"Goldenrod played well. I had a feeling they were off their game, and they were. Oh, if I were a gambling man..." Howard sighed as Josh led him to a seat on the second floor. He had become far more familiar to the Mauville Gym after visiting multiple times, both to check on Elise Calcifet to ensure she was keeping up with her studies, and to pester Josh regarding the most recent games.

He rarely stayed in the Mauville Gym alone, though. Time didn't allow it, and Team Rocket didn't want one of their smugglers slacking. He hadn't slept well last night. A dream about black crystals had caused the archaeologist to spend all night doing research on ancient artifacts.

At about 4 AM, Howard had looked at his clock, remembered he and Josh were to meet later that morning, and had cursed for a solid thirty seconds. He liked hanging out with Josh—the Gym Leader was one of the kindest he knew—but the Team Rocket grind was soul crushing.

"Very interesting lineup this season, should make for some fun games. How's the Gym?"

---

Josh Devlin

This year's baseball season was wacky; bookies got clobbered as very few of the favored teams actually made the playoffs. Whoever bet on Stow-on-Side and Cianwood to make the playoffs got paid life-changing sums of money. "The only gambling I do is poker," Josh related his tale as the two took a seat and started eating lunch together. "And while there is plenty of luck in the game, poker is a game of skill. There is a such thing as a professional poker player. I couldn't handle it, though; couldn't deal with the huge ups and downs. One day you could win two hundred thousand; the next day you could lose half a million. Couldn't do it."

Josh's eyebrows raised, not expecting the young man to take such an interest in Mauville Racing Grounds. Was this a challenge to come? He cracked a brief smile before it melted away to his usual semi-serious face. "Surprisingly, it hasn't been too busy. Challenger volume has been way down. Believe it or not, I actually have appointments going unfilled, particularly battle appointments. Especially in the middle of the week. What about it?"

If Howard was showing any but the most subtle signs of sleep deprivation, Josh would have picked up on them. If that was the case, he would ask, "You been sleeping okay?"

"No bigger gamble than college. Maybe I should become a professional poker player. We should play a game sometime." Howard scratched his chin thoughtfully and silently screamed. He didn't have any money to gamble with, and Amor would kill him if he knew that Howard was gambling his money away with Josh Devlin of all people.

He was a good gambler, though. Well, where it counted. There was a reason Team Rocket kept him around, and it wasn't for his fashionable hat and winning personality. He made money, and he made Team Rocket a lot of it. People were taking notice. Even the higher ups. It had only been a little while since Zev visited...

Stop.

"Working on a new translation of an Urobosian text and doing some research. You know how it is. No rest for the wicked." Howard lied as he yawned, before rubbing his eyes. "I'm curious. You ask a lot about my work, only seems right that I'd ask about yours. I was thinking I'd maybe give the Gym a try, y'know? Been getting kicked around too much for my taste."

---

Josh Devlin

Josh frowned upon hearing higher education mentioned. "College is such a scam. You bust your butt getting a degree, but it does you no good without experience. And experience is no good without a degree. As I've found out, landing a position like mine requires only one thing: connections. I never would have landed my position as Gym Leader here without kyle lopez 's help." While that wasn't entirely true, he was one of the ones that recommended Josh's promotion out of the Minor League. He had met many Minor League Gym Leaders throughout his travels. Andrea Vaneau . Elise Calcifet . DESIREE BLOOMS . Countless others. Out of them all, only he and Hideo Kino had landed a spot in the Major Leagues. "Sounds fun! We could hit up the low stakes rooms in Mossdeep sometime. Walpurgisnacht has great poker rooms."

Josh slid back in his chair when Howard asked for a Gym challenge. "We're slow right now, like I said, so I could pencil you in once our food settles. If not today, then appointments are pretty readily available. If you need help signing up, I can guide you; the signup process is all online." The image of Shirley and Meteos screeching through the sky north of Mauville made the young man smile. "It seems like just yesterday you were learning with Blitz. It's come full circle, hasn't it?"

A battle?

They had fought, and Howard had been utterly thrashed by Josh during the battle between Rocket and League near Dewford. Josh was so many levels up the totem pole from Howard, and had steadily defeated the archaeologist even after Howard's first strike. During that fight, Howard had loathed the man sitting across from him.

Yet the Gym Leader's smile. It was so easygoing. Would this man hate him once he realized what Howard was? A traitor to the region, and one of the organization's largest smugglers?

They were, by definition, supposed to be enemies. Yet Howard could not hate this man, with his passion for racing. Blast, he should, but he didn't. There was no bad blood between them.

