[break]


The décor of the Gym's small, first-floor lobby seemed to be a love letter to Electric-type and Fire-type Pokémon, particularly of apex predators known for their extremely high speed. One small wall near the registration desk featured artist depictions of the Burned Tower trio of Johtonian lore. "Yvaine?" a male receptionist called out from behind his desk, taking a peek out the north window. "The Leader will see you now. Take the first left from the back door, then the track you've been assigned to will be on your third right. Good luck!"

As long as the challenger followed the directions, finding the Leader holding his Zebstrika's reins wouldn't be difficult at all. The rest of his Pokémon, a Manectric, Luxray, and Jolteon, were lined up next to him, all three of them in riding gear. The Jolteon's looked most exotic out of the four electric Pokémon, the front end of her saddle extending past her sharp, white quills to shield the rider from being perforated during a high-speed run. "Yvaine?" the Leader asked to confirm his challenger, ready to wave or accept a handshake with the challenger if it was her desire. "Josh Devlin, and these are my Racing Grounds. Beneath me is Raiden," he introduced the competitive-looking Zebstrika who looked like he could bolt down the course at any moment. "And these three are Saber, Blitz, and Blinky," he gestured toward his Manectric, Luxray, and Jolteon, in that order. "This is actually Blinky's first time at the Racing Grounds. Keep up with her, and you shouldn't see any of my other Pokémon. Fall behind, though, and they'll make it hard for you to catch me!"

With this being a Zebstrika duel of speed, Josh had the perfect course in mind. Screw Mount, the course he had chosen, was an extremely long stretch of nearly straight road from well before the starting line until the first of three turns the course got its title from. The Zebstrika could absolutely floor it there and gallop with every bit of speed they had for a long distance. While the turns were mostly sharp, there was plenty of room for error except for turns 5 and 6, the ones right before the home stretch. Even with the widened track and a moderate bank to aid the Pokémon in making the sharp left turn, there was no way a Pokémon like Zebstrika could take those curves at full speed. "Remember, Yvaine: with great speed comes great responsibility. Good luck, and most importantly, make sure you and your Pokémon have fun!"

"Alright, Yvaine, let's review the rules one more time," Josh briefed his challenger as his Pokémon lined up behind the course's starting line. "We'll line up at that checkered line just before that arch," he pointed to a digital display above the start and finish line. "Before the race starts, the display on the arch will count down '3, 2, 1, GO' to signal the start. Any move that makes your Pokémon go faster is off-limits on the first lap only. After that, go nuts. If you can beat us to the finish line over three laps, or you otherwise prove to me that you can demonstrate your ability to keep your cool under split-second pressure, the Quick Badge is yours. I won't make it easy for you, though!"

Yvaine Varron

{WC: 566}
{PC: 1}

Note: This Challenge will no longer award a Badge due to its age.

"Yes, of course. Thank you!" she nodded, following the receptionist's directions when she was called. By the sound of it there seemed to be a lot of tracks at this gym, but she found her way to the correct one regardless, and stood in awe when the race court stretched out far and wide in front of her. Even with her sight compromised, the tracks were impressive, and quite the sight to behold, the mercenary had to admit. Just like the man waiting for her, and the pokémon he had in tow; all far larger than the species' standard described. Some were even ridiculously giant in comparison, making her partner Zoroark dwarf in comparison. Her father's Zebstrika looked like a pony compared to the Leader's Raiden. On that note, the leader looked awfully familiar...

It was only when he addressed her that the puzzle in Yvaine's mind clicked.

Ah yes, she'd destroyed this man's guts not too long ago.

But the dark-haired man did not seem to mind much, or was the very face of professionalism to not mention it at all; neither in words nor in body language. So neither would she, and instead shook the leader's hand firmly, her good eye trained on his face. "Quite the mighty pokémon you have there, sir, I've never seen such fine specimen before!" she nodded in approval, then followed Josh to the starting line, calling her Zebstrika out to get comfortable with the terrain and the giants she'd be facing. This was going to be quite the challenge for her and the equinine pokémon. Aside from the "no speeding moves" rule for the first lap, they seemed to be pretty free in their approach, yet Yvaine was not enough of a fool to think she could easily win this bout-- if to say, win at all. There was the difference in size, experience, and the possible hazard of her racing partner reacting badly to being chased by pokémon vastly greater than itself. That, and the trust between Yvaine and Zebstrika wasn't fully cemented yet. It was enough to get by, but this was new, and quite literally a trial by fire for the both of them.

Yet lucky for her, Zebstrika seemed impartial to the gigantic Luxray, Manectric and Jolteon, and seemed awfully intrigued by its fellow species instead. It stared at Raiden intently before turning around and trotting towards Yvaine, seemingly adamant on getting her trainer to get on her back. Yvaine couldn't help but chuckle, glad that her father had gifted her such an intelligent beast to ride, and one with an awfully competitive mindset to boot! Unlike Josh however, Yvaine decided to forgo any type of tack or riding gear, just getting on her Zebstrika as is. "I'd expect nothing less! We're here for the challenge after all, and to overcome it or go down trying." The redhead grinned, patting her partner's side. "We'll be taking the challenge as is if we're allowed to do so. It might not be as practical, but I think for this race at least, it'll help us connect more easily."

Once prepared, they'd get set, awaiting the signal to get started.


Josh Devlin

Raiden's tail and stripes began rapidly blinking yellow, Josh's skin starting to tingle even though his racing attire. He was used to a little static coursing through him whenever he was mounted; after all, it was par for the course riding an electric Pokémon! It was well worth the price of being atop some of the fastest Pokémon around, and he was going to show why they were. Sparks flew from the Zebstrika's hooves in all directions, the other three of the Leader's electric-types equally excited to leave this challenger in the dust. The particularly competitive Raiden was just the most excited of the bunch.

