Josh barely heard a familiar voice over the waves. Reining Illumina toward its source, he spotted AIRI WATANABE alight a Swampert, the two enjoying themselves as they followed him into deeper water, away from the younger trainers wading in the shallows. "Airi!" Josh waved back. "Didn't expect to run into you out here!" The Lanturn's light flashed a few times, though it wasn't as bright as it would be otherwise, what with the light of the cloudless sky masking it. "This is about the only thing you can do outside," he idly remarked as Illumina floated toward the Swampert, treading water lazily. "It's forecast to be so hot that I closed the Gym down for the next few days. It's supposed to be in the 40s for the rest of the week." That was in the mid-100s for those who used the Unovan temperature scale. The air wasn't exactly dry, either. It truly was a sauna out there.

"Sick ride you've got there," Josh complimented. "And it's impressive that you ride bareback, too. My thighs aren't strong enough to do that." They were plenty strong; he could if he wanted to, but he would rather conserve their strength for going fast.

Josh chuckled back at the coincidences of them running into one another. "At this point, we should probably just exchange contacts. When we're out of the water, of course! Couldn't have my phone getting wet." He did have special comms devices he could requisition through the Rangers in the event of an underwater operation, but they weren't needed here. "You picked a good day to do it; the heat is chasing away a lot of the more casual visitors... and people who can't saddle a water Pokémon."

A sly smile grew on Josh's face as Airi asked him about his Lanturn. "This goes back to... Mauville Gym. I told you the place is a Pokémon racing complex, didn't I? Well, I only really catch Pokémon that I can strap a saddle to. If it's not big enough or strong enough, I won't catch it!" There were, of course, a few exceptions; Amp the Toxtricity helped with Josh's sound setup, and Zaborg the Zeraora was a riding buddy. He was a Shiny thundercat that fought by riding on Josh's other Pokémon. Quite the unique fighting style for such a creature.

"As for her size..." Josh trailed off, bracing himself for a wave in the distance, "How much do you know about Space-Time Distortions?" he asked. They used to be frequent, but had become more scarce of late.

It was less the beach being crowded and more the shallows. It was much the same reason that in a more urban area such as Mauville proper, public pools got extremely busy. "If it gets really bad, I'll open up sections aquatic race courses for public swimming on days I've closed the Gym. Some of them do have currents, but the ones that don't... I'm sure Mauville appreciates the chance to cool down. Plus, all the little kids can brag about riding with a Gym Leader!" Sharing his passion with young children brought joy to his heart. To him, there was little that brought greater joy than a high-speed joyride across Hoenn's roads, seas, or skies.

With the size of his collection, plus having spent money on gear for every single one of them, such a passion couldn't be spoken louder. "When it gets cooler, I'll have to take you flying. Have you ever seen what Hoenn looks like from... a mile or more above the surface?" A height that one could get a stellar view of the region, yet not so high up that breathing would be troublesome. As many issues as Josh had with the way the Gym program was run, the freedom to craft a theme without a type was one he approved of. The freedom to test trainers in ways other than battle was what kept him going.

"While there's not a direct correlation between extremely large Pokémon and Space-Time Distortions, they've started showing up in greater numbers since then," Josh clarified, recalling the red-eyed horrors that appeared near the Splashfest stage in Slateport two summers ago. "They're often harder to raise than their smaller counterparts, but they're worth it."

As the duo got farther away from the shore and into more open waters, Josh felt the urge to let loose with his Pokémon. "Ready to go faster, Airi?" he asked, almost trying to goad the younger Ranger into it.

Josh smiled upon being showered with compliments from his acquaintance rapidly growing friend. "I may be the Master of Faster, but I'm also the people's Gym Leader," he added, tooting his own horn just a bit. Perhaps one day, he would host an under-18 racing league at his Gym.

The Champion figured she had before, if she was a Ranger. "Dragonite is a splendid choice of flying mount, if you can handle their Extreme Speed," he mused, remembering the battles he's had with Tiamat, his own Dragonite. "Would love to see what you two are capable of one day."

Josh had first been taken aback by Airi stating she didn't have her Swampert's saddle, taking for granted that he and his Pokémon treated their own saddles like clothing. Such was the quality of the work that went into any products made by Verdanturf Leather and Saddle. They were so comfortable that Josh didn't remove them from his Pokémon except for events that required them, such as sanctioned Pokémon battles. "You're strong to ride your Swampert bareback," Josh complimented. "With such slick skin underwater, I can't even hold onto mine without one." Instead of going faster, the Lanturn dove underwater and resurfaced, giving Josh a brief but cool bath.

Josh smiled upon hearing Airi's Dragonite had a speed bent. "They'd be right at home. I have yet to use Tiamat, my own Dragonite, in a racing challenge. You two could be the first!" He wished he could now, but could not control the aggressive dragon-type to her fullest potential. Extreme Speed was still far too much for his recovering arm to handle. Give it another month, and that might change. For now, he was still limited in how fast he could fly, making his Gym Challenge success rate reach borderline concerning levels.

Josh's smile grew at the idea of ice cream. "Sounds like a great way to stay cool once we're out of the water!" With the wind picking up and blowing hot air all over them, he turned Illumina around so that the wind was at their back. "I'm gonna zip across the water one more time before we head back." With his hands firmly on the reins, Josh sharply squeezed Illumina's sides without issuing a verbal command, though she knew what to do. With a happy cry, the electric fish's tail swished back and forth wildly in a burst of AGILITY that few knew the species was capable of. Both submerged briefly before the Lanturn executed a beautiful porpoise jump, Josh whooping loudly at its peak. He looked like he was having far too much fun!

After the speedy jump, Josh wheeled Illumina around, letting their momentum carry them backwards before coming to a stop near the shore. He withdrew the Lanturn while still mounted, swimming and wading through the shallows and back to dry land. "Just about any Pokémon can put on a lot of speed with the right work ethic!" the Gym Leader bragged. Hylda, his Glastrier, was a prime example. He had already used her in a racing challenge long ago, and proved to be quite the competitive ice-type.

With the two out of the water, Josh slow to dry off due to the humid conditions, he slipped back into his shoes and let Airi lead him back toward Mauville City. "There's a great ice cream parlor on the east side of town. How about we get out of this awful heat and cool off there? They've got a good variety - thirty-one flavors!"