"Time flies. I study eras as they pass, but I don't think it'll ever come close to comprehending the human element of it and how much we can change in a few months." On a geological level, the lives of humans were insignificant. That's why Howard focused on archaeology and history, instead.

"Online, huh...?" He immediately became woozy, and it was like Howard was melting into his seat. Technology. His weakness. "Yeah, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate the help..."

Best to focus on something else before the mention of technology killed his soul. SLAM! Howard leaned forward suddenly.

"Let's race! Right now! You and me!"

---

Josh Devlin

It would be hard to say what would happen when that day came. For those who truly wanted to get away from Rocket, understanding what their affiliation with Rocket would do to their lives, and those who were only within Rocket due to unforeseen, unavoidable life circumstances, he would welcome them into the League'a amnesty program with open arms. For those unerringly loyal to the syndicate's cause, he would show no mercy and oftentimes reckless abandon. Were it the Great Creator's will, he would not hesitate to zip himself into a cocoon strapped to a blindingly bright Ultra Burst Necrozma, riding down Cillian Quinn at the speed of light.

"There are entire fields of study dedicated to the human element's impact in any environment," Josh added. "How an environment impacts one's way of thinking is a field of study in and of itself. As cruelly ironic as it is, I don't think the human mind is capable of truly understanding itself." What a marvelous thing it truly was, esoteric beyond comprehension.

Josh flinched at the loud impact between Howard's fist and the table. "Hold your Rapidashes, Howard! Give your food time to settle, or it'll come right back up your mouth in no time flat! Besides, we gotta get you signed up first." He stood up to move his chair next to Howard's, pulling out his phone to help guide him to where the signup form was located online. "I can walk you through it. I can't fill the form out for you, since it has to be done using your trainer login. But I can show you where the form is."

If Howard followed the Gym Leader's directions, he would easily find the electronic form. It would ask questions such as the desired type of challenge, data about the Pokémon he would be using, and a desired date and time for the appointment. While he was helping, the Gym Leader's phone sounded a jingle, prompting him to check his email. It seemed his next appointment had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict. He subtly smiled, now able to take Howard's challenge in an official capacity, if he so desired.

"Y-you can't?" Howard said, already turning green. He was hoping that Josh would be able to just fill it out for him while Howard cheered in the background. Who would've thought that Gym Leaders had to be such sticklers for rules? It didn't help that the League was breathing down Josh's neck.

As Josh sat next to Howard, the archaeologist stiffened for a few seconds, before the feeling vanished.

It was supposed to be a simple electronic form, easy in and out. Instead, it ended up being a slog. He ended up on the FAQs page, then on Josh Devlin's Gym Leader bio, then to a site that tried to ask for his credit card number, before finally making it to the form.

Josh would've had an easier time outspeeding Rayquaza than getting Howard to the form.

"I've done it!" Howard cheered, even though Josh had done most of the heavy lifting. Man, Howard missed paperwork. Everything was too modern now for him to catch up. "Easy-peasy!"

"Date, huh?" Howard peered at the final question, before looking up to Josh. He saw the subtle smile. He remembered what happened on that island. Howard's eye blinked slowly, before turning down to tap in today's date.

Josh's phone jingled.

---

Josh Devlin

To an extent, the League breathed down the necks of all her Gym Leaders. Josh was under added scrutiny due to his... freckled history with the League. First, the performance issues after the probationary period ended could not be ignored. Those issues had been since resolved. The second issue, and the more serious one, was the Eris altercation. He had been punished appropriately by League staff. While there had been disagreement between Council FERNANDO SILPH and PENELOPE LIVY over the details of the punishment, their actions had made Josh a more effective Gym Leader and a better person.

"Got it! Reviewing your application now." He scrolled through the questionnaire to make sure everything about it was accurate and complete. After a few minutes, the Gym Leader cleared his throat. "Everything looks good, except a couple of things: you put your Pokémon's nickname instead of the species name, and you entered 'yes' when asked for Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, or Terastallization in the challenge. Which Pokémon and abilities are you using for the racing challenge? I can get that fixed when I enter your challenge into the system."

Man, maybe it was best to just throw himself off the top of Mauville. It'd be less painful than making so many embarrassing mistakes. Seriously, who put yes when asking a question like that. Only an utter tool and buffoon, incapable of opening an email.

Alternatively, Howard Slayte.

"Got it! I'll approve Mega Evolution, then. I won't Terastallize or use Z-Moves." Howard found the errors and moved to correct them, shaking his head slightly. "As for my Pokémon"

Howard stopped, blood freezing.

He had been about to reach for his Armaldo and Carbink. Pokemon that he had used against the Gym Leader during the battle north of Dewford. Josh was a lot of things, but he was not a fool. It wouldn't take a genius for him to put two and two together. He needed to be more careful.

