Josh was easy enough to find in the Main Sector of Mauville Racing Grounds, near the SPLIT OVAL, the course ideal for beginners. While it had slanting ground, a two-lane fork, and some elevation change to it, it was still the simplest course for a brand-new Pokémon rider to handle. Today's class was small: with only five making it through training, each of Josh's tenured trainers could focus on teaching one-on-one. Elise may have been able to catch a glimpse of Raikiri, Josh's Zeraora, barreling down a nearby land course in Sector 1 at surreal speed rivaling even legendary Pokémon.

She would also see some of what would be her co-workers if she made it all the way through the new hire process: SHAWN RICHARDS, LYNDON MYERS, JACKIE MYERS, and JANE HOWARD. The first of which was the second-in-command, and had been chosen for the position of Interim Gym Leader in the event something untoward were to happen to Josh. He was seated atop Saber, Josh's Manectric. All the others were seated atop male Pyroar, one of which was Shiny.

"I want to start today's training with a diagnostic," Josh asked Elise, seated on his Absol, who tilted her head toward the princess and her own Absol with an expressionless stare. "Let's go for a ride around the Split Oval once. I want to gauge your skill level so I can determine where to start. I'll do my best to keep pace with you."

The brightly-glowing Illumina Pokémon kept pace with Elise and her own, reaching quite the clip going down the hill at the very end. While it wasn't fast enough to warrant a joyous cry. Mauville's Gym Leader was still having a lot of fun. Elise was among the top performers, crossing the finish line second out of all the students Josh and his tenured trainers were working with. "You've got a lot of experience riding Pokémon, don't you?" the inquisitive one asked. "I'm impressed. You've got good balance and aren't afraid of high speed at all. I've just got a couple things I want to go over with you before we get into racing fundamentals."

With that, Josh led the way to the widest part of the course: right before where it split in two. "Now, making sharp turns will not only test your Pokémon's strength, but yours as well. You know how you can guide your Pokémon either with shifting your weight or by pulling on your Pokémon's reins? Well, you can make really tight turns if you do both at the same time." He gave a quick demonstration, letting his Absol get up to speed before leaning harshly to his left and harshly yanking backward with just his left hand. He let out a hiss as Twilight dug her claws into the ground, digging up quite a bit of dirt and swerving back toward Elise with great speed. Of course, he would cut his high speed before it became a danger to her. "I do want to warn you, you will feel like your thigh and upper leg are being squeezed, but it can be really important for twisty courses. There are plenty to practice on elsewhere on the properly. If you're comfortable with it, give it a try." With that, he would yield to Sayori.

"Your experience shows," Josh replied as his eyes shifted toward his tenured Gym Trainers, making sure they were instructing the new hires correctly. All seemed to go according the plan. "Alright, good luck with her!" Josh and his own Absol tailed the young princess, mimicking the expected move at a distance. With a Pokémon so adept at turning naturally, he knew it was going to be rough on both of them. It was an important technique to learn for Pokémon with less turning prowess, though.

During the swift turn, Josh felt like he was being yanked to one side as though he were tethered to a taut cord stretched to its limit. He let out a yelp of his own, feeling like the Absol was trying to buck him off during the maneuver. With both of them having kicked up quite a bit of dust, Josh knew Elise hadn't held back. "I'm really impressed. You'll be one of my most trusted Gym Trainers before you know it. Now, before we get into racing fundamentals, there's one more important thing I want to see you try. Some courses will require Pokémon to jump. To command a Pokémon to jump, flick the reins with both your wrists, almost like you're holding a whip. And hold on tight, too; some Pokémon can jump really high!"

Sayori's lack of turning prowess didn't go unnoticed by Josh, though it was not a concern. Every Pokémon was different; even Pokémon of the same species had their strengths and weaknesses! Perhaps Sayori could outrun Twilight in exchange for not being able to use her claws as well as the Gym Leader's Absol could. Right as the pulse reached Sayori's halters, the dark-type leaped quickly and gracefully, garnering a round of applause from Josh.

"You're impressive for some with as little experience as you say," Josh complimented. "You're either a really fast learner or you've been downplaying your experience. Either way, I'm amazed. That should make the second half of this easy enough." Making sure the TWIST ROAD course was open, Josh waved Elise toward the novice-level course meant for challengers with no Badges.

