It seemed Josh was impressing Robin with his Pokémon. Excellent. "It should be. Sceptile are incredibly fast Pokémon. While they're at their quickest in the woods, swinging from tree to tree, they're still fast in the open." It was a bit of a ride to the foothills of Sector 3, where the Gym Leader's Operations Center was at one of the craggy peaks, but his Pokémon would be able to ferry them there easily.

As the two rode toward the hills, Robin shared her journey to get some Ice Stones. "Glastrier are pretty rare. If you were in Shoal Cave, you probably saw Laurence Anderson 's Glastrier. I have one, too. Perhaps you'll get to see her later today!" he half-bragged that he was able to obtain one from deep within a Terastal Cave near Dewford. It was no Spectrier (his ride on Rocinante alongside Remiel Calcifet was unforgettable), but the equine still put on quite a bit of speed in his hands. "If you ever want to go hunting for more Pokémon, there are still quite a few I'm looking to get my hands on for the Gym," Josh offered. "Might be fun flying through the ethereal together on our Dragapult!"

Once they had arrived at the craggy part of Sector 3, near the MULTI JUMP course popular among bipedal Pokémon like Dodrio, Josh whistled for the two aforementioned Pokémon. A saddled Sceptile and Salazzle zoomed toward Robin and the Leader, not afraid to show how fast they were. "Your posture and strength are both really important when riding a climbing Pokémon," he warned, despite the L-shaped curves on their seats to accommodate bipedal or quadrupedal running strokes.

"These two are Oberon and Fire Eyes," Josh introduced the two climbers. The taller Sceptile looked sturdier, while the Salazzle looked more nimble. The unusual seat on the narrow lizard's corrosive body was slightly wider than the creature's midsection, but even then it was narrower than what most ride Pokémon wore. Balancing on the poison-type and finding posture that would let Robin's whole body fit on her could be a bit of a challenge.

"Yep," Josh quickly answered with a nod, turning to see smoke coming out of the office building's chimney. Was maintenance testing the heating system? They must have been; it wasn't cool enough outside to warrant running the heat. "Ultimately, the goal is to gather one of every common Pokémon that can wear a saddle well." It would be a goal he relied on League subsidies to keep alive; without public funding, there was no way he would be able to afford to take care of so many Pokémon, no matter how successful the Mauville Racing Grounds became.

Robin's bravery plastered a smile on the Gym Leader's face as she took a seat on the venomous lizard. He was equally impressed with her balance on the Pokémon. Due to the poison-type's narrow body, finding a place where the rider's weight would minimally shift was important. The nearly vertical climb the Salazzle made showed the Ranger why Fire Eyes' saddle had such an unusual shape.

"You're pretty good!" Josh complimented Robin, taking a seat on Oberon's back. The Sceptile darted after Fire Eyes, the Gym Leader ready to give pointers if need be. As much as she was content letting the Salazzle maintain control, she would only ferry her across the steep slopes so long before stopping and leaving her in full control. "It takes a lot of lower body strength to stay balanced on one. Have you done this before?" he nonchalantly asked.

Josh nodded at Robin's remarks about her experience riding a climbing Pokémon. They didn't surprise him one bit; being on a Pokémon who could go completely vertical was disorienting. Even with a saddle designed for it, having to constantly fight gravity with one's upper body was quite the challenge. It utilized muscles no other type of ride Pokémon did.

He stopped his speedy Sceptile, dismounted, and let the Pokémon go on their way. "You okay?" Josh asked. "It can be a bit disorienting, but you handled it well. You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Flying is actually easier than riding a climbing Pokémon because you mostly stay upright on one." Mostly. It depended on how adept the particular Pokémon was at loops and barrel rolls. There were some that were incredibly talented at it, though many were legendary Pokémon.

The view atop the crags of Sector 3 was amazing, giving Robin a look at most of the Gym's courses. "That's Mauville Gym for you," Josh chuckled as he watched some of his bird and dragon Pokémon fly overhead. His eyes lit up at the prospect of a Gym challenge from her. "That's the spirit! There's nothing like the freedom of traveling on a Pokémon. You'll be able to expand your horizons so far when you have a Pokémon that you're close enough to that the two of you can move as one."

