It was the final lap, and Theo and his Luxray had pulled way ahead. Josh had spent enough time with the older challenger to know how quick of a study he was. He was almost a natural, though Electric-types with their high speed were a natural fit for a course with so many long straightaways to take advantage of that speed. Theo's Pokémon choice helped tremendously.

Coming up to the curves, Josh guided Blitz to the outside line. "Alright, Blitz, Quick--" He stopped himself when he saw Gym staff had reversed the gate pattern on him, putting him on what was actually the inside line and leaving him in terrible position! "Ugh!" he grunted, swerving his Luxray to the opposite side of the track in a violent motion that threatened to buck him off. It cost him a bit of ground, but it was better than crashing from not being prepared! "Arceus damn, Shelly, you could have TOLD me about this!" he said to himself as his focus sharpened in navigating the big cat through this unexpected twist.

Theo and Josh both demonstrated exemplary control over their Luxray through the twist even the Leader was not expecting. While Theo took the curves as they came, unfazed by the mirror image, Josh's recovery was just as impressive, his strength and reaction time key in keeping them in the race...though just barely.

Josh's fire-types, however, had a much harder time adapting. Both Aslan and Mystic started their turns in the same direction as on the previous two laps. The Pyroar was able to partially correct, though he still ended up taking a harsh scrape against the outside course wall. Mystic, uncharacteristically absentminded, didn't even realize what was going on until it was too late. This was one of the reasons she didn't enjoy racing; she only did it because Josh wished it. She almost face-planted into the outside wall, able to turn away just in the nick of time. While she wasn't out of the race entirely, she did lose almost all her speed. Though Ninetales were able to build their speed back up quickly, it was still a huge time loss that likely eliminated her from contention.

Blinky, his Jolteon, still had a substantial leg up on him, and Theo was way out in front. Barring a mistake in the titular Aero Dive, which could very well happen at the super speed they would be traveling downhill at, this was his race to lose.

After a brief but fairly steep uphill straightaway was the titular Aero Dive. Part of the beginning of the ramp had been retracted, meaning the racers would have to jump their Pokémon a bit farther this time! With the power of Quick Attack at their avail this time around, that wouldn't be a problem, as long as the teams had the foresight to conserve their Pokémon's stamina...and their own, with how much faster the bumpy ride at the bottom would be coming!

Target Number: 95 (Speed)

Special: Pokémon that miss the Target Number by 30 or more will instead receive a flat -150 TP penalty for landing OFF COURSE due to coming up short on the leap.

Josh wasn't even aware that the jump had become longer on the final lap. He didn't care. He was so far behind, his challenger disappearing beneath the horizon of the ramp before he was anywhere close to the end. Even his own Jolteon was beating him at his own game. No shocker; he didn't ride Blinky on this course for that very reason. There would have been no way, even under Gym restrictions, that she would have lost a race on a course with so many sprinting opportunities, if she was under Josh's control.

Once the horizon gave way to the downslope below, Josh squeezed his Luxray's sides and tensed his arms. "Blitz, use your QUICK ATTACK now!" The acceleration caused him to lurch back a little, regaining his balance just in time to flick the reins hard. Right as the pulse reached Blitz's face, the Luxray sprung skyward in a daring, high speed leap. Even a slightly wrong angle could have a huge impact. If this worked, though, he would be right back in it!

The three Pokémon in the rear of the field leaped toward the downslope far below with every bit of effort they had. All five handily cleared the large gap, but Theo and his Luxray seemed just unstoppable, nailing the landing and even setting up to be in perfect position to perfectly crest the sharp curve leading to the home stretch. It was that landing that allowed him to further extend his lead.

As long as Theo didn't let off the gas, the home stretch would be all but a victory lap for him. It wasn't even that Josh was racing poorly; he and his squad were for the most part doing well. Theo was just a prodigy, based on his performance today. Eager fans began chanting Theo's name as he and his Luxray were the first to come up the hill leading to the home stretch.

The home stretch was all that remained, an official standing near the starting arch and waving the checkered flag. There was little risk of an accident on this straight sprint to the finish! Now was the best opportunity for the two Luxray, and the rest of the Leader's Pokémon, to give it everything they had!

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

The home stretch was upon Josh, Blitz, and the rest of his Pokémon. His entire squad finishing a race was a rarity; usually, course hazards prevented at least one of them from finishing. Squinting through his visor, he sharply squeezed his Luxray's sides the moment they reached the hill's crest, the finish line in sight. "We're finishing one-two, Blitz! Use your QUICK ATTACK!"

Of course, the rest of Josh's Pokémon wanted to make the finish as competitive as possible. Blinky in particular was desperate to try to hold her trainer off second place out of no more than personal pride, and even Aslan had quite the competitive spirit, three images of the lion forming behind himself in a swift demonstration of DOUBLE TEAM. Even Mystic, almost hopelessly far back at this point, didn't hold anything back, lunging forward in a QUICK ATTACK of her own. As expected in the final stretch, every single Pokémon was going all-out.

Blinky wasn't lying, either; she put in every last ounce of sprinting speed she had. A loud cry that got the crowd going was followed by a sprint of surreal speed. If she had more room to work with, she would have left Theo and his shiny Luxray in the dust. But there was simply not enough real estate remaining for the AGILITY-powered Luxray to be caught. The checkered flag waved for the Mauville Leader's challenger, Theo. His Luxray had not only held off a Jolteon, one of the fastest Pokémon species in the world, but had carried him to an impressive new Course Record!

Josh took a deep breath, all of his Pokémon sliding to a stop in front of the race's victor by a wide margin. He took his right hand off Blitz's reins to flip his visor back up. "Theo, you've got some real talent, you know?" the Leader acknowledged. There were several unexpected twists and turns on the way there, and he had demonstrated the JUDGMENT to fight his instincts when needed. He had handled them beautifully, keeping pace with the older trainer until almost the very end of the race.

A Luxray may not have been the best choice for this course, but did Josh have a damn good time. It showed that two Pokémon of the same species could be drastically different. "Theo, you were ahead almost wire to wire. The bond you share with your Luxray is magnificent. It shows in how you raced today; once you got the lead, you didn't give it back. Your tenacity will see you far in the Pokémon League challenge." With that, the new Leader dismounted his Luxray, walked toward the challenger, opening his closed fist into a palm. "Here, the official Hoenn League Quick Badge. You and your Luxray shall be enshrined in the Gym's list of Qualified Racers as champions, and as Aero Dive record holders. While the Badge is eternal, records are meant to be broken. Enjoy it while you can!"

Once the victory ceremony was over, Josh led Theo to the Gym's entrance. "I hope we meet again, Theo...not as Leader and challenger, but as friends. It's been real. Take care!"