Josh tugged sharply backward on Voja's reins as he saw the fallen tree on the road, the dark-type canine extending his claws toward the ground to slam on the brakes. The Mightyena reared before baring his fangs toward what now appeared to be an Alolan Exeggutor, towering above mount and rider.

The tall man could easily make eye contact with Josh, even when the Champion was in the saddle, due to his height advantage. "None I can spare for free, but if you're looking for work, Mauville Gym's hiring," was the semi-snarky answer Tangaroa would get. "Great pay and great benefits, long as you don't mind being around a bunch of big Pokémon."

The Type: Null, however, wasn't nearly as friendly; as though he could sense the tall man's malice, he raised a paw toward Tangaroa and his Pokémon preemptively. It took a quick hand from Josh to get Aleph to stand his ground.

Josh didn't notice anything immediately wrong with the way Absinthe was sitting. Perhaps it was a lack of confidence in herself, or even a fear of the Arcanine's speed. After all, the giant dog was one of the fastest Pokémon species on land, nearly capable of challenging race cars when giving it their all.

"Your posture looks good for a walk or a trot!" he reassured her. "The reins are not just for steering. They're for your stability, too. If you grab them with both hands and hold them in a neutral position, it takes a lot of tension off your back." Braver let out a howl that may have startled the guest if she wasn't expecting it. "Once you get up to speed, you'll want to lean forward, into the wind. Before we get to that, though, I'll show you the basics of controlling a Pokémon mount."

Josh set Crash's reins down and gently pat at his knees. "Leg pressure is how you speed up and slow down. The more you squeeze your mount's sides, the faster they'll accelerate. Reduce that pressure, and they'll slow down. Want to give it a try? I'll keep pace with you."

Ulysses carefully controlled the angle of her ICE BEAM to ensure the family wouldn't hit the water's surface going too fast. Kairi and Fumiko were at least more adept at slowing their pace, the Vaporeon using her claws and the Samurott using her seamitars to generate sufficient friction on the slick shore. Their hearts were racing by the end of it, but they were safely on the shore.

With the family safely behind Josh and the Sharpedo school dealt with, he met up with annalise henderson on the south side of the island. "Got 'em," he gave the Captain a thumbs-up, the two still clinging to the Vaporeon and Samurott tightly. "Thanks for the help. Ready to head back to the mainland?" he asked, leading the way back at a more leisurely pace. "Dewgong can really put on a lot of speed on ice, huh?"

With the Dragonair's job done, Josh had one more step: ensuring the school was healthy. The Gym Leader withdrew Kopala for Keiga, his Kingdra, and grabbed onto the dragon-type. Though some were not impressed and saw her as a rival, the vast majority of the Horsea were in awe at the Kingdra's presence... even if she looked a bit strange to them. They had never seen a saddle before, and many were too young to have seen a Kingdra before! After all, evolution beyond Seadra in the wild was quite rare.

If Eris was looking in the direction of the sea, she might see Josh and his Kingdra, as well as a part of the school of Horsea surfacing. He waved toward the girl, trying to get her attention to deliver a status update.

Josh returned Lutgarde's laugh. "Between lower challenger volume and my doctor's orders, I actually... have yet to race Swift." With Oreo still inside their Poké Ball, the Gym Leader felt comfortable being... perhaps a little condescending of the Rapidash. "No offense, Lut, but... I don't think Oreo and Swift would be a fair race. You're welcome to if you want. Just giving you a warning is all."

With all of the technology they needed secured, the Champion led the way to the surface, Josh taking off his diving helmet. "Phew, the wind sure feels good," he exhaled, withdrawing his Lanturn for the much swifter Sharpedo. "See you in Dewford. There's a nice sports bar on the west side of town. Want to hit that up for supper?" Regardless of their post-job arrangements, the Gym Leader would grab onto the predator's fin and bounce along the water's surface toward the large island city.

Josh was at first unsure how to explain the Ultra Sea, and the Ultra Wilds as a whole, to his friend. He hummed for a bit before coming up with an explanation he hoped wouldn't overwhelm the young man. "It's... an alien realm linked to Hoenn by a rift. Remember Ultra Megalopolis?" he asked, shuddering; he hoped a casual mention wouldn't bring awful memories to the forefront of his friend's mind in such a critical situation. "Ultra Sea is a realm like that, but with a weird atmosphere halfway between water and air." As dangerous as it was to go there, it wouldn't be a bad way for Zachary to get stronger quickly. "If you want to apply for a Gym Leader position... going there together might not be a bad idea."

The amount of time that had passed without Hermes returning was growing concerning. "I agree. Something's wrong. Let's get out there and look for him." With a jab of Josh's knees, Ecco took off, keeping pace with Zachary's Milotic.

"It was," Josh replied, followed by quite a bit of silence as he closed his eyes. "The match's video is public now if you want to watch it. I still watch it when I'm feeling depressed and need a little pick-me-up." Ho-oh was not the only legendary Pokémon Josh had to battle that day; he had to prevail against Entei, as well as the very Marshadow he traded the late Top Champion in exchange for another Pokémon that was very special to him. Raikiri, his Zeraora, would be a great stepping stone for him to ride in October to get him ready for Raikou once all the restrictions were lifted.

