Josh and Braver had fallen even further behind, his sharp eyes on Aravan and Josy in front of him as they landed on the lower track below. If there was a Pokémon that could eke out a come-from-behind win, though, it was Braver. The Arcanine was one of the fastest Pokémon at his Gym, nearly as fast as a Raikou when using Extreme Speed. Leaning in his face was fully shielded by his mount's cream fur. Bracing himself for a rough and tumble ride, the Gym Leader gave the order to use the ultrafast move.

The fire-type's legs turned into a blur, even creating a low humming sound from how impossibly fast the exerting technique was. The living fireball sprinted toward Aravan and Desiree, Josh putting as much pressure as he could on his mount's right halter to coax a drifting slide up the long, sloping turn. The longer he kept it up, the more his right leg throbbed, feeling like it could rupture like a Drifloon under pressure.

With the white flag waving, the four racers knew it was crunch time. Any mistake from this point forward could change the outcome of the race. Mistakes could easily be made on the long, uphill curve ahead, particularly by Josh Devlin and DESIREE BLOOMS , who took it as exceedingly high speeds! Raucous humming echoed from behind her as the Gym Leader's ARCANINE blitzed forward with bone-rattling EXTREME SPEED. If she wanted to maintain her position, the challenger would have to answer with AGILITY from her own mount, and answer she did.

Both giant dogs whistled around the competition, the speed at which the Leader's passed ARAVAN ESCHER startling his CYCLIZAR. The two drifted to the outside of the curve, DESIREE BLOOMS and her AGILITY-fueled ARCANINE gaining on them fast. As the backstretch's S-curve loomed ahead, the racers were forced to slam on the brakes. She found herself neck and neck with ERON IUNIS' PYROAR going into the nastiest curves to come!

Prompt: After the Pokémon in the race had a chance to take a breather, the course's titular Obstacle lurked beyond once more. With the racers now up to full speed, it would make the turn feel tighter than it did before! The top and bottom lanes were split by a steep slope that was easy to slide down if a Pokémon was unable to hold the full-circle turn. Carrying the drifting momentum of a QUICK ATTACK through such a curve was possible for highly skilled Pokémon, but was risky! One miscalculation, or even the rider's muscles cramping from the exertion needed to hold a physical command for that long, could send teams into the rail on the lower, outside lane!

Target Number: 130 (Endurance)

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

Josh was sore all over. His lower body was sore from absorbing the force of his Arcanine's rough gallop. His upper body's muscles felt like they were burning from the arm strength needed to get the fire-type to maintain the long turns needed to keep pace with the Pokémon around him. He was used to the pain from stressed muscles hungry for oxygen, but nothing like today's intense race was subjecting him to.

Desiree was still within striking distance, and passing her would make the difference between her getting a Badge and her not getting one. As much as Josh felt she deserved one, it was his job to make sure those who received Mauville's Gym Badge were truly worthy of it. There was one move Josh thought would win her the race, and the one move that made Arcanine such a highly desired mount. If she wanted to win, then she would need to muster the courage to use it again. His weary muscles unable to keep his arm steady, Josh did his best to line up as close to the center of the curve as possible, minding the uneven terrain.

Once this flattened out, though, Braver was kicking on the afterburners.

The fire-types and ARAVAN ESCHER's CYCLIZAR were burning up the track, pushing themselves to their limits. Scorch marks from the giant lion's and dogs' paws served as remnants of the tight lines they took, the sound of screeching, tire-like air sacs grating against the racers' ears during the final, long, and rough curve. The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as the four riders felt the burn of riding on a dashing Pokémon going at full speed.

What the two ARCANINE lacked in turning, they more than made up for in seemingly boundless stamina. ERON IUNIS' PYROAR opened up a lead through a tight line that left the white-haired Gym Trainer's left leg thumping, and a similarly tight line let ARAVAN ESCHER's CYCLIZAR get within striking distance of Gym Leader Josh Devlin 's ARCANINE with the home stretch looming ahead, and the Leader's and challenger's pacing allowed their mounts to keep pace with the more nimble fire-type and dragon-type surrounding them.

All that remained was the final sprint to the finish line. While DESIREE BLOOMS 's ARCANINE was running on fumes, her Pokémon's natural speed was so high that she still had a hope in outspeeding the PYROAR ahead of her. But would she be able to hold off the Leader's ARCANINE, who would almost certainly be tailing her at the most extreme of EXTREME SPEEDS?

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

Little did Josh know that the challenger's Arcanine was already running on fumes. Yes, the course was grueling on Pokémon, but the species was known for their high stamina, able to cross from Mauville all the way to Fallarbor in well under an hour. There were few ways to travel across the land faster than on the back of an Arcanine. He had made up his mind about the challenger; they had shown intricate understanding of one another for the entire race, holding the Gym Leader off for a long time. They remained competitive almost the entire way, gaining and losing position at almost the same rate.

With the finish line in sight, Josh could wait no longer. "Braver, EXTREME SPEED!" the Gym Leader commanded. With a loud bark that may have startled Desiree, the striped dog's orange legs disappeared into a blur. His mount's running stroke was fast enough for Josh to seemingly float above the saddle. The rider leaned into Braver's thick, cream fur as much as he could without impairing his vision, holding a relatively gentle pull on the fire-type's right-side reins to maintain a good racing line in the contest's final moments.

DESIREE BLOOMS ' ARCANINE had finally reached the limits of its stamina. Coming down the home stretch, it simply did not have the energy to enter the EXTREME SPEED that would have solidified her position. The rest of the field rushed forward around them, ERON IUNIS and his PYROAR running away from the rest of the field in a breathtaking trail of reflections that dazzled the gallery. Even with the challenger's ARCANINE carrying her at full gallop, the orange blur that was Josh Devlin 's EXTREME SPEEDING ARCANINE was too fast to recognize as they dashed past in the race's closing seconds.

The sound of squealing CYCLIZAR air sac encouraged the challenger's Pokémon to keep going despite the tingling in its weary muscles. The gap between the two became smaller and smaller as the finish line came closer. If the race was only a few hundred meters longer, ARAVAN ESCHER would have snatched the final podium spot from her. Thankfully for her, she had just enough real estate to hold them off.

Not long after the race had concluded and the competitors were given a chance to hydrate (and Beanbean devour the many snacks that were due, provided DESIREE BLOOMS were not to renege on that promise), the Leader and challenger, alongside ERON IUNIS and his PYROAR, would find themselves on the receiving end of a deluge of cheers. As the announcer read off the top finishers' ending positions and times, Josh drew his Gym's Badge into a closed right fist.

"It's been a long time since I've had an Arcanine race be so competitive," Josh said to Desiree as he stepped off his podium spot and onto the grass below. "The amount of strength and trust it takes to control an Arcanine at full gallop is immense. New riders come to me frequently with Arcanine and don't believe me when I say how difficult they are to control. To race one at its full potential requires not only a deep bond with your Pokémon, but peak athleticism. While you are lacking in the latter, your display of the former is a skill that will see you far in the Pokémon League."

The Mauville Leader opened his closed fist in front of the entertainer, revealing his Gym Badge for the taking. "This is the official Hoenn League Quick Badge. You and your Arcanine shall be enshrined in the Gym's list of Qualified Riders as champions." He paused to let his friend claim her Badge and let the title sink in. Desiree may have been able to hear Josh's disgruntled mumbling about Eron taking his course record from him. "Right, Desiree. You said you were going to treat your Arcanine to some sweets. How about we go to this place called The Little Chocolatier? It's on the northeast side. They do have sweets there other than chocolate." Chocolate, of course, was poisonous to Arcanine.