The fairly empty Route 119 was a wonderful place for Josh to practice with Raikiri. The thundercat proved almost as difficult to control as the Raikou-familiar he once rode. To Josh, this Zeraora may as well have been Raikou. While the Beast's EXTREME SPEED was the fastest any land Pokémon could get, this feline's QUICK ATTACK chains could still propel the duo to vomit-inducing speeds. That wasn't what Josh was there to train for, though; he was there to work on harsh turns with the Zeraora.

As the Pokémon slid to an abrupt stop to perform an about face, the racer saw a sign instructing him to call for Drake. Wait, was this Julia Davis 's Secret Base? Drake was the Pokémon she rode in the Silph Cup opener! What a privilege to be able to ride a race-trained Salamence! He whistled for the Pokémon, who was quick to scoop him aboard and dizzyingly DRAGON DANCED with the Gym Leader in the saddle. "Whoo-hooooo!" Josh cried at the dance's peak g-force before the flying Pokémon let him off.

Beyond the treehouse's back door was a clearing with a soccer goal on one side, the cadet Ranger's Lucario beckoning Josh to challenge him to a shootout. While he had played soccer when he was a child, Josh was a defender, not a forward. It showed in his technique; while his legs were strong, their strength was geared for riding, not kicking a ball. Spot didn't even need to harness his Aura to block all five of Josh's shots. The two switched places, Spot ending the shootout with a single shot that flew between the young man's hands at great speed. After the match, Spot rewarded Josh with the base's flag.

Before he took off, Josh grabbed one of the sports drinks from the mini-fridge to cool down and observe some of Julia's Pokémon. Wait, she had a Tyrunt? He'd have to teach her how to ride the dinosaur after she evolved...

Was El supposed to be playing soccer, when they had a bad leg?

Maybe not.

Did they want to do it anyways?

Definitely yes.

Was it a source of concern for Spot and Bibidi alike?

Probably.

But it wasn't as if they were just completely forgoing their usual safeties. They had their knee brace on, they had their cane - and Bibidi was using her Telekinesis to help keep them steady as they lined up a shot at the net that Spot was guarding. Surely, as long as they were careful to not overdo it, everything would be fine!

Something flickered across Spot's eyes - something akin to recognition, not that El could identify the source of it - as they found their place at the ball. They'd give a couple of cursory swings at the air with their leg - testing whether their bad leg could handle it, with the added stability of Bibidi essentially wrapping telekinetic energy around their waist - before smiling over to the lucario. "Ready?"

The first kick was a bit of an awkward one, seeing as they were rusty. It didn't help that their knee definitely ached, at having to handle their shifting weight as they swung at the ball with their good leg. But, it nonetheless went rolling and bouncing in the direction of the net - upon which Spot was able to easily stop it.

The second kick was steadier, managing to send the ball flying a bit as El laughed with sheer enjoyment. Even as Spot once more caught it - actually having to move for this one - they were having an absolute blast of it, getting to actually do something sportsy. Even Bibidi couldn't help but find the joy contagious, a gentle smile crossing her expression as she watched her charge have fun.

But then, an admittedly silly idea occurred to El. Given how much the lucario seemed to be using his aura sight to anticipate where they were going to aim... What would happen, if even they didn't know where they were aiming? Closing their eyes shut, they'd begin to twirl about with Bibidi's help - using their cane as a pivot. They would spin until they had no clue where they were going or where they were aiming - which would surely look ridiculous to Spot... But if it worked, then it'd worked!

With one more revolution around the cane though, El would manage to swing their leg into the soccer ball - sending it flying Arceus-knows-where. Laughing, even as they staggered in coming to a stop - prompting Bibidi to catch them by their hips to steady them. And upon opening their eyes, they'd see the ball sail through the air, a startled Spot having to scramble a bit harder than usual to actually move for it...

... Before the ball smacked against the railing, bouncing onto the ground and rolling a short distance away.

"I guess there's one reason to not kick blind," El mused with a soft laugh - scratching the back of their head.

But thankfully, it seemed that the effort put into it impressed Spot enough to give them a passing grade - retrieving a flag from the underbrush for them. Even as they accepted it though, there was one thing on El's mind as they smiled back to the lucario.

"Can we go again?"