One of Josh's first challengers upon returning to duty after the assassination attempt that took the entire racing scene by storm was Josh Dragomir , his Ranger co-worker. He didn't even get any advance notice from the RaiCorp executive regarding his arrival, either; just his list of appointments for the day. It was quite the surprised to see one of his Ranger mentors on that list. The waiting room's décor was filled with cyans, yellows, and purples, with a cumulonimbus grey covering the ceiling and ceiling trim. Given the obsession the challenger knew the Leader had, it probably came to no surprise.

After a bit of a wait, Little Josh's receptionist, Shelly, called out to Big Josh. "Josh Dragomir ? The Leader will see you now. Take the first right coming out of the rear exit, and your course will be all the way in the back. Good luck, and remember - with great speed comes great responsibility."

Provided the older Josh followed Shelly's simple directions, he would find the young Leader adjusting the gear that would be keeping him astride his own Hisuian Arcanine. His arrival would be just in time to see his co-worker mount up and tighten the extra harnessing over his legs. "Mr. Dragomir!" the young one waved from the back of his Pokémon, a Kantonian Arcanine, Ninetales, and Flareon, the latter of which were quite large for their species also turning toward the executive to give greeting cries of their own. "When we met back in Pacifidlog, if you told me we would be meeting like this, especially so soon, I would have told you, 'Not in a million years.' And look where we are. Never thought I would be called Leader Devlin." But that was enough of a distraction. Other appointments were waiting, and he was still on the League's PD.

"These four are the Pokémon you'll be racing against," Josh gestured toward his Pokémon in succession. "Beneath me is Craggro, the Hisuian Arcanine to match the one you registered for the challenge." The rock and fire-type let out a howl of confidence. "These three are Braver," he gestured toward his Kantonian Arcanine whose which fur swayed in the wind, "Mystic," toward his Ninetales, "and Clyde," his Flareon, all of which were large enough to wear riding gear of their own, which they did. The Flareon in particular was close to the largest size ever recorded for the species. Was he bred for racing?

The course in front of the two seemed like it was almost designed for Arcanine. there was only one sharp turn on the entire track, with every other turn being shallower than 90 degrees. This course's difficulty came in its wavy and at times rather bumpy terrain. The Pokémon had to be prepared to make quite a big leap at one point on the backstretch, and from uneven ground at that.

"Alright, my buddy, this is how it's going down. See the arch near the starting line?" the Leader pointed. "We line up behind that and watch the display for the countdown. I'm sure you could have the display forwarded to our HoloWear if you want me to. It will read and sound 3, 2, 1, GO. On GO, the race starts. Any moves that make your Pokémon go faster are off-limits for the first lap only. After the first lap, use them as much as you think you and your Pokémon can handle. Beat me to the finish line after three laps, or otherwise show me you can keep your cool while making split second decisions, and the Hoenn League Quick Badge is yours." There was a big smirk on Little Josh's face after delivering the rules speech. He was excited to go, go, go!

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.

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 100.

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.

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.

