Figuring out what he wanted to bring to Fiora Woods, Josh called down to Mauville Gym and got ahold of ANDREW WEISS, his scheduler. "Morning, Andrew. Can you have Fabian round up some Pokémon for me? I've got a Ranger errand." As he was listening to the Paldean's response, Yuina walked up to Josh and greeted him. "Just a moment." He covered the phone's microphone, turning to the trainee Ranger. "Hey, Yuina! Give me a bit. I'm on the phone."

Giving his attention back to Andrew, Josh uncovered the end of the communications device again. "Sorry about that. My partner showed up. Anyway, I'll need... Steel Needle, Seizan, Ao, Craggro, and... Fire Eyes. Let me know when you've transmitted them to Littleroot's Pokémon Center. Thanks!" With that, the Gym Leader disconnected. "Sorry about that, Yuina. It's a pain in the butt moving my Pokémon around; I keep them all at my Gym. While we're waiting for them to arrive, do you need to go over the briefing again?" He remained calm despite being visibly uncomfortable bringing Yuina along for this mission; it was outside of the approved Danger rating for Trainees and Rookies. If anything untoward happened to her, the Elite would be fully responsible.

Josh smiled; he was glad he had good help, too. When he first started as Gym Leader, he ran the place alone, and it quickly overwhelmed him. With how much the place had expanded now, he could have worked there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and not been able to keep up with it. "Of course! We've got about twenty employees there and are looking to bring on more staff." Most notably, new in-house security. He was tired of paying an external firm to do so. It was just hard finding someone to do it, given Mauville Gym had been the target of two Team Rocket attacks in less than a year. Had SHAWN RICHARDS not been a lone wolf like Josh was, the Leader certainly would have been responsible for the former security staffer's final expenses.

Still at Littleroot's gate, Josh went over the RangerNet briefing one more time. "The core of the mission is to get an out-of-control Scolipede back into its Poké Ball and get this couple to either Littleroot Medical Center or Oldale Hospital, whichever is closer. The first thing we have to do is find the Scolipede's Poké Ball. Because it's an owned Pokémon, you can't just re-capture it in another Poké Ball. That will probably be the hardest part, since if it's close to the Scolipede, we may have to deal with it. Let's hope it's just out in the open. How much do you know about Scolipede? If you don't know a lot, pull up the species on RangerNet. If you don't remember from your training, it's the Hoenn Rangers' intranet, chock full of amazing resources."

Midway through his explanation, Josh received a text from his Gym indicating the Pokémon had arrived at Littleroot safely. "They're here. Be back in a bit." Taking a seat on the Manectric's back, Josh rode to the nearby Pokémon Center, returning on a different, and highly unusual, Salazzle steed of great proportions. Crawling on all four limbs, the venomous lizard would have stood quite a bit taller than even Josh when walking on two legs. Standing next to him were a Skuntank and a Gliscor, each of which wore saddlery of similar quality to what the Manectric wore. Surprisingly, there was no adverse smell from the bushy-tailed poison-type. "These two are Seizan and Steel Needle, and she's Fire Eyes," he introduced the three poison-types as he gently pat the Salazzle's neck. "I figured having poison-types would be handy since we'll be dealing with a Scolipede. Their venom is no joke."

With the briefing complete, Josh was ready to go. "Need a lift to the woods? You're welcome to either one of them for the mission."

Yuina was showing great promise as a Ranger. All too many of the recruits Josh handled had no idea what RangerNet was. She had clearly shown she was eager to not only learn, but apply what she had learned in the field. "Wonderful," the Elite complimented. "You're already ahead of the average trainee. If you've got the leadership skills to match, one day you'll wear a blue uniform like mine." He, was of course, referring to his own Elite Ranger title. "Those will be great when the Scolipede inevitably fights back."

Josh was impressed with Kano the Hisuian Arcanine; they were a fine specimen. He wouldn't remark about a saddle or lack thereof; as long as the Pokémon was comfortable with it, whether or not to use one was largely up to rider preference. The Master of Faster preferred to use them, but some trainers felt they could bond more closely with their mounts if they were in direct contact with their fur or skin. He did have one thing to bring up, though.

