Cracking earth raced up the trail and toward the Iron Crown, whose body was already steaming from the HYPER BEAM overworking him. The tremors deflected the devastating attack's trajectory enough to keep Eddie out of harm's way, but not his cargo. The beam grazed another of its corners, causing a second rupture. Without a second shirt, Eddie wouldn't be patching the second hole the same way he did the first.

Sigmund, the Iron Crown, braced himself for the Mudsdale's EARTHQUAKE. He still stood after the shaking ground rocked him, though he was dizzy with exhaustion both from holding down the fort from Delilah as well as the exertion of his own attack. His digital eyes had been reduced to one line of bright pixels: a brief respite as the challenger advanced up the mountain. The safe house was in sight, but how much time would Sigmund need to recover his strength?

"Faster, but more p-painful, too," Josh clattered as he let his body adapt to the water. It was much like the temperature of a shaded lake in the summer; not hazardous by any stretch, but not that of a tropical coast.

Once he was used to the cool environment, Josh gave the Palafin a gentle pat on the nose, who was quick to scoop him up behind his fin. With a chatter, Ecco fully surfaced, the Gym Leader waving toward his friend. "When you're ready, Staccato's waiting!" he offered, the Primarina leaping into the aquatic course's channel and swimming toward Jade.

So it wasn't just one Psyker. There was more than one. Lovely. Josh might have to put those honed reflexes, the reflexes of an Absol, to use sooner than he would have liked. "Thank you so much. I'll do everything I can to get to the bottom of this." With that, the Inquisitor was off... quite deep into the woods.

As the footprints grew more and more fresh, Josh's anticipation also grew. His claws glinted in the low light, reinforcing how sharp they were if he needed to use them. He hoped he wouldn't have to... but when dealing with monsters, many only answered to force.

Josh's hair stood on end as he felt a sensation of being watched... and eventually speaking. He wasn't having much more of these voices that spoke to him from seemingly every direction at the same time. "Show yourself and identify yourself," he demanded with crossed arms.

For the first time since being becoming an inmate, Josh felt like he was in control. For every guard that tried to seize them, he saw their strikes in slow motion, adjusting his own to counter theirs with what looked like superhuman precision in real time. With the grace of a Tsaarena, the reflexes of a Ribombee, and Finnegan Yang 's wisdom on how to use a sword, he weaved an elegant but lethal choreography of cuts and stings with the prison's walls. Was this face-melting experience what it was like to be a Raikou?

The more he utilized his awesome power, the more his leg thumped. The one Okidogi's whip-like chain had cut open. Purple, festering skin began crawling out from the cut that refused to heal, slowly making his leg feel like gelatin. It was the same feeling he got when he rode King Zing, the wing vibrations mercilessly eroding away his sense of touch. His eyes would turn a sickly purple, as well, making the Knight of Thunder look like he was in a trance as he fought back.

At last arriving at the feeding pit, Josh descended into the thick of the chaos, observing the Hearthflame Ogerpon -- and Andrea Vaneau screaming for help. "I'll protect you, Andrea!" Josh shouted over a roaring burst of flames. From his perspective, the heat-seeking Stealth Rocks crawled toward their targets at the speed of Elisabeth Fiorelli 's Patron. To others, he looked like a Double-Teaming Ninjask, in front of the Ogerpon in one instant and behind it the next. Though his blade could not block Zev Harcourt 's laser, he would use it in an attempt to knock one of the Stealth Rocks into its path.

If he had his way, not one Stealth Rock would touch neither Andrea, nor Tsubaki, nor Ogerpon.

Once he felt Andrea and Tsubaki were safe enough, he tracked down his cellmate. Before he could respond, he dropped to his knees, the poison beginning to impede him after using his power for far too long without cooldown. "Michael... I don't know how much longer I can last..." Josh coughed, pointing toward the large hole in one of the fleshy tubes they saw. "You... should be able to brace against its sides. Go. I'll... follow when I can." Regardless of whether his friend heeded his words, Josh would slowly get to his feet. He dizzily stumbled toward the tube and slid down the side of it, using what remained of his strength to try to slow his descent.

"Great to meet you, Beck," he replied, respectfully relaxing his arm in understanding of the candidate's dislike of physical contact. Josh's eyebrows rose at the mention of it, though. "Is it just with people, or with Pokémon, too?" he asked. "The caretaker positions are pretty hands-on. You'll be handling exclusively large Pokémon -- ones big enough to ride on, and ones of all types, too." Among his wide menagerie, there was at least Pokémon of each of the eighteen types. They were mostly well-behaved, but there was quite the variety, and everyone had species they didn't like or couldn't stand being around.

