MAUVILLE BAY | Drift Waterway | Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆☆

This was it. Josh's first Devon Cup race of the 2022 season was to begin soon. His accomplishments in Johto's 2019 and abbreviated 2020 seasons landed him near the top of Silver Class. The 2021 season had to be cancelled completely due to a global crisis affecting in-person activities of all kinds. He was right at home in Gold Class. Gold is where the competition started to get serious. It came with not only a big pay bump, but also a publicity bump. Every single Gold Class race was broadcast on national television. Some of the races were on premium sports channels, but they would all eventually find themselves on the Federation's ChuTube channel after a few weeks. Josh didn't even need to win today's race. He just needed to finish in the top few spots. If he could do well in today's race, he would be eligible for promotion to Gold Class.

Many of the competitors were already getting practice in on the open waters outside the track itself. An older male, appearing to be in his forties, was atop a Blastoise that appeared to be practicing sharp turns by activating only one of his water cannons. Blastoise were powerful racing Pokémon, but their method of locomotion placed their fate entirely in their rider's hands. To utilize their cannons for propulsion, they had to face backwards. Though it had to take a lot of adjustment, that kind of water pressure meant they could really pour on the speed when going straight.

The only other "unusual" Pokémon in the field was a Vaporeon, positively enormous for its kind. After all, it had to be for a rider to even fit on its back at all! The rest of the field was comprised of Pokémon to be expected for such a race. Snacker was not the only Sharpedo - there were two others, as well as six Lapras. In total, twenty teams of Pokémon and rider would be competing for the checkered flag on this windy day off the sands near the Mauville/Fortree county line.

The course itself was by far the easiest aquatic course on the Hoennian circuit - it was a good mix of surface and underwater racing. Well-lit tunnels and waterproof cameras would track the field as they disappeared beneath the waves, broadcasting the sub-surface view to a screen near the scoreboard. Though there were a large number of U-turns on the course in general, the walls and buoys were placed far enough apart to allow even wide drifting around them. Of course, it was still desired to crest every turn's apex, but it was accommodating to Pokémon who couldn't turn quite as sharply.

The only huge obstacle that scared Josh was a quick chicane leading into the home stretch. The walls were angled in such a way that any Pokémon that hit them at high speed would likely carom off one, then the other. Depending on the exact angle of impact, their inertia could send them forward with minimal time loss, or worst case, completely backwards. Pokémon that could take a lot of punishment, such as that Blastoise, could take advantage of it by slamming into the wall, assuming the rider could handle the whiplash. It was evident that they could - the Blastoise and rider were going to be in the front row on the five-row starting grid. Josh was almost all the way in the back. He would be starting in nineteenth place after the time trials did not go his way.

With the announcement that it was a half hour until race time, Josh waded into the sea, then summoned his Sharpedo, Snacker, when the water was deep enough to accommodate the aptly-named Bully of the Sea. If he had his way, the Pokémon would bully other competitors into yielding to his charges. The large water-type briefly submerged to allow Josh to hop on behind his big fin. There was just enough room for Snacker's saddle to fit between his big fin and the end of his back. That was all the room Josh needed! With a popping noise, Snacker started up his tail jet, propelling him around the starting area and allowing his trainer to scout out the competition.

Eva Morales

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Snacker       Sharpedo       Good

{WC: 712}
{PC: 1}