While Josh was waiting for Jackie, she caught sight of Honoré Nara leaping up and down in front of the Gym's entrance. He guided his Manectric toward the pink-haired teen. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your fine Ninetales there," the Leader addressed her. Though his Pokémon were anything but cute -- if anything, they were quite intimidating for most people -- he wouldn't break a young lady's heart by being blunt.

"Mauville Gym hasn't specialized in a Pokémon type since September of last year," he explained, "and that's what can make it so challenging to come out of with a win." That and Josh's team was just plain strong. They were certainly stronger than when Jackie was leading them in battle; while she was a good racer with a few of Josh's Pokémon, she simply didn't have the battle skills to be an effective Leader.

"I actually work for the Gym. How can I help you?" he asked professionally as the front door swung open, the Interim Leader stepping through alongside a saddle-wearing Sylveon that was the size of a small horse. The fairy-type was easily capable of bearing a single rider.

"Leader Devlin, I'm here. What's going on?" Jackie asked.

This got awkward fast. "I'm sorry, you'll have to give me a couple minutes. I have something important to address with Jackie here. She's a co-worker of mine." He completely skipped over the fact that he was not just an employee, but was the Gym Leader.

As much as Josh didn't want to blow Honoré off, what he needed to go over with Jackie was very important. "I got an email from the Pokémon League last weekend. Effective next week, I will be resuming my duties as Mauville Gym Leader." The Interim Gym Leader's arms opened wide, the two of them embracing. Pinky the Sylveon squealed in joy for her trainer.

"I'm so happy for you, Josh," Jackie answered. "I still don't know exactly why you got suspended, but I'm glad they've let you lead Mauville again. There's no one better for the job anywhere in the city. It's been... overwhelming ever since Shawn died. I don't know how much longer I could have done it."

After the two released one another, Josh gave the Interim Gym Leader a pat on the shoulder. "You did the best you could, and that's what matters. With how long you've had to lead in my absence, I'm sure you have all kinds of PTO. Use it. I'll make sure it gets approved. But I'm getting sidetracked. Because I will be resuming my duties in full, this is the last week you will be expected to take challenges as a Gym Leader. Next week, you will be put back into your previous position as a Gym Trainer. That's all."

The young girl couldn't have looked any more relieved. She was happy not only that the most capable man for the job was allowed back in his rightful position, but that she didn't have to take any more crushing challenges anymore. While Josh's Pokémon were obedient to a fault, working with a Pokémon that wasn't one's own was difficult.

Josh turned back to Honoré, the Sylveon choosing to stay alongside the Gym Leader and his Manectric. "Pardon the interruption. How about we step out to the Racing Grounds in back? I can answer your questions to the best of my ability there."

"Perfect! Follow me," Josh replied, withdrawing his Pokémon and leading the way for Jackie and Honoré to enter the Gym's office. That was where the Leader and Interim Leader parted ways, having to attend to some of her non-battle duties, including prep work to hand the mantle of leadership back to Josh.

The interior of the office building was one giant love letter to the legendary Pokémon Raikou: it depicted a dark purple sky from which massive lightning bolts crashed down. There was even a large photograph on display, the subject being Josh riding on kyle lopez 's Raikou-familiar. It was his proudest moment as a person, and the Gym Leader felt it deserved public display at his facility.

Passing by scheduler and receptionist SHELLY SPIEL, he led Honoré to an expansive, outdoor facility for battling and racing Pokémon. Once there, he let out his entire squad of Pokémon from his belt: a Manectric, which he immediately got back on, followed by a Luxray, Zebstrika, and three Pyroar, one of which was Shiny. All six of them wore riding gear appropriate for their sizes and body shapes, practically beckoning the guest to hop on one of them. In the distance, she could see an Espeon and Umbreon competing against one another on a simple-looking road course signage would identify as Twist Road.

"Alright, fire away," Josh invited the girl's barrage of questions. "I'll try to answer your questions the best I can. Oh, I forgot to ask for your name!"

Several heads turned toward Honoré Nara following her outburst. Josh waited for all of them to turn back toward phones, books, and whatever else they brought to entertain themselves while they waited for Shelly to call their name for their challenge with the Interim Gym Leader. "It is. One of the reasons I became a trainer and a Pokémon racer was to meet, befriend, and ride on Raikou's back. I can say with confidence that there is no land Pokémon that's faster." Unfortunately, that wasn't his Raikou. That was Kyle's. Thankfully, they knew each other, and the Beast could see Josh any time the Champion saw it fit.

And fire away Honoré did. He lost track of some of the questions, but tried to remember as many as he could. "Great to m-meet you, Honoré," Josh answered. "Gym Leader Devlin or Elite Ranger Devlin are my titles, but I prefer to go by Josh. This is Mauville Racing Grounds, which doubles as this city's Pokémon Gym." Saber let out a bark, wagging his short tail. "And this is Saber, my Manectric and closest partner," he introduced the electric-type, a spark or two flying out of the tuft of fur on top of his head.

The Espeon and Umbreon zoomed toward the duo by way of the course coming their way, sliding to a stop at its end. If Honoré had been paying attention, it was the same one the lady had been using, and the Umbreon was just as big. "Almost all of them," Josh answered. "And that lady's Espeon is actually mine. All the Gym Pokémon here are mine," he explained. There were so many of them - there had to be at least sixty! "Janus is his name. As to why he's so big, ever since Space-Time Distortions have showed up, there's been a big increase in the number of wild Pokémon that are really big for their species. There are these red-eyed Pokémon that show up within the Distortion. They're called Alpha Pokémon. They're huge and really difficult to tame, but if you can catch one, they're amazing partners. They lose the red eyes and their Alpha status when you catch them, but it's let me saddle up some Pokémon that would otherwise be too small for it. Could you imagine being on a Jolteon?"