"Are you a trainer yourself?" he asked as he clacked at his keyboard, taking notes about Beck and pulling up his application. "Tell me about the Pokémon you've raised." One of the best ways to get to know a candidate was through their Pokémon and how they were treated. While raising ride Pokémon was preferred, it was by no means a requirement to work. The position did require broad knowledge of large, appropriately-shaped Pokémon across all types. Not off-the-top knowledge, but a sense of where to get the answers beyond a simple Internet search.

Seated on the fire-type, Josh felt like he was in Kyle's shoes, fond memories of the duo blasting across the land with Entei and the Sacred Ash Raikou. To many others, the speed would have been terrifying. To Josh, it was liberating. Inspiring. A source of inner strength. "If I need anything, I will come to you. If it weren't for him, I never would have been a Gym Leader in the first place. It was his Minor League program that got me in the door."

Elinor seemed confused at his choice of name. "Except it's not a name. Of course, Science won't confirm it directly, but my theory is that this Pokémon is an undiscovered form of Entei. You know how some Pokémon look radically different in other parts of the world? Like Ninetales? I think it's like those. And I'm in possession of a Raikou and a Suicune, too. They just can't handle the heat that Entei can."

With Elinor being on foot, Josh couldn't push his false Beast to a terribly high speed. "Is your Hisuian Typhlosion trained to run on all fours? We might need it when we get closer to the caldera's bottom. All that collapsed rock is floating on magma, you know." Regardless of Elinor's answer, the young man continued down the trail toward where the reports indicated the battle took place. It was the best place to start.

Psychic-types were tricky; direct attacks were often ineffective due to their ability to navigate astral highways as an additional means to avoid attacks. Tarot didn't need it; the KINESIS shunted King Zing left and toward the ground. With reflexes only a Beedrill trained by the Master of Faster, the Pokémon thrust one of his stings into the ground, using the momentum to swing back toward the psychic-type with a half-barrage of PIN MISSILES from his other foreleg barb. Too drowsy to fire the other half of the attack, the insect's red eyes faded in color, Zachary's foe immobile.

What a cantankerous Abra. If the story Zachary was telling was true, then they hadn't truly connected yet. A month was plenty of time to befriend and understand an unevolved Pokémon. There, of course, were exceptions for rare species and ones not well understood. He had Aleph for nine months and felt like he was barely connecting with the Type: Null.

"For Pokémon in their base forms, it normally takes two to three weeks to connect with them. That Tarot has been disobedient for so long means you're not understanding what it wants," Josh suggested. "Find something you both have in common. Study it and figure out how it acts when--"

The PSYCHIC blast detonated directly underneath King Zing, sending him catapulting above the arena. Seeing the end coming, Josh withdrew his Beedrill. "With that kind of power, you could win against almost any Gym Leader in Hoenn easily. You just have to learn how to control it." He undid the latch on another Poké Ball on his belt, but did not send the Pokémon out to battle Tarot. "Yes, well-trained Pokémon can battle on their own. But it's the trainer and Pokémon working together that is the source of their true strength."

Groudon was a huge loss for the League. With Kyogre frenzied and now the Land Titan locked away like Jirachi and Tapu Koko were, two of their most potent weapons in the invasion of Sootopolis were gone. The whisper was all Josh needed to hear; it seemed only the League higher-ups had been made aware, if even all of them were. It must have been a difficult moment, once being an Avatar and having his wondrous earth-bending powers stripped from him without notice.

"To be able to control a mind like that..." Josh gasped. "Wearing a Sygna Suit is truly like being an Avatar on a lesser scale, isn't it? Ever since I synced with my Manectric, my fuse seems to have grown shorter. To be able to control, even dominate the mind, though..." The more he talked to Avatars about their experience, the more terrifying it sounded. Even so, the desire to be the Great One's Cavalier remained within his subconscious, beating sharply upon the rest of his mind. Why, though? "And you're not the only one that's lost control. Laurence Anderson , too. The way you said that, it's almost like you were freed from your Patron's enslavement."

Mauville Racing Grounds' facility was enormous indeed; while the office space had little signage due to its size being on the smaller side, the property where the action took place, just outside the city proper, was enormous. Luckily, Josh had experienced staff who knew the facility well, and signage that could guide challengers to the correct location. The voice of KEVIN STROUSER, Josh's scheduler, echoed over the Gym's loudspeakers:

"Challenger Cain Stille , please report to Sector 2. Challenger Stille, to Sector 2. Thank you!"

