The directions Victor had been given would lead him to an impressive array of Gym Trainers and Pokémon. Many of them were quite large for their size, including a Leafeon, Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon with some of the younger students. The class was small enough that there were enough of them to give some of the students a one-on-one experience. Some would go to Josh's Gym Trainers in pairs. Victor Haas was a lucky one, getting one-on-one lessons with the Master of Faster himself.

Seeing the Stantler next to him, Josh greeted Victor after sounding a shrill whistle. "Glad you could make it! Stantler is a great choice to learn with. They're for the most part well-rounded, and if you have a well-crafted saddle to accommodate them, they're not too rough on you." He didn't know that being on the species firsthand; he extrapolated from how Din, a cranky-looking Sawsbuck that had answered Josh's call, treated him. He gave the taller grass-type a treat in the hopes of appeasing her before mounting up.

"How much experience do you have, other than our stroll through Mauville Hills?" the Leader asked. "If you're comfortable, we can start with a diagnostic. One lap around the Split Oval surrounding the battle courts."

With no experience, Josh would have to go over the basics of the basics with Victor. He had loosely done so during their jaunt through Mauville Hills, but that was with a Pokémon that was intelligent enough to fill in the gaps. While both Stantler and Ninetales had psychic powers, the fox's were a lot more refined, and could sense their rider's intentions more readily. There would be a lot more manual control with a Stantler. "We actually have a deal with Verdanturf Leather and Saddle, where Gym members get a sizable discount there. It's where I get all my gear from." He wouldn't push a Gym membership upon the young man, instead choosing to be subtle about it.

Victor's attitude toward Jaakko had been mirrored by the way he treated the rest of his Pokémon. Josh still thought he was Ranger material, but that would be a conversation for another day. Possibly over a meal. For now, he remained observant, watching Victor mount up. It was a bit of a struggle, but he ultimately was able to get settled in.

"Sure thing, but I'll periodically fall back and let you take the lead so I can observe you. Once we complete one lap around the course, I'll have a good idea where to start." Josh faced forward and gently squeezed his Sawsbuck's sides. Din snorted before trotting forward, up the incline as it made a gentle left turn. With a mild tug with his left hand. he guided the grass-type around the curve's inside line. If he were to hear the clopping of hooves behind him from Victor and Jaakko picking up the pace, he would fall back to watch them carefully.

Josh and Din matched Victor's pace as he and Jaakko accelerated up the incline. He looked a little uncomfortable bareback, but he was sure the normal-type's fur helped. It was certainly softer than the bony back of an equine. It was clear to him after a while that the Stantler was a new acquisition, the Pokémon not used to Victor's weight yet. They became more stable as the hill was about to crest. The Gym Leader silently commanded Din to speed up, the Sawsbuck obliging until they were alongside the student and his partner.

"You've got good fundamentals," Josh complimented. "I can tell you picked up a lot from Mauville Hills and Mystic." The two were going about as fast as a trot could carry them, and that was a speed far faster than many with little to no experience were comfortable with. He was happy with his progress so far, but the real test would be how he handled the backstretch. "Now I want to see how you handle the rest. The downhill's coming." It wasn't a harsh downhill, but it was steep enough that Victor and Jaakko might end up coasting down it quite a bit faster than they had when they were climbing upward.

As the downhill forced Jaakko into a canter, Josh carefully observed the student's posture and the way he Stantler was compensating. It was apparent as the two crossed the line that both the balance of the Pokémon and Victor's balance needed some work. What needed more work, though, was their bond.

"For someone with as little experience as you have, you did pretty well!" Josh complimented as he reined Din to a stop. "I wanted to give you some feedback. I know the cost is a concern, but you would really benefit from a saddle, or at least a blanket. It helps with balance a surprising amount. We have a deal with Verdanturf where you can get a voucher for one as part of a new one-year membership with Mauville Gym. They'll custom-fit it to your Pokémon for maximum flexibility for the Pokémon and maximum reinforcement for you."

