One thing Josh was responsible for as Mauville City's Gym Leader was routine inspections of the New Mauville Power Plant. The inspections were not frequent, but they were time-consuming enough for him to have restricted hours at his Gym on the days the inspection was to take place. A healthy population of electric Pokémon was needed to power the generators, yet too many of them could cause a power failure. Ultimately, it was his job to detect problems in the underground power system and make sure those who had expertise could diagnose and fix the problems he found.

South of the city awaited the Gym Leader's partner, who was leaned up against an Onix's crown. The snake reminded him of the damage he had to have repaired thanks to the Onix and Steelix he had allowed into the Silph Cup. The two species, along with several others capable of casually altering the track's landscape, were quickly and summarily forbidden from participation in Josh's racing competitions.

"Sweet ride you've got there, Maiyra!" Josh waved from the back of his Jolteon, which looked like it was the size of one of the Alphas that came out of a Space-Time Distortion. Several other saddle-wearing, reined-up electric Pokémon ran behind Blinky, including a Manectric, shiny Luxray, Boltund, and Zebstrika, all of which were around the same size as one another despite what a Pokédex inclined oe to believe. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but I go by Josh. I'm sure you and Tailpipe will do great work down there. This is Blinky," he gently pat the Jolteon with his racing glove on as to not stab his hand in her quills. "The others are Saber, Blitz, Raiden, and Crash. They're some of my best Gym Pokémon."

Tailpipe kept a steady eye over the various pokemon- he kept himself low, mostly just in case the new person and his pokemon's disposition changed. Maiyra on the other hand, kept it level "Thank you- He's been with me since I was a kid. He doesn't get out as much as I'd like though, since Mauville's a little cramped for him. I try and get out as much as I can, but I don't have the space at home for him to just- hang out, yeah know?" Tailpipe would give her a light nudge, barely enough to move her though.

She would thumb towards the entrance of New Mauville "Should we get started, than?" if he agreed, she would begin making her way towards on foot. Tailpipe slithering to her right, she would look back at Blinky "by the way are Jolteon supposed to get that big? I don't know too much about most pokemon if they aren't steel-adjacent if I'm being honest with you" she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment- That may have been due to her own upbringing and interests, but still- maybe not the best lead into a mission involving plenty of pokemon that might not be part steel type.

"Oh, should probably add-" she began, before reaching into her pockets, revealing a handful of other pokeballs "-I have more pokemon, but Tailpipe is the best fighter I got. If Radiator or Axel show up, I'm running low." as she placed the pokeballs away, she would notice the first cluster of Magnemite to scare off. "Tailpipe, mind shouting them off?" without a second thought, the titanabolder would slither a few feet forward "You all may want to cover your ears" she noted, sliding in some ear plugs before a sharp Screech blasted out from Tailpipes maw, scaring off a few of them, leaving the rest ready to fight

It seemed Tailpipe was a very special Pokémon to Maiyra. "That's what Saber is to me. He was the first Pokémon I got when I was ten. I still remember when he was an Electrike. He was such a handful!" The Manectric let out a bark to get Maiyra's attention. "It's one of the reasons I don't allow Onix or Steelix at my Gym's racing challenge. It's too much work for the maintenance crew," he laughed, Saber remembering all too well the damage Kaida Adachi and Elinor Anderson caused during the big Pokémon race at his Gym last year.

It seemed Maiyra knew exactly where the large, underground entrance to New Mauville was. As the two entered, the common question of Blinky's size came up. "Oh, nowhere close to this size!" he laughed, the Jolteon barking a crackled cry of her own. "These are as big as they can be bred. Paid a breeder a small fortune for her, but she's got the highest speed out of any sustained Pokémon I've got! There's even a race course down in New Mauville if you want to see how fast she can run!" It seemed every trainer had their own speciality. Maiyra loved steel-types. "I don't catch a Pokémon if I can't ride it. That's what's so amazing about raising Pokémon: there truly is something for anyone."

When warned, Josh would cover his ears, his team of electric Pokémon backing away from the Onix in anticipation of it using a Ground-type move. Instead, the titanic Pokémon loosed a grating Screech that dispersed one cluster of Magnemite. The few stragglers that remained were mere annoyances to Raiden, the Zebstrika wreathing himself in the heat of FLAME CHARGE to run over and short-circuit the few remaining Magnemite. The wilds' futile electric attacks only caused Raiden's MOTOR DRIVE to further accelerate him. It put Josh's expertise as a Pokémon racer on full display. "You're welcome to ride alongside me if you want!" The offer may have instead spooked Maiyra after seeing the potent burst of speed Raiden displayed.

