Thankfully for Daichi Kurimoto , the roads near Mauville Bay were not routinely patrolled by Law Enforcement. If they were, that was going to be one expensive speeding ticket. These roads were more well-traveled by Pokémon, though, which would be a real danger to anyone caught in the vehicle's path.

The squealing tires caught Josh's attention. While he didn't care for the individual's reckless driving, the driver's sense of speed tingled his fancy. Daichi Kurimoto was lucky the Gym Leader wasn't on duty. Rather than attempting to apprehend him, Josh would chase him down. Popping open one of his Poké Balls, his striped thundercat, Raikiri, appeared next to him in a flash of electricity. Swinging himself aboard the feral-looking Zeraora, Josh zipped himself into the electric-type's cocoon before squeezing the feline's sides. With blistering speed, the Master of Faster's prized partner chased after the vehicle, gaining on them at quite the rate. They would be clearly visible in the car's mirrors.

"Drowzee."  The psychic pokemon chimed in helpfully from the passenger's seat.

Daichi caught the flicker of movement in his peripherals, and shifted his gaze towards the rear view mirror. His stern brow furrowed at the reflection as he struggled to discern what he was even looking at back there.

"... What the fuck is that?" The driver reacted in an incredulous tone.

"Drowzee."

"Hmmm." Daichi's stony features remained impassive as he continued onwards, only sparing occasional glances for the rapidly shifting shape catching up from the shadows. Approaching the next corner, he shifted down and eased off the accelerator, preparing to initiate his next drift. "Well... let's see what they got."

Daichi's driving was reckless, a wild Pokémon diving out of the way of the speeding supercar. To make a drift like that, whether it was astride a Pokémon or behind the wheel, took talent. A lot of talent. In Josh's case, talent and trust in his mount to be able to regain enough grip with his paws to leave the drift. The Gym Leader tugged hard on the Zeraora's right and shifted his weight into the turn, sparks flying from his paws as they kicked up a lot of dirt behind them in an effort to match.

There was another turn coming up, though it was just barely visible on the horizon. With how fast they were going, that straight stretch wouldn't last long. Josh had to make his move now, and that was exactly what he did. Leaning as low as his cocoon would allow, the rider called for a QUICK ATTACK from his mythical mount. With speed akin to a nitrous boost, the Zeraora blasted forward, his long, powerful, and rapid strides putting physical stress on even the Master of Faster.

If the recklessness continued, he might have to call the cops for authorization to apprehend the driver. There were plenty of authorized places to drive or ride at adrenaline-pumping speeds. They were a bit too close to Mauville to be going that fast on a thoroughfare with as much traffic as 118. 123 would have been a much better choice...

Heading into the next corner, he picked his moment and steered into the direction of the turn. As soon as he could feel the car's weight begin to shift, he reached out and pulled sharply on the e-brake, letting the back end of the car slide with its momentum. Releasing the break just as quickly, he floored the accelerator, red-lining at a lower gear to set his rear tires spinning freely in another controlled drift. The only thing more pronounced than the loud screech of his tires was the smoke they produced, but the driver managed to maintain a tight racing line throughout the maneuver.

As clean as the drift was, the electric pokemon still *blew* past him with that quick attack. Daichi even found himself shielding his eyes with one hand as the shower of sparks passed through his peripherals.

The car was overtaken with a clear gap as the two riders emerged into the next straightaway.

"Drowzee."

"What pokemon even is that?" Daichi's brow furrowed with concentration, but he could feel his pulse begin to spike with a returning thrill."

"Drowzee."

"Think they're up for a dogfight?" The hint of a smirk began to return as he smoothly shifted into the next gear up and floored the accelerator again.


Josh Devlin

Daichi's car wasn't the only thing that could loudly purr; Josh felt the rumbling of his Zeraora's powerful lungs as the QUICK ATTACK wore off. The Gym Leader subtly tugged backward on the feline's reins, slowing his mount to keep pace with the vehicle. It would be one of the few ways to get the driver's attention. The mythical Pokémon fired a high-speed ELECTRO BALL in front of the driver's field of vision to get their attention.

Provided it was apparent that their presence was known, Josh would tilt his head toward the yellow-haired racer and shout, "There's places to do this legally, you know! Stop this before someone gets hurt!" As the engine roared one more time, the Gym Leader and his Zeraora would lose ground. "Raikiri, AGILITY!" As it turned out, Quick Attack was not the only trick Zeraora had in their bag for running sickeningly fast. The electric-type and Gym Leader fervently chased the driver down, both Pokémon and vehicle burning rubber in their own unique ways...

Daichi didn't have any hope of actually hearing the shouted words from inside his car. Not with both the engine, the closed windows, and the thumbing eurobeat to contend with. He had no intention of slowing down or pulling over anytime soon either.

One corner after another, the driver worked his way along the downhill course, keeping pace with the mounted pokemon rider. As time went on, he drifted less and less, abandoning the reckless flair in favor of clean driving and tighter racing lines. Each time he made ground in downhill straightaways, the Zeraora always seemed to catch up with its abilities and greater traction through the corners.

