PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X Passho Essence(Bewitching Brews 2023) - Grant Kovu the Illumina Pyroar Z-Move access

1X Passho Berry(Grown) - Grant Nala the Illumina Pyroar Z-Move access (will not be making a custom move)

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD

The battle between the Type: Null and Torracat raged out of control, the plains before them igniting into quite the BLAZE from the fire-type's desperation. The added power caused the normal-type to fall, Josh forced to recall him.

Was he, a Champion, about to be taken down by some random road thug? No, not over his dead body. Trembling, he plucked the RAINBOW FEATHER from his vest and raised its scintillating plumage above his head, ash dripping from its quill. "I implore you. Stand down. Don't make me use this," he urged the imposing Rocket. "Please."

There was something about NIKOLA SAMSA 's voice that made the Rocket sound... familiar. He couldn't quite put his finger on it in the heat of the moment, but it would bother him after he had left, and for his whole trip back to Mauville. Josh and the Espeon he was seated on looked equally imposing, perhaps more so from being tall himself. "I feel all your team's hard work... but it's not my call to make. We would have much preferred to just seize this operation, but that's clearly no longer possible."

Perhaps people like Josh Devlin were one of the reasons the League-Rocket conflict existed: a blindly loyal dog that followed orders without question. No matter the atrocities he thought he was committing in the name of his missions, he could justify it in the name of the League. Perhaps from Rocket's perspective, this is what made him so dangerous... and on a twisted level, no different than them, just on the opposite side of the political aisle.

Plucking the RAINBOW FEATHER from his vest, the Gym Leader's glove reflected its scintillating glow. "I implore you. Back down. Please, don't make me use this."

With Remiel responsible for the rescue, that left Josh with keeping the Gyarados at bay. Having the storm of them on his tail, he needed to get away from them, or he was going to wind up a victim, too. The Gym Leader let go of his speeding Floatzel, clicking open a Poké Ball containing Ulysses, his Dewgong, The ice-type submerged to scoop Josh onto his saddle.

Switching targets, the Gyarados gave chase... only to be caught up in a WHIRLPOOL churned by Buzz's noisy tails. The sea weasel's massive size multiplied the swirling current's strength, making it a struggle for even the large, blue serpents to escape. He radioed Remiel Calcifet back with an update, perhaps muffled by the droning sound. "Excellent. Stay away from the northwest side - I've got a whirlpool trapping the Gyarados. They'll all be in Poké Balls soon enough."

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X Level Tutor (PP2: Possession reward) - Buzz the Floatzel forgets Water Gun and learns Whirlpool

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD

By the time Josh and Megalo landed from the leap, Ace and Buzz were already specks in front of them, looking set to zip across the finish line in record pace. He couldn't focus on that now, This was an incredibly competitive finish, the three long serpents' tails creating some rough surges of water around them. With every sudden shift, the Gym Leader made the appropriate correction, keeping his Milotic swimming as straight as possible.

"Home stretch, Megalo! DRAGON DANCE!" Josh ordered, squeezing the bright Pokémon's sides. "This isn't over yet!" His blue tail turned purple with dragon energy, powerfully undulating back and forth in a final sprint. He eyed a gap between Eron and Elaine, making a move that he banked on his challengers would be unable to react to.

Half of the gallery had their eyes on ACE SHEEKE and his FLOATZEL, the water-type's twin tails roaring as the duo zipped across the finish line. Though he had won the race by a gigantic margin, he was unable to match his course record. He arguably never had a chance; as much precision turning capability as the FLOATZEL had, he was never matching his SHARPEDO's raw speed: the Pokémon he had set the course record with when he raced Genevieve Cromwell .

The other half of the crowd intently watched ERON IUNIS, his DRAGONAIR, and the two dueling MILOTIC that Josh Devlin and Elaine Highland jockeyed. All three were clearly giving it their all as they DRAGON DANCED around one another in a chaotic yet elegant choreography, each trying to pass one another without getting their tails tangled in a mess. Digging deep into the bottom of her reserves, the DRAGONAIR pulled away from the two MILOTIC to secure a podium spot. It was Leader and challenger vying for the final spot on stage, ARAVAN ESCHER and his AQUA JETTING PRIMARINA only able to watch the duel from a distant last place.

By a thin margin, Josh Devlin edged out Elaine Highland in what may have been a heartbreaking moment for the challenger.

