Josh's head tilted toward the battle between the two water-types, watching its intensity reach a fever pitch. The Pelipper's HURRICANE grew so strong that its winds ravaged the Gym Leader's pride, Kovu rearing to try to protect his rider from them. Several of the pride, including Kovu himself, instinctively loosed deafening NOBLE ROARS toward the source of the wind, perhaps affecting the combatants' offensive might.

Once the windstorm had passed, Kovu trotted toward the two water-types and their trainer, the rest of the Pyroar following a safe distance behind. Depending on how courageous Keiko was, the Champion's stance and his powerful Shiny Illumina feline steed may have been overly imposing. "You okay?" Josh asked. "That Hurricane was almost enough to blow some of my pride off their feet!"

The moment Josh's doctors had approved him to saddle up with his paradox Pokémon, he couldn't get out to Thomas Benoit 's ranch fast enough. Cuddling Raikou's face, the Raging Bolt purred powerfully, affectionately rattling the war-torn Gym Leader. "I know you're excited to see me again, aren't you!" Josh babied the Thunder Beast's ancestor before patting his partner's tall frame. Raikou crouched to let Josh climb on, his hands firmly grasping the piece of spine in front of the saddle he sat in. "Remember, we can't go too fast - doctor's orders!" he reminded the dragon Pokémon.

The long-necked paradox leaned into the wind, taking off with the spring of the tiger he was an ancestor of. What may have looked like a gallop to Thomas Benoit was a mere canter to the ultrafast creature, the Master of Faster making a thunderous approach to the Benoit ranch.

Josh was glad the coronation was over. Organizing it was a headache, but it was necessary to give one of his closest companions the send-off he deserved. Aslan, the king of the Gym Leader's pride, had paid the ultimate price in the attempted Sootopolis invasion.

Long live Kovu and Nala, the Mauville pride's new king and queen.

That afternoon, the Gym Leader was celebrating after his brief convalescent period at Mauville General Hospital. He had kyle lopez 's Entei to thank, the Beast's SACRED FIRE undoing much of the injury Josh had suffered in battle. While his ability to return to full capacity had still been delayed an additional half a month, his latest rehab session was promising enough that his doctor approved him to ride most of his big cat Pokémon unrestricted. Some of his fastest, strongest ones were still off limits, but he could at last hold the reins of a Pyroar again.

North of the beach that keiko mori 's Slowking and Pelipper were sparring shined two brilliant lights. Their sources were two Illumina Pyroar, one male and one female. Astride the male appeared to be a tall man, and behind the two were not one, not two, but nine more saddled Pyroar. The entire pride was quite large, ranging roughly the spectrum of human heights. If she was familiar with Hoenn's celebrities, there was only person all these could have belonged to: Josh Devlin .

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

2X Crystabloom (Bewitching Brews 2023 & Sleep Study: Gemini) - Making Nala the Pyroar and Kovu the Pyroar Illumina!

10X Sparlkling Dust (RVL 2023 rewards) - Making Nala the Pyroar and Kovu the Pyroar Shiny!

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X Pidgeotite (Mega Shard redemption)
Sources of Mega Shards:
01: RVL (Feb. 2023) reward
01: Goodbye Galar reward
01: Sygna Symilitude 1 mission completion

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD

Josh frowned, even grumbled, at the paradoxes being called monsters. "They're no different from Linoone. Look how drastically different a Linoone from Hoenn and a Linoone from Galar look," he argued. "Yet they're the same species. It is as these two are," Josh referred to the relationship between Walking Wake and Suicune.

Josh had heard of Jansen Security before; it was one of the firms he had contacted after dorian westcliff 's attack on his Gym. He had tried to talk them into servicing his Gym on a budget he could manage, but was ultimately unsuccessful. "Thank you for being forthcoming," he apologized with a still-thumping heart, sweat dripping down his face. "Anyway, ever since word got out of my little Ultra Megalopolan prison escape, there's been a... lot more attention on Mauville Gym. And not the kind of attention I wanted."

Sighing, he gestured toward the Operations Center on the distant north side of the property. "I think I would... be more comfortable to have the investigation handled by a third party. I haven't been... too pleased with the League's competence of late. Are you in?" Provided Lydia agreed, he would lead the soldier toward the building where the attacks took place.

