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 SHELLY SPIEL, Josh's scheduler, echoed over the Gym's loudspeakers:

"Challenger Genevieve Cromwell , please report to Sector 2. Challenger Cromwell, to Sector 2. Thank you!"

Provided the challenger found ample signage, he would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on Snacker the Sharpedo; the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Ripley the Barraskewda; and the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, at the reins of Keiga the Kingdra. Lastly, he would see the Gym Leader Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Kairi, a Vaporeon that was roughly Josh's height. A big smile on her face, she flicked her long tail back and forth in excitement. That would hurt to be hit by.

All his Gym Trainers and their Pokémon were already in the water, the Leader himself being the last to get wet."Great to see you again at Mauville Racing Grounds, Genevieve," Josh greeted his challenger. "It's been too long. For two of the Pokémon you'll be competing against, it will be the first race!"The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one.

The gallery surrounding Sector 2's DRIFT HIGHWAY course was full, small as the stands were. The course was aptly named: while almost all of its turns were U-turns, they were wide enough that a Pokémon could splash around them with strong enough fins alongside mount and rider working together to properly shift their weight around. There were plenty of long and straight parts of the course where Pokémon could let loose and go as fast as they wanted.

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 Aqua Jet 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 stepped off the channel's edge, landing in his Vaporeon's saddle with a splash and joining his three loyal Gym Trainers for the contest of speed. "Just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm making this easy for you. Hold on tight!" Josh warned as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Genevieve were to glance toward him, the challenger would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Kairi'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.

Special: Any extra rules specific to this Obstacle are located here.

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)

Special: Track Points lost as a result of non-Water Pokémon rolling beneath this Obstacle's Target Number are multiplied by 1.5, rounded up.

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.

Even as the five lined up, Josh wasn't one to not be sociable. "Jacuzzi is an impressive Vaporeon. Though they've become more so since distortions started showing up, ones his size are not at all common." He looked impressed with the Ranger's flex, as well; it seemed fieldwork had left Genevieve in quite good physical shape. That would make the race closer in theory; a strong core was required to race on a Pokémon to its full potential.

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 Kairi's sides, the Vaporeon cutting through the waves with powerful flicks of her tail. The rest of the field was quick to get up to speed, Ripley's extreme acceleration letting the white-haired gym trainer take an early lead. The two Vaporeon lagged behind off the line, but precise control over their tails could lead to them cresting the apex of many sharp turns and making up ground!

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: After a long and straight opening stretch, the course's titular feature loomed ahead: a series of three U-turns that started out gentle and wide, but became progressively tighter and more narrow. The first two, especially while the Pokémon were still getting up to speed, would likely pose little trouble, but the third would require braking or drifting! The former would likely ensure successful navigation at the cost of speed on the backstretch. The latter would be faster but more difficult, risking a collision with the inner banks if the drift started too early, or a painful scrape against the outer banks if they started too late!

Target Number: 125 (Reaction)

Special: Any TP lost as a result of a total roll that is more than 25 beneath the Target Number is doubled.

The hum of Ripley's tail fins churning the waters behind him like a motor boat was unsettling, the Barraskewda seemingly designed to cut through each corner. If Eron were to put up a run free of major miskates, there was little Josh, or any of the racers, could do to catch him. His course record would fall. That was not the purpose of the challenge, though. The purpose of the challenge was for Genevieve to prove she could demonstrate the precepts of Mauville Gym. Trust in one's Pokémon. Level-headedness under pressure. Quick thinking. All of those were important, both in reaching the Champion Assessment and on the field of battle, were the trainers strong enough to be recommended to join the war.

As the first of three long turns approached, Josh leaned into it, Kairi lifting her tail out of the water and splashing a geyser of water behind her. The two Vaporeon accelerated alongside one another, the Leader setting his sights on the valuable inside line. Unlike many of the rest of the Pokémon in the field, whose thrust was mostly steady, the nature of how a Vaporeon propelled itself in the water felt more like how a land Pokémon moved than a water. He could feel every flick of the water-type's tail, and he loved it. It felt like he could connect with his partner on a deeper level. That connection was the most important thing he tested his challengers on. If Genevieve shared that same passion, that same connection with Uzi, she would have no trouble being the first to cross the line.

