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 KEVIN STROUSER, Josh's scheduler, echoed over the Gym's loudspeakers:

"Challenger zachary stellar , please report to Sector 1. Challenger Stellar, to Sector 1. Thank you!"

Provided the challenger found ample signage, he would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on Komainu the Houndoom with hands firmly on his horns; the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Blinky the Jolteon; and the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, at the reins of Pura the Purugly. Lastly, he would see the Gym Leader Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Toralf, a Raichu that was roughly the same size as Hermes, the giant Alolan one that Zachary had entered in the race. He smiled as the enthusiastic trainer re-introduced the tail-surfing electric-type to him.

All his Gym Trainers and their Pokémon were ready and raring to go, particularly the redhead with the Houndoom. "Great to see you again at Mauville Racing Grounds, Zachary," Josh greeted his challenger. "I've been looking forward to this since we got back from the beach! Seems like Toralf's already trash talking with Hermes!" he noted aloud as the Kantonian Raichu threw the gauntlet. The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one.

The gallery surrounding Sector 1's TWIST ROAD course was full, small as the stands were. Had Zachary given permission for spectators to take photos of him and his Raichu, several would have flashed as a pre-recorded pan of the course ran on the big screen. With only one turn greater than a right angle, it was the easiest course Josh used for official challenges. It was also short, the fastest Pokémon able to run laps in under thirty seconds. Zachary wouldn't have long to prove his sync with the Raichu!

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 Quick Attack or Extreme Speed on the first lap. After the first lap, though, use them as much as your Pokémon can handle! Using your Tera Orb is permitted once during the race. Use it wisely. 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 climbed atop the giant electric rodent, joining his three loyal Gym Trainers for the contest of speed. "It's been a while since I've been able to go all-out in a race. I know how fast Hermes can get, and I have to be on top of my game if I want to win!" Josh retorted as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Zachary were to glance toward him, the challenger would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Toralf'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). Activating your TERA ORB will consume one use of Boost. 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.

Seeing Zachary's team make themselves at home within the crowd of season-pass holders made Josh's heart warm inside; it was rare to see that kind of camaraderie among a challenger's entire team. His eyes shifted to the sky as popcorn rained down upon the front few rows of fans like cascading fireworks. Josh wouldn't even have to clean the mess up; his Pokémon would no doubt devour the tasty food when the crowd cleared out. The Gym Leader's hair stood on end as the two Raichu trash-talked one another, electricity arcing between their pairs of cheeks.

Josh gave the giant electric rodent a gentle pat as Zachary had a pep talk with Hermes. Seeing how the trainer mounted -- by surfing on the Pokémon's tail alongside it rather than sitting on its back -- made Josh reconsider whether he wanted to raise an Alolan Raichu himself. It would certainly be a speedy way to travel over both land or water, but it would be very different than what he was used to. Even so, Toralf was quick, and he had a secret weapon that would put him ahead of Hermes in a pinch. "I'm sure it will be exciting the whole way; Toralf's no slouch in speed, either," Josh retorted.

Once all the competitors indicated they were ready, three still images of the legendary Pokémon Raikou, sprinting at full speed, faded into view along with a "GET READY" prompt. Said stills disappeared rhythmically, one at a time. Alongside each, a loud, low-pitched squawk blared as an aural indicator of the countdown and allowing the racers to more easily time their accelerating leaps off the line. The fourth such sound was higher-pitched as the final image vanished, the text "GET READY" shifting to "GO". The moment the starting buzzer sounded, Josh and his Gym Trainers jabbed at their mounts' sides with their knees, battling for early position.

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: The course begins with a series of three right-angle, uphill turns on a wide track, coming at competitors with increasingly rapid succession. The turns are sharp, but racers have plenty of width to find positioning. While there is little danger of a wipeout, wide turns are not advised without a plan due to how much extra ground the Pokémon would need to cover. A long straight stretch follows the third turn.

Target Number: 105 (Reaction)

Special: None

Toralf's acceleration off the line was far less explosive, not having the psychic elements that Hermes had mastery over. Even so, the larger Raichu was swift and a challenge for Josh to control. The electric rat was one wild ride, boasting the most rapid gait out of any Pokémon on his team. Underneath his helmet, Josh's skin rippled as his mount's back flexed up and down at a breathtaking rate that would have been headache-inducing to novice or even intermediate riders.

Raw speed was not where Toralf excelled; his expertise was in sudden turns. Their eyes on the inside line, the Gym Leader had his eyes on the challenger and his Alolan Raichu, staying in the electric wake of their rival before making a sudden move to crest Twist Road's opening curves!

