Brr, it sure was cold! The weather couldn't have been timed any worse for Josh and Elise to meet up on the sands of Route 118, near a very frozen Mauville Bay. As the Gengar and Lapras were at play alongside the royal, a CHILLING NEIGH would echo from the west.

A Glastrier would approach the two at a frightening speed, perhaps far faster than any Glastrier Elise Calcifet had ever seen. A Type: Null trailed behind the ice-type, as well. A rider dressed in a black winter coat was sitting astride the equine, controlling the legendary Pokémon with confidence. Only one trainer in Hoenn could make a traditionally slow Pokémon that fast.

It was Josh Devlin .

With a slide that draped their path in ice, the Glastrier slowed to a stop not far from the ambassador and reared sharply, startling the Gym Leader. "Whoa, Hylda!" he cried, turning white-knuckled beneath his gloves. "Easy, girl!" Josh bounced as Hylda's hooves hit the ground in a heavy impact that caused snow-covered sand to explode around them.

"Sorry about all that," Josh apologized for his Glastrier's behavior, the regal horse snorting. "Thought the weather was supposed to be a lot nicer than this. Instead of being in the low 50s, it's in the low 20s. Sure you don't want to reschedule this until it gets a little warmer?" he asked, a hand on Wiley's Poké Ball.

The ice was only thick near the shore; away from the beach, the Lapras could swim if she was so inclined. The curious Aleph got a bit too close to her, perhaps nicking with one of his claws by mistake. "Aleph, I guess if you're so energetic, we can proceed as planned." He looked like he wanted to play-fight with the legendary Pokémon, which Josh would oblige after he slid down from Hylda's back.

Clicking open two Poké Balls, including the one that was in his hand before. from within them emerged two unlikely normal-type steeds. One was a Linoone with a raised seat that kept its rider's feet from dragging, although just barely. A shorter rider would have an easier time than a taller one, Josh just barely short enough that his wouldn't touch the ground. The other was a Furret that looked like it could U-TURN fast enough to unseat just about anyone. "These two are Screech and Wiley. You said you wanted to learn with one of them the other day after work, right?"

When asked about lessons with one of Josh's normal-types, the Gym Leader slid off his Glastrier, standing between the Linoone and Furret. "Sure! I can arrange it. Though he's popular among youngsters that visit the Gym, Wiley can be one tough Pokémon to control."

Screech and Wiley were similar enough that Josh would hop aboard the Linoone and use him to help with the demonstration. "It'll be quite a bit different from anything you've ever ridden before. His short feet makes his gait one of the most rapid of any Pokémon. He's also so low to the ground that you'll need to raise your legs a little more than you would with most Pokémon."

Aleph, tired of the lesson already, dozed off, Hylda touching the Type: Null with the flat of her hoof to try to wake the Type: Null up.

"And if you can handle that, he's got the whippiest U-Turn of any Pokémon I know. Think you can do it?" he teased.

Elise's skill and confidence had come a long way if she had the wherewithal to fully control Wiley. "Alright, I'll work on my command of Screech," he replied before taking to the raised seat on the Linoone's back. With the two of them on Josh's normal-types, he would let Elise set the pace for the time being, allowing her to get used to the Furret's unusual gait.

"I'll follow you when you're ready! Screech here can also make sharp turns, but not in the same way Wiley does." Once they were off, Josh would keep pace with whatever running speed Elise and Wiley set, giving them distance in case the princess was chomping at the bit to be yanked about from some wild turns!