The gut-wrenching curves of the opening stretch loomed ahead, Josh leaning as low as possible on his Dragonair to avoid being blown away by the growing aerodynamic loads. The tremendous strength they required to take at speed was beyond even the Gym Leader, and was the primary reason he could never turn pro. Even on the second lap, when he wasn't coming out of the home stretch at AGILITY-augmented speeds, the turns hurt.

Taking his own limits into account, he had to loosen his grip on Resheph's sides and pull back. The Dragonair inevitably gained altitude as part of braking, Josh aiming for the very top space in each ring. Flying at bank angles of over 90 degrees while rounding each curve, Josh was glad he had outfitted all his flying Pokémon with cocoon saddles, as he would have fallen otherwise. The disorientation from the partially inverted horizon was already messing with his focus enough. He didn't dare use her EXTREME SPEED here. No one in their right mind would. He simply reined Resheph around each sharp curve, the blue and white serpent rolling just as harshly in the opposite direction to make each turn.

Mint's strength and intestinal fortitude (literally!) was being put to the test on a level it may never have been before, Agretti's increased speed clearly taking its toll on him. It was by sheer fortune that Josh had climbed to reduce his speed, the challenger's vomit sailing beneath him. There was a look of worry on the Gym Leader's face. Though the course had the Federation's seal of approval, perhaps the course's route needed to be adjusted. Mint's physical reaction seemed rather severe. Then again, he knew what he was signing up for. If all he wanted was a badge, the Traditional Battle option was there.

Agretti's persistence paid off! Bladestorm and Slider both bounced off not one, but two of the rings marking course bounds. Though they ultimately sailed through them, the impacts with their edges sapped quite a bit of speed from the two birds, letting Agretti pass and giving Mint the lead for the first time in a while. Josh and Resheph also picked up quite a bit of time on the leaders. With some aggressive moves, they could threaten to make a run at the lead! There was still a lot of the last lap to go!

It wouldn't be the final lap around the Dragon Slope without its infamous dive! One last time, the racers would have to figure out just how fast of a dive they could withstand. The problem was on the final lap, the four mandatory rings were not parallel with one another, requiring some turning mid-dive to pass them all. Pokémon endurance was not the limiting factor this time around, but rider endurance - and they wouldn't really feel the crushing force of the dive until they reached the bottom and had to pull up to avoid impact with the ground far below.

Target Number: 110 (Endurance)

Special: Boosting does not impose disadvantage on this Obstacle.

As the massive dive came into view one last time, Josh had a big decision to make. The last time he had ridden his Dragonair in EXTREME SPEED with Isaac Merlo , it took quite a toll on his body afterward. Since then, he had done much physical training to be able to endure what would be nausea-inducing charges for most. He was able to withstand the nearly vertical dive on the last lap, but the long race was making him tired. Furthermore, he would have to make turns to pass through the four ring targets this time. At the speeds he would be hurtling toward the ground at, these turns, despite how shallow they were, would hurt.

No guts, no glory.

Josh shook his head and braced himself for the worst, firmly gripping Resheph's reins and holding on with every bit of strength his weakening body had left in him. "Resheph, EXTREME SPEED!" the brave Gym Leader cried over the wind, feeling like he was being ragdolled about his mount's back with every turn.

Mint's gambit paid off in spades. Though he held back Agretti's fastest speeds, unlike what Josh and the rest of his Pokémon did in barreling down the dive at the fastest speeds their Pokémon could muster, the Tropius maintained one advantage over them all: control. It was that control that proved to be very important in keeping ahead of the Skarmory going all-out behind them. Mint may have been able to hear an explosion resulting from a speed-fueled AIR CUTTER impacting the ground at the course's bottom, and close at that. He would need to focus, despite any weariness, if he wanted to hold off Bladestorm's charge for the rest of the race!

