Josh was responsible for running an attraction of his own, the masses of Mauville taking the opportunity to meet their noble, if a bit rash, Leader. It was fun seeing riders of all ages, from children to retired folks, grace the backs of his Gym's Pokémon. While he didn't have Raikiri as part of the ride, he had plenty of other Pokémon with a powerful gallop that served as its climax. Even his Manectric would be there, children fighting over the opportunity to take a seat on the back of the mascot of Mauville Racing Grounds.

That was for later today, though. For now, he would enjoy some of the other attractions the carnival had to offer. He was planning on hitting up the Legendary Pokémon carousel when it became less busy. For now, though, the time attack at the House of Mirrors had refreshed, its maze layout changed. As he waited his turn, Toralf, his recently-captured Raichu, was at his side. The electric rodent was a massive specimen - roughly the same proportion as all his Gym's Eeveelutions were. The saddle on Toralf had a raised front end to accommodate the unusual mount's shape, and it covered most of its back. While many Pokémon wore reins strictly for control, the Raichu's were also there to support the rider; it would be uncomfortable to hold on without having them in one's hand.

"Oh, Mr. Dragomir!" Josh chirped, opening his arms to give the older Josh a hug if he so desired. "Long time! You and Lightning are looking great! Toralf here is my newest Gym Pokémon," he introduced the golden yellow Pokémon, who waved a paw toward Lightning.

[attr="class","dragomirpt"]

He wasn't exactly expecting a hug from the kid, but he didn't object, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. But was that... A Raichu? It seemed the kid had taken a cue from him, or perhaps just caught it on a whim. The Pikachu line was known for being speedy after all, albeit not exactly apt for riding. Although this one was... Well, quite frankly, it was probably three times the size of Lightning. Josh stared at the thing with a mix of bewilderment and wonder, unable to fathom just how big that chonker was. Lightning meanwhile, didn't like that it had been outstaged by the monster Raichu, but kept its cool.
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"Dad! Dad! His Lightning is really big!" Zack cried out, breaking from his father to careen straight into the giant chonker with a saddle on its back. Raichu wasn't normally meant to be ridden, and yet... Here we are.
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"I'm already being called dad instead of daddy, god I feel old" he muttered before turning his attention to Small Josh. "Your Raichu is certainly... Unique" Josh admitted at that, wondering just how much tugging strength this thing must have. He had an idea of Lightning's strength levels, but he'd never even heard of a Raichu this size. "What have you been feeding him?"
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Josh Devlin

It was less Josh caught Toralf on a whim and more that he wanted it for his Gym. The young man had seen some incredibly unusual ride Pokémon brought to his Gym. He had once been caught off guard by a young girl who had brought a Delcatty to his racing challenge. That adorable Normal-type could run! He remembered Lightning being a lot bigger than that, though. Was Josh's memory really that off, not having seen the RaiCorp executive in months?

Toralf gently played with Zack, the electric rodent just as playful and as well-behaved as most of the rest of the Leader's Pokémon. They had to be well-behaved, otherwise riding on them would be too risky! "It's less about what I've been feeding him and more about... what's been happening in Hoenn recently. While no causality has been proven yet, there's been a correlation between Space-Time Distortions showing up and really big Pokémon like Toralf here showing up," he explained, having first-hand experience inside the Distortions. "It's not just him - I've got a bunch of really big Pokémon like him. Remember Blinky, my Jolteon? Well, she's got seven cousins her size now, and they're an important part of the Gym now!"

Their time inside the House of Mirrors was about to come. "So," he turned to Big Josh, "they've got a daily time attack to navigate from one entrance of the House of Mirrors to the other, and they change it up every day. You interested?" he asked, though he doubted the Ranger would take his offer. "I'd like to get on top of the leaderboard just once. I'd like to say I have the lower body strength to do it, but that's not all there is to it."

[attr="class","dragomirpt"]

He had... Many more? From the rifts, apparently. "I've been in one, it changed my Arcanine, the one you saw at the gym" he brought up at that, but it was still bewildering to think that he'd caught a bunch of Eevee lined Pokemon of the same size. That was just... Well, bizarre, quite frankly. "It seems I'll have to investigate these rifts more when I get an opportunity. At the least to update the HoloWatch's database."
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He kept a careful eye on Toralf, not out of distrust but out of protectiveness, as Zack practically buried himself in the large creature's fur. It wasn't that Lightning was small, either. But Toralf was just so damn massive, while Lightning was born normally, outside of the rifts.
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With that, Small Josh offered for them to head into the House Of Mirrors and try to beat the time attack. "We were thinking of going for the ring toss, but I don't mind giving the mirror house a go" he responded at that. Though he then looked to the Raichu and Zack. "Just keep in mind that I have a child with me, I may not be able to keep up with your speed this time either" he remarked with a small smile. "You'll understand when you're older, and have children of your own."
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Josh Devlin

"That was how Craggro came to his current form, too," the Gym Leader added. He needed to get the Arcanine some more exercise later, considering the frequency of their show. Letting carnival-goers ride on his back for hours on end was tiring, but it was good for him to shed those pounds. "Every time I hear about a Distortion, I try to make it before it vanishes. You never know what you'll find there. My dream is to find a Ninjask that's Toralf's size."

