What an end to a stressful week. This was ten weeks he had been putting in between 50 and 60 hours per week, whether at mom-and-pop shops in Mauville's slums, or doing dangerous Ranger work without pay. As much as he loathed running himself ragged by working such long hours, he felt he had to while he didn't also have the responsibility of working his Gym. He wanted to run a ferrying service to and from nearby cities, but the League declined it due to not being "qualifying work".

With only income from his Gym coming in, and from doing occasional remote work at that, Josh really had to tighten the pursestrings. He used to frequent sports bars in Mauville and the surrounding area often. Since the Eris incident, he had only been to one once. He needed to relieve stress, though. While he had healthy savings, he wanted to keep as much of it intact as possible. After pulling just over 60 hours this week, though, he felt he deserved it.

Josh was heading to the Checkered Flag, a sports bar in the very northwest corner of Mauville. It was a place that had popped up not long after Mauville Racing Grounds had established its own identity separate from the Gym. On the way there, though, the agonizing howl of a young man caught his attention. Pushing his Manectric mount to the fastest speeds municipal speed limits would permit, the Gym Leader reined the electric wolf to a stop near the young man. "You okay?"

"ARGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOO!" Howard continued his depressing tirade. His funds were already low, his device was dying, and he was hungry. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. Yet Howard's will was weakened after his long bus journey, which was capable of sapping the strength of even the most hardened explorers. You could put the most traveled people in the world on a small plane and watch their wills slowly crumple like tissue paper. Howard was no different.

Oh well, it wasn't the end of the world, hopefully. He had already put down a deposit on the room, so that was more of Team Rocket's money down the drain. If he lost anymore, he would risk something terrible: going over his budget.

"Eh?" Howard opened his eyes as he heard the buzz of electricity and the swift steps of a Pokémon before him. "GAH!" Howard went from being on his knees to falling onto his bottom, in clear surprise of the sudden appearance. The archaeologist looked up to see who was riding the Manectric.

"Guh..." Howard gulped as realization dawned on him. "You're the guy! The guy with the gym! The gym with the place! That place is here!"

Bravo. Howard thought to himself as he looked Josh up and down. You're sure showing him. Function like a normal person for once. His brain was right. He needed to switch gears back into a mode that would let him salvage any dignity for social interaction. "Erm, give me a moment, please."

Howard took a deep breath.

"Sorry, I just got off a really long bus ride, I'm lost, and I have zero clue where my hotel is. Or where food is. Could you direct me to Mauville's Hoenntel 6 so I can stop embarrassing myself in public?"

---

Josh Devlin

To those who wanted popularity, it seemed like a blessing. To those who had popularity, it often seemed like a curse. The Mauville Gym Leader had become used to it months after he established his wildly-popular, always-full facility... or at least, that's how it used to be before his deposition. Volume had dropped a lot since his suspension, and it was mostly trainers who cared about the Hoenn Gym circuit. The majority of the Gym Leader's post-Meteno challengers were from out of region, wanting the unique experience the Gym had to offer. Josh himself, a former semi-pro Pokémon racer slated to turn pro, was a big draw. Not being able to take challenges directly meant that despite extra funding from the League, the place was barely operating at a profit. If it didn't have the extra League stipend, it would be running at a substantial loss without him.

Howard's call to Josh was one he wasn't going to turn down. "That's me. Gym Leader Devlin, but you can call me Josh." He empathized with the young man. "Mauville's a big place; it took me months of living here to learn its multiple levels. That the city builds up rather than out can make it really confusing, what with three roads right on top of one another." The architecture that made the stacked roads possible was a marvel of not only Hoenn, but the entire country. "Let me see where it is. It might be on the way."

With that, he did a quick search for Hoenntel Six in his phone, its rubber casing protecting it from his electric steed's discharges. "It's over on the west side. A bit of a trip from here. You said you were looking for food. How much do you like Unovan cuisine?"

