Mauville Racing Grounds' facility was enormous indeed; while the office space had little signage due to its size being on the smaller side, the property where the action took place, just outside the city proper, was enormous. Luckily, Josh had experienced staff who knew the facility well, and signage that could guide challengers to the correct location. The voice of ANDREW WEISS, Josh's scheduler, echoed over the Gym's loudspeakers:

"Challenger DESIREE BLOOMS , please report to Sector 1. Challenger Blooms, to Sector 1. Thank you!"

Provided the challenger found ample signage, he would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on Craggro the Hisuian Arcanine; the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Rani the female Pyroar, and the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, holding the steering bones of Jody the Shiny Cyzlizar. Lastly, she would see the Gym Leader Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Braver, a hulking Arcanine that looked almost uncomfortably large to sit on. "Desiree? I don't think we've met in person yet, but I've heard of you from some of my friends! Welcome to Mauville Racing Grounds," Josh greeted his challenger. "I'm excited to see you handle Surface Slide, as it's traditionally a real hurdle for beginning racers to handle!" The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one.

There was a light breeze out of the north, though it wouldn't affect Pokémon too much. A small crowd filled the bottom several rows of mostly empty stands on both sides of Sector 1's SURFACE SLIDE course. While it had a lot of long straightaways, it also had a lot of long curves, some of which were greater than 360 degrees. Navigating those without slowing down would be a huge test of stamina for all the Pokémon participating.

Josh went over the rules of the challenge, required by Hoenn League statute. "See that arch near the starting line, with the long and skinny monitor on it? We line up behind that, and the countdown will be on that display. It will sound four horns and display '3, 2, 1, GO'. On 'GO', our Pokémon will start running. Pokémon are not allowed to use moves like Quick Attack or Extreme Speed on the first lap. After the first lap, though, use them as much as your Pokémon can handle! Beat me to the finish line after three laps, or otherwise prove to me you can handle the pressure of split second decision making, and the Hoenn League Quick Badge is yours."

Once he had finished explaining the rules, Josh hopped aboard his Arcanine, the Gym Leader firmly holding the giant dog's reins. "Arcanine are some of the fastest Pokémon on land. You asked for it - better hold on tight!" Josh bragged as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Desiree were to glance toward him, she would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Braver's reins in anticipation of the green light.

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, and an additional 10 to rolls on Speed-based Obstacles.
  
• ENDURANCE: This represents how well a Pokémon can navigate difficult terrain, and affects how often a Pokémon can use its Boost during a race. Your Pokémon can use its Boost a number of times equal to its number of ranks in Endurance (min. 1). Each rank of Endurance reduces the Target Number of Endurance-based Obstacles by 20.
• REACTION: This represents a Pokémon’s cornering ability. Each rank of Reaction reduces the Target Number of Reaction-based Obstacles by 20.

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 140.

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: 105 (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. The QUICK BADGE is awarded if at least one of the following conditions are met:

1) The challenger finishes the race in 1st or 2nd place.
2) The challenger finishes the race ahead of the Gym Leader.
3) The challenger otherwise demonstrates their mastery of the tenets of Mauville Gym, at the Leader's discretion.

Desiree's and Beanbean's smiles were just as contagious as her enthusiasm. "The Pokémon Racing Federation has divisions throughout the world now. I'm sure that if there isn't one in Kalos already, one will catch on soon enough," Josh replied. "That's the secret of being a good racer, and a good trainer at that. Your bond must be close enough for the two of you to ride as one." The gallery wad filled with primarily Josh's fans, but there were quite a few Desiree fans in the seats as well.

Once the five were lined up, three images of the legendary Pokémon Raikou at full gallop appeared on the banner monitor above the starting arch. Behind them was a "GET READY" prompt, Josh and his Gym Trainers tensing their legs in anticipation. The first of the three images began to fade away, with it sounding a loud squawk as a simultaneous aural warning that the race was about to begin. A second, then a third followed. When the final image of Raikou disappeared, the prompt changed to a green "GO" alongside a longer and higher-pitched squawk. Josh squeezed Braver's sides hard a split second later, the Arcanine breaking into a run whose immense momentum made him glad he had a cocoon saddle for the hulking fire-type.

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 130 before modifiers.

Prompt: The course starts out with a lazy U-turn over a wide angle. It's not sharp, but Pokémon with poor handling capabilities would have difficulty holding the long, uphill turn. The difficult part of the opening is below; about fifty feet down was the next part of the track, and it has a very narrow landing zone. There is only room for about three Pokémon to run alongside each other at the bottom.

Target Number: 115 (Reaction)

Special: A Pokémon that rolls beneath the Target Number by more than 30 will instead result in a loss of 150 TP from the Pokémon landing out of bounds and suffering an OFF COURSE penalty. If that Pokémon is controlled by a NPC Gym Trainer, it is ELIMINATED FROM THE RACE instead.

