Rustboro would not fall. Not on Josh Devlin 's watch. Not when Captain Elise Calcifet was depending on him. When the Champion was down in the dumps after reaching his rock bottom from the Eris aftermath, Elise was there. Every time Josh was in the hospital after suffering a major injury, Elise was there.

This time, it was his turn to protect her.

"That may have worked on another trainer. But not me," Josh retorted as the Shiinotic ejected SLEEP POWDER upward. Raising his MEGA GLOVE above his head, both rider and mount became veiled in a bright, purple-pink light. The already-large Pidgeot grew to an even more impressive size, plumage featuring vibrant blues and reds that made the MEGA EVOLVED bird a true force to be reckoned with.

"This one's for you, Eva Morales ," Josh exhaled, recalling the grand adventure the two had gone on in the Temple of Winds, dedicated to the skylord Rayquaza. It was her as Peacekeeper that inspired Josh to push Pazuzu to his limits. "HURRICANE!" With mighty flaps of his wings, the mega-evolved Pokémon surrounded himself with a cyclone that threatened to uproot the grass-type and send its spores back into Absinthe's face.

---

Absinthe Blackwood
{PC: 5}

MP TOTAL: 460
- Posts (50)
- Enemy KO (25)
- Self-KO (Garchomp) (50)
- Mega Evolution (10)
- showcase your own character's strength(s) 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).

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

Josh reined his Pokémon to one side so he could get a closer look at the crystals without dismounting from the Raging Bolt. Watching the crystal gleam and glitter different colors, he knew exactly what he was looking at. "These crystals are what Tera Orbs and Tera Shards are made out of," he answered. "It's why Pokémon can Terastallize here without a Tera Orb. You should give it a try while you're down here; anywhere else requires a Tera Orb, and they're prohibitively expensive for most trainers. Being a Gym Leader is the only reason I could afford one."

As a wild Wattrel soared away, Xuying Zhou quick to catch it if just to get his missing rocks back, Josh was quick to reveal his purpose for being in such a dangerous part of Hoenn. "I'm mostly here to get to know Raikou better," he gestured toward his mount and gave the long-necked creature a gentle pat. "Entei and Suicune, too. They all seem to find Area Zero calming."

---

Xuying Zhou

{PC: 3}

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

Josh was riding his Raging Bolt, Raikou, deep into Area Zero, after a close encounter with a Terastal Lugia forced him to turn back from the entrance to the Underdepths. For a Pokémon that didn't look aerodynamic, the Champion's sure was fast. Fast enough that Aleph the Type: Null was struggling to keep up. As he slowed his mount down to conserve his strength for the long ascent, he noticed a young lady and a Natu right in their path.

Reining the paradox Pokémon to a stop, Josh noticed her observing the large Terastal crystals, one of which looked like it was about to burst and allow wild Pokémon nearby to Terastallize. "Hi there!" he waved, Raikou craning his neck around to face the female. "Wasn't expecting to find anyone else down here so deep."

---

Katharina Strophe

{PC: 1}

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

"Great to meet you too, Izzy," Josh replied, not bothering with a handshake because of how far off the ground he sat. Though Entei was smaller than most Gouging Fire, the Pokémon was still quite large. Having warmed up to tactile control after many months of bonding, Entei obeyed the turning command Josh issued through the reins. Was the Gouging Fire's willingness to wear such gear a sign that he was, in fact, not a legendary Pokémon? The resemblance to the Beast of Fire was so uncanny, even more so than Raikou and Suicune were to their past forms.

Josh took Izzy's answer to mean "all the way to the bottom", which made him worry a bit. At deep enough depths, wild versions of Josh's three paradox Beasts still roamed. Even without his specialized training, the three still had incredible speed, and could easily overwhelm a trainer not used to it. "Just stay alert is all I ask. Things can spiral out of control quickly. And if we sight one of Entei's kind down here, we had best turn back." He nodded at the acknowledgment that Izzy preferred to be on foot. Keeping it in mind, Josh led the way down the spiraling cavern. "Following the largest Terastal crystals is the easiest way to get there. There are some offshoots you can run into other powerful Pokémon at, like Iron Valiant, but tussling with them isn't recommend unless you're a really talented Trainer. They give even me trouble."