"Those are all great Pokémon once we engage. You want to know the reason I picked Fire Eyes for this, though?" He waited for them to answer the semi-rhetorical question. "She's not as fast as your Arcanine, but she's quiet." Her saddlery was extensive and had a guard in front, much like that of his Jolteon. The poison-type lizard's skin was toxic to the touch. While a minor point of contact would only result in irritation, extended exposure could melt skin from how corrosive her venom was. "I think the best way to find the Poké Ball is going to be to find the couple. It's not too unlikely they're far apart." Seizan took point, Josh keeping an eye out for scraps of clothing or any object the Skuntank could use to pick up owners' scent.

Kano and Seizan went their own separate ways, though the Skuntank made sure to keep Yuina and her Pokémon within eyesight. Ultimately, it would be Kano's keen smell that would get the task done, the Arcanine able to lead the two Rangers to a Croconaw that looked like it was in miserable condition. Multiple festering and deep stab wounds made it obvious that these were Scolipede stings if Yuina had done her research on RangerNet. Hiding beneath the tail would be the Scolipede's Poké Ball.

Meanwhile, Seizan's scent would lead Josh to the missing couple, who looked relieved to see the Ranger. One of them even celebrated aloud, the other gasping at seeing the giant, saddled Salazzle the blue-garbed Ranger was aboard. "Quiet!" Josh whispered. "The Scolipede's still around, and we don't know where it is. Hunker down until we give the word. We'll protect you." With the victims and the Poké Ball accounted for, all that remained was the unruly Scolipede. Who would find it first?

The snapping of trees and the cry of a Scolipede were all Josh needed to realize that Yuina had found the missing Pokémon. It did not seem to be happy, either, getting the upper hand against even Yuina's Rhydon. The bug-type was incredibly strong. While it was not as feared as Beedrill were, the species was arguably more lethal, easily capable of inflicting untold pain with its STEAMROLLER. With quick thinking, Josh popped another Poké Ball open, Saber the Manectric emerging from it. "Saber, you keep these two safe. Seizan, Fire Eyes, let's get that Scolipede back in its home."

While Fire Eyes was a stealthy mount, she wasn't nearly as fast as some of Josh's other Pokémon, even with the specialized training she received at the Gym. There was no telling how long the Rhydon's strength would last. "Yuina!" Josh cried, concerned at how close she was to the battle. She did need to remain in range of the Poké Ball's retraction beam if she wanted to withdraw the massive bug, but the creature's strength and speed made that a difficult task. "Get your Rhydon out of there! Trust me!" he ordered, the Salazzle going in and belching corrosive POISON GAS all over the rampaging foe.

Even the poison-type's toxic frame was unable to repel the gas, poisoning the bug-type and debilitating it with a feeling of weakness it had never experienced before. In desperation, the wild curled up and tore the nearby woods to shreds with a powerful STEEL ROLLER, sending entire trees flying toward both Yuina and Josh. One squarely struck Fire Eyes, knocking the Gym Leader out of the saddle and leaving the Salazzle barely able to fight back.

Yuina's aim was true, bonking the raging bug-type in the midsection. While the Poké Ball violently bounced around, Josh withdrew his hurting Salazzle and sent out his Hisuian Arcanine, Craggro. If the Scolipede broke out, a Rock Slide would ensnare it and make the second attempt much easier. Luckily, it was not needed; the Scolipede settled down, too tired to further resist capture. Not a moment sooner did Josh whistle for Yuina.

With only Saber and Craggro present, Josh commanded the Arcanine to crouch. Confirming that the young woman was strong enough to help lift his significant other onto the fire-type's back, the Gym Leader helped her do so. He vacated Saber's saddle and sent out a third Pokémon: Ao the Roaring Moon. The parados dragon let Josh aboard. "Great work, Yuina. Now, let's get them to Oldale Medical Center. It's the closest place that can treat these kinds of wounds."