The explosion of wind uplifted an entire department store's support structure. Hundreds of shoppers, dozens of workers and thousands of shelves were leveled in an instant, no more than a three-tiered pile of rubble. Roads near the department store gave way, nearby vehicles on all three levels exploding. The fortunate few that had escaped the clutches of their roaring infernos would have their lives changed forever. Nearby buildings had entire walls taken out of them, the G-MAX WIND RAGE a colossal vacuum that completely altered Mauville's northwest commercial district. Raikiri and Twilight were questionable to survive.

This was the exact reason why Josh was so hesitant on Dynamax technology being usable in Hoenn's most densely-populated city. It was why he had urged illeana reyes to find a way to remove the Power Spot from it. And yet, they had not found a way. This was the exact disaster the Master of Faster had been trying to prevent in his objections during Navy 's Gym Jam. What would the Elite Four think?

"Leave my people OUT OF THIS!!" the Champion barked toward Hitoshi Inoue .

Frantically looking for them and recalling them before they could immediately succumb to their wounds. Josh grabbed Bladestorm's Poké Ball in a fit of anger. Hurling it into the newly-created void in Mauville's skyline, he mercilessly raised his own DYNAMAX BAND. Pinks, purples, and reds enveloped the Skarmory, filling the space the destroyed building once occupied. With a low-pitched, metallic screech, the hollow bird would fall beak-first toward Hitoshi's Corviknight in a horrific MAX KNUCKLE multiplied by the newly-DYNAMAXED Pokémon's weight.

"There will only be one more person whose blood is shed this day. Yours."

"I'm so proud of you," Josh replied with a beaming face. "I wish Shalin was around to hear of your accomplishment. We'll find her, wherever she is. The League would never abandon her." Just like it would never abandon him, even if at times he felt like they did.

Eriette was every bit as fast as the Crown Prince's Spectrier and then some, the wind howling around them as they galloped toward Rusturf Tunnel with speed that may have terrified Elise if she didn't have experience from Mauville Gym. It was every bit as thrilling as he remembered it was. With a phantom horse of his own now, he could go truly fast on, ironically, one of the gentlest Pokémon that could reach such blistering speeds. There was not a Pokémon easier to test the outcome of his rehab better than this one.

"Ready for Phantom Force?" Josh asked the princess as their swift horses leveled off in speed, their peripherals turning into a blur from how quickly they covered the long road. "On three! One... two..."

At the mention of Navy losing one of his Garchomp, his mind went to Aslan. "And I'm sorry for your loss, too. No one deserves it. But such is the reality of war," Josh sighed. "Aslan, the leader of my pride, didn't survive the battle in Sootopolis." A well-placed HYDRO PUMP from Rhea Armistead 's Pokémon sent the Shiny lion tumbling into the sea that horrible day. "I've had a lot of my Pokémon die on me in the last year. But Aslan... this was the first one that really hurt. He was one of the Pokémon that I took to kyle lopez 's chamber. I couldn't have become a Champion without him. And now... he's gone. The coronation at my Gym went well, and now Kovu and Nala are the new king and queen." Though he couldn't sync with them, there were plenty of mysterious powers that the two Illumina lions had for Josh to realize. A trip to illeana reyes ' lab might be needed.

"And I tire of it," Josh added, taking the last piece of pizza bread when it became clear to him that the Elite Four was not as hungry as he was. "This year's already been rough. I've lost Dashie, my Galarian Rapidash... I would have lost Nala and Rani had you and Kyle not saved them... and now, both Aslan and Resheph, two Pokémon I've known for years, taken from me in the same day... I don't want to say it, but it's hard not to feel less moved every time. It's like the war's made me... used to loss. It hurts, Navy. It hurts to say it."

Their conversation would be interrupted by the server returning to take their main orders. "Think I'm gonna have your cheese tortellini alfredo," he decided. "I'd also like another lemonade, please." Once Navy placed his, if any, he would address the big revelation. "Thank you. Looking forward to it. You really are the people's Elite Four. It's hard for me to trust Matias and Greyson after what they've put me through."

Josh exhaled, thinking about his future. "I've also...given thought to applying again. For Melody Miro 's empty seat postwar. I've already made Mauville Racing Grounds profitable even without a League stipend."

Josh would have had an exact figure for the Walking Wake's speed, if Josh Dragomir 's HoloWear technology hadn't gone offline suddenly some time back. The prototype glasses given to him as a Ranger stopped working, and RaiCorp no longer serviced them within Hoenn. Without that, he would nave no quick reference for how fast they were traveling. Thankfully for Miyako, his apparel was tough; otherwise, she may have torn a hole in the back of a more ordinary shirt! Sitting behind Josh, she wasn't even exposed to all the wind in the Walking Wake's... well, wake.

He might have to bug Head Ranger ollie morales to retrofit the technology. That or a a League professor that specialized in gadgets like the now-defunct HoloWear.