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The leader will see him now? Well, look at that. Getting all formal with the titles now. The Ranger respectfully nodded his head in thanks as he went in. As he got a view of the gym, it was clear that the kid had put a great deal of thought into it. Though of course, he wasn’t surprised that it was comprised of a giant race course. It just… Fit. Of course he would try to incorporate his obsessive hobby into the gym. Why wouldn’t he? It honestly made a ton of sense. He would be forced to put less focus on his racing career as a result of his new duties, a problem that the once full-time Interpol agent, actor and executive all at the same time, knew intimately. But unlike the older Josh, his younger counterpart had found a way to bring the race to his second job instead of having to give it up.
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That catchphrase was a little corny, though.
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But good for him. He was happy to see that he’d found a way to make it work in a way that kept the lad himself happy. Josh had tried the workaholic route instead and it had caused him irreparable issues in the end. Izumi still had a habit of peering at his schedule after all that, making sure the workaholic Ranger wasn’t overdoing it again.
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Rendezvousing with the young Leader whom had several very large Pokemon with him, Josh first had to wonder what he was feeding those things. Second, he seemed pretty quick to call himself Leader Devlin. Settling in quick, wasn’t he?
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“Just don’t let it get to your head” Josh quipped with a small smile at that. As he introduced his Pokemon, he would bring out his own: An Arcanine whom had been transformed by the rifts. Smol Josh also had one, to which he called it… Hisuian? Hmm, where had he heard that name before? “This is Buddy” he introduced the large canine then, whom happily barked in greeting. It would be easy to identify the Arcanine as… Excitable. Luckily it would be easy to tell the two Arcanine apart, given their color differences. Though as Josh glimpsed the track, he couldn’t help the breath that followed. It was a touch intimidating, wasn’t it? But he steeled himself in kind. He could do this, he told himself. Getting those badges would make him better as a Trainer. Better for his Pokemon… Better for his Ranger duties, better for RaiCorp, better for Hoenn… Better for his family’s protection. That was what mattered the most to him. And he would do anything to make it happen.
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Once Smol Josh would outline the instructions, he nodded in understanding before taking out the HoloVision he had attached to his ear. “I’ll need some coordinates for the frequency, but I can do the modifications within a few minutes” he brought up. Ironic, years ago he had barely any tech knowledge. His mother had been the one who was the genius in this. But once the technical side better caught his interest, he found himself passionately diving into it in the years that followed. Now he could arguably give his mother a run for her money. While he had traded his acting career for this, he didn’t regret it. He enjoyed being an entertainer, but he enjoyed seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they saw the HoloWatch all the more.
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Josh Devlin

Dragomir's flattery rubbed him in a good way. Perhaps not entirely how the RaiCorp executive wanted, though it would have been far worse had the two not known each other outside the challenge itself. "I didn't feel right calling myself Leader Devlin when I was still in the Minors," he added as Buddy the Arcanine was introduced to him. "Great to meet you, Buddy!" If the two were close enough, he would reach to give the fire-type a quick pet, though it was unlikely he would be able to reach him while mounted.

As Leader Josh finished leading Big Josh to the course's starting area, he listed the coordinates for him to download the data from. What was uploaded to his HoloWear afterward blew the kid's mind. In his peripheral vision was a great deal of race data: a speedometer, a course mini-map that updated the two racers' position in real time, a stopwatch out to three decimals, and more. "This is really impressive, man," he answered Big Josh's flattery with some flattery of his own. "It looks like the UI for a racing video game." It made the young man all the more excited. He had used many of these functions individually when riding his Pokémon out in the field, but he had never used them in a race before. He was excited to see just how high Craggro could make that speedometer climb... and this was the course to do it.

Once the five were lined up, three stills of an artist's depiction of the legendary Pokémon Raikou faded into view in the center of the Leader's HoloWear virt display, and the challenger's if he chose to do likewise. The images of the fastest Pokémon on land disappeared one at a time, each in sync with a loud, low-pitched squawk. It was an aural warning to cue the start of the race. Each squawk was synchronized with another image fading out. When the final image of Raikou had vanished, a higher-pitched and longer-lasting squawk sounded, the "GET READY" display changing to "GO". All four of Josh's Pokémon dashed off the line.

After each posting round, a prompt describing the upcoming section of the track will be posted. These prompts may highlight different sections of the course on each lap. You will react to the prompt, then [ roll ] twice. For the first lap, the Leader's rolls will be capped at 120 before modifiers.

Mere seconds after the line, it was readily apparent why the course on the far end of the facility was called Undulation. One moment, the racers could feel their own weight pushing them into their Pokémon's saddles, or the Pokémon's fur, if the challenger rode without a saddle, as they dashed uphill. The next, they could feel could feel their own weight leaving them as their mounts raced downhill. The challenge was not in getting up to speed, but in making sure both Pokémon and rider each kept their balance navigating the humps and dips.

Target Number: 110 (Endurance)

