Having done her homework regarding Mauville Racing Grounds, Elaine Highland didn't need guidance to get to Sector 2 of the vast facility. Once she arrived near her assigned course, she would see the brash and tall ACE SHEEKE, already seated on Buzz the Floatzel; the timid and short ERON IUNIS, on Resheph the Dragonair; and the reserved ARAVAN ESCHER, at the reins of Staccato the Primarina. Lastly, he would see the Gym Leader and Champion Josh Devlin , making adjustments to the saddle strapped to Megalo, a Milotic whose tail scales gleamed brightly beneath the course's surface. It was a hot summer day: so hot that Josh rescheduled all afternoon races that weren't aquatic ones out of safety for Gym staff and Pokémon involved.

All his Gym Trainers and their Pokémon were already in the water, the Leader himself being the last to get wet. "Elaine!" Josh greeted his challenger. "Didn't think I'd see you on the Gym circuit! Great work at the masquerade - couldn't have done it without you. Phew, it is one steamy day!" The three Gym Trainers introduced themselves and Josh's Pokémon they were borrowing, one by one. Ace in particular looked fierce, as though he had his mind set on breaking his own record.

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 and allowed Megalo to lift him onto his seat. The other three Pokémon gracefully floated along the starting line. "Feels weird not to hear the Hoennian Regional Anthem because Staccato's racing rather than singing," Josh remarked as he slammed his helmet's visor down. If Elaine were to glance toward him, the challenger would see a laser focused expression, almost like he was in a zen state as he held Megalo'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 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.

Josh moaned in pain as the Pyroar's flexing back and bouncy gait put a lot of stress on his left arm. The RKS Simulation was a great place to learn what his limits were and what he could and couldn't do in the real world.

The screaming had stopped, but for all the wrong reasons: a Walking Wake had devoured the performing Scream Tail. The water-type paradox let out a scream of its own: a cry that resembled one of the sacred Beasts the Champion revered. "A Hoennian Suicune!" Josh gasped, waving toward Gwyar Wledig . "Hop on and let's get out of here before it can outrun us!" Sitting on the lion's back would certainly be more awkward with the Galarian taking up half the saddle and Josh's left arm a useless hunk of flesh, though the alternative was being boiled to "death" in HYDRO STEAM, resulting in an early exit from the RKS Simulation.

Swift was a more versatile Pokémon than Josh could have imagined, even limited as he was. His instincts, and Josh's, were to bolt beneath the ROCK TOMB before it encircled him. "No, Swift. We need to get to the bottom of this. Whatever you tried before, do it again!" Josh encouraged the ashen construct. The REFLECTIVE coat returned, this time slightly thicker than it was before. As the ROCK TOMB attacks fell on top of him, some of their boulders were sundered to rubble, giving him an escape route from the imprisoning attack.

The barrier broke upon reflecting three of the PSYCHO CUT attacks, the rest striking the Beast squarely. Ash blew in Josh's face as his legendary partner started to deform. "Not after that," the Champion replied. "I saw what he was trying to do. He was trying to protect me. Guard me. Show me his VIGILANCE." After Josh had drawn the Sign once more, Swift returned to the ashes his body composed of. "I don't think he's ready for war yet, but I think I have a new avenue to explore with him. An avenue that may save our lives if I'm forced to use him before I think he's ready."

Johto was a wonderful idea; Josh hadn't been to the region since last fall, when he helped his parents move to Mauville City. It would be a great way to let off some steam, particularly after being incarcerated for seemingly no reason. "I'd love to visit the Tin Tower. I'm sure the sages there will let us in if they see Swift. The Great One might have returned there, too," he speculated, the fate of Kyle's Patron still uncertain. "There's also the PokéAthlon, plus Johto has a strong racing scene! Would love to take you to the course I learned Pokémon racing at, too."

