It was a late afternoon in Mauville City, Josh having just finished a volunteer shift at a local thrift store on the southeast side. He would be so relieved when he had logged his 3,000 community service hours to make his Champion Assessment meaningful again. He still had a long ways to go, particularly now that he had to juggle his Gym Leader duties with the menial labor.

After finishing up some minor tasks inside his Gym office, the Leader was greeted by an unfamiliar face. He was unable to help letting out a yawn. "It's a bit late, though given Mauville never sleeps, whether it's day or night isn't..." he trailed off, tired from his long day. He perked up when the teenager mentioned Ranger duties. "Right. I think we met at HQ for your training, but I don't remember your name. May I ask for it again?"

Regardless of whether he got it, Josh would nod. "Sure. I need to blow off some steam after work today. It was awful. Just let me run inside and get some of my other Pokémon." With that, he disappeared beyond his office's front door, and it would not be long before he returned with a full belt of six Poké Balls.

Josh skipped a beat or two before responding, "Right. How could I forget you, Robin? You showed so much promise in class. Can't wait for your first practical exam, I bet!" Many Rangers, especially those who learned most through hands-on experience, enjoyed taking their first practical exam. Others who were more analytical dreaded it. As important as fundamentals were, every ticket was different. Being a Ranger required mental agility and adaptability, as well as a bond with Pokémon stretching beyond combat capabilities. It was one of the reasons it was so rare for a Gym Leader to do Ranger work. Josh was in a unique position, his specialized training and talent in the saddle letting him do both.

After returning and leading Robin up the tunnels to the top level of Mauville City exposed to the sun, he sent out two more of his Pokémon: a Shiny Pyroar and a Zebstrika, both of which wore riding gear similar to that of his Manectric. "For me, it's simple," Josh chuckled. "If it can't wear a saddle, I don't want to raise it. You see, before I became this city's Gym Leader, I wanted to be a professional Pokémon racer. I almost got there, too. Then this opportunity presented itself. Anyway, these two are Aslan and Raiden." The great cat and electric equine's eyes shifted toward Robin, though they looked friendly as ever.

As Josh passed by a pair of Normal-types that didn't catch his interest, as he already had Wiley the Furret, he continued to explain his process behind picking teams, both for combat and for Ranger tickets. "When out in the field, I try to pick at least one Pokémon that can swim and one Pokémon that can fly. Having two that can fly helps a lot more. That way if you fall off your Pokémon, you'll have another to catch you. Other than that, just study the type chart and make sure there's not too much overlap. With how many Pokémon there are, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Find what works for you! I do suggest you get a Pokémon you can ride across land, sea, and sky, though. You'll find that you'll have a lot more freedom if you do."

Racing was more than just speed. While raw speed was important, it was each Pokémon's combination of speed, endurance, and agility that made them unique. "Speed means more than just the magnitude component of velocity," Josh explained. "There's a lot more to racing Pokémon than just raw speed. Pacing your Pokémon is really important, as is being able to handle turns. Just because you have a Pokémon that can run at a hundred miles an hour, it won't do you any good if it can't also turn sharp corners." The sharp claws Aslan had made him very good at doing just that.

"It's two different hats," Josh confirmed. "It's a long story how I got here, but I can tell it to you if you want to." He would wait for Robin to confirm whether she wanted to hear before divulging further details.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SYNCHRONIZE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HYPNOSIS	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]CAPTIVATE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]LIFE DEW	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TELEPORT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin robin coello

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] INFILTRATOR
[attr="class","wildtabox"]INFESTATION	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ROLLOUT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DISABLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]PAIN SPLIT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BLOCK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin robin coello

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

robin coello CAUGHT THE LAMPENT!

Josh perked up upon hearing Robin's interest in racing, whether it was fleeting or not. "We do have season passes for sale at Mauville Racing Grounds, and of course, tickets to each individual racing day," Josh couldn't help but advertise. He needed the money, too, what with doing most of his Ranger work off payroll to fulfill his community service requirement. He couldn't wait to get his Ranger check again; though his Gym Leader check let him live a fairly comfortable lifestyle, he couldn't head to Mossdeep to play poker. Until he got both sources of income back, he would have no gambling money.

"Alright, buckle up, cause it's a long one. Perhaps the most well-known piece of gossip about me is that I've been chasing the legendary Pokémon Raikou on and off for... oh, thirteen or fourteen years. There's this small shrine west of Fortree that is the only place I've seen dedicated to Raikou. A year ago July, I got wrapped up in defending the place from some thugs with an apparent bent for archaeology. Former Councilwoman Elinor Anderson thought I'd be a good scout for someone in Law Enforcement. I told her I didn't like the rigidity, so she suggested I be a Ranger instead. And that's how I got started as a Ranger."

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] RIVALRY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HEADBUTT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TACKLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]LEER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ENDEAVOR
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin robin coello

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SWIFT SWIM
[attr="class","wildtabox"]JAW LOCK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HEADBUTT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TACKLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BITE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin robin coello

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

robin coello CAUGHT THE BRAMBLEGHAST!

It indeed was a lofty goal. Not impossible, but unlikely, and one the Gym Leader had little control over. He had learned that the hard way, letting his desire for Raikou control every aspect of his life at one point. It was what drove him to brutalize Eris. It was what got him suspended as a Gym Leader months back. And it took a behemoth effort to bottle his obsession back up into a mere dream, like it was when he was a child, before he could legally own a Pokémon.

"Ever since I was a child, I've admired Raikou," Josh explained as Robin's Munchlax engaged in a wrestling match with a wild Chewtle. "The Johtonian god of lightning and the god of speed, one of my childhood dreams I have never been able to let go of is going for a ride on Raikou's back. And you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I've lived that dream before." No thanks to kyle lopez working with the ambitious Mauville Leader for so long. As long as the two were on friendly terms with one another, he could live that dream any time he wanted within reason.

As the battle continued on, Josh addressed the fellow Ranger's other questions. "I actually am, in a way, a spare tire for both. I do some very specialized Law Enforcement work, such as police chases, but I work mostly on the Ranger side. As it turns out, outrunning a Gym Leader who specializes in speed is hard for even the toughest criminals." The Mauville Leader, if anything, seemed overly proud of how fast his Pokémon were, to the detriment of other characteristics.

"So what I specialize in as a Ranger is wilderness search and rescue efforts. A team of swift ride Pokémon is incredibly helpful for operations like that." He chuckled at Robin's remark; the Gym Leader's need for speed and quickness to act was not popular among Head Rangers Laurence Anderson and Razz Kingsman . ollie morales didn't seem to mind it, though, as long as it was properly used.

Before he could continue, the roar of a Pyroar caught his attention. "Aslan, when did I--" Josh trailed off as he saw the Pyroar was not Shiny. It wasn't one of his other five Pyroar, either; what was such a fierce Pokémon doing on the top level of the city? It would be too dangerous to let run around, plus he wouldn't let this opportunity slip past to grow his pride.

Hurling Resheph's Poké Ball toward the wild, the saddled Dragonair lunged at the lion, who was quick to leap over the serpent's AQUA TAIL and HEADBUTT his dragon-type foe into the ground. Standing on the tail to prevent the water-type move from being used again, the majestic feline lowered his jaws toward her scales and took a big bite out of them. Resheph squealed and discharged a point-blank THUNDER WAVE before being overwhelmed.

Josh recalled the Dragonair before she suffered any more, sending out Aslan for real this time. In the regal, Shiny lion's presence, the wild backed down. A pride leader at heart, the golden-maned cat captured the normal-type's attention long enough for his trainer to pitch an Ultra Ball toward it.