The two Joshes and their legendary steeds contrast one another like day and night; a monochrome young man, wearing light armor and wielding a sword shaped like the Raikou's tail stared at down the delivery boy and his monochrome electric feline. "Go back to the Hoenn you came from!" the Champion barked at the knightly self he once wanted to become. "And leave Yuina out of this! She's gone through enough!" Courier he may have been, but he was as protective as a knight... even if he didn't look like one.

"You sicken me," Josh's twisted doppelganger spat at him in a voice twisted by the Distortion itself. "The fastest and most majestic Beast in the world... reduced to the role of a common race horse. I was wrong to not finish you off when I had the chance. And without your strange Pokémon and that attire protecting you, there is no one to protect you from the speed god's true bearer!" Raikou and his ashen counterpart simultaneously let roars that, when combined with the instability of the Distortion around them, rent the very ground between them apart, raining rocks and dirt upon a wide area of their unstable environment.

Josh reined Swift in front of Yuina to protect her. "He's me, but from another world where everyone realizes their full potential! There's no time to--" Before he could say anything, the Champion's colorless clone and colored legendary steed lunged for them both in a QUICK ATTACK that may have only been visible for a split second before threatening to be on top of him. Powered by INFINITY ENERGY, the attack was much faster than any "priority attack" Yuina had likely seen before.

Priority moves used by Clone!Josh's Pokémon have INCREASED STRENGTH and cannot be interrupted.

The Beast's gait was as rapid as a Raichu's, the electric tiger's back leaving Josh in freefall in one split second before catching him in the next. The wind pushed the back of Swift's storm cloud so far behind him that it nearly touched his tail. The vigor with which the Gym Leader was bounced about reminded him of how much Rayquaza's scaly body shook when they soared to the heavens. It was a similar kind of energy that propelled the two to speeds that were difficult to comprehend, let alone react to.

After only seconds of the QUICK ATTACK run, Josh could feel his left arm thumping again. It didn't feel like it was on fire, though it ached as though it were stretched uncomfortably. "Abort, Swift!" he commanded, the Raikou slowing down to a still blistering, but more manageable, pace. No sooner than did the electric Beast hit the brakes did a wave of inverted colors pass over them. He remembered this feeling well, having been there with illeana reyes before. He had rescued Gym Trainer ERON IUNIS from this place. It felt like Giratina's DISTORTION WORLD.

Yet this time, it was vastly different.

Instead of a myriad of floating pieces of ground warped by clashing fields of gravity, he saw a Pokémon Center and Pokémon Lab in what was once a picturesque, rural town. A town he had visited when he was a child as part of meeting with its Professor for a Pokémon class. This was Pallet Town. In these black-and-white images, he witnessed the brutality of Monroe's Rocket in action, watching a monochrome Eva Morales do battle against the two Underbosses. The slash of a murderous scythe across the now-beheaded shopkeep drew him to want to intervene.

By the time he could get too close, he saw Eva Morales making screaming motions in various directions, but could not hear her. Did the Distortion World warp the senses, too? This didn't happen the last time he was here. Nonetheless, he wouldn't leave the scientist be. "Eva!" the Gym Leader shouted back, spurring Swift in her direction -- and the direction of the violence before her. With long and powerful strides, the duo closed the gap in a display that would easily make him worthy of the title "Master of Faster".

It was not until well after Josh received the Great One Ho-oh's blessing that he realized that one burden had been replaced with a much heavier one. "I've been chasing Raikou since I became a Trainer," Josh replied, giving the Beast a scratch behind his ashen ears and getting a smile from beneath his spiky, gray whiskers. "As heavy as he weighs upon me, the opportunity to be his partner is more than worthwhile." For every ounce of tumult that wielding the Raikou brought to Josh, the joy of blasting across Hoenn's plains faster than anyone else he knew made that trauma a small price to pay. No matter how down in the dumps the Champion got, he was always one thunderous purr away from shaking the negative emotions off.

The Raikou did not react to Minerva's presence, lacking the sentience to do so. "It's certainly a weight few can hold," Josh answered, even though Minerva seemed to be asking no one in particular. "Whether you want it or not, having such an ally changes your life forever. It's changed mine, both for better and for worse. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I've loved Raikou since I was six or seven years old. He's been my favorite Pokémon since." Though he originally loved Raikou for his extreme, perhaps unparalleled land speed, spending so much time with the legendary creature, both on and off the track, both in and out of battle, opened his mind to the Beast's nuance.

nicholas steele 's words were those of a hero who understood what it takes to be one. One who had learned the same harsh lessons that Josh had during his Champion Assessment. "As a hero figure to Mauville, I've come to realize that, too. You can't save everyone. All you can do is try to save who is important to you, then anyone else you can. Watching people and Pokémon die in front of you is hard. But you're just one person. And there's only so much one person can do." Legendary or no, Avatar or no, one person could not save a whole region.

Josh watched Leonius put the wild Kilowattrel to sleep before the Ranger captured it. "You've got a lot of experience as a Trainer and as a Ranger," he noted aloud, Yosei diving to maintain the same altitude as Nick. "Did you ever challenge the Gym circuit? Not just here. Any region."

