Josh wanted to be out on the Gym grounds, spending time with his Gym trainers, with students, and with his Pokémon. He wanted to be in the saddle, passing the joy and freedom of controlling a Pokémon steed onto those who lacked true mobility without one. Alas, he was stuck doing paperwork. Not paperwork KEVIN GROOSE could do, either; he was out on sick leave. It was all League reports that he had fallen behind on since his injuries in the Second Battle of Dewford. A battle that had taught him a hard lesson that it had taken Michael Navidson and kyle lopez to beat into his skull:

He didn't belong on the front lines. The sealed cup of bloodstained BULLET SEEDS on the Gym Leader's desk was an eternal reminder of that lesson.

He was in his third-floor office, in the middle of typing up an email when he heard NIKOLA CATELLUS ' voice, Blinky perking up and standing up next to him. The Jolteon's head poked over her trainer's while he was sitting down, a testament to how truly large she was. Were Yuina Higashi to see her, she might have recognized her as once being an Alpha. "Nikola?" Josh asked, his head tilting away from the computer screen. "I'm feeling better now. What brings you by the Gym? I don't recall you having an appointment."

he certainly looks alive! it'll take more than a few bullet seeds to keep josh down for long, it seems.

nikola leans against the doorway, crossing their arms. it's an unconscious gesture, one that would indicate disinterest, and once they realize they're doing it they straighten up again. "checking up on you, of course!" they plaster a smile across their face. their body language is... uncertain, as they keep shifting between gestures. "last time i saw you, you weren't doing so hot." their concern, at least, is truthful enough. they don't have to summon any effort to retrieve it, as it bubbles up naturally. going through something so harrowing together tends to strengthen bonds.

they come further in so they can offer a hand to blinky, and then some head scratches if permitted. "you seem alright now, though."

[ Josh Devlin ]

Though he survived being perforated with hard, Grass-type projectiles, the experience kept Josh from doing what he loved for what seemed like endless weeks. Even now, he could not ride as fast as he wanted to. Raikiri was out of the question; the Zeraora's rapid running stroke would simply put too much stress on his body after not having raced at breakneck speed since the fall. "That's very thoughtful of you, Nikola," he answered.

Blinky appreciated the affection, though Nikola would need to be careful of static electricity and the Jolteon's quills. She longed for Josh to feel well enough to ride her again; she wanted to be able to use her speed again; as talented as Josh's Gym Trainers were, they simply did not have the core strength to push the blindingly fast Eeveelution to her full potential.

"To an extent," Josh answered. "I just miss doing what I love - going fast. I've lost so much speed tolerance after not being able to ride for what... over two months now?"

they blink owlishly behind the rim of their glasses. "it's been that long?" they'd completely lost track of time. somehow it feels like it's been forever, and yet the idea of it being several months since the incident is rather shocking. life goes on no matter what, huh? nikola thinks sadly. "--i mean," they correct themself, "it's been that long, and you're still not able to ride like you used to? do you know when you'll be good to go again?"

rubbing blinky's nose, careful to avoid her spikes, nikola uses their other hand to reach into their pocket for a bag of treats. and without warning, two of their pokeballs explode open, revealing a pink furret and a mabosstiff who clearly heard the rustling of the bag and invited themselves into the conversation. nikola sighs, and opens the bag, offering all 3 pokemon a snack. "i actually caught an arcanine that's super fast recently... i was wondering if you might have some tips for training her, but..." underneath their words, it's possible to hear the crunching of biscuits as their furret and mabosstiff enjoy themselves.

[ Josh Devlin ]

With how physical riding was, especially riding at blistering fast speeds, it came as little surprise to Josh that his recovery would be so long. "There's a reason Pokémon racing is a sport, and riders are considered athletes," he answered. "It takes a while to build up the kind of speed tolerance needed to ride on some of the fastest Pokémon on land." While the basics never truly left skilled riders, core strength did leave over time if riders did not regularly practice.

Blinky let out a crackling coo upon being tickled, letting out a big smile. The Furret and Mabostiff took up quite a bit of space in the office, but there was enough space for them to move around comfortably. "Do you have them with you?" Josh asked. "It might be a good way for both of us to get back into shape. I can always file this report later today."

nikola blinks. they pause a moment, standing there awkwardly. "ah... i just realized i forgot to bring her." they'd been taking dentim and kleptus for a walk in the area to get some exercise in, and the thought had occurred to them... but just as quickly as it had come, it was then gone, leaving nikola in this situation. "do you have a pc near here? i can just grab her that way." at least there wasn't any shortage of personal computers around.

as this is happening, nikola's furret has decided she's bored now that she's out, and she turns to blinky. playful as ever, she wiggles her body at the jolteon and mabosstiff. the dog pokemon realizes he's being invited to play and drops down, legs splayed out in the universal dog symbol of "let's go!" he lets out a small 'ruff!' as well, not seeming to care that the quarters have become rather tight with the introduction of two new pokemon.

[ Josh Devlin ]

The sudden silence and awkwardness, followed by the question, was a sign that Nikola had brought the wrong Pokémon to the Gym. "Yep! Downstairs," he answered as he saved the documents he was working on and locked his computer. "Gotta have a few public computers in the waiting area. Even if it's not law, it's just good customer service."