---

Islwyn Pryce

{PC: 2}

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

The war had made many League officials' schedules tight, Josh had imagined. Even with the Gym Challenge slowing down in the cooler months, he had plenty to keep him busy. With him owning so many rare and strong Pokémon, each of which was a handful to raise, he felt the need to retain all his employees. They would just be shifted to different roles. "This really is up my alley. What would you say to moving the 2025 Silph Cup down here?" Josh proposed. "I've been trying to coordinate a place with the Hoenn Racing Federation, and they're really skittish to commit to a place to run it ever since Petalburg fell." As things stood, there might not even be a Silph Cup next year.

Suicune tromped toward Josh, the young man gently running his hands through his purple mane. "Everything about them makes them seem like they're regional forms of the Johtonian Beasts. And until Science is able to confirm otherwise, they're Hoennian forms of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune to me."

When asked, Josh plucked the feather from his outfit, SACRED ASH dripping from its quill. "Another layer of security is in order to release Swift from the feather, you have to draw this Sign that looks like a lightning bolt," he explained. "Swift is the Raikou's name. As a child, I've always dreamed of being friends with Raikou, and I even named him like I do my other Pokémon. It's just... stuck." With the preamble out of the way, he raised the feather in front of him and above him, drawing the Sign's four strokes. Electricity surged through the trail of ash, building itself into the spitting image of the Johtonian Beast.

Both the Raging Bolt's and the Raikou's cries were identical rumbles of thunder. "And that's why I think they're regional variants of one another. They sound the same, they resemble each other as much as Kantonian and Alolan Vulpix do... they're both Raikou."

---

paxton concordas

{PC: 2}

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

Josh smirked as he heard Ana's enthusiasm for the Racing Grounds. Could he turn her into another paying customer? It sure would be nice, what with memberships waning during the war. "I'll just put it this way: you'll be able to give nearly any species a test drive if you wanted. I've got most of them there." His eyes peered toward the smaller Espeon. "Are they big enough for you, though?" For Josh to ride Janus, he had to be one of the largest possible for his kind.

The Gym Leader barely broke a sweat from the capture. "Thanks," he answered, absorbing the compliment like he was used to getting them frequently. "I've been a Pokémon trainer since I was eleven. I've had... a lot of experience." Experience that brought him the title of Champion. As he made his catch, he clammed up for a bit. Though he was excited to have captured a Braviary, no Pokémon would replace Slider. That Braviary was truly special to him, and one he would never forget...

---

Anastasia Harmon

skipping!

{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Janus         Espeon         Good
Wiley         Furret         Good
Pinky         Sylveon        Good
Screech       Linoone        Good
Blinky        Jolteon        Good
Kamuy         Umbreon        Good

The trip to Oldale Town was longer than Josh was used to. He and his lions were used to moving at incredible speeds, as was Suicune. A blast of Hydro Steam could replicate the effects of a Tailwind, causing the raptor to run just as fast as the Beast that Josh mistook him for. Suicune let out a majestic cry as he felt the boy stir and move, maintaining the walking to trotting pace Josh kept the Pyroar to.

The Champion breathed a huge sigh of relief once they were outside of the limits of Petalburg surveillance. "We should be fine now. Let's get their Pokémon to a Pokémon Center and them to an immediate care facility. You were a huge help. Thank you, Nick." Once they were at Oldale Town, Josh called the medical facility on the north side, making sure they had the help they needed getting the two children off his Pokémon and in the hands of the medical staff that would make them feel good as new.

---

nicholas steele

{PC: 9}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Kovu          Pyroar         Good
Nala          Pyroar         Good
Nuka          Pyroar         Good
Tazama        Pyroar         Good
Suicune       Walking Wake   Good
Swift         Raikou         Good

Josh scoffed at Neon's threat and anecdote, despite smashing into only the illusion of the Avatar. "There are only three walls in this world, not four," he taunted, not fearing the icy blade before him. Little did he know how much he would have to fear it after coming back from Sootopolis.