"It's hard to say," Josh shouted back. "I don't think Suicune's as fast as an Arcanine right now, but I can fix that if you want!" Before he could squeeze the Walking Wake's sides to pick up the pace, Miyako wanted to slow down, catching sight of an Axew she wanted to add to her team. He gently but firmly pulled back on the paradoxical Beast's reins, releasing his leg pressure and causing the Pokémon to slow enough to see the wild more clearly. Though they moved at a pace between a walk and a trot, Suicune's talons still did not break the water's surface.

Did the Walking Wake share the real Suicune's water-walking abilities?

Indeed, the speed of the mind was greater than that of any muscle a Pokémon could physically move with. Reality itself seemed to twist around Etali, the Kilowattrel struggling to discern up from down. The mental assault delayed his takeoff by quite a bit, leaving Poppy in a more advantageous position.

The match was far from over; Josh had faced these kinds of foes before. Kasper's Pokémon was well-equipped to defend against energy attacks. Etali, though, was capable of both. "PLUCK its hat from its body, Etali!" the Gym Leader shouted, trying to get through to the confused-looking bird. Snapping out of his trance, the Kilowattrel soared high before diving toward the mage-like Pokémon's head apparel. With a sudden swoop, he aimed to lift the Pokémon off the ground!

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Genevieve Cromwell

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 September 18, 2024 to post your Gym Thread or you will lose your spot.

It would be trivial for Josh to get an audience with Mauville City's municipal leaders responsible for the political and urban development side. Josh worked most closely with the Ranger and Law Enforcement side of the metropolis. Gym Leader was a position that exposed him to enough politics as it was; he didn't want any more. "I'll do some legwork and see what I can find. If there's a part of New Mauville that we can safely evacuate to, we'll use it. I'm just worried that Rocket might beat us there and we could be marching them all to their deaths." For that would be a belly defenseless citizens, particularly the city's elderly population, would not walk out of. "I'll talk to Law Enforcement about sparing some units for New Mauville, too."

Josh noticed Navy seemed to be letting his half of the bread growing cold. He had already finished his half of the pizza bread, leaving two pieces of garlic bread to scoop up his dish's sauce when the main course arrived. "Not going to have any pizza bread?" he asked. "It's really good. Part of what keeps me coming back here despite the trip." Perhaps he was distracted by Josh's lukewarm response to the New Mauville situation, or by something eh didn't have the clearance to access.

Thankfully for howard slayte , Navy's slipup went completely over Josh's head. "I know. I've already been down there," he answered. "It's where we learned that Dynamaxing without a Dynamax Band is lethal for a Pokémon. Rime, my Alolan Ninetales, gave up her life because of it." Perhaps soon, Navy would find out that Josh and Howard had already been down there together.

There was a big difference between what happened in Sootopolis and what happened at Mount Chimney: the monochrome dome from the volcano radiated far more power than what Matias had pulled off on Sootopolis' cliffs. While he wasn't at Mount Chimney with his colleagues that day, Mauville City was close enough him to feel Primal Groudon's effects on the environment. His entire Gym staff had to come inside that day and take cover in the basement halls, the heat outside dangerous. Many of his employees got to see the Gym's basement for the first time; very few workers there had clearance to go down there due to sensitive information being stored there.

Hearing Matias' gratitude calmed Josh quite a bit; it was a sign that the Volatile truly was in control of his Patron that day. "I wasn't gonna let you die out there," he replied, Swift relaxing in tandem with the Champion seated on him. "I know we're at odds with one another a lot, but the League needs both of us. You're one of Hoenn's most feared supersoldiers. While I'm not the best fighter, there is another important role that no one else in Hoenn can fill better than I can. And my time in the hospital and in rehab has showed me what that role is."

For hand-to-hand fighting was only one aspect of the war.

Many of Josh's grass-types were distance runners, as well; even if Lisette wasn't a savant in the saddle like Josh was, she seemed to have some experience. That would make things quite a bit easier. "I've got one of each of those, too! Maybe if you drop by the Racing Grounds, one day, you'll et to meet Medli, Zetalpa, and Nitro. Gogoat's a great Pokémon, too. Nitro, my own Gogoat, is one of the Pokémon I used to win the Pokémon League earlier this year!" Granted, he didn't get to do much against Entei and Ho-oh, but he was still on the winning team. With how close the battle was, every member's contribution was important.

As his mind wandered to his other grass-type Pokémon, such as Basil the Leafeon, she introduced herself. "Great to be working with you, Lisette!" Josh warmly replied. "Oh, it's really fun once you learn the basics of it." Holding good posture and keeping Nala's reins firmly in his hands, the Champion began to coach Lisette. "Then you might be aware that Zira's reins are how you control her direction. The way you control speed is leg pressure. The harder you squeeze her sides, the faster she'll accelerate. Just try not to overdo it; Pyroar are hunters, after all. They're also bouncier than your typical Pokémon when they start running. When you're ready, control her like you would one of your own!" Were she to tug on the reins or squeeze at Zira's sides, Lisamy might find the Pyroar quite a bit more sensitive than any of her grandmother's Pokémon. A full-strength tug might see lion and rider doing donuts in the grass!