Josh's eyes shifted toward Jaakko. The heavy breath was in his mind an indicator that the Stantler wasn't thrilled with the way they were being controlled. "You said that Jaakko was a fresh catch, right? That's another mistake beginning riders make. You can't just hop on a Pokémon that's freshly caught. That's something even expert Rangers have trouble with. You need to really understand your Pokémon first. Once that bond is there, you'll find your Stantler much easier to control, almost like you and your mount are of one mind."

With the two having crossed the starting line, Josh would help Victor get down from Jaakko if he needed it. "If you want practice on something similar, Din's the closest I have. I don't have a Stantler at my Gym, sadly. Haven't been able to find one myself."

The total cost of the membership was, of course, greater than the cost of the voucher, but it was a perk of committing for an entire year. On top of that, it would be cheaper to buy a membership for the full year than twelve individual months. Other benefits included unfettered access to the Racing Grounds during hours of operation, priority call and email routing, three free tickets per month to a Gym challenge, and more. For anyone looking to improve for the Gym circuit or anyone particularly invested in his classes, it was worth their while.

"Remember what they taught in school, Victor. Pokémon have personalities, just like us. It's ultimately up to the trainer to determine and adapt to those personalities. Make sure to be patient with your Pokémon; I've got a few that even I'm still trying to understand. Some will warm up to you in a day. Others can take months. Be patient, and there's no heart you can't open the door to."

Victor's willingness to swap to the Sawsbuck made Josh smile on the inside. Din would be a great Pokémon to learn with, especially with the fall making her a bit reserved. Winter was coming, though, and she did not like the inter. With a shrill whistle, another of the Gym Leader's Pokémon joined the Grass-type, and in a dramatic way. A whinny came from the northeast, a black and yellow-striped equine dashing toward the Gym Leader before rearing in front of him. The excited Zebstrika nuzzled Josh, even causing him to flinch from the static of a loud spark. It must have been a powerful one for someone known to be around electric Pokémon to react so. "Come on, Raiden! Don't scare the poor guy off!"

If Victor needed any help hopping aboard Din, Josh would do so before climbing atop Raiden. "If you're ready to go faster, Din does know how to use Agility. It's one of the more basic ways for a Pokémon to put on more speed. Raiden and I will try to stay close behind. I mostly want to see if the root of the issue is Jaakko or your control of him." With that, the Gym Leader would again leave Victor to set the pace.

Normally, a Zebstrika would be a great steed to learn with. Their running stroke was steady, not too bumpy, and the Pokémon itself was sturdy. Raiden's competitive nature did not lend him to being so; he was one swift equine, occasionally accelerating to full gallop without a command. If Victor was having difficulty with Jaakko, then Raiden would be far too fast for him. Din was much more chill, if a little reserved.

The Sawsbuck was obedient, walking forward and only speeding up at Victor's command. Raiden looked annoyed at the leisurely pace the student led with, the Gym Leader having the patience of a saint for putting up with the Zebstrika. "You're doing great up there! I imagine you're seeing the similarities to Jaakko already."

When asked about other moves commony used aboard Pokémon, Josh rattled off the most common ones. "There's Quick Attack, Trailblaze, Double Team, Extreme Speed, and Aqua Jet for on the water. Any move that lets the Pokémon put on a burst of speed, really." There were quite a few more that didn't come to mind right away. "I wouldn't try having your Pokémon use one until you've mastered the basics, though. Even a simple Quick Attack is... really fast."

Josh looked please with Victor's rising confidence, Din's trot a little bouncier than before. If a sensitive tailbond was an issue for him, he could watch the running strokes of many Pokémon and come to a decision based on that. Pokémon that had smoother running strokes had a tendency to be slower, but there were noteworthy exceptions. Arcanine, despite their great size and the breadth of their strides, weren't too challenging to hold onto, though their extremely high speed might scare Victor.

"Feels great, doesn't it?" Josh called out as he squeezed Raiden's sides to match Din's speed. "They do, both for battles and for riding! The first time you get on one will scare you, but it's just so liberating going so fast you're hard to see." Crashes were a valid safety point to ask. "That's why I recommend only using them in wide open fields. And that's not even counting Z-Moves." Josh had developed a Quick Attack Z-Move that was perhaps faster than any other Pokémon move out there.