Joshua: The Houndoom Coordinator Who Took May to the Buzzer

A runaway Skitty, and suddenly there's a rival. Joshua is a Coordinator met over a two-part story in the Advanced Generation series, in Pacifidlog Town. The record credits him with just one Pokémon, a Houndoom, and a girlfriend who can't stand seeing him chat with another Coordinator. Over two episodes, he goes from impromptu rescuer to Contest opponent.

Contents

• A Meeting on the Beach, and a Jealous Girlfriend
• A Houndoom Built for the Stage
• The Duel Against May, Decided by the Clock
• Joshua at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

A Meeting on the Beach, and a Jealous Girlfriend

Ash's group has just arrived in Pacifidlog Town when the Skitty belonging to May takes advantage of a rowdy training session to slip off to the beach. Its Trainer finds it in the company of a stranger, Joshua, and the two Coordinators sit down at a table to talk about the upcoming Contest.

The conversation doesn't get far. Erica, Joshua's girlfriend, bursts onto the scene in a full-blown fit of jealousy, and May, who has only just met the boy, struggles to understand what's happening to her — all the more so since Joshua promptly invites her to enter the Contest with them.

Erica then goes on the offensive: she teases her new rival, pushes her to show off her Skitty in the ring, and reveals her own Jynx. The Team Rocket trio interrupts the introductions by grabbing Pikachu and Ash's Snorunt, swooping in by balloon over the beach.

May's Pokémon free Ash's, but their Trainer is left exposed to a Bite and a Needle Arm. It's Joshua's Houndoom that covers her, with a Swift fired just in time. Seeing her boyfriend team up with May is more than Erica can take: she cuts the whole thing short with a Hyper Beam.

A Houndoom Built for the Stage

Only one Pokémon is on record for Joshua, a Houndoom, with three moves covering three different types: Swift for Normal, Flamethrower for Fire, Shadow Ball for Ghost. For a Coordinator, that spread is worth more than a big team that's all one type.

The Contest proves it from the very first round. His performance pairs Swift with Shadow Ball, a shower of stars backed by a ghostly sphere, while Erica chooses to combine Blizzard and Psychic to whip up an ice tornado.

The field is strong: May chains Assist — which gives her Razor Leaf — with Blizzard and Double Slap, while Jessie has Meowth carve two ice statues of Giovanni with Fury Swipes, which Brock finds vaguely familiar without quite being able to place them. Joshua, Jessie, Erica and May all make it through to the next round.

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The Duel Against May, Decided by the Clock

The second round pits Jessie against Erica, and May against Joshua. Erica is thrilled with the matchup, already picturing herself watching her rival lose — the luck of the draw hands her exactly the scenario she was hoping for.

The match settles into a repeating pattern. Swift opens, the Skitty dodges it and answers with Tackle; Double Slap goes out, misses its target and gets punished with a Shadow Ball; then Blizzard meets Flamethrower, and it's Skitty that gives way.

The next loop replays the same exchanges — Swift countered by Assist and Razor Leaf, Double Slap pushed back by Shadow Ball — but this time Skitty withstands the clash of Blizzard and Flamethrower without buckling. Even Erica ends up admitting that the two Coordinators make a perfect couple in battle.

Neither one knocks the other out: the end of the time limit decides it, and the win goes to May. Joshua leaves the story there, with a loss on time that leaves his Houndoom still standing.

Joshua at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Joshua in Pokémon?
  A Coordinator met in Pacifidlog Town over a two-part story in the Advanced Generation series. He meets May after her Skitty runs off and invites her to enter the same Contest as him.
• Which Pokémon does Joshua use?
  A Houndoom, the only one on record for him. It's known to have three moves: Swift, Flamethrower and Shadow Ball — in other words, one Normal-type, one Fire-type and one Ghost-type move.
• Does Joshua win his Contest?
  No. He clears the first round with a combination of Swift and Shadow Ball, then falls to May: the time limit runs out without either Pokémon being knocked out, and the win is awarded to May.
• Who is Erica, the Coordinator who comes with Joshua?
  His girlfriend. She makes her entrance in a fit of jealousy, pushes May to enter her Skitty, and competes herself with a Jynx that knows Blizzard, Psychic and Hyper Beam.

In short

Joshua only lasts two episodes and has a single Pokémon, but that doesn't stop his storyline from reading clearly from start to finish: first he acts as May's shield against Team Rocket, then as her opponent in the ring. His Houndoom sums up the logic of Contests all on its own: a well-chosen trio of moves is worth more than a large roster. And he leaves the story without ever being beaten in the strict sense — just caught out by the clock.