The start of any race was pure chaos, contact inevitable as the well-trained Pokémon bolted off the starting line faster than any other kind of living creature had the right to run. Pokémon truly were special, extraordinary creatures: creatures capable of running just as fast as race cars, and more environmentally friendly than what one would see at a motorsports event! Cameras flashed as the dash for the early lead began, ERON IUNIS and his JOLTEON zipping off the line almost instantly. A bit too instantly; a time penalty was assessed to the silver-haired racer for an early start. Even so, he was fast enough to catch up to the stubby-legged PURUGLY in front of him, who lost a lot of time by running wide around the corners. The Normal-type may have been an unusual choice at first glance, but the cat's bulk did not stop it from putting on serious speed.

zachary stellar and Josh Devlin , both timing their RAICHU's leaps perfectly, fought for the early lead. They wouldn't be the only ones, though: the howl of a dashing HOUNDOOM startled the electric-types just enough for the larger fire dog to slip between them on the U-turn. The three were still within a few lengths of one another coming to the first straight stretch: a chance for all the Pokémon to get up to speed before the course showed its true colors.

Prompt: After crossing a retractable bridge over the start, the course slowly narrows during a long left curve. While it isn't a particularly tight turn, the length of the turn necessitates quite a bit of stamina from the Pokémon as well as thigh strength from the racer to navigate at full speed. Once the course finishes narrowing, it turns at a right angle in the opposite direction and becomes only wide enough for four Pokémon to run alongside one another, making passing more difficult.

Target Number: 115 (Endurance)

Special: None

Josh heard the commotion behind him, Hermes getting quite worked up about the big dog and rival Raichu in front of Zachary. Toralf was one of the roughest rides the trainer had, his small limbs making his gait more rapid than any of his big cats. While it wasn't earthquake-level, it was enough for his skin to ripple up and down lightly. It also made holding the reins steady a real challenge, which was important to steering the sensitive electric rat.

As his mount's tail chaotically whooshed behind him, Josh lightly tugged to the left, focusing on rounding the corner as close as possible rather than cutting Hermes off. He, too, was having a good time, but he didn't show it. He had to focus and make Zachary work for his Badge. With how much trouble Snacker had chasing the Raichu down, as long as they worked together well, he had no doubts in his mind his blue-haired friend would walk away with a Badge.

He was going to do everything he could to make sure that Badge was earned from a one-two finish. With Josh being the one.

zachary stellar 's yelp was not without merit; his ALOLAN RAICHU was determined to win, zooming forward in the rival electric-type's wake. Surfing atop the static Josh Devlin 's RAICHU left behind, the added speed let him slip by the Gym Leader and steal the inside line from him. The psychic-type's reaction time was superb, catching a wave of sparks that had formed next to ACE SHEEKE's HOUNDOOM. The two battled for the lead throughout the shallow but long turn, the challenger barely completing the pass.

ARAVAN ESCHER's PURUGLY did not take the challenger's taunting lightly; the angry-looking cat put on quite the burst of speed. Even with its subpar turning, the cat had the raw velocity to pull ahead of the Gym Leader. It looked like they were going to pass the redhead and make a run for Zachary if he didn't cut them off! Behind them, ERON IUNIS' JOLTEON had a hard time braking after crossing the bridge. Though it had the highest top speed out of any of the Pokémon in the race, such high speed forced it along the outside line, making it cover more ground and fall behind his boss's RAICHU.

Prompt: At the end of a narrow straight stretch is a tall dirt mound that makes the 180-degree turn resemble the end of a half-pipe. It is intended to make the sharp curve easier at the expense of swinging wide and accepting a small time loss, but even with it, the curve is not an easy one. Furthermore, the blind turn makes it difficult to react in time to the hilly terrain preceding the home stretch!

Target Number: 120 (Reaction)

Special: None

Josh, in front of Zachary, could only hear and not see him. He didn't care what place his friend and rival was in, long as Zachary was eating his dust. And dust he would eat if he had his way. As fast as Toralf was, he was known among the Gym Leader's coworkers for sharp turns. He shifted his weight to the left to prepare for the U-turn leading to the home stretch, doing his best to hug as much of the inside line as he could.

Hearing the announcer's remarks about Hermes' tricks made Josh think his challenger wasn't taking the race seriously. Yes the trick would make him come out of the curve faster, but it seemed like it would waste more time than it saved him. That it wasn't planned either also did not look good on him. This wasn't the first time one of his Pokémon had gone rogue, either; did he have a control issue that needed to be addressed?

Leaning into his RAICHU's strengths, Josh Devlin skillfully guided the giant electric rat around the sharp curve. Though they hugged the inside line tightly, he had neglected how much raw speed the sliding turn would cost him. That was speed the taller and more stout HOUNDOOM more than made up for, accelerating past the electric-type.

Stopping to perform spins and flips off the ramp on the outside of the U-turn, zachary stellar got a good look at ERON IUNIS' JOLTEON zipping past him. ARAVAN ESCHER's PURUGLY was speedy and could bully other racers with its presence, but it was inept at making sharp turns. In a seemingly fruitless effort to slam on the brakes to make the turn, the big cat nearly collided with zachary stellar 's ALOLAN RAICHU, the electric-type going airborne just in time. The crafty, NASTY PLOTTING Pokémon landed from its air moves at the perfect angle to catch a lot of speed off the ramp, shooting past the two racers in the back and inserting itself into the battle for first place.

As ACE SHEEKE's HOUNDOOM crossed the starting line, both the RAICHU in rapid pursuit, an announcer's voice clip blared through scoreboard and starting-arch speakers:

[player]https://file.garden/ZDeuoB-J4RNQd5aY/gyms/master/You_Got_Boost_Power.mp3[/player]

"YOU GOT BOOST POWER!"