Not one Pokémon held back as the light turned green, the Pokémon churning their fins, flicking their tails, and in the SHARPEDO's case, squirting water out its rear to propel themselves over the waves that quickly became bumpy in the wake of the competition. The traffic jam at the start was intense, Pokémon nearly bumping into one another as they fought for the perfect spot to lean into the first turn. ERON IUNIS and his BARRASKEWDA were the leaders after the first few seconds, the narrow-bodied fish's humming tails getting the white-haired Gym Trainer up to speed far faster than anyone else in the field. That kind of speed proved to be challenging to control. He directed his Pokémon to the right too soon, Pokémon and rider yelping as they bounced off the inside row of tightly-packed buoys and to the first curve's outside, the entire field shooting past them.

Josh Devlin and Genevieve Cromwell rode alongside one another, neck and neck for the first two curves. With every passing attempt ACE SHEEKE, ARAVAN ESCHER, and their vicious aquatic predators made, the quadrupedal water-types cut them off. The challenger's position on the starting grid gave her the inside line, and the advantage, on the final turn, cresting the apex and straightening out her trajectory right as the curve ended. The Leader had overcorrected on his exit, the opportunistic blue-haired Gym Trainer and his KINGDRA zipping past him. The race was still tight going into the backstretch, a contest of pure speed to come.

Prompt: After three long and grueling turns that wore the competitors' fin stamina down, a long, straight stretch of rapids loomed ahead. The racers had plenty of opportunity to get their Pokémon up to top speed, and they would need it; the course abruptly ended in a small waterfall, necessitating their partners to make a daring leap to another section of track straight ahead! A leap that was not long enough would be punished with a much windier alternative that would leave the Pokémon fighting the current!

Target Number: 135 (Speed)

Special: None

Genny had apparently been practicing since their most recent meeting; he was guiding Jacuzzi around those U-turns like someone trying to punch their way to the professional minor circuit! It was impressive to watch, and even gave Josh hints on when to make his own turns. If the Gym Leader had anything to say about it, that lead wouldn't last long.

The waterfall over the backstretch was the most challenging part of the course for Josh, as well. Seeing Jacuzzi wlidly slice his tail through the surface was the Gym Leader's cue to squeeze Kairi's sides, too. Even the Kingdra in front of him appeared to be leaning into the water to minimize drag as they sailed over the edge and to the channel below. He had to be ready to swerve out of the way of a Sharpedo and Barraskewda that would no doubt take full advantage of their raw speed. Maybe he wouldn't need to; with how much faster they were, it wouldn't surprise him if they went sailing over his head.

The gunshot-like noise of a SHARPEDO's sphincter expelling water at enormous pressures and the hum of a BARRASKEWDA's whirling propeller-fins was a stark reminder that Genevieve Cromwell , ARAVAN ESCHER, and Josh Devlin had to not only monitor the course ahead of them, but the competition behind. To the untrained eye, the aquatic predators' speed looked like an illegal Aqua Jet, but it was not; the carnivorous fish were just that fast.

The two swift Pokémon sailed above both the VAPOREON, the dark-type bumping into ARAVAN ESCHER's KINGDRA and turning them around mid-leap. The gallery booed the redhead as he narrowly took the lead from ERON IUNIS and the Galarian fish, the field almost completely reversed from the order it was in just ten seconds ago. Aside from their being a sizable gap, the race was still close, and a deadly curve coming up would force all the Pokémon, especially the swift ones that had just lost a lot of ground, to slam on the water brakes.

