"Great to see you again, June!" Josh waved from one of the delivery exits, the man seated on the back of a larger-than-life Flareon that she may have remembered from her visit to the Gym. "How you been?" It was more of an ice-breaker than a true question; the Gym Leader figured her answer would be "busy", especially with the holiday season.

"Looking forward to it!" the Gym Leader chirped, surrounded by his entire brigade of eight saddled Eeveelutions that looked ready to run. "Any excuse to saddle up and make the people of Mauville smile! I think they'll feel special seeing one of their leaders in action." Noticing June was tired, Pinky the Shiny Sylveon would approach and wrap her feelers around her if she allowed it.

The rainbow of Pokémon looked ready to go, each hoping they would be the one to carry Josh into the night. "Gonna need latches for towing harnesses if you've got them," the Leader requested.

“Busy.”

At least one of them looked chipper. June let the Sylveon’s feeler-tentacle-things get close for a second but quickly shooed them away as soon as they started to close in on her. No thanks: she didn’t need the Pokémon Pity Party when she needed a Pokémon Energetic Party… whatever. There was a joke in there somewhere, but hell if she could piece it together.

“Towing… right…”She motioned for him to follow, further into the toy store’s back lot. She gave the small herd of Eeveelutions a curious glance, then to Josh himself. What, did they fly into the sky like those mythical Stantler did? He was really hoping to see a bird or two. Maybe even as many birds as he had Eeveelutions instead.

She shook her head. Any port in a storm. “I’d have to check Knight’s saddlebags…Store might have them, if you need ‘em otherwise…”

Already was the scene pure chaos. Truck after truck, each one in a unique stage of its transport. Some unloaded, some were backing in, some were pulling out. There were also enough Corviknight to make that one poet feel inspired, but the name didn’t come to mind. What there were plenty of, though, were presents. Wrapped or not, plenty of boxes in need of transport either inside or away from the store.

One of the workers approached the pair as soon as they made their way through the thick of it. “Oi, what took you so long? Don’t got all night to keep your shit here.”

“Sorry, was making sure my help– employee, here, made it in safe. You got the stuff?”

“First batch, yea. Your pile is… right there, back corner,” they pointed towards an especially large pile, at the other end of the lot. Tucked away from the general commotion, with half of it piled into a large metal bin. Specifically designed for Knight. “If you need somethin’ else to carry it with, let me know and I’ll fish it out. Otherwise, all yours.”

“Thanks,” she pointed towards the large pile once more, “So that’s the stuff, Josh. As you can see, quite a lot. And because of the holidays, I’ve got one more as soon as they get it all checked out and actually here. And then I’ve got another couple of similar deals at a few other stores. But on the bright side, after the first day or two it usually peters off.”

With that, she released one of the balls on her belt to release another large, metal bird into the mix. Knight popped out close to the tub, which it wasted no time in perching atop of. It looked Stoic, but the glare it gave them sent mixed signals at best.

And once they got over there, she climbed up and started to search through several saddlebags on its side. “No… no… no… ah, do got it.”

She came back down with full hands of equipment, “So, what’s your game plan again? Sleigh or something?”

---

Josh Devlin

Josh had plenty of bird Pokémon. He could have flown the gifts to those in Mauville, but with how the city was structured, it would only have been efficient to fly to destinations on the top level. June seemed prepared enough. Utilizing the harnesses to secure on-wheels storage containers to the Eeveelutions in pairs, he could go on delivery routes with four containers at a time.

"Not exactly a sleigh," Josh replied, "but a similar idea. In any other city, flying would work. Mauville's built a bit differently, though. The street level and the skyway level aren't accessible by air."

The Master of Faster was ready to ride around Mauville, his racing Eeveelutions surely catching the attention of anyone who knew about the Racing Grounds. It was not every day the city got to see their Gym Leader out and about, making a difference in the community outside the circuit! On top of that, these deliveries counted as community service for his restitution. The more hours he could knock out now, the more he could focus on training his team for his remaining matches at Ever Grande.