Airi's confusion was understandable; he had thrown a lot of information at her. "I'm referring to battles or racing challenges at my own Gym," he clarified. "Mauville Gym, unlike many Gyms, doesn't have a dedicated type to it. Instead, all of my Pokémon have very high speed. Until you can follow a battle that moves almost invisibly fast, you have no hope to win." He didn't need a legendary Pokémon to be a tough Gym Leader. His common Pokémon were more than fast enough to confuse those who were not using extremely fast Pokémon themselves. Without that or a strategy for slowing fast Pokémon down, there was little a challenger could do but be overwhelmed.

Airi herself looked overwhelmed in the Johto Beast's presence. "Swift was a blessing that Kyle and the Great One bestowed upon me after our match. It was his last gift to me before he... became a martyr. And I love Swift more than almost anything else in the world." The Raikou sounded an eardrum-rattling purr indistinguishable from thunder, but seemed as well-behaved as a household pet Pokémon.

For once, Josh's trip into the Power Spot was uneventful. Was the Raging Bolt's presence scaring away all the strong Pokémon away to let them mine in relative peace? He wasn't going to turn down this gift Rapidash, starting to load his Manectric's saddlebags with ore and relying on his MAGNET RISE to leave the Power Spot. "I love my Gym, Yuina. I love it more than the League," Josh replied, showing just how passionate he was for the way he taught Hoenn's trainers. "It's a lot harder when you've been under the League's lens of scrutiny before. I told you the story of how I almost lost my job last spring, right?"

Regardless of whether she had heard the story or not, he would nod in agreement with her points. "Keeping Hoenn's people, the ones who don't have Pokémon they can protect themselves with, is priority one. I may not be a front-line fighter, Yuina, but I will do what I can to support those fighting Rocket directly. I'm a courier. An Envoy. Intelligence and supply drops are just as important as the people who utilize them. And I'll deliver them to the best of my ability. Swift and I will do so... by lightning strike, if we have to."

Josh sat astride the Manectric and prepared for him to levitate skyward, unloading ore from him until he was light enough to float upward. "A gubernatorial crisis is imminent, I feel," he sighed. "There are way too many people up top that have widely differing views on how to run the government, and you know what our tax dollars go to? Their stonewalling. There's been nothing but regression since I've taken my seat. Did I tell you I ran for Elite Four when Callan Young stepped down?"

Josh smirked; he had NIKOLA SAMSA exactly where he wanted them. The heat surrounding Entei had risen to uncomfortable levels. The ancient Beast's presence may have been overwhelming for the researcher, his crown glowing a brilliant red. "Now Entei, RAGING FURY!" the Champion ordered, the facsimile of the Beast of Fire zooming headlong toward the Gabite with not one shred of fear.

Were their reckless charges to collide with one another. the incredible force would not only cause the briefly stunned Entei to shake his head, but Josh himself to be thrown backward in Janus' saddle. It was only the Espeon's psychic hold over the ailing Gym Leader that kept him from falling and banging his arm up even more. Were the Gabite to remain in melee range, Entei would continue his RAGING FURY, bucking, kicking, and writhing to crush the smaller dragon under its weight.

While Josh wasn't exactly fond of drinking tea, for he felt its flavor and texture were too watery, it would be rude to refuse the traveler's offer. "Sure thing. I'd be willing to give it a try!" A story collector was an interesting title, reminding him of both Alexei Ivanov and Jack Napier . It was unfortunate that he had his falling out with Fortree's ex-Gym Leader. They would have gotten along well.

"A story collector... that's an interesting title," Josh mused, Eriette snorting away from Morrighan. He slid down from the obedient Spectrier's back, taking a seat at a nearby, well-worn picnic table. So well-worn that he had to be careful how he rubbed it, or he would get a sliver. "Do you know much about the Lorekeepers?" he asked. "They sound a lot like your story collectors."

With all the time Josh had spent in the Ultra Sea at the behest of the Science division, Josh hadn't been to Granite Cave proper in a long time... nor had been to the part of the cave containing the murals it was famous for. With how long the city had been under tight security, he was surprised he could get inside the cave without Navy 's authorization... not drawing the ire or guardianship of Zacian.

The metallic hum caught Josh's attention; having raised one himself, he recognized its source as a Skarmory. Upon his approach, Phoebe might be able to hear two distinct figures approaching. The heavier were the hooves of a Spectrier clacking against the rocky floor, the ghost-type bearing Josh upon her saddle. The lighter were the sound of the paws and claws of a Type: Null. "Hey, that was some impressive flying there!" the Champion Ranked trainer called out.

With the passing of last night's severe thunderstorm, the heat advisory that had been plaguing Mauville City for the last two weeks had at last expired. Josh had never appreciated a temperate environment so much, able to open his Gym's windows for the first time in a while, and more importantly, shut off the air conditioning.

After an uneventful half-shift, the recovering Gym Leader was riding aboard Voja, a Mightyena of great size. The black canine's fur rippled in the wind as she ran alongside Aleph, Josh's Type: Null. Though his left arm was still a little droopy from the stress his rehab session had put on it, it felt good to be able to hold the reins with two hands again. "Voja, can we pick up the pace a bit?" the Gym Leader asked, the Mightyena happy to oblige. She broke into a gallop, the dark-type dashing up Route 111's hills toward the Great Desert.