He pushed in his chair and watched his Pokémon play with Nikola's for a bit. "Mind letting them play when we get outside? My office is big, but it's not big enough for this many Pokémon." Provided his friend would recall their Pokémon, Josh would follow in doing so himself. He would lead the way to the Gym's main elevator, taking them back to street level. "Come to think of it, now that Mauville Racing Grounds finally turned profitable, might be worth expanding." An entrance on the roof level might be worth the investment... but what to put there?

they follow after him after they return their pokemon temporarily to their balls. "good to hear that there's some positives even though you're not able to race like you'd like!" they chirp. "what would you do with an expansion, though?" they unknowingly echo josh's thoughts, wondering to themself as well what an expansion might do for the racing grounds. more grounds to race on seems obvious enough, if a little bit predictable.

once they've made their way to the pc, nikola is quick to call their arcanine's ball back. holding it in their hand, they release the pokemon, where she proceeds to take up quite a bit of space. sitting down, her tail and entire behind wagging with her excitement, she licks nikola's face. then she sees josh there, and... licks his face as well. at least she's friendly! "this is fluffy," nikola says, introducing her while they wipe their face with a sleeve. "she is very... energetic."

[ Josh Devlin ]

As the two took the elevator down to the street level, Josh entertained Nikola's question. "It's for the office building, not the Gym proper. One big complaint I've had is that the only entrance is on the street level. I'm thinking about adding a gym for people on the second floor and a rec room on the third floor, along with entrances on the skyway level and the roof level." Exercising one's core was important for riding, after all. It would only make sense for gym equipment to be there. He would have to raise membership fees to pay for the expansion, but it would also come with increased benefits. It was, in a sense, investing in his members.

Fluffy's "attack" left Josh covered in Arcanine slobber. "Hey, stop! That tickles!" he pleaded, several people in the waiting room shooting Nikola a funny glance that they would release such a large Pokémon indoors. If she wasn't careful, she might bump or break a light fixture! "Sorry to... interrupt, but it might be better if we take this outside!" he kindly requested. While he loved Arcanine, they were to be admired outdoors in his eyes.

"...oh, right!" the poor thing would have trouble even squeezing through the door, so nikola pulls her back into her pokeball. once they're outside, they release her again, as well as their furret and mabosstiff. the latter two are still clearly looking forward to playing, and they drag fluffy into their hijinks immediately, the massive canine letting out a big "BOOF!" in greeting before dropping down on her front legs to signify she's ready to rock.

nikola puts a hand up. "hang on, fluffy," they say. the arcanine looks at them quizzically. "wait until we get to the race track, then i wanna show josh how fast you are, alright?" she wags her tail, following her trainer obediently.

as they walk, nikola asks a far more serious question. "do you know what happened to all those people we caught in that lab?" it's somethingf that's been bothering them for a while. "i mean, after everything they did..." their pokemon continue along, oblivious to the sudden shift in mood.

Seeing the three Pokémon, Josh whistled for two of his own. A pair of Arcanine, one Hisuian and one Kantonian, came bounding toward Nikola and Josh with great speed, the Gym Leader not scared at all. The two were well-trained and among his most loyal Pokémon. "Craggro, you've lost so much weight!" he complimented the Hisuian Arcanine. "I bet you're excited to be able to use your Extreme Speed again, aren't you? You're such a good boy~" he buried his face in the fire-type's dark fur, bathing his loyal companion with affection. Even Braver, the Kantonian Arcanine, howled alongside them.

What a mood whiplash. That mission was a serious one, and there were a lot of people in danger at that lab. The worst part was he couldn't disclose anything. He knew of their fates, but his lips were sealed. "Nikola, I'm so sorry. You don't have the clearance for me to tell you. I think you deserve to know, but my hands are tied."

[nikola's pokemon are excited to see more playmates come over. fluffy in particular is fascinated by the sight of the hisuian arcanine; both of josh's arcanine, in fact, are quite a bit bigger than her. she can comfortably seat two small people at most, and only one person roughly nikola's size. she's strong and healthy, but her comfort comes first, so nikola's never pushed her very far.

as the pokemon frolic and the two trainers approach the race track, nikola's expression falls. "i see..." they take their glasses off and rub their eyes, frowning. "i hope at least some of them will be given a chance at mercy." their gaze is distant, looking past josh and the race track itself. "i think... under different circumstances, that could have been me." it's a confession of sorts. the thought has been preying on nikola's mind since that experience brought back unpleasant sensations verging on memories, though they haven't quite captured the full scope of it yet. their brain is still too scrambled to make enough sense of them to call them true "memories".

Josh's Arcanine were both quite large. Braver in particular was a giant, standing an entire head and shoulders over the Gym Leader. The giant dog could comfortably seat two people, and could even seat three in a pinch. He was so big that he had to crouch for Josh to be able to even reach his back at all. "I would hope so, too," the Gym Leader remarked evasively. "I wish I could tell you more, but again, my hands are tied. If the records ever become declassified, I'll let you know."

Braver crouched to let Josh aboard, the Gym Leader climbing up and zipping himself into the cocoon on the Arcanine's back. The teleporting dog was one of a very few land Pokémon he had a cocoon for, but it was for good reason. "...What do you mean?" he asked for clarity; the change of tone and facial expression caught him off guard, trying to get Nikola back to their cheerful self.