Zata was still getting used to mounting a Pokemon, his Mudsdale in particular. But riding the Zeraora across streets were something on a whole other level. They moved past everything and everyone so fast Zata couldn't see a thing, all of it a mess of blur.

Once they finally arrived at their destination, Zata had no trouble mounting off. But he had to take a moment to himself, his face pale and a fist over his mouth he could feel something coming up from inside him. "I'll be with you in a second," He said in a sickly voice before he rushed to an open sewer in a distance, he did not want anyone seeing him sick.

After clearing his head (and stomach) he now noticed the full park and the crowd inside the pub. But they were already there, and Zata could not give any damn. He returned to be with Devlin and once he was inside he wasted no time making his way for the bar, "Whiskey, on the rocks." He requested the bartender. The man rested his elbow on the counter and his hand massaged his temple in an attempt at bringing himself back together after the eventful day.

Josh Devlin          

☉

The haste with which Zata rushed toward the drain was concerning. Did Josh overdo it? He didn't think his Zeraora was going fast, but his sense of speed had been dulled from the days he rode Raikou and Rayquaza. Those Pokémon were incredibly fast. Not to mention the Koraidon from the simulation. That Pokémon may have been even faster than Raikou.

Taking a seat near the row of televisions showing various football games, Josh swiveled to face Zata, side-eying the bartender. "Just a lemonade for me for now, please." It was hard to hear the halftime show over the crowd of patrons. Thankfully, the broadcast had closed captioning on, making him at least able to read the analysts' conversation. "This place is almost my third home. My second being Mauville Gym, and my first being my apartment down the street," the Gym Leader mused. "My family's flight from Goldenrod is tonight. Gonna be helping them move in this week."

The bartender served a small glass filled with ice and malt-colored liquid in front of Zata, to which he immediately took up to his mouth, eyes closed as he braved through the initial burn of the drink. But nothing he couldn't handle. Liquor was an old friend to him. Not long after the flavor settled in his buds.

"Is that why you're not drinking?" He asked when the other opened up about their plans. There was also the part where Zata did not realize that not everybody was a heavy drinker such as him. "When did you come to Hoenn?" He attempted to make small conversation. "Also, do you like anything to eat?" He added after smelling something good from somewhere inside the bar. If he could, he would also light up a cig, the atmosphere seemed perfect. But he knew better as it was a closed building, not everybody mind the pungent smell of tobacco.

Josh Devlin          

☉

Josh's reason for abstaining from alcohol was a question he had been asked many times. To everyone, he gave the same answer. "Nope. Alcohol and two hundred miles an hour don't mix too well." Pokémon racing, as fun as it was, came with its own dangers. Even a split second lapse of judgment could cause a season-ending accident for both rider and Pokémon. The more raw speed the Pokmon had, the more likely an accident was to be seriously harmful.

As another wave of Christmas ads played on the television that had the football game on, Zata asked Josh about his origins, of which he was happy to talk about. "The end of June of last year," he answered. "I was one of the last people to cross the border before the barrier went down and locked us inside all summer and fall. I was supposed to be on vacation for a couple weeks. By the time I could have left, I was already Mauville's Gym Leader."

The topic of food came up: natural for a sports bar. "I love Alto Maren and Unovan cuisine quite a bit," he answered. "It's part of the reason I took you here. Were you looking for just a snack, or did you want a full lunch?" Even if they weren't going to have a full meal, the excitement of a football game was a great backdrop for the two trainers to get to know one another.

---

Zata nodded understandably, The Gym Leader was being reasonable. Being drunk or even a little bit tipsy isn't suitable for a racer. He might need to keep that in mind before mounting his Mudsdale. Unlike Devlin he was a prolific drinker.

The sound of ice clattering against itself and the glass it was contained it could be heard as Zata spun the bottom of the glass around. When the man sipped on it the initial burn were miniscule and he could truly savor the flavor. All the while Devlin told his story of coming to Hoenn. Zata let out an amused breath, "That long huh?".

Zata didn't mind a small snack or a big meal. He was partially exhausted from the battle and evacuation so he could use something to eat. "Impress me," He gestured at the other. "Show me what's the big deal with this place.". He finished the whiskey in his glass, then placing it down on the counter and looked at the bartender. The bartender understood, he opened up a bottle of whiskey and filled Zata's glass. When it was filled his hand was instantly on the glass.

Josh Devlin          

☉

Not only was Zata a drinker, but he was a strong drinker, too; the Gym Leader could smell the odor from his seat. It didn't bother him, but it was noteworthy. He would almost certainly need a ride back home if he kept this up. That wasn't an issue for Josh, of course, but he had been around people that had too much to drink before. It was part of being a regular at such a popular sports bar.

"Wanna split an order of Nimbasa cheese curds while we decide what we're ordering?" Josh suggested. "This place's dipping sauce is so good. It's sweet yet has just the right amount of kick to it. Tastes good on just about any side here."

A second glass? Those were not shot glasses, either. Zata was definitely going to need a ride home. And certainly not a fast one, either. Perhaps one of his sturdier electric-types, such as his Luxray, would be needed. As much as Josh wanted to remark about drinking responsibly, he kept that comment to himself. "So besides odd jobs, what do you do to make ends meet?" he asked, trying to get an idea of his interests from the career path Zata chose.

"Sounds good," Zata agreed to the cheese, it would accompany his whiskey quite perfectly.

Even on his second glass, the young man could hold his liquor. He had been illegally drinking since a young age and his tolerance was developed. He was still able to make sense of things and his speech was coherent as well. "Before I started travelling, I worked at a factory. Would not recommend." He took another sip to drown out the memories of his life back then.