Josh Devlin. Yeah, that name rang a bell to Howard now that he had regained his composure. Gym Leaders were famous, after all. Even if you didn't attempt to complete the Gym Challenge, they were essentially celebrities. Howard had never been a good battler. He had spent more time in the library and in the field, instead of honing his battling skills. He never viewed it as a poor decision. It just had not been his calling. There was nothing wrong with that.

Nonetheless, Josh was a Gym Leader and that warranted some respect. Hadn't there been some drama and news regarding the guy recently? Howard cocked his head in thought, before shrugging. It didn't matter. Actions were what mattered, and Josh was being respectful enough. A good deed warranted respect.

"It's really something else, isn't it?" He asked Josh as he got to his feet and straightened his hat. "I never stay in the city for long. Too many lights. Too many noises. Too many floors! That must be what being a Gym Leader is like." Howard mused as he scratched his chin. Being from Rustboro, he wasn't unaccustomed to urban life or even navigating cities. Mauville was just the exception to the rule.

"Unovan? Are you kidding, Josh?" Howard chuckled as he put his hand on his hip. "When I was in Unova, it was practically all I ate."

That, and sand. Unova's cuisine was excellent, but it had been expensive when Howard had went. Castelia City was a tourist trap, and the food choices out in the Desert Resort were limited to exactly sand and more sand. Nonetheless, Howard's stomach growled at the prospect. The food reminded him of a better time, when money wasn't as tight.

"Lead the way! Be careful, I'll struggle to keep up with you on your Manectric. Aren't you the fastest in the land..." Howard mimed a sort of baby-voice as he knelt in front of Josh's Pokémon. Quickly after, he fell in line with Josh and his Manectric. "Unovan is an interesting choice. Have you ever been to the region, yourself?"

It was quickly becoming clear that Howard was a chatterbox. His words were fast, and he flitted from one subject to another like an arc of electricity jumping from one rod to the next.

---

Josh Devlin

The young man seemed nice enough, plus he was one in need. The Leader's Gym was built around ride Pokémon, and if he didn't have a full squad of six of them on his person at any time, his name wasn't Josh Devlin! The man dressed in yellow chuckled at the voiced perception of the city. "Mauville is kind of... special in that regard. Most cities you can see either the sun or the moon almost any given day. Mauville's in a very... restrictive location geographically, meaning we have to build up, not out."

It seemed the duo shared a common preference in cuisine. "You won't be disappointed in the Checkered Flag, then; it's a sports bar that opened up not long after I became Gym Leader. It's on the skyway level near the northwest corner of town. It's a bit far to walk to from here, but that shouldn't be a problem." The racer undid the clip holding one of his Poké Balls to his belt, a Shiny Luxray rather large for its species emerging from within. Just as with the Manectric, the feline proudly wore reins and a saddle, obviously trained to bear a rider. While Saber at first took kindly to the praise, giving Howard a gentle bump with his snout, his serious demeanor returned. "Hop on!" The Luxray would crouch if need be to let him aboard. "If you've never been on a Pokémon before, there's truly nothing like it. Especially once you get out of the city and into the country."

Provided Howard would be willing, Josh would rein his Manectric toward the street and keep pace with the flow of traffic. "I haven't been to the region, but their food is really good. I also am a big Unovan football fan. It's gonna be so great seeing the Hoennian teams compete next year when the season rolls around. Right now it's baseball season, and while the new rules have made it better, the pacing is still too slow for my tastes."

That was true. Mauville had the unfortunate geographical struggle of being sandwiched between a lot of locations, such as a strait to the east and a desert to the north. Howard didn't want to think about Mauville expanding up into the desert. He'd lose a lot of valuable alone time that way. The struggle with sandstorms was atrocious if one didn't prepare for it. Howard didn't want to imagine what it would do to modern buildings.

In that sense, Mauville's solution was ingenious. Unfortunately, it resulted in Howard having something close to a mental collapse each time he came here, resulting in poor folks like Josh having to watch as Howard's composure slipped through his fingers.