The bark did get Maiyra's attention, it shook her a bit since she wasn't expecting it, but she gathered herself, and gave the big dog a scritch behind where she assumed his ear would be. "That's fair" she would begin, giving Tailpipe his own pat "Onix are known to burrow through stone at 50 miles per hour looking for food. I don't think there's many materials that can handle that, or even the stronger Steelix very well. I remember when Tailpipe was young, he was a handful. I had to have my dads Steelix AND Bronzong around while we got to know each other, since he was a little reckless and didn't realize his full size" The large snake didn't make eye contact, though he did look like the definition of guilty as charged.

"Yeah, seeing how fast Blinky could go sounds cool, let's find it and go for it." She would reply, giving a thumbs up. She was absolutely excited to see how fast it could go- she assumed electric types were fast, based on how many he had. "I've been around steel pokemon since I was little, which is where my love for them comes from. With all the types of pokemon out there, I'd be surprised if there was a pokemon that someone didn't like."

Maiyra watched in awe as the Zebstrika's flames decimated the remainder of the Magnemite. Maybe she should check out the gym more when battles are happening? Was she even allowed to watch? She had no idea, if she was honest. Either way, it was impressive just how efficient he was at clearing out the Magnemite. She wondered if Tailpipe could beat it? She considered asking for a battle later, but in reality she probably couldn't beat it.

"I'd love to give riding one of your pokemon a chance!" she replied, looking the most excited since they started the mission. She wasn't a super energetic person by nature, but the ability to ride a pokemon that wasn't Tailpipe was something that hasn't come up in her life to this point. She glanced at Josh's pokemon, before asking "Would any of you allow for me to ride with you?"

Though the Manectric appreciated scratches behind the tall, yellow tuft of fur covering his ears, he wasn't so sure how much Maiyra would appreciate the mild to moderate shock she would get. "Gotta be careful around electric Pokémon!" Josh cautioned. "I'm used to it, but especially in the winter when it's dry, you can get bad shocks from touching them the wrong way." He nodded at what would normally be a surprising statistic about Onix and Steelix. "Yep, they're really fast! If they weren't so destructive just by moving, they would be great for racing."

As Raiden charged through another small swarm of Magnemite that were siphoning just a bit too much energy off New Mauville's power grid, Josh pointed them in the direction of te underground course. "It's pretty far away, but one of my Pokémon can get you there quickly!" At Maiyra's request, Blitz, Josh's shiny Luxray, slinked toward Maiyra, attempting to give her a nuzzle. If she allowed it, she may have been able to feel the rumbling of a powerful purr, much like the rattle of a running motorcycle engine. "Blitz, my Luxray, is reliable, but might be a bit of a rough ride if you're not used to being on a big cat. Their backs really flex, especially when they're going fast. They're so rewarding to be on, though! You won't find many land Pokémon faster than big cats." Though Blitz's species were hunters, they could be trained for use as mounts, though their range wasn't nearly as far as an equine's, for instance.

The shock was very surprising, to say the least. She wasn't hurt thankfully, but the pinpricks in her hand were certainly a good deterrent from doing it wrong again. "Good to know. I've gotten some bad shocks from a car battery once or twice, but it's never been a pleasant experience." She would make sure to give Saber a smile, to let him know she was ok.

Tailpipe would sing his tail, bowling over another cluster of Magnemites, some trying to electrocute him but to no avail. As Blitz nuzzled into her, she made sure to be more careful while giving him pats, though still getting a small jolt. She didn't think to bring her work gloves with her, which looked to be to her detriment since she couldn't give the big cat and dog pets without getting shocked. "I'll keep that in mind- any tips for staying balanced?" she would ask, before returning Tailpipe to his Heavy Ball, since she didn't want him to level half of New Mauville in an attempt to keep up with the swift electric types.

With permission from the Cat, she would attempt to climb onto his back. It was far from graceful, but she eventually figured it out. It looked like a kid, struggling to get onto a bike for the first time in their life. Once one, she gave the cat another pat, though she wasn't sure where to hold onto at first. She was very much so out of her depth in this, though she wanted to try this out."Do I grab his mane?" she asked, though didn't since she didn't want to feel a real shock from the yellow Luxray.

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Josh Devlin
WC Total: 1261
WC this post:281

Nickname	Species	Status
Tailpipe	Onix	Healthy
Muffler	Cufant	Healthy
Brake	Aron	Healthy
Suspension	Beldum	Healthy
Radiator	Piplup	Healthy
Axel	Rookidee	Healthy

"No amount of experience being around electric Pokémon would make that experience pleasant," Josh added, speaking from experience. "I've had to get used to it. Electric-types are my favorites because of how fast they generally are. I have one of every common electric ride Pokémon at my Gym, and you're looking at almost all of them! I didn't think Illumina, my Lanturn, would like it here, though." He was also missing a Vikavolt and a Kilowattrel, but he didn't know about the existence of those species quite yet.

