FORTREE CITY

MEMBER-LED EVENT

STARTS MARCH 6

ENDS LATE MAY

THE FINAL SPRINT

SQUAWKS, SCREECHES, AND OTHER CRIES came from every Pokémon remaining in the race, their riders pushing them to their absolute limits in the race's final moments. Even those toward the back of the pack, such as Andrea Vaneau and Elise Calcifet , maintained their forms. They remained ever vigilant for passing opportunities; there was always a chance that a competitor pushed their Pokémon too hard and simply ran their partner ragged, out of metaphorical fuel.[break][break]

ALL EYES REMAINED ON Alexei Ivanov , kyle lopez , and Josh Devlin , their SALAMENCE, SHADOW TALONFLAME, and DRAGONAIR, and the checkered flag waving above the finish line. The Mauville Gym Leader and his serpentine dragon turned nearly invisible, its EXTREME SPEED causing one of many explosions of sound that rocked Fortree Gym in the race's final seconds. kyle lopez was quick to defend his position, taking advantage of being above Josh in altitude. He and his blazing bird soared as high as course bounds would allow before entering a nosebleed, BRAVE BIRD dive that all but sealed the young Gym Leader's chance to catch up. Even with pulling up at the last second to avoid a painful crash, it could not match the sublime technique from Alexei Ivanov 's MEGA SALAMENCE. Without the INFINITY ENERGY flowing through the crescent-winged dragon, the daring gambit of pushing off its own ROCK SLIDE would have certainly wound up injuring both dragon and rider. The unorthodox burst of speed from being able to use every muscle in its body to propel itself forward fast enough to hold off the competition. Even the Birdfather may have pushed himself to his physical limits in the air, the price of finishing in FIRST PLACE. The Top Champion and Master of Faster were not far behind, crossing in SECOND PLACE and THIRD PLACE.[break][break]

NOT FAR BEHIND THE TOP THREE, the TALONFLAME and SALAMENCE lam logan and Julia Davis were piloting mimicked the intense battle their top-two counterparts had. The red FLAME CHARGE in the top lane and the purple DRAGON DANCE in the bottom lane were like the ends of a rainbow, arcing over the wake of the ROCK SLIDE with grace that swaths of fans captured on video. Neither one of them gave in, the bodies of both flying Pokémon shaking from the exertion. The two were so close that it was impossible to tell at full speed which one of them crossed the line first.[break][break]

A SONIC DISCHARGE from El Sunderland 's TOGEKISS slingshotting forward in EXTREME SPEED upset the balance of MATIAS SILPH 's DRAGONITE and oscar clayton 's BEEDRILL. Its impact stiffened the dragon-type's tail, which would have been disastrous anywhere but the home stretch, making turning difficult. After being struck with paralyzing force in just the worst spot, the wasp's right wing gave out, sending the two spiraling toward the ground and forcing MATIAS SILPH to swerve out of the way at the last second to avoid not only going down with his competitor, but dodge a painful, unintended sting from the yellow-and-black Pokémon's rear barb. The sudden evasive maneuver cost the Volatile just enough time that he and the Ranger crossed the finish line at nearly the same time.[break][break]

EVEN THOSE IN THE BACK OF THE PACK GAVE IT THEIR ALL; Andrea Vaneau and her SHINY GYARADOS were bound and determined to catch up to Elise Calcifet and her NOIVERN. Mid-DRAGON DANCE, she steered the crimson serpent in the wake of the TAILWIND the vermin-like dragon-type created to propel itself at full speed. The princess' Pokémon was simply too nimble for the long water-type to stay within, putting more distance between herself and Andrea.[break][break]

HURRAH FOR THE CHAMPION

AFTER THE MYRIAD OF INTENSE BATTLES AT THE FINISH LINE, the large crowd cheered loudly as the top eight racers assembled near the center of the Gym's main battle court. Elise Calcifet , El Sunderland , MATIAS SILPH , lam logan , and Julia Davis , alongside or mounted on their Pokémon if they so desired, were in a row in front, with Alexei Ivanov standing in the very center of his own court. On his right was Top Champion kyle lopez , and on his left was Gym Leader Josh Devlin . The event's Master of Ceremonies took the microphone as FERNANDO SILPH took their vanity checks into his hands, preparing to present them to the valiant competitors.[break][break]

"ALL FOURTEEN RACERS and their Pokémon deserved to win on today's challenging course that will certainly be used in future seasons. Their display, even those unfortunate enough not to finish, was extraordinary. Those who crossed the finish line in today's Ordeal all show promise of punching their ticket to the Platinum Class in a future race this season. Give a big round of applause for all fourteen of our talented competitors today!" Though Alexei Ivanov received the loudest cheers, no doubt due to the race taking place in his home town, others including Julia Davis , El Sunderland , and lam logan received standing ovations and chants.[break][break]

FERNANDO SILPH HANDED VANITY CHECKS to the bottom five of the top eight, one at a time. With the increased prize structure incentivizing amateurs to turn semi-pro, even the bottom rungs of the ladder would be enough to at least go on a nice vacation with. The Silph Co. executive encouraged each team to pose while the Master of Ceremonies read their finishing times and positions to the crowd.[break][break]