"Sorry, I had to move upwind. I'm allergic to nicotine," Josh apologized, revealing one of his weaknesses to the sleuth as he headed toward the source of the voice. As much of a curse as it may have been, in his eyes, it was a blessing.

The acidic floor reminded Josh of the mining operations inside Eternatus. Lifeless husks of Ultra Beasts, half-embedded in its bubbling ground, made the rider's skin tingle. "It is, but we also need to remain vigilant," the Gym Leader reiterated. "You need a ride, or can you swim on your own?" he offered. Regardless of his response, he and his Walking Wake would swim through the stale, half-liquid air above what looked like completely living walls. Even a large cave mouth in the distance looked alive...

As the two reached the south precipice of the island the Sky Pillar was on, they would be able to take in the view of Pacifidlog. The town built on the sea was an architectural marvel, small as it was. "I love coming out here," Josh mused as the west wind picked up, the sea becoming choppy. "It's where the greatest number of wild dragon Pokémon live in the region, and one of the most concentrated in the world, too. Should they be respected? Absolutely. But there's no need to fear them. Many of them are just as playful as any other Pokémon!"

The topic would quickly shift to Gym membership benefits. "You get full access to the Gym grounds out back, the second-floor cafeteria and gym, the third-floor lounge, and even one free 32-ounce fountain drink every day," he advertised. "You'll get your own private locker on the ground level and wifi access. You'll even get a customized Mauville Racing Grounds jersey with a one-year commitment. And the best benefit of all: you will have a valid season pass to watch all of Mauville Gym's challenges and events for as long as you keep your membership up." And, of course, getting to meet and saddle up with Josh's other Pokémon... but he would leave that as a surprise. For a Pokémon racing fan, a membership was a dream come true.

Josh was a bit jealous of the Spectrier. Since riding one with Remiel Calcifet , he wanted one for himself. The speed they could reach within the ethereal was nothing short of sublime, almost like transforming into an Ominous Wind itself.

Though Elise's decision took Josh by surprise, the only hint she would get of his confusion would be a few blinks of the eyes. "Okay, I'll keep an eye on it," he confidently replied, certain she would be able to get the voltage under control. "The generator's on the lower level. Listen for me on the speakers. Take Zaborg with you just in case. And thank you for keeping my injured arm in mind." The Gym Leader tossed Elise the Poké Ball containing Zaborg, the shiny bipedal Zeraora.

Were she to descend the stairs toward the Operations Center's basement, she would find sparks flying from the generator, particularly out of a small hole in one of its corners. It seemed the electrical pressure was so great that a large bolt had already been knocked loose...

Josh breathed a huge sigh of relief upon hearing Andrea's announcement. It was one of the reasons he had come to the Thunderhead Ruins. "You did? That's awesome! Now we won't have to go all the way to the bottom!" Not yet, anyway. When Josh was at full strength, he would find himself back down here again. "Be there shortly! Swift, jump it!"

With a leap toward the black cloud above, the Raikou latched onto it, then gently let go once he was above the south entrance. There was no way the young man's arm could handle a ride on a lightning strike -- the one that left Josh stunned when he was at full strength. The most memorable part of his first experience with Swift when he was under the Emergent's command.

Peering inside the storage room, he could not believe his eyes. "This is an unreal amount of Quickinium-Z," he added, wide-eyed. "I'm gonna take a few extras to future-proof. Have you thought about grabbing a few for yourself? I'm sure some of your Pokémon know Quick Attack and could take advantage of it."

Once one or both had taken their fair share, Josh would lead the way back up, giving Andrea the choice to ride into the clouds with him or rely on her Iron Jugulis to cross the bottom level coated with electric death. "Couldn't have done it without you," he gave the cosplayer some appreciation. "But I don't think we can make it any deeper into the ruins without Swift and I both being at full strength. See that small gap in the ceiling, where the clouds are?" be pointed to the east side, which was open but covered in horrific electricity that might overload even electric-types. "The only way I can think of to get past that with the door open is riding the cloud. And one lightning strike would probably rip my arm apart as it is."

If she allowed it, Josh would give Andrea a gentle pat on the shoulder, though he would have to awkwardly reach down to do so. "Let's head back to Hoenn."

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 ANDREW WEISS, Josh's scheduler, echoed over the Gym's loudspeakers:

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

Provided the challenger found ample signage, she would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on King Zing the Beedrill. While the redhead looked a bit too big to be riding even a monstrous wasp that size, he insisted that Josh allow him to do so. Aside him was the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Tiamat the Dragonite. His white hair stood on end as the proud and aggressive dragon roared her bat-like wings, creating an unnatural-sounding hum. Lastly was the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, astride Sidewinder the Dragapult.

Miyako would also see the Gym Leader Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Mastema, a Togekiss of his own. "I know you're excited, Miyako Noguchi , but let's take this one challenge at a time, shall we?" Josh greeted his challenger. "Just gotta make sure Mastema's gear is comfortable for both of us and secure before we get airborne," he explained. "And don't think I haven't heard of your stories from Shalin!" The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one. "And don't forget, Aravan, no disappearing into the ethereal. That's illegal."

