Among the black-haired man's five Pyroar also stood a Type: Null, the amalgamation of a Normal-type eying Lisette warily, unsure if she was friend or foe. All five of the felines, including the Illumina female Josh rode, seemed much more friendly. "They are!" the Champion replied. Zira, the shortest of the females, approached, sniffed, and nuzzled Lisette if she allowed it. Curiously, every single one of the Pyroar wore saddles and reins, much like a horse Pokémon would. "Ever since Space-Time Distortions started showing up in Hoenn, Pokémon that are much bigger than normal started showing up in large numbers. They used to be one in a million anomaly. Now, if you're reasonably patient, you can find them in the wild. Of course, breeding them to this size can be done, as well."

The Gym Leader reined his Illumina Pyroar, Nala, to a stop near lisette bellamy . "Gym Leader Devlin or Champion Devlin, but you can call me Josh," the black-haired man introduced himself. "Sorry if Zira's making you uncomfortable. She loves sniffing and trying to make friends with strangers. Sometimes she acts more like a dog than a cat."

Lisette's curiosity was not uncommon among even Gym visitors familiar with Josh. His Pokémon were simply quite big for their kind. "I do! Exhibit A: Nala here," he replied, patting the Illumina female he was mounted on. Sensing Lisette's friendliness, the Pyroar ran her powerful motor, purring enough to perhaps induce a tickling sensation.

As the young lady bravely interacted with the various members of Josh's pride, he smiled at her continued interest in the saddled Pokémon. "They don't call me the Master of Faster for nothing! That's my title as a Gym Leader. They might be the quickest of their kind in the entire region."

The younger stranger appreciated Josh's title, one he was proud to come up with while he was still in the Minor League awaiting promotion. "Thanks! I felt like it has a nice ring to it, heh," he chuckled as the rest of the pride joined in on the fun, Aleph too busy locking claws with a Mr. Rime's ICE SHARDS.

At Lisette's request, Zira crouched, offering her back to the younger lady. "Hop right on!" the Gym Leader offered. Were she to take her seat, she would see the lioness' red reins neatly hanging from the front end of the saddle, ready to be held in her hands. "Is this your first time on a Pokémon at all?" he asked, trying to gauge how much she knew on the subject.

Many of Josh's grass-types were distance runners, as well; even if Lisette wasn't a savant in the saddle like Josh was, she seemed to have some experience. That would make things quite a bit easier. "I've got one of each of those, too! Maybe if you drop by the Racing Grounds, one day, you'll et to meet Medli, Zetalpa, and Nitro. Gogoat's a great Pokémon, too. Nitro, my own Gogoat, is one of the Pokémon I used to win the Pokémon League earlier this year!" Granted, he didn't get to do much against Entei and Ho-oh, but he was still on the winning team. With how close the battle was, every member's contribution was important.

As his mind wandered to his other grass-type Pokémon, such as Basil the Leafeon, she introduced herself. "Great to be working with you, Lisette!" Josh warmly replied. "Oh, it's really fun once you learn the basics of it." Holding good posture and keeping Nala's reins firmly in his hands, the Champion began to coach Lisette. "Then you might be aware that Zira's reins are how you control her direction. The way you control speed is leg pressure. The harder you squeeze her sizes, the faster she'll accelerate. Just try not to overdo it; Pyroar are hunters, after all. They're also bouncier than your typical Pokémon when they start running. When you're ready, control her like you would one of your own!" Were she to tug on the reins or squeeze at Zira's sides, Lisamy might find the Pyroar quite a bit more sensitive than any of her grandmother's Pokémon. A full-strength tug might see lion and rider doing donuts in the grass!