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The Arcanine would lean into the pet, seeming all too eager for pets. The Arcanine had always liked to stick around the household area instead of going further out into the ranch. Aside from when it went out for runs, anyway. Then it would cross the entire threshold and be back by lunch. The modifications would be made thanks to the frequency coordinates, and Josh watched as the track's UI would appear before his eyes. Of course, he had offered to do the same for the kid's eyepiece if he really wanted to, though he doubted it was necessary considering the kid had his own visor likely outfitted. To his surprise, he had indeed asked to use the HoloVision wear for this race, so Josh did the modifications there as well. The holographic data UI that could be either moved or flicked away by a touch would certainly be more convenient.
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"Once we finish the builds, I'm sure the Rangers will happily source for us to build you a racing visor properly outfitted with the tech. Will be more comfortable that way" Josh spoke up as they both marveled at the display. The kid had programmed a lot of data into those visors, so it was a lot to sort through, but Josh would organize it in a way that was comfortable for him before they got to the race.
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Once they were lined up, Josh would take a breath to settle himself, before finding himself rolling his eyes with a smirk at the Raikou stills. The kid really did like his Raikou, didn't he? Might as well have just called this the Raikou Rider Race. Or would it be a little too on the nose?
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Finding himself surrounded by several of Small Josh's mons including the Arcanine he was riding, Josh had mounted Buddy and steeled himself as the countdown began. His breathing began to change in the midst of the anticipation, not wanting to miss the moment that the word go came up. He stroked Buddy's mane a bit to settle the Arcanine as well. They had performed well together previously in the Pokeathlon, but this was a different matter entirely.
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This was for a Gym Badge.
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Go.
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Buddy shot forwards like a rocket the moment that Josh tapped the Arcanine's shoulder the second time to indicate the word go, timed right at the exact moment he could tell the word Go was coming up. The Ranger's calm, calculated, and methodical approach would quickly pay off as Buddy wouldn't miss a second of the action. But very quickly, Josh felt like gravity itself was working against them. They were quickly going uphill. And by the way Buddy was struggling, Josh could tell there were bumps on the ground.
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"Long strides. Use your leaping ability to your advantage" Josh commanded calmly as Buddy would utilize their size and agility to accommodate for the change in environment. The Arcanine's steps began wider in bounds, at times taking small leaps to bypass obstacles. This sacrificed a bit of speed, but should pay off in the long run. They would lose less time from being battered around by the dips, and pushed back by the hill itself. And Buddy would be less battered by it. A safe option, effective, but it likely wouldn't buy them a lead.
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Josh Devlin

Having all this information at Josh's fingertips would take him a lot of getting used to. The most nerve wracking this would be seeing his exact speed. He had a good idea how fast his Pokémon could run, and it was faster than any roller coaster in the world could get to. It would have been gut wrenching for anyone not prepared for it, and that was a big part of why Josh awarded so few Badges through the racing challenge.

The older Josh was absolutely right. With the number of people in Hoenn that commanded legendary Pokémon, one of his dreams after befriending Raikou would be to race the electric tiger. While it was not anywhere close to a top motivator (that reason was still to steer Hoenn away from her disastrous future), it was nonetheless a motivator. What greater thrill could there be than racing legendary Pokémon at speeds no human had the right to be able to control?

That was plenty of idle thinking about a pipe dream future, though. The Leader had a race to focus on, and a Pokémon as swift as Arcanine on a track with turns as gentle as this one might be almost the same experience as riding one of the Johto Beasts, particularly on boost laps when things would truly get crazy. After all, Arcanine's EXTREME SPEED was unparalleled among Pokémon that weren't legendary. 

"Phew-eeeeeee!" Josh cried as he felt his stomach sink with every slope his mount descended, a grunt following every hill he ascended. While this course had no tight turns to speak of (there were only seven total turns!), it left him to wonder if Pokémon stamina or rider stamina would be a greater factor. "Yeah!" he whooped as he felt his mount go airborne briefly from running off a particularly steep hill at high speed.

The older Ranger's approach was a prudent one. With Undulation only having seven turns, none of which were greater than 90 degrees, it would allow the Arcanine to largely ignore their greatest weakness: tight turns. The giant dogs were known for their seemingly boundless wells of stamina, able to run at very high speeds for hours on end if need be. They were prized as mount Pokémon for a reason.

Flareon and Ninetales were speedy Pokémon in their own right, but they were more known for their explosive acceleration, rather than raw top speed. It would take the Leader's Arcanine no more than fifteen seconds to pass the two Fire-types that were in front of him. Craggro, his Hisuian Arcanine, jumped the starting buzzer and took off before the word go, lagging behind the entire field after accounting for a costly time penalty in the form of a forced longer route. Yes, even in Gym Challenges, there were black flags.

Once the penalty road had rejoined the main track, Big Josh found the Hisuian Arcanine right on his heels, looking for an opportunity to pass him on the steep slopes of the opening stretch. The challenger was able to deny the attempt. It was still early, though! Furthermore, Undulation was one of the most volatile courses on the entire facility. No lead would be safe!