Once Yvaine, Josh, and the five Pokémon were ready, he led them to the archway that crossed above the checkered line indicating the start and end point of the course. On the digital display adorning the arch were a trio of images of Raikou sprinting from left to right, imposed on top of a "GET READY" prompt. A loud buzzer echoed from its speakers as one of the images disappeared, This buzzer repeated a second and third time before the final image disappeared. A final, higher-pitched and longer buzzer accompanied the prompt changing to "GO". Timing a pulse of Raiden's reins with a jab at the equine's sides, the Pokémon were off, beginning their battle of speed and cunning.

{WC: 228}
{PC: 2}



INSTRUCTIONS

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.
  
• ENDURANCE: This represents how well a Pokémon can navigate difficult terrain, and affects how often a Pokémon can use its Boost during a race. Every two ranks of Endurance lets you use a Boost move an additional time per race. Each rank of Endurance reduces the Target Number of Endurance-based Obstacles by 10.
• REACTION: This represents a Pokémon’s cornering ability. Each rank of Reaction reduces the Target Number of Reaction-based Obstacles by 10.

Per our Discord DMs, you have chosen the following build:

Speed: B
Endurance: B
Reaction: C

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 100.

The Leader's post below 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.

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: 85 (Reaction)

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.

LAP 1 | OBSTACLE 1

The course's opening stretch takes racers into a brief but wide tunnel to accommodate another Obstacle farther down the track. The end of the tunnel marks the beginning of a lazy, uphill U-turn with slight slopes on each of its sides intended to subtly guide Pokémon toward the center of the track. Taking the inside line while holding the long turn would test how long Pokémon could keep their balance on the uneven ground.

Target Number: 90 (Endurance)

Yvaine Varron

The countdown began. One by one the symbols would vanish, until a high-pitched buzzer resonates across the race tracks. As one would expect of the gymleader, he's quick to engage and is at least two body-lengths along before her own Zebstrika gets into gear; a fair mistake she's sure will cost her in the long run. But that's what they're here for; to learn. And mayhaps a wind of fortune will aid them in gaining the upper hand after all, if they try hard enough.

Yvaine steers her electric steed onward, racing after Josh and Raiden. Their thread seems clumsy at first, but as they bridge the distance inch by inch they start growing more in sync-- movement-wise at least. Hooves clatter upon the concrete and echo against the walls as soon as they enter the tunnel; they start gaining speed, just like their opponent, yet the thrill she feels of the wind in her hair gives her all she needs. She leans forward as the first obstacle comes into view, whispering encouragements in the pokémon's ear to spur it onward. They've lost ground, Josh's Raiden visibly outclassing them in speed, but she doesn't let it discourage her.

"That's it, you're doing great!"

If they take the inside line they can cut off several fractions of seconds, but what seems a good idea at first glance it becomes one of lesser when she realises the unevenness of the ground. At this speed, it's a high risk, but also a high reward, especially for an untrained racer like her and her mount. Still, it's a risk worth taking, and a hurdle worth crossing.



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Josh Devlin

Build:
Speed: B
Endurance: B
Reaction: C

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After all the grueling races Josh had taken his Pokémon on, it felt good to be astride an equine that was simple to control, on a track that didn't have too many difficult turns. "Let's go, Raiden!" Josh spurred the glowing electric-type off the starting line with startling reaction time. His racing experience led him to be able to anticipate the starting signal, almost always dart off the line within hundredths of a second.

The relatively easy turns would make for a different kind of battle on the track: a battle of precision. With the course being both relatively easy and short, every fraction of a second would matter. The Leader attempted to leverage his early advantage by reining Raiden as close as possible to the course's inner bounds, his left leg hanging from the narrow-barreled Pokémon's side getting dangerously close to a scrape against the wall. He had to race tight. Any significant gap left between his Zebstrika and the inner wall could be a passing opportunity for Yvaine and the three Gym Trainers riding Josh's other Pokémon.

{WC: 182}
{PC: 3}

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---

Saber, Josh's Manectric, was working with Shawn, his most trusted Gym Trainer and substitute for his Gym Challenges in the event the Leader was not available. Duncan, a rising star within the Gym, was astride Blinky. Lastly, Jackie, a relatively new hire as a Gym Trainer, was at Blitz's reins. Her inexperience showed, having a very slow reaction to the starting buzzer and spurring her Luxray to speed a full half-second after the others had taken off.

The other four Pokémon were highly competitive, the Leader's Manectric, Jolteon, and Zebstrika going three wide around the first long turn. There was a constant cracking noise surrounding the three of them, as well as Yvaine and her own Zebstrika. The challenger was not far behind, maintaining a great line and slowly gaining ground on the outer two, though the Manectric on the inside continued to pull ahead thanks to his explosive acceleration. Jackie and Blitz, while behind early, were by no means out of it. There were plenty of opportunities for the course's more difficult turns to shake things up!

LAP 1 | OBSTACLE 2

After passing over the tunnel the racers had just run through, the track veered left gently and became narrow. Extremely narrow. Most of the way, it was barely wide enough to allow three Pokémon to run alongside each other, making passing difficult. There were even small stretches where passing would be flat-out impossible, due to becoming so narrow that only a single wide-bodied Pokémon to run.

Target Number: 105 (Reaction)

Special: Pokémon cannot exit this Obstacle within less than 0.15 second of each other. Any Pokémon that is less than 15 TP behind the Pokémon in the next position will instead be 15 TP behind that Pokémon.

Yvaine Varron



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