His eyes glittered at the prospect of returning to his homeland, particularly when the weather was nice. "There's also Route 38. It's one of the flattest stretches in the region. Goes on for miles. All I can say is... if we get to spend time out there, buckle up, just like we did in Area Zero," the Champion teased. "But what did you want to do there? I don't want to make it just about me."

That was quite the gaffe, wasn't it? Calling his "friend" out because he recognized his voice... that sure wasn't polite. The Gym Leader had been caught up in the investigation and mystery so much that he had forgotten it was a masquerade. And part of the fun of a masquerade was figuring out who was behind the mask without spoiling it for everyone. He did get a chuckle at the cover story, though; Aslan was such a well-known Pokémon of Josh's that it wouldn't fly with anyone even close to familiar with Mauville Gym.

Leaving the sleuthing to Elaine Highland , Josh stood up from his chair and made an intimidating pose, drawing his plastic sword prop and pointing it at "Seiichi" like it were a real weapon. "Submitting to a pat-down will be how this will be most harmless for not just you, but for everyone else. Now, put your hands where I can see them. Now."

Josh cross-referenced Fenelle's route with publicly available traffic data. While the residential roads had a lower speed limit, it was a more direct path to their next destination. After crunching some numbers, he replied to Fenelle:

It seems they're about the same time, accounting for distance and traffic. Do you enjoy riding fast? If you do, we can take the back roads. Otherwise, we can go through the residential area, as you proposed. I'll follow you this time.

Holding Basil's reins, Josh was ready to trail his coworker astride the Meganium.

The monster described what the essence of being... well, a monster... truly was. The monster had every right to be terrorized of Josh, too. Were they trying to scare each other into submission? Or were they truly afraid of each other? If Josh was afraid of the Monster in the Woods, he didn't show it.

"As expected," Josh muttered before sprinting toward the monster, his claws gleaming in the low light. With a squint and incidental flourish of his front teeth, the Inquisitor attempted to rake across the monster's soft flesh in a lightning-fast QUICK ATTACK.

This was not the first time Josh had drawn the ire of one of Rocket's top dogs. Long ago, when Raikiri was his strongest Pokémon, he had run afoul of Cillian Quinn , who had overwhelmed him to within an inch of his life. Josh had the Zeraora to thank for his survival that day. Today, though, would be different.

For Elisabeth Fiorelli was not the only one with a god on her side. A false god, a shell of the true Johtonian god of speed, but in the Champion's eyes, a god nonetheless. Even so, he could not trust Swift to be able to do the job on his own.

This would be a team effort.

"Unlike MATIAS SILPH , I never wanted to carpet bomb Team Rocket. The organization will fall the moment I cut down the truly evil and abhorrent within its ranks, all in the Great One's name. And those trapped within can atone for their sins without fear of retaliation from swine like you."

The snail was a lot more swift than Josh expected such a creature to be, Aleph not having time to power through their shell with a Crush Claw. Though he wore no saddle, the Type: Null was still nimble as Josh's other Pokémon, a TRI ATTACK forming from three of the prongs of his retainer.

"For the wages of your sins, may you know naught but the fires of hell in the afterlife."

The opposing Glastrier's legs smashed the ground with great force, loosing a terrifying AVALANCHE toward Josh and his own mount. If there was one Rapidash that could evade such a savage attack, it was his. "BOUNCE, Dashie!" Josh commanded. With speed that would have uniquely identified the Pokémon even if the Champion wasn't nearby, the Galarian equine leaped suddenly and sharply, Josh wincing as the force of the move knocked his arm out of its comfort zone of motion. Though the snow boulders harmlessly rolled beneath him, the attack had accomplished its purpose.

"Even if you were to win the battle, the Great One shall thaw said ice. She and her knights are loyal to one another. Her Knight of Thunder will not fall."

The OFF COURSE penalty was agitating, especially with how good of a run Josh and Moosh were on. By the time the two could leap back onto the home stretch, Howard and Doug had already zipped past them. They weren't out of it yet; it was just a matter of getting up to speed quickly enough to pass them in the contest's waning seconds.