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 on Speed-based Obstacles 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 on Endurance-based and Reaction-based Obstacles, 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 three right turns opening the course are much more rapid fire than before at high speeds, now that the Pokémon had the chance to accelerate. The big difference on the second lap is that the bridge at the end of the following straightaway has retracted. There is now a big gap to cross, and missing it would send them back to just before the course's first curve!

Target Number: 115 (Speed)

Special: Pokémon that roll beneath the Obstacle's Target Number lose double the normal amount of TP for Obstacle failure.

As much as Josh wanted to have Toralf floor it for the adrenaline rush of being on a Pokémon with such a rapid gait, he knew that going all-out so early would get them a big lead, only for it to slip away as his Raichu tired out. With how vigorous Hermes was, the psychic-type would simply outlast them. Timing was key. The ELECTRIC TERRAIN his rival discharged had the potential to rocket both the giant vermin forward, making it effectively a duel of speed while their rivals would struggle to catch up.

While Josh enjoyed the speed boost, it would be short lived, as Toralf would not attempt to match Hermes' breakneck pace. Instead, the Gym Leader tensed his hold on his Raichu's reins, ready to flick them just before running off the edge of where the bridge once was. Aiming to land on the inside of the landing zone, Josh pulled his left arm back briefly, causing the Raichu to make a quick turn before thrusting as high as stubby limbs could carry him.

ACE SHEEKE and his HOUNDOOM led the way down the straightaway, embers dripping from his mouth as the redhead held his steering horns tightly. They had to pick up the pace if they wanted to keep pace with the challenger's SURGE SURFING psychic-type, who also gave Josh Devlin 's RAICHU a slight speed boost. The ELECTRO BALL startled them both, forcing them to sharply veer out of the way near the end of the road. Leaping across the gap at an oblique angle, the fiery duo came up short, landing near the starting line.

While race rules permitted them to leap up to the main part of the course again, provided they had taken all of the turns as intended, turning around to accelerate to the speeds needed to make such a leap set them back almost all the way to last place. They witnessed an angry-looking PURUGLY leap over the gap in a well-executed QUICK ATTACK, ERON IUNIS and his JOLTEON landing next to them from a jump of their own.

Josh Devlin 's RAICHU landed on the inside line, just as the Gym Leader had planned. Champion and challenger were close enough to one another to both be in range of the THUNDERBOLT cushion. Though Josh's was on the inside line and had the advantage, the speed zachary stellar 's RAICHU held kept them so close that it was impossible to tell who was ahead!

Prompt: The second time around the course, the long left curve felt sharper than it was before, perhaps due to the increased speed from the ELECTRIC TERRAIN. Speed-boosting moves did take time to gradually wear off, after all. The sharp, narrow curve toward the end of the backstretch was coming, too. Positioning coming out of both the long curve and the hairpin turn would be extremely important coming into the home stretch.

Target Number: 125 (Endurance)

Special: None

Josh was starting to feel the burn from the long turn at higher speeds. Toralf's extremely rapid gait didn't help matters, either: the Raichu, as much as the Gym Leader loved him, was one rough ride. He had to make constant adjustments to the tension on the electric vermin's reins, as the Pokémon was built for making quick turns. Even the minimum turning rate would be too much for the curve they were on, making him look unsteady to the racers behind him.

It was close, too; with Zachary and Hermes right next to him, the pressure was on. "Toralf, let's see where we're at when we come around this last corner. If we're behind, then I want you to floor it." With a nod, the electric-type tilted his head toward Hermes, a focused look on his face as the two battled intensely for the lead.

The extreme agility of a RAICHU proved to be a challenge for challenger zachary stellar and Leader Josh Devlin . The curve was long but gentle; too gentle to be handled steadily. Both were determined to snag the lead from one another. Neither one gave ground until the very end, when the Leader's RAICHU veered too close to the inner barricades, causing the Kantonian electric-type to trip. ARAVAN ESCHER's PURUGLY and ERON IUNIS' JOLTEON, with great agility, swerved out of the way and made moves on the Pokémon in front of them. The normal-type's stubby legs moved rapidly, closing the gap between they and the challenger, whose lead was now clear but shrinking.

ACE SHEEKE was not so fortunate; Josh Devlin 's erratic steering led the HOUNDOOM to try to avoid him in the same way his coworker veered. How the chaos of a Pokémon race can change its entire landscape in an instant. The dark-type and rider flinched from the RAICHU's idle current as he rear-ended the recovering Pokémon, giving the Gym Leader a substantial boost. He and the JOLTEON were neck-and-neck going into the second lap's home stretch.

Prompt: The pounding of paws against dirt had made the final straightaway much more treacherous than it was the first time around the track. Not only were there alternating hills cutting across parts of the course, but the displacement of loose dirt made the terrain almost mogul-like, testing the rider's balance and the Pokémon's stamina. Once they were past that, though, it was a straight shot to the arch, where the presiding official was waving the white flag!

Target Number: 130 (Endurance)

Special: None