"Your posture looks good, but you might want to lean just a tad lower if you have him run. That way the wind isn't blasting you in the face," Josh advised as he and his squad of saddled electric Pokémon turned toward the indoor race course in the distance, Raiden charging toward an Electivire siphoning off New Mauville's power grid. The Electivire was none too happy and stood its ground, outmuscling the charge with a SUPERPOWER. Ultimately the equine was able to chase the wild off, but he was looking worse for wear.

"Nope, you actually hold his reins! See how they're hooked to the end of his saddle?" the racer pointed out. "That's the easiest way to control him. Hold them with both your hands, then pull in one direction to get him to turn. You can increase or decrease your leg pressure to control his speed. That's all the basics to riding a Pokémon! There truly is nothing like traveling on one. It's so... liberating."

After a bit of a jaunt of what Josh would presume was Maiyra getting used to the Luxray, they had arrived at the ovaloid course, a persistent electrical hum coming from its surface at the top of a spiraling ramp. "This is New Mauville's Mobius Ring. It's a unique course in that only Electric and Steel-type Pokémon can race on it. You see that twist?" he pointed to a location where the metallic surface twisted 180 degrees counterclockwise. "That's why it's called Mobius Ring, because the course is in the shape of a Mobius Ring. The whole surface simulates the effects of Magnet Rise!"

Maiyra would nod along as he noted how he likes electric types due to how fast they are, and having most common electric ride pokemon, though she would ask "What's a Lanturn? I've never heard of that one before." though to be fair, a lot of the pokemon here today were new to her. She assumed it was one that didn't like indoor buildings, but she could easily be wrong on that front. It could just be too big for all she knew- though that would mean it was bigger than Tailpipe, which would mean probably too big for the gym.

She made sure to lean forward, though she didn't lean far enough to prevent her hair from becoming a tornado of a mess. Even if they were taking their time, she was still scared to fall off the large cat, and while she tried her best not to pull to hard, it would happen every so often, resulting in a shock. Once they arrived, she hopped off and exclaimed "That was VERY different than riding Tailpipe- sorry Blitz" she would note, sitting on the ground for a moment longer than needed, before standing up properly.

Maiyra made sure to bring Tailpipe back out- they still had a job to do, and with a swift Iron Tail, an Electrode was send bouncing down a hallway- but she was hooked on the thought that Steel types were one of the two types that could race here. "I actually have a pokemon who might want to try it out, though she's not fast at all" and with a flick of her wrist, a Cufant would appear from her pokeball. "This is Muffler. She's still young, but I think she would be- MUFFLER COME BACK!" before her idea had finished, the young elephant was already waddling towards a large machine with several dozen dials and a few levers.

Thankfully, Tailpipe made sure to block her off of the important-looking machine. "..as I was saying, I think if not fast, she might enjoy trying out the Mobius Ring, but she's not strong enough- or equipped- to carry me. actually, does she need to be going fast to hang upside down?" Her train of thought didn't even account for her little friend's base speed. regardless, Muffler would make her way over to Blitz, and let out a trumpet-like doot towards the Cat.

Josh pulled up a photo of Illumina on his phone. "This is Illumina, my Lanturn," he shared it with Maiyra either physically or by sending it to her device if she would allow him to do so. "They're the only Water-type and Electric-type Pokémon out there, and they're essential for doing any sort of after-dark marine operation. She's not one my fastest water Pokémon, but she's part of one of my signature Doubles teams at my Gym. One of my favorite tactics to see challengers overcome is her and Blinky using Discharge over and over. Not only do they create giant electric bombs that can strike entire teams if well-positioned, but they can also absorb each others' electricity and keep themselves healthy."

Josh at first looked a bit concerned for Maiyra after she stumbled off Blitz's back, but it seemed she would be okay after sittig down for a few minutes. "Yep, like I said, Luxray's back flexes a lot. They're apex predators, after all. They're built for hunting, not for riding. But if you can get used to it and train them to run with a rider in mind, they're really rewarding. A saddle helps a lot, too; it keeps you a lot more stable than without one." Of course, he wasn't referring to one for equines; big cats wore special saddles designed to absorb as much of the power of their flexing backs as possible. It was still a bumpy ride, but without one, it would feel like the feline was trying to buck its rider off.

When Maiyra brought up Muffler's lack of speed, Josh frowned. "Yep, there is a minimum speed needed for the magnetism to work. Maybe you'll have an easier time with Saber, my Manectric? His run is a lot more stable than a cat's and almost as fast."