Unlike Xuying, Josh did recognize the Pokémon before him. Though it wasn't Pon, he knew quite a bit about Ogerpon from spending time with Andrea Vaneau . They had spent a week together in Johto, and he remembered how excited Pon looked when promised a chance to race Swift after the Gym Leader was feeling better.

He, too, was relieved to find themselves at the Festival of Masks. "Just try to be careful, Xyz," Josh cautioned. "Ogerpon is... really misunderstood. If you're nice to her, they'll be nice to you. All she wants is to have a good time!" The Champion would go a step farther and embrace the ogress, doing his best to touch her mask as little as possible, his Type: Null keeping his distance from the grass-type.

There was something truly amazing about sitting astride, and controlling, a Pokémon mount that could tear even large prey to shreds. Something liberating. Empowering. Was it feeling the rippling muscles as they worked while on the hunt? Or was it the wind in the face from being alight a feline that could outrun many equine Pokémon more commonly used as steeds? "It's not a move most Pyroar know," Josh educated her. "Surprisingly, as fast as these cats are, they can't learn moves like Quick Attack, Agility, or Extreme Speed." They could still run fast enough for a series of afterimages to trail behind them, which was certainly comparable to the moves the Gym Leader had listed.

Lisette seemed excited for Zira to really put on the afterburners, and Route 116 was one of the best places to do it. Were she to push the Pyroar to her limits with the speedy Pokémon move, Josh and his own lioness would also DOUBLE TEAM alongside them. Rather than seeing her own trailing images, the rest of the world would look like it gained image trails, the riders perhaps experiencing a sensation of hovering above the saddles they sat in from how rapid the fire-types' gaits were. With every stride, their seat would drop from underneath them, only for it to catch them when the hunter's spine flexed upward again.

It was why one needed a strong back to be able to ride a Pyroar, or any big cat Pokémon, at speed!

"Thank you," Josh replied, feeling that the Volatile's sympathy was genuine. Sympathy he had previously thought Matias to be incapable of. "It's going to be hard going on without Resheph and Aslan. Resheph in particular was special to me. Of course, I will be looking for another Dragonair, but there is no replacing her." He thought of all the fond memories he had made with the Dragonair. How many Pokémon races they had participated in together, both as part of his Gym and on the circuit. The thrill ride he had taken Isaac Merlo on long ago that had helped the Liberator get out of the dumps while he was still in Rocket. Many other memories. "Did I ever tell you I won Resheph from Celadon Game Corner? I played Voltorb Flip every day of my trips -- over several trips to Kanto -- when I was younger. That I was able to turn her from a failed experiment into what she became... that's how much she meant to me."

Looking at how much of Matias' ranch was in ruins, Josh felt bad for the tattooed man's own losses. "If you need the support, the Mauville Rangers and I are here to help. While I don't think delivering wood by lightning strike would be very effective, I've got plenty of other Pokémon capable of rounding up all the materials you need to rebuild. No one deserves to lose their home." Josh didn't have it in him to love his enemies, like the Johtonian Scriptures taught. But he wasn't going to hold a grudge against them. Not outside Elisabeth Fiorelli 's direct presence.

"In the coming weeks, I'm going to hold a hunt and a coronation for my other Pyroar. With the king's death, a new king must rise to the throne, just as Melody Miro has in kyle lopez 's absence."

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

3X TM/TR (180 PD) - Teaching Double Team to Zira, Nuka, and Tazama! They will be forgetting Hyper Beam, Overheat, and Take Down, respectively.

TOTAL

do come again!

180 PD

The two big cats accelerated at Lisette's tactile command, Zira building up enough speed to jump. Josh's head tilted toward the younger passenger after hearing her first shriek when the lioness took off into a canter, and again after the leap. The excitement on her face showed. "Having fun?!" Josh cried over the wind, the Pyroar making a great landing after catching the Armarouge in her claws. "They're all Ranger Pokémon, too. All eleven of them. They get loaned out to Mauville's Rangers pretty frequently." Were Lisette to look beneath her, she might be able to see the Mauville Rangers' logo, as well as the League logo, on the fire-type's saddle.

Even Josh was having fun going at the higher speed Lisette seemed like she was enjoying. "All of them know Double Team, too, if you're really feeling the need for speed," he bragged, swerving Nala out of the way of a panicked-looking Audino.

