[Josh Devlin]

Ivy Bay - Drift Waterway | Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆☆

This was the final race before the midseason break, and Josh's second place finish at the Jumps of Doom caused him to surge far up the Devon Cup leaderboards. A good finish at today's race, and he would not only secure a spot at the Silver League's Maple Invitational at the end of the year, but he would be eligible to move up to Gold League. Gold League is where the competition started to get serious, but it came with not only a big pay bump, but a publicity bump, too - every single race was broadcast on national television. Some of the races were on premium sports channels, but they would all eventually find themselves on the Federation's ChuTube channel after a few weeks. Josh didn't even need to win today's race - he just needed to finish in the top few spots. There was just one problem...

This was an aquatic race.

Josh had never performed in an aquatic race before, and he had only been on the track once before, during his evening time trials after a long boat ride from Bass City. He had arrived at the course around an hour before the race was to begin, finding himself to be one of the last competitors to arrive. Many of the competitors were already getting practice in on the open waters outside the track itself. An older male, appearing to be in his forties, was atop a Blastoise that appeared to be practicing sharp turns by activating only one of his water cannons. Blastoise were powerful racing Pokémon, but their method of locomotion placed their fate entirely in their rider's hands. To utilize their cannons for propulsion, they had to face backwards. Though it had to take a lot of adjustment, that kind of water pressure meant they could really pour on the speed when going straight.

The only other "unusual" Pokémon in the field was a Vaporeon, positively enormous for its kind. After all, it had to be for a rider to even fit on its back at all! The rest of the field was comprised of Pokémon to be expected for such a race. Snacker was not the only Sharpedo - there were two others, as well as six Lapras. In total, twenty teams of Pokémon and rider would be competing for the checkered flag on this windy day in Ivy Town.

The course itself was by far the easiest aquatic course on the Arcielian circuit - it was a good mix of surface and underwater racing. Well-lit tunnels and waterproof cameras would track the field as they disappeared beneath the waves, broadcasting the sub-surface view to a screen near the scoreboard. Though there were a large number of U-turns on the course in general, the walls and buoys were placed far enough apart to allow even wide drifting around them. Of course, it was still desired to crest every turn's apex, but it was accommodating to Pokémon who couldn't turn quite as sharply.

The only huge obstacle that scared Josh was a quick chicane leading into the home stretch. The walls were angled in such a way that any Pokémon that hit them at high speed would likely carom off one, then the other. Depending on the exact angle of impact, their inertia could send them forward with minimal time loss, or worst case, completely backwards. Pokémon that could take a lot of punishment, such as that Blastoise, could take advantage of it by slamming into the wall, assuming the rider could handle the whiplash. It was evident that they could - the Blastoise and rider were going to be in the front row on the five-row starting grid. Josh and his Sharpedo would be two rows back. After mingling with some familiar faces, including his new friend and rival Raye atop a Dragonair, he glanced over to the gallery, seeing if some familiar faces were there.

---

{WC: 661}
{PC: 1}

[Josh Devlin]

It appeared there were no familiar faces in the crowd. The crowd was a bit larger than either of his previous races - no surprise, given the proximity of Bass and Plum Cities. It also wasn't a surprise that he didn't see his local fans anywhere, what with how remote Ivy Town was. On the bright side, this race was being televised, one of only two Silver League races all season to have one...and with his friends not there in person, he could focus on the track. Even without the distraction of his biggest fans, it would still be a challenge for Josh - being his first aquatic race, movement in three dimensions was a thing to keep in mind, particularly for the underwater portions of the race.

A half hour before starting time, all the racers and their Pokémon lined up along the home stretch, the sound of falling water raging to their distant left as they faced the crowd. The course officials addressed the field one row at a time, making sure everyone was aware of the escape hatches on the underwater sections in the event of injury. While fair and skilled competition was of utmost importantce, racer and Pokémon safety was the number one priority.

The race's MC, a young man in a skybox near the timekeeper, began introducing the field. After each individual's name was called, the team of jockey and Pokémon swam to their position behind the line. "Qualifying 18th position in the time trials, from Ash, Arciel, Raye Higgins and Violet, her Dragonair!" Wait, she was almost all the way in the back? Maybe there was more to this course than he thought, if someone as skilled as her qualified near the back of the pack.