NOTE: This is a SPLIT OBSTACLE. Please indicate in your OOC notes which Target Number you are challenging.

The tightest turn on the track was coming up: a 90-degree left turn preceded by a tall, ramp-like mound on the left side. It also offered racers a decision: the ramp, if approached from the correct angle, would allow Pokémon confident in their jumping agility to cut the corner substantially and save a big chunk of time. They had to land back on the course, though! Coming up short would result in a severe OFF COURSE time penalty, or in the case of the riderless Pokémon, DISQUALIFICATION!

Target Number 1: 130 (Speed)

Special 1: Pokémon that exceed the Target Number gain 70 TP (0.7 second) on top of any normal TP gain from the Obstacle. Leader and Challenger Pokémon that do not meet the Target Number receive a flat -150 TP (1.5 second) penalty for landing OFF COURSE, instead of normal TP loss from a missed Target Number. Riderless Pokémon that do not meet the Target Number land OFF COURSE and are RETIREd from the race.

Target Number 2: 100 (Reaction)

Special 2: None

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSVX_bJmCY4
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Calm and collected, this was an approach that had long served Josh very well. Though he could admit that it was nice to do this without the pressure of a life-threatening situation weighing him down, which made it a little easier to appreciate the thrills that these sort of races could bring. Not that he was focusing on that right now. At the moment, he was completely and utterly focused on the goal ahead of him. At the least, he and Buddy shared said goal. That, he hoped, would carry the day for them.
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They were doing well so far, though the others were catching up to them. Josh had expected this, considering they were taking the safe approach. But he had the impression that with this crazy kid, anything was possible on a track designed by a racing fanatic. Unfortunately, it wasn't long after that Josh found himself slipping into 4th. Figures, but this race was far from over. Worse yet though, the first turn was coming up. Arcanine weren't the best at turning, though, so Josh had to get creative. Having Buddy begin the turn a bit early, Josh used his height to his advantage to slam his foot into the ground as one would with a motorcycle to help give Buddy a little more turning room to clear it. It sacrificed a little speed, but it meant they could begin picking it up again more quickly too. Which for an Arcanine, was the best way to go.
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Trainer and Pokemon working in tandem. That had always been his way.
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But Josh was definitely not prepared for what came next -- the ramp.
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"Ah, shit."
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No moves in the first lap either. Josh took a deep breath before whispering to Buddy to ramp up all the speed they could. The little headstart on speed would help, and since he was in 4th, he could watch Little Josh as well. As he also had a Hisuian Arcanine, he would know exactly what angle to hit the ramp from with that kind of Pokemon. Though Josh would have to make some adjustments to make up for his own height and weight compared to Little Josh.
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"Buddy, let's do this! No going back now!" Josh called out to the Arcanine, adrenaline beginning to flare up in his expression. This was just like a snowboarding course, he reminded himself. Just get the right speed, the right angle, and...
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Josh Devlin

There was a very good reason the Leader had scheduled his lunch break immediately after this challenge with the older Josh: he would have almost certainly tossed his lunch with how wavy the course was. He tried his best to keep to the center, but with how hard it for his two Arcanine to maintain their footing with the constant ups and downs, he had to make what felt like big adjustments just to stay in bounds. While Braver's raw speed kept him in the lead for now, Mystic and Clyde, the Ninetales and Flareon not far behind, were gaining on him fast. If he wanted to maintain his lead, he would have to make a big move.

Luckily for him, there was a corner he could attempt to cut once the track flattened back out. The moment he was confident in his mount's footing, the Leader reined the fire-type harshly to the left. The turn was anything but harsh, the strength with which the rider pulled compensating for how unresponsive typical Arcanine were in their wide, sweeping turns. Craggro, trailing not far behind the RaiCorp executive, likewise followed Braver and Buddy up the ramp, soaring past the out-of-bounds line. As long as they all landed back in bounds, passing over it in mid-air did not matter!

The three Pokémon known for their raw speed attempted to take advantage of it by making the bold jump over the out-of-bounds markers. The other two, much more comfortable with their cornering ability, extended their claws and swerved around the ramp, attempting to crest the corner. Mystic battled Clyde fiercely for second place, the two running in nearly perfect sync coming out of the curve and short, wobbly straightaway afterward.