Several of his flying Pokémon started to swoop low to the hills, Josh waving at his Pidgeot, Pazuzu. "Want to try flying back now?" he asked.

Josh had planned on flying with Pazuzu on the way back, but Bladestorm's screeching dive forced his hand. There was no way he was going to allow Robin to sit in the Metal Menace's saddle. The steel-type was far too aggressive, and his dives could reach nosebleed-inducing speeds comparable to that of a race car. At the Gym Leader's command, Pazuzu swooped in and landed near Robin, the Pidgeot's screech perhaps a bit intimidating. The bird meant no harm, though.

"These two are Bladestorm and Pazuzu," Josh introduced the two birds. "Pazuzu was the very first Pokémon I ever captured in Johto, when he was still a Pidgey. Bladestorm I captured when the big guy terrorized a small town abroad. Little did I know it, but it was one of the things that would eventually drive me to be a Ranger. Pazuzu's reliable. Fast, but reliable. Don't be afraid to hop on!" If Robin were to ask to get on the Skarmory instead, Josh would warn her of Bladestorm's extreme speed and aggression. He wouldn't stop her, but he would give her fair warning.

Regardless of Robin's choice, Josh would give her a crash course and let her lead the way for pacing. "Controlling a flying Pokémon is a lot like a ground one, but with the third dimension added. You can control a Pokémon's altitude with the reins, too. If you pull back on them, your Pokémon will climb. If you ease your hold on them and let them hang more slack, your Pokémon will descend. Other than that, everything's the same."

Josh and Bladestorm took off skyward after Robin and Pazuzu, the air passing between his steel wing blades creating a tinny whistling sound feared by his potential prey. There would be none nearby, though; all of Josh's Pokémon were used to the noise. Robin's hooting and hollering brought a smile to Josh's face, seeing her handle the stomach-churning altitude changes well. Even Josh couldn't help but sound a "YEEHAW!" when he had Bladestorm imitate the Pidgeot's dive.

"Isn't it?!" he shouted toward Robin, Josh reining Bladestorm as close as he could comfortably get to the Ranger. "Just be careful with the speed. Pazuzu can actually break the sound barrier if you push him as fast as he can go." That would, of course, require the Pidgeot to maintain an impressively steep dive angle, almost like what a Swellow was capable of mid-stoop. "If you want to learn the finer arts of flying, I can recommend Alexei Ivanov . He's Fortree's Gym Leader and taught me everything I know about how to fly."

What was so surprising about Josh learning? Everyone had their specialties to teach people. One of the most valuable skills of all was demonstrating the capacity to learn. Keeping an open mind and open ears was important to fill in gaps in one's knowledge. "Until I came to Hoenn, I was really only an expert with Pokémon riding on land. For me, it's not even about fast travel. I love to feel the running stroke of my Pokémon. When you're newer it can be jarring, but I love it now. It truly feels like you and your Pokémon are one."

His skill had grown to the point where he pondered riding one of his Pyroar bareback. Without one, he would be subject to the full power of their flexing backs, no ingenious saddle design protecting him. It would be hard on his spine, meaning he couldn't go for very long. Even so, it might be fun! It would be worth a try when the weather started to get warmer.

"Old?" Josh asked Robin with a quizzical look. "I'm 24 years young. Don't call me old." While there were joking signs out, it may have come off as serious due to his tone.

The mention of seeing Josh get beaten at riding made him smile. "You might get your wish soon," he answered as the two birds flew alongside one another, letting Robin and Pazuzu take the initiative. Whatever maneuvers they made, Josh and Bladestorm would do their best to imitate. "This March, there's gonna be a big race somewhere in Hoenn. Attracts competition from around the world. Might want to come watch it. If you've got a water Pokémon you're confident in, might even think about entering it yourself."