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

NEW THEME SONG! Hurrah for the Champion - F-ZERO GX ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Cameras flashed from the gallery as ACE SHEEKE triumphantly posed with his FLOATZEL, having made a statement that he was the superior racer in the waves. There was the slightest pang of disappointment at having not broken his own record, but he would take a decisive win any way he could get it. ERON IUNIS and Gym Leader Josh Devlin , likewise, basked in the glory of the short award ceremony, another third place finish added to his long list of accolades.

Once the crowd had cleared out, Josh approached the challenger on foot. "That was a really good duel at the end. I genuinely think that could have gone either way. My favorite aspect of your whole race was when you made that huge mistake in the chicane, you didn't give up. You were even ahead of me going into the home stretch. I've never seen anyone come so close to recovering from a mistake that would have caused just about any other challenger to give up."

Reaching into his pocket, Josh pulled out one of his Gym's badges, hiding it within his closed fist. "Even so, you came up just short. Sometimes, all it takes is one lapse of judgment for just a split second, and a situation can spiral out of control faster than even I could react to." His right hand shook, indecisive upon whether or not he should award Elaine the badge.

His challenge with Hideo Kino came to mind, where the psychic Gym Leader ultimately left things in his own hands. Josh had recognized that he had a long ways to go in self-improvement, which he demonstrated through the Champion Assessment. He could go back to Hideo's Gym and win a Badge, if he wanted. But what would that prove? He was already a Champion.

"I'd like to hear your thoughts. Do you think you have absorbed the tenets of Mauville Gym? Do you think you are deserving of this?" He opened the closed fist and revealed a copy of his Badge, but did not present it to Elaine yet.

Like the Great One's SACRED FIRE that burned away the weakness in Josh's heart the day he transformed in front of the Emergent, the Beast's SACRED FIRE cleansed his left arm, While the white fire soothed him, his full strength temporarily returned, leaving him in a euphoric high he had not experienced since he first sat on Swift's thundercloud in the late kyle lopez 's halls now plastered in Melody Miro 's accolades.

Holding onto Entei's brown, thick fur, the Gym Leader braced himself for a run that would have paralyzed his left arm were it not for the white fire surrounding it. The Beast dashed down Sootopolis' crater wall, Josh feeling like he was being pushed into the back of his mount's head. At the bottom of the wall, he felt like he was fired out of a cannon as fire-type engaged EXTREME SPEED so fast that he could run on water. He knew Suicune to be capable of running on water, but not Entei. What a pleasant surprise! He would have to try that once he figured out how to get his Raikou to use the move; he doubted a simple Quick Attack would be fast enough.

He wanted to let out a whoop like he did when he was on Swift's back for the first time, both in Kyle's possession and his own. But he did not. He knew Entei was only ferrying him back to the mainland so he could get the care he needed. Even so, the speed demon savored every moment as Mossdeep and even Lilycove flew by. As he suspected, the speed felt in between Suicune and Raikou: a good balance of speed and turning. Paired with the fire emperor's bottomless endurance, the EXTREME SPEED lasted a lot longer than his Raikou's. All the way from Sootopolis, he never stopped.

Even for his temporarily full-strength body, it was a bit much for Josh as he was to withstand. The left down Route 123 powerfully yanked him to one side, making his knuckles turn white from taking the turn at speed. His blurred legs gave the illusion of his back being still, but it was far from it, numbness climbing up the Gym Leader's body. Lake Pyre was no obstacle for him, either.

At last pumping the brakes and returning to his normal, but still blistering, top speed when Mauville's skyline came into sight, Entei made a right turn around the densely populated city to stay out of sight. The legendary creature dropped Josh off at the top of his Gym's Operations Center. He slid off Entei's back and gave the gentle giant a big hug. "Entei... thank you. Is there one more thing you can tell me? Is... is Kyle alive?"

Remiel was right. Pacifidlog was dangerously close to the rig, and this many Gyarados could easily overwhelm the island settlement. "On it! I'll see if I can lure some of them away with some fancy maneuvers. A Master of Faster special!" Josh replied, Buzz's AQUA JET putting on enough of a burst of speed to swim beneath the murder-beam that was the Gyarados' strongest attack.

Inflating his floatation sac to maximum pressure, Josh grabbed tightly onto the Floatzel's fur as he flipped his tails out of the water. They whirred like a fan, blowing quite the column of air toward three of the serpentine wilds. While the vibrations weren't as numbing as King Zing's, Josh could feel his skin tingling while his mount's tails looked like a solid, orange cone from how fast they spun.

As several of the water-types swam toward him, charging with the force of a WATERFALL, Buzz dipped his tails back in the water and zipped off just as loudly as Remiel's jetski.

