Josh, too, was interested in the outcome of the match; it was so close that he sweatily awaited the final verdict. When the smoke cleared, both Dizzy and Pinky were in a heap. "Neither one of us won," the Gym Leader answered. "I do want to make a few comments about how you and your Pokémon battled."

There were a lot of thing Josh felt he had to go over, both good and bad. He had learned that starting with the good was the best. "I have to say, every single one of your Pokémon is powerful and unpredictable," he said as a Garchomp zoomed above them, dropping in for a landing with ARAVAN ESCHER, one of his Gym Trainers. "With Pokémon that strong, the Gym Challenge should give you no trouble at all. However, I noticed that your Pokémon, especially your psychic-types, did not fully obey your orders. Is there something you've noticed that's causing them to not obey your orders without question?"

"Yes, primarily the Kadabra," Josh nodded. That was where most of the problems in the match originated. The psychic-type was extremely strong, but neither had reached their potential in his eyes. Nowhere close.

"What you need is mutual trust in one another. A mutual understanding of how each of you act, both out of battle and in battle. Take your Kadabra with you when you're out and about. Get a grasp on what he likes and what he doesn't. Positively reinforce desired behavior, and negatively reinforce unwanted behavior."

Psychic-type Pokémon were very challenging to raise for all the reasons Zachary had thought of. Josh didn't have a lot of experience with psychic-type Pokémon, but he knew someone that did. "...Seek out Gym Leader Hideo Kino ," the Master of Faster suggested. "He is a psychic-type specialist," and maybe even a psychic himself, he left out. With him being blind, Josh wondered if the child could see through a mind's eye.

As for his progress toward being a Gym Leader, Josh nodded and smiled. "I think you should apply for the Minor League," the tenured trainer advised. "I would temper expectations about being accepted the first time, but I think you should apply. If you fail their entrance exam, you can study up on the parts you struggled with and try again." The Master of Faster had the knowledge base, and most importantly, the customer service skills, to see himself through the exams, both written and practical. "If you ever need to brush up on anything, let me know, and I can do my best to help you with it. And if you do get accepted, I'll be the first one to give your Gym an inspection!" he winked.

And so, the stage was set for Zachary to begin his journey to become a Hoenn Gym Leader. It would be a crushingly difficult path, but if he was as determined as Josh felt, he knew the young man would succeed. "You're welcome. And don't forget, being a leader is part of being a Gym Leader. I would also recommend reading some books about what makes a good leader. They helped me a lot. I can email you a reading list if you're interested."

With that, Zachary's time at the Gym was waning; Josh had other appointments to see. "Need a ride back to the lobby?" he courteously asked. Were Zachary to accept, he would whistle for Mufasa and Simba, two gorgeous-looking Pyroar males, to ferry them back to the distant rear entrance. Regardless of how they got there, Josh would gesture toward the sliding door and wave goodbye to his friend for the time being.