Ana and her Espeon were traveling Hoenn's longest straight road: the west side of the main thoroughfare between Verdanturf and Rustboro. Its lack of a speed limit made it a popular destination for regulars at Mauville Gym. As vast as the Racing Grounds were, this road went on for miles in one direction. It was perfect for trainers that had a need for speed... even the Gym Leader himself.

The artist and her Espeon might feel the whoosh of wind pass by them as a purple blur passed by them using QUICK ATTACK. Once the Pokémon's enhanced speed had worn off, its was more easily recognizable... and perhaps baffling.

Was that an Espeon the size of a small horse? And was that a black-haired man riding it?!

At first, Ana doesn't register the gust of wind as anything more than an unusually strong breeze—Hoenn is known for its unique weather patterns, after all. But when she catches sight of the purple blur, her eyes widen in surprise.

"Holy goodra," she breathes out, jaw dropping as the blur slows down enough to reveal itself. It's an Espeon, but not just any Espeon—one that towers over Old Whiskers, who looks like he might have seen a ghost. Ana barely notices the man astride the Espeon, her attention entirely captured by the brilliance of the creature.

"How did it get so big?" Ana wonders aloud, her fingers itching to pull out her sketchbook and capture the moment. She's seen big Pokémon before—on TV, anyway—but never one so graceful and elegant as an Espeon.

Old Whiskers bristles beside her, his eyes narrowing as if he's trying to establish some sort of psychic connection with the larger Espeon. Ana can only imagine the conversation they might be having: a mix of old-man grumblings and awkward introductions.

She turns her attention to the black-haired man, a grin spreading across her face. "Wow, I've never seen an Espeon that large before! Is he friendly?" she calls out, her tone curious and light.

Josh Devlin

When Josh heard Anastasia Harmon 's remarks about his Espeon, he reined the psychic-type to a stop near her. "It's a bit of a long story," he shrugged, Janus opening his mind up to Old Whiskers, the ruby on his forehead growing. "If you want the short version, all the memes you see about Space-Time Distortions on social media aren't as far from the truth as you think."

Once Ana's full attention was on Josh, he introduced himself and his Espeon steed, climbing down to expose the saddle he was sitting in. "Gym Leader Devlin, but please, call me Josh. And this is Janus," he gently stroked the psychic-type's fur. "If you've never been to Mauville City's Pokémon Gym, what I'm about to tell you might be a bit hard to absorb."

Ana's eyes widen at Josh's introduction, a flicker of recognition sparking in her mind. Gym Leader Devlin—she's heard that name before, whispered in the winding streets of Slateport and shouted from the screens of TVs in Hoenn. But to see him here, riding an Espeon the size of a Rapidash? That's a story she never expected to hear.

"Space-Time Distortions?" she echoes, her brow furrowing slightly. She's seen the memes, of course—who hasn't?—but she always assumed they were just jokes. The kind of thing people share when they're bored and looking for a laugh. But now, faced with the reality of Janus, she can't help but wonder if there's more to it than she thought.

"I'm Ana," she says, offering Josh a friendly smile. "And this is Old Whiskers." She gestures to her Espeon, who is still eyeing Janus with a mix of suspicion and intrigue. "We're from Galar, but we've been traveling around Hoenn for a while now. I've never been to Mauville City's Pokémon Gym, but I'd love to hear more about it!"

She pauses for a moment, her curiosity getting the better of her. "And I definitely want to hear the long version of Janus' story, if you have the time!"

Josh Devlin
skipping spawn!

Josh took his hand off Janus' reins long enough to wave to the other Espeon. "Great to meet you two, Ana and Old Whiskers. That's a great name. Reminds me of Navy and Old Ironsides. Poor guy..." the Gym Leader closed his eyes, thinking about the Skarmory's death for a few seconds before shamelessly advertising his business.

"Mauville's Gym is located on the northwest side of town. While we have an office building, most of the property is actually located outside the city proper. It's a racing facility. If battle isn't your cup of tea, you can challenge the Gym by hopping on your Pokémon and racing against me and some of my coworkers." Despite the League discouraging non-battle challenges with recent policy, challenger volume remained high. "I even get challengers from outside the region -- ones that want the experience more than a Badge!"

Josh was about to start talking about Janus' origin story when a Braviary swooped above him a little too close for comfort. "Look out, Ana!" he pointed to the sky. "Janus, ALLY SWITCH!" On command, the psychic mount disappeared for a split second, juxtaposing with a small sign that the muscular bird carried away with little effort. Now to one side of the large, squawking Pokémon, he tossed an Ultra Ball at the Braviary with quite a strong sidearm.

"What a stroke of fortune that was," Josh mused, smiling. "Last year, my Braviary died in the war. Goose, my Unfezant, will be happy to hear that they'll have another Braviary to compete against."

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] RATTLED
[attr="class","wildtabox"]ANCIENT POWER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]YAWN
[attr="class","wildtabox"]RAGE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ROOST
[attr="class","wildtabox"] AQUA TAIL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Anastasia Harmon Josh Devlin

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD FARFETCH'D APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] DEFIANT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FURY ATTACK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MIRROR MOVE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]RAZOR LEAF	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BRAVE BIRD
[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEATHER DANCE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Anastasia Harmon Josh Devlin

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

Josh Devlin CAUGHT THE BRAVIARY!

Ana's eyes widen as Josh describes the Mauville Gym, her imagination running wild with images of racing Pokémon and thrilling challenges. She's never been one for traditional battles—her experience with Pokémon has always been more about the bond between trainer and creature than the fight itself. But racing? That's something she can get behind.

"I'd love to visit someday," she says, her voice brimming with excitement. "It sounds like so much fun! Maybe Old Whiskers and I can even challenge you!" She glances down at her Espeon, who gives her a look that seems to say, don't get ahead of yourself, kid. Ana just grins.

But before she can say more, Josh's warning draws her attention to the sky. Ana lets out a yelp of surprise as the Braviary swoops down, its talons outstretched. She instinctively covers her head with her arms, but there's no need—Janus' ally switch moves him out of harm's way, leaving the Braviary to carry off a sign instead.

Ana watches in amazement as Josh tosses an Ultra Ball at the bird and captures it, her heart racing with excitement. "Wow," she breathes out, her eyes wide. "That was incredible! You're really good at this!"

She pauses for a moment, her thoughts turning to Josh's mention of his Braviary. "I'm so sorry to hear about your Braviary," she says, her voice softening. "But I'm glad you were able to catch another one. I'm sure Goose will be thrilled to have a new friend to compete with!"

Ana's mind buzzes with questions about Janus, the Mauville Gym, and everything in between. But for now, she's content to watch and learn from the Gym Leader before her.

Josh Devlin
skipping spawn!

Josh smirked as he heard Ana's enthusiasm for the Racing Grounds. Could he turn her into another paying customer? It sure would be nice, what with memberships waning during the war. "I'll just put it this way: you'll be able to give nearly any species a test drive if you wanted. I've got most of them there." His eyes peered toward the smaller Espeon. "Are they big enough for you, though?" For Josh to ride Janus, he had to be one of the largest possible for his kind.

The Gym Leader barely broke a sweat from the capture. "Thanks," he answered, absorbing the compliment like he was used to getting them frequently. "I've been a Pokémon trainer since I was eleven. I've had... a lot of experience." Experience that brought him the title of Champion. As he made his catch, he clammed up for a bit. Though he was excited to have captured a Braviary, no Pokémon would replace Slider. That Braviary was truly special to him, and one he would never forget...