Gosh, it was embarrassing.

Skyway. Great. The obscenely high prices already danced before Howard's eyes. Team Rocket's budget would get throttled by him, again. After a moment, Howard shrugged it off. It wasn't every chance that you got to eat lunch with a Gym Leader. "Checkered Flag. Because of the racing, right?" It didn't take a genius to put two and two together, from it being a sports bar to Josh's saddle, even ignoring Josh's racing career. From Saber's snout bump to the massive Luxray, Howard knew that Josh wasn't messing around. So this was a Gym Leader, in the flesh...

"Erm, ride? I mean... I don't..." Howard trailed off, before steeling himself and puffing up his chest. He was an explorer who had been all around the world. He had braved dangerous sandstorms, blizzards, and monsoons. Plus, he would rather die than look like a coward in front of a freaking Gym Leader. "You're on. The last time I rode anything like this was when I couldn't reach the countertop. It's all in good fun, yeah?"

Howard followed Josh into traffic, and they rushed and sped towards the Checkered Flag that Josh had mentioned. Howard let the Gym Leader lead for two reasons: he couldn't afford a ticket, and he had no clue where he was going.

"Slow? I'd never have guessed!" Howard shouted over the noises of traffic. "You'd love it. It's full of massive bridges to run down. I'm sure these two would love it!" He nudged Blitz as he held on for dear life. "When I was doing a lot of work in Unova, I saw a football game live in Nimbasa! It cost me a good chunk of my research fund!"

Howard's hat threatened to fall off his head due to the speed, and he pushed it down tight as he held himself close to Blitz's fur. He gulped. "Are we close, Josh!?"

---

Josh Devlin

There was no doubt the sports bar's name had been influenced by the Gym Leader. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, being the Pokémon Racing Federation's Hoennian ambassador had greatly shifted the culture of the densely-populated city. While the tri-level shopping center was still the crown jewel of the city slanted toward the rich, Mauville Racing Grounds had become a close contender.

"It is!" Josh answered. "And it all started with a childhood dream to ride the fastest land Pokémon in the world!" It was a dream that had once spiraled out of control, to the point where he nearly ended a child's life over the desire to befriend Raikou. A child terrorist who had been manipulated to do Rocket's evil bidding, but a child nonetheless. Through months of restitution, labor, and sweat, he had bottled up that objective back into a mere dream. Attempting to force Raikou to bond with him was the wrong way to go, as he had painfully learned. "Oh, I think I missed your name! If you don't mind providing it, that is?"

Josh was taken aback by Howard's attendance of a Nimbasa football game. "I wouldn't want to go to one. Even the cheap seats are a small fortune, and you can't see anything from the upper decks to begin with. I'd rather watch the games on television. The casters' commentary is a make-or-break for me. Until you've heard Guster and Levin call a football game on PSPN, you just won't get the full experience."

Though the idea of speeding down a gigantic bridge was sound, it came with one problem. "That does sound fun, if it weren't for... the municipal speed limit. If you've never taken a Pokémon off the highway and into a giant field before, like the one north of 117, you're missing out. Have you imagined what a Pokémon sees when it uses QUICK ATTACK?"

Before long, Josh got the "Are we there yet?" complaint from Howard. Thankfully, they were almost there. "We actually are almost there," he pointed out as Josh's electric dog and cat slid to a stop in front of the red traffic light. "Straight ahead is a ramp that will take us to the skyway level. It'll be just a block past that on the left. It's a tight turn, though, so you'll need to pull on Blitz's reins pretty hard to the right to make the turn." When the light turned green, the two yellow Pokémon were off again. "You should learn the ins and outs of riding on a Pokémon. You'll enjoy freedom like you never have before."

Howard didn't know a thing about Josh's struggles with Raikou. It was a bold thing to set your sights on even meeting with a Legendary Pokémon. Howard just wanted to keep paying his electric bill. Myths and legends were often engraved on ruins all around the world, but few people would ever know or understand them. Howard never stayed in one place for long enough to find out much. Nor did he care, or likely would he ever care as much as Josh ever did. Therefore, he stayed silent.

