After Josh took over Mauville City, there was no shortage of sports culture there. The Gym there being affiliated with the racing cicruit helped fan the flames of its popularity. Thankfully, the Checkered Flag wasn't as busy as it usually was, though that would change when the PFL pre-season started in a few weeks. If there was one sport bigger than Pokémon racing in Mauville, it was Unovan football.

Today, though, the only sporting event that interested him was a Platinum-class Pokémon race taking place in Johto. The course was the QUADRUPLE MIRROR, a long and narrow course known for its symmetry around two axes. The Gym Leader was dressed in bright yellow and wearing casual shorts, easily recognized by both patrons and employees. Even the bartender called him out by name.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" Josh replied as he sat down. "I'll have a tall glass of lemonade, please." He tilted his head toward the purple-haired, proactive female. "Guess I don't have to introduce myself, then! It just comes with being the figurehead of Mauville anymore." Among other things; the Leader by now had become a celebrity independent of his Gym Leader status. "Mostly came down to have lunch and watch the race," he remarked as the Pokémon on the screen stampeded their way back up to speed after a long caution due to an accident involving several competitors.

Josh was taken a bit aback by Camellia's response; it was unusual for people in Hoenn to not know who he was. Mauville's Gym Leader had quite the social blueprint; he was the figurehead of one of the largest cities in the region, almost singlehandedly responsible for leaving quite the sports culture there after just one short year. "Oh, I'm sorry, miss! I'm used to everyone recognizing me," he apologized. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin formally, but informally I go by Josh. And what about your name?"

Regardless of whether he got it, he would continue making friendly conversation with the generous woman. "Well, thank you! I appreciate it. This is my favorite place to get lunch in all of Hoenn. It's really convenient because of how close it is to the Gym. You here to get a bite to eat, too?"

When asked if the program on the television was important, Josh nodded. "I have a big investment in professional Pokémon racing," he started to answer as Pokémon and riders zoomed through the challenging transitions of the symmetric road course. "I'm the one who gave the sport a footprint in Hoenn. The city's become known for it since."

Josh had worked hard to earn his two titles; he wasn't going to not toot his own horn when it was appropriate! Yes, he was kind and honest, but he wasn't completely selfless. He had once lived that way of life, and what did it get him? Abuse by those who took advantage of his naivete.

"What's funny is neither am I. I moved here from Johto, about a year ago," he related to Camellia's story after placing his own order. Ready for a sizable lunch, Josh started browsing their menu. "Oh, this looks good. Unovan cheese curds with choice of a few different dipping sauces. I'll start with that and a glass of lemonade." Once his order was in, the Gym Leader turned back to the female near him. "Great to meet you, Camellia. Like I said, I'm not originally from Mauville. I used to live in Goldenrod. It's a metropolis over there."

Once his lemonade was served, Josh took a big drink out of it before continuing his engaging conversation, barely paying attention to the race as the leaders skillfully rounded a blind turn. "It's my favorite way to bond with Pokémon. Unlike battle, it involves the trainer in a way that tests both of you physically and mentally. It's a common misconception that riding a Pokémon is only exercise for the Pokémon. It takes a lot of strength and balance on your part, too, especially at higher speeds."

Josh froze momentarily when asked about his other two ventures. "Oh man, that's a long story. That story goes back to before I even became a Gym Leader here. How familiar are you with recent events, such as the barrier that surrounded Hoenn last summer?"

Truth be told, Josh wasn't the healthiest eater; he ate just healthy enough to stay in shape. Though his self-prepared meals were balanced, he did go out quite a bit. It didn't help matters that Mauville had so many good places to eat, and needing to work fewer community service hours to remain on pace for his restitution to expire on time gave him more of an income than he had earlier in the year.

"Don't get me wrong. It's fun, and it's not too tough on your body if you just want a way to travel that's faster than being on foot," the Gym Leader clarified as his eyes briefly shifted back to the race being broadcast. "Racing, though, is just as much exercise for you as it is for your Pokémon. It takes a lot of muscle power to keep your balance on a Pokémon with a fast running stroke, and even more to be able to endure the g-forces of a flying Pokémon."

The topic at hand quickly turned to Hoenn's tumultuous history, particularly around the Meteno operation. "Yes. I was asked to go into space that day. And by asked, it felt like coercion. Definitely not what I signed up for when I became Mauville's Gym Leader. Honestly, though, we owe almost all of it to Professor Eva Morales . She did the Pyroar's share of the work in that operation."

"I did," Josh replied, leaving out the detail that he flew to the meteoroid on the back of a legendary Pokémon. He longed for Laurence Anderson to resolve his issues with his Patron, if anything to be able to go for a ride on the ice phoenix's back in a less stressful setting. It would have been so fun without the danger of two aliens chasing him.

"There was a huge battle on a giant meteor headed on a collision course with Hoenn. Like I said, the Professor was largely responsible for stopping the impact." More like her Rayquaza, but that was besides the point. It was their bond that gave Hoenn a future at all.

"The meteor was actually how the Terastal phenomenon started appearing in Hoenn to begin with. Those who fought on the meteor were the first to experience it. Saber, my Manectric, flew like a bird that day... or so I thought. Now we understand that it was just the effects of low gravity."

It was true. Even the illusion of flying on a Manectric with wings was thrilling. It was not how Terastallization worked, but having a flying Tera Type on Saber was tactically sound; it was yet another way to combat the dreaded Ground-types challengers flooded Josh's Gym with. Except Dugtrio. Dugtrio was such a pesky species for him to handle. Simple Quick Attacks were not enough to handle the mole trio. It was the Pokémon that single-handedly defeated Josh the most in his battle challenges.

"More stories?" Josh asked. "Where do I even start? The attacks on Mauville Gym, the Galar Memory, the big battle at Dewford..." he trailed off. The list went on and on. There were also other more minor events he could talk about, too. There certainly was no shortage of excitement in Hoenn.

Yuck, being at the beck and call of one's job. It was one good thing about being a Gym Leader instead of one of the League higher-ups: he had a lot more freedom to do what he wanted, as long as he kept his Gym operating. "If you're in Mauville regularly, I'm sure we'll see each other again. I'm out making a difference for my people when I can." Certainly a busybody and an overachiever, the Master of Faster was. "Been a pleasure, Camellia. Don't work too hard!"

Once Camellia had left, Josh was free to finish his meal and watch the rest of the exciting race. Even as a Gym Leader and one of the best in Hoenn, what the pros could do with certain Pokémon was mindblowing. How could they have such pristine control over a Pokémon like Arcanine? Pulling on Braver's reins to get him to turn tightly enough gave him blisters, which was why he didn't race the big dog too often.

That reminded him, he needed to keep training with Craggro again. The Hisuian Arcanine had almost lost enough weight to be able to run at Extreme Speeds again.