Josh had just finished visiting his friend Shalin at her home inside a large, hollowed tree in the northwest corner of Petalburg Woods. He still didn't understand how she could live with just a cell phone, charged by her electric Pokémon, and with no modern amenities. Some truly were more comfortable in the wild than in the city! He got to meet some of the girl's more exotic Pokémon, taking pictures to show his colleagues back at Mauville's Gym. Perhaps he would warm up to the idea of befriending some of his friend's truly bizarre choices of Pokémon for himself?

Kamuy the Umbreon was fired up after having unleashed her strength on an overeager Shalin, having successfully wrenched the wild child off his back. It was an accomplishment the dark-type was proud of; she was one tough girl with an iron grip on the fur of many different kinds of Pokémon! "Careful, Kamuy!" Josh chided his mount, whose running stroke was unusually forceful. Perhaps he was still calming down from the high of overcoming the self-proclaimed Wildest Rider this side of Hoenn.

Just as the Umbreon passed onto the main road, he caught sight of a familiar face, @wolfheart . "Oh, there you are! Sorry I missed you!" Josh apologized. "I have a friend who lives out here and she kept me longer than I thought." Kamuy's yellow rings pulsed brightly to greet the Pangoro and trainer.

@wolfheart took off running at the sight of the Eeveelutions. Highly unusual behavior for a Ranger, known for their bravery to hop into just about any situation in the wilds and find a solution. Were Josh's six tall Pokémon normal-sized, he would have almost certainly received a less adverse reaction. "Sure, Alpha Pokémon are scary, but they shed their Alpha status when captured, and are just big for their species," Josh mumbled. "I don't get what's so scary about that. They're Pokémon, when it comes down to it."

Josh failed to notice that his other five saddled Eeveelutions were completely blocking the road, and there was a panicked, fleeing Wooloo charging at them full speed ahead. It was only Kamuy's eyesight, followed by a bellow from the Umbreon, that caught his attention. "Look out!"

It became apparent that the Wooloo the Elite Ranger and his Pokémon were observing was trained, and closing in on them fast! If it didn't slow down, it was going to crash into them! "Janus, PSYCHIC!" Josh commanded, turning Kamuy to face the action. "Slow that Wooloo down as gently as you can!" The saddle-wearing Espeon's tail glowed with a paranormal purple-pink color, attempting to use a greatly-restrained version of the psychic-type attack to prevent a high speed crash.

That all six of them wore saddle, bit, and bridle was obvious evidence that the posse were owned by the Ranger astride the Umbreon. "This Wooloo yours?" Josh asked the stranger. the rest of his squad approaching to make sure she was okay.

The plan worked! Josh's quick thinking saved the trainer's Wooloo from a nasty collision with Pinky, the Sylveon crying with a low-pitched coo that could have come off as alien-sounding if Jack was used to normal-sized Sylveon. "Your Wooloo is fast! I've never seen anyone try to race with a Dubwool, but she could very well be the first if you wanted her to be!"

Useless? No Pokémon was useless. It was just a matter of finding a niche for it in one's career path. "Did you catch both of them recently? It's just a matter of finding out what they want to get out of you being their trainer," the Gym Leader suggested. Though he was identifiable by his blue Ranger badge, he felt the need to introduce himself still. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but I go by Josh. Janus is the Pokémon that helped save your Wooloo, and this is Kamuy," he gently pat the Umbreon's head. "So what brings you out here?"

As soon as Lis was in Jack's hands, Janus released his psychic hold on the her, giving her full motor control other than what her trainer's physical hold limited her to. "Difficult personalities, I see." Josh started to relate Jack's tale to one of his own. "Reminds me of several of my own Pokémon. You see, Inky here," he gestured toward the Glaceon, "was hesitant to carry me on his back at first. If you know what your Pokémon want and act upon it, they'll return the favor."

Josh laughed at Jack's self-proclaimed title. "Makes my own title, the 'Master of Faster,' sound a lot less cheesy! I'm Mauville City's Gym Leader, and I used to be a semi-professional Pokémon racer. While Blinky here," he gestured toward the saddled Jolteon who looked ready to run, "is my fastest Pokémon, I routinely race all six of them. I dunno about you, but I'm really excited to see sports in general return to Hoenn in 2023!"

"If she just wants to run, then why not get her involved in the racing scene when she evolves?" Josh asked perhaps a bit too inquisitively. "It's all about finding what you and your Pokémon can work together at to achieve both your goals. If she's faster than a Yamper, she'll be really good at it." While he didn't voice it, there was nothing wrong with pampering a Pokémon! Josh, of course, had higher standards because he was a Gym Leader, but there was nothing wrong with giving a house Pokémon a little love!

"Yep!" Josh smiled with a chipper reply. "I converted Mauville Gym into a racing facility when I took over in September of last year. It accommodates land, water, and flying Pokémon." Mantine Surfing...that was a phrase he hadn't heard in a while. "Mantine Surfing actually came to Hoenn last summer. Slateport had a surfing contest. I didn't do too well in it; I prefer to be able to sit down when riding a Pokémon rather than standing on one. But everyone has their preference."

Josh reined his Umbreon toward the rest of his squad. "It was great talking to you, but I need to get back to my patrol route. Great to meet you, Jack! When your Yamper and Wooloo evolve, you should stop by my Gym in Mauville. I'm sure they'll love you for it."