Josh's statement was met with a lopsided grin. Fair enough, he definitely did pride himself at the speeds he and his pokemon were able to achieve. He called himself the master of faster but Sven had some faith that one day, he'd be the fastest. As the man explained the layout to his gym, the blonde gave a nod as to signal he understood. Part of him wondered which challenges were more popular, but he had a feeling races took that spot by miles. It was a unique experience to begin with, so why not try it firsthand? If Sven ever had the chance, he might partake Josh on a gym challenge someday in the future. But he needed larger pokemon than his first-stage evolutions that were predominant in his team.

He had no objections to suiting up, as it seemed the pair would take to the skies. While the helmet was more than easy to attach, getting cocooned up was a bit more difficult, as it was really his first time riding. Thankfully it seemed the staff was happy to help him, likely used to first-time riders. Once Sven was geared up and secure, he reached up and flashed Josh a thumbs up. He was relieved to see they'd go upward, as he loved the idea of an aerial view of the entire stadium.

It seemed Alphamax was pretty tame, as though fine with the idea of strangers riding. For extra measure, Sven wrapped his arms around the dragon's shoulders and took to the skies. Unfortunately it seemed the lift off took him by surprise at the sheer velocity the dragon held. Was he terrified? Absolutely not. The look of pure gusto on his face showed he was excited to see just what Alphamax could do.

"Ready when you are, cap'n!" he beamed with a salute.

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Josh Devlin

Once the Garchomp took to the skies, Sven couldn't help the scream that tore its way out of his throat. This wasn't fear, this wasn't danger, this was pure and utter gusto. So this is what it meant to go fast. He couldn't wipe clean the dumbfounded look upon his face, yet it beamed with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. The headgear helped tremendously, but he still felt the ringing of the sound of Alphamax's thrusters in his ears. It took him a moment to recover, but as Josh spoke, listening to the gym leader became almost second nature over the sound of the dragon in flight.

"Never would'a thought this place used to be a military base! Seems like an interesting take on Mauville, but does it represent the culture of the people? I think racing is a bit more on the nose. This place is a powerhouse and should be treated as such. There's something empowering about the freedom of the wind in your face as you take off. I can respect the idea you've got going with your gym."

The idea of Mauville felt like liberation. There was a freedom to it that Sven couldn't bring himself to find the words to describe. It was his home now, but this one was more secure. There was a safety net to it. That even if he fell, something would be there to catch him. This place was permanent to him. For a moment, his heart swelled with a sense of comfort. This was home. This was home.

From the skies, he watched some of the gym trainers do mock battles so they could properly prepare themselves for any oncoming challengers. The gym as a whole felt like a great place to start any sort of challenge. Perhaps in the future, he'd bring himself to go up against Josh's team of agile pokemon. But he knew that he had plenty of training to take part in. His team wasn't exactly ready to go up against the gym challenge, ergo he needed to turn his attention inward.

"So tell me, what brought you to take the position in Mauville? What made you want to be here and not somewhere else? Hoenn in itself is expansive. Surely this wasn't the only spot you decided on, right?"

Sure, he loved the history lesson that Josh provided, but surely there was bits of himself he could throw in? The ride together gave them the opportunity to get to know one another a little better, so why not use it?

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Josh Devlin

A minor league, huh? Easy to say he hadn't quite heard of the prospect, but it sounded promising in itself, in a way to see who was up to snuff to actually make change in the league itself. They needed to be able to find people who would be worthwhile to help guide new and veteran trainers alike into being something worthwhile. Not that they had to swear allegiance to the commissioner and her council, but rather trainers who were a symbol for good. Trainers who wished nothing more than to protect what they called home. Sometimes Sven pondered just exactly what home was to him. Maybe one day he'd find out. As he rested his chin against the top of Alphamax's head, he contemplated a bit. Though at the offer to swing by Josh's old gym, Sven seemed miles away when he answered.

"Oh yeah, sure."

It lacked the typical spark that his words were often laced with. Instead, he seemed to stare over the field of trainers below and let out a breath. They seemed to know what they wanted to do with themselves. How they wanted to guide their pokemon. More importantly, they had something they wanted to fight for. Whether it be this gym, Hoenn as a whole, or even simply for their own right to exist, they had a reason. As Sven finally lifted his head, he turned to look over at Josh and spoke in a way that showed his own sense of resolve.

"Hey Josh? I think I might be interested in the gym challenge. And I think one day, when I get my team trained up enough to take it on, I want to make Mauville my first hurdle. I want to discover what my purpose is in staying in Hoenn, and I feel like the best place to start would be here."

While it was fast paced, the non-traditional challenge was likely one of the most straightforward. The gym itself screamed the use of instinct, and maybe that bled through in the way Sven had blurted out his interest.

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Josh Devlin

It's not like he could outright lie and tell Josh that he had any sort of experience. All the blonde could do was shake his head no. It had actually been the first time he'd even managed to board a pokemon let alone ride it with such ease. A grin played upon his countenance as he blurted out the answer that came to mind.

"Nope! But really, it's just all a matter of instinct. You gotta trust the mount and the mount's gotta trust you, I guess."

But as Josh began to point out the varied sectors of his gym, Sven seemed intrigued. It seemed if he wanted a challenge with the gym, he'd have to acquire badges to some degree. But at the same time, he felt that starting off in Mauville was the perfect spot. He had some time to consider on what to do, given he hadn't quite buffed out his team, but he'd work on it. He mindlessly gave Alphamax a pat on the head as thanks for being so willing to follow him in the flight.

Josh had spent plenty of time talking about his gym, but there was one question that posed in Sven's mind heavily. It probably should have been the question he asked first, but it honestly slipped his mind. Once he had a moment of silence as not to interrupt Josh's explanation of the varied paths his gym's race tracks had to offer, the blonde finally spoke up and beared his question forthright.

"Y'know, I never bothered to ask. What made you want to become a gym leader anyway? I know the league has done some questionable things in the past, but people say it's all for the best. What made you trust them enough to become one of their figureheads in the gym challenges, I guess I want to ask?"

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Josh Devlin

As Josh shared what lead him to the present, Sven could only listen intently. He could certainly ascertain that Josh had quite the admiration for Raikou, perhaps an admiration that bordered on obsession. Sven bit his bottom lip as he pondered on just what to say to fill the silence. There was nothing that came. If anything, the fact he'd heard rumors of Raikou's passing at the hands of Rocket flooded his mind. No, he couldn't quite bring that up. It would be a slap in the face to the hospitality that Josh had so kindly showed him through his sharing of not only his gym, but what laid within his own heart -- his dedication to Hoenn as a whole.

Rocket laced a proverbial poisoned chalice in the wake of killing a legendary beast, Sven could only hope that Josh wasn't blinded by the delusion of grandeur enough to take a sip.

"I can hear the respect you hold for the both of them. I'd love to get the opportunity to meet them some time just to see if they live up to the hype."

His words weren't meant in a harsh way in the slightest. In a sense, he simply wished to display that he didn't want to dump any sort of high expectation on the two. They were merely people themselves, it would be disrespectful to set expectations upon them before meeting either party. Their talk had been surprisingly motivating and offered more than enough insight. It made him ponder even further on just what the other figureheads of the League had here that made them want to protect Hoenn so vehemently. Was that inspiration what people found to be their sense of permanence?

"You've really helped put a lot of this place into perspective for me, thanks," he offered with a sense of gratitude. "I think I'm ready to land whenever you are."

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Josh Devlin