Looking at the manifest, the routes almost drew themselves: the bins were sorted by destination quadrant and city level. "Looks like this is all west side stuff. I'll have this all handed out faster than you can say Extreme Speed." It would have been even faster, if it were not for the annoying thing called the municipal speed limit. Once arrangements were made, Josh swung aboard Blinky, his Jolteon, and they were on the job!

“Right, right…” June let the thought slide like a motorcycle on ice. Maybe for those scared to try it, it was. But she wasn’t looking for an argument right now, she was looking to get all this done with as best as possible. She’d deal with the obstacles as they came and went. Josh would do whatever he thought was best as well.

“Well, no time to waste.”

With that, Josh took off with his swarm of Eeveelutions, and June on the back of her Corviknight. The massive bird slowly took off into the air with the massive load of packages underneath it. Swallowed up by the neon lights and street bulbs that dotted the streets, there were plenty of packages and only so much time.

The first trip was… uneventful, to say the least. It felt more like a warm-up run (as warm as it could be) than an actual delivery. Since it was night, not too many people even answered any potential knocks, let alone keep their lights on. Half of the packages asked to be left and forgotten in some various, hidden spot but without knocking or ringing a doorbell.

At least, for June it was. Whether Josh had the same outcome or not was hard to say. Not like she followed the guy around, as she had her own load of deliveries to make. A lonely night with nothing but the black steel of a bird that didn’t particularly care or like her and her headphones turned up as loud as they could be.

Oppressive electronic music left her distracted, until the last package had found its way to a doorstep.

alrite, done w/ my run. c u back @ the toy store.

–

As she flew back, June messed around on her phone and sip from yet another Tauros-Energy. Orders were cataloged, marked as delivered and ordered to determine the best route for the next shipment. There were… a lot of potential lines.

And a lot of lines in general. By the time she returned to the lot, her head swam with street names, zig-zagged destinations, and times for each one. Eyes danced across the lot, trying to lock onto the next shipment. It was still being put together, and the other ones across Mauville were much the same way.

Thus. she had to wait for Josh to get back. But considering how fast he went normally, it probably wouldn’t be long for him to get back. As soon as he did, she nodded to him, “Hey. How’d the first run go?”

---

Josh Devlin

The two delivery-people wasted no time in getting started, june sleigh soaring the skies over Mauville's top level while Josh's Eeveelutions ran around the bottom two levels. The whole job reminded him of how he was a designated rider for Elisabeth Fiorelli 's masuqerade last holiday season, his Pokémon adorned with jingle bells and pulling sleighs for party-goers to ride in across the snowy cityscape.

Just like old times, indeed. Old, simpler times.

The Gym Leader switched ride Pokémon every few deliveries in an effort to give them all attention. Even the moody Glaceon, Inky, was in an unusually good mood thanks to the cooler weather. Those who were home were thrilled to see their very own Gym Leader making a difference in the everyday lives of those around him, and he even carried on short conversations with some of the more talkative ones before moving on. As Josh was finishing his route, he received June's text message and replied:

About 10-15 out. Be there soon.

The Gym Leader had returned to the toy store for the next batch. He was seated on his Glaceon's back instead of his Jolteon this time, clearly having rotated among his eight partners helping cart all the parcels around. "Smoothly. You should have seen the smiles on their faces when they realized it was their very own Gym Leader at work!" Even for those who didn't appreciate it, there was just a warm and fuzzy feeling in Josh's heart for making a difference in the everyday lives of the people he oversaw.

“Cool. Cool…” June looked back down at her phone. Ugh. She shut it off and shoved it underneath her leg, as the mere sight of the delivery routes drove her more insane by the second. Besides, they had all the time in the world if the manager was right.

“Well, great news,” she kicked her legs and laid back onto the cold concrete, “Guess the next shipment was delayed. So… we’ve got some free time. I guess. Didn’t give me an ETA, but I know how these guys work. Probably half an hour.”

Not that she wanted to figure out their next steps right now. If anything, she wanted to lie on the uncomfortable and cold bed and sleep for a few hours. Impossible, given her heart hammering in her ears from all the caffeine. But the idea sounded nice. If she just closed her eyes and ignored all the bustling commotion…

Nope. That incessent drum didn’t stop for anyone or anything.

