At just twenty-five years of age, Josh Devlin was Hoenn's youngest Champion. Once one of the region's most controversial figures, he was the talk of the town after it was announced that he had become only the fourth person to be Champion Ranked, and the first to not have a role in administering the Champion Assessment. One day, the world would get to see the intense battle he and kyle lopez wrought. Not until after Sootopolis, though; within the video footage was a key military secret that Josh held close to his heart: the secret of the RAINBOW FEATHER pinned to his shirt.

Though he had been absolved of the remainder of his community service, Josh had shifts scheduled through the end of April. He couldn't, in the goodness of his heart, renege on them. That was how he and his pair of Zeraora found themselves at Slateport Beach, on cleanup duty.

"I am," Josh nodded, handing one trash bag and pole to Zaborg while keeping a second for himself. "And please, Josh is good. May I ask what your name is?" Regardless of whether he got an answer, the Champion would give the signal to go ahead. Saber, his Manectric, crouched to let the Shiny Zeraora ride upon him, Josh doing the same with Raikiri, the more feral-looking Zeraora that moved on all fours.

Josh's smile grew as Miranda cutely answered. "Not the Top Champion; that's still kyle lopez . But yes, I am one of Hoenn's four Champions!" the People's Gym Leader replied, procuring two long-handled nets and passing one to Zaborg. "No need to apologize to me!" he blushed. While he was used to media attention by virtue of being a Gym Leader, he was the talk of Hoenn for a bit after reaching the pinnacle of the Gym Challenge. And soon, he would soon yield that spotlight to Navy .

Zaborg, skillfully reining Saber around with his left paw and reaching for an empty soda can using the net in his right, deposited the metal object in a recycling bin before returning to Josh's side. While the two Zeraora were the same species, they couldn't be any more different. "It's just a title. What you do with that title is what matters."

Zaborg and Raikiri's purrs were tiger-like. Even Saber let out a bark as he felt the Shiny Zeraora's light throbbing. "Great to meet both of you, Viola and Miranda. These three are Raikiri, Zaborg, and Saber," he introduced the three swift-looking electric Pokémon. "You two remember your nets, too? Really helpful for reaching stuff floating in the water."

The two Pokémon of the same rare species couldn't be more different; the Shiny one of the two sat upright on Josh's Manectric, holding the wolf's reins as deftly as a human would. The other one, Raikiri, looked like a feral feline, traveling on all fours. "If Viola's okay with it, we can play afterward. Maybe you'll even get to saddle up with me!" he teased, though he had his doubts Viola would let her daughter sit atop such a lightning-fast Pokémon.

Josh reined his Zeraora as close to the water as possible without entering it; even the mythical cat's latent static could fry all kinds of smaller life on the beach. "Hey, Raikiri, I'm gonna lean over to try to get that can that's floating there. Don't turn because I'm shifting my weight, okay?" With a purr that made Josh smile. he set the reins down, held the net's long handle with both hands, and lowered it into the water. Though he accidentally bonked the floating aluminum object, causing it to fill with sea water, a quick save let him collect it. The water inside left it as he tilted it backwards, the mist it became looking like the exhaust of a turbo engine until its interior was bone dry.

"Thankfully, Mauville's not too far from here," Josh mused. "Not a detour at all to get here from there. Old Highway 110 is one of my favorite places to go riding in Hoenn. Decommissioned highway with no speed limits. Love it."

Raikiri looked disappointed when Viola vetoed Miranda climbing atop him with Josh. It was understandable, though; the forces such a fast Pokémon would put on a rider had to feel more intense upon a smaller body. He would be content to let Miranda play with the two thundercats' scarves, cuddle with them, and the like. If Miranda seemed particularly playful, she might even get to feel them purring loudly!

"They... are among the fastest kinds of Pokémon in the world, after all," Josh sheepishly admitted after emptying his net and stowing it. "If she really wants to, I promise you this. I'll keep them to a speed she's comfortable with." If the feline's speed was too intimidating, the Leader's Manectric was also an option, though Zaborg did look at ease atop the electric dog.

"That's my title!" Josh smiled. And a well-earned one at that. Little did he know how soon that would be, when Kyle and his Patron would bestow upon him the fastest Pokémon on land, to his recollection.

If Viola was more comfortable riding with Miranda, Josh would relinquish his seat and let the mother be at the reins; otherwise, the Gym Leader would let Miranda sit in front of him or behind him, whichever she preferred.

Once arrangements were made, provided Josh was in control, he would push Raikiri to a fast trot, though it may have felt like it was much faster to the child. The thundercat's gait was more pronounced than a horse's, which was to be expected for a feline. As much as he wanted to, Josh didn't dare hand Miranda the reins. If Raikiri could put a lot of force on Josh with speed and turning, how much more intense would it feel to the young one?

"Having fun?" Josh asked in a gentle voice.