Furrets were too cute for racing. The fact that Josh's trainers were using one was a crime against humanity. Furrets were made cuddling, not for racing.

Howard suspected that fact would be lost on Josh and his trainers, though. It didn't matter, though. Doug far outpaced Furrets in the cuteness department, anyway. Or maybe that was the toxoplasmosis from being exposed to bears rearing its ugly head. It might've been for the best to get that checked out.

"I'm coming Josh! C'mere!" Howard shouted as the gap continued to close between the Gym Leader and the archaeologist. "Pick up the pace!"

The bear's heavy footsteps lumbered heavily against the track.

---

Josh Devlin
GHrbM9Tu

How different perspectives could be; while Furret were indeed cuddle pets for the majority who owned them, one the size of Wiley served a unique niche in the racing world: the ability to make whip-like turns. They may not have had the stamina of a Rapidash or the speed of an Arcanine, but on courses that curved like a Sandaconda, they were right at home. It was largely why the normal-type could shift between lanes so quickly without slowing down.

Howard's war cry, as unsettling as it was for the Gym Leader for both their safety and ability to finish the race, didn't break his concentration. It was foolhardy to try to make a move on the most dangerous part of the course. Were they to catch up here, all the more power to them. Focusing on simply staying on the track, Josh tightened his hold on Moosh's steering bars, staying as close to its center as he could as the road narrowed and widened suddenly.

howard slayte 's cry filled his BLOODMOON URSALUNA with inspiration and vigor, making a move on Josh Devlin 's URSALUNA despite the risk of tumbling off the course. Out of an abundance of caution, the Gym Leader himself pumped the metaphorical brakes once, giving himself that added split second of time to maneuver around the chaotic, abrupt, and hazardous backstretch. ERON IUNIS' FURRET made it look easy, the white-haired Gym Trainer looking like he was being pushed to his physical limits from the constant zipping back and forth.

As the challenger made his move, the two URSALUNA made contact at the worst possible moment: Josh Devlin 's Pokémon was on the narrowest section of the course, the bump causing the Hisuian Pokémon's left paws to touch only air. Unable to maintain his balance, the two tumbled out of bounds. Thank old Arceus upstairs, they landed on their feet. While not out of the race yet, able to RESTART from where they went out, they would suffer quite the time penalty, putting howard slayte firmly in front of him. The sinuous Pokémon was barely in sight as they rounded the final corner; first place may have been out of reach.

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 three Pokémon to give it everything they had!

Target Number: 0 (Speed)

Special: None

First place was out of reach, but second place wasn't.

A pyrrhic victory was still a victory in the eyes of the victor. If that meant that Howard would have to deny Josh second place, then he'd take that from him. He didn't have to win the race, he simply had to beat the Gym Leader. It wasn't a total win, but Howard would take what he could get.

"DOUG!" Howard shouted as the bear lumbered forward. His hand reached for the bird that was a mere speck on the horizon, so far away yet so tangible. His eye flicked back to the Gym Leader gaining on him, so close yet so unreachable. Howard Slayte would not catch Josh Devlin on the battlefield. "HEADLONG RUUUSH!"

He could catch him here.

"GO!"

---

Josh Devlin
BOOST
c|Ryyf9k

The OFF COURSE penalty was agitating, especially with how good of a run Josh and Moosh were on. By the time the two could leap back onto the home stretch, Howard and Doug had already zipped past them. They weren't out of it yet; it was just a matter of getting up to speed quickly enough to pass them in the contest's waning seconds.

"Full speed, Moosh! HIGH HORSEPOWER!" Josh ordered, bracing himself for the stress such a heavy charge would put on his body. And it did; the species was designed for hunting with its great muscle power, not racing. Doug didn't seem to be made for it, either, which was likely why Eron and Wiley were so far ahead of them and looked uncatchable. With repeated jabs of his knees, the Gym Leader pushed the normal-type to the fastest acceleration he could muster.

The two rivals pushed their URSALUNA to the precipice of their breaking points, even after watching ERON IUNIS and his FURRET cross the finish line seconds ahead of them. Were howard slayte to glance back, he would see the Gym Leader's mount gaining on them fast! Were the race a little longer, he would handily be passed. The Admin's lead continued to shrink as the finish line came closer and closer, perhaps able to feel a gust of wind from the rival ground-type's wake. He would see Josh and the racing-trained Pokémon in front of him after they crossed the finish line, but where were they in that critical moment?

Even Josh was tired as he and his Ursaluna slid across the finish line. "Phew," he exhaled, sweating profusely despite the cooler weather. "What a thriller until the very end. Eron and Wiley smoked us; bet you didn't think a Furret could run that fast, did you?" He let the attempt at humor sink in before continuing. "I dunno if I got you or not; it would have been a photo finish if this was a real Gym challenge. You're good to be able to keep up with me when I'm not holding back! This performance would have been worthy of a Badge for sure. I'm just... really curious who won, since we don't have officials to make that call for us."

Josh wracked his mind as he led the way back to the distant office building, brainstorming for a way he could determine who was the true winner. Not long passed before it dawned on him. "I could pull the security footage and enhance it, if you really want to know. It'll take some time, but for now, we can call it a tie. That was a lot of fun. Would love to see you challenge the Gym in an official capacity!"

Once they had returned to the north entrance, Josh slid down from Moosh's back and opened the sliding door for Howard. "You need a shower, you're more than welcome to use the locker room before you leave. So, what's next for us in the near future?" he asked his friend-and-rival.

"There's no need." Howard grunted as he exited himself from his saddle, feeling his feet against solid ground for a while. He wandered to a nearby trash can and vomited. After a few unceremonious seconds, he raised his head to confront Josh. "You won."

The words tasted like ash in his mouth, but even ash could fade away into nothing overtime.

"I felt it in my bones, a millisecond before I crossed the line. 'Josh just won'. I didn't know how you did it, I just know that you did. I don't doubt my gut."

Challenging the gym was a distant dream. Gathering Josh's badge was a far-flung destiny. Beating him would border on impossible, but he'd still have to try. He'd reach beyond what was expected, and grasp at victory from behind.

Then, at the opportune moment, he would seize victory.

"We shower, catch the next game on television, and wait for the next opportunity." Howard waggled a finger with mock seriousness. "Until next time, Master of Faster."

---

Josh Devlin