Provided the challenger found ample signage, he would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on Ares, a black-scaled Charizard that seethed aggression and competitiveness; the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Sirocco the Shiny Hisuian Braviary; and the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, at the complex-looking reins of Xira the Yanmega. Lastly, he would see the Gym Leader Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Verte, a Flygon that started chatting up a storm with the challenger's. With three buzzing Pokémon flitting about, this was going to be one noisy race.

All his Gym Trainers and their Pokémon were ready and raring to go, particularly Eron, who had been waiting for Josh to acquire a flying psychic-type for quite some time. "Cain, correct? Welcome to Mauville Racing Grounds. I'm Gym Leader Devlin, but please, call me Josh," he greeted his challenger. "It's not too often that Verte here gets to stretch his wings in a race like this. This should be a fun one!" he enthusiastically added. The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one.

The gallery surrounding Sector 2's LOOP CROSS course was full, small as the stands were. It was titled as such for its two loop-de-loops and long, lateral turns greater than 360 degrees. While those would take precision to enter and exit, as well as stamina to maintain, there was plenty of room in between them for extremely speedy Pokémon to shine. The wind was picking up, with clouds rapidly rolling in from the west. Weather could be an unexpected factor.

Josh went over the rules of the challenge, required by Hoenn League statute. "See that arch near the starting line, with the long and skinny monitor on it? We line up behind that, and the countdown will be on that display. It will sound four horns and display '3, 2, 1, GO'. On 'GO', our Pokémon will start flying. Pokémon are not allowed to use moves like Quick Attack or Extreme Speed on the first lap. After the first lap, though, use them as much as your Pokémon can handle! Beat me to the finish line after three laps, or otherwise prove to me you can handle the pressure of split second decision making, and the Hoenn League Quick Badge is yours."

Once he had finished explaining the rules, Josh climbed atop the insectile dragon, zipping himself inside his cocoon saddle - a very important safety measure when flying on any Pokémon at great speed. "Good luck to you, and remember: with great speed comes great responsibility." Josh reminded his challenger as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Cain were to glance toward him, the challenger would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Verte's reins in anticipation of the green light.

You will have 8 ranks to distribute among three skills. No more than 5 ranks can be assigned to any one skill.

• SPEED: This represents how fast your Pokémon can travel. Each rank of Speed adds 10 to all your rolls, and an additional 10 to rolls on Speed-based Obstacles.
  
• ENDURANCE: This represents how well a Pokémon can navigate difficult terrain, and affects how often a Pokémon can use its Boost during a race. Your Pokémon can use its Boost a number of times equal to its number of ranks in Endurance (min. 1). Each rank of Endurance reduces the Target Number of Endurance-based Obstacles by 20.
• REACTION: This represents a Pokémon’s cornering ability. Each rank of Reaction reduces the Target Number of Reaction-based Obstacles by 20.

In the OOC notes of your next post, please note your Pokémon's distribution of skills.

You do not need to roll after your next post, but you will need to [ roll ] twice at the end of every post mid-challenge. This roll will be modified according to your Pokémon's skill ranks.

Example: If a player rolls a 60 on a post involving running down a straightaway as fast as possible atop a Pokémon with four ranks in Speed, their effective roll will be 140.

The Leader's next post will include a "mod post" that depicts the course's first Obstacle: a prompt that presents a challenge for the racers to overcome. Each Obstacle will include the following information:

Target Number: This is the number the racers need to roll at or above to overcome the Obstacle without penalty. While it is uncommon, an Obstacle can have multiple Target Numbers.

Intended Skill: This is the Skill that will apply to the Obstacle. It can be Speed, Endurance, or Reaction.

Special: Any extra rules specific to this Obstacle are located here.

Example Obstacle: The track starts out with a bang--a sharp, 135-degree left turn mere tens of meters from the starting line. The width of the turn itself makes recovering from a misjudged angle easier, but the track quickly narrows up again afterward. A guardrail on the outside keeps Pokémon from sliding off the course, but there is no such guardrail on the inside, and there’s a shallow stream that looks time-consuming for non-Water Pokémon to climb out of!

Target Number: 105 (Reaction)

Special: Track Points lost as a result of non-Water Pokémon rolling beneath this Obstacle's Target Number are multiplied by 1.5, rounded up.

