Kairi tilted her head toward Jethro and opened her mouth in a big smile. Despite her large size, she looked just as cute as her smaller brethren. "Alright, got you covered, Jethro!" Josh chirped, clicking the switch on a Poké Ball containing a Samurott. Forming a sphere of water above herself, she drew one of her seamitars and slashed at it: the method she used of discharging her WATER SPORT. While the moisture would evaporate fairly quickly in the dry air, it would keep them cool for a while. "Hop right on!" he gestured toward the water-type's saddle. "She controls just like a Rapidash. Almost all my Pokémon do."

Just as Josh was leading the way over the rim to the heated part of the crater, a Crocalor leaped across it, angrily LEERING at his water Pokémon. Its yellow hat soaked, it had every right to be furious at them. Accepting the Pokémon to be beyond reasoning with, Josh clicked open the Poké Ball containing Toshiro, a Hisuian Samurott that looked like Fumiko's distant cousin. Much better equipped for battle, the water-type was quick to slash toward it with a CEASELESS EDGE. Before Josh's empty Poké Ball made contact with it, it let out a loud, deep, and contagious YAWN. Josh and his Pokémon all reciprocated it, looking like they could fall asleep at any time. A hot environment like this was not the greatest spot for a nap...

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MUDSDALE APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] INNER FOCUS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ROCK SMASH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SUPERPOWER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DOUBLE KICK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]STOMP
[attr="class","wildtabox"] DOUBLE-EDGE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Jethro Haig Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD ONIX APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] WEAK ARMOR
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DRAGON BREATH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BIND
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SAND TOMB	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SCREECH
[attr="class","wildtabox"] DRAGON TAIL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Jethro Haig Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Josh Devlin CAUGHT THE CROCALOR!

Josh was thoroughly impressed that Jethro was letting Toshiro battle with him in the saddle. Mounted combat was far from easy; it was an area Josh himself needed to do a lot of work on before the war flared up again. The call-out forced Josh wide awake.

"I saw your battle. You were impressive out there. You must be strong and have a lot of experience riding on Pokémon to manage something like that. Some of those turns looked painful."

There was no telling what was popping out next. A powerful STOMP threw both Kairi and Toshiro for a loop, the Samurott having an easier time remaining balanced. An agitated Kairi turned toward its source: a Mudsdale that looked equally upset from the violent battle the Onix and Samurott engaged in. Kairi enveloped herself and Josh in ACID ARMOR, blunting the ramming and trampling SUPERPOWER attack and reducing a charge that would have immediately launched Josh from the saddle to one from that uncomfortably stretched his legs.

Regaining their focus, the Gym Leader had a Poké Ball at the ready the moment Kairi got the chance. He hurled the empty sphere toward the equine after she washed it in a WATER PULSE. Josh slid off Kairi's back just long enough to try to secure the capture; if the Pokémon made a sudden move from within, the Poké Ball could bounce over the trail's edge and to a much lower part of the caldera, perhaps even dissolving away completely if it slipped through a crack and into the magma below.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD KROOKODILE APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ANGER POINT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]BITE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]RAGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]TORMENT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]POWER TRIP
[attr="class","wildtabox"] SPITE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Jethro Haig Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MAGCARGO APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] FLAME BODY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]INCINERATE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]EMBER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ANCIENT POWER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ROCK THROW
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Jethro Haig Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

The more time Josh spent talking with Jethro, the more he saw an older version of himself in the mirror, perhaps when he was too old to continue his career path. As much as he enjoyed racing, there would come a time in his life when he would have to give it up; contests of speed were as tough on the rider as they were on the Pokémon ferrying them!

"We should exchange Ranger stories," Josh offered after the older man was done catching the dark-type. "I've only been in the business for a couple years or so, but so much happens so fast." Especially in Hoenn. There were so many smaller disasters that they kept their staff busy in the warmer months. "What city were you based out of? And did you have a specialty?"

Josh gave a gentle pat to Kairi's side before withdrawing the tired Vaporeon. Even for water Pokémon, the heat of Chimney's crater was rough. Undoing the latch covering the leftmost Poké Ball on his belt, the Ranger clicked its switch, Saber emerged. Clearly a Pokémon he was very close to, the Gym Leader cuddled with the giant electric wolf before he mounted up. The saddle Josh sat in was unlike any of the ones on the rest of his Pokémon; this one was modeled after the thundercloud carried by the legendary Pokémon Raikou. "Think we should head down the mountain soon. My Pokémon aren't handling the heat too well."

Provided Jethro would follow him, he would continue to make talk with the older man. He was one vulgar man, swearing about as much as a sailor, but that didn't bother Josh; it reminded him of his younger days when he was far less professional than he was now. "I love Unovan cuisine and Unovan football, but haven't actually been out there before."

Josh and his Manectric nodded as they listened to Jethro's story. "Yep, though most of what I do is actually saving people, not apprehending people. I'm Mauville's wilderness rescue director: that's what I do with the Rangers. Though I have been known to help police with chases when the Mauville force can't contain them. As dangerous as it is, I... really enjoy it. Saber here can outrun police Arcanine when he really gets going. I remember one day, not that long after I got involved with the Rangers, I got to chase down a prison escapee who hijacked a police motorcycle. Outrunning that was fun."

Josh wasn't taking too well to the heat, either; the farmer may have been able to notice his reaction times growing more sluggish. "Is it really work if you enjoy it, though?" he asked Jethro with a smile on his face, trying to keep a positive attitude in light of Hoenn's recent happenings.

The idea of getting to perform his craft in front of his new acquaintance raised his spirits, too. "Tell you what. Drop my Mauville Racing Grounds sometime. You'll get to see how fast Saber can run, heh."

It did not take the duo long to reach the mountain station, where a cable car would take them down to the air-conditioned hub near Lavaridge Toen. "Was great meeting you. See you 'round."