the things that were bothering nikola at the time of their last meeting have been buried in the back of their mind. instead they've brought their game face, hoping to throw themself into this practice as a form of field research. they've also brought their mabosstiff and furret again, since the two had so much fun playing last time they were here. it's rare that the pokemon are given so much space and freedom to roam; they get to play at the park, but there's so many other pokemon there that they have to be careful not to start any fights.

"ready, chief!" they give josh a thumbs up. they're wearing contacts today, not wanting to risk their glasses falling off and breaking. at their side is fluffy the arcanine, panting and looking around curiously. she's already been fitted with her saddle, and she's antsy to get going. she lets out a whine and lowers herself to the ground, head on her front paws, looking up at the two trainers expectantly.

[ Josh Devlin ]

Josh was impressed with Fluffy's stance, looking much like a world-class sprinter on the starting blocks of a worldwide meet. He flicked his helmet's visor down as though they were about to enter a race. Instead of racing down a track, they would be dashing down the property's concourse. It was straight and not too hilly compared to the rest of the Gym, especially toward the back.

"Don't forget your eye protection," Josh reminded them, "unless you want to be riding blind. You know how fast those Unovan race cars get? Fluffy and Braver are even faster than that once they get there." It wasn't a lot faster, but it was still beyond hair-raising for most trainers. That Nikola was brave enough to hop aboard Fluffy and command them to use Extreme Speed at all was an indicator of how serious they were about it.

With that, Braver led the way into a casual run, which was still quite fast for a Pokémon. "When you're at speed, it's important to lean in as low as you can," the Gym Leader started to advise them. "Remember, the air in front of you is gonna come at you at tornadic speeds. The less of it pushing against you, the better." The Arcanine's neck and head would block a fair bit of it, but even so, posture was important.

nikola climbs aboard, settling themself in as comfortably as they can. they pull their eye protection over their eyes, once again glad they hadn't worn their glasses today. fluffy immediately gets to her feet again and starts following after josh and braver, prancing as much as a canine is capable of prancing. nikola knows she's ready to go, but holds her back until braver starts running.

after that, there's no stopping her. she chases after the other arcanine, not wanting to be left behind. nikola leans forward instinctively, holding her reins in their hands, tightly looped through their thumb and fingers. at this speed, her gait is quite bouncy, with nikola trying hard to clamp their legs around her sides so they don't go up and down too much. "makes sense!" they call to josh. "leaning forward provides a more aerodynamic form. it's the same reason planes are generally shaped the way they are." like this, they're still able to keep an eye on where fluffy is heading, leaning gently when they need her to turn. she's very good at this-- nikola wonders if she was a racer before she was abandoned.

[ Josh Devlin ]

With both of them as safe as one could be whilst riding an Arcanine at breakneck speeds, it was time. Fluffy seemed excited, catching up to and even passing Braver. Josh squeezed the Arcanine's sides a little more tightly to coax the fire-type to keep up with Fluffy. He was very impressed with Nikola's posture and hold, adapting to the rougher gait of the large species well. "You do this often?" Josh asked before the roar of the wind became too loud. "You're really well-practiced."

The left turns were all gentle enough, even as their speed rose. The terrain slowly rose until it crested at the top of a hill, dropping steadily until they reached their starting point. Josh let Braver coast down the hill, picking up speed. Even after reaching the bottom of the hill, he didn't let off the metaphorical gas at all. "You need one more time around or are you ready for the real thing?!" the Gym Leader shouted, possibly barely audible over the moving air with how fast they were going.

"i've tried this a few times!" they shout back at josh as fluffy lopes along. "managed to hurt myself the first couple of times, but after that it was all a matter of adjusting!" the process itself is just as scientific as it is athletic. they'd read up on positioning, timing, and technique after the first attempts ended with them flat on their ass or with pulled muscles. they couldn't help being stubborn about it, wanting to recall that feeling of pushing against the wind they had in the desert when they'd first met josh.

"ready!" nikola calls. their grip on fluffy's reins tightens, and they prepare themself for the burst of speed they're about to put on, following josh's lead. they've seen how fast extreme speed can get without someone on fluffy's back, and it will only be a bit slower with nikola's weight slowing her down.

[ Josh Devlin ]

Braver was more than used to ferrying Josh around at ludicrous speeds, both from his career as a Pokémon racer and in an effort to adapt him to the speed of a Raikou. The Gym Leader's weight barely slowed the Arcanine down. He smiled but didn't immediately respond to their remarks, though he seemed more relaxed at hearing they had a fair bit of experience. They would need it where they were going.

"There won't be room here," Josh teased. "We gotta head back to the other course if you want Fluffy to... well, put it to the floor." The run to the course itself would be straightforward, and they didn't need to follow all its twists and turns, either. The uphill run near its peak might be a bit uncomfortable for Nikola, but if they had the experience Josh suspected, they would be able to adapt easily enough.