After the players make their rolls, the Target Number is deducted from the player's roll, and the difference becomes the player's Track Points (TP) for the round. 100 TP corresponds to roughly one second of time differential. The race will consist of three laps, with three Obstacles per lap. After the ninth Obstacle, total Track Points will determine finishing order. The QUICK BADGE is awarded if at least one of the following conditions are met:

1) The challenger finishes the race in 1st or 2nd place.
2) The challenger finishes the race ahead of the Gym Leader.
3) The challenger otherwise demonstrates their mastery of the tenets of Mauville Gym, at the Leader's discretion.

Mauville Racing Grounds' facility was enormous indeed; while the office space had little signage due to its size being on the smaller side, the property where the action took place, just outside the city proper, was enormous. Luckily, Josh had experienced staff who knew the facility well, and signage that could guide challengers to the correct location. The voice of KEVIN STROUSER, Josh's scheduler, echoed over the Gym's loudspeakers:

"Challenger zachary stellar , please report to Sector 1. Challenger Stellar, to Sector 1. Thank you!"

Provided the challenger found ample signage, he would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on Komainu the Houndoom with hands firmly on his horns; the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Blinky the Jolteon; and the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, at the reins of Pura the Purugly. Lastly, he would see the Gym Leader Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Toralf, a Raichu that was roughly the same size as Hermes, the giant Alolan one that Zachary had entered in the race. He smiled as the enthusiastic trainer re-introduced the tail-surfing electric-type to him.

All his Gym Trainers and their Pokémon were ready and raring to go, particularly the redhead with the Houndoom. "Great to see you again at Mauville Racing Grounds, Zachary," Josh greeted his challenger. "I've been looking forward to this since we got back from the beach! Seems like Toralf's already trash talking with Hermes!" he noted aloud as the Kantonian Raichu threw the gauntlet. The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one.

The gallery surrounding Sector 1's TWIST ROAD course was full, small as the stands were. Had Zachary given permission for spectators to take photos of him and his Raichu, several would have flashed as a pre-recorded pan of the course ran on the big screen. With only one turn greater than a right angle, it was the easiest course Josh used for official challenges. It was also short, the fastest Pokémon able to run laps in under thirty seconds. Zachary wouldn't have long to prove his sync with the Raichu!

Josh went over the rules of the challenge, required by Hoenn League statute. "See that arch near the starting line, with the long and skinny monitor on it? We line up behind that, and the countdown will be on that display. It will sound four horns and display '3, 2, 1, GO'. On 'GO', our Pokémon will start running. Pokémon are not allowed to use moves like Quick Attack or Extreme Speed on the first lap. After the first lap, though, use them as much as your Pokémon can handle! Using your Tera Orb is permitted once during the race. Use it wisely. Beat me to the finish line after three laps, or otherwise prove to me you can handle the pressure of split second decision making, and the Hoenn League Quick Badge is yours."

Once he had finished explaining the rules, Josh climbed atop the giant electric rodent, joining his three loyal Gym Trainers for the contest of speed. "It's been a while since I've been able to go all-out in a race. I know how fast Hermes can get, and I have to be on top of my game if I want to win!" Josh retorted as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Zachary were to glance toward him, the challenger would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Toralf's reins in anticipation of the green light.

You will have 8 ranks to distribute among three skills. No more than 5 ranks can be assigned to any one skill.

• SPEED: This represents how fast your Pokémon can travel. Each rank of Speed adds 10 to all your rolls, and an additional 10 to rolls on Speed-based Obstacles.
  
• ENDURANCE: This represents how well a Pokémon can navigate difficult terrain, and affects how often a Pokémon can use its Boost during a race. Your Pokémon can use its Boost a number of times equal to its number of ranks in Endurance (min. 1). Activating your TERA ORB will consume one use of Boost. Each rank of Endurance reduces the Target Number of Endurance-based Obstacles by 20.
• REACTION: This represents a Pokémon’s cornering ability. Each rank of Reaction reduces the Target Number of Reaction-based Obstacles by 20.

In the OOC notes of your next post, please note your Pokémon's distribution of skills.

You do not need to roll after your next post, but you will need to [ roll ] twice at the end of every post mid-challenge. This roll will be modified according to your Pokémon's skill ranks.

Example: If a player rolls a 60 on a post involving running down a straightaway as fast as possible atop a Pokémon with four ranks in Speed, their effective roll will be 140.

The Leader's next post will include a "mod post" that depicts the course's first Obstacle: a prompt that presents a challenge for the racers to overcome. Each Obstacle will include the following information:

Target Number: This is the number the racers need to roll at or above to overcome the Obstacle without penalty. While it is uncommon, an Obstacle can have multiple Target Numbers.