The winds were on the calm side, which would make navigating today's course much easier. A small crowd filled the bottom several rows of mostly empty stands on both sides of Sector 2's LOOP CROSS course. It was titled as such for its two loop-de-loops and long, lateral turns greater than 360 degrees. While those would take precision to enter and exit, as well as stamina to maintain, there was plenty of room in between them for extremely speedy Pokémon to shine!

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', the race starts. Moves like Quick Attack and Tailwind can't be used on the first lap. After the first lap, use them as much as you think your Altaria 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 the explanation was over, Josh took a seat on the large Togekiss' back, Mastema floating into the air. "If you're brave enough to rodeo with a Tyranitar, then these loops and inversions shouldn't be an issue for you," Josh laughed as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Miyako were to glance toward him, she would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Mastema's reins in anticipation of the takeoff. The Togekiss mirrored his expression, as though the two were of one mind.

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, plus one. 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.

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)

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.

Josh frowned upon hearing Elise spout Rocket propaganda, even though he understood that she didn't believe it for one moment. "Here's the thing, Elise. Both sides have committed war crimes, and it's clear that the Commissioner values total victory in the war and eradication of Rocket over holding the League's upper management accountable. They're both corrupt. Rocket's just more brazen about it." He wasn't sure who in the upper echelons the corruption was coming from. Perhaps it was a combination of members. He once suspected Matias, but after falsely learning that the standing Elite Four member gave up his Avatarship, he dismissed the possibility that the Volatile was still compromised.

With both Elise and Charles on the thundercloud, Josh was pushed to its very back, up against the billowy cantle. There was little room to maneuver on what would be quite the bouncy ride, given how much the tiger's back flexed when at speed. "Hold on tight, Elise! Charles! And have fun!" Swift tried to impress the two guests by rocking them with a powerful, bone-rattling purr that could have sounded cute or intimidating, depending on how used to giant predators one was. The Raikou pranced down the concourse with his three riders in tow, slowly picking up speed as to not agitate his bearer's arm. Even at the lower speeds, the power behind every stride was apparent. They also were still going quite fast... just not fast by Johtonian speed god standards.

Miyako truly was the spitting image of Josh, wasn't she? They seemed to like a lot of the same Pokémon. "They're incredibly fast Pokémon, they're beginner friendly, and they're even legal to ride on the highway," the Gym Leader added as his smile grew. "What's not to like about them?" There weren't a lot of Pokémon that could obey the posted minimum speeds on major highways. Cyclizar was one of them, their energy-efficient bodies able to ferry trainers for dozens and dozens of miles.

With so many excellent Pokémon on her roster, it came to no surprise that Miyako wanted to challenge the Gym multiple times. "You remind me of myself when I wanted to challenge Fortree Gym multiple times. Alexei Ivanov and I were best buds, but the war forced him to leave the region." He wondered how the Birdfather and his fiancée, Guillermo Marceliño , were doing on what he figured was a long honeymoon. "You can't officially re-challenge the Gym, but we have pretty routine pick-up races on the Gym grounds. It won't be particularly cheap, but perhaps a Mauville Racing Grounds membership might be right for you."

Elise's agreement showed how long the two had worked together. How much they had trusted one another. Being able to hold on to Llamrei while moving at the ludicrous speeds ethereal travel opened up was one of the reasons why Josh had opened up the offer to her. Once they were done with their private, sensitive discussion, he would put that skill to the test with as fast of a run as both of them could handle.

One of the most odd sensations of riding through the ethereal was a lack of wind. Despite both horses sounding like a giant stampede with how rapidly their hooves clicked against the ghostly road, there was no wind resistance to speak of. It was as though the riders themselves were ghosts, too, no longer limited by real world physics. It was liberating to dash across one of the back sides of Hoenn in peace.

"I really enjoy it... and the challenges aren't going anywhere," Josh answered. "I haven't submitted it to dahlia goode quite yet, but I have an application ready for the Elite Four seat that Melody Miro vacated. Were I to be selected, Mauville Racing Grounds would continue on. The only change would be that it would no longer be an official Gym." It was a bittersweet admission. He wanted to continue to serve Hoenn, especially after Navy 's endorsement. Supply lines would inevitably become an issue in the war, and he wanted to have a platform to talk to the Council about them. "Please, though, keep this hush hush. It's a big potential change, and Navy is the only other person that knows about my intent to apply for the seat."

No matter how many times it happened, losing a Pokémon was difficult. "It's hard the first time it happens, and it doesn't get any easier after that." Especially when it was his decision to follow the Type: Full manual's grisly recipe that killed two of his Pokémon and permanently scarred several more. All to create the most ornery, uncooperative Pokémon he had ever seen. He had been working with Aleph the Type: Null for well over a year, and it felt like progress with him was incredibly slow.

"Bora," Josh answered. "His name means 'spear' in an ancient, avian language. And it's... my fault he's not with us anymore. I had since captured and raised a second one." Vayu just wasn't the same as Bora. There was no replacing the metal raven's loyalty, strength, or any aspect of the Corviknight. "Most of the Pokémon I've lost have been as a direct result of the war. His circumstances were... different."