Prompt: Most of the Drift Highway's turns were long but gentle, making them easy to slide around. This was the one exception: a brutal, narrow S-curve typically only seen on substantially harder tracks. To take this curve without slowing down, Pokémon would need to trust their trainers' strength enough to hold on through a full left turn, followed by a full right turn half a second later... if the Pokémon itself was capable of shifting its weight that rapidly without capsizing in the first place! The vast majority of Pokémon would have their braking skills tested by this one.

Target Number: 135 (Reaction)

Special: None

The DRIFT HIGHWAY thus far had been simple; almost all the turns were the same angle, with width being the only difference the racers had to account for. Its second-to-last challenge was downright vicious: a whiplash-inducing turn that would fling the Gym Leader back and forth laterally. It was a curve that gave most of his Pokémon fits; he felt bad for Ace in particular, Snacker simply not built for such rapid twists.

"We gotta slam on the brakes, Kairi!" Josh cried over the crashing waves from the wakes of the speedy Pokémon surrounding him. He pulled the Vaporeon's reins back and to his right as he eased up with his legs, forcing Genny and her Vaporeon to either take the dangerous inside line or slam on the brakes with him.

Josh Devlin 's strategy of swooping and squatting in front of Genevieve Cromwell was daring. It would force the challenger to remain behind him throughout the dangerous curve, or try to pass him before it came. The move she ordered from her VAPOREON was perhaps more reckless than either of those: sinking to the bottom of the channel and under the whipping, swishing tail propelling the Leader's VAPOREON forward. Failure could knock the wind out of her and necessitate the medical team to intervene if she took on water.

The daring move worked, the challenger's VAPOREON surfacing in front of the Leader's just before the dangerous curve. With two powerful flicks of her Pokémon's tail, she whizzed by Josh. That momentary distraction was enough for him to start his turn late, both him and his Eeveelution wincing as they bounced off the channel's walls. Ouch. The sound of a KINGDRA cry was a sign that even ARAVAN ESCHER, once behind by quite a margin, was now within striking distance of his coworker.

As Genevieve Cromwell soared above the home stretch's final leap, she got a front row seat to the dazzling show of ACE SHEEKE'S SHARPEDO and ERON IUNIS' BARRASKEWDA nailing the landing. Both competitors looked like they were ready to slam their heels into their mounts' sides the moment they crossed the starting line. They looked ready to do so in sync with an announcer-like sound byte playing from the Gym's loudspeakers, the display on the starting arch flashing with the same message:

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

"YOU GOT BOOST POWER!"

Now, the true race would begin.

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 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 higher of the two rolls will be ignored. If the lowest two of the four rolls would still pass the Obstacle, Track Position for that Obstacle will be instead calculated based on the highest two rolls.

Prompt: The course's three opening U-turns loomed ahead a second time, though racers would find the timing for navigating them would feel much different, what with their Pokémon already going at full speed. This would be doubly true for Pokémon who fully embraced the course's name, choosing to drift around the long turns rather than twist their bodies via traditional means. There would be little time between curves to adjust, and fin muscles might start to feel the burn!

Target Number: 130 (Reaction)

Special: Using BOOST POWER on this Obstacle will change the Intended Skill to Endurance from Reaction. Any TP lost as a result of a total roll that is more than 25 beneath the Target Number is doubled.

As Josh and Kairi crossed the line, the Gym Leader saw just how much space was ahead of him and how much was behind him. Until he caught up to the challenger, he could simply treat the race like a time trial. As much as he loved the thrill of competition, his favorite opponent was the clock. Whether in a video game where he could see the ghost of his past best performance, or in the real world where he could not, the opponent that could push him better than anyone in the world was himself.

The Gym Leader slammed his heels into Kairi's scales moments after crossing the line, the Vaporeon following Uzi's QUICK ATTACK with one of her own. Josh leaned into the upcoming turn, the pressure it put on the turning side of his body making him squint. Holding such high speed turns was not only making him feel like he was being wrung out like a wet cloth, but the Vaporeon likewise, her rapidly-kicking legs and swishing tail propelling her far faster than many thought the Eeveelution could swim.

