[Josh Devlin]

Josh had at last ran into a fellow trainer that understood...or at least seemed to understand the level of coordination it took. For some people, all it took was one run on a Pokémon's back. "Being a racer is more hands-on, whereas calling out moves as a Trainer is a bit more hands-off. Each are still essential for both to succeed. What I was trying to hint at is on the track, you're more physically involved than within the stadium. That's one reason I enjoy racing so much."

While he was collecting his thoughts, he checked how Twilight and Blinky were doing. The Absol seemed calm and content, not one to push herself on her own. "Hey Blinky, let me see your feet," Josh asked his Pokémon, the Electric-type quick to plop down on his side, retracting her long, thin claws. The underside of her paws naturally being a shade of red made it difficult to see, but he did notice the front ones were a little more red than the back ones. No surprise at all. "Not too bad. Will you be okay to keep going, or do you want to go back to your Poké Ball?" She yipped, extended her front claws, and nodded. "Alright!"

Seeing his Pokémon were okay, Josh turned his attention back to Armand. "The Gym Challenge is mostly a way to keep my skills sharp in the off-season. There were a couple of indoor tracks back in Johto, but they were only used for one season. It wasn't cost that was the problem. It was heat." It made sense when he stopped to think about it. "Up to thirty Pokémon dashing in an enclosed space, no matter how large, is going to make the track too hot. It doesn't help that a lot of the fastest Pokémon are fire-types. Tell you what, once we get to the town gate, where I'll get enough signal, I can show you one for yourself."

The Jolteon seemed ready to get back to the road. Josh turned his attention back to the needy Pokémon. "I want to give the others a chance, particularly Pinky," he explained. "Tell you what," his tone changed suddenly, loud enough for Armand to hear, "Once the gate is in sight, I'll jump back on you, Blinky, and you can let loose as fast as you want." With that, he stood up and swung aboard his Sylveon, whose feelers swung back and forth in the wind. "If you want to give one of my others a try the rest of the way, you can!" Josh let Armand know.

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 441}
{PC: 11}

[Armand Leclair]

Armand smiled after hearing Josh's perspective and opinion about his occupation. "I guess even trainers have their own goals outside of the usual Gym Challenge. Of course, I won't stop you. Though I am going to support you in your endeavors if I visit a race or two."

As he watched Josh checked up on his Jolteon, he could tell how much he put some care on his Pokemon to the point he has to check if Blinky was well enough to continue. Not only that, he was able to talk to him without mostly worrying about his abilities going off by accident. For once, he managed to interact with someone for the first time for a while. Eventually, once he got back to the Racing Federation topic, he grew a bit interested in the tracks he mentioned, which he nodded in response to the racer's offer to show him one in Pine Town.

"Thank you. But I think I'm okay riding on your Absol for now. I think I got used to riding her." He attempted to stroke Twilight's forehead as he smiled at her.

Word Count: 186

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: N/A

[Josh Devlin]

Josh's smile shifted when Armand mentioned he was interested in watching him compete in these high-intensity contests of speed. "They draw quite the crowds back home." Looks like he had a new fan! "They're a real thrill to watch, let alone participate in. The Gold League season finale takes place in Birch City this year. It will be the first weekend of November, weather permitting; otherwise, the second weekend. It'll be a little cool, but that's probably not the worst thing, especially for the Pokémon."

After hearing Armand's request, Twilight stood up and walked over to him. While it wasn't obvious, the Absol let out a quiet coo that he would be able to hear if he was really paying attention - it was still quite breezy. Josh, likewise, stood up and walked next to Pinky. He swung his leg over the great Sylveon's back and mounted up. "Well, shall we get back to the road?" he proposed as the fairy-type began walking. He reached to pat the fairy-type on the head, but had second thoughts when he remembered how slick her skin was in spots. It was imperative he kept them dry in case Armand really wanted to push Twilight to high speeds. It might take some Quick Attacks for her to keep up...

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 215}
{PC: 12}

[Armand Leclair]

Armand smirked as soon as he heard the venue for the said race. One of the advantages he has as a contract worker was his lack of a mandatory schedule. So he should have some time to watch the Gold League season finale. "Then, I'll try to reserve some tickets for November. I'll be cheering for you as much as I can."

Then, Josh suggested that they should be going now, which Armand nodded before he walked up to Twilight and slowly swung his leg and sat on her bag. He did check the time that he only has a few hours left before the deadline, but he has to make sure that Josh's Absol would get to his destination on time without overexerting herself. And once she took, he gripped the reins from the bridle a bit tighter as he commanded to try and catch up with Josh's Pyroar.