The leap would bypass the rough terrain, making it attractive for especially speedy Pokémon. Braver soared above the track, the Leader judging the Arcanine's angle almost perfectly and bypassing exactly the right amount of the turn for the speed he was capable of. Craggro's speed and angle were also on point, though he nearly tripped over the inner rail on the way back down, avoiding it by less than a foot. Buddy and the challenger were not so fortunate, their jump angle far too acute and landing out of bounds. The official on duty waved a black flag, indicating the duo would suffer a time penalty. While they were physically close to the Leader's other three Pokémon, particularly the Hisuian Arcanine, their true position was around two seconds back.

After another series of hills and troughs that could make less hardy riders queasy, followed by a large, awkward leap, the home stretch loomed ahead. Prior to it was another wide section of track marred by mogul-like terrain that would be a severe test of balance for the five Pokémon competing for position. This one had a jump ramp preceding it, as well, but it would not give even Arcanine the distance to cover the entire stretch of wild terrain. One awkwardly-placed footstep could result in a racer's Pokémon suffering a rolled ankle and swerving out of control!

Target Number 1: 110 (Endurance)

Special: Track Position lost as a result of rolling beneath this Obstacle's Target Number is multiplied by 1.5, rounded up.

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Josh had expected this to be hair-raising. It was something devised by the wild mind of the little one, after all. As unpredictable as an aurora borealis. Little Josh had shown he liked things fast-paced and faster still. So as soon as he had been told a race would be involved, Josh knew he was in for it. Still, there was no way he could have been prepared for this. Trying his best to observe his surroundings and take the best path up the ramp he could, he seemed to have it. Or perhaps not. It seemed his lack of racing experience had come back to bite him. Or just a case of bad luck. Either way, Buddy had cleared the ramp, but had gone off course and suffered a time penalty.
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Josh bit back a curse under his tongue in frustration, but ultimately regained himself and spurred the Arcanine forward. He'd found himself in last place, but he didn't intend to be for long. Not if he could help it. The home stretch was coming however, and Josh knew that if he was going to finish this right, he needed to think of something fast. Especially with the coming terrain. And another jump ramp.
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This time at least, Josh knew the angles better. Scratching behind Buddy's ears to help calm the Arcanine after they had failed the first jump, Josh whispered comforting words to Buddy as they surged forwards. The boost in confidence helped keep Buddy's speed up, and the Arcanine would take the leap, hoping to cover as much of the terrain as possible. This time around, Josh leaned himself to the side once they were in the air, taking guesses at where the Arcanine should be oriented in order to actually land on the track this time. Once they landed, Josh had finally put his plan into place.
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"Buddy, use your leaping ability to your advantage! Clear the terrain with jumps after every few steps!" Josh called to Buddy, whom let out a bark in acknowledgement before beginning to leap to and fro. It was a risky strategy, but this time Josh was doing his part as well. Knowing his visor well, he was able to change the dials to adjust the lighting and filter of his vision, letting him specifically see the terrain better, even if his far-vision suffered for it. He would have to trust Buddy when it came to avoiding any possible obstacles. But Josh was able to make use of this to lean and place his foot down if he saw something Buddy shouldn't step in, signaling to the Arcanine to steer clear.
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This race was Buddy's to run, but Josh would spot him all that he could. Josh did not believe in the idea that a trainer was a master and a Pokemon the one that obeys. Trainer and Pokemon worked as one. As equal partners.
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Josh Devlin

Braver's raw speed had let Josh build up quite the lead. While this course was designed for Arcanine to excel, it wasn't free of elements the hard-to-control dog would struggle with. As Braver and the rest of the Leader's Pokémon ran across the backstretch, the Leader's fingers mentally crossed that their footing remained true, he tightened his hold on the fire-type. The swift Pokémon landed at a different stride with every angle, Josh feeling like he was inside a living blender with how much he was thrown around in the saddle. He felt like it wasn't his Pokémon's prowess being tested, but his own, during the excessively bumpy ride. His legs felt like they were burning from how much the muscles powering them were stretching. It was certainly beyond comfortable limits.

