With so much attention on getting Raikiri ready for an escalation in the never-ending war, Mauville's Gym Leader hadn't given the attention he wanted to the Pokémon he loved. Such was part of having so many to care for. One of those Pokémon that hadn't seen much action since then was Blinky, Josh's Jolteon. Measuring a stout five feet from the bottom of her paw to the top of her back, the electric Eeveelution was massive. Flanking her were a pair of Ninetales, Mystic and Rime. The fire fox and ice fox were also extremely large for their size, standing as tall as a typical Rapidash would. The saddles all three Pokémon wore practically beckoned wannabe Pokémon racers to jump on. Behind them were a trio of Pyroar, also in similar gear. Simba and Kovu flanked Nala, a female and the newest member of Josh's pride.

"Hyah!" Josh cried, squeezing Blinky's sides. The Jolteon took off like a lightning bolt, the force of her explosive acceleration forcing her rider to lean low to avoid being blown off. "Whoooooooo-hoooooooo!!!" the Master of Faster cried as his electric mount zoomed ahead of his other already fast Pokémon. His keen eyesight caught a young lady and her Raits near the intersection of 111 and Trainer Hill. Not wanting to frighten her, the Jolteon drastically slowed her pace to one that was far more reasonable for a normal person. Nala stopped completely to sniff Kara. "Come on, Nala," the Gym Leader shouted back. "You're a Pyroar now, and I'd appreciate it if you acted like one."

Josh's face flashed a look of concern, but that was short-lived. It seemed the young lady Nala stopped to sniff was quite the brave one, not at all rattled by the presence of a small pride of apex predators. "Thanks," the Gym Leader quipped once all his Pokémon had come to a stop. Both Ninetales' tails fanned in the breeze. "She's the newest member of my pride. You're really a natural with Pokémon; I've run into so many people that get spooked around the pride." It came as little surprise; even tamed, Pokémon that were apex predators in the wild were no joke. Though Jolteon were not normally predatory, one of the awesome size Blinky was might as well be. The Pokémon's backs normally only reached waist-high, but this one was big enough for a human to ride on!

With that out of the way and Nala backing off slowly, Josh felt it was the best time to break the ice. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but you can call me Josh. What brings you out here, if I may ask?"

Kara's naivete reminded Josh of his own. "I'm impressed you can stay calm around Nala," he replied. "Pyroar can be really aggressive in the wild. There's a reason I always recommend that trainers raise them from Litleo. That's to say nothing about all the other... well, apex predators I raise." That was the best phrase to describe the vast majority of Pokémon Josh had at his Gym: Pokémon that would be utterly terrifying to meet in the wild. There was no outrunning them, and almost all were capable of inflicting severe, perhaps even lethal punishment by ramming, trampling, and tearing into a human.

"I'm mostly taking Nala and my other Pyroar on a run," Josh asked. "From here to Lavaridge and back. It's one of my favorite roads in Hoenn. It's long, straight, and unlike roads like 110, doesn't have a speed limit." A smile washed over the young man's face. "I think Nala really likes you," he observed aloud, the female Pyroar nuzzling Kara if she allowed it. "Hoenn is so vast that it's really important to have a Pokémon that can can carry you across the region. If you're headed in the direction of Lavaridge Town, you're welcome to hop on Nala or any of my other Pokémon! They're all used to it from what they do at my Gym."

As Kara hugged Nala, she may have been able to feel a strong purr shake her, the power of the Pyroar's lungs evident. While they were known for their fire attacks, the species had some of the most powerful voices in the world. Josh had honed that to perfect with his four lions, each of them capable of loosing a devastating Z-Move with them. It was a roar so loud that their entire bodies would vibrate like a Sandaconda's tail when the move was being used. Josh vividly remembered how intense it was from his short but brief battle with Isaac Merlo last fall. "I'll be fine," Josh answered, thankful the hulking Emboar nearby was either unawares or did not care about the pride's presence.

Once Nala was content, she crouched, beckoning Kara to sit in her saddle. "Wow, she warmed up to you fast! I think she wants you to ride her." Another one of Josh's Pyroar, Simba, strode toward Blinky and Josh. wagging his tail like an enormous dog. "Simba, I'm comfortable up here." The big lion flashed his teeth for a brief moment before simply holding his head down. "Okay, but only for the trip there. Blinky, I'll get to you on the way back. I promise."

With that, Josh slid off his Jolteon's back, swapping ride Pokémon for the large male Pyroar next to him. It showed Kara just how much of Blinky's back the saddle covered, an indicator of the Jolteon being just barely large enough to carry him. Just barely was what mattered, though! "Battle is part of raising any Pokémon. I guess it's just something I've become used to, having been a Gym Leader for what, nine months now?"

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SCORBUNNY APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] BLAZE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]EMBER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DOUBLE EDGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]COUNTER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]QUICK ATTACK
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Kara Li Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD DARUMAKA APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] INNER FOCUS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HEADBUTT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]THRASH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TACKLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BITE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Kara Li Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Kara Li CAUGHT THE ARCHEOPS!

Riding equine Pokémon like Rapidash was commonplace not just in Hoenn, but throughout the world. There was just something empowering about sitting aboard an apex predator like a Pyroar. Something that made the skin tingle if one was not used to it. "That's me! Wait, you know Navy ? We've been friends for a long time. Been through hell and back with one another. He can be apathetic at times, but there's nothing but good in him. I've already got time booked off to go to his Gym when it opens later."

He had to do a double-take when Kara said she was on the way to Mauville City Gym. "You might get a peek at some of the Pokémon there, then. Who knows, you might end up having to face Nala!" The Pyroar let out a series of purrs that could only be interpreted as laughter, Kara likely able to feel them lightly shaking her. "What a coincidence! I'm the Gym Leader there. Might get a sneak peek at what you're up against. You never know, you might end up facing off against Nala!"

With that, the pride of Pyroar began to trot northward. "How much experience do you have riding a Pokémon? Pyroar are quite a bit different from, say, a Rapidash or Arcanine, when they run."