Word Count: 150

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: N/A

[Josh Devlin]

"Thanks - I'll do my best," Josh replied. "The field is going to be full of players ready to turn pro. If you've ever seen any of these races on TV before, they were probably Platinum League. We're talking the major leagues - the best of the best." That was when Armand and Twilight really took off, closely following Aslan while Resheph and Blinky hung back near Pinky and Josh. The dark-type maintained a brisk pace, but Aslan was insistent on leading the way, not afraid to stay just faster than Twilight's pace.

Twilight and Aslan were getting farther away from the rest of his squad. Josh's first instinct was to dig his heels into the Sylveon's sides, which didn't end too well - they slipped down the fairy-type's slick, white fur. She got the idea, though; while she wasn't quite as fast as the rest of his team, she could maintain a run close to her top speed for a long time. Josh's first impression was though she would be more useful for long distance traveling, she had her merits on courses that were long and twisty, such as the ominously and aptly named "Ordeal" course the race in Birch would be at. Before long, Twilight, Aslan, and Armand disappeared beyond a hill, and Pine Town's gate was just barely visible to the distant south.

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 223}
{PC: 13}

[Armand Leclair]

Armand was a bit amused at their small rivalry. He could guess that the Pyroar wanted to be in the first place. However, he did want to challenge him a bit, so he had Absol try to lead ahead to get in front of Aslan. He had fun at first. But he noticed Josh has disappeared and to his shock, so was his other Pokemon. He was so focused on Aslan and Twilight that they were left behind by accident.

"Shoot. This is what I get for being distracted." He then turned to the Pyroar and Absol, which he hoped he might end their rivalry for a brief moment. "If we want to get back to your trainer, we have to catch up to them before we might not able to find them."

With that, he commanded through the reins to speed up and ran back to Twilight's trainer, which he hoped that Aslan did the same behind them.

Word Count: 159

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: Time to play catch up for Armand!

[Josh Devlin]

Armand's sharp motion of pulling back was interpreted as sign that he wanted to turn around. Twilight, being one of the most agile Pokémon Josh had, responded just as urgently by digging her big, sharp claws into the road. Even more quickly than she could get up to speed, those claws let her brake pretty hard - rather important for twisty courses. By the time Aslan could react, the Absol had already killed most of her speed. Both the fire- and dark-types had kicked up quite a bit of dust in front of them, the Pyroar running through his teammate's dust cloud to assemble next to each other.

They didn't need to run back to Josh, though - he was coming up to them. The faster Pokémon had simply left him in the dust. If Armand looked closely, he would be able to see Josh waving from Pinky's back, who was trailing the Dragonair and Jolteon by quite a bit. It took the Sylveon a bit to catch up to the five, who assembled at the top of the small hill. "I guess they had their own ideas," Josh laughed as the excited Pinky shuffled her feet after he gave the white-and-pink Eeveelution a gentle pat on the head. Aslan let out a long series of purrs that could only be interpreted as laughing.

"Hey, it looks like we're getting close," Josh said to Armand, pointing to a small cityscape to the south. "I think I see the gate. You said you wanted to see how fast Blinky can get?" At her name being called, the Jolteon smiled, her exposed quills now standing on end. He gave the Sylveon another gentle pat on the head before dismounting and switching back to his Jolteon. "Come to think of it..." He recalled the dragon and fairy Pokémon. "It's probably best - they wouldn't be able to keep up." He glanced toward Blinky fully extending her long, thin claws. "I think she wants to run!"

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 332}
{PC: 14}

[Armand Leclair]

It took a while for Twilight and Armand to reach Josh and his Pokemon, but they managed to catch up to them on time. Or at least he thought he was as he noticed the racer and Sylveon coming towards him as he saw him waving at him. He thought his Pokemon was fast, but he never admitted they were trained well to deal with turns and other obstacles. As they stopped so Josh could switch mounts and stored most of his Pokemon, he was interested in his Jolteon. While he didn't have a choice since they were almost to Pine Town, he wanted to see her run.

"Then how about a quick race? First one to reach the Pine Town entrance is the winner. No hard feelings on the results, okay?" He wasn't the type to suggest any kind of challenge, but he wanted to try and help Josh and his Pokemon with their training as a way to show his gratitude.

Word Count: 163

Post Count: 15

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: N/A

[Josh Devlin]

Josh and Blinky showed opposite emotions when Armand suggested the idea of a race the rest of the way to Pine Town. The Jolteon looked excited, a big smile on her face while shuffling about incessantly. Josh, on the other hand, was far less thrilled. "You sure?" he asked, worried for the traveler's safety. "I know you're catching on quickly, but I've competed with Twilight before. She can run fast enough that you might get badly hurt if you fall. If you really want to, I won't stop--" Blinky was getting more and more antsy to show what she was made of. "Blinky, this is important!" He looked down at his electric mount, scolding her. "Can you please stand still for one minute?" Reluctantly, the yellow Pokémon did as instructed.