Soon enough the landscape began to level out, and the two riders began approaching the edge of town. The thrill of the downhill was no longer present, and Daichi began to lose interest fast. Easing off the accelerator, he began to coast, letting the other rider go on ahead. He looked around for an opportunity with sufficient space, ultimately opting to hit the breaks and instigate a stylish handbrake turn, pivoting the car to turn around 180 degrees. There was a brief, momentary window where his care halted, preparing to start accelerating up the mountain roads again.

Josh Devlin

Seeing the reckless driver slam on the brakes as he got a bit too close to Mauville for comfort, Josh was also forced to have Raikiri do the same. Fully extending his claws, the electric feline sliced a path through the short grass, kicking up enough dirt to blind anything directly ahead of him. The Leader grunted, feeling like he was floating in his cocoon from the deceleration's intensity. It was good practice for riding Screech. As fast as the Linoone's Extreme Speed was, the Pokémon was arguably more well-known for its ability to slam on the brakes.

As the tires of Daichi Kurimoto 's vehicle squealed, the Gym Leader had enough. If this didn't stop, someone was going to get hurt. The Zeraora could run plenty fast. As much as he didn't want to, Josh stopped to place a call to Mauville Law Enforcement.

"Dispatch, this is Gym Leader Devlin. Got a male suspect with yellow hair erratically driving a Nissan Silvia at a high rate of speed. Currently heading eastbound on 118 toward 123, over." With the green light to apprehend, Josh was in his element.

There were very few in Hoenn that were more feared than the Mauville Gym Leader in chasedowns. Even if he didn't have the finesse of a police officer's takedown, his mounts had the raw speed needed. Having recovered some of his stamina after the chase, the Zeraora was ready to go again. "After him, Raikiri!" After his command, Josh felt like his rear was being squeezed against the back of his mount's cocoon as the two zoomed after the speeding vehicle, trying to make up as much ground as he could.

Daichi's car continued accelerating, now facing a long stretch of straight ascending roadway, the reverse of the same route they'd just descended. Unfortunately, his modified tuner car was at much more of a disadvantage on uphill courses. As quick as the vehicle was, it lacked the raw horsepower to truly thrive in drag scenarios. Remaining calm, the driver focused on cleanly shifting through the first few gears, tuning out the sounds of the 2-liter turbo engine raging in protest at how hard it was being pushed.

That was the moment when the compact police scanner mounted on his dashboard chose to light up. Daichi turned his stereo down just in time to hear the rest of the call that his pursuer had put out over the emergency frequency. Scoffing, he tightened his grip on one side of the steering wheel and narrowed his gaze.

"... Fucking really?"

Clearly things were a little different around here compared to what he was used to in the mountains near Pewter City. The same levels of leeway from law enforcement didn't seem to exist in Hoenn. Honor among drivers (as he knew it) seemed absent as well. He would have to be a lot more careful going forward.

To make matters worse, he glanced towards his side mirror and noticed the unmistakable silhouette of the electric pokemon beginning to catch up. Knowing he had no other option, he kept his line and eased off the accelerator a little bit, giving the other rider an opportunity to pull up alongside him while they both kept moving.

With the length of the chase going well beyond normal, Josh could feel Raikiri's heart pounding rapidly and harshly. This rebel's roaring engine was pushing both Josh and the electric feline hard, but especially the mythical thundercat. Even Raikiri had his limits, the rider feeling the growing tension in his mount's muscles.

Relieved that the driver's vehicle seemed to be similarly protesting, the rider maneuvered alongside the yellow-haired suspect. Though he still could not see the driver's face, what with them being especially careful not to show it, he felt he was close enough for them to hear his shouting. "Okay, buddy! Pull over, now!" The glare of a Gym Leader badge would shine in Daichi Kurimoto 's mirror, showing that their pursuer indeed had credentials to do what he was doing...

Daichi set his jaw, considering his options as his dogged pursuer continued closing in. That was the moment when the psychic pokemon in his passenger seat suddenly spoke up, giving the established signal that they were approaching other vehicles beyond the next turn.[break][break]

"Drowzee! Drow, Drow."[break][break]

As predicted, a set of headlights would indeed suddenly round the corner up ahead, closing in on Daichi and Josh from the opposite direction. The two lane mountain road did not have enough room for all three of them to pass each other at once.[break][break]

It was the perfect opportunity for Daichi to put his planned maneuver into action. Just as the Zeraora pulled up alongside the car, he hit the brakes, shut off his headlights, put the car in neutral and shut off the ignition entirely.[break][break]

With the bright headlights and engine noise of the other car up ahead providing a distraction, Daichi effectively vanished from view. He used that cover to steer his car as it coasted through its own self-imposed darkness. Hoping that his pursuer wouldn't catch on in time, his car veered left to split off on a downhill residential sidestreet. The downhill momentum kept him moving forward, the lack of engine noise kept him almost silent, and the audible directions from his psychic pokemon helped direct his otherwise blind steering.

Josh Devlin