Ixion's approach on the left was met with a glance from Konchu - the Scolipede's gallop seemingly matching the Rapidash' own. Though her raw speed was sure to trump his though, the bug-type seemed to only take this as a challenge - letting out a low and rattling hiss that wasn't hostile, but was definitely competitive.

El couldn't help a soft chuckle at this, patting Konchu on the neck. "Eyes on the road," They softly reminded Konchu - even if they had a straightaway, the turn ahead was going to be interesting at these ever-faster speeds. In fact, El was feeling a bit bold - perhaps, just maybe, they could..?

"C'mon, buddy - let's do it." They whispered to Konchu - giving a nudge with their heel, to urge him onward into a sprint!

Boosting
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Speed: B (3) // Endurance: B (3) // Reaction: C (2)
Josh Devlin

Crossing the line last as the white flag dropped, Jackie knew she had a lot of ground to make up, and she was running out of real estate. Blinky was also running out of breath, and the Interim Gym Leader could feel it. There were very few spots on the very twisty course to take true advantage of the Eeveelution's blistering sprint. Josh had always told her in training to always save her mount's last bit of strength for the home stretch, where races were often won and lost.

Holding back the urge to spur her mount into a dash along the long and fairly straight opening stretch, she simply tailed the Houndoom, taking each of the course's curves as they came. If she could make it past the hairpin turn at the end within striking range of those ahead of her, nothing was stopping her. Other than Raikiri, Blinky may have been Josh's swiftest land Pokémon. Shifting her body weight left and putting pressure on the left side of the Jolteon's halters, the blonde whistled through Screw Mound's opening curves in pursuit of her co-workers.

For those in the back of the field, aggression was warranted. For those in front, such as the LIEPARD controlled by ARAVAN ESCHER, it was of utmost importance to coax about ninety percent out of his partner. Outside of the time trials, raw time was not deterministic of a winner and loser. A racer only needed to push their Pokémon just harder than those behind them.

As the crackling, roaring of the flames of ERON IUNIS' SHINY RAPIDASH reached the ears of those in front, the race leader kept his cool, sticking to the game plan despite El Sunderland and their SCOLIPEDE making up a lot of lost ground with a well-timed SPEED BOOST. Their maneuver put distance between themselves and ACE SHEEKE's HOUNDOOM, giving them relief from the fire-types that were closely chasing them. Even JACKIE MYERS and her JOLTEON made up a lot of ground with good racing fundamentals, picking up several lengths by virtue of the equine in front of her being unable to control the added speed its own burst of AGILITY bestowed. On a course so wide, even the raw speed behind a burst of AGILITY would leave its wielder behind a Pokémon that gracefully hugged the inside line. While she still trailed the rest of the field, that hairpin turn before the finish line was a real uncertainty. Anything could happen!

Prompt: After the backstretch's series of long and narrow turns, only one real challenge remained. It was a doozy, though: the steeply banked, hairpin turn that gave so many Pokémon so much trouble on previous laps. It would test the racers' braking skills as well as the trust between Pokémon and rider by way of executing the sharpest turn they could without risking a fall from trying to overdo it! Furthermore, Pokémon may already have been fatigued from having run two laps at breakneck pace on the short but twisty circuit!

Target Number: 130 (Reaction)

Special: Pokémon do not apply ranks in Speed to this Obstacle.

It seemed as though the race was tightening back up - a glance to the back showed that even though the distance between Konchu and Ixion was growing, Blinky and Komainu were catching up.

However, the obstacle ahead was likely going to make holding second place tricky. A tight turn like that, at these speeds, wasn't going to be easy - though El would still make the attempt to lean into it. "We can do it, Konchu - just a little longer!" They encouraged, patting the Scolipede on the neck. Even if they can't quite make this turn, they still had a healthy position.

And the bug would make an affirmatory hiss in response, taking on the turn ahead without fear.

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Speed: B (3) // Endurance: B (3) // Reaction: C (2)
Josh Devlin

Jackie had hoped to make up more ground than that in the narrow but relatively straight path. While Blinky was swift, and hair-raisingly swift at that, there was still so much ground to make up in the race's waning seconds. She had to keep in mind the Jolteon's surgery, too. While the physical bonds of her artificial claws to the stumps of her natural ones were as strong as modern medicine could make them, nothing beat nature at it.

Slamming on the metaphorical brakes, the screech of paws against track and the sight of sparks flying from them got the gallery to cheer for her. Flung forward in her seat from the powerful deceleration, the Interim Gym Leader was thankful Josh Devlin had thought to have a guard put on the front of Blinky's saddle; otherwise, she would have gone flying into her mount's quills. At the slower speed, she reined the Jolteon toward the curve's apex, looking for a straight line she could guide her mount through. If she could find that line, she would have a chance at catching up in the final sprint.

All five racers leaned hard into the long, wide, and sharp left turn to assist their Pokémon, who needed every bit of support their trainers could provide. The utmost precision would be required to avoid slowing down much. Some racers, including ERON IUNIS and JACKIE MYERS, opted to err on the side of caution, their RAPIDASH and JOLTEON skidding against the lead-in real estate to kill enough of their speed for a tight turn. Others, such as El Sunderland 's SCOLIPEDE and ARAVAN ESCHER's LIEPARD, relied on their superior natural turning capability to crest the curve's apex in a beautiful motion.

