The speed didn't bother Raju too much. Being quite the fighter, he had the reflexes to handle it. With the skyline of the big city in view, it seemed his errand was going to be much faster than expected. Even when he noticed Gorou reacting sharply, looking like he was going to crash into Pico. Except, Josh didn't, able to compensate, and Gorou regaining composure quickly as a result. That was a bit close. But it seemed like Gorou was happy that he didn't lose control if the impromptu wheelie was any indication. Raju revved Jody up to go faster, closing the gap a bit. Again, Josh didn't seem to be bothered.

So Raju didn't ask. And just cruised along. Slateport was here before they knew it. He followed Josh to a stop, getting off and taking his package in the process. "You gonna give me a ride back too?" It would be rude as hell to give him a ride here and then leave him to trek on back on foot. Well, mostly on foot, since he did have his Paldean Tauros, but Josh didn't know that. Though it would be curious who would win in a race, Jody or Big Bert. Either way, hopefully Josh's business here wasn't too long.

Josh Devlin

Was he really going to compare Kilowattrels? Did size really matter? Heck, in the fighting ring, Raju sure proved that size didn't always matter. He was positive it was much the same in the Pokemon world. After Josh had chosen one for him, the blonde strapped the package onto the Cyclizar, making sure that it was tied up enough that it wouldn't fall off, but not so tight that it would be uncomfortable for the Pokemon. Then they were off. Raju was used to the bumpy initial ride, after all, Paldea was hardly a flat land. Once they were up to speed, the air sacks inflated and off they really went.

Raju could already tell that Jody, well, all three of them really, were a lot faster than his cousin's Cyclizar. Still, the wind through his hair and the general feeling of riding a Pokemon was nice. Well, at least this species. Big Bert was always so rough. Granted, that big lug was more of a fighter than a rider, even if he was far and away large enough to ride on. And haul a wagon or two. The blonde wasn't much of a talker already, so just riding in silence, going on at a nice speed, was fine by him. With how relaxed and how well he handled Jody, Josh should be able to tell that the young man wasn't a novice by any means. In fact, he would seem quite at home with this arrangement...


Josh Devlin

"It does have some tasty snacks, but that's it. It's not a restaurant. I may pitch that poker game idea to the boss though." That could be a good money maker. Or do some charity. There were some possibilities, but also some issues. Just passing the idea along would be good enough for now. The blonde nodded with Josh. "Lived with my aunt in Levincia City." Wattrel and Paldean Tauros were easy to come by and find on the coast and in the fields between Levincia and Artazon. Paldean Wooper were so much farther away. But it was worth it to nab Brownie.

The dark haired man made an offer and Raju looked back at his scooter, hand on his chin like he was mulling it over. It had been too long since he rode a Cyclizar. Anymore, if his scooter was out of commission, he'd been riding his Tauros, as rough as that was. But the bigger issue was...was it safe to leave Brownie and his scooter there? Wouldn't someone just try to steal them both? Raju wasn't completely helpless he could pack a punch with his own body without relying on Pokemon to protect him, but there was always that what if where he might need a bit of extra firepower. Walking over to his scooter, he moved it off to the side and sat Brownie down on the seat. Taking the package off, he also released Jigawatt, a Kilowattrel. And an huge one at that. They weren't small birbs already, but Jigawatt was even larger. Not quite the largest one, but still plenty big. The tree limb she sat on visibly sagged. "Both of you keep an eye on the scooter and make sure no one takes it. Or each other. Use any means necessary if you have to." Both Pokemon nodded, with Jigawatt even screeching in confirmation.

With a package in hand, he walked back down, pointing a finger each open Cyclizar as if to say "which one?" After all, he didn't like to talk that much.


Josh Devlin

Raju hesitantly took the hand with a soft grip. He was already fairly shy, and shuffled back a bit. Evidently, the man hadn't heard of it, despite being assigned to Mauville? That was...odd, wasn't it? The blonde reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, procuring a business card of sorts. Handing it over to the man, hopefully it would fill out the guy's questions. If not..."It's a nightclub that caters to whoever wants to be fussed over by whatever gender they preferred. Drinks and attentive company essentially. It's in Mauville." Usually not any more than that, but in the short term he'd been there, he had already heard stories. As handsome as Josh was, Raju wasn't sure if he would like to attend to this guy...seemed to have boundless energy.

Conversation soon moved to Brownie. "Paldean Wooper. They're poison and ground type. I'm from Paldea, so all of my Pokemon are from there." Like Big Bert the Paldean Blaze Breed Tauros and Jigawatt the Kilowattrel. They were his main fighters instead of Brownie, but even his little buddy can pack a punch if need be.

