Josh smiled upon hearing Airi's Dragonite had a speed bent. "They'd be right at home. I have yet to use Tiamat, my own Dragonite, in a racing challenge. You two could be the first!" He wished he could now, but could not control the aggressive dragon-type to her fullest potential. Extreme Speed was still far too much for his recovering arm to handle. Give it another month, and that might change. For now, he was still limited in how fast he could fly, making his Gym Challenge success rate reach borderline concerning levels.

Josh's smile grew at the idea of ice cream. "Sounds like a great way to stay cool once we're out of the water!" With the wind picking up and blowing hot air all over them, he turned Illumina around so that the wind was at their back. "I'm gonna zip across the water one more time before we head back." With his hands firmly on the reins, Josh sharply squeezed Illumina's sides without issuing a verbal command, though she knew what to do. With a happy cry, the electric fish's tail swished back and forth wildly in a burst of AGILITY that few knew the species was capable of. Both submerged briefly before the Lanturn executed a beautiful porpoise jump, Josh whooping loudly at its peak. He looked like he was having far too much fun!

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X TM/TR (Tales of the Dyna Tree) - Illumina the Illumina Lanturn learns Agility

HARVESTING

be sure to visit the pretty petal flower shop near rustboro!

1X Kasib berry (Grown) - Illumina the Illumina Lanturn gains an extra move slot

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD

Josh snorted upon hearing Andrea's take. "No less than it would be using them during my Champion Assessment," he answered. "Did I tell you how many I had to take down to get my title? Navy 's Urshifu. MATIAS SILPH 's Kartana. And you saw the match with Kyle. It wasn't just Entei." There was his Marshadow -- the same Marshadow that rode Chien-Pao's spirit in the border. A ferocious foe that mimicked his style and used it against him. And of course, the Great One Herself. "To stand a chance, you need to bring your best. And that's what I'm gonna do if I finish my run at Dual Champion status."

It was quite the view, indeed. Several skylines were visible from how high up the tower took them. "You can see Goldenrod, Olivine, and Mahogany all from here. Compared to Hoenn, it's so... quiet out here. Aside from Goldenrod, which is our equivalent of Slateport, most of the cities are pretty small. I wonder if Johto still holds its Champion Assessment at Indigo Plateau."

After taking in the view, Josh would lead the way back down the tower, giving Swift another cuddle once they were at the bottom of the floor. Legendary he may have been, he treated the Raikou as he would his other Pokémon, but with a special place in his heart. "You and Pon will have a grand time once I'm feeling better. When November comes around, we'll have to get together some day and let her experience what it's like... riding a living lightning bolt. But for now, let's head back. We've still gotta hit up Blackthorn's Dragon's Den later this week." Provided there were no objections, the two would depart for their lodging arrangements.

A good investment, indeed. Though challenger volume had fallen off amidst the war, there were still plenty of matches Keiko could sit in on. There was also access to the Racing Grounds themselves, both for battle practice and for impromptu races.

"Interesting that yours is a hybrid," the Gym Leader hummed. "If you ever take the Gym Challenge, ours clashing could be fun, whether on the track or in the arena. Might be worth having ours meet one another and learning what they can from each other. If you can train one for it, Zeraora are some of the fastest ways you can travel on land." Speed Josh needed to ease himself back into after being out of commission for so long.

Josh, too, felt like a servant of the Great One. In a way, he was; the last person that Ho-oh knighted before disappearing, Kyle's partnership with the legendary phoenix now in the past. It was his duty to carry on the Emergent's legacy and make the Great One proud of their selection.

He knew that he was barely tapping into Swift's speed; after all, when they first met while the Beast was under Kyle's command, he had pushed the Raikou to the most Extreme Speeds that Kyle had allowed him to. It had left Josh temporarily paralyzed from the tiger's harsh gait, as though he were riding a jagged lightning bolt.

As badly as Josh wanted to have Swift put on the afterburners, that would have to wait.

Suddenly, a blood-red comet shot toward Josh and his Raikou, too fast for the Gym Leader to react to. But not too fast for the big cat to react to. With a swerve that made Josh wince from stretching his left arm beyond his comfort point, he instantly recognized the move -- and the species that wielded it. Craggro, Josh's own Hisuian Arcanine, was the only rock-type on his property capable of using that move. And this Hisuian Arcanine was far different than that one.

Even the electric Beast's speed was not enough to get them both out of the way, the fire-type's rocky fur cutting into the Raikou's ashen body. "What is the meaning of..." the Gym Leader gasped upon realizing the Arcanine before him was not his. He immediately dismounted the legendary Pokémon and called for his secretary on duty. Swift erected a REFLECTIVE shield of electricity to ensure his trainer could get reinforcements on the property. "Shelly, it's Josh -- we've got a security breach. All hands on deck. Get everyone to safety and Law Enforcement down here as quickly as you can."