ACE SHEEKE and his HOUNDOOM weren't playing for a solid finish, though. They wanted a win. They went way up the outside bank, trying to find the perfect line to Trailblaze their way through the remainder of the course. Bone and black flesh would scrape the foam wall on the inside of the course from the large dog misjudging when to exit the turn, the RAPIDASH and JOLTEON whizzing by.

The forms of the top competitors were all great coming out of the final turn. While ARAVAN ESCHER and his LIEPARD maintained the lead going into the final sprint, El Sunderland and their SCOLIPEDE and ERON IUNIS and his RAPIDASH were gaining on the velvet feline fast! With the terrifying sprinting speeds the equine and steamrolling insect were known for, it was still largely uncertain who would cross the finish line first. The gallery roared in excitement; with the horse Pokémon's blue mane blazing at maximum brightness, they wondered if they would get a photo finish between the challenger and the white-haired veteran!

Prompt: 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 five Pokémon to give it everything they had!

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Special: None

Though Konchu nearly couldn't turn sharply enough, he had made it through the pinpoint twist. El was unable to help a laughing whoop at both the sensation of the sharp turn, and the fact that they were able to maintain position - even if Ixion was fast catching up, their position in 2nd still felt plenty healthy.

Especially when the finish line was in sight - a straight sprint, that everyone was sure to go all-out for. And El was no different, grinning over to Konchu. "Go all out - I know your speed's been building!" They encouraged, giving the Scolipede a nudge with their heel.

And Konchu let out a shrill, excited chitter in response. Without needing to fear about loss of control from speed in any subsequent twists and obstacles - given that this was the end of the race - he was free to go as fast as he pleased. Speed Boost propelled him in a full charge down the straightaway, as he was eager to maintain his position in 2nd and perhaps even - if luck was there - overtake the Liepard!

One last boost!
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Speed: B (3) // Endurance: B (3) // Reaction: C (2)
Josh Devlin

Jackie felt bad for ACE SHEEKE. While it was the brash redhead's only move that would give him a shot at taking first place, the end result of the misjudged turn looked both mentally and physically painful. Was that blood she saw? She would handle that later. The race was seconds from finishing, and little did she know even Ace and his Houndoom were adamant on finishing, even if it was in last place.

The competition seemed so far ahead, but if there was one Pokémon on the true Gym Leader's roster, it was the one the interim Gym Leader was seated on. Once she had a straight path to the finish line, she hung Blinky's reins at the end of the saddle, held onto it with every bit of strength, and slammed her heels into the Jolteon's sides. "There's still time, Blinky! Give it all you've got!" With a crackling cry, every quill on the Electric-type's body stood up, with exception of the ones covered by her saddle. With a brilliant discharge from her legs, Blinky sprinted toward the checkered flag in a lightning fast QUICK ATTACK, Jackie's knuckles turning white as the two went all out in a bid for a come-from-behind win!

The five competitors, rounding the final corner and with the checkered flag waving above their heads, spurred their Pokémon to fantastic speeds. The momentum of El Sunderland 's SCOLIPEDE mid-SPEED BOOST made even the FLAME CHARGING RAPIDASH think twice about trying to cut the venomous insect off. In plain sight, the LIEPARD of ARAVAN ESCHER entered perhaps the slowest DOUBLE TEAM seen in quite some time, only able to create a single image rather than the three that came standard with the move. It was a sign the dark-type was spent, about to huff and puff over the finish line. It was a golden opportunity for El Sunderland , ERON IUNIS, and even acting Gym Leader JACKIE MYERS to steal a victory right from underneath him.

The distance to the goal and the speeds the racers achieved with their Pokémon moves made the race too close to call until everyone was across the finish line. The frontrunners had a distance advantage, but the Jolteon was gaining on them at a frightening rate as the SCOLIPEDE and RAPIDASH battled for second place. Even ACE SHEEKE's HOUNDOOM went all-out at the race's end, TRAILBLAZING their way to the finish line behind the close competitors in front. Ultimately, the LIEPARD's lead held, but not by much. While it was close among the other three competitors, the slow-motion replay had made it clear that the SHINY RAPIDASH had passed the challenger in the very end, finishing with a clear victory over the Gym Leader.

The adrenaline of a good race, tight from close to finish, had overcome the acting Gym Leader. While she was used to participating in races, she was not used to having to remain as calm as she could be post-race, having to be the one to disburse challengers' Badges instead of Josh. "I thought I was gonna be able to tell Josh I beat you," she said to the Ranger, still breathing somewhat heavily. "You kept it close and exciting the entire way through. On top of that, you more than showed you and your Scolipede can truly act as one when need be. As I've heard Josh say many times, that is exactly the kind of relationship the Pokémon League looks for."

The race over, the young lady reached into her pocket. Sparing no subtleties with presentation, unlike Josh's typical slow-roll, she presented the young one with the Gym's Badge. "The Hoenn League's official Quick Badge is yours. You and your Scolipede shall be enshrined in the Gym's list of Qualified Riders as champions." She sounded a little too much like she was reading from a script, nerves still there from both the finish and performing her duty before such a well-known servant of the League. "Oh, and the Gym Leader meant to say hi!" Once the ceremony was over, she would lead them back to the lobby and send them on their way, ready to file paperwork with the League to make El's win official.