The results of Dirk's injury, and the lessons from it, were lessons Josh had to learn, too. He had burned himself out chasing Raikou for so long, Only after his failures nearly cost an innocent child her life was when Josh realized the Beast needed to come to him. And that Beast did come. "That's a lesson I've had to learn, too. It's not an easy one to learn, and kudos to you for being able to learn it on your own."

Doing some number crunching in his head, it seemed Dirk was a good candidate for the position, both in terms of past experience, motivation, and general mentality. "I do have one more question for you. Gym Trainers at Mauville Racing Grounds will be expected to be a part of the field for Racing Challenges. Do you have any Pokémon that would be good for racing across land, on water, and in the air? If you don't have any right now, that's okay. It won't disqualify you from consideration." Josh had plenty of loaners to go around, though he had discovered the races were more competitive if the Gym Trainers used their own personal Pokémon instead.

After all, mount and rider worked best when of one mind.

Once Josh was certain of Alina's balance on Kion's large saddle designed to mitigate the jostling from his powerful, flexing spine, he would begin. "Controlling a Pokémon mount is simple," the veteran assured Alina as he climbed onto Kovu's back, the Illumina Pyrpar dimming his natural lights. "His reins are what you pull on to control his direction. Pull on them in the direction you want him to turn. The harder you pull, the faster he'll turn. If you need to reverse course quickly, you can pull back on both of them at the same time. Just be careful and ready for him to rear." He gave a demonstration of the abrupt maneuver to set expectations, the Pyroar standing on his hind legs and roaring for a split second before sharply turning around.

"Second, you can control your mount's speed with your legs. Squeeze Kion's sides tighter to speed up, and ease that pressure to slow down. Just try to be careful -- if you squeeze him too hard, he'll go way faster than a horse Pokémon." He wasn't kidding, either; the jungle predators were fast, even in the wild. Under Josh's guidance, they were among the fastest feline Pokémon in the world. "Think you got it?"

As taxing as the upward spiral was on Josh's body, this was one of his favorite turns on his entire property, and one he wished he had the budget to convert into a ground course. Sadly, money was not the only cost; physics would only allow ground-level inversions for Pokémon that were Electric-types, Steel-types, or Pokémon with Magnet Rise. New Mauville's single race course, the MOBIUS RING, was the only one in Hoenn that took advantage of magnetism in such a manner.

With a gleeful smile beneath his helmet, Josh guided Mastema upward before leaning to the right hard. Not as hard as he wanted to; though his right arm was under the most pressure, his left arm thumped more, still not used to the strain of such a long and tight turn. He grunted loudly as he attempted to maintain a slight pull upward on the fairy-type. Though he was in far from peak form, it felt good to be able to execute the advanced maneuver at all.

The back half of the loop got the five competitive racers back up to speed, gravity and lift working in tandem to make the wind roar around them once more. Miyako Noguchi and her TOGEKISS led the way, keeping to the center of the course at a steady speed. A pace that ARAVAN ESCHER's DRAGAPULT could not quite match. While being a phantom left the dragon-type with few limitations, its jet-like wings were physical. Ethereal propulsion could only provide so much lift, the Dreepy missiles inside the wing squealing from the high bank angle that slowed them down more than it did the challenger.

Josh Devlin 's TOGEKISS proved challenging to control during the long turn. The large fairy-type's body was designed for long, straight-line flights, not tight turns at speed. Unable to maintain the sharp angle needed to get through without braking, the Gym Leader slowly drifted toward the outside, putting more distance between himself and ACE SHEEKE's DRAGONITE, who was in a fierce battle with ERON IUNIS' BEEDRILL for third place coming into a long, much-needed straightaway.

Prompt: Following the long turn was a straightforward but narrow strip for Pokémon to get up to speed in anticipation of a loop similar to the one at the start of the course. What made this one different was its end was twisted, as marked by the reversal of the colors of flags marking course bounds. The red flags marking the outside border of the track were now on the inside, meaning the racers would need to fly inverted for a period of time until the colors reverted to normal. Halfway through the inverted section was a right-angle turn. Those who relied upon the mini-map provided to them before the race began would be in for a rude awakening, as what appeared to be a left turn on the map was actually a right turn due to flying upside down!

Target Number: 130 (Reaction)

Special: None

Josh had spent so much time with Andrea Vaneau , yet had never visited her ranch in Fallarbor Town. The mountain hamlet was so far north that the weather would soon turn cold. Cold enough to the point where he would need to don his winter clothes from Johto. Thanks, Kyurem, for upsetting Hoenn's climate and making Mauville Racing Grounds' volume tank around the holidays.

