While Josh was visiting the carnival in other cities, in Mauville, he would be working it. He had a large field filled with exotic, saddled Pokémon from his Gym. The list of them was curated to be unusual, yet safe enough for even ones with no riding experience to be able to keep their balance without falling. On the attraction's signage, he did have a list of personalities for his Pokémon, so that they knew what to expect, and to acknowledge that some of his Pokémon would have a waiver associated with them.

Seated on Aslan, Josh heard Yuina Higashi calling out to him just as his four Pyroar and Hisuian Arcanine returned to their gates, letting their riders slide down the fire-types' backs. "Hey, Yuina!" he waved back, Aslan lifting a paw in greeting as well. "As much as I want to wander the fair, I do have an attraction to run. If you've ever wanted to ride on a predatory Pokémon, you can! As long as you have Funtasia tokens, that is."

In addition to the four Pyroar and Hisuian Arcanine, there was a whole set of gates on the large space's opposite side. Standing inside them were a Shiny Luxray, a Liepard, and a complete set of Eeveelutions, all of which could accommodate a single rider in their saddles. Josh helped a carnival-goer off the back of his Umbreon before closing the gate. "Don't forget to wave goodbye to Kamuy, okay?" Josh reminded him, the Umbreon coo'ing as the teenager went on his way.

Josh's eyes turned toward the tug of war as another carnival employee collected Funtasia tokens from the next batch of riders. The younger ones looked most excited to hop on the Gym Leader's Eeveelutions. One of them even requested his autograph, being a fan of his since before becoming a Gym Leader.

After providing his signature to the child, Josh turned toward Yuina again, Aslan's broad smile so adorable that even the racer would have cooed if he could see it. "For a couple hours three times a week, every other carnival day, I run this. The kids really love it. After all, when do you get the chance to ride a Pyroar?" Provided one knew Mauville's Gym Leader on a first-name basis, often. For the rest of the world, not so much.

"You can buy Funtasia tokens at any of the carnival's entrances," he answered. "They're the currency of the whole event, and they're good throughout the month. The closest one is that way," Josh pointed to the east side of the fairgrounds. "Try to make it quick, because I can't hold your place in line or your spot on Rani, either!" He remembered how much fun Yuina had with Rani during their volcano expedition, after all!

Josh's face was beaming at the praise that was being showered upon him. "What can I say? My Gym's all about racing Pokémon. Why not give the young ones the chance to say they've ridden with the fastest in Hoenn?" While that title wasn't completely accurate, Josh was perhaps out of everyone in the region most well-known for his Pokémon's speed.

The Gym Leader pointed Yuina in the right direction. "I wasn't planning on holding your place in line, but there should be enough slots left in this run that you should be able to get tokens and come back. Can't promise that Rani will still be available when you return, but I doubt every single Pokémon will be taken." He was taken aback at Yuina's generous offer to feed him. "Once I'm done running my booth for the day, I'd be down to get some food. Eating then immediately riding on a cat Pokémon's back is a great way to lose your lunch," he chuckled. "See you in a few!"

With that, he turned around to help a young brother and sister aboard Janus and Kamuy, his Espeon and Umbreon. He had to explain to the boy why Janus didn't have a proper harness on him; the psychic-type created a mental one that was just as effective as the physical ones on the other Pokémon. Slots were filling up fast; if Yuina didn't return soon, she wouldn't get her choice of Pokémon!

Josh was still appreciative of Yuina's generosity. "We can definitely have a late lunch together once my booth closes for the day," he offered before the took off. While she was gone, he helped riders, young and old, aboard his Pokémon. There was even a retired man that wanted on one of Josh's lions. He helped the elderly male get seated on Kovu, who was warned to be gentle with him. The rumble of her purring got a smile out of him.

Several of the children on Josh's Eeveelutions knew he was a Pokémon racer, and wanted the large Vaporeon and Sylveon to go as fast as they could. While they were bound by carnival regulations not to exceed a certain speed, the Sylveon being assigned to the outside lane meant she would have to run faster than his other Pokémon to keep up.