In past battles, Josh had fought on the front lines, both directly and in more covert operations. He had struggled in both Dewford skirmishes. Though he was speedy, all of that velocity came at the expense of physical and energy-related might. The hammer that Matias' Patron wielded was mighty enough to reshape the battlefield. By comparison, Josh's legendary partner could barely dent jayden cross and his own speedy Patron, Chien-Pao. As the Gym Leader had alluded to, there was more than raw strength to a war.

"A war courier," the Knight of Thunder answered. "An Envoy. It may not be a glorious job, but it's one equally important." With how entrenched Rocket was in the region, technology was become an increasingly less reliable source of communication. Some documents and plans were too sensitive to risk being wiretapped. Supplies were important, too. Poké Balls got crushed during the war. Expensive medicine needed to remain stocked at infirmary tents so that injured trainers and Pokémon could fight once more.

"I've learned from my battles against you, Greyson Connors , and others in my ascent to the title of Champion. While speed is a wonderful weapon, it's but a tool in your toolbox. One sudden Trick Room, and speed becomes about as useful as a trainer with a single, freshly caught, unevolved Pokémon. It uses my strengths to their full potential."

Lightning seemed to course through Josh's eyes, he and his ashen steed's minds merging with one another. More accurately, his surface thoughts and subconscious were identical. "After all, it's harder to get much faster than an emergency drop by lightning strike," he bragged of his recent breakthrough with the Raikou.

Josh nodded upon hearing Ever's concerns. "Well, when you're dealing with so much expensive equipment, it makes sense for them to not allow Pokémon. Plus, you read about what happened to North Mauville Department Store, right?" While deaths were minimal, the multi-story building had been completely leveled, leaving a void in the city's skyline.

"Feel you there," he continued, thinking about how much his shattered-and-rebuilt arm had held him back for months. "I still can't ride at the speeds I'm known for, but that will come with a little more therapy. They're saying November or December is when I'll be back to full strength." His race with Genevieve Cromwell had demonstrated exactly what those limits were. Limits that, if he wished to utilize Swift to the fullest potential, he needed to go beyond.

Josh frowned when he heard Ever's grandparents were hospitalized. Given their likely age, he wondered if they would make it out. His own father was a ticking time bomb, as well; any day, he could suffer from a fall he might never recover from. "Gym's kept me busy. I've taken barely enough Ranger tickets to maintain my certification. But I needed a day off, and I'm glad I could take it here with you."

Leading Ever to the section of the arcade filled with music games, the sound of electronic bass kicks overpowered any light chatter. Kantonian drums and synth formed the dimly-lit room's ambiance, Josh briefly stopping at a machine whose controls were seven piano keys and a turntable. "They've really expanded since I was last here. Wonder if they had a tournament recently," he mused as he looked for an open four-panel dance game cabinet.

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 spoke big words, but on the inside, he was nervous. He knew Braver's Extreme Speed was comparable to Swift running at full gallop. It was only a couple weeks ago that his doctor had approved him to even be on a Pokémon as fast as an Arcanine. There was a very real chance that he could overstress his body. It was an additional variable the sharp mind had to take into consideration. "Tell you what; if you win the race, I'll take you on Swift's back when I'm feeling a hundred percent. How's that sound?" the Gym Leader offered, knowing it would help make her physically stronger, too.

Once the five were lined up, three images of the legendary Pokémon Raikou at full gallop appeared on the banner monitor above the starting arch. Behind them was a "GET READY" prompt, Josh and his Gym Trainers tensing their legs in anticipation. The first of the three images began to fade away, with it sounding a loud squawk as a simultaneous aural warning that the race was about to begin. A second, then a third followed. When the final image of Raikou disappeared, the prompt changed to a green "GO" alongside a longer and higher-pitched squawk. A stampede of heavy paws accompanied the noisy gallery's cheers as the five Pokémon fought for early position on the wide course, rumbles of thunder audible around them!

Prompt: The opening thirty seconds of the course consisted of long straightaways ideal for getting up to speed, separated by four extremely wide, nearly right-angle turns: a left, followed by three rights. The sheer width of the course made it almost impossible to crash unless a racer deliberately tried, but it made rounding the corner ever more important; getting that far outside could cost entire seconds! The lane wouldn't be so wide forever, though; after the fourth turn, the course would narrow to three-wide! Better be close to the center of the track at the end!

