Thoughts raced through Josh's head as he watched Andrea and her Fuecoco inhale their food. Was she even enjoying it? Josh was by no means a slow eater, but in his mind, this was crazy! All that flying around in her Sygna Suit must have let her be such a big eater. Josh certainly couldn't eat that much on a regular basis, or he would get too much of a belly for his Pokémon to bear his weight!

"It's the Wednesday around six weeks before Easter Sunday," Josh answered after finishing his current tender. "My family observes Lent in reverence of the Great One; we don't eat any meats on Fridays between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It's one of the reasons fish fries are so popular on Friday nights. It's our way to be grateful to the Great One for everything She's done to us."

Josh, too, loved his meats. There was a reason he loved Unovan restaurants, especially sports bars. Barcades were a thing in Unova. In a way, Round One was a barcade: they were a bowling alley and an arcade in one. When he was in high school, Josh took bowling as an elective... and was never very good at it. Even after an entire semester, the highest game he ever bowled was... around 150. "Think of it this way, Andrea. We suffer in our current life to be rewarded by the Great One in Heaven in our next life. Our eternal life." It was something his ancestors had believed in going back to the 19th century. As long as his family had been keeping records.

At least he learned how to keep score by hand.

Josh still had quite a bit of his food to finish while Andrea was kicking back. "I wanted to get them in town fast enough to make it to the party in time, but we just couldn't get everything done," he answered. "As it turns out, moving is difficult for people in their sixties. Especially for one that's been on disability." He lamented it at times; going for a trail ride with his father would have been amazing. But with his breathing problem and his knee constantly bothering him, even getting in and out of the saddle with a psychic Pokémon's help would be troublesome.

"My mom's one of the best cooks you'll ever meet. It's been great eating her meals again. They're not only good, but good for you. She makes such good bean soups. Even simple sandwiches she puts so much care into; just the right amount of every condiment to make it taste perfect. Every year for Christmas Eve, she makes these mini-ham sandwiches in Alolan buns, about the size of the palm of your hand. Glazed with mayo on one side and a hint of mustard on the other. They're... addicting. So addicting. I always feel miserable that night." It wasn't just that, either; everyone in the family brought something delicious. And with his dad being having seven sisters, there was an overabundance of good food.

Despite Andrea ordering a larger plate of food than Josh did, she had finished hers first. While the Gym Leader was not a slow eater by any means, he was being more deliberate about enjoying his food. It also let his food settle more easily, which was important when his feet would be going flying across the panels, sounding like a drum machine as the combo counter rolled up.

"Well, there's... a little secret about that," Josh replied before standing up and whispering into Andrea's ear, "I was adopted when I was six days old." It was a well-kept secret; Andrea may have been the first person in Hoenn, outside his family, that learned of the revelation.

He sat down and finished the rest of his food with a belch. "Bet your family's popular around Halloween! I should show you my Raikou Avatar Halloween costume this fall. It's got a play sword and everything, like the real Knight of Thunder!" With that, he pushed his chair in, ready to grab a big bottle of water from the vending machine. "Ready to head back in? Based on the hours, there's probably been a shift change at the arcade. Long as we use the other entrance, no one should recognize you." Of course, if Andrea wanted to go somewhere else, Josh would happily follow along.

Josh laughed an Andrea's eccentric retort as he bought a large bottle of water from the vending machine, despite not going back into the arcade where he would work up a sweat. "Tell you what. One day when we inevitably are up at different times of day, I'll just come back here myself."

Once they were away from the table and started walking outdoors to a spot where they could take off on their dragons again, Josh answered her question. "No. They were... underage when they gave birth to me." He was the product of a teenage pregnancy. The product of two birth parents that had to give up their child because they were too young to take care of one. A true tragedy, yet bittersweet. He never would have been part of such a loving family without their selfless decision to give him up.

"Think the Super Contest Hall is open at this hour, Andrea?" Josh asked as he clicked open Kokusho's Poké Ball, climbing aboard the strong, three-headed dragon. "They don't have Super Contests in Hoenn!"

He wouldn't trade his parents for anyone in the world. They were the nicest, most supportive people, even if his father was a bit of an instigator at times. His mom was an incredible cook, and now he could indulge in her cooking regularly again. He didn't miss his nagging father, though, who constantly heckled him about one thing or another.

Once the two were in the air, Josh kept his eyes out for the Contest Hall. It was a prominent building, very distinct from skyscrapers that were downtown. Thankfully, the Contest Hall itself was not downtown, so traffic wouldn't be miserable. "Perhaps in the spring or summer, I can take you to the Devlin apartment in Mauville, where we're all staying now. I'm sure Jim wouldn't mind meeting you. Gotta warn you, though; he's a hell of a card player. Learned cribbage from his dad. That tradition goes back a few generations from what I understand." As the duo saddled up, Andrea brought up TOUKON, making Josh's smile disappear. "...Don't remind me. I thought they were gonna boo me off the stage."

It would not take them too long to get to the Super Contest Hall. They wouldn't be able to enter right away; the auditorium was being used for a Contest in progress. Were the two to enter the Hall and watch, they would see every Pokémon accessorized, wearing a variety of clothes, hats, pins, and the like. They also appeared to be performing to music of some kind. "Wow, these really are different than back home," Josh softly said to Andrea.

The audience had their influence, yes, but collectively they had the same sway as any one judge. "...Thanks," Josh breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you liked it. I was really feeling it after I left the venue. How the heck does Shalin do it? I'm dreading her coming to my Gym. Extratone's vibration, even on his lowest setting, is so wild. Can't feel my legs and arms afterward." How did Treble's saddle not just... dissolve from the sheer power the Alolan dragon shook with? It was something he would likely never understand.

"I'm sure the variety is in the different themes," Josh answered, the dancing round just ending. An Electabuzz earned maximum points for the round after showing some truly fancy footwork. "I'd love to see that Electabuzz play Step Step Revolution... if they'd let Pokémon inside. There's always the home version! That reminds me, I need to set my pads back up again when I get home. I think my folks have something planned for Memorial Day if you want to see them!"

The final round was beginning, and it looked just like the Contests back home: Pokémon and coordinator putting on dazzling displays of moves that matched the theme. A THUNDERBOLT manipulated in the shape of a shield made Josh coo. "Wow..."

In Josh's mind, it wasn't that he was ignoring Andrea's concerns; he just didn't see the problems in the same way the cosplayer did. She seemed almost supernaturally in tune with her Pokémon, beyond what Josh's Sygna Suit was capable of. Every suit was different; Josh's enabled his Pyroar and Manectric to reach physics-defying speeds. Little did he know how directly he would be able to test that in the near future.

As the curtain fell to raucous applause, Josh stood up. "Sure, we can head back. It's been a busy couple of days. Think we've deserved some time to just relax. I'll have to get my console set up. Maybe some PokéParty 6 is in order." While not as fun without a full group of four, the mini-games could get hectic, especially it if meant the difference between buying a Badge on a critical turn!