Just because Josh and Desiree had become good friends outside the Gym circuit didn't mean he was going to go easy on her; if anything, it motivated the Master of Faster to try all the harder. From the starting horn, Josh squeezed his Arcanine's sides. While the hulking dog was slow to get up to speed, once he got the momentum going, it was going to be hard to catch him, especially on boost laps. Provided Desiree showed her skills with Beanbean, Josh would be more than comfortable yielding the early lead to her.

As the big drop came, the narrow track beneath them looking far skinnier than it actually was at fifty feet above, he took a different approach. Rather than pulsing the Arcanine's reins harshly into his halters, Josh simply let the Pokémon run off the edge, giving him a better chance to dodge traffic landing ahead of and behind him. The last thing he wanted to be part of was a pile-up mere seconds into the race!

The decision challenger DESIREE BLOOMS made to hold her ARCANINE back from the hotly-contested opening turn wound up saving her bacon on the course's difficult opening turn, giving them the entire width of the track while the PYROAR, SHINY CYCLIZAR, and other two ARCANINE went four wide down the shallow but long left turn. All four of the swift Pokémon engaged in a giant game of chicken, not wanting to give up their spot and drop to fourth place.

With powerful leaps, the three Pokémon in front of Josh Devlin sailed into the air, the ARCANINE choosing to run off the ledge instead. This decision, though it slowed him down, would prove to save him. The CYCLIZAR and PYROAR touched down on the narrow strip below, ARAVAN ESCHER's right leg grazing the right foam wall and sapping just enough speed for ERON IUNIS to take the early lead.

As Josh Devlin and DESIREE BLOOMS found themselves neck and neck barreling down the narrow straightaway, sand splashed all around them from their left: a sign that the HISUIAN ARCANINE ridden by ACE SHEEKE had landed out of bounds after the jump. Though they were ELIMINATED FROM THE RACE as a result, the duo insisted on finishing the course. Provided they stayed a set pace behind the fourth-place team, the officials ultimately agreed to accommodate the request.

And then there were four.

Prompt: After a long but narrow straightaway, the course slowly rises in elevation, testing the riders' ability to hold a long, uphill right turn. This wasn't the most stamina-intensive turn, but it would set the stage for what they would have to do toward the backstretch. The real test of the teams' skill was when the course stopped rising. There was an almost whiplash-inducing curve just after the two emerged from a short tunnel: a semi-blind U-turn to the right, followed by a second one back to the left. Full right-rein followed by full left-rein tugs might alone be enough for slower Pokémon, but for faster Pokémon, some braking may be needed.

Target Number: 130 (Reaction)

Special: None

Josh felt awful for Ace; Craggro was clearly not feeling well enough to race as of yet, the Hisuian Arcanine missing the landing strip on the very first lap and splashing sand everywhere around him. It wasn't the redhead's fault; perhaps he should have had one of his Pyroar racing with him instead? No sense in crying over spilled milk, though. The Hisuian Arcanine seemed content to take three laps around the course unofficially, as long as they didn't get in the way of the competitors. It would be good exercise for the overweight fire-type.

Josh had a more pressing matter to focus on, as well; he and Desiree were riding so close to one another that there was risk of their knees touching one another until the track opened up more widely. He guided Braver around the inside line, his rear scooting up the back of the Arcanine's saddle as they bounded uphill.

To those not familiar with the course, the next two turns would be rude by way of how sharp they were and them being half-blind. Knowing they were coming, the Gym Leader pulled back sharply with both his hands, his right more so. The pressure on Braver's halters would induce the Arcanine to put on the brakes, sparks flying from his claws as he leaned sharply into the turns. Even he let out a grunt, feeling like his right leg, then his left leg, were being squeezed from the momentum shift.

The two ARCANINE controlled by Josh Devlin and DESIREE BLOOMS remained uncomfortably close to one another down the narrow landing strip, only obtaining precious breathing room as the long, uphill right turn began. The Gym Leader's superior speed gave him an opening to leave the challenger in the dust and make a run at the CYCLIZAR and PYROAR controlled by ARAVAN ESCHER and ERON IUNIS.

The Gym Leader had the right idea to slam on the brakes, rounding the first U-turn with relative ease, though he gave up all the ground he had gained on the dragon and lion battling for the lead in front of him. When he saw he was running out of real estate on the switchback, he whipped the reins back to the other side, but it was too late; now both of his legs were being squeezed. His left so from the momentum of his ARCANINE turning, and his right from scraping the outside wall. DESIREE BLOOMS may have seen the result of the miscalculation as she and her own ARCANINE passed Josh, thanks to their lower speed allowing for greater turning stability. The Gym Leader and his fire-type recovered, though they trailed the challenger by about half a second.

