The commotion that captured Nikola and Flammula's attention was a stampede of electric Pokémon charging in their general direction, but at a shallow enough angle that it was obvious they weren't on a collision course. The bolt-shaped tail made it obvious that the lead Pokémon was a Kantonian Raichu, but what was the silhouette in front of it?

As the horde of electric-types pumped the brakes at the sight of the traveler and Pokémon, the silhouette... was a young man riding the Raichu? That electric rodent was massive, as were the rest of the saddled electric Pokémon before them. The only non-electric type in the running horde was a Hisuian Arcanine with quite the large belly and cheeks.

"Oh... hello there!" Josh waved to Nikola as his Pokémon slid to a stop, the Jolteon getting perhaps a little too close to Flammula. The saddles and bridles the Arcanine and all the electric Pokémon wore meant that if they were paying attention to Hoenn's leaders at all, that could only mean the man before them was one person: Mauville's Gym Leader and the Master of Faster himself. "Was worried your partner there was wandering a little too close to the fast lane!" The rest of Josh's Pokémon, a Shiny Luxray, Manectric, and Zebstrika, briefly made eye contact with Nikola before wandering their own directions, though not too far away.

the approach of the jolteon puts flammula on edge: he flares up from his position snug in nikola's arms, the flames licking at their chin. "whoa--!" they yelp, though they don't drop him. instead, they deposit him safely on the sand, where he bristles and hides behind their leg. he's not nearly so trusting as his trainer, who's openly admiring the ride pokemon. they get a good look at all of them, especially the arcanine. "that--" they say, voice shaking with excitement. "i've never seen an arcanine like that before! where is it from!?"

flammula is not quite so ecstatic. having come from hisui himself (not that he can explain this to his trainer, who remains clueless), he's seen plenty of growlithe and arcanine before, having shared a preferred climate with them. he glares at the group, trying and failing to shield his eyes from the sand with his stubby front legs.

nikola approaches josh. "this is fascinating! i've never seen this many large pokemon together like this!" they reach out to the arcanine, offering their hand to sniff. they learned this behavior the hard way, having been bitten by a houndour they got too friendly with some time ago.

[ Josh Devlin ]

Josh kept his cool in the wake of Nikola's high emotions, used to it with the number of Gym challengers and academy students that marvel over his dozens of Pokémon few knew could get large enough to wear saddles. Toralf was one such Pokémon, the Raichu tapping Josh's right arm with the tip of his tail. "Careful with that, Toralf - it's sharper than you think!" While it wasn't sharp as a blade, the very tip of the bolt was enough so to cut, especially when he flung it around like a whip.

Craggro howled at the intrigue, reaching down to sniff Nikola's hand. The obese Arcanine would give them a big kiss if they allowed it. Blitz returned Flammula's gaze with an equally stern one. Josh hadn't seen their tense exchange yet, focused on Nikola. "Ever since Space-Time Distortions started popping up in Hoenn, these really big Pokémon have become a lot more common." While there was a correlation, it did not imply causation; there had been no proven scientific link between the two.

He sighed as he turned away from a gust of wind that blew sand into his helmet. When the burst of wind blew over, he took off his helmet and shook it upside down to get as much of the sand out of it as he could. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but you can call me Josh," he introduced himself as he donned his protective headgear once more. "What brings you out here?"

the arcanine licking their face doesn't bother nikola at all. they laugh and ruffle the large pokemon's chest fur, then give it a pat on the nose. "we were just doing some exploring," nikola explains as an answer to josh's question. "i've never been in a desert before... i was certain there must be unique wildlife here. but we didn't make it very far before it became clear it's a dangerous journey." if they're going to continue "researching" the pokemon in hoenn, they should probably train their cyndaquil a little more. they've never seriously battled before, and the idea is a little daunting.

almost as if on cue, the "unique wildlife" in the desert makes itself known to them. the latest gust of wind brings with it a cottonee, floating along on the breeze, trilling in panic as it's unable to correct its course. a larvitar chases after it; a friend, or a foe? it's difficult to say. nikola turns, and flammula turns with them. without thinking, nikola's striding across the sand, intercepting the cottonee and grabbing it so that it stops blowing away.

they look back at josh, holding the cottonee in their arms. "nikola catellus," they say, remembering to introduce themself. "wonderful to meet you!"

