Matt was not normally a man to actually show he was nervous. Well damn, he was nervous. This was a lot of people. Wasn't the race that had his nerves wound up, it was all the people watching. It made him feel itchy. So naturally, with his beloved being here, he gravitated towards him.

"You excited, babe?" He asked cheerfully, scanning the crowd for the the other three he knew- before he about snorted when he saw Isaac. "I'm gonna smoke you, dude." He teased the other man, obviously Matt was just trying to be in good spirits! Though as he spotted Julia, he gave her a friendly wave.

"Hey! Good luck!" He called, before looking at Josh. "You, I wish no luck on." Matt already starting the taunts, he just could not help himself. The competitive side was showing- and it was definitely showing for Nana. The arcanine had her head high, looking so smug- she was making up for Matt's shot nerves.

Though Matt's face soured the minute he had heard Razz's name. Nico would see it clear as day at how quickly he went from having fun to looking utterly pissed off. He jerked Nana's reigns, moving himself to the other side of his boyfriend to be as far away from that man as possible.

The scowl on his face was not leaving any time soon it seemed. "The only thing I want to do in this race is beat his stupid face." He muttered, glaring off to the side. "Lily's looking good, did you get her groomed up before the race?"

nicodemus unken Julia Davis Josh Devlin Isaac Merlo

Kjoll was so happy, and Kaida couldn't be prouder.

There wasn't many opportunities for the giant rock-type to fully utilize his powers. He was too big to run amok in forests, too protective to abandon Kaida during battles, and too important to let go loose for a long period of time. A place designed to let him run wild and win was too perfect. As the Onix let out a rumble as his place was announced, Kaida remembered the giant was only about as old as her.

Elinor Anderson and her Steelix were waved back to, Kaida's lips pulling up in a slight smile. An ally, possible friend, very important person. One big, good Pokemon. She wondered briefly if Kjoll would be overwhelmed by his larger evolution, patting him reassuringly.

Josh Devlin was also an ally, and she clapped for him, her brain noting she would face no threat from being near the electric type. Wayward sparks and speed would not throw off Kjoll's determined march onwards.

It was Alexei Ivanov that Kjoll unleashed a huge bellow for, Kaida's teeth showing in a savage smile and she laughed, "That's enough, Kjoll, we don't want to scare the people." A friend of her and her Pokemon, with his very good Pokemon. For him to hear, she spoke, "Don't worry much, Kjoll and I will win. It'll be good for the Rangers."

Confidence was always her angel and devil. This time, she wasn't going to let it fail her.

TLDR: Kaida is with Kjoll, and interacts with Elinor Anderson, Josh Devlin, and Alexei Ivanov

Pokémon: {Kjoll} the {Onix}

Moveset: {Stealth Rock, Rock Polish, Dragon Breath, Curse, Protect, Ancient Power. Has Z-move Living Wall!}

Ranks: {Speed: D Endurance: B Reaction: A}

Josh's skin was tingling. This was it - the biggest race of the season. Not just that, either. This was the race that could get a brand new racing league on the map. Right now, the closest thing Hoenn had to a racing league was very loosely organized. This and the Mauville Bay race were the only two all year that were organized enough to get any kind of coverage. And this race was way bigger. It was being televised everywhere.

Several members of the Leader's inner circle were at the race, too. A line of fans with front row seats begged Leader Devlin for his autograph, which he obliged a couple dozen of before joining his friends alongside Saber. While the Manectric didn't have his Raikou costume on (the producers wouldn't allow it), he did wear one part: the purple thundercloud saddle. That was going to be a permanent part of Saber's gear. Perhaps he would be able to use the old saddle on another Manectric he caught in the future.

"I'll be honest, everyone; I have Beautiflies in my stomach, ugh," the Gym Leader lurched to one side. He was still in a bit of pain from what happened at this very location around two weeks ago. The pain was bearable, but it did spike at times. It was going to affect his ability to race, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to miss this for the world. About the only thing he'd trade to miss this was Raikou at his side - the real one - and even then, he'd have to think about it.

"Julia, take a look at this." He had the Hoenn League's livestreamed coverage up on his phone, Ray and Jody analyzing each of the competitors. By coincidence, they were talking about Julia right then. He pointed to the viewership; it was in the mid-five figures. And that wasn't even counting TV ratings. "The League must have promoted the hell out of this race." He leaned toward Julia's ear and whispered, "Just don't tell Matt. He'll have a heart attack."

He turned away to greet Isaac, then Nico and Matt. "Excited?" he asked the three of them, also showing Isaac the viewer count if he wanted. "I wasn't bringing anyone but my best partner here. Saber's Quick Attack is gonna carry me to a victory and let me punch a ticket to the pros!" How long he would last in there was another question; the difference was akin to College Division 1 vs the pros in any other sport. The speed difference was night and day.

Josh put his phone away as he walked to Matt; if the meeting in Lilycove taught him anything, he knew the budding Ranger had social Beautiflies of his own. If he found out almost fifty thousand people were watching him online, he would want to withdraw. He couldn't have that... not unless it came with a race-ending accident that he could use as an alibi. And even then, semi-intentionally or even intentionally going out of bounds and being eliminated from the race would look terrible for ratings.

"Nico, Matt! This might give you an idea of what my Gym is like! Looking forward to eventually seeing you there! If you can get through this, then my Gym Challenge will be a cakewalk." He wasn't kidding, either; Multiplex was a difficult course. It had a little of everything; sharp turns, a half pipe, a big slide on the backstretch (it was a jump, but special accommodations had to be made for the Onix and Steelix in the race), patches of unstable terrain, and even a field of spikes to weave around. All of this, of course, was public knowledge, as the course had been previewed several times during the pre-race show. "Nana looks super excited!"

Then, as he was making small talk, he heard Nico's name being called. "Hey Nico, you should get going! They're already having us line up." As names continued to get called, one in particular disgusted him. Razz. "Wait, what? What the #&%# is he doing here?!" Now, this race wasn't just about winning. He had to show Razz who was king of the track. Winning didn't matter as much to him anymore; what mattered more was finishing ahead of that pompous buffoon.

Josh, like many of the other competitors, did not know the results of the time trials. Every name that was called, and wasn't his, caused his smile to grow. He and his Manectric started walking toward the starting grid in anticipation of his name being called.

CHASE FOR THE SILPH CUP

It's a race.

He ignored the brief, rising cheers of the crowd as his name rang out from the announcer's lips.

"I must be losing my mind." He hummed at Llamrei as he patted her long mane of hair, chuckling.

The world might well end in a few weeks, and he was wasting time on a race instead of preparing for the conflict that would surely occur?

Well... yeah. He was bored as sin. And it had been a while since he had taken Llamrei on a proper ride anyway.

The equine snorted at his words, stomping the soil beneath them with her hooves.

"Yes, you are right." He said as he swung himself up atop his Rapidash, patting her side and smiling. "Now that we're here, no reason to not win."

He didn't know half the people present on any level; he hoped they would get used quickly to the sight of his ass.

---

Llamrei —
Speed S
Endurance C
Reaction D