Josh's heart sped up as the racers assembled around where his position was on the starting grid, a Dewgong carrying a lithe female that looked Alolan. "Qualifying 9th position in the time trials, from Goldenrod, Johto, Josh Devlin and his Sharpedo, Snacker!" A couple of whistles gave way to moderate applause, the Sharpedo taking his place on the inside of the third row. In front of him was a Gyarados so small that its female rider barely fit on it - while most Pokémon had to be bred to be large enough, the destructive water serpent was typically so big that even the smallest of specimens could carry a trainer!

"Qualifying pole position in the time trials, from Blackthorn, Johto, Kryspin Kuehne and their Kingdra, Whorl!" Kingdra was a Pokémon Josh had completely forgotten about for racing - while the positioning of its main fin was typically a problem for riders, this one was large enough that they could comfortably mount up even with the fin where it was. Though Kingdra lost quite a bit of agility after evolving from Seadra, they made up for it with the stamina and speed of dragonkind.

Once all twenty racers had formed the grid, a red light illuminated on the display above the starting line, signaling the racers to get ready. Josh angled Snacker slightly toward the outside of the track as to not spray the Lapras behind him with his exhaust. Shortly afterward, three yellow lights lit up, one at a time per second, signaling the countdown.

The fifth light on the scoreboard illuminated green, and they were off, down the opening straightaway. Snacker's angle caused him to yield position to the Dewgong next to him as well as an Empoleon a row back, but that was the price to pay to get on more open water, where the Sharpedo could make easily put on the speed that was a big reason the species was nicknamed the Bully of the Sea.

---

{WC: 623}
{PC: 2}

[Josh Devlin]

The first few seconds of any race, particularly in the middle of the pack, were pure chaos. Though attacking other racers was not allowed for safety reasons, contact between racers early on was inevitable as they fought for open waters and early position. The two Lapras on the second row surged ahead, now four of them bumping into each other with the frequency of bumper cars at a carnival as they fought for second place. Their aggression toward each other kept the pole Kingdra in the lead, widening their margin over the quarreling ice-types. The margin was still only tenths, but on a course this short, tenths meant a lot more than normal.

A youner racer atop an Empoleon broke ranks and headed toward the outside of the track toward more open water, swimming alongside Snacker and Josh as the first underwater tunnel approached mere seconds from the starting line. It did not take long for the steel-type to pass them, along with a Dewgong that was creating a bigger wake than its species should have been able to. He wondered if all the Ice-types would be okay swimming in such warm water - it was the middle of summer, after all. The ice and steel Pokémon appeared to battle for position, Josh casually watching them up until they submerged. A little over a second after the Kingdra had submerged, Josh followed, taking his Sharpedo beneath the waves.

While similar in structure, the underwater tunnel looked very different than the one at Birch's Training Grounds - this time, the lighting came from diodes running along the course's bottom left and right corners, and the rest of the tunnel was constructed out of a translucent material to allow sunlight to filter in, as well. While some underwater sections of an aquatic race were to be expected, it only now dawned on Josh how much more difficult aquatic and aerial races were going to be with the addition of the third dimension.

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Not only was Josh's command to turn late, but he had overestimated the dip from the tunnel entrance, making Snacker adjust after colliding with the tunnel floor and losing a lot of his momentum. While it would be easy for him to drift through the long turn once the two found the correct angle, they would have their work cut out for them once he was allowed to use the dark-type's powerful Aqua Jet after the first lap was over. By the time he had recovered his speed, an Eelektross had also taken the chance to pass them.

Once Josh had completed the first turn, the sound of rushing water, almost like a whirlpool, rumbled from behind him. He quickly glanced back, seeing a Dragonair rapidly closing in on him. The source of the aquatic dragon's speed was its long tail violently moving in some combination of swishing and whirling, creating a small whirlpool at the tail. While the Dragonair was fast, Snacker managed to cut it off at every opportunity it took. As another U-curve approached, the Dragonair and Sharpedo drifting toward the center of the track, Josh wondered how he would be able to withstand that power on his own when he raced the much larger Resheph.