Backing the hurt Spectrier away from the Mercurial, Josh let Swift battle the Rocket on his own. Though he had the terrain advantage, the Beast unable to circle him, he still launched a volley of ELECTRO BALLS from the tufts of his clouds toward mint frost . "A knight doesn't fight to intimidate. They fight to protect."

---

mint frost

{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Eriette       Spectrier      Fair
Swift         Raikou         Good

Relieved to have a partner that could help him de-rust his skills, Josh nodded toward Elise Calcifet . "Excellent. Perhaps we can even use their academy's hall rather than my Gym. That way, it won't feel like either of us have home field advantage. Most of what I learned there was mounted combat... though we might go back to basics before that." While a blade was easier to use on foot, the ideal weapon to be used from the saddle was a polearm. Perhaps he could learn to use one of those, as well. He doubted he could do so at Finnegan Yang 's school, but it was worth a try.

"For your own safety... this is something you don't want to be involved in. Believe me. Shalin is a prisoner of war now," he turned toward and warned the Ranger. "You've got plenty on your hands. You're a strong trainer, don't get me wrong, but... this is war we're talking about. It's a hell unlike anything you've ever been exposed to. Aslan died fighting a war. Resheph died fighting a war. Nothing's bringing them back. Do you think you could handle what I'm going through?"

---

Elise Calcifet ghost fireheart

{PC: 4}

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

The home stretch was upon Josh, his coworkers, and the challenger. It felt like two races instead of one; the Togekiss and Noivern in front of him felt uncatchable. What he battled for was the final podium spot, his body shaking from being thrown vertically during the last upward turn. His lower body was throbbing from how long Mastema had sustained elevated speed that left them a white comet on the course.

Fighting through it, the Champion flexed outward before slamming his heels into the fairy-type's sides. With a war cry from the rider and a loud screech from the mount, Mastema followed the high of one blast of EXTREME SPEED with another. A cone of dust formed around the two as a sonic shockwave ravaged every unprotected ear present. As reckless and focused on a single attribute as Josh was, his Pokémon were unmatched in that dimension.

If there was one in all of Hoenn that could turn this around, it was him.

---

EXTREME SPEED is used.

mgFlBflP

---

All five Pokémon pushed their bodies to their limits in the long, final stretch. The gallery's whistling was drowned out by the screech of an AERODACTYL and a NOIVERN, the roaring wings of a BEEDRILL, and the sonic booms of two TOGEKISS soaring toward the finish line. All competed to bask in the glory of the checkered flag.

The racers fell off, one by one, their sore Pokémon slowing to coasting speeds. No longer able to maintain its tailwind, the BEEDRILL's hum turned from the terror the species was known for to that of a low brass note. ACE SHEEKE's AERODACTYL spread its weary wings just barely before catching up to Josh Devlin , the TOGEKISS just barely able to hold the Rock-type off and snagging THIRD PLACE from the redhead.

Far in front of them, the NOIVERN kept pace with Lutgarde Dijkstra 's TOGEKISS until they went supersonic, the sudden dust corona disrupting ARAVAN ESCHER's flight. The dragon's TAILWIND, strong as it was, simply could not keep up with the fairy-type rock mid-EXTREME SPEED. As they crossed the finish line, they would bask in the glory of not only a win, but that of large, gold text across the scoreboard:

IMPRESSIVE! NEW RECORD!

---

[player]https://fi.zophar.net/soundfiles/nintendo-gamecube-gcn/f-zero-gx/228%20-%20Hurrah%20for%20the%20Champion%20%28Winning%20Run%29.mp3[/player]

Lutgarde Dijkstra , ARAVAN ESCHER, and Josh Devlin were assembled on the podium shortly after the race was over, their Pokémon standing or floating near them. All three were presented with medals for their finish, the challenger's photo taken to be attached to the report of their successful Gym Challenge.