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Special: Each Pokémon will also apply half its Reaction ranks (no rounding) to this Obstacle as though they were additional ranks in Speed.

"How else do you think they fly around the world in 16 hours?" Josh laughed as the Poké Ball disappeared to the Pokémon Storage System. "Hold on, need to talk to my secretary for a bit." Turning around, he dialed the number for his Gym, and ANDREW WEISS was quick to answer. "Hey Andrew, it's Devlin. I sent a new Dragonite to Pokémon Storage. She'll be great friends for Tiamat. Can you log into my account and retrieve her? Thanks."

With that out of the way, Josh turned back around to face the officer. "Right, I don't think I ever said anything about it, but I don't use the Pokémon Storage System like most trainers do. I let all my Pokémon roam at my Gym north of Mauville. The office building is on northern city limits, while the Racing Grounds are north of the city proper. As it turns out, getting a land grant measured in square miles is a bit impossible within Mauville proper."

Withdrawing Suicune, Josh would prepare let his other dragons loose. "If you're adventurous, do I have the dragon for you. And don't say that!" he tried to reassure her. "Stick around here long enough, and I'm sure you'll find a Pokémon you'll be able to fly on! With how rough the terrain can be in Hoenn, I think it's a good idea for every trainer to raise a Pokémon that they can ride across land, sea, and sky. You won't be waiting at the airport all day anymore, heh!"

Before the suspense got too high, Josh clicked open Verte's Poké Ball, the Flygon landing between the two of them. His wings disappeared into multiple images, fluttering like a Beedrill's and sounding like a revving race car. "This is Verte, my Flygon. I also have a Noivern and Charizard with me if he's too... intimidating."

Josh guffawed at the idea of Area Zero being a training ground. "Pffffff," he spit, "it's much too dangerous for that. I've been begging the Rangers to put up signs all around the Giant Chasm's entrance warning people of how bad it gets. Those paradox Pokémon are no joke!" The number of times others saved his life had been saved down here were more than he wanted to admit. "Navy, current Elite Four, saved me when I was trying to make friends with Raikou here," he continued, stroking the Raging Bolt's long neck.

The Gym Leader sighed as he saw a squawking Archen being harassed by a Scream Tail giving chase. "That's how much I love them. I've admired Raikou, Entei, and Suicune -- the Johtonian ones -- since I was a child. Especially Raikou." At his mention, the RAINBOW FEATHER scintillated the same colors as the Terastal crystal around him. Josh began visibly sweating, not wanting to overwhelm his guest with a legendary Pokémon's presence... but his inner self wanted to unleash Swift upon the invading paradox Pokémon!

"At the bottom of Area Zero, there's a particularly large crystal formation that can manifest Terastal replicas of legendary Pokémon. The last time I was down here with Andrea Vaneau , I got to ride on the back of a Terastal Raikou. It was every bit as fast as I had dreamed." It was growing increasingly difficult for him to resist showing Xuying the ashen replica the more he talked about the experience, his right hand trembling as he and his inner consciousness clashed...!

"Indeed," the young Gym Leader answered, recalling what little he knew about the individual. "Though it's... complicated. From what I could tell, they didn't know a lot about their past. Any time I tried to approach them about it, they would tense up. They had a Gym membership here, and pretty routinely came here to train. I remember vividly teaching them how to ride an Arcanine at speed. It sounds simple, but there's a lot of little things to it. I worked with their Typhlosion quite a bit, too. The ghost-type one."

Thinking back to his operation with Andrea Vaneau and NIKOLA SAMSA , Josh wondered how accredited Maisie was as an investigator. "Do you deal with government matters often? If you do, I might be able to finagle a way to get clearance for you." Being able to talk about the Rocket busts, both before and after Nikola's recruitment, he imagined would be quite useful for her to ponder.

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X Sprayduck (250 PD)

5X Salac Berry (250 PD)

1X Bingo reward (+500 PD) Link to card

1X Flame Plate (to PC) Link to card

HARVESTING

be sure to visit the pretty petal flower shop near rustboro!

3X Kasib Berry (to Josh Devlin's PC)

TOTAL

do come again!

00 PD