"Illumina and Mega Evolution are also incompatible," Josh added from experience with his Absol. He, Matt Vice , and Isaac Merlo had discovered that firsthand long ago, the Crystalbloom powering the Illumina phenomenon shattering to pieces once Twilight was forced to Mega Evolve. "You can't deny the sheer power of either, even though the Illumina phenomenon isn't--"

He was going to say "well-understood" when Yuina began trembling. The golden phantom was impossible to ignore. Even Craggro was paralyzed with awe, refusing to move in the presence of the mighty Arcanine whose size dwarfed even Braver. Sitting astride such a creature would be uncomfortable without a doubt, so big that it was doubtful one could even wrap their legs around the top of its back. "What is that?!" Josh asked his seemingly distressed friend, though she may not have been able to hear over the golden Arcanine's deafening HOWL.

Josh breathed a sigh of relief when Solomon the Braviary came back, seemingly having located some survivors. "First off, did they find any Rockets on patrol? It would be very easy for them to use victims as bait to draw us out," a paranoid Josh cautioned. "I'm pretty high up on Rocket's wanted list, I imagine." If worst came to worst, he did have the RAINBOW FEATHER secured to his Ranger uniform. With clouds starting to roll in and cover the setting sun, Swift would have clouds to jump into and mask Josh and Nicholas if need be. Riding the Raikou was still stressful on his healing body, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs. Not to mention how much riding a living lightning bolt would no doubt spook Nick, in his mind.

Provided he could confirm the coast was indeed clear, Josh would propose a plan. "Tazama and my other Pyroar are good hunters. If anyone can track them down, they can. Once we get into the woods, set her reins down and let her try to pick up a human scent." He wished he had brought two of his other Pyroar instead of the Illumina ones; using them was out of the question at night... at least this close to enemy territory. An Illumina Pokémon would be visible from almost anywhere on the correct side of the occupied city...

The combination attack sliced and diced Twilight, her bleached fur now red with her own blood. "Twilight! Not yet!" the Gym Leader cried, raising his MEGA GLOVE to chest level. Pinching its KEY STONE with his two forefingers, he tilted its focused light toward the Absol. In a long-practiced ritual, both of them glowed a brilliant white-pink, the dark-type Pokémon sprouting false wings from her shoulders. The light of MEGA EVOLUTION had left her good as new, ready to exact her revenge upon the Kartana with an equally sharp PSYCHO CUT.

The distraction had left Hitoshi Inoue 's Corviknight open to a devastating electric attack from Raikiri. Having built up enough speed to look like a comet orbiting above Mauville's cityscape, the thundercat lunged at the metallic bird, enveloped in a grid of ELECTRO BALLS. Their power and speed scaled with the speed of their user. With one of the fastest Pokémon in the world being under control of a Gym Leader specializing in speed, the electric attack's strength may have been comparable to a Z-Move.

Shalin had accomplished much in her long tenure as Rustboro's Captain. Her unique Sygna Suit had pioneered many advancements in the technology, letting wearers utilize powers incredibly similar to Avatars like Navy . Josh was familiar with that level of bond, as well. "Her Sygna Suit has defined her for so long," he mused as their server returned with their drinks. "With Arc Suit technology being a thing now, I really looked forward to seeing what she could do with it. I've already decided what I'm doing with my own Sygna Suit, but I'm not physically ready for it yet."

Indeed, taking half of Sootopolis was a heavy blow to Rocket, making Ever Grande City safer than ever. With a mainland presence very close to Mauville, Josh had to be more vigilant than ever of Rocket attacks. "Petalburg's already too close to home. I feel bad for noah faber already. If Verdanturf falls, where am I gonna get high-quality leathers for my new Pokémon? I've added a bunch of new recruits of late, including a Heatran and Genesect. While they're a bit rough around the edges, they can put on some speed when their thrusters get hot. I've also come upon a Ditto for Pokémon I don't have that challengers bring to the Gym." He remembered the day a young challenger rolled up to the Gym with a Raticate. Gogo's first race was against that, and did Josh ever feel it afterward.

This would not be the first time Josh had been down to New Mauville for investigations; he remembered Rime giving their life to repel the Dynamaxed Toxtricity from beneath the Regi Ruins. "It might still be worth asking for a small Law Enforcement presence down there. Do some scouting and investigating." As far as an evacuation plan, he did have one. "Remember my Minor League Gym and the old Battle Arcade property on Route 111? Kyle's old Gym? We can evacuate some people there. It's not enough for everyone, but it's a start."