Ghost was ambitious, but he was wonderful at keeping that ambition under control, unlike Josh was before his purification. It was as though the Josh that Ghost had spoken to before becoming Champion and afterward were completely different people. The level of maturity his struggles had bestowed upon him had transformed him into a true leader. One worthy of the ashen Beast he commanded.

"I wouldn't say it unless it was true, Ghost," Josh reiterated, taking his helmet off to let his head air out. "One day, you'll sit on Swift's back alongside me and get to experience that speed for yourself. I just know it." Whether the circumstances would be of joy or dire in nature was uncertain. He was certain, though, that it would happen, with how quickly the green-haired young man was climbing the Hoennian ladder.

"And one more thing. Zapdos has left New Mauville and is at large again. Be vigilant, make a name for yourself as a Ranger or as a Champion, and you may get to meet them."

Josh burst out in laughter with how serious Elise was being with her remarks of the Commissioner. "Of course not, Elise! That's of course something I'd never be able to say to her face. Can't say the quiet part out loud, you know? I'm just venting, saying I'm not happy with leadership as it stands. That's all." Using a psychic Pokémon to police thoughts sounded like a Rocket tactic. The League would never invasively extract such information from one of her own, right?

Josh's concentration quickly went back to controlling Swift, letting the Beast's speed rise to the maximum he was comfortable with. His other electric Pokémon raced past, ERON IUNIS passing his boss on Toralf's back. As much as he wanted to race against the Raichu, he knew not to test his limits, lest he extend his healing duration.

The canter to gallop transition was more pronounced than Josh expected. Swift's gait didn't let up at all, bouncing the three equally high but much more rapidly than normal. It felt like they were chasing down speedy prey, the excited Gym Leader yanking on the Raikou's right tuft of thundercloud. The sharp turn that followed made him whoop without putting too much pressure on his left arm. "Yeeeee-haaaaaaa!!" he shouted, pulling a mighty donut powered by the ashen electric-type's sharp claws.

Josh knew Ultra Plant very well; when he got Raikiri from Kyle, he would regularly take the Zeraora to the stormy wasteland and take advantage of the electric weather to go faster than normally possible. Today, he took advantage of the environment to fly. Leaning forward as his Beast hung from the clouds' underside, Josh got a wonderful view of the action below. "Our turn, Swift!" Josh cried from his thunderous perch.

With his body at full strength again, he was ready to push his limits outward. The Raikou's gray whiskers glowed a white-purple like the tip of a lightning bolt. Letting go of the thundercloud, the young Gym Leader was treated to a ride on lightning itself. He screamed a high-pitched yelp of joy unlike anything Thomas had ever heard from him before, the tufts of thundercloud the only way he had to steer the bolt during the PARALYZING descent. Even after the Raikou landed, Josh's face was stuck in an expression halfway between pleasure and pain. Had he found his own speed limit?

Unlike Yuina, Josh recognized the tree's eight white branches. He had seen that formation long ago. It belonged to a truly terrifying Pokémon. "Xerneas, the lifebringer..." the Gym Leader trailed off, remembering how badly he and Hylda had been pummeled by bryan delarosa on the Dewford island.

Before he can recount his battle with Xerneas to Yuina, a voice beckoned Josh to water the tree. Perhaps in this simulation, the immortal fairy-type would not be allied with Team Rocket. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to befriend and prance about the glade while astride the legendary creature. Josh plucked the RAINBOW FEATHER from his shirt and drew the Sign, calling upon the electric tiger and his latest power.

"Swift, use your RAIN DANCE!" Josh ordered. With a purr that sounded like distant thunder, clouds rolled above the forest clearing. From the clouds dripped the first few droplets, turning into a steady, but not torrential, rain shower.

Seeing the injured Starmie reminded Josh of the Petalburg Captain, still missing. He had seen many trainers towed by Starmie via cable. She was the only one who had the courage, and perhaps foolhardiness, to mount a Starmie directly. He could not imagine how dizzying it would be, given how they moved... and holding onto their arms in the wrong spot could result in a rider's fingers being cut off.

The condition of this Starmie also reminded Josh of hers. "Given the cracks in its core, that would be the case," he pointed as Staccato performed a SPARKLING ARIA to try to calm the psychic-type. "It's also way bigger than you see Starmie usually get. It couldn't be... could it?"

Had Shalin Nariya 's Starmie fled this far? Little did Josh know that was impossible, for Monroe's troops had captured that Starmie along with her that fateful day in Petalburg...

Mauville City was quite different from any other city in Hoenn, or even in the entire country. Only the top level of its three was exposed to the elements, the asphalt roads there serving as the ceiling of the middle level below. Due to its restrictive geography, the only way to grow the city was by building up. Building up was also nearly impossible due to residents on the top level understandably not wanting to give up their natural lighting.

"Once we get outside, absolutely," Josh replied, sliding his helmet's visor upward so that she could see his face. "Leader Devlin. How can I help you? Are you here for the Gym Challenge?"

The remedial Poké Ball was not only good for making a freshly-captured Pokémon ready for combat, but in many cases, it also placated the Pokémon, letting it warm up to its new trainer. Josh had just never seen it woo something as aggressive as a paradox Pokémon. "Heal Balls are... remarkable," Josh trailed off before collecting his thoughts again. "I'm surprised one worked. Usually they're not effective against paradox Pokémon. I've only ever been able to catch one in an Ultra Ball or something stronger."