June sighed and rose back to her sitting position. She couldn’t just do something else with Josh here, and she didn’t want to wear herself out this early on. That left… conversation or playing on her phone. Even if the rectangle called to her with sweet nothings and an endless drip-feed of content, it’d probably be rude to the literal gym leader and figurehead of the town. So…

She blew raspberries into the air. Fuck. “Well. How are those… flying classes you teach? Been a while since I stopped in. Life’s been pretty busy these last few months.”

A reason instead of an excuse this time. With that whole fiasco at the island, and the holiday season, time was a luxury she couldn’t afford to waste. Not even Matchstick chimed in with a wiggle of her ball either. It sat motionless on her belt, an expected but weird feeling for her all the same. “Maybe sometime soon.”

---

Josh Devlin

Some downtime was music to Josh's ears. He and his Eeveelutions needed it. Perhaps he could sit down with June to get to know her better. That and introduce the Pokémon to her. After undoing them from the towing harnesses, Josh waved for his eight Eeveelutions to huddle around the two in order to keep them warm. "Still keeping me pretty busy," Josh answered. "People want to learn from the best!" He wasn't tooting his horn, either; he was the best person in the region to learn from if one wanted to ride a Pokémon, land, sea, or sky. "They're for riders of all skill levels. With how you and your Talonflame performed, though, you've got a good grasp on fundamentals. I'd say you would be ready to learn more advanced maneuvers."

As the duo awaited an update from the carrier, Josh thought about his family. "My mom and dad moved to Mauville from Goldenrod in time for the holidays. I promised them I would be home to celebrate the holiday with them this weekend. The apartment's a lot more crowded with three people than one, especially with how much junk they brought with them from Goldenrod."

“That sounds– wonderful, thank you,” June rolled her eyes. Advanced maneuvers? Better learned in the field. She believed it that day and still believed it now. However, she knew better than to talk about such things. She even managed to pivot away from a very mean comment and into a more neutral one!

Barely.

She wasn’t able to stop herself at the mention of family though. “Must be nice to have a problem like that.”

“I mean,” she turned away, cheeks flushed a hot red, “Uhhhh… sounds like an unfun problem to have to figure out. Moving around a bunch of stuff that isn’t even yours. Parents are the worst. Totally.”

She scowled into her shoulder as she pulled yet another energy drink from her pocket. Stiff fingers cracked the can open with too much force, and liquid poured all over the sides and onto her jacket. Then a groaned followed, along with a few dozen, creative curses underneath her breath.

“Sorry. Just, well, uh, I don’t know. Probably be worth it in the end. I imagine,” June tried to wipe up the spilled drink, but only succeeded in getting it all over her sleeve. An expected outcome, but she sighed her soul out regardless. “Having family around for the holidays. Very fun.”

If only Arceus could come down and shoot her square in the head right this second. It’d be a lot easier to deal with.

---

Josh Devlin

"You're welcome," Josh answered, not picking up on June's near-blunder. "Feel free to register with Mauville Racing Grounds again, and we'll work out a time slot that fits your needs." If she put her mind to it, she and her Talonflame would be unstoppable. That was the true purpose of the Gym circuit: to make Hoenn's talented trainers into future war heroes. Supersoldiers. While it was about education and fostering bonds on the surface, deep down, it was about cultivating an army, if his thoughts on MATIAS SILPH and Greyson Connors were anywhere near correct.

"How can you say that?" Josh gasped after June's remarks on parenting in general. "They're there for you just as much as you're there for them. They took care of you when you were young. It's only right to return that treatment for them when they can no longer take care of themselves." More brainwashing from his religious school in Johto; not everyone was raised within such a sheltered circle. The Gym Leader had little exposure to abusive families. Truly an idealist, he was.

When June's energy drink went fizzing everywhere, Josh dashed to the restroom, coming back with a handful of paper towels. "Let me clean this up for you!" He did his best to absorb as much of the spilled beverage as he could into the towels, hoping his co-worker would be dry enough by the time the next trucks came.