Slider, Resheph, and the Leader weren't holding back either, despite them running out of room to catch up. Each shallow turn felt like the flick of his mount's AQUA TAIL. While all three of the Leader's Pokémon managed to navigate the turns correctly, the toll the high speed took on their bodies caused their flight to become unstable. Both riders may have felt their Pokémon breathing heavily, particularly after pulling up from the dive. Mint's lead held coming down the home stretch, but there was still plenty of time for Bladestorm, and even Slider, to make one last push to pass him!

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 four Pokémon to give it everything they had!

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Josh, likewise, was running on fumes. Dragon Slope was the second-longest aerial course he had. Even Resheph was showing signs of tiring, which was unusual for the Dragonair, or Dragon-types in general. Dragon Pokémon were generally known for their deep bowels of energy, able to hold boosted speed for very long periods of time. It was a testament to both the difficulty and the length of the course, third among his aerial courses only to Intersection and the six-star Spiral he tested Champion Assessment-eligible trainers with.

As cruel as it might have been to most Dragonair, Josh's Pokémon were trained specifically for the sport of Pokémon racing, and they were well aware they had to put the pedal to the metal when they were most exhausted, which was at the very end of the race. As the track widened, Josh knew what he had to do. If he was going to make a move on his Braviary and at least make the podium, it was going to be now. "Resheph! EXTREME SPEED!" Josh cried, bracing himself for the whiplash-inducing speed that would batter his already-aching body.

Though all four Pokémon that remained in the race were nearly running on empty after three laps around the grueling Dragon Dlope, Josh's Pokémon knew exactly how much energy to save for a final push, particularly the competitive Bladestorm. The four Pokémon were pushing themselves, and their trainers, to their limits. All three Pokémon were gaining on Agretti and Mint, and fast. They were also very rapidly running out of real estate. With a primal, metallic screech, the Skarmory pushed himself to his limit with a burst of AGILITY unlike what the Leader even thought was possible.

He wanted to win this, badly.

Mint would have felt the harmless wake of an incidental AIR CUTTER cross his body as he and Bladestorm crossed the finish line almost simultaneously. Slider and Josh, despite their heroic efforts to get back in the race, finished a very clear third and fourth, Resheph in particular sailing past the course's bounds to cool off from the meteoric charge that was EXTREME SPEED. It was impossible for the officials to tell in real time who crossed the line first.

This finish would have to be called upstairs.

In his weariness, Josh could have sworn Mint looked pale. The dry heaving was the only other sign he needed. He dialed for the Gym's emergency services. "Leader Devlin! Need medical to Sector 3, immediately!" he cried over the phone. It did not take long for the young, slender, and long-haired HAYLEY THOMAS to arrive astride Josh's Togekiss, Mastema. The Fairy-type doused the challenger in LIFE DEW while she transferred him from Agretti to Mastema.

By the time the gently flying Pokémon had crossed the Racing Grounds to the small medical unit, the officials had made their decision. Mint and Agretti had won.

By only four hundredths of a second.

Once Josh felt Mint was well enough to speak, he would address him. "You okay?" he asked. "You really gave it your all out there, didn't you? And it paid off. You won. Barely, but you won. Can't get much closer than four hundredths of a second, can it?" he continued with a weak smile, Agretti's Poké Ball on an end table next to the challenger. "I think you have more than demonstrated trust in your Tropius, your ability to make split second decisions, and your ability to keep your cool. All of these will see you far in the Pokémon League."

He then lifted Agretti's Poké Ball out of the way, revealing the Hoenn League QUICK BADGE he had hidden behind the capsule containing the victorious Pokémon. "The official Hoenn League Quick Badge is yours, Mint. You and your Tropius shall be enshrined in the Gym's list of Qualified Riders not only as champions, but as Dragon Slope record holders. While the Badge is eternal, records are meant to be broken."

Josh was genuinely concerned for Mint's health, though; it would not have looked good if a challenger suffered serious bodily harm. While that was his medical team's job, he wasn't going to let that go unheeded as well.

"Need me to get you another bottle of water, Mint?"