The Roaring Moon's bellow even shook Josh; the creature was comparable to Ao in strength, and that Salamence look-alike took many months before he would be broken to the bridle. Now, the dragon was one of Josh's most reliable flying steeds, both for travel and for battle. Entei, though, continued to stay his horn after Josh had wiped it down, recognizing that the paradox was under Katharina Strophe 's control now. "Planning on going any deeper?" he asked. "When I raised paradox Pokémon, I've had better luck controlling them in here than anywhere else in Hoenn."

Josh simply nodded, not wanting to speak much more about the Dynamax attack in public. As far as Josh knew, the point of the terror attacks on the region was to convince Hoenn's citizens that the League would not protect them. And for many, it worked. It felt like every week, Rocket's numbers grew. Unbeknownst to him, NIKOLA SAMSA , an acquaintance on the cusp of friendship, was now a staunch follower of Rocket. They had already clashed once, and he had his suspicions of the woman since. "I'd love to discuss this with you more in private. Saddle up with me on one of the roads outside Mauville one day, and I'll share more. Just not here."

They weren't at the arcade to talk about hot button topics. They were there to have fun. To escape from the horrors of the world around them.

"It used to be hot and humid in Hoenn year round, except in two places," Josh clarified. "Mossdeep experienced more temperate seasons due to its proximity to Shoal Cave, and Fallarbor Town was always colder than normal due to being on the other side of Mount Chimney. Ash storms can blot out the sun and make it cold there. Since Kyurem came, it's been made far worse. In December and January, it's like a Johtonian fall in Mauville. Last year, we even got frost one day. There are corners of Mossdeep that get snow now. Even Slateport's beaches sometimes close because of cool weather." What if the League was to defeat and banish Kyurem? Would the region's climate return to normal?

As the dancer gliding across four sets of panels began the final song of his credit, Ever had asked how Josh became a Gym Leader. "It's a bit of a long story -- you want to hear now, or after we take our turn on the dance floor?"

Josh was impressed with Alina's posture, seeing her instinctively lean in as the Pyroar ran faster and faster. While Kion and Kovu were far from racing speeds, their gallop proper was no laughing matter. The wind howled around them as the road to the desert flew by, Kion letting out a massaging purr of approval that he hoped would relax Alina rather than startle her.

"To most, it's less a sport and more a hobby," Josh added. "And it's just plain useful, with how wild Hoenn's terrain can be." Hoenn was one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. There were forests that flying Pokémon couldn't fly within. There were bogs that most water Pokémon couldn't swim through. There were peaks that a Pokémon with good jumping capabilities would help traverse. With the right Pokémon, one could take a decommissioned back road and travel between cities faster than legal highway driving speeds. The very Pyroar that Alina sat astride could demonstrate those kinds of speeds to her, if she desired. "Before I became Mauville's Gym Leader, I used to be a semi-professional Pokémon racer. Now, I've implemented that into my Gym."

Noivern were nearly silent in the air; it took her cry toward Josh to get his attention over the rumbling coming from his legendary partner's throat. "Hey, Melody!" Josh waved, turning around to greet her. "You look sharp!" The Iron Crown's cold stare may have reminded the Top Champion of her own Cobalion. "Don't mind Sigmund; he's a bit stern, but he doesn't mean ill will. What's been new with you? Swift and I have come a long ways since you last saw him. He can use Rain Dance like a real Raikou now!" Perhaps she would pick up on Josh's admission, the Leader at last understanding the nature of the ashen Beast.

Mauville's Master of Faster let go of Swift, walked toward his friend, and handed her a small bag filled with empty Poké Balls. "Our mission is twofold: we're harvesting Captain Nariya's crops to take back to Rustboro, and we need to recapture as many Pokémon of hers as we can. It's only a matter of time before Rocket tries to march up to Rustboro, and they'll be easy pickings. She has quite a few rare and powerful Pokémon we can't have fall in Rocket's hands."

The black-haired Champion stood next to Swift and tilted his head toward Melody, gesturing toward the Beast. "It's a little bit of a trip to her so-called Romping Grounds. Swift and I can get you there faster than your Noivern would be able to!" he grinned, subtly trying to convince the Top Champion to go for a short joyride on the Raikou with him.

ALLY SWITCH. A gambit Josh had employed with several of his Pokémon. Powerful as his legendary partner was, without his signature Z-Move, there was little the Beast could do against a Claydol. Not without being at full power, anyway.

"Swift, fall back!" Josh cried as EARTH POWER rumbled all around the feline in a wide area, sending multi-shaded ash flying into the air. Not wanting to risk further injury to his precious vessel, the Gym Leader raised the RAINBOW FEATHER, Swift's ashes scattering to the winds. He had other powerful Pokémon with him, joining the Type: Null would be a mighty-looking Walking Wake. "Suicune, let's go!" he cried, wondering if Hideo had picked up on the subtle distinctions between the cries of the paradox Pokémon and the legendary Pokémon Josh named his after. "SUNNY DAY!"

The red spikes atop Suicune's purple fur glowed, the clouds parting for bright sunlight that made Josh, and perhaps Hideo, sweat. The strange creature's forehead crystal glowed brightly, PROTOSYNTHESIS raising his already high speed to surreal values. The sunlight would also amplify the burning prong of Aleph's long-distance TRI-ATTACK intended to singe the ground-type from within. "Hideo! If you've got a fire Pokémon, use it!"

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Gwyar Wledig

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 November 19, 2024 to post your Gym Thread or you will lose your spot.