Josh Devlin

☉

With Zata's approval, Josh put in the order. The side was enough to fill one person or satiate the taste buds for two until the main course came. "Yikes. Industrial work is no fun." The size of Goldenrod's economy made service jobs more prevalent than prouction ones. "My first job was as an in-house transporter at a local hospital. Loved it every time I got to see someone go out the door and be with their family again. Then, when I came of age, I became an amateur, then a semi-pro Pokémon racer. Now I'm Mauville's Gym Leader."

Poring over the menu, Josh decided what he was going to have after a few minutes of thinking about it. "Their steakburger combo is really good. I think I'm gonna get my fries without seasoning this time so I can see how they taste with the dipping sauce instead." He closed the menu and tilted his head toward the television as the game was about to start up. "You a Unovan football fan at all?"

What Zata took from Devlin's career path was that both of them started working at a young age. Although, the other already reached success as a Gym Leader while he was just getting started at training his Pokemon.

Zata looked over the menu, all the words and various options fogged his brain. Taking the easy route, he ordered what his company suggested. "I'll have a regular steakburger combo then." He closed the menu.

Turning his head towards the television, Zata answered, "Nah, watching sports isn't really my thing.". He raised his glass to take another sip, before placing it back on the counter. The cheese platter arrived, having emptied his stomach before he was feeling quite hungry. He helped himself and used the knife given to cut the cheese into smaller pieces for both of them to enjoy it easily. He plopped one into his mouth, savoring the sweet and sour taste.

As he snacked on the cheese, he found it appropriate to bring up the topic, "Hey, as Mauville's Gym Leader, can I ask you what happened during the War. If you know anything more than the news." He began.

Josh Devlin

☉

Their appetizer having arrived right as the third quarter started, Josh now knew not to talk too much about the game while in Zata's company. There was no sense in whining about missed pass interference calls. Instead, he picked up one of the breaded curds, dipped half of it in the sauce, and put it into his mouth. Just the right combination of sweet and spicy. He couldn't eat too many of them; as addicting as they were, he had to save room for the main course. And their burgers were not small; they were half-pound patties with cheese melted inside. It was a dish the place was well-known for, adapted from a similar dish at Hell's Kitchen, a popular Castelian restaurant.

When asked about the Ultra Beast War, Josh froze for a bit. "It was before my time. You see, I only became Gym Leader last September," he answered. Laurence Anderson had taught him much about that war, but most of the information he knew beyond what was on the news was only accessible to tenured Rangers and other League officials. "Unfortunately, NDA prevents me from sharing as much as I'd like. Perhaps if you were to become a Ranger, we could discuss it more."

Zata sat in silence, he did not say it but he was rather disappointed that Devlin wasn't present during the day of the war. Instead he reached out for another piece of the cheese, this time dipping it in the sauce Devlin so highly praised. "Wow, you weren't kidding," He commented as soon as he tasted the perfect combination of ingredients.

The Gym Leader second statement hurt more than the first, but Zata understood the man's position. He could not blame him for something out of his control. Before responding, the dark haired fellow brought his dearly beloved glass of whiskey to his lips, sipping on the poison to cleanse the aftertaste of the cheese. "These uhh, Rangers. How do I find them?" He asked genuinely. Zata knew his brother was a part of the Rangers, but outside of that he knew nothing about them. Perhaps they hold answers to his questions.

Josh Devlin

☉

Those breaded cheese curds were addicting, and close to gone by the time Zata expressed his satisfaction with them. "The food and service here is top notch. While they don't do catering, they're close enough to my Gym that I can place really big orders with them for parties and just pick the food up. If not directly, it's something a few of my employees can do." It certainly kept their kitchen busy, often having to announce reduced public hours to be able to meet the Gym Leader's conditions.

The topic of the Rangers came up. While the heavy drinking was something Josh was concerned about, the man's work ethic was there when they worked to combat the Porygon. Perhaps he would make a good one with some time and effort put into it. "It's good you asked. annalise henderson and I tag team running Mauville's Rangers. She's their Captain, and I'm the lead of Rescue Operations there." With Josh being a Gym Leader on top of his Ranger duties, he was one busy man. He loved Ranging almost more than his job as Gym Leader, making a difference in the lives of those at the end of their rope in the dangerous Hoenn wilds. "Joining them is something you have to commit to, and it's not just a career. It's a lifestyle."

With how fast the cheese curds were cleared, Zata could imagine the big orders of food for the Gym. "All that racing burns a lot of calories huh," He commented with a smirk before placing another dipped cheese curd into his mouth.

As far as he was concerned, his father, who Zata had never met, was a ranger too; And that his brother was inspired to become a ranger because of their father. Becoming a ranger would mean carrying on the torch the two of them burned during their lifetime. Other than that, Zata didn't have any reasons or motifs to become one. He was not even sure what Rangers do, protecting wildlife?

"You're a ranger as well?" He asked when Devlin mentioned his position. "If you've never heard of my brother, he was probably not stationed here during the war. Then at least it makes me unconcerned of what actually went down here," He took another sip, a habit he developed and learned from his mother. Alcohol was an effective escape, albeit poisoning him all the while.

Zata stared in silence as he pondered what the Gym Leader said, the only thing filling his silence was the clanking of ice cubes as he spun the glass and its contents around. "I'm... Not really sure what I want to do. Right now my only motivation is to find out what happened to my brother. Once I uncover the truth, I'm sure I'll figure out the path I'll take.".

Josh Devlin

☉