Where a dearth in one venture came, there was an opportunity in another; from November to February was when Josh was most active as a Ranger. It was also when he had the most time to himself. After verifying he had no more appointments for the rest of the day, the Champion left his Gym in his Gym Trainers' hands before riding across the desert atop Caladbolg. The Iron Leaves had mentally strapped Josh on, sounding and moving almost exactly like lam logan 's Sacred Sword.

Tyrfing and Sigmund had warmed up to Josh, the three metallic Sacred Swords dashing, crashing, and prancing their way through the ash-coated mountain trail and toward the Vaneau ranch. The cosplayer might be surprised to see her speed-obsessed friend atop a Pokémon other than his Raikou, Swift. Was he simply giving his favorite Pokémon a break, or was there something wrong with the ashen Beast after the eruption of conflict around Petalburg?

Please display!

TOWER OF BABEL
unlock tier four of the sygna suit, upgrading it to an arc suit.

This wasn't just a Gym Challenge, either, where the goal was to see if the challenger had learned the lesson the Leader was trying to teach. He could use every trick in the book. While none of them had Z-Moves, the ancestors of the Beasts were more than capable of tactics similar to their Johtonian counterparts. Josh's reverence of them aided him in understanding how Raikou, Entei, and Suicune fought.

The Torterra would be a serious issue for Zaborg and Raikou; blurs of yellow and white the dinosaur and cat may have been, there was no ELECTRO BALL strong enough to pierce Lusitania's defenses. He wouldn't be a Gym Leader without countermeasures against ground-types, as many a challenger had found out the hard way.

The speed at which the SOLAR BEAM shot toward the Raging Bolt's rider took both Josh and thundercat by surprise, enhanced as it may have been by the blazing hot sunlight. Zaborg sounded a loud growl, his white fur singed all the way down to his skin at the point of impact. His grip on the Raging Bolt's reins held fast. With a whack to the electric dragon's sides, the Raging Bolt bolted forward, aiming to ram and trample the Torterra with the full weight of a BODY PRESS. The Zeraora could do more than just ride; he dramatically leaped out of the saddle, making a dive toward the trunk of the Torterra's tree. Through his speed and ACROBATICS, perhaps he had enough momentum to tip the steadfast Pokémon upside down!

Killian Decker 's presence late in the season was welcome; with the temperature outside dropping as the holidays approached, he had fewer challengers at his open-air Gym. Due to low volume, he only had one person staffing the front desk. With ANDREW WEISS out on lunch, Josh was covering for him until he returned. "Decker, is it? Great to meet you. Leader Devlin, but please, call me Josh!" he greeted the challenger. "Will just need a minute or two to check you in, then I'll take you out back."

Checking his records, Josh saw Ian had three Badges registered to his name. "Looks like this isn't your first rodeo with the Hoenn Gym Circuit," he remarked as he clacked away at his keyboard. The signup requested no special trainer interaction, which caught him a little off guard. It was the challenger's choice, and he didn't want to be overly nosy. After all, it was the Leader's job to adapt to the terms of battle the challenger requested within the Gym's bounds.

"All set," the racer said as he completed Ian's registration and opened the sliding door to the vast Racing Grounds. Not long after stepping away from the exit, Josh clicked the switches on two Poké Balls, releasing from them a Pyroar and Raichu. Both were somewhat comparable in size; though the Pyroar was taller, she wasn't so by much. The electric rat was a giant, about as large as the species could be. "If you need a lift, Vitani will be more than happy to take you to the Main Sector, where the battle courts are."

Regardless of how they traveled there, the two would arrive at the main court. A grassy battleground triple regulation size, there was everywhere to run, but nowhere to hide. It seemed to be constructed with the Gym's extremely fast Pokémon in mind. In its center was a pool of water for aquatic Pokémon to swim in, channels branching outward from it to aid their mobility even against land Pokémon. On each side of the court were two metallic, rail-surrounded trainers' platforms that were popular in high-profile arenas, such as the Elite Four chambers.

The Gym Leader and Champion directed the challenger toward the west side of the triple-sized court, toward the Trainer's Box on the challenger's side. Once he felt Ian knew where to go, Josh would reiterate the challenge's rules while he removed the saddles from Toralf's and Vitani's backs. "According to your application, this will be a two-Pokémon Singles match. The first side to incapacitate their opponent's entire Pokémon team will be the winner. This match will have a seven-minute time limit, and ties will be broken by sudden death. Good luck to you; you'll need it."

Once the two trainers were positioned, a few shrill whistles would echo from the small gallery watching the match, their platforms rising to a height of roughly ten feet. Toralf leaped off the platform, the nimble Raichu landing on all fours and ready to tussle with the challenger's team of rodents. "Now, bring forth your Pokémon and ponder your opening move. I can assure you it will be the only decision you will have time to think on," Josh taunted.