This reeked too much of Isaac Merlo 's and dorian westcliff 's attacks on his Gym in years past. Little did Josh realize that this attack was much more serious, for Hitoshi Inoue 's objective seemed to not be to take Mauville Gym out of commission.

It was to ensure the Mauville Leader would not be a problem for Rocket ever again.

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 Melody Miro 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?

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

6X Mega Shard (03: Funtasia || 01: Murder at Maple Manor || 01: Resurfaced Treasures || 01: Poison Patrol 2) - Redeeming for a Charizardite X and Charizardite Y!

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD

Before answering any of Keiko's questions, Josh felt the need to elaborate. "Trick Room is a Pokémon technique that creates a dimension where the fast are slow and the slow are fast. It turns a Pokémon like Slowking into greased lightning and my Pokémon into... well, Slowpoke." Not literally, but with the speed (or lack thereof) of one. "It's a devastating move to use against a speed specialist like myself."

Queen Nala stepped forward, introducing herself and her pride to the Slowking. While he was sure the Pokémon could understand one another, all that he could hear were grunts and purrs. "Yep, Mauville Racing Grounds is indeed open to the public! We have daily and weekly tickets on sale, granting you access to watch as many battles as you'd like. Our best deal is our season pass. Think of it like a Gym membership; gives you access to our second-floor lounge, a traditional gym, and even your own private storage locker." Upsell, upsell, upsell. As the sole proprietor of Mauville Racing Grounds, he had picked up sales techniques long ago.

"Did you say a Zeraora?" he asked Keiko at the mention of the rare species. "Zeraora in general have become quite different of late. Does yours run on two paws or on four? I have one of each."

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?"

Just as Miyako caught Josh's attention, he climbed atop the Walking Wake, already feeling the power of the dinosaur Beast's strong muscles. "That answer your question?" he replied with a sly smile on his face. HYDRO STEAM began to form at the tips of the paradox's tails and beneath his feet, creating thermals that would be able to push his speed to great heights much like a real Suicune's TAILWIND. "Go for it!"

Josh and Suicune posed for the female's camera, the Walking Wake even holding a dramatic rearing position for one of them. "You're not the first to want photos of Suicune here, nor will you be the last. So, what brings you out here?" the Gym Leader asked. "There's not much out here but the Sky Pillar and the Contorting Currents Pokémon race course."

Josh was completely floored that he got his way. "...Long as you say it's okay! It'll make Ares happy, that's for sure," the Elite smiled as Salem returned the high five. "Seems Salem's excited we wrapped this one up, too!" Ares would be more than happy; he would be ecstatic to be able to Mega Evolve and finally become a true dragon... even if was only for a short burst. Josh, on the other hand, was more excited for the supreme speed the Charizardite Y bestoeed upon Ares. Once his left arm's strength had fully returned, he would experience that speed for himself. He couldn't wait!

With their cargo secured, it was only a matter of time before Ranger transporters would come on the scene and take the recovered Mega Stones to Dewford, where they would be prepared for shipping back to the Pokémon League. "Thanks for all the help today, Razz. The bigwigs will be really happy when they see this."

Once the separate team had arrived to haul the Mega Stones back, Josh and Razz would also be able to go their own ways, whether it was to another job or to a nice shower.

Razz's Pokémon seemed to be better at doing the heavy lifting, leaving the Champion with cleaning up the scattered stones. Taking the net, he began to fill it with Mega Stones. It was quite the staggering reserve, able to outfit a small army of trainers with Mega Accessories and bestow upon them tide-turning power. Among them were a marble of CHARIZARDITE X and one of CHARIZARDITE Y. He made sure to keep those to the top of the net, intending to ask Head Ranger ollie morales if he could take them as compensation for his services in lieu of a paycheck.

Though there were still a few stones down there, the two had managed to excavate almost all of them. Surfacing with his Kingdra and Illumina Lanturn, the sunlight was almost as bright as the electric fish. "Awesome. Excellent work, Captain!" He reached toward Razz to offer a high five, looking for a more secure place to empty his net of Mega Stones into. He didn't forget about the two he wanted to keep, taking them off the top and simply holding onto them. "Think the Head Ranger will let me buy a couple of them off the League? I've been searching for some for my Charizard for a while with no luck."

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Hitoshi Inoue

Your challenge has been accepted! Per our agreement over Discord, your thread has already been created here. Your movesets are locked in and will be static for the duration of the thread. You have until September 5, 2024 to make your first reply or you will lose your spot.