Josh's eyes shifted toward Zack's antics. "If Zack wants to try riding Toralf, he can," he said aloud before whispering to the businessman, "though he won't run without my command. You won't have to worry about a thing." Raising his voice again, he stepped back. "Could keep the little one entertained during our little time attack."

Regardless of arrangements, Josh would nod at going to the ring toss. "That's not a bad idea after the house of mirrors." He brushed off the comment about having children; he would likely be raising an adopted child when the time came. "Not just that, but the body does wear down over time. I doubt I'll be able to run Mauville Gym as it is once I get to be over 45 or so. You have to be pretty athletic to win at the racing challenge, after all." Once they had signed up and the flag dropped, Josh took off into the maze, taking full advantage of his helmet's Vision to run a timer.

[attr="class","dragomirpt"]

"I've been in one or two, but haven't investigated much. My duties to RaiCorp and to the Rangers keep me busy" Josh admitted softly at that. "I'll have to make time."
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Though his eyes widened when Small Josh asked if maybe Zack could ride the giant Raichu to help them keep up. Josh scratched his head, unsure of if that would be safe. That'd be quite the rodeo, wouldn't it, if that Raichu was trying to pass the time attack? If he wanted that, he'd have just taken Zack to the actual attraction. But Josh looked to Zack and the giant Raichu, then back to Josh. "If you're sure it's safe" he remarked, once Small Josh assured him that the Raichu wouldn't run without his command. They were trying to win a time attack, after all. But then it was Josh's turn to lower his voice.
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"I trust you. But if Zack gets hurt, you'll be hurting a lot worse than he is."
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His tone was completely and unflinchingly calm, but he spoke it while looking the younger Josh dead in the eyes. With a look that made it clear he was very much serious. This would be a new side that the younger one would see, and a glimpse at the viewpoint of a parent. Josh was very protective of his children, terrifyingly so. He did not look away, he did not cease to meet his eyes for several moments more. He just stared, calm, listless, as if staring into his soul, to ensure he got the point.
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With that, they were off. While Josh didn't move as quickly as the other Josh, not wanting to let Zack (aboard the bigger Raichu) or Lightning out of his sight, but he moved as quickly as he was able to.
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Josh Devlin

"That would do it," Josh acknowledged. "Mauville Racing Grounds occupies quite a bit of my time. Thankfully, Ranger duties often coincide with the distortions. They've got me doing work in the rifts, too, which I don't care for quite as much. Even with a Sygna Suit, it's rough out there." He smirked at the thought. "Who knows? Maybe you'll find a Raichu that's Toralf's size. Might be a fun Pokémon to return to the Racing Grounds with," he winked.

With that, Josh led the way through the maze, Toralf respecting the older Josh's wishes and remaining fairly close to him. The Raichu's saddle had a more raised arch than normal to accommodate a running stroke that was a bit bouncier than an equine's. While the rodent's back didn't flex as much as a big cat's, it may have been enough to get a rise out of Zack if he enjoyed the thrill of being on a Pokémon.

He crossed the finish line in just over a minute, which was nowhere close to the daily leaders; a pair of navigation mistakes cost him too much time to be competitive. "I'll have to try again tomorrow," Josh said with a hint of a pout. "You said you wanted to go to the ring toss game? I'd be down. Toralf!" The Raichu responded to Josh's call and let Zack down, the Gym Leader taking his place on the electric rodent's seat. The businessman could get a good look at how an adult looked on the Pokémon's back on the way there.

[attr="class","dragomirpt"]

"Alright... Let's-a-go."
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Small Josh shot right ahead while the bigger Raichu stuck with them, abiding by his wishes and making sure its Trainer didn't get thrown into one of these mirrors. There were a lot of mirrors, and they made funny shapes, all of which made Zack laugh harder than ever as he continued bouncing atop the Raichu. Josh watched Zack carefully like he had eyes in the back of his head, but the kid didn't seem in danger of falling off at least.
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Small Josh moved fast, but didn't get the time he wanted. He almost felt a little guilty for slowing him down. "Well, maybe you two will get it next time" he tried to encourage him, motioning for him to lead the way to ring toss if he liked.
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Josh Devlin

Josh's smile grew as Zack seemed to have the time of his life on Toralf's back. "Have you thought about bringing Zack to Mauville Gym? If he loves riding Toralf, he'd be in heaven there." He wondered if the older Josh would want to give it a try if offered. He doubted it, considering how close he was to Lightning, and being on a Pokémon's back likely didn't have the same meaning it did to the Gym Leader.

"It's tough," Josh replied. "Though there is a lot of skill and physical ability, there's also a fair bit of luck, given how the maze changes every day. A lucky turn can make a difference between a good time and a great time." His efforts at the hall of mirrors fruitless, Josh and the giant Raichu led the way to the ring toss field. He slid off his mount and presented the attendant with the requisite Funtasia tokens to play. "You want to go before I do?"