The damage to the court was nothing Josh wasn't used to; with how many Pokémon he had and the size of his workforce, repairing it would be a routine task to be completed when the Gym closed for the day. Kasper may have wondered how a human could withstand the G-forces behind such a maneuver, given they had seen the Kilowattrel wearing a saddle before.

"ELECTRO BALL, Etali!" Josh ordered as the Kilowattrel reached his apex. Hiding in the sun, the electric bird plummeted toward Carnation, spheres of electricity growing beneath his wings. With a vigorous beat from them, Etali launched the high-speed projectiles toward the Tyranitar. For a split second, there was a moment where the rock-type could smack Josh's speedy Pokémon. Could they find that brief moment in time to launch a successful counterattack?

The outline of dragon energy gave Josh a good look at the identity of Anara's assailant: a Gible. Gible were not native to this part of Hoenn; they were concentrated in areas such as Meteor Falls and the Sky Pillar. Had someone received a tip that the Gym Leader would be riding through? No matter how he was found, he had to defend himself despite his injuries. With a light tug of his reins, Janus slowed down at enough of a rate to turn around fairly quickly, yet not so much as to overwhelm his rider's recovering arm.

Anara, paralyzed by the electric attack, cried for help, Kamuy and Aleph coming to the dark-type's side. They surrounded and guarded the helpless Pokémon, Aleph staying steadfast in the face of the DRAGON RUSH. The Normal-type brandished a CRUSH CLAW, threatening to rake the Gible harshly if they didn't back down.

"Whoever you are, I don't think you know who you're messing with," Josh called out in an effort to intimidate his attacker.

As much as Josh wanted to get out there and make a difference, Yuina was right. He wouldn't get better unless he rested. Slept. Dreamed of being the hero he wanted to be. Having the means to do so now, but not the body to use them, was among the most frustrating experience he ever had in his life. He had to take it easy.

"Exactly, Yuina," the Champion answered. "Once I'm out of here and have done enough rehab, there will be time to enjoy ourselves. Thanks for coming to visit!" With that, he waved goodbye and closed his eyes, doing what he could to will himself to sleep. The dream world was the only place he could do what he wanted to do, and he hoped his subconscious would manifest in the way he had desired all this time...

The point-blank ORIGIN PULSE wreaked total devastation upon Josh's prized Beast: a CRITICAL HIT to his soft, white underside. "Retreat, Swift! QUICK ATTACK!" the Champion ordered, but it was too late. The ashen Raikou's body disintegrated upon contact with the primal wave of water that raced toward Josh, passing beneath him and his flying Togekiss. Beach huts were torn to pieces amidst the crashing waves, floodwaters shooting toward Lilycove City and threatening to wash away vehicles parked in the streets. Were Nico to remain too close to the Kyogre during their SKY ATTACK, they may have suffered the same fate.

"It's too powerful! We need to retreat!" the Champion cried, urging Nabi to get to safety before another ORIGIN PULSE was aimed at either one of them directly. Such water pressure would tear Josh from the saddle, and the resulting injury would likely be one he would never recover from. As a Champion, he could not allow himself to be bedridden like that any longer.

Metagross were strong, though all that strength came at the cost of speed. All the strength in the world wouldn't do one a bit of good without the means to hit. It was the primary lesson Josh was trying to teach Shinobu via gym match: how to battle an extremely speedy and evasive opponent. "Etali, ELECTRO BALL!" Josh ordered, spheres of electricity pelting the steel-type at dizzying speeds.

From the way the Metagross reacted, it seemed to make up for the lack of speed in computational power, calculating exactly where the Kilowattrel would swoop up to make his electrical barrage strike with maximum power. It was at that exact moment that the BULLET PUNCH struck the bird's sensitive underside: a CRITICAL HIT that left Josh's Pokémon soaring on only his momentum.

"I'm glad you agree with me, but with the increasingly stringent battle requirements for the Champion Assessment, I'd wager the higher-ups don't think so," Josh voiced his opinion on the matter. The upper echelons of the League were within their right to do so, as much as it bugged him. While it was not the only useful skill to have during the war, it was by far the most, which was presumably why Pokémon combat was emphasized so much.

For some, video footage was helpful; for others, hands-on experience was the best teacher. Perhaps Haoyu was the latter in that regard. "Then we can learn by doing. Want to head to one of the battle courts? We can spar a little down there, and I can show you some of my favorite techniques." Provided the older trainer agreed, they would head down to the battle courts in the outdoor Gym's Main Sector. With a shrill whistle, Toralf would come bolting toward the two, his four limbs a blur before sliding to a stop around Josh and his guest.

As much as Josh had good intentions, his word choice certainly needed work if he wanted to be a truly lovable face of Hoenn. It was part of the reason he was a Gym Leader and not one of the higher-ups. "Glad I could help. If you've got it from here, I'll take my leave and report to Fortree HQ so we both get our check. Somehow, I think we'll wind up working together in the future. See you 'round, Scout!"

With that, the Champion withdrew Fumiko and made his way outside the training grounds. Scout may have been able to hear the hum and buzz of Flygon wings as he flew away.

The difference between Swift and the picture Josh showed Yuina was that Swift was monochrome. "So you knew him before he died, too," the Champion answered. "He was the one that got me started as a Gym Leader. And I was the last Champion he crowned before that tragic day when Mount Chimney blew. His loss was a huge blow to Hoenn, but we will recover. We will fight back. And I will do what I can to help. For Kyle's sake."

