thankfully, nikola's smart enough to know better than to attempt an extreme speed under these conditions. or... well, more like they know better now, having already tried it previously and almost immediately being unseated and flying backwards. they're still sore from that encounter, shifting gingerly in their seat. instead they lead fluffy around the track while their other pokemon play nearby. when they feel she's ready to run, they'll get off her back.

"something i'm ashamed of...?" they muse. "i don't know. i don't remember enough to know if i should be ashamed." and they don't know if it's a good idea to regain those memories. living in ignorance might be kinder; they don't know what caused their memory to fracture, after all. "the only way i can know is by remembering, and by that point it may be too late."

they rein fluffy in and hop off her back again, hoping she's got a good feel for the track now. "it's a binary choice. i can stay exactly the way i am, or i can go back to the way i was."

Without the training Josh had, it would not be a good idea for the average trainer to push an Arcanine to full Extreme Speed. The species was well-known for their running speed, able to outrun even race cars when they put their all into it. It was one of many reasons the fire-type species was so often used as police dogs.

"Whenever the truth comes out, I'm sure you'll be ready for it and handle it the best way you can," Josh tried to console her as the two Arcanine stopped on the opposite side of the track. "Whichever choice you make, make it with no regrets. If you want to leave your past life behind, good. If you want to get to the bottom of it, also good."

The way Nikola controlled Fluffy caught the Gym Leader's attention. "You've got an innate talent for controlling Pokémon. You do the Gym Challenge?"

they blink owlishly behind the lens of their glasses. the gym challenge...? oh right, that thing. it's a little strange that the thought never crossed their mind despite their friendship with josh, but his identity as a gym leader took second place to his identity as a racer, at least in their own head. they absentmindedly pat fluffy on the back. "nope. never thought about it before." their familiarity with pokemon is likely more from a research standpoint. that information has always come easily enough to them.

nikola rubs their chin thoughtfully. "...i might consider it, depending on what i choose to pursue." there's a nagging feeling at the back of their mind, but it's drowned out by the sea of other thoughts there currently. "i need time to think on it-- and you need more time to recover before you should be taking too many challenges, probably." they smirk. "what better gym to start at than mauville's own?"