With Josh at Ao's reins and Vespa seemingly ready, the Gym Leader was ready to give her a crash course in controlling a flying mount. Thankfully, getting in the air wasn't too difficult; it was simply the paradox Pokémon lifting itself into the air through draconic energy and floating forward enough to gain lift underneath its crescent-shaped wings. The expulsion of energy may have pressured Vespa, but it wouldn't have lasted long. With them in the sky above Hoenn's south seas, Josh could begin.

"Think of your reins like a joystick for your Pokémon," he explained. "If you've ridden a land Pokémon before, all the rules of controlling one apply, but there's a new one for the third dimension. If you pull back on your Pokémon's reins, it will climb. Just be careful; because Roaring Moon glide on their wings rather than flap them for thrust like most dragons, climbing too quickly can cause you to stall." It was one of the reasons Garchomp were notoriously difficult to fly on; their minimum speed needed to maintain lift made it much like controlling an airplane. "If you hold the reins more slack, your Pokémon will descend. Think of pulling on the reins like changing the way your mount's head faces, and which way they look."

With a majestic cry in response to Josh's leg pressure and holding the reins taut, Ao climbed alongside Yueliang. Smaller flying Pokémon yielded to the two paradoxical dragons, the wind ruffling their feathered wings. It was like the Roaring Moon was both a bird and a dragon, their circular wing design perfectly encircling a rider from behind. In the Gym Leader's naive eyes, it was almost like the dragon species was meant for a rider to be alight it.

It seemed his joystick analogy had gotten through to Vespa; there were very few, if any, flight control issues he could see. "The Pokémon I'd like to search for when I get there is Dragonair," the Gym Leader loudly said to offset the wind, though shouting was not quite needed. "I ended up losing mine in the war. Even if I catch one... it will never replace Resheph. Nothing can."

As well-behaved as the paradoxes were, Josh was still very impressed that Vespa could control one as a new rider. Dragon-type Pokémon were notorious for being never truly tamed, Josh's only wearing reins because they allowed it. There was no taming a dragon... though he had come about as close as could be expected.

Josh shook his head toward Vespa as the Sky Pillar came into distant view. "Thanks. I've had more Pokémon killed in battle than I care to admit," he sighed, thinking about all the partners he had cruelly taken from him. "Resheph and Aslan were the first ones that... really, really hurt. I've known both of them for a long time, and that Dragonair had the most easygoing personality I've seen in any dragon-type. She was such a joy to travel with." She was a living roller coaster at that, making Josh's stomach twist with every burst of Extreme Speed. And now, never again.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] GALE WINGS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FLAIL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]EMBER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]STEEL WING	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]NATURAL GIFT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Vespa Baskerville

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] INTIMIDATE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]LEER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]RAGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]DRAGON BREATH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BITE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Josh Devlin Vespa Baskerville

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

Vespa Baskerville CAUGHT THE ANNIHILAPE!

Josh's tale in Hoenn was equal parts tragedy and success. For every step he took forward, the winds of fate had bat him backward in a different place. "I... originally won her from Rocket's Game Corner in Celadon, before Monroe and his goons made the place unlivable," he began to recount. "The kinds of Pokémon they offer as prizes are notoriously challenging to raise. It wouldn't surprise me if she was experimented upon."

Josh slid off Ao's back and recalled the two dragon-types, switching to a much more maneuverable mount in a swift motion. In a flash, the young Gym Leader was now astride a Dragapult whose Dreepy missiles squealed toward Vespa in greeting. "I miss her a lot. Do you know who Isaac Merlo is? Suicune's Avatar? Resheph and I gave him one of his first experiences flying on a Pokémon when he was down in the dumps. It helped him become the person he is today."

Before he could get too much farther in his story, Josh pointed to a Salamence circling above, the wild landing near the tower's entrance. "If you enjoyed flying with me, you should catch that Salamence! They can be challenging to raise, but they're very reliable mounts when you understand one another!"

Josh took Vespa's stammering as being lost in emotion. It was a trying time for the Champion, having lost several Pokémon during the war. He was no stranger to his Pokémon being killed in action. Losing ones this close to him was the first time it truly hurt. if he lost Saber in battle... it would be one of the few Pokémon he would give up Swift to get back. For he knew from some of Kyle's last words in the Border that the feather containing the Raikou had the power to unconditionally bring a single Pokémon or person back from the dead.

Raikou may have been Josh's favorite Pokémon, but that Manectric was special.

"She didn't act like it, though; she was the happiest thing in the world," Josh reminisced aloud. "She never let anything drag her down. She was fearless until the end. She had to know she was going to die when she stepped in front of Chien-Pao's swords to save both MATIAS SILPH and I. And to think, when I was at the Border, I wanted to befriend and ride such a wicked Pokémon. I'm glad that didn't end up happening." The snow cat, as swift, agile, and regal as it was, was also the antithesis of everything Josh fought for. From the way it charged in battle, he also couldn't imagine trying to sit on a Pokémon whose back flexed above its head with every flex of its snowy spine. For even the most talented riders in the world, that sounded like a challenge -- and a painful one at that.

Lost in thought, it took Vespa musing about handling their first catch to snap him out of it. It made him realize that his Gym was the only thing letting him raise such a large roster. "That's fair! Dragons are a handful to raise," the Ranger replied. "Have you been to the top of the Sky Pillar before? It's quite the view."