Once the fighting at Petalburg had calmed down, Josh was relieved to be able to get into the tail end of the Mauville Rangers' busy season. It was growing too cold to keep the Gym's aquatic courses open, and only the most intrepid challengers not afraid of the cold would challenge him during the region's cooler months. Or cold ones, depending on how vindictive Kyurem was feeling any given winter. Frost was more common north of the Great Desert, but it did occasionally creep toward the Mauville area during the winter.

The Master of Faster wanted to enjoy the last bit of fair weather before it really started to cool down. And what better way to do that than to show the ropes to Rookie Ranger Alina Hamako ?

Standing next to Kovu's side, Josh ran his hands through the Shiny and Illumina Pyroar's regal, golden fur, the king of the racer's pride looking happy as ever to get outside the Gym grounds. He looked well-behaved, too, his saddle and reins looking as natural as ones a horse Pokémon could wear. All of Josh's big cats were adorned with similar gear, the Mauville Rangers' logo emblazoned upon their saddles. It was as though the fire-type predators were meant to ferry humans around!

Accompanying him were three more Pyroar. Two males stood near the Illumina king. The first was a muscular male named Mufasa. A gift from Kazimir Wynter , the lion could be a bit battle-crazed at times, but he was still a very reliable Ranger Pokémon. Second was Kion, the world record holder for sustained land speed among Pokémon of his species. A female stood behind them in the rear guard, next to Josh's Type: Null, Aleph. Sarabi was the female's name, and she was by far the tallest of the four lions. She was so tall that Josh had to look up to her face. All three Pyroar were quite a bit larger than typical for their species, but Sarabi in particular stood out.

The pride and their trainer were not far from Mauville's north gate. "Ready for your first rescue, Alina?" the Elite Ranger asked his new apprentice, who might have had a hard time hearing him over Kion's loud purr that visibly ruffled his fur. "When you're ready, let's saddle up, and I'll show you the ropes!" Those were some powerful lungs he had!