[ Josh Devlin ]

"Great to meet you, too!" Josh replied with a wave, unsure how uncomfortable they were with handshakes. On top of that, Josh was seated so far off the ground that it might be a bit of a reach for Nikola, anyway. "You picked a good day to do so, though; the wind's not too bad. With the sun going down in a cloudless sky, though, it gets really cold in the desert. A lot of people associate deserts with heat, but the cold is an equal threat. If you're hunting for Pokémon in the desert, though, after dark is the best time to do it. It's also nearly a full moon, meaning we'll be able to see without extra light."

The desert was vast, and Josh couldn't imagine traveling it on foot... especially for a trainer that looked as wet behind the ears as they were with the Cyndaquil. "I was just letting my Pokémon go for a run, especially Craggro. He's a bit... overweight, as you can see." Sparks flew from Toralf's cheeks, the Raichu looking ready to take off at Josh's allusion to an impromptu race. "It's much better if you have a Pokémon you can ride on. If you don't, you're welcome to use one of mine!" Popping open a Poké Ball on his belt, perhaps the biggest Jolteon Nikola had ever seen came out of it. She was the size of a small Rapidash. While not measuring up to Josh's height, the electric Eeveelution was big enough for a human to sit in the saddle she wore. "And this is Blinky," he introduced the quilled Pokémon.

"my only pokemon is this cyndaquil," nikola explains. flammula seems to have backed off for the moment, not interested in escalating a small quarrel into an actual conflict. "so if you wouldn't mind me borrowing one of yours... i've never ridden a pokemon before! this is exciting!" they ruffle craggro's fur again, delighted by the fat arcanine. once josh releases another jolteon, they look at it with interest... and then more movement in the desert catches their eye.

first, it's just a swinub passing by. nikola tilts their head, studying it curiously. it's a ground type, but an ice type too... they'd think the heat would be a bit much for it, but maybe it burrows to stay cool during the day?

that's not what most catches their attention, though. toddling across the sands is something nikola's never seen with their own two eyes before: a kabuto, a supposedly extinct pokemon from a very long time ago. eyes sparkling, they pull a pokeball out of their coat pocket. "this is exactly the sort of thing i came here for!" they declare. the only problem is its typing... compared to flammula, it has the advantage of being both a water and a rock type. flammula only has one move that will work.

set on at least trying their first-ever capture, they nod to flammula. "try a defense curl," they tell him. the cyndaquil curls himself up to strengthen his defenses. "okaay, now how about... hit it with a rollout, and keep your momentum going!" if flammula is careful, he can use the movement to dodge the kabuto's attacks.

the cyndaquil charges forward with his first rollout. the move isn't very effective at this point, and only serves to get the kabuto's attention. annoyed, it flings some rocks with rock throw at him, but nikola's prediction was right on the mark, and flammula manages to dodge it by continuing his rollout. he hits it again, and does some more damage. at this point, the kabuto has realized rock throw isn't going to work, and it counters with a super effective aqua jet. nikola winces in sympathy, but flammula doesn't stop. or it's more like he can't stop, now that he's gotten started, because he rams into the kabuto one more time, dealing even more built-up damage.

that should be enough, nikola thinks. they fling their pokeball at the weakened kabuto and wait for the ball to settle, while flammula uncurls and collapses on the ground, tired.

[ Josh Devlin ]

CATCHING KABUTO!

