There were very few places in Hoenn that got cold enough for snow to fall. Before Kyurem draped a part of south Hoenn in ice, the only place that would get winter weather would be the area around Shoal Cave. Now, winter weather occasionally graced north Mossdeep and the area around Fallarbor Town. It was to the point where the Master of Faster had to bundle up before he saddled up. With seismic activity down, at least Route 113 would be traversible at speed without a mask on. The volcanic ash that frequently fell from the wake of Mount Chimney made him travel up the Meteor Falls side when he had to come to Fallarbor.

Not today.

After zooming through the Great Desert at sickening speeds, the young Mauville Leader gave Raikiri a rest. Even mythical Pokémon, overflowing with Infinity Energy, had their limits. Josh had his, too. It was a limit he had become more cognizant of every time he rode kyle lopez 's Raikou-familiar. The last ride he got to go on was as a reward for his service in the big battle at Dewford. The sensation of being a passenger on the god of speed was one that never got old.

It felt like riding on a lightning bolt.

Instead, he enjoyed the company of a friend he had nearly lost after a series of vivid, heavy dreams about being Raikou's Avatar and repelling Cillian Quinn 's Eternal Shadow. In the world of Sylvis, he had worked hard to purge the jealousy that made his Manectric a Shadow Pokémon. Dressed in his Sygna Suit, the JOLLY vibes they shared drove them to speeds that matched those of his childhood idol. Raikou was still special to him, yes, but with their Sygna bond at its absolute maximum, Saber the Manectric was capable of matching the legendary Pokémon's speed. And that was exactly what he would do.

"Saber, QUICK ATTACK!" the overjoyed Gym Leader shouted loud enough for bystanders to hear. His SYNC STONE glowing yellow, the electric dog's paws lit up with explosions of sparks, the Master of Faster in heaven as the terrain around him turned into a blur. The experience he got was just like riding Raikou. The only thing Saber couldn't do that Raikou could was invoke Extreme Speed. And that was okay. With their bond perfected, he could get the experience of riding Raikou in his own way. Whenever he wanted.

As Josh and his Manectric shot around the plateau like an electric comet, a saddle-wearing Jolteon the size of a small Rapidash would cease chasing the duo, sitting not far from Caleb Kahilii and watching his trainer in awe.

Josh could not hear Caleb over the roaring winds riding his Manectric at speed, the suited rider looking like he was having the time of his life on a carnival's fastest roller coaster. As his suit's stone began to heat up, the Gym Leader knew it was time to close the metaphorical fuel valve, the Manectric no longer running at supernatural speeds. Catching sight of Caleb Kahilii at last, Josh rode toward the traveler that Blinky was sitting near.

"It seems Blinky here wanted to make friends with your Eevee," Mauville's Master of Faster said to Caleb, trying to break the ice. "Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but I like to go by Josh," he introduced himself to what appeared to be a capable trainer. Mauville's number one trainer had battled so many challengers that he had a good feel of how strong they were just by observing the way they acted with their Pokémon. Saber barked at Caleb once as to say hello, static crackling from the yellow tuft of fur on his head.

While Josh couldn't offer Caleb a handshake from his seat on Saber's back, he did make a cordial wave. "A love for speed, you say? You'd be right at home at Mauville Racing Grounds," the Leader tried to sell an invite to his Gym in the tall, compact city in central Hoenn. "Joel's a pretty big boy! Maybe he'll be as big as Blinky here one day," he mused, though it was unlikely to happen with the Gym Leader's knowledge. Blinky was nearly as large as the Jolteon species' genetics permitted her to be, even with the technology of breeding used to its full potential. Though many of Josh's Pokémon were from Distortions, she was bred.

Josh frowned. "If you're looking for Ninjask, you're in the completely wrong part of Hoenn." He wanted to seek out a giant Ninjask himself, not being responsive to Caleb right away as he lost himself in a daydream about zipping across Hoenn's skies on one. Snapping out of his trance thanks to Saber's bark getting his attention, he picked up voicing his thoughts where he had left off. "Petalburg Woods is the best place to find them. Not saying they're impossible to find out here, but if you want flying bugs, look no farther than the forest."

Seeing the poor Stufful outmatches and picked on, Josh hurled Aleph's Poké Ball toward the armored and shielded Pokémon. The Type: Null loafed around, wondering where the promised Ultra Beast opponents were. It took a TAKE DOWN from the wild to get the proud mythical Pokémon's attention. While the wild's shield stopped one CRUSH CLAW, it could not stop a second. Before the battle escalated further, Josh hurled a Poké Ball toward the living fossil. While Bastiodon wouldn't be a very fast ride Pokémon, it would make a fantastic cargo hauler for his Gym.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] GENDERLESS	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] CLEAR BODY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TACKLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TAKE DOWN
[attr="class","wildtabox"]---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]---
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Caleb Kahilii

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] STURDY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SLASH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]AGILITY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]METAL CLAW	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SPIKES
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Caleb Kahilii

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

Josh Devlin CAUGHT THE BASTIODON!

The Beldum hovering near the ensnared Skarmory was a rare find, and one of the most common Pokémon Josh had been asked why he didn't ride. Levitating, hovering Pokémon just weren't Pokémon he enjoyed being atop. There was something about being able to feel the turbulence of a sturdy mount, whether it be the gallop of a land Pokémon or the bouncy currents of the waves or sky, that brought the Gym Leader joy every time he ventured into the wilds. Being able to feel what his Pokémon was feeling let them truly ride as one.

Letting the Beldum go, Josh observed the traveler catch the steel-type. "Great catch, Caleb! Skarmory is one of my favorite ways to fly. They're a handful to raise, but once you forge a bond with them, they're fantastic. If you ever want to learn with one, I can loan out Bladestorm, my own Skarmory, during the next riding class I can fit you into." Of course, it would be far from free, but the Gym Leader's tuition was quite affordable. His Gym had become so profitable that he was even able to reduce the cost of his lessons, passing on the benefits of his success to his customers.

"So what do you do to make ends meet?" Josh asked, making small talk as he observed Caleb digitizing one of his other Pokémon to make room for the newly-captured Skarmory on his belt.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] TECHNICIAN
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SUCKER PUNCH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TRIPLE KICK
[attr="class","wildtabox"]QUICK GUARD	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]WIDE GUARD
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Caleb Kahilii

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] GENDERLESS	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ANALYTIC
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SCREECH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TRI ATTACK
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ZAP CANNON	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]METAL SOUND
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Caleb Kahilii

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

Caleb Kahilii CAUGT THE SKARMORY!

Josh hummed quietly as Caleb shared his story. "Hmm, both of us have sports backgrounds. We have a lot in common. My dad used to be a big basketball fan when I was a kid, but he stopped watching after Castelia's team became the laughingstock of the RLB. He was a big Castelia fan, but just got tired of following it after they managed less than 20 wins, season after season. I'm sure you'll land a contract somewhere, even if it's not in the big league."

He and the wild Hitmontop were getting along well even before the capture, Joel and the fighting-type passing the basketball back and forth as though they were trying to fake out a defender and shoot for three points. "I think the big guy likes you and Joel! You won't need a team to play on before long; you could make your own team if you keep catching Pokémon like that!"

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SHEER FORCE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SUPERPOWER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SLAM
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DYNAMIC PUNCH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]CHIP AWAY
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Caleb Kahilii

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] RECKLESS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FURY SWIPES	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DOUBLE SLAP
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BOUNCE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DETECT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Caleb Kahilii Josh Devlin

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

Caleb Kahilii CAUGHT THE HITMONTOP!