"They get FASTER?" Howard shouted back at him in a mix of trepidation and worry. He mentally hit himself. Of course they did. Howard had seen the occasional race on television, but it was disconnected from him because of the screen. This? This was real, it was fast, and it was getting dangerously close to making Howard vomit out the sardine crackers he had eaten at the start of his bus ride. "I feel like this is pretty close to a Quick Attaaaaaaaa...!" Howard cried as the duo slowed to a halt.

He shuddered as he kept his breakfast. He was not going to look like a wimp in front of Josh fucking DEVLIN!

"You don't go to a live game for the analysis. You go for the feeling. The aura. The vibe! You go so you can get stuck in line for a urinal for most of half-time!" Howard cheered as he prepared for the turn.

Alright, Blitz. I like you and hopefully you like me. Howard directed his brainwaves towards Josh's Luxray as the turn approached. Get me through this and I'll feed you something off my plate. Howard sharply pulled the reigns as Josh had instructed. It was a close and imperfect turn, though. Even if it was illogical, Howard didn't want to potentially harm Blitz, especially since Blitz belonged to someone famous worldwide. He imagined the headlines now:

STUPID IDIOT ARCHAEOLOGIST HARMS FAMOUS RACER'S LUXRAY - JAILED FOR THIRTY YEARS

The thought was galling, to say the least. Luckily, Blitz was trained well, and Howard's inexperience didn't result in a fatal traffic crash. A block later, and they arrived at the sports bar Josh had mentioned. It was certainly checkered, alright. There were also flags. Howard supposed that made this the famed Checkered Flag. Huzzah!

"You're right, Josh. Howard gave Blitz a pat of gratitude before clawing his way towards a nearby garbage can. "I think I've learned the ins and outs of riding Pokémon. My breakfast went in, and now it's coming out..." Howard hacked into the garbage can for a few moments. "My name is... Howard. Howard Slayte." The man's head reappeared outside the trash can. He straightened his hat. "I'm an archaeologist. I do digs worldwide in search of rare artifacts, and I occasionally write papers for Rustboro University. Sometimes they even pay me!"

Howard produced a handkerchief and wiped his hands, and squirted a few drops of hand sanitizer onto them. After a moment, he produced his hand to Josh in a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone as famous as you. Sorry you had to see me at the lowest point in my life. Howard shuddered. "So far, anyway."

---

Josh Devlin

What Howard thought was fast was not so by the Gym Leader's standards. Pokémon, especially the apex predator the researcher was in the saddle of, were capable of reaching amazing speeds. Even on Hoenn's highways, they would not be legally permitted to let loose with all their speed. It would have to be done off-road. Luckily, Hoenn had no shortage of flats to do just that upon. "Of course they do! Have you ever seen a Luxray hunt? Unlike many cats, they have no need for stealth. They're fast enough to catch almost any prey." A crackling purr came out of Blitz's mouth, one Howard may have been able to feel.

As Howard pulled Blitz's head to the right through his reins, Josh smiled in earnest as the two made it to the skyway level. "See? Riding isn't that bad, is it?" He looked away upon seeing the young man vomit. Maybe he shouldn't have put Howard on a big cat. After all, cats were notorious for being difficult mounts due to how much their backs flexed.

"Great to meet you, Howard," Josh accepted the handshake. "An archaeologist, you say? I know someone you'll really get along with. Her name's Shalin Nariya . There's nowhere in Hoenn she won't take you. Her ride Pokémon are a bit... unusual, though. Might be worth spending some time together to work on your technique before you meet her."

With that, he withdrew the two ride Pokémon after letting Howard climb down from the Luxray's back. "Of course! I just happened to be in the area." The Gym Leader led Howard inside. While it wasn't as large as the Beautifly & Dustox in Fortree, it had similar capacity in its main dining area. The tables were a little cramped, but it wouldn't be a big deal. With there not being a big game on, there was ample room for the two to sit down. "I haven't even been Mauville's Gym Leader for that long; less than a year. Never thought I could have caused such a culture shift."