"Finishing in eighth place with a time of five minutes, thirty-seven seconds, and 829 decimals, earning 62 Silph Cup points, Elise Calcifet and Koko, her Noivern!"[break][break]

"Finishing in seventh place with a time of five minutes, thirty-seven seconds, and 272 decimals, earning 66 Silph Cup points, El Sunderland and Akero, their Togekiss!"[break][break]

"Finishing in sixth place with a time of five minutes, thirty-seven seconds, and 259 decimals, earning 71 Silph Cup points, Elite Four MATIAS SILPH and Big Aqua, his Dragonite!"[break][break]

"Finishing in fifth place with a time of five minutes, thirty-five seconds, and 992 decimals, earning 76 Silph Cup points, Captain lam logan and Ziti, his Talonflame!"[break][break]

"Finishing in fourth place with a time of five minutes, thirty-five seconds and 917 decimals, earning 81 Silph Cup points, Julia Davis and Drake, her Salamence!"[break][break]

"And last but not least, presenting your top three! These sublime racers, with their performance in today's major championship, have each earned the right to turn fully professional and enter Platinum Class races in the 2024 season! There, they will compete only against the world's best!" FERNANDO SILPH strolled toward Josh Devlin with a BRONZE PLAQUE and check in hand, encouraging him to raise the awarded symbol with both his hands. "Your third-place finisher, with a time of five minutes, thirty-four seconds, and 958 decimals, earning 87 Silph Cup points, give it up for the Master of Faster and Mauville City's Gym Leader, Josh Devlin and Resheph, his Dragonair!" A large platform from within the battle court rose from underneath him, a prominent, blue numeral 3 painted on its front. It elevated the young man to roughly twice his height. The crowd began chanting his name, one section screaming particularly loud.[break][break]

Hoenn's richest man next approached kyle lopez , presenting him his check and SILVER PLAQUE, also expecting him to lift his prize sky-high when his name was called. "Next, our second-place finisher, with a time of five minutes, thirty-four seconds, and 343 decimals, earning 93 Silph Cup points, I want to hear you scream for Hoenn's Top Champion, kyle lopez and his Talonflame!" A platform of similar size rose from underneath him to around three times his height, this one labeled with a large, green numeral 2. The popular Champion likewise received intense praise from the gallery.[break][break]

Finally, the Councilman laid Alexei Ivanov 's check at his feet before returning with the large, GOLD TROPHY he was to present to the race's victor. "And finally, with a time of five minutes, thirty-three seconds, and 430 decimals, earning 100 Silph Cup points, let's give everything you've got for our Ordeal Champion and new record holder, ALEEEEEEXEIIIIII IIIIIIIIIVANOOOOOOOV!!!" The raucous cheering and whistling could be heard all around the normally sleepy town as FERNANDO SILPH encouraged him to raise the heavy trophy above his head, the platform underneath him rising to four times his own height. As the red numeral 1 on its front face shined brightly, cameras both personal and professional flashed incessantly.[break][break]

WITH ALL THE FINISHERS IN POSITION, the Master of Ceremonies sounded one last call to praise for the entire field, even for those who did not finish. With parting words, the broadcast ended, and the crowd began to disperse. Once the podium had receded back into the ground, a television interviewer, her shirt adorned with the PSPN logo, approached Alexei Ivanov with a microphone in hand. "Hello, my name is Jody Summers, and I'm a professional Pokémon racer that also does coverage for PSPN. Congratulations on your win today! Would it be possible to get just a few minutes of your time for a post-race interview?"[break][break]

Alexei Ivanov AND ANYONE HE WISHES TO COME WITH HIM CAN TAG Josh Devlin IN A NEW THREAD TO CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW. THIS INTERVIEW WILL BE FEATURED IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF PSPN DIGEST.

FINAL RESULTS

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If you cannot view the image, please click this link to view full size![break][break]

INSTRUCTIONS

PLEASE HEED THE FOLLOWING RULES. Failure to comply with these rules may result in the failure of your character's actions or the disqualification of your character from the race.[break][break]

The Silph Cup Guidelines can be referenced here.[break][break]

Before you post, you must lock in your Pokémon, moveset, and rank selection in the sign-up thread.[break][break]

Please include a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) OOC note with a summary of your character's important actions.[break][break]

You DO NOT NEED TO ROLL THIS ROUND.[break][break]

Missing too many posting rounds will result in YOUR CHARACTER'S DISQUALIFICATION.[break][break]

You are ALLOWED TO POST MULTIPLE TIMES THIS ROUND, but be mindful of giving others space & time to post within reason and with consideration of the deadline. Posting in this round is NOT REQUIRED to obtain participation rewards; it is a just-for-fun after-race social round!

DEADLINE

MAY 30 - 11:59 PM CDT (9:59 PM PDT)[break][break]

I will be submitting the thread for archival and rewards late the evening of May 31 CDT.[break][break]

tags

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Julia Davis Andrea Vaneau Elise Calcifet lam logan El Sunderland Alexei Ivanov MATIAS SILPH Josh Devlin kyle lopez