- have an antagonistic exchange of dialogue between your character and another writer's character or NPC. (50)
- have your pokemon be inflicted with a status condition by an opposing pokemon. (25)
- reference (tag) another character that is not in your thread in a meaningful way. (50)
- have your character recall a past thread or event that they have participated in or not (link the thread). (50)
- have your character reflect on why they're fighting/reflect on their loyalties. (50)
- have your character become inspired or consoled by another writer's character (50).
- dynamax your own pokemon in your thread. (50)
- for completing your Skirmish thread. (25)
- for "winning" or having a "positive" outcome for your character and their Skirmish thread. (50)

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Alphamax      Garchomp       KO
Verte         Flygon         Good
Bladestorm    Skarmory       Good
Pazuzu        M-Pidgeot      Poor
Flint         Typhlosion     Fair
Screech       Linoone        Good

Josh's best trait as a Gym Leader was his dependability; even Greyson Connors gave him credit for that much, though it wasn't in front of his face. If there was a Hoennian in need of a lift back to civilization, Josh would oblige. He had found his skillset and used it to the best he knew how. If ne needed to escort a League official to the depths of Area Zero, he and Swift would be more than happy to do so.

Upon seeing the Raging Bolt, the wild Hydreigon's Terastal Crown burst into a large array of pink sparkles, its body now coated with bright tan crystal that turned the three-pronged TERA BLAST into the GROUND-type. It took aim at the Gouging Fire, the trio of explosive blasts causing the paradox Pokémon to rear. Josh himself tumbled off the saddle, landing on his back and smacking the back of his head against the dirt. Thankfully for him, it was much softer than the nearby rock! It wouldn't take long for the ground-type dragon, Josh, and Entei to be overcome with the tendrils of sleep brought into bring from Blodeuwedd's beautiful singing.

With his bodyguard incapacitated, how would Islwyn Pryce handle the threatening Hydreigon sleeping before her?

---

Islwyn Pryce

{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Aleph         Type: Null     Good
Raikou        Raging Bolt    Good
Entei         Gouging Fire   Sleep
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Swift         Raikou         Good