With the miracle of modern medicine and Pokémon healing, Josh was in and out of Ever Grande City in a matter of days. While he had still been approved to fly on his Pokémon, he would need three additional rehab sessions after the events of Sootopolis, and was given authorization from his doctor excusing him from war duties until December 3, the week after his final session. It felt good to be able to get back in the air and fly, though he continued to shed occasional tears over the loss of his Dragonair.

While he could have gone flying anywhere, Josh wanted to do so in peace, having his Pokémon transferred to Pacifidlog, the smallest town in Hoenn. Once his team was to his liking, he stood on the floating city's northeast dock and released his Walking Wake from his Poké Ball. The paradox Pokémon let out a majestic cry not dissimilar to the Beast of Water that remained by Isaac Merlo 's side. "Ready to ride, Suicune?" Josh asked the crouching Pokémon, cuddling with the legendary look-alike like a child would a giant plush toy.

"No, Ecco's definitely evolved," Josh assured Razz. "The red insignia on his underside gives it away." Perhaps, the way the Gym Leader had trained the water-type, he didn't need his Hero form to be at his strongest. That he could use a form of Jet Punch involving his snout instead of his Hero form's fists was the only indicator he had confirming that theory. What a mysterious Pokémon.

The submerged engine room was creepy, fan blades and criss-crossing axles at permanent rest. The fuel tank, thankfully, was unharmed. If that ruptured, cleaning up that mess was going to be hazardous and tedious work.

Keiga expelled DRAGON BREATH to melt the hinges on a door leading to the ship's corridors. While narrow, they were more than wide enough for the Gym Leader to stay atop his narrow-bodied Kingdra. On the opposite side of the bottom level was the cargo bay, its internal door having been twisted in the impact. Would recovering the Mega Stones be simpler than Josh thought?

Mecha-Chomper's destructive HYPER BEAM indeed would carve a path through the wiring, but it would also cause a maelstrom of short circuits that showered the duo in sparks. Swift's thundercloud glowed white with each one that landed on it, making Josh's hair stand on end from absorbing strong shocks. His limbs convulsed from absorbing a current that even he wasn't used to, the Gym Leader rubbing his agitated left arm as Swift walked across the now-disabled electric trap.

Leading the way downstairs, Josh and Swift now two levels underground, he couldn't believe his eyes. They were on the inside of what was clearly a Megalopolan power station. The multi-level structure, held in place by several electrically-charged floors, was unlike anything even in Mew Mauville's state-of-the-art underground plant. The power efficiency and raw voltage were both off the charts.

"Something like this had to have powered cities like Ultra Megalopolis," Josh remarked, an eruption of sparks rising from the bottom floor that glowed yellow and white. "Be careful when crossing the catwalks. If we slip and fall, we're goners. Maybe Swift can keep me safe, but I have my doubts. That's a lot of electricity."

Surrounding the level's concourse were several gates. The north one was sealed by lock and key, and the direct west and south ones were sealed by columns of equally lethal electricity. That left a south gate and a north gate that appeared unguarded and operable. "Want to stick together, or take one apiece?" Josh asked Andrea and her paradox Pokémon.

The decision to retreat into the sky was the correct one, Josh watching the battles below in horror as the floodwaters completely enveloped the island. The amount of PRIMAL ENERGY in the air was sickening, the Champion vomiting over the side of his electric steed. Perhaps some of it drenched Alba Evovae , Fenelle Miller , Makoto Kurumi , or Hitoshi Inoue if they were close enough.

Seeing so many people drowning, Josh's shaky body shed tears. He had seen how his mighty Dragonair, Resheph, was tossed about the violent waves. So many people were on the rescue effort. Thomas Benoit . Montgomery James . He wanted to join them so desperately... but he could not. If his much stronger Dragonair was being tossed around in the waves like a plaything, Kairi wouldn't even be able to swim in waters like these. And if he made a mistake... he would suffer the same fate.