"No, not at all!" Josh chirped, Blinky's eyes beading. She wanted Nikola to pick her, so that she could share the joy of going super fast with them. If Nikola was familiar with Hoenn's Gym Leaders, even in passing, they would know of Josh's bent for extreme speeds. "Can even give you a little crash course on how to control her if you want. You could even apply it to your Cyndaquil after it evolves to a Typhlosion. They're hybrid runners - they can run on two or four limbs. If we meet again, I should show you Flint, my own Typhlosion, sometime."

Regardless of whether they chose the Jolteon or Arcanine, Josh would simply observe the battle from the back of his Raichu mount, studying their battle tactics. He was always scouting for promising Gym Trainer recruits, as well as those he could recommend the Gym Challenge to. The combination of Defense Curl and Rollout was one he was overly familiar with, the deadly combination stopping many trainers' Johtonian Gym Challenges at his former hometown of Goldenrod.

"You've got good fundamentals," Josh complimented Nikola as the Kabuto went into a Poké Ball. "That your Pokémon can overcome a type disadvantage like that shows how well you know your Cyndaquil. Did you bring Potion or Berries? The Potion I carry with me is probably too strong for the little one."

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] WATER ABSORB
[attr="class","wildtabox"]INGRAIN	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DESTINY BOND
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SAND ATTACK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]GROWTH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FELL STINGER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]NIKOLA CATELLUS Josh Devlin

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] PICKUP
[attr="class","wildtabox"]NATURAL GIFT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TACKLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SLAM	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DOUBLE EDGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]NIKOLA CATELLUS Josh Devlin

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

NIKOLA CATELLUS CAUGHT THE KABUTO!

when josh asks if they brought potions or berries, nikola pauses. "...i knew i forgot something!" they announce cheerfully. other people might be put off by this realization, but nikola seems determined to barrel forward regardless. they return flammula to his pokeball to let him rest, and turn to the jolteon. this one is smaller than the arcanine, so it should be a bit easier to mount and dismount, right? they gave the jolteon a pat on the head, carefully avoiding its spikes.

then they climb on top, settling in comfortably. "thank you," they tell the jolteon, smiling. "and thank you for assisting in my little adventure!" they call over to josh. they zip up their coat all the way, using the collar to cover their mouth so sand doesn't get in it. "i've heard tales about fossils being found in this area-- i didn't expect to see an actual fossil pokemon, though!" much less to catch one... they really should give more serious thought to this 'pokemon trainer' thing. though flammula was tired after the battle, he did seem to enjoy it.

over the sandstorm, they hear the cries of a cacnea and a phanpy, easily identifying them both from their mental database of pokemon cries. for now, they'll move on. onwards and upwards! nikola seems ready to ride.

[ Josh Devlin ]

passing over cacnea and phanpy.

Josh shook his head as Nikola chirped about forgetting recovery medicine. "That's something you should never be caught without, especially this far from town," he sternly replied. "If your Cyndaquil gets really hurt, we can try Hyper Potion, but using that on such a young Pokémon might do more harm than good. Even with fully evolved Pokémon, you have to be careful how you apply Hyper Potion and Max Potion. I don't even carry Max Potion on me yet. My Pokémon aren't strong enough that it will do more good than harm yet." His Pokémon were plenty strong, too; he had, by now, registered for appointments to re-challenge Matias and Melody with brand new teams.

Blinky's quills would normally be a danger, but the guard on the front of her saddle would prevent Nikola's legs from being poked. "It's no problem - I'm looking for a few Pokémon for the Gym myself." He would let them experiment with the Jolteon's reins, seeing how much they knew about riding Pokémon before reiterating the offer to show them the basics.

"The only fossil Pokémon I have is an Aerodactyl," Josh said as Toralf kept pace with Blinky, the two comparable in size. "They can be a handful to tame, but it is so rewarding. Maybe you'll get the chance to meet Meteos sometime. He's my Aerodactyl. Doesn't see as much action as some of my other flying Pokémon, but he's still fun to fly on."

Blinky's smile turned into a grin, just waiting for Nikola to squeeze her sides. If they did, she was going to bolt.