---

Energy: 96%
Position: 13/20

{WC: 539}
{PC: 3}

[Josh Devlin]

Not only was the addition of the third dimension challenging Josh, but the additional drag of the water tested his strength in just holding on. It was little wonder some racers sat in full harnesses for underwater battles of speed like this one. Josh knew it would be more difficult from his experience during the time trials, but the presence of nineteen other Pokémon on the track.

Unbeknownst to him, that was down to eighteen others - a Sharpedo, Swampert, and their trainers were fighting for position behind him. The vicious, apex aquatic predator took a more aggressive line than its trainer wanted, passing the larger water-type in a burst of speed, but not for long. The sharpest turn the team could manage was not enough - the two scraped alongside the outer wall of the underwater U-turn. Though the rider had his mount to shield him from any physical trauma, the Sharpedo was not so lucky. Its left fin throbbing, the two headed for one of the many underwater escape hatches dotting the tunnel, taking an early exit from the race.

Around the halfway point of the first lap, the field was starting to separate, and Josh was finding himself comfortably ahead of the back third. The Eelektross and Dewgong teams ahead of him were starting to disappear into the deep blue. The deep blue wouldn't last much longer, though - after one more lazy U-turn, the course would rise to the water's surface. If he could navigate this turn properly, he could take advantage of the Sharpedo's biggest strength: his surface speed.


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Josh was still not fully used to turning Snacker underwater. At least he had room for error in the open water, sliding around the outside of the U-turn while keeping a good pace. When he surfaced, he found it wasn't as good as he would have liked - he found himself sandwiched between a Lapras on the outside and a rather tiny Gyarados on the inside. Josh's ears popped from both the sudden pressure change of leaving the subsurface section, as well as the roar of the crowd.

A couple of seconds up the track, two Lapras and a Vaporeon were fighting for first place, all three females atop them leaning as low as they could to coax as much speed as they could out of their partners without using Pokémon techniques prohibited during the race's first lap. The track ahead was narrowing, too - only two of them could reliably fit in the gap before the course's first waterfall. Despite the impending obstacle, none of them yielded. The Lapras on the inside of the course stubbed its right fin on the corner of the course, briefly slowing down but shaking the blow off. It was enough to turn the battle for the lead from three ways to two.

Though it was a battle Josh could see (barely), he had his own battle to focus on, and the same obstacle was coming his way. "Floor it, Snacker!" the young, black-haired man shouted, though he was unsure his command could be heard with how noisy it was around him. He bounced aboard his Pokémon once from the force of his Sharpedo's water discharge, making a move to get ahead of the traditionally slower Pokémon before the courser narrowed and truly tested his skills to control a Pokémon that handled like a Miltank on skates.

---

Energy: 91%
Position: 15/19

{WC: 568}
{PC: 4}

[Josh Devlin]

Snacker's powerful jet allowed him to surge past many of the other Pokémon near him, including an Eelektross, two Lapras, and the petit Gyarados a large crowd in the stands seemed to cheer for. The brutal hunter's propulsion started to sputter as he caught his breath while swimming alongside an Empoleon, an Blastoise just barely in front of them both. The front of Josh's helmet dried out very quickly as he and his partner bounced along the surface.

It wouldn't stay dry for long - after a five-second dead-sprint, he had to ease up to navigate a gentle curve that led to an underwater tunnel containing the course's final obstacle - a whiplash-inducing chicane. This one curve singlehandedly added an entire star to the star rating of the track, and was the only curve that demanded good braking. That, or incredible endurance. The Blastoise ahead of Josh withdrew into its shell and fired its water cannons, tilting the side of its shell in such a direction to bounce off the angled walls, brute-forcing its way through the curve with minimal time loss. Not only was that hard on the Pokémon, but it also took great strength for the racer to stay mounted. It was well worth the price of admission; the Blastoise surged ahead, gaining a great deal of track position and nearly catching up to the leaders.