Josh went into some detail, though not a lot, on the poor Cyclizar. The thing was on meds, but time was going to be the curing factor. Really? Maybe Raju had gotten too trusting of people, even with his past and on and off homelessness. But the man seemed determined to do whatever it takes to help his Pokemon, so maybe the hazel eyed guy could give the gym leader some slack. Though the next question caught him off guard a little. Raju nodded and pointed at his scooter with a package on it. "Doing a quick errand." Plus, maybe he could get some good food at the markets there to bring to the hideout. He already had to punch a couple members for not eating any veggies and force feed them some, so hopefully they'd get the message...

Josh Devlin

Raju had heard of the racing league, but had never gotten the opportunity to grab himself a Cyclizar. What he did have was a very angry, very strong, and very big Paldean Blaze Breed Tauros. But when the Cyclizar that Josh was on started to act up, Raju reacted quickly, moving fast to put himself in a position to catch the dark haired man if he got flung off. That was very strange. But the comments to the creature put it into perspective. Surgery and recovery. Then should he really be riding him then? That just seemed like a bad trainer pushing their buddy too far too fast. The man introduced himself as a ranger and gym leader.

With a scowl and hard stare, Raju returned the courtesy. "Raju Mystic. Host at Club Olympus and one of its guards. This is Brownie. He is very cute." His Paldean Wooper made a sound that sounded like "pa" and did a little tap dance routine. It was all so adorable. But the main issue was the poor Cyclizar. Goroh? "What's wrong with him? Shouldn't he be resting or under the care of a Pokemon Therapist?" Despite his nervious and shy voice from before, it had an edge now. Clearly concerned with how this supposed gym leader and ranger was treating his own Pokemon.

Josh Devlin

The leader had a loaded question. That put Raju immediately on guard. With a crack of the neck, Magnus, asked it. Aspirations? What did he want out of life? Well..."To never be so weak or helpless again. And also maybe to overcome some of my own shortcomings..." Even with one eye covered in his bowl cut, Raju was shifting, blushing when he admitted it. He wanted to be a better, stronger person. Although he did enjoy a good scrap now. With his two index fingers pushing against each other and back, he continued. "I do enjoy a good fight now and then. Although financially speaking, the fighting ring isn't consistant enough. But I do think the Host Club could help me out with some of my problems...I'm not the most sociable person or anything. Plus it'll provide an onsite guard should it need it, and a consistant income. I also like taking care of others?"

He liked seeing the smiles of people when they ate his cooking, or the relief they had when the dishes were done, laundry too, and more. Aside from being a scrapper, he knew very much how to clean and be essentially a house husband. Even if he looked more like a little brother than anything. And he had no problems punching someone if they refuse to eat their veggies or taking it easy if they're injured. The blonde just hoped Magnus didn't question his nervious sounding voice, or could hopefully detect the young man's own resolve. He wasn't just looking for a job or two...he also wanted to grow.

Jack Magnus

Raju soon saw one more, and then a Togekiss swooped down in front of him, making Raju jump, and his Paldean Wooper jump on his head, ready to use his tail as a baseball bat. There was a third one, along with a trainer. One of the Cylcizar were a different color than normal. A shiny? In his time in Paldea, he'd never saw a shiny one before. The trainer greeted him. The blonde hadn't been in Mauville, or Hoenn in general, long enough to recognize him at all. So he just gave a shy wave. "Sorry. I just hadn't seen Cyclizar outside of Paldea..." So curiousity got the better of him.

Even if he had approached with more benevolent intentions, the way he would phrase why he approached them would sound like he was some sort of poacher or something. He did have his other two Pokemon with him, but releasing them might give off the wrong impression. So unless the man spoke to him some more, he would just shuffle on back to his scooter. Brownie, his Paldean Wooper, would hop off, seeing no threats or anything, and walk behind his trainer. He didn't know why they were out there, but that also wasn't any of his business.

Josh Devlin

Raju was out on an errand this fine day on Route 110. The young man was clad in mostly black, with only his gloves being a barely lighter gray. The blonde was also on a scooter with a package strapped onto the back of it. While it was a hot day, he was used to it. Officially a member of the Orthrus gang, his role seemed to be a variety of things. Guard for Club Olympus and a host himself, cook, and general "maid." Except treated better...maybe because he had cracked a few skulls when they tried something with him. Or refused to eat their vegetables. Whatever the case, he proved that he was no pushover, especially after a few more matches in the underground fighting arena. There just wasn't anything like punching actual flesh...not like Pokemon battles, but man to man.

Raju had screeched to a grinding halt when he saw something. It was a Cyclizar, a popular Pokemon back in Paldea. Not just because it had both a battle form and cycle form, it was also a cool Pokemon. He hoped to get one one day. But what was it doing here? In Hoenn? Did someone smuggle it here? Getting off of his scooter, he slowly approached the cycling Pokemon, hoping not to scare it. With his face, and holding out his hand, Raju waited to see if the Pokemon would come close to sniff him. It may even remember what a Paldean Tauros smelled like. Or a Kilowattrel. Either way, maybe it'll calm it down and let him get a better look at it. See if maybe it was owned by someone or just a wild one....