Prompt: The next Obstacle was the course's titular one: the course took the two through a brief underpass followed by a shallow, but long, uphill turn that would take the two in a complete circle. Furthermore, the course was split into two narrow lanes by a steep slope that was easy to slide down if a Pokémon ever drifted too wide. The top lane was by far the fastest one, but with it only being wide enough for three Pokémon, the rider and Pokémon would both need the strength to hold such a long turn and avoid taking the very slow outside line!

Target Number: 130 (Endurance)

Special: TP loss as a result of a Pokémon rolling beneath this Obstacle's Target Number is multiplied by 1.5, rounded up.

Craggro's barking getting louder as even the eliminated Hisuian Arcanine started to catch up to him added insult to injury for Josh, now trailing Desiree by a handful of lengths. The RaiCorp Vision technology on his racing visor showed him so far behind that arrows popped up above Rani and Jody, drawing his attention to just where the first and second place Pokémon were. Arcanine were notoriously challenging to control, and Desiree seemed to have a good grasp on it - while they were behind the leaders, the two truly rode as one.

The track's home stretch was full of long turns that would play to Braver's strengths. While the looping turn wasn't shallow by any stretch, it was shallow enough that Braver could run through it at full speed. With a gentle kick to his mount's sides and a firm pull that put a lot of pressure on the fire-type's left-side halter, the Gym Leader pursued the challenger, wanting to prove he was the superior rider while at the same time continuing to evaluate her skills. There was a reason challengers did not have to win the race to qualify for the Badge!

The prospect of having its sweet tooth fed propelled challenger DESIREE BLOOMS ' ARCANINE to great speeds on the upper, narrow part of the titular SURFACE SLIDE. Both hers and Josh Devlin 's transitioned from the upper lane to the center lane efficiently and safely, gaining time on ARAVAN ESCHER's CYCLIZAR as it wobbled some from sliding down to the inside slope at an awkward angle. ERON IUNIS steadied his PYROAR, leaning his body weight toward the inside to help keep the lioness balanced. The tactic proved successful, sure-footedness allowing the PYROAR to cut part of the corner by running part way up the slope. It was an advantage only the white-haired competitor had.

As the course flattened out and the starting arch rapidly approached, the race had tightened up. The two ARCANINE, taking advantage of their superior top speed, slowly gained on the CYCLIZAR and PYROAR in front of them. Though Leader and challenger were trailing for now, their true test of trust and fearlessness would begin as soon as the first lap was over. When the first of the five Pokémon crossed the starting line, a clip of an announcer's voice played over the Gym's loudspeakers:

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763977284038033418/1088229073215574077/You_Got_Boost_Power.mp3[/player]

"You Got Boost Power!"

You Got Boost Power! Speed-increasing moves, such as QUICK ATTACK, AGILITY, and EXTREME SPEED are now allowed. Pokémon will be able to use such speed-increasing moves a number of times up to their Endurance ranks (min. 1) 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 lowest two rolls. For the second lap of the race, the Leader's rolls will be capped at 150, 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 lowest two of the four rolls will be taken. If the lowest two of the four rolls would still pass the Obstacle, Track Position for that Obstacle will be calculated based on the highest two of the four rolls.

Prompt: After the lap's opening jump is a long but narrow straightaway. While passing is possible, it can be dangerous; it is otherwise a great place for the fastest Pokémon on the track to let loose with everything they have.

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Special: Pokémon that end the Obstacle within 25 TP of each other will lose 50 TP each from colliding with one another.

Desiree remained ahead of the Leader for now. The back two laps, though, was where Josh put the pinkette's bond with her Arcanine to the true test. The giant dog took a lot of strength and grit to stay balanced on when running with the speed it was known for. He heard the challenger command her Arcanine to use Extreme Speed, the fire-type's legs disappearing into a blur from how rapid the running stroke got. Josh couldn't help but smirk. "I'll show you how to do that properly," he said to himself before giving the order for Braver to fire a burst of EXTREME SPEED of his own.

Josh's lower back slammed into the back of Braver's saddle, the tremendous momentum shift overcoming even his lower body strength. Bliss from the adrenaline rush crowded out all other emotions and feelings on the long but narrow straightaway, the Gym Leader going at the speed of a Raikou at full gallop. He enjoyed the Beast's presence every time he was with Hoenn's Top Champion. While it wasn't quite the same, Braver's fastest move was as close as he was going to get on demand; his Zeraora's Quick Attack was faster, yes, but it didn't last nearly as long. "Wheeeee-haaaaaaa!!!" he couldn't help but whoop, gently turning Braver in an effort to pass Desiree and make a run at the leaders.