Before them would be a long and straight cliff with a large drop at its end -- one that would take the riders and their Arcanine several seconds to land from. Far beneath was a downhill, too; if they weren't coming out of the leap at faster speeds than an Arcanine was normally capable of, that slope would ensure it tested the limits of the enormous dogs' control. "This is it! Hold on tight, Nikola! EXTREME SPEED!"

At the command, Braver's four legs disappeared into a single, orange blur, their movement churning a small whirlwind beneath them.

nikola gives the command as well, and suddenly the world turns into a blur. the wind whips around them, threatening to dislodge them, but they hold onto fluffy's reins for dear life as she lets loose and barrels forward at breakneck speed. leaning forward, nikola presses themself against her neck, burying their face in her mane. the arcanine is valiantly attempting to keep up with josh and braver, chasing after them, legs pumping furiously.

but her endurance isn't the greatest, so it's not long before she slows down to an easy lope. she's panting, and now that she's slowed down again nikola sits back up, their hair an absolute mess.

"whoo~!" they cheer, a little dizzily. "i think fluffy could use some water after all that!" fluffy agrees by flopping down on the ground, still panting.

[ Josh Devlin ]

The rush of wind felt like being on the inside of a hurricane, Josh happy the Arcanine's head blocked much of the moving air that would have blown him off his perch had he not the foresight to equip the fire-type with a cocoon saddle. Braver's gait felt like a tremor from how fast he bounced Josh up and down. Even he slowed not long after Fluffy dropped her own Extreme Speed; all that fat had done a number on his own endurance! With some work, the runner would be able to maintain the ultrafast charge like he once did.

Sliding to a stop where Nikola and Fluffy were recovering from the strenuous but fun exercise, even Josh showed signs of bodily stress, huffing mildly as he flicked his helmet's visor up. Upon Nikola's request, Josh whistled for one of his water Pokémon, Genbu the Blastoise ready to loose a steady stream of water at the lowest pressure he could.

"Fun, isn't it?" Josh exhaled, unzipping the part of the cocoon holding his legs in place and sliding down from the tall dog. "Arcanine are as fast as Pokémon get on land. You'd need to meet a legendary Pokémon to go faster. If you can withstand that, there's no land Pokémon you can't handle." His mind wandered as he would help them get to the Gym office's back entrance to hydrate if need be. "You thought about investing in a cocoon saddle for Fluffy, like the one I have? Helps with balance a lot when you're going fast as a bullet train."

the slightly drenched fluffy and her trainer follow josh back to the office, nikola still a little dazed and dizzy. once a bowl of water is put out, fluffy laps it up greedily, splashing water everywhere. nikola themself will accept a bottle or cup of water if offered, drinking it down just as fast as fluffy with her water. once they're done, they let out a sigh of relief and shake their head.

"i'd have to think about it," they say, wiping sweat off their brow. "just keeping up with the cost of caring for my pokemon is hard enough... my job pays decently well, but it's a lot of work!" they sink down on the ground next to where fluffy is now lying, resting against her back. "if i decide to challenge you here... maybe. otherwise i don't know if i'll be using extreme speed very much."

the arcanine behind them lowers her head to the ground and lets out a low whine as nikola scratches her behind her ears. "thanks for the workout. it really helped me get my mind off things for a bit." they'll just rest a bit longer before they're ready to head out.

[ Josh Devlin ]

Conic cups from a dispenser near the lobby's tank of drinking water. It was getting close to empty; the late shift must not have replaced it the night before. "I feel you there," Josh remarked about the cost of care. "I'd have to let about two-thirds of my Pokémon go if I lost my position as Gym Leader. I'd still have Mauville Racing Grounds as a business, but the League subsidy helps so much. I've had to bring on caretakers because of how many I keep here." How many did he have now? It had to be well over a hundred. By now he had to have spent a fortune on leathers for his many saddled Pokémon. Even so, it was worth it. His team of ride Pokémon had made big differences in so many lives both on and off the Gym grounds.

"Arcanine don't need to use Extreme Speed to go fast," Josh reiterated. "Just something to think about." Even at a more casual pace, Fluffy's kind could outrun so many Pokémon that were going all-out. There was a reason he had raised Braver to chase Raikou down. All the trainers and their Pokémon refreshed, the Gym Leader guided Nikola to the front door. "Anytime! Have a good one!"

Once NIKOLA SAMSA was out the door, Josh jogged toward the main elevator. "Shoot, I forgot about the new hires!" he exclaimed. With his secretaries both on other tasks, it looked like he was going to have to enter his new class into the computer on his own.