Josh's arm looked like it was in much better shape than the last time the two had seen one another, having briefly visited after the Ultra Space prison incident. Being able to confidently hold the reins of a paradox Pokémon felt great. The Gym Leader brought the Raging Bolt to a stop close to Thomas, the Raikou-like creature craning his neck to warmly greet him.

"As promised after we got back from Area Zero, I've brought them all here. Didn't you say you had a place that was ideal for training with really strong Pokémon?" the Champion asked, Raikou the Raging Bolt's paws sparking with excitement to truly let loose for the first time since being abducted by the Loyal Three.

"It is," Josh replied, beaming as the ogress' trainer showered him with praise he was not used to. He gave a thought to how else he could cement his accomplishments in the aftermath of his sparring match with Chi-Yu. "I've debated taking Johto's Champion Assessment, too. I've heard from up the grapevine that we may have some doubters in my title. Once racing season's over and Mauville Gym slows down, I might take a few weeks off to come here and be a Johtonian Champion, too. With Raikou, Entei, and Suicune at my side, no one can stop me," he boldly declared, referring to the three paradox Pokémon.

Pon's enthusiasm warmed Josh's heart. "Who knows? Maybe Pon will even get the chance to drive," he tried to further excite the Ogerpon. "And of course, that offer extends to you if you change your mind, but I know you've expressed concerns about it. Dragons are fast, but there really is a big difference between land speed and air speed, isn't there?" he mused, knowing that all too well from teaching students at his Gym.

Before long, the two would reach the open-air top floor of the tower, beholding the golden statues of Ho-oh adorning it. "According to the Johtonian legends, this is where the Great One, Ho-oh, used to roost."

Seeing the evasive maneuvers coming, it looked like Roc Royal was trying to get out of range of the electric attacks. As blistering fast as his signature spheres were, Swift's range with them left something to be desired. "Hold, Swift. Let him come to us." With a nod, the monochrome tiger crouched, ready to spring upward the moment he saw the draconic missile poke through the low cloud cover.

"Ghost, your Salamence is fast, but there's no outspeeding Swift. Not unless your name is Eva Morales ." Or, unbeknownst to him, freya morningstar . Rayquaza was the one Pokémon he knew of that was even faster than Raikou, and it wasn't even a contest. That emerald serpent, mid-DRAGON ASCENT, felt like an entire order of magnitude faster from his experience with the Peacemaker.

As the Salamence dove toward Swift with reckless abandon, the Raikou leaped toward his sparring partner in a claws-first QUICK ATTACK that even the Gym Leader lost track of.

Josh loved what he saw; while the fairy-type did inflict some harm upon the Druddigon, it was largely superficial. Xeno was leading the Druddigon pack outside, too. It would lead them to the outside of the mountain, perhaps to a home that was less dangerous than in the middle of Hoenn's second most travelled cavern thoroughfare.

Once Xeno was able to lead the unruly dragons outside, Josh pushed Pinky to a gallop and approached Ghost, reining the fairy-type to a stop near him. "You've come such a long way as a Ranger. Congratulations on completing the mission by yourself, and with minimal harm to the Pokémon, too. Once we get back to Fallarbor HQ, let's get us our checks. Need a ride back?" he asked, offering Aslan, his Shiny Pyroar, if Ghost needed.

Regardless of how they were getting back to town, he would give the green-haired Ranger one more piece of good news. "I'm going to be sending an email to ollie morales about getting you promoted to Senior Ranger. I'll vouch for you every step of the way." Meteor Falls was once again a safe highway to travel between Fallarbor and Rustboro.

Josh frowned upon hearing the bad news, remembering when his Johto gym grind came to a screeching halt from not being able to defeat Olivine Gym. "Is there a particular Gym that's giving you trouble?" Josh asked. "Some of the Gyms even gave me trouble. I actually got declined from Hideo Kino 's Gym. That's why there are ten of them and you need eight." He was counting Minor League gyms, which were a great starting point for less experienced trainers.

Eriette snorted as Hylda walked alongside her, the two Galarian horses perhaps a bit imposing for other bystanders clearing out of their way. "She is a ghost-type. That's why she can take me on an ethereal jaunt. There aren't a ton of ghost-type ride Pokémon. Dragapult is one of the only others that can do what she does." The Shaymin was cute; Josh had come into possession of one quite some time ago, but couldn't justify keeping it on his team. He wondered how it was doing in Evette Moreau 's hands. "What brings you to Littleroot, if I may ask?"