Josh Devlin

redeeming 1 x gacha from passerby analytics.

pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/36302/rajus-gambles

IC ANSWERS FOR Raju Mystic

SURVEY #1
^{What do you like to wear to the beach or for swimming?}
Swim trunks or shorts.

SURVEY #2
^{"What is your favorite water-type or fish Pokemon?"}
Veluza are cool.

SURVEY #3
^{"What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?"}
Finding my place.

SURVEY #4
^{"Do you have a bedtime ritual? What is it?"}
Not really. I can sleep pretty quickly and pretty much anywhere anytime.

SURVEY #5
^{"What would you kill for?"}
Food wise, a lot. Literally, the gang. And money. Maybe.

SURVEY #6
^{"What is your favorite summer memory?"}
Leaving Unova to live with my Aunt.

SURVEY #7
^{"If there is one thing you could change about yourself, what would it be and why?"}
I wish I was stronger...a real man's man. Like Jack Magnus.

SURVEY #8
^{"What's in your fridge?"}
A random assortment of things and not enough veggies.

SURVEY #9
^{"What is your favorite hobby unrelated to Pokemon?"}
Fist fighting and martial arts.

SURVEY #10
^{"What do you consider an overrated virtue?"}
Bravery. Everyone is scared inside. Or there's something that scares even the toughest of men.

SURVEY #11
^{"What is your swear word of choice?"}
All of them.

SURVEY #12
^{"What's a piece of knowledge that you think everyone should know?"}
How to defend yourself.

SURVEY #13
^{"What do you think is the biggest threat to Hoenn?"}
Stupid people.

SURVEY #14
^{"MELODY MIRO has released a new album titled M.M. Listen to it here. Out of the tracklist, which is your favourite song and why?"}
Not a fan of her music. I prefer hard rock.

SURVEY #15
^{"Do you believe in canon events? Fixed moments in time that must be lived through?"}
...huh?

KmkiZHdM


let's get it started!·····

Seemed the big boss remembered the job, even if only in passing. Raju gave a shy if cute smile that the big boss found it funny, if in a cynical way. Seemed he too had a shitty dad. Perhaps why he had decided to rule the streets. After letting go, he watched the giant carefully as he processed Raju's words. It seemed the last one about oweing them struck a cord though. The booming voice made him jump back, but kept eye contact. Meek as he was, he knew when to stand his ground. Didn't owe them anything? Lowering his eyes, he thought about those words.

Yeah, his old man probably would have gotten punished somehow. Be it someone biding their time when his father was drunk and/or higher than a kite and struck then or sabatoge. Maybe his mom would poison the fucker one day, he could tell she was nearing her breaking point. Oddly, his shoulders relaxed, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Even Brownie waddled towards him and looked at him with his derpy face, like it was going to be okay. Returning the man's gaze, Raju responded back. "That just makes the decision to join you easier. What else do you want to know about me?" Raju's Paldean Wooper hopped onto a chair and sat down while the boy relaxed himself even more. Even with his resolve, he was still very much a mouse compared to this guy.


Jack Magnus

Toothy grin...usually not good. But then...a compliment? The giant put out a hand and introduced himself as Jack Magnus, the leader of Orthrus. Wait, LEADER OF ORTHRUS?! His eyes bulged when it clicked. Well, at least he found the guy to talk to at least. Shakily extending his fingerless gloved hand to take the handshake, Raju introduced himself. "Raju Mystic...Castelia City native...I've heard of you...and been looking for the gang since an incident..." Well...more like after he came of age and started looking more into the symbol and the gang itself. But he supposed he better elaborate before he got taken the wrong way and ended up in the dumpster in pieces.

"Er...more like, my abusive father either had a hit placed on him or he pissed off one of your guys enough that they went after him. Mom and I helped your guy, even if mom ended up dying in the process. Either way, thanks. I've heard you guys were...still are, pretty strong..." His voice was shaky, and meek. Even as he released the handshake (even Magnus's hands were huge!), he looked down at the floor, almost afraid to make eye contact. Brownie slid off his head and plopped down on his feet. "A-anyways, I would like to join. I...hated being weak. Even after I moved and took lessons, and got into brawls a lot, I still wish to be stronger. Granted, I'd like a more stable income than just being a fighter in the ring. I do have more skills than just being able to punch someone's lights out. I know you guys aren't heroes or anything, so don't think I want to join out of some misguided hero worship bullshit...I just...feel like I owe you guys for taking out a menace in my life..."

Hopefully that explained everything he needed to. At the end of his little spiel, he did give the gang leader eye contact, Raju's hazel eyes meeting Magnus's, showing the resolve that the younger male had. He wasn't just a physical fighter, he was also a good pokemon trainer, a good cook, and knew how to clean. He just hoped his nevousness and shyness wasn't a turn off on the recruitment.


Jack Magnus