The course narrowed in the home stretch, Josh having little time to adjust his trajectory after coming out of a particularly harsh field of almost obstacle course-like moguls. He had his eyes on the starting line, ready to hold absolutely nothing back once they crossed it. It would be risky on such a bumpy course, but he had every intention of spurring Braver into the fastest EXTREME SPEED any ordinary land-bound Pokémon possessed the moment he could. It was still frightening, even after his race with Matt Vice .

If the older Josh wanted to chase down that Quick Badge, he was going to show he had just as much endurance and just as big of a bond with the Pokémon he rode. The Leader said from the beginning he wasn't going to make this easy, and his words had teeth to them.

You Got Boost Power! Speed-increasing moves, such as QUICK ATTACK, AGILITY, and EXTREME SPEED are now allowed. Buddy will be able to use such speed-increasing moves up to four times for the rest of the race. Speed-increasing moves will grant you ADVANTAGE for the posting round, meaning you will [ roll ] four times instead of two for that post and ignore the lower set of rolls. Please separate the first two rolls from the second two rolls with a delimiter of some kind. For the second lap of the race, the Leader's rolls will be capped at 140, before modifiers are applied.

Beware! Taking tight turns and stamina-draining Obstacles at high speeds can result in dire consequences, and may impose DISADVANTAGE, meaning the lower of the two rolls will be taken. If the lower of the two rolls would still pass the Obstacle, Track Position for that Obstacle will be calculated based on the higher of the two rolls.

With two grueling sections out of the way, the course gave its challengers the closest they would get to a break: a long, vertically undulating straightaway with no other hazards. While it was a great place for Pokémon to let loose with QUICK ATTACKs and the like, too much speed could lead Pokémon to become airborne unintentionally, and that could be very costly if they caught air at a wrong angle!

Target Number 1: 0 (Speed)

Special: If a Pokémon's Total Roll is more than 160, the amount of TP gained from this Obstacle is halved. The Leader and his Pokémon apply this clause as though their rolls were not capped.

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The end of the lap was coming soon, and Josh wasn't super confident in how they had done so far. But the race was far from over, and once the first lap was done, they could begin to pile on the speed. Of course, he expected Leader Josh to do the same. But they weren't there just yet. A particularly hard bump sent Buddy lurching, but Josh's previously stated plan for this kicked in as he dug in his foot on the ground to support his own weight and right the ship. Josh being larger and taller may make it so he was a bit heavier to carry, but he was able to do his part too instead of just being deadweight.
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"Alright Buddy, let's start this lap off right. Agility!" Josh called to the Hisuian Arcanine. With a roar, Buddy began to rocket forwards, putting more pedal to the furry metal as it picked up speed by the moment. Of course, considering they were going upwards, Josh had a feeling of what was coming. Going up large hills and things on the back of Pokemon had taught him to always expect a sudden drop which could be problematic if it sent you airborne. They needed to be careful. Josh kept his breaths calm as he changed the settings on his visor again. This time, he would watch ahead while Buddy focused on building speed.
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Josh Dragomir

At last, boost power was available for use. Josh's entire team for the Gym challenge was picked for their purely high speed. The undulations made it feel like his entire gut was jumping up and down. It was a feeling he had never experienced on any other course, which is why the corresponding course in Sinnoh was on their Diamond Circuit. While it wasn't complex, it was much more taxing on the rider than the Pokémon, and he was feeling that in his arms, slowly losing feeling in them. Perhaps the Federation mis-rated this course? He would bring it up with officials after the race.

Though the uneven ground made making adjustments difficult, Josh trusted that Braver and his team were fast enough to leap from peak to peak. Overcorrecting was a risk, but if he pulled this off, he was going to wind up building an enormous lead at a pivotal point in the race. "Braver, EXTREME SPEED!" Josh shouted over the howling wind from the already high speeds the fire-types were running at.

With EXTREME SPEEDs, bursts of AGILITY, and QUICK ATTACKs relentless and reckless, all five Pokémon charged down the troughs and up the peaks, or in Braver's case, trying to hop from peak to peak. While most of the Pokémon were successful, Mystic the Ninetales overshot the second peak and tripped, sliding down the slope and losing most of his speed. It was a miracle the golden fox didn't fall over completely. If his Vision supported it, Mystic would be close enough to visually alert the executive to his rival's position with a small arrow with the text "4TH" above it, following the recovering Pokémon.