"You and your Togekiss are some of the fiercest competition we've had here in Mauville Gym's history," Josh complimented Lutgarde Dijkstra once the ceremony had ended, grimacing from how sore his thighs still were. "You pushed all of us to our limits. Have you thought about turning pro? You could make a lot of money doing so. To not only win by a wide margin, but set a new course record... what more is there to say? Those kinds of skills will see you far in the Pokémon League."

Reaching into his pocket, the Leader presented Lutgarde Dijkstra with a closed fist. Opening it, the Hoenn League QUICK BADGE was in the palm of his hand. "Your prize for winning. You and your Togekiss shall be enshrined in the Gym's list of Qualified Riders as champions, and as AERO DIVE record holders. While the Badge is eternal, do not forget that records are meant to be broken."

Once the crowd had cleared, Josh guided the challenger back to the Gym lobby. "Any idea what Gym you're headed to next?" he asked them.

---

Lutgarde Dijkstra

···

There would be no knock on Josh's double doors; simply the sound of one of them clicking and opening. She would see the Gym Leader sitting on the back of a Ride-On Raikou plush, watching several of his Gym trainers sparring on the grounds two stories below. "Oh, PI Maudlin, it's you," Josh answered, hopping off the giant toy Raikou just long enough for him to turn it around so he could face her while half-daydreaming about racing on his legendary Beast. Soon, his rehab would be over, and he could live his dream of shooting across Hoenn at the speed of a lightning bolt.

"I can assure you it will be interesting enough," he answered, leaning forward on the brightly-colored plush as though he was commanding it to run. "It's a missing person. Back when I was more closely working with Law Enforcement, I had gone on several high-risk missions with a talented trainer by the name of NIKOLA CATELLUS." Little did Josh know of NIKOLA SAMSA 's identity change. "I still can't speak of the missions' details, but let's just say they involved retrieving sensitive personnel and documents from Rocket clutches."

---

MAISIE MAUDLIN

{PC: 1}

Just because Josh was accompanying a trainer that had yet to go to a place as dangerous as Area Zero didn't mean he could hold back; on his belt were many powerful and rare Pokémon, including the Gouging Fire he was astride. Though it was impossible to see around the paradoxical Beast's horn-crown, he trusted the Pokémon to be his eyes. A warm and refreshing heat radiated from the creature's body, warming the two up as they entered from the glacial wastes above. "We shall! If I didn't introduce myself, I'm the Master of Faster, Mauville City's Gym Leader and Champion. You can call me Josh! And this Pokémon is Entei," he introduced the Gouging Fire that resembled the legendary Pokémon he named him after.

At last making it past the cloud cover separating the Giant Chasm from Area Zero proper, Josh reined the Beast look-alike toward a cliff precipice. "How deep are you comfortable going?" he asked. "There are some truly terrifying Pokémon at the bottom of the main cavern, where that giant Terastal crystal is. A ride Pokémon can be really helpful if you have one, too."

---

Islwyn Pryce

{PC: 1}

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

While Metagross were not Josh's style, as he preferred a steed he could feel the moving muscles of, he respected it. The psychic Pokémon could move at incredible speeds, as well as read the mind of its rider. No reins needed at all -- just a perfect mental link was all the control one needed. Unsure whether Xuying's response was bravado or genuine understanding of just how risky delves deep into Area Zero were, he went along with it for the time being. "Of the Terastal nature, I would presume?" he asked, waving toward X in greeting.

With what the Metagross was capable of, Josh felt a lot more comfortable accompanying Xuying Zhou deeper. "That Luxio, when she evolves, will serve you well," he remarked. "I raise one myself. Blitz is his name, and he's very reliable, both in battle and as a mount." Raikou craned his long neck toward the Metagross, sizing it up before facing forward at Josh's command. The Raging Bolt led the way deeper into the Terastal cave system... and not at breakneck speed for a change!

---

Xuying Zhou

{PC: 2}

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