"My technique?" Howard laughed as he shook Josh's hand. "That requires technical skill. I prefer to just call it 'nique'. It's far more honest. Should've taken a riding elective back in school, I suppose!"

In truth, he felt like his body had lost a fight with a washing machine. He was impressed that he was still standing, and even more impressed that Josh wasn't vomiting his guts out. He did this for fun? It seemed like torture, but maybe he needed more practice. He also needed a chiropractor. A place to sit down would be nice, too. Luckily, Josh and Howard had made it to the Checkered Flag, so maybe his last wish would be granted.

"Shalin Nariya? How much are her travel rates?" Howard's tone was conversational, but he was already sure that he couldn't afford to borrow her for an expedition. Maybe learning to ride Pokémon would be a good way to skimp on his travel bills. That way, when he returned home, his electricity and utilities wouldn't be shut off. "Maybe I'll give it a try." He finally said, surprising himself, before saying something stupid. "How hard can it be?"

Howard flashbacked to a few moments ago with the trash can.

Very.

At last, the two sat down, and Howard's legs sighed in relief. He waved down a waiter with a request for a menu. He wasn't a regular, and he wanted to see the prices before Team Rocket wringed him for wasting their money. As they waited, Howard took off his hat. "People like a good distraction. Maybe racing is it. Nimbasa got really into football a while ago. Hasn't been the same since."

People like a good distraction. Wasn't that the truth? Howard chuckled to himself.

"Soooo... Howard said conversationally. "Let's say, hypothetically now, that I wanted to learn how to ride Pokémon in order to avoid paying for bus tickets. How would I go about that?"

Smooth, Howard. Real smooth. As smooth as sandpaper against a fine piece of jewelry.

---

Josh Devlin

"It's not too late to do that," Josh replied with a smile, stopping when a young male server greeted the two. "Afternoon. For starters, can I get a lemonade and an order of Striaton cheese curds, please?" After Howard had put in for whatever beverage he wanted, the Gym Leader resumed his thoughts. "You know, one of the things Mauville Racing Grounds offers is exactly that. We have classes for riders and aspiring racers of all skill levels, from beginner to master. If you want to travel with Shalin, you'll need it. Where many would hop on a Staraptor or Pidgeot to travel, if you travel with her, you'll rein up a Beedrill or Yanmega." He wasn't kidding, either; the two had flown on their Beedrill together once. Of course, King Zing was impounded and would be until Spring of next year. Perhaps even longer. It all depended on how the Beedrill's rehab went.

Josh took a deep breath after Howard expressed interest. "Sadly if you want me as your personal tutor, we won't be able to use the Gym. I can't get into why, but I'm not allowed to set foot at my Gym until September." If the League had their way, the world would never know the true story of his altercation with Eris. The Gym Leader very much preferred it that way, too; his reputation had already come into question for the very fact that he was suspended. What horrible thing could someone as nice as Josh, someone with no criminal history, do to get himself suspended and so heavily fined?

As their waiter returned with a quite-large dish of cheese curds and dipping sauce, Josh's lemonade, and any drink Howard may have ordered, he reviewed their lunch menu. "Gonna need a few minutes to decide." Once the brown-haired man stepped away, Josh addressed Howard's question while his eyes shifted about the lunch items the restaurant offered. "I tell you what. Since you said your pursestrings are a little tight, I'd be willing to teach you for a favor instead."

Josh logged into RangerNet, the Hoenn-wide intranet for Pokémon Rangers. While he could not show many of the resources within the system to non-Rangers, he could pull up a ticket to work. "Take a look at this." He pulled up a ticket detailing a young couple stranded at the bottom of Chimney Canyon on Route 112, hiding from some very persistent Scrafty and other wild Pokémon. "This ticket came in less than an hour ago. I'd be willing to take your help on this ticket as payment for a riding lesson. How's that sound?"