At the front of the field, the battle for the lead was incredibly tight, the tromping Arcanine dueling one another on every landing. Clyde the Flareon was not far back, either; if the Arcanine didn't keep up their incredible pace, the smaller fire Pokémon would pass them both using his superior agility!

At the top of the final, long hill was a high jump to a very wide landing zone beneath. What made nailing this jump so tricky was the higher ground sloped to the teams' left, meaning the riders would not only have to steer their Pokémon to the right to compensate, but they would have to take the slope's angle into account when making their leap to the lower level. Too early of a jump, and the Pokémon risked not clearing the end of the high ground; too late of a jump, and the slanted ground could cause them to crash against the inner wall below or even land out of bounds completely!

Target Number: 120 (Reaction)

Special: Each rank of Reaction will reduce this Obstacle's Target Number by 20 instead of 10.

[attr="class","dragomirpt"]

To be completely honest, this had gone the furthest thing from well so far. Josh had applied all his knowledge as a trainer, and his bond with his Arcanine that had been forged many years ago when Buddy was a tiny Growlithe. But racing in these kinds of conditions wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped it would. Was it because he lacked in skill? Or in luck? To be frank, he had no idea. It had been a bad, bad day so far. And it only seemed like it was going to get worse.
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At the least, they seemed to be able to get through that last part with only a bit of trouble. He could see the 4th place racer starting to slow down, but while Josh intended to pass them, Little Josh's position was the real prize. Josh was not a racer. He had always valued efficiency over speed. But it was different in a race like this. He knew he was going to have to push a bit harder if they wanted to win that badge.
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Then came another jump. This time it seemed to be a precision one, according to what Josh could see when scouting with the visor. They were going to have to handle this well...
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Taking a deep breath, Josh whispered to Buddy to wait for his signal. At the right moment, Josh would soon call out...
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"Now!"
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Josh Devlin

The Undulation course was almost ideal for racing Arcanine. Almost. The one difficult thing for the big dogs to handle would be this jump. There were several approaches the Leader could take, none of which were particularly appealing. He could have Braver leap early, before the ground started sloping. With a burst of EXTREME SPEED and a big jump, it sounded like the obvious solution on paper. There was just one caveat: if the Arcanine's leap wasn't high enough, he would stub his paws on the end of the road and fall woefully short, eliminating the two from contention. That sure wouldn't look good for the Gym Leader!

The other option was equally awkward: the sloped surface toward the end of the track would slide the fire-types toward the left, and a bad angle could land them out of bounds and likewise eliminate them from contention! He had to make a decision, and fast!

With Arcanine being notorious for their inability to handle curves, Josh ultimately came to the decision that the best approach would be to clench his fists and hold on for dear life. "Braver! EXTREME SPEED!" the racer cried, flicking the graceful fire-type's reins to silently command a jump while still on flat ground.

All five Pokémon in the race found the awkward leap a real struggle. Even the Ninetales and Flareon grossly underestimated how much of an effect the slope would have on their landings, both fire-types landing far too close to the inside line to be able to correct from their awkward landings and suffering nasty scrapes to their left sides. They not only lost a lot of speed, but the biting winds would cause those scraped to really sting for the final lap that was starting soon.

While Craggro and Buddy had similar issues, the challenger's Arcanine suffered a particularly rough landing. Ultimately they were able to avoid a scrape, sliding back and forth across the wide landing zone was what set those two back.

The Leader and Braver had the opposite problem. When he ordered the leap, he had forgotten to take into account the gently-curving left turn of the landing zone below. The swift Arcanine sounded a pained howl as he slid into the outside of the course, his angle shielding his rider's leg from being scraped, as well. Craggro and Clyde surged past Josh, the Leader dropping to third place, with his Ninetales hot on his heels. He had fallen so far back that even the challenger could see a moving third-place and RIVAL label on his Vision, giving a visual indication of the Gym Leader's position.

After the mogul-like terrain of the backstretch, the course's home stretch awaited. There was one last trick the course had to play on them before the end of the lap: the course narrowed to just a few feet wide. Passing would be impossible, and extended precision would be required to avoid scraping the bounds of the extremely narrow, lightly curving stretch!

Target Number: 120 (Endurance)

Special: Pokémon who exit this Obstacle within 0.2 second of each other will lose 75 TP from colliding with one another.