Josh's smile grew as he listened to Dirk's resolve, then his story. He was in Hoenn for all the right reasons. He seemed to understand the war. He seemed to understand that Josh could not afford to divide his efforts between his birth region and his new home region. That was part of why he was not as invested as Eva Morales was in Kanto's reconstruction, and to a lesser extent, Johto's.

He finished his food and wiped his hands clean on a napkin before standing up and sitting on the giant Raikou plush's thundercloud again, looking much more relaxed than he did before. "You have the instincts of a Ranger, too. To make a split-second decision to stop a poacher, all on your own accord..." he trailed off. Dirk had impressed him thus far. They thought a lot alike. "If I don't hire you directly, you should have absolutely no trouble getting a job with Mauville's Rangers. I'm sure annalise henderson would love talking to you."

He flicked the Raikou's felt reins and even flinched like one would while riding a jumping mount. He almost looked like a child in an adult's body. "Next, I want you to share one of your most significant shortfalls and how you learned from it." It was by far the most difficult question on the interview, but it gave Josh an idea of the candidate's growth potential -- a very important factor in making his decision. What was arguably more important than Dirk's vision of the past... was his vision of his future.

The Mauville Leader didn't disagree with Matias on that point. Josh did give off a certain aura of intensity. Perhaps it came with his Pokémon selection. There were very few Pokémon one would consider cute on his vast squad; almost all of them were apex predators that could seriously harm or even kill people and Pokémon with ease. Perhaps it was the way he battled, his Pokémon's movement being almost impossible to follow. Perhaps it was, once Elisabeth Fiorelli had forced his hand in the prismatic prison, that he utilized, perhaps even flaunted, the ashen Raikou. Even for a simple escort from Mauville to Lavaridge, he would often travel by way of his legendary partner. Perhaps a bit too often.

The remark insinuating Josh wouldn't defend his people made his eyebrows rise. "You're absolutely right on the first point... but at the same time, there is no personality that can please everyone. I've learned from my time serving Hoenn, as a Gym Leader and as a Ranger, that the best you can do is pleasing most people most of the time." The boy leaned forward on his Raikou's back, his mount lowering his head and tilting it slightly downward.

"But how can you talk about me not keeping Hoenn's people safe after what I did for you? Resheph died protecting you. I've known her longer than almost all the rest of my Pokémon." Matias, being on the front lines, had no doubt experienced loss in far greater numbers.

During his tenure in Hoenn, seven of Josh's Pokémon had died under his watch, not counting the ones that kyle lopez had brought back from the dead. Yagyu the Doublade met her end at an Annhilape's Destiny Bond. Bora the Corviknight did not survive a stem cell extraction to create Aleph. Rime the Alolan Ninetales died Dynamaxing beneath New Mauville, howard slayte the only other witness to the act. The rest had died as a direct consequence of the war: Slider the Braviary, to mint frost ; Dashie the Rapidash, to Elisabeth Fiorelli ; Aslan, once leader of Josh's Pyroar pride, drowned in the sea courtesy of Rhea Armistead , and most tragically, Resheph the Dragonair, speared upon jayden cross ' ice blades.

"How many of your first six Pokémon are still alive today?" The purpose of the question was not to get an answer. It was simply to get the Volatile to consider what Josh had given up to protect Hoenn's greatest military leader.

Montgomery's Pokémon had a keen sense of smell, too, leading them both to the victim: a young female covered in ELECTROWEB that had lost its charge. The electrical burns she had suffered looked extensive. "Arceus..." Josh swore, sliding off Saber's back to take a closer look at the extent. "She's not in good shape. I can stabilize her for the time being, but I don't think we can move her. Place those calls," he agreed with the cowboy's judgment.

Josh clicked open Mastema's Poké Ball, the haughty Togekiss soaring into the canopy before looping back to hover next to him. "Mastema, can we get a dose of LIFE DEW for her, please?" With a silent nod, the fairy-type circled the Galvantula's victim, easing both her pain and the severity of her electrical burns. "Thank you so much," he added, giving the Togekiss a big hug before turning back to Montgomery. "If you're offering, then I'll take my leave. Great to work with you! Hope we meet again." Mounting Saber once more, Josh turned the Manectric back toward Petalburg City, for that would be where the reinforcements were coming from.

Though it was a bit shaky, Josh was glad Rose had the strength to climb onto the black-scaled fire-type. "It's been a while since the fighting first broke out," the Leader replied. "I'll be honest with you -- if he's been missing that long, prospects of finding him won't be good. But if there's anyone that can find a missing person, it's Mauville's Rangers." He was about to ask her some more questions about his brother, but later felt they could wait until they touched down. "I'll need to ask you a few more questions later, but if you're willing to cooperate, I can put in a ticket for Rangers to search for him."

Once they touched down, Rose vowed to make the act of selflessness and kindness up to Josh. "Once you've been discharged, drop by Mauville Gym. We can talk about it then. What's your name?"

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!

Alina Hamako