There were few in Hoenn that had taken Kyle's loss harder than Josh. The roller coaster of emotions that week was almost too much for his mind to handle, though he had survived. "If you ever want to see him, just let me know." He wondered if Ho-oh had the foresight to pass down the ashen Suicune he had ridden around the time of the second Dewford invasion.

"But that's enough reminiscing. Let's get back to work." With a nod, Josh hung his legs over the dock's edge, lined up with his Palafin's back, and landed in the saddle. He hoped the rest of their task would go without incident.

Run? Why would Shred let him go like this? He wouldn't say no, particularly when he was outmatched. The Champion had been caught without a full belt of Pokémon. No matter how powerful Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were, they were no match for the sheer numbers of paradox Pokémon Shred had on display. There was one thing that the Beasts excelled at, though, and that was running.

"You heard the man, Entei! Let's beat feet!" Josh shouted, the Gouging Fire crouching to let his trainer hop aboard. "Hyah! DRAGON RUSH!" With a gallop resembling the true Entei's Extreme Speed, the fire-crowned paradox Pokémon dashed west toward Verdanturf. He couldn't risk this maniac bringing him down, then Mauville City with it. The paradox's powerful gallop, PROTOSYNTHESIS also fueling its amazing speed, might be difficult for Shred's Pokémon to match!

The heartwarming comment made Josh's smile grow. "Thanks, Lam," he replied. "I'm planning on taking her to the final match with kyle lopez . Have you ever flown on one before? They're excellent at diving. Bladestorm here loves to dive with riders on his back. Pulling out of a dive with one is one of the greatest adrenaline rushes a Pokémon can offer you." Skarmory being feisty was nothing unusual for the species; they were some of the most aggressive birds on the planet.

There would be time to do that later; now, they needed to start the test. Not wasting any time, Josh raised his DYNAMAX BAND toward the sky, red DYNERGY erupting from it. Withdrawn into his Poké Ball temporarily, the sphere grew in size to be almost as large as his trainer's entire upper body. "Ungh!" Josh grunted as he hurled the massive object back toward center court. The metal bird had grown to such a size that he dwarfed Mauville's skyline.

"MAX KNUCKLE!" Josh ordered, Bladestorm falling toward the Corviknight in a motion that mimicked the way he used Body Press. The enormous weight that came from his gigantified frame threatened to crush it if Lam didn't intervene!

As much as Josh wanted to pass judgment upon the Monster, he would not be able to do so on his own before the Perish Song took his consciousness from him. "The village you terrorized will pass justice upon you. I am an Inquisitor, not a Justiciar. We will return there together, and you will pay for the crimes and injustices you have committed." With his great speed, he could surely make it back to the village in time...right?

A small figure's gaze caught his attention. With the village not being too far in his eyes, Josh felt he had some time to spare before the Monster's dirge seized him. Wandering over to the window, Josh waved toward the figure. "It's okay. You're safe. You can come out now," he encouraged whatever was inside.

As Josh slid off Blitz's back, he felt the electric-type's static coursing through him. Static that reminded him of the weeks after Kyle passed Swift on to him. It felt a storm was coursing through him, as though he was holding the reins of a living lightning bolt crackling from the sky to the earth at incomprehensible speed. This ride, though, was far less than thrilling.

It was a harrowing journey from cloud to ground, the crashing bolt hurling him to the ground.

Once the Champion had stepped off his mount, that surge of adrenaline had turned as cold as the air on the far side of the storm's front. On one side, sizzling summer temperatures; on the other, a chilly, fall day. The electricity was part of Josh, and having it torn from within him left only a sense of isolation. One so real that he began to shiver as Eris Halla insisted the Gym Leader was a liar.

The sense of isolation manifested itself physically. His legs stopped working entirely, his knees unable to bear his full weight. The vulnerable hero who once called himself the Determined, then called himself the Signer, was so paralyzed with his own emptiness that his limbs were frozen to the rocky ground as though it were ice in the depths of Shoal Cave.

"I'm..." Josh trailed off. "I'm..." Even Blitz began to walk away from Josh, his frame getting smaller as the Luxray walked past Reiner and Eris. "Whatever it is you think I'm lying about, I swear to you... I'm not. Eris... help me... I... can't move..." His four limbs shook, Josh unable to maintain even a crawling stance. All he could do was wince as he painfully tilted his head toward Eris, laying on the dusty ground belly first.

BATTLE OF SOOTOPOLIS SIGN-UP

THE FIRST WAVE PRELUDE

OOC NAME:RaikouRider[break]
CHARACTER: Josh Devlin[break]
FACTION: League[break]
SCENARIO: B[break]
PREFERRED PARTNERS, INCLUDING OPPONENTS IF PVP?: Rhea Armistead[break]
POKEMON PARTY (MAX 6) See image below[break]
NOTES/COMMENTS: Josh has completed the first two phases of his rehabilitation after the events of PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY, and is feeling good enough to participate in the war, though only just so. Due to his injuries, he will be running supply lines for the League rather than being on the front lines. I would like to explore the consequences of Josh having to change his fighting style; due to his previous injuries, he will not be able to fight from the saddle as efficiently as he once did. I would like the setting to be inland or on a fairly large island. There may be naval elements, but the emphasis should be on an overland battle.

We would like to PRE-PLOT THIS AS A CLOSE LOSS FOR JOSH. He will be using his Raikou toward the end of the thread, but I do not want to faint the Raikou. We have also pre-plotted a POKEMON DEATH.