Intended Skill: This is the Skill that will apply to the Obstacle. It can be Speed, Endurance, or Reaction.

Special: Any extra rules specific to this Obstacle are located here.

Example Obstacle: The track starts out with a bang--a sharp, 135-degree left turn mere tens of meters from the starting line. The width of the turn itself makes recovering from a misjudged angle easier, but the track quickly narrows up again afterward. A guardrail on the outside keeps Pokémon from sliding off the course, but there is no such guardrail on the inside, and there’s a shallow stream that looks time-consuming for non-Water Pokémon to climb out of!

Target Number: 105 (Reaction)

Special: Track Points lost as a result of non-Water Pokémon rolling beneath this Obstacle's Target Number are multiplied by 1.5, rounded up.

After the players make their rolls, the Target Number is deducted from the player's roll, and the difference becomes the player's Track Points (TP) for the round. 100 TP corresponds to roughly one second of time differential. The race will consist of three laps, with three Obstacles per lap. After the ninth Obstacle, total Track Points will determine finishing order. The QUICK BADGE is awarded if at least one of the following conditions are met:

1) The challenger finishes the race in 1st or 2nd place.
2) The challenger finishes the race ahead of the Gym Leader.
3) The challenger otherwise demonstrates their mastery of the tenets of Mauville Gym, at the Leader's discretion.

The MUDSDALE's frightened bucking badly jostled the cart she was towing. The patch that was Eddie's shirt remained effective at keeping their precious, make-believe medical supplies intact, though the sudden lurch stretched the fabric more than its weavers intended. While one of the GRENINJA's WATER SHURIKEN collided with the horse's legs, her IRON DEFENSE repelled the rest. Fighting tremendous exhaustion, the ground-type fled beyond the wetlands' confines and into the foothills comprising Sector 4.

It looked empty. A little too empty, as though the presence at the top of the mountain had scared away the rest of the Gym Leader's Pokémon. It had every right to; upon even a distant approach, a bone-chilling cry pierced the tense air around Delilah and Eddie.

[player]https://file.garden/ZDeuoB-J4RNQd5aY/gyms/master/ironcrown.mp3[/player]

The silhouette's bright, blue LED eyes turned on, staring into the challenger's eyes and attempting to burn a hole in his psyche with sheer force of will. Were he to continue his approach, he would get close enough for the creature to appear in full colors: Sigmund, the Gym Leader's IRON CROWN. The paradox of wills lowered his long horns, the earth rumbling as a HYPER BEAM flew between them and toward the hero and his MUDSDALE.

Meanwhile, high in the air, Josh applauded as he observed the carnage below and how well Eddie had handled it thus far. How would he compose himself in the presence of a Pokémon that was equals with a Sacred Sword of Unova?

While Flygon could all use their wings to produced loud noise, Josh's was on another level, Verte's BOOMBURST created from a layer of discharges produced by his wingtips exceeding the speed of sound. Such power did not come without a price; maintaining the attack for long put Verte under a great deal of stress.

Though many of the Flygon scattered in the wake of the dragon's voluminous assault, a few did not. One ensnared a Gyarados and traveler in a SAND TOMB that grew over time, threatening to bury the duo alive. He had to disrupt the attack now, and without Verte's greatest weapon. Letting Verte rest ihis wings from truly draining attacks, he instead ordered the Flygon to scorch the wild with paralyzing dragonfire. Verte did as asked, inhaling deeply before spewing white and purple DRAGON BREATH toward the smaller Flygon.

It was an intense one, that much was certain. "We're Elite Rangers, and I'm a Champion now. I'm sure we'll eat this for breakfast!" Even so, one mistake could get the two badly hurt. Or two or three, depending on how the "game" was set up. "They did tell us that both the near corners are guaranteed to be safe. After that... anyone's guess. We just gotta use our heads and trust in our Pokémon. I'll start in one corner, and you can start in the other if you want."

It wasn't simple like the computer game, either. It wasn't like the League would paint the underground with numbers telling them how many Voltorb were nearby. Ao clawed into the ground all around until he and Josh both felt static nearby. Several distinct field of static at voltages different enough for the Roaring Moon to tell them apart.

After many long minutes of investigation, Josh was out of deductions on his end. "There's gotta be a Voltorb here or here," he pointed, "and there's gotta be another one here or here. Until I can figure out of these two out, I'm stuck on my end. You have any better luck over there?"