As tempting as it was for ERON IUNIS and ACE SHEEKE to dig into the flanks of their SHARPEDO and BARRASKEWDA, they had run the course enough times to know to hold back. While they were more than capable of rounding the first two turns at high speed, they knew that if they were to start an Aqua Jet, there was no stopping it until it ran its course. Instead, they looked for any edge they could get on each of the three wide U-turns. The smaller water-type and white-haired rider had turned too quickly going into the last of the three, forcing him to jerk the propeller-tailed water-type awkwardly to the outside and yield to the less nimble but faster shark.

Blasting through and drifting around the opening curves at high speed proved to be quite the challenge for those desperate to make up time on the leaders. Josh Devlin and ARAVAN ESCHER knew the course well, starting their motions well before the course itself turned. Genevieve Cromwell 's first two turns were immaculate, the challenger able to feel her legs kiss the apex of each.

The third, though, was tragically too early, causing her VAPOREON to bounce off the turn's inside corner and into its outside. It was a good thing the redhead knew how to hold on tight, otherwise she easily could have been launched from the Pokémon's back and faceplanted into the channel's banks! After losing all her speed and watching both Josh Devlin and ARAVAN ESCHER zoom past her, the challenger might ponder the Gym's slogan:

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

Prompt: After the leap on the backstretch were two fairly long straightaways, the second narrowing over time. They were separated by a gentle right turn that would be trivial for most Pokémon to make even at full speed. While it was a great place to let loose with a burst of speed, Pokémon would have to slam on the brakes when the course narrowed - that deadly chicane was coming!

Target Number: 100 (Reaction)

Special: None

Knowing the DRIFT WATERWAY well panned out for Josh; while the faster Barraskewda and Sharpedo were far ahead of him, he knew where his Vaporeon's speed was best applied: the west and east side straight stretches with jumps. Kairi's tail was powerful, allowing her to make huge leaps and cut corners on more complex courses. This course was too simple and carefully designed for her to do that. He already had to redesign a course once after a clever challenger found an Ultra Shortcut. Fixing that mistake was one expensive project.

"We'll get 'em right before the end, Kairi!" Josh encouraged his aquatic Eeveelution, guiding her to the outside line of the channel before shifting his body -- and the reins -- rightward. They had to be in perfect position for the chicane coming up; that turn was such a wild card that could shift the outcome of the race at any moment. The Gym Leader felt that even if he had to slow down a lot for that curve every lap, it would be faster than making a mistake on even one of the three laps. Crashing water roared behind him as Kairi's long tail repeatedly breached the surface.

Genevieve Cromwell and her VAPOREON were quick to get back up to speed, the roar and rumble of splashing behind her QUICK ATTACK forcing ARAVAN ESCHER and his KINGDRA back to the inside line to protect fourth position. As much as the blue-haired trainer wanted to floor it with his Pokémon's Dragon Dance, he could not. That wicked curve coming up would claim even the most nimble Pokémon trying to go through it at top speed. The two came through it without trouble, dueling one another for the right to get out of last place coming up to the home stretch.

ACE SHEEKE and ERON IUNIS were both competitive and fearless. Despite how far they had pulled away from one another, they were both pushing each other to their limits without being reckless. The SHARPEDO zoomed ahead, even catching air as the redhead at the reins pulled back to raise the shark's nose and generate drag in preparation for the chicane. The BARRASKEWDA had no need to slow down, ERON IUNIS dazed from the whiplash of the Galarian Pokémon's quick turns. All Josh Devlin and his VAPOREON could do was watch, take each curve as it came, and wait for a good passing opportunity on the final lap. With so much distance among the four racers, it would be similar to a time trial; there was no traffic to impede them.

Prompt: The course remained narrow in the home stretch, making going any more than two wide dicey at best. The long straightaway ahead was the racers' best opportunity yet for their Pokémon to let loose with AQUA JETS and the like. Some Pokémon might need it to cross the starting arch; that jump from the top of the waterfall was rather long!

Target Number: 120 (Speed)

Special: None