"As I was saying," Josh continued, "if you really want to and you think you can handle all the speed she's got, I won't stop you. I'm just saying you could get seriously hurt if you fall." The Absol nodded - Josh had every right to be concerned. She wasn't one to stop people from doing what they wanted. After all, the legend behind her species stated she merely warned people of disasters, not stopped them. A fall at high speed would certainly count as a disaster for the rider involved. "If you really want to, though, then have her take off for Pine Town. We'll catch up - I promise." Blinky let out a series of barks that could only be interpreted as laughter. Proud of her speed, she appreciated the subtle flattery she got.

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 266}
{PC: 16}

[Armand Leclair]

To Armand's surprise, Josh expressed his concerns about him and Twilight as he warned him about her strengths and weaknesses based on his experiences on the race track. After he listened to this, Armand silently nodded and stared at the quiet Dark-type.

"I understand. If anything happens to me, I'll let my Litwick out to inform you of our whereabouts."

Once he accepted Josh's promise to catch up, he commanded Twilight through the rein to go ahead. As the racer warned him, the Absol's speed was so fast that he was unable to keep himself on her back for too long. However, he was persistent and he tried to tighten his grip onto the reins. However, as he did so and almost reached to several curves coming towards them, Twilight growled to Armand, which he could tell she was worried about him despite her emotionless expression as she continued to run.

"It's alright, Twilight. Just keep running. I can handle it."

Despite her worries, Twilight decided to fulfill his commands as she sped up to get through 3 sharp turns, something that Josh also informed him regarding her skill with it. But when she passed through the 4th curve, Armand found himself falling from her back and before he knew it, his world became black.

-----

"Armand, I'm worried about you. Aren't you supposed to be with your friends right now?"

He sighed as he began to speak.

"If I do that, I fear I might unknowingly use my powers by accident. I just hurt everyone if I open myself."

"But that doesn't mean you have to live alone. Pokemon aren't the only ones people need to bond. Even if you cannot control them, you must have a support system outside your family. Make sure you must not close your heart always."

Word Count: 301

Post Count: 16

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: Yeah, he's knocked out. I told you he's not a professional racer.

[Josh Devlin]

"...If you say so," Josh reluctantly agreed, the words coming out of his mouth slowly. With how meandering the coast was, as well as the presence of some rock formations toward the end, the terrain would form some wicked turns and switchbacks ahead. There was a direct path across the plains, though - while it was grassy, the grass wasn't so tall that the Jolteon couldn't run straight through it. He watched Armand and Twilight build up speed - from how rapid Twilight's running stroke was, the guest rider was pushing her quite hard. He was a little worried, but not so much as the dark-type screeched around the first sharp curve.

Josh noticed the two paths converged after two more sharp turns. He watched closely, gently pushing Blinky into a trot until Armand rounded the third curve. Once he had and the paths coincided once more, he let out a sigh of anticipation. "Blinky, floor it!" He slammed his heels into the electric Eeveelution's sides, the racer leaning as low as he could without risking the Jolteon's quills stabbing him. With acceleration intense enough to make him gnash his teeth in pain, Blinky flung herself forward with rapid strides, the only thing keeping her stable and balanced being her long claws that dug deep into the grass and dirt beneath.

If Armand had the courage to look to his left, he could catch a breathtaking glimpse of the dead-sprinting Jolteon that was probably a yellow blur to stationary observers. The young man appeared to be floating above the saddle, an illusion fueled by just how rapidly her back was moving up and down.

fYjPq3Uyp_
{Stamina: 32 + 18 = 50 vs. 50 = PASS}

Volleys of sparks flew from the giant, yellow fox's paws as Josh and Blinky shot past Armand and into another grassy shortcut across the road. His shirt had become ripped in places, as though he had been inside a tornado. That comparison wasn't too far off, what with the ludicrous, borderline-paralyzing speed the racer was moving at. Even several miles from the gate, Blinky had to retract her claws almost all the way and let what little friction there was slowly sap her momentum. By the time Pine Town's welcome sign was clearly visible, it became clear the yellow-dressed trainer had made a grave miscalculation - Blinky was going way too fast!


Josh pulled back on the reins hard, Blinky responding by skidding along the road. She was able to avoid barreling into town at speeds well above the legal limit, but not without cost. The incredible amount of friction burned her paws as badly as a fire Pokémon's Flamethrower attack, both the trainer and Pokémon letting out loud cries - Josh, of panic; Blinky, of pain. The two came to a stop a few hundred feet from the gate, Josh rolling out of the saddle in dizziness unlike anything he had felt before. While he wasn't physically hurt, coming down from the adrenaline high made him unable to stand - only sit, and rather wobbly at that. Blinky sat down on the side of the road to take the pressure off his burned paws, barking and howling to try to get Armand's and Twilight's attention.