Ever since he started being more active in Team Rocket, he was getting closer and closer to making mistakes. He'd need to correct that.

"Actually, scratch the Mega Evolution. I suppose I have one option." Howard said casually, before reaching for his belt. On the table, he put down a strange, ancient Pokeball that was carved with strange runes. When it hit the table, it landed with a heavy thud. It must've weighed a ton. It was unstable, but the Gigaton Ball had malfunctioned recently. Hopefully it would keep itself together for a little while longer.

"I've got a special Ursaluna, here. First of its kind here in Hoenn, I think." Howard scratched his chin. "I don't know a lot about it, including its ability. Want to give it a go?"

---

Josh Devlin

The rune-covered Poké Ball piqued Josh's interest, and in a way that made him visibly uneasy. For the first time ever, he felt discomfort around Howard. It had to be unbearably heavy, the thud leaving a noticeable indentation on the table. The only other hint Howard would get of Josh's nerves was a brief stutter. "Y-You're on. You'll get to meet Moosh, my own Ursaluna. He doesn't see a lot of action, so I'm sure he'll be excited to race against your own Ursaluna. I'll see who is open to fill out the field of five, find a good course for us, and get us started once our food settles!"

There was no reason to rush it; with how thick Ursaluna fur was, cleaning vomit out of it would not be fun for anyone. Though his usual crew were not all available to race, JACKIE MYERS would be a substitute for ARAVAN ESCHER, who was on vacation. Browsing the courses, the Gym Leader's eyes lit up as one that would test an Ursaluna's skills the best came to mind. Requiring a delicate balance of rider dexterity and Pokémon endurance, it was one Josh rarely got to race on, and one that might cause Howard a panic when they arrived.

The LATERAL SHIFT.

There was a bar in Rustboro that served a drink called the Lateral Shift. Namely because it laterally shifted out of your mouth if you drank too much. Howard kept that to himself, though. He was too busy having a mental breakdown. If Josh Devlin was stuttering, maybe it was best to call this off and simply talk about baseball.

Alas, Howard's dignity was on the line. Plus, that battle that the two had on Route 119 rang in his ears.

I should hate him. Howard's eye flicked towards Josh, before picking up the Gigaton Ball. But I can't.

"Moosh can meet Doug. I haven't actually introduced him to a typical Ursaluna. This'll be exciting!" Howard said, weighing the ball slightly. From an analysis, Doug was about on par with typical Ursaluna, but its skeletal structure was slightly more inclined for swimming. He wasn't a professional racer, but he figured that you wanted a Pokémon that was fast on land. Unless the arena flooded, Josh would have the advantage.

That was fine. Doug had the stamina.

"I'm gonna go scream in front of a mirror for doing this." Howard said, rising. "See you on the field in fifteen?"

---

Josh Devlin

Typical Ursaluna? Howard wasn't joking, was he? Ursaluna was already a Pokémon of which there wasn't a lot known. For there to be a subspecies of the large Pokémon both piqued Josh's curiosity and triggered uncertainty within him. He would e racing against a completely unknown opponent, with little idea of how it matched up to he and his Gym Leaders. While accidents were always a risk, they were even more so with Pokémon he had never seen before. It was one reason why Josh spent so much time in the wilds: he wanted to learn as much as he could about them. Especially the big ones he could strap a saddle to.

"N-No need to be nervous!" Josh reassured, though it was to be seen how effective his statement would be due to his own nerves showing. "I'm gonna get in the shower and change into my racing clothes. See you in fifteen!" With that, he would head to the first floor and do as he said. His 'racing clothes' were also his Sygna Suit. While inert due to his Manectric or none of his Pyroar being present, it was still quite aerodynamic, greatly reducing drag when in motion at high speeds.

The only things that witnessed Howard's screaming were the Raikou toilets and the mirror. That was probably a good thing, given Howard's breakdown was a mixture of screaming, hyping himself up, and contemplating running away and telling Josh that he had gotten food poisoning.

His phone had been on the dial button before deciding to tough it out. He had given his word, and he wouldn't go back on it.

He hadn't brought any racing clothes, nor had he brought a saddle to ride his Ursaluna in. Instead, he almost walked out of the bathroom with some toilet paper on his shoe. Luckily, he caught it before his dignity could be shredded any further. Alas.

Twenty minutes later, Howard emerged with some relative degree of confidence. He saluted Josh in the lobby and ran over to him. "A Sygna Suit? You're going all out against me?" Howard gave a small laugh. "Guess I can't make too much of a fool of myself, then."

---

Josh Devlin