"Alright, so we'll go over fundamentals here," Josh lead into the typically more grueling half of the training, though he doubted the princess would have much trouble with it. "I'll cover what I can, then we'll take one lap around the course and see what your level of understanding is." He took a deep breath, ready to teach Elise. "One of the most important concepts in racing, whether it be Pokémon racing, auto racing, or even foot racing, is the inside line. The easiest way to gain an edge over the competition is to try to run along the inside of every curve. This minimizes the distance you need to travel."

Josh then directed his attention toward the U-turn behind the starting line. "Some turns, though, are just too tight to navigate without slowing down too much. In this case, your goal is to crest the turn's apex. How wide you need to be depends on the angle of the turn and the turning capabilities of your Pokémon. That's something that is often a judgment call, and you'd rather err on the side of caution than rein your Pokémon into a wall. Pokémon are usually smart enough to avoid outright crashing, but it's a huge speed loss that your Pokémon might not easily recover from." The sharp claws of an Absol typically bestowed high acceleration and rapid cornering, but Sayori could have been different! The only way to learn for certain was to experiment.

For someone who allegedly had no experience racing Pokémon, Elise was picking up on best practices faster than the Johto Beast could run. It was a picture perfect slide, even exiting the turn in great position. "You sure you don't have any past experience with racing Pokémon? You're learning faster than I am. Your Absol is quite fast, too. I can't wait to take on challengers with you; competing against you will be a lot of fun."

Josh reined Twilight around the course's starting turns to its longest straightaway: one they would need to clear a wide gap, as the bridge over the course's starting area had been retracted, just like it was during boost laps. "There's just one more thing we need to go over. Have you ever ridden on a Pokémon while it's using Quick Attack?" he asked with quite the excited look on his face.

It came to a bit of a surprise to Josh that Elise hadn't even thought about it, let alone experimented with it. They had known each other for quite some time. No worries, though; this was the best time to learn. "The command for it is something you'll have to develop on your own, as there's not a universal one that all Pokémon use. I prefer verbal ones for moves like Quick Attack, Agility, and Extreme Speed. It also gives you a chance to brace yourself." That last point was especially important; Quick Attack, while an essential skill of Pokémon racing, was rather jarring for the trainer.

"If you've ever seen a Pokémon use Quick Attack, you know how they turn into a blur mid-move, right? Well, the rest of the world around you turns into that a little when you're riding a Pokémon using it. It not only takes a lot of focus, but a lot of physical ability to ride mid-Quick Attack." He wasn't joking, either. Every Pokémon species had a top speed range they fell in. Quick Attack was such a powerful burst of speed that even Pokémon on the low end of their range could outspeed ones on the high end of the range for as long as it lasted.

"The first few times you try it, it's going to feel like being shot out of a cannon. There's nothing smooth about a Quick Attack; the speed change is abrupt and wild. On average, Pokémon gain about a third as much of their normal speed from using the move. The faster your Pokémon runs naturally, the more force you'll have to withstand. That's why I was so hesitant to let you ride my Jolteon for so long."

Thankfully, executing the maneuver wasn't complicated. "It's simple in theory anyway - just mount up, give the word to your Pokémon, and hold on tight. If you'd be more comfortable with it, we can try to have both our Absol Quick Attack alongside one another." While it may have been a comforting suggestion, Josh was unsure how Elise would feel.

Josh's eyes remained on both Sayori and Elise as the two accelerated down the oval course's home stretch. As much of a thrill as it would be to blast alongside his trainee at speeds faster than any trainee before him went at during class, he retained discipline and simply observed.

The Absol's form was pristine. Josh was perhaps the only one that could make that observation... at least among those present. The speed the Dark-type reached was terrifying for the untrained rider. Even with safety equipment, a fall at that speed would still be unpleasant. Elise's form, too, was magnificent. Excellent balance, quick recovery from the recoil that came with it... everything about it was wonderful. "You sure you haven't been on the racing circuit before?" Josh would ask after the two were done. "You have a lot of natural talent. After you get your 90 days in, I bet you could give me some real competition on the track!"