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 528}
{PC: 17}

[Armand Leclair]

As his consciousness began to return, Armand slowly opened his eyes. At first, his vision was a bit blurry. But as he blinked a few times, he clearly saw Twilight looking down on him, who seemed concerned about him as she barked and whined to him as if she was asking him to wake up.

"T-Twilight?" He groaned as he slowly got up from the ground, only to stop when he felt a sharp pain on his head. This caused him to rub his head to ease it. "Ow... What the heck happened back there?"

He then looked around his surroundings and then himself, which revealed that he was covered in dirt and some bruises. After a few seconds of confusion, his eyes widened in realization "Oh, right. I remember. Damn, I should have taken Josh's advice more seriously, huh?"

The Disaster Pokemon growled in annoyance as she was now glaring at the contract worker. The last thing he recalled was that he was in a mock race where Josh easily overtook him with his Jolteon. But the last thing he recalled that he fell when Twilight tried to pass through the curves and he ended up falling from her back as a result of it. He sheepishly chuckled after remembering to the worried Absol before he dusted his clothes and slowly stood up with her help as he sighed.

"I'm guessing we should meet up with Josh right now. He should be at the gate by now."

But just as he tried to ride on Twilight's back, he heard a howl not far away from where they were. Her eyes widened upon hearing before she turned to Armand with her eyes narrowed.

"I'm guessing I'm not the only one, huh?" Despite he was struggling to get back on Twilight's back due to his fall, he managed to do so and gripped on the reins as she watched in worry. "Don't worry, I-I can still okay. Come on, we better get to the gate, quick."

He then let Twilight took him to his destination as fast as she could. Thankfully, they were able to make it under an hour as Armand gasped to see Josh and his Blinky, who seemed to be exhausted as they sat next to the road near the gate.

"Josh!" He called out as Twilight stopped to her trainer, which Armand dismounted himself from her. But as he did, he groaned in pain as he walked up to the racer. "O-Ow... Ow... Are you two alright?"

He shook Josh's shoulder in an attempt to wake him up from his dizziness. If he did, he would see the bruises around Armand's face that he inflicted from his fall earlier.

Word Count: 452

Post Count: 17

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: Yeah. He's going to be stuck at the infirmary before he can go back to Birch City.

[Josh Devlin]

Blinky's howling had worked - Twilight and Armand had met back up with the two. The Jolteon was still sitting, trying to relax her paws as much as possible. By the time the two trainers had met up again, her front ones were particularly red, easily visible to Armand if he looked down toward her. She would need to be examined at a Pokémon Center, perhaps even stay longer than the standard one hour to get the swelling down.

"I...I...I'll be okay," Josh slowly answered, his swaying, hung-down head slowly becoming more stable. "Just need...a minute or two." He looked up to see how banged up the delivery boy was. All the scratches and scrapes on him were really long and faced the same direction - it looked like they were caused by tumbling along the ground from a high speed crash. He wanted to scold his new friend for his recklessness in riding full speed on such a fast Pokémon with what little experience he had, but he was in no shape to do that.

After ten more minutes, Josh was able to stand back up and even slowly walk. Blinky let out another loud, pained cry as she tried to stand back up, but could not - the friction burns still hurt far too much. "How about we go to the closest Pokémon Center and let them look at Blinky? I think she tried to brake too hard and burned her paws. We can sort all this out when we get there. Oh, I can show you the race when we get there." He recalled the electric-type, leaving a head-shaking Twilight out of her Poké Ball to walk alongside the two. The white Pokémon shook her head. How did she get stuck with this idiot of a trainer, anyway?

---

Armand Leclair

{WC: 305}
{PC: 18}

[Armand Leclair]

As soon as he saw Josh opened his eyes, Armand sighed in relief. At least he was in a better state than him. However, he knew from his bruises and wounds from his fall would be enough to give Josh a clue on what happened to him even if he tried to hide it. Regardless, he then stared at the gate that would lead them into Pine Town as Josh suggested they should stop by at the Pokemon Center to check on his Jolteon.

"Good idea. Plus, I need to check myself in the infirmary to see how much damage I took back there. You can call me out after we finished our check-ups."

While he knew he could not escape from Josh's incoming scoldings from his early blunder with his Disaster Pokemon, he did have fun riding one of Josh's racing Pokemon. What was surprising was that he didn't lose control of his powers when interacting with the racer despite his accident, he never thought he would meet someone that made him lose his cold exterior. In any case, he has a feeling he won't let him ride on Twilight ever again after that crazy incident, but he knew he made it to his destination on time thanks to Josh.

Word Count: 211

Post Count: 18

Tags: Josh Devlin

Note: Thread finished! I had fun writing this thread with you, Raikou.

[Jenesis]

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Josh Devlin & Armand Leclair

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