Even sitting in Swift's thundercloud saddle was taking most of the rest of his energy. As he watched Melody Miro and others descend upon the Dyna Tree, the waters receding and exposing more dry land, he radioed her and annalise henderson from high above. "Melody, Annalise, it's Josh. I shouldn't have come out here in the first place. I did what I could help... but I'm too weak to continue. I need to get back to Ever Grande and convalesce. I'm so sorry!"

With Kyogre's storm cloud not extending all the way to Mossdeep or Ever Grande, and the rough seas covering a space well beyond the clouds themselves, Josh could not get to the safety of a city himself. He needed help. And he would find help in a face he had not seen since the date of his Champion Assessment. "Swift! Jump down next to Entei!" the Gym Leader ordered, the Sacred Ash Raikou listening to him.

Rather than striking out of the cloud, the Beast simply leaped downward, Josh's gut rising into his throat as his ride descended toward the ridge where the late Top Champion's Pokémon stood. Upon landing, his arm began to throb. While it was nowhere as severe as in the prison, it was a pain he had not experienced in months.

LONG-TERM INJURY

Josh's participation in the BATTLE OF SOOTOPOLIS has agitated his left arm. The duration of his injury from PRISMATIC PENETENTIARY will be extended by 17 (1d20+10) DAYS until DECEMBER 3, 2024.

The dizzy Master of Faster dry heaved when the two harshly touched down. He winced as he swung his leg over the ashen electric-type's side. Shakily dismounting and leaning into Entei's brown, thick fur, Josh embraced the warm Beast as his Raikou locked gazes with his sibling. "Entei... I have no way to get back to town. Can you... take me there?" Unlike on his birthday, this wasn't about a joyride on the ultrafast fire-type.

This was for his own desperate survival.

Ever's pliability brought a smile to Josh's face. "Then let's do it. Probably sometime next month; with the weather being prime for Pokémon races, I've got quite a bit to do for my Gym. How about... the first week of May?" he asked. Little did he know that his abduction, and his injury from it, would force him to take a rain check on that very offer.

The two would find a date that was open for them both and ultimately agree to it. "I don't want to fight," Josh exhaled, the weight of his title upon him. "But as a Gym Leader, I have an obligation. Not a binding one, but one to protect my city. My region. My people." And he, with the help of his friend and Top Champion kyle lopez , would find a way to help in the war without being on the front lines. "Unfortunately, I've got some business with the Gym Leader here in Fortree, so I need to cut this one short. Thanks, though. See you around!" With that, he and his Espeon continued toward the open-air Gym.

The Gym Leader and his Kingdra surfaced not long after Eris had messaged Razz. "Yep, just about got it wrapped up. No more Horsea will get trapped down there; the cave they were trapped in is all sealed up," he reported. "If you've got things all wrapped up on this side, then how about we head back to Dewford? Maybe get supper together?"

With Resheph and Keiga having worked hard, Josh withdrew them, and would match Eris' pace with Kopala, his Mantine. "Eris, you were a really big help today. Thank you." That strange dream was on his mind the entire way back to dry land. Why didn't Eris remember it? It felt way too real to be just an ordinary dream.

As a Gym Leader, Josh enjoyed regulated Pokémon combat. He loved the finer arts of a Pokémon battle surrounded by referees and safeties in case the Pokémon got a bit too into their match. He fought with honor. For months and even years, that honor was extended even to his enemies -- those in war. Those on the other side of the aisle. Since being exposed to multiple battlegrounds in Dewford, he began to realize that there was no getting Rocket to repent for what they had done. To fight fair.

Sometimes, even the most honorable fighter needed to get his hands red with blood if he wanted to come out ahead against a foe who did likewise.

"That's not me doing that," Josh casually excused Aleph's ruthless behavior as the Normal-type bled. "That's all him. And he's got eighteen of my best friends living on inside him. Two of which... gave their lives for him." The dark-type cat was nimble, that much was certain, and would easily be able to avoid a swift kick from him as he rolled onto his feet, blood trailing behind him. "TRI-ATTACK."

Distancing himself from the Torracat, the spikes on Aleph's retainer would glow red, yellow, and blue in a three-pronged attack. While it would not burn or freeze the fire-type, it might leave it a lot less limber than before...!