"A... Beedrill? Y-Yanmega?" Howard said nervously as he imagined riding a Beedrill. It'd have to be a big one, and the buzz of its wings would likely drive Howard to insanity long before any ride with Shalin began. That meant he'd need to invest in a good pair of earmuffs. How did you even put a saddle on a Beedrill? It was truly an ominous thought.

"I won't ask, then." People needed secrets.

An even more ominous thought was the one running through Howard's head as he saw the Checkered Flag's prices. For what was being served, it seemed reasonable. Howard's wallet, however, was anything but. Neither was his employer. Was there a way to write this off as a business expense? Maybe he could explain it as 'information gathering' in his report to Team Rocket. He chuckled to himself quietly. Yeah, right.

"Fresh Water. Erm... Do you charge extra to add a Sitrus Berry?" He asked the waiter that was taking Josh's order. The man looked at Howard blankly for a second, before clarifying that 'no, they did not charge extra for a single berry.' Howard sighed with relief. "Splendid. Then I'll take a Fresh Water with added Sitrus." The waiter returned with his and Josh's orders, and Howard continued to eye the menu. After a moment, he put it down to look at Josh, and scratched his chin.

"Route 112? It's a scenic place to hike. Didn't think anyone could get into danger over there..." Howard said. "One moment." He told Josh, before looking into his massive backpack and pulling out a map of Hoenn. It was a nice map, hand-drawn by a professional cartographer. On top of that, it was absolutely covered in notes and markings that were drawn on top of it. After a moment, Howard nodded and put the map to the side.

Something like this wasn't in his job description. Team Rocket would wring his neck for slacking. He already imagined the proverbial beating he'd receive for being late on this artifact shipment. And yet...

"There are a few places I want to check out along the route..." He admitted. "Plus I can always hike back to 111 when we're done." Howard thought about it.

Or at least, he pretended to.

Riding lessons from Josh Devlin? A Gym Leader and a pro racer? Shit, he'd have to be stupid to say no.

"Sure. Why me?" Howard asked as his brain screamed insults at him. When someone offered you a gift, you just took it.

---

Josh Devlin

Howard's reaction was typical of Shalin's nonsense. That girl was something else. She had so many Pokémon that even Josh wasn't willing to raise at his Gym. A Skuntank, really? Shooting Flamethrower from their tails let them put on a lot of speed, but the Gym Leader would never catch himself on one.

"112 is a special place to me," Josh related to Howard's story. "112 is where I first got on my path to being a Ranger in the first place. Well, a hybrid of the two. You see, the speed of my ride Pokémon lend themselves to helping Law Enforcement on occasion, particularly with police chases and the like." He shared a story of apprehending the Drift King in a dangerous street race between his Absol and a Liepard, their speeds well above legal highway driving speed.

"111 is special to me, too," Josh continued. "It's how I got started as a Gym Leader, in the minors. There's a program that Hoenn runs called the Minor League, where people who want to be a Gym Leader can test their skills without the added political responsibilities being a Gym Leader entails. I was in the minors for about a month and a half before they promoted me to the position I'm in now. It's not maintained, but my old Racing Grounds are still there. Once we get that couple home, maybe we can stop by!"

Josh smiled at Howard's agreement. "Glad to have you aboard. Howard, you really are a nice guy. Can't wait to work with you." As he was about to add more to the conversation, their server returned. "Let's go with a Castelia-style steakburger, upgrading to seasoned waffle fries." Once both their orders were in, Josh's head turned back toward Howard. "You're welcome to some of the curds if you would like; I'm not gonna eat them all. They gave me way more than I was expecting. Should have asked for a half-order."

The sight of the Hoenn Racing Federation logo on one of the bar's flatscreens caught Josh's attention. "Right, the race at Bumpy's Breakers is coming up. Didn't know they were already doing the time trials! I'm gonna have to go down there tomorrow if I want to compete."