Great. The town’s Gym Leader was incapable of thoughts that ventured too far away from his own life experiences. June groaned as he dashed off to the restrooms, yet grateful he did so. It made it easier to slam her fist onto the concrete. It felt right. Appropriate, even. Not her fault she didn’t know her mom, and her dad was dead.

“That fucking– ow…” She pulled her hand into her lap and breathed slowly. Hands were not meant to be propelled into very hard surfaces. A lesson learned the hard way as every nerve in there flashed red-hot. Arceus, if she broke the hand attached to her good arm right before holiday hell…

Unfortunately, the situation did not improve once Josh returned with a fist full of paper towels. “Hey, what are you– get off me!”

“I can take care of myself!” She pried Josh off of herself, and tried to scoop the brown paper from his grip. June tried to dry herself off, but she burned through the paper towels rather fast and with limited success. Taurine invaded her senses like the plague, and it wasn’t a smell she wanted in large supply.

“Just my luck,” she wadded up the mass of wet, sticky towels and shoved them into her free pocket. She’d need to text Grigori Sokolov later and ask how the hell he gets energy drinks out of clothes. He knew about that sort of stuff.

“Look, Josh,” she kept her eyes on the distant sidewalks and bright neon lights rather than the League representative, “My dad did plenty for me growing up. Just… he’s not… he won’t… he can’t…”

Fuck. She sniffed hard and wiped away the first tear before it could escape her eye. “Sorry. The energy drink burns a little. Point is, I’m… happy? Or something? That your parents are going to be around for the holidays. Mine isn’t, okay?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said, voice muffled by the collar she shoved her face into.

---

Josh Devlin

Josh backed away when June got pushy. Did he push a sensitive button of hers? Perhaps she didn't live as sheltered of a life as he did. Perhaps her parents abused her. He had no way to know, and making assumptions was more dangerous than he ever knew. One thing was clear, though: June was not on good speaking terms with her family. All it took for Josh to convey that clarity was a single word.

"Understood."

Josh stood up when he though he heard the sound of a truck pulling into the back. "You think that's it?" he asked June. Had so much time passed already that their next job was on?

June sighed, then pushed off the cold concrete corner. “Probably. Sure didn’t take nearly as long as I thought, though.”

It was confirmed with a buzz of her phone, nearly forgotten on the ledge. Vibration against stone got her attention, and she turned around to see the confirmation that they were going to be good in about five more minutes. Not the best timing, but anything that got her out of this awful situation.

“We’ll be good in about five minutes,” she told Josh. “I’m gonna go use the restroom real fast. If they ask, just tell them you’re with me and get started on your own.”

June did not wait for an answer. Heavy, hurried footsteps carried her through the lot and towards the back of the toy store. She dodged past another worker and barged inside. Nothing but boxes, shelves, and a whole lot of people doing their job. She ignored them all and half-walked-half-jogged into the first restroom available. A single person one. Good.

As soon as she entered, the door slammed shut behind her and the lock clicked satisfyingly. June let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Several slow, deep breaths, each one more strained than the last. It was a good thing she didn’t wear mascara; it would’ve surely streaked all over her face.

Now wasn’t the time to be loosing her shit. She crossed the room and planted her hands on the counter. June locked eyes with the mess of a stranger in a mirror. Pity filled her senses, and a couple more tears fell. She wiped them away and instead stared at the sink. The sink couldn’t make her feel any worse.

Wouldn’t tell her to stop crying. To get over it. That it’s been two years since the accident. Wouldn’t poke and pry into her personal business. It did what it was supposed to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Just need to get through this week…” she whispered to the inanimate object. “It's only seven days. Then, I can... I can sleep. Or maybe try drinking. I'll figure it out.”

Just seven more days. They'd be by in a flash. She'd be so focused with work that anything else would be shoved to the wayside. Probably forgotten for much longer. For the better. Just needed to get her head buried into the job. Just needed to throw herself into work until there was little else to think about but work. Her dad's friends called it hiding. Grigori called it running.

She called it work.

---

Josh Devlin