It came to no surprise that a strange would appear wide-eyed next to Mauville's Gym Leader. After all, to those who didn't know him, the Pokémon that were at his side could have come off as quite scary-looking. "Kovu, please!" Josh snapped toward the youngest of his three Pyroar, who was snarling at the lady around his age. At his trainer's command, the big cat became calm once more, Simba feeling bad for the female. He would walk up to Giada and nuzzle her gently if she allowed it.

"It's okay!" Josh reassured her, smiling as his eyes shifted across Littleroot from the town's outskirts. "The town looks almost brand new now. Almost like Meteno never happened," he mused before introducing himself, the two Pyroar next to him, and the Shiny one he was riding on. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but you can call me Josh. These three are Aslan," he gently pat the back of the Shiny Pyroar's head, "Simba, and Kovu," he gestured toward the two males at his sides. All three were outritted with saddles meant to stabilize riders as much as possible.

"I was just letting my Gym's Pyroar go for a run outside the Racing Grounds," Josh continued. "What's your name, and what brings you out here, if I may ask?"

Giada's smile didn't go unnoticed; it was clear she had taken an interest in Josh's little pride he had going. As she pet Simba, she may have been able to feel the rumble of his low-pitched purr. "Not as much as you think," Josh made a presumptuous speculation. "Provided, of course, Rocket doesn't come back again. But after the spanking we gave them, I don't think it will be for a while."

"Great to meet you, Giada," Josh answered, reaching down toward her to offer her a handshake while staying astride the golden lion. Aslan seemed genuinely interested in her after she returned the love, sitting down next to her and beckoning her to hop on. "Other than checking on Littleroot's development, I was here mostly to look for new Pokémon recruits for Mauville Racing Grounds. I keep my other Pokémon there instead of stored away in the Cloud."

Josh's eyes shifted toward Aslan, who was awkwardly sitting next to her. "Aslan, relax," he gently chided the fire-type. "Not everyone is born in the saddle like I am." He turned his attention back to Giada. "Sorry about that, Giada. He just really loves to run, and especially sharing with people his love of it. There's a trail I want to follow northwest of town. You game?"