"Full speed, Moosh! HIGH HORSEPOWER!" Josh ordered, bracing himself for the stress such a heavy charge would put on his body. And it did; the species was designed for hunting with its great muscle power, not racing. Doug didn't seem to be made for it, either, which was likely why Eron and Wiley were so far ahead of them and looked uncatchable. With repeated jabs of his knees, the Gym Leader pushed the normal-type to the fastest acceleration he could muster.

The two rivals pushed their URSALUNA to the precipice of their breaking points, even after watching ERON IUNIS and his FURRET cross the finish line seconds ahead of them. Were howard slayte to glance back, he would see the Gym Leader's mount gaining on them fast! Were the race a little longer, he would handily be passed. The Admin's lead continued to shrink as the finish line came closer and closer, perhaps able to feel a gust of wind from the rival ground-type's wake. He would see Josh and the racing-trained Pokémon in front of him after they crossed the finish line, but where were they in that critical moment?

Even Josh was tired as he and his Ursaluna slid across the finish line. "Phew," he exhaled, sweating profusely despite the cooler weather. "What a thriller until the very end. Eron and Wiley smoked us; bet you didn't think a Furret could run that fast, did you?" He let the attempt at humor sink in before continuing. "I dunno if I got you or not; it would have been a photo finish if this was a real Gym challenge. You're good to be able to keep up with me when I'm not holding back! This performance would have been worthy of a Badge for sure. I'm just... really curious who won, since we don't have officials to make that call for us."

Josh wracked his mind as he led the way back to the distant office building, brainstorming for a way he could determine who was the true winner. Not long passed before it dawned on him. "I could pull the security footage and enhance it, if you really want to know. It'll take some time, but for now, we can call it a tie. That was a lot of fun. Would love to see you challenge the Gym in an official capacity!"

Once they had returned to the north entrance, Josh slid down from Moosh's back and opened the sliding door for Howard. "You need a shower, you're more than welcome to use the locker room before you leave. So, what's next for us in the near future?" he asked his friend-and-rival.

The Bronzong's vibrations reverberated through Josh, the Gym Leader crying in pain as it rocked the young man's still-healing arm. When they stopped, he gently rubbed it to try to massage the pain away, but it seemed to do little good. "paxton concordas , gonna need a dose of Life Dew when this is over!" he called out.

They might not get the chance; the Bronzong was overwhelming them. He had to continue to go for a disabling strike if they wanted a hope of coming out on top. The Champion's swift Gogoat reared, then leaped skyward, LEAF BLADES growing in front of his horns at a visible rate. On the way down, the hooved Pokémon slashed toward one of the Bronzong's arm joints with the intent to halve its offensive might.

Upon being asked about woodwork, Josh slid off Basil's back and retrieved the eggs that the business requested. "Nope! Just dropping off your order," he answered, Basil stepping perhaps a bit too close to the representative. The Leafeon's and Meganium's leatherwork were certainly impressive; it was a sign that Josh was quite moneyed. Why, then, was he doing a delivery job that paid less than what got him those kinds of riches in the first place?

Once their delivery was compelete, Josh pulled his phone back out to catch up on dee's texts.

The best shortcuts are through roads where the speed limit's higher. If you know back roads to our next destination, we might be able to get there a little faster. And thank you - it's a trick I picked up on when working deliveries in Mauville. Now, where to next?

"Yes, primarily the Kadabra," Josh nodded. That was where most of the problems in the match originated. The psychic-type was extremely strong, but neither had reached their potential in his eyes. Nowhere close.

"What you need is mutual trust in one another. A mutual understanding of how each of you act, both out of battle and in battle. Take your Kadabra with you when you're out and about. Get a grasp on what he likes and what he doesn't. Positively reinforce desired behavior, and negatively reinforce unwanted behavior."