By the time Yuina returned, all the Pyroar but one had been taken by other guests. There were only three Pokémon left, all assigned to the outside lane. The remaining Pyroar was Nala, and the other two were Blinky the Jolteon and Inky the Glaceon. The guard on the front Jolteon's saddle would prevent a rider from being spiked by her quills. All three Pokémon, by virtue of being on the outside late, could run fast.

After taking the requisite number of tokens from Yuina, Josh gestured toward the three remaining Pokémon. "Nala, Blinky, or Inky - take your pick! I do want to warn you that Nala is a swift runner!" He kept an eye on Craggro to make sure the Arcanine was okay; he had put the overweight fire-type in an inner lane to conserve his reduced stamina...

Nala smiled at Yuina before she got seated on the lioness, a purr from the Pokémon perhaps tickling her. It wasn't as strong as Rani's purr, but it would still be rattling, perhaps jarring if unexpected. The other two seats were filled quickly, Blinky in particular looking excited to take the lead on the outside lane. It was the same lane Nala was in, a sign of the speeds they would get to.

The gates opened, and the Pokémon were off, Nala's trot not lasting long compared to the other lions. She wanted to run, but that would be later on. After making the first sweeping turn alongside Kovu and Simba, all of Josh's Pokémon picked up the pace. Two of the younger riders let out screams as the felines' arching backs bounced their riders around more so than any equine would. Their special saddles absorbed some of that power, but it would still take some getting used to. Ahead, she might be able to see perhaps the largest Jolteon she had ever seen, and she was zooming compared to the other Pokémon. The young rider on Blinky's back looked like he was having the time of his life, though that was short-lived when Josh ordered the electric-type to rein the speed in some.

Children laughing while playing the Magikarp fishing game served as a distraction while Josh's Pokémon ran around on their preset path. He couldn't tilt his head away from his own attraction for long, though; he had to make sure none of the Pokémon were going too fast. Blinky especially liked to show her speed, and carnival guests were warned about how fast she would run.

While the guest riders did have some control over their direction and speed, the running beasts had fairly strict ranges of movement they had to remain betweem to comply with carnival safety protocols. Changes in speed had to be gradual, and turns light. The hunters still ran fast enough to get their guests hooting and hollering, particularly those on the Pyroar. A teenage brother and sister caught his attention, both of them looking like they were having the time of their lives trying to stay balanced against Kovu's and Simba's flexing backs.

As their time was starting to wrap up, the moment the riders waited for had come: one last lap around the small, mostly oval course, but this time with the Pokémon at a gallop. A light gallop, but it had to feel like full speed for those not experienced with racing. Nala was a front-runner, competing for Blinky in speed, though within the limits set by the carnival. The faster the Pokémon ran, the more pronounced the motion of their flexing backs became.

Once all of them had crossed the line, they scattered to their respective chutes, where the riders could dismount. All of them looked ready for more, except Craggro; the Hisuian Arcanine looked exhausted. Carnival staff withdrew the rest of Josh's Pokémon for transport back to the Gym. All except Craggro and his pride of Pyroar, that is; those remained with Josh. He slid down from Aslan's back, hanging up the sign indicating the trail riding attraction was closed for the day.

"Have fun up there?" Josh asked Yuina with a smile.

As Yuina was patting the side of Nala's neck, she returned the affection with a purr that may have startled her, the intensity of it perhaps rattling her. With the last ride having been run, Josh recalled the rest of his Pyroar and Craggro, his Arcanine as carnival staff withdrew the remainder of his Pokémon for transport back to Mauville Gym. "Thanks," the black-haired rider replied, smiling. Even Aslan looked surprisingly relaxed, the regal lion keeping pace with Yuina. "They already do something similar at Mauville Racing Grounds, so they're used to it. It's a Pokémon riding academy as well as a Pokémon Gym. Even if I have to step down as Gym Leader for some reason, the school will still be there."

A strong purr from the golden lion reminded Josh that he, too, needed food after running his stall for so long. "Right, the food court," Josh reminded Yuina of where they were going afterward. "I'd like a real meal and not just sweets, as good as the snow cones are. Were you looking for a whole meal, or just something to nibble on?"