Once the four Pokémon landed from the jump, and much later on, ACE SHEEKE's HISUIAN ARCANINE that was still unofficially participating, the fire-types' paws and the CYCLIZAR's squealing air sacs left scorch marks on the course. Heat radiated from the mane of the PYROAR controlled by ERON IUNIS, the speed trails of DOUBLE TEAM forming behind it. Though he at first had trouble controlling the CYCLIZAR mid-QUICK ATTACK, ARAVAN ESCHER was able to flawlessly guide his partner through the widening straightaway and up the gentle, uphill turn.

No Pokémon burned as hot as the EXTREME SPEEDING ARCANINE whose reins were held by Gym Leader Josh Devlin and challenger DESIREE BLOOMS . The giant dogs were streaks of orange and black as they shot forward at speeds even legendary Pokémon known for speed might have to put in effort to keep up with. Even the slight uphill turn may have felt like being yanked about, squeezed, and even wrung out due to the blistering speed they were putting on. Though they still trailed the CYCLIZAR, the race was really tightening up! As talented as the species was at excessive speed, the next part of the course would require them to slam on the brakes or risk a race-ending crash!

NOTE: This Obstacle has more than one Target Number. Please reference in your OOC notes which Target Number you are challenging.

Prompt: After a sharp right following a gentle ascent, the course featured a nearly as sharp, and much longer, left turn that would require a lot of strength or finesse to hold the entire time. The angle of the turn was at that awkward spot where a normal full-speed turn wouldn't be tight enough to avoid sliding along the outside line, yet a full-speed drifting turn would be too tight.

Target Number 1: 125 (Endurance)

Special: None

Target Number 2: 125 (Reaction)

Special: Boost does not impose disadvantage on this Obstacle. You must use a Boost move on this Obstacle to challenge this Target Number.

The field had substantially tightened up; with Josh sandwiched between Aravan and Desiree, a collision with one of them felt inevitable as the back-and-forth turns came up. His worst fear was sliding into Desiree's Arcanine and sending them both flying along the outside wall, and the speeds the giant dogs could run at made the possibility of a crash all the more worrying. No amount of safety equipment could fully protect them from at least being badly shaken up, given the speeds the fire-types were clocking.

With traffic surrounding him on both sides, there was nowhere to move... that was, until he saw the start of a burst of Agility from the challenger's Pokémon. It was exactly the window he needed to get out of the traffic jam he was in. Josh pulled back on Braver's reins for a split second, the Arcanine barking ones before pumping the biological brakes. With a skid that strategically robbed the Gym Leader and mount of some speed, he leaned into the two U-turns as hard as his strength and balance would allow, keeping an eye on Aravan and Desiree just in front of him.

The double U-turn could be approached in a multitude of ways. The conservative route was an option much of the field chose, Josh Devlin briefly reining his ARCANINE in to compensate for the species' notoriously poor turning. Pokémon stamina was a factor as well, ARAVAN ESCHER and ERON IUNIS choosing to keep a steady pace with their CYCLIZAR and PYROAR. Trusting in their surefootedness, or in the CYCLIZAR's case, the grip of its rubber-like air sacs, they slowly drifted toward the outside of the second turn, ultimately making it through unscathed.

DESIREE BLOOMS took the most aggressive line possible, ordering her ARCANINE to fire a blast of AGILITY to keep pace with the Gym Leader. Embers flew from beneath her paws, letting her skid around the corners much like a power-sliding vehicle. The higher speed of Josh Devlin 's ARCANINE proved to be a liability, the front feet of his steed becoming tangled in the back feet of the challenger's. With a skillful and sharp tug of the reins, she got away mostly unharmed, though losing quite a bit of ground on the leaders. The Gym Leader's leg and his ARCANINE's side scraped the outside wall as it curved counterclockwise, red stains appearing on its orange fur and on Josh's racing outfit. With grit befitting the Master of Faster, he and his Pokémon recovered fairly quickly, but there was now comfortable separation between the two super-fast dogs.

Prompt: Following the long, completely-circular left turn was another long, slightly tighter left turn split by the titular Surface Slide. Unlike the last, though, this one didn't have an upper lane or a lower lane. This had a flat central lane with a sloped inside and outside! Taking the inside line was a serious risk and could easily result in a Pokémon sliding down the outside slope and out of bounds if it was unable to recover from a slip!

Target Number: 130 (Reaction)

Special: If the Pokémon's total roll meets or exceeds the Target Number, TP will be calculated as though this is a Speed-based Obstacle. A Pokémon that misses the Target Number by 40 or more will instead be assessed a -150 TP penalty for landing OFF COURSE. Gym Trainers that land OFF COURSE are DISQUALIFIED instead.