Josh didn't have that luxury; while Sharpedo possessed almost unparalleled speed in open water, they couldn't exactly turn on a Pen. He allowed the Eelektross next to him to pass him so he could get on the outside of the chicane. This would, in theory, allow him to minimize the angles he needed to turn at. It would still be difficult for him to time; because of the delay between Josh tugging on the reins and Snacker's momentum actually shifting, he would need to yank with his left hand, then even harder with his right, all within a fraction of a second, to pass this curve with minimal speed loss.


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{Strength - 63 + 12 = 75 - PASS}

The shark's left fin grazed the inside wall, but Josh managed to pull it off, even passing the Eelektross he yielded to. The team he had passed took a heavy impact in the tunnel, losing all their speed and a lot of position. The rest of the track was one gentle curve leading to the tunnel exit, which poured out into a waterfall. The young trainer squeezing Snacker's sides again, the dark-type ingested a large amount of water to expel during the drop to the surface below. All he needed to do was pull that trick off two more times, and he was confident he would either win the race or place well enough to secure his Gold League qualification for the 2021 season. It wasn't going to be easy, though, particularly when he crossed the starting line. The display above had changed from red to green after the first lap, meaning techniques like Aqua Jet were clear to use. If it wasn't intense before, it was going to get much more so now. The wake of a Lapras' Ice Shard made the surf rough, but Josh was ready to have Snacker answer with an Aqua Jet of his own the moment he crossed the line.

---

Energy: 88%
Position: 8/19
Lap Time: 0'32"856 (+0'01"755)

{WC: 545}
{PC: 5}

[Josh Devlin]

The loud popping noise from Snacker's Aqua Jet startled Josh, still not fully used to racing the sea predator. The roar of displaced water from the synchronized Aqua Jets, Aqua Tails, and so forth, sounded like the Tohjo Falls during a heavy rainstorm. While it didn't quite blow his ears out completely, it was still uncomfortably loud. The two bounced along the rough, wavy surface, Josh pulling back on Snacker's fin to slow the Aqua Jet down a little bit and remain in the wake between the Ice Shards of the Lapras in front of him. While the Sharpedo could easily outswim the shell-backed Pokémon in a sprint, one brush against those Ice Shards was going to hurt; not to mention how cold it would be for both he and his rider.

The tactic of remaining in the Lapras' wake seemed to work well - both of them rocketed ahead of several Pokémon not quite as gifted with bursts of speed, including a Kingdra, Blastoise, and Walrein. They weren't able to catch a Vaporeon in front of them before the speed moves ran out, the blue Eeveelution sinking all the way to the bottom of the tunnel. It ran along the bottom of the course, flailing its tail about madly in an underwater Quick Attack chain. That long, powerful tail served it well, the young woman on its back holding on tight through a U-curve that didn't feel nearly as gentle at the higher speeds the second lap encouraged.

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{Dexterity: 77 + 20 = 97 - PASS}

Josh tightened his hold on Snacker's reins and squinted with a laser focus. As the first U-curve was coming up, the Sharpedo and rider gently drifted toward the outside of the course as their Aqua Jet and Ice Shard speed boosts expired. Once the two were fully clear of the Lapras, he squeezed the shark's sides hard, simultaneously yanking equally hard with his right hand. The dark-type snapped his jaws violently before opening his mouth wide and shooting a second Aqua Jet out of his rear. The combined motions resulted in the two drifting along the outside of the curve at full speed, easily able to pass the Lapras and reach third place.

Josh was starting to feel the pressure, both physical from the feeling of his right leg being squeezed due to the strong forced acting on it, and the mental pressure of there only being two opponents in front of him. Both of them were rather talented, the Vaporeon almost a second in front of him trying to make a move by running underneath the smaller but more nimble Lapras currently in the lead. He still had to worry about the Lapras behind him, too - the ice-type and rider were swimming just above the wake of Snacker's jet. One false move on the next curve, and the duo would be right back to where they started the lap. That twitching right leg of Josh's wasn't helping matters, either...

---

Energy: 68%
Position: 3/19
Interval: 0'41"016 (+0'00"974)

{WC: 496}
{PC: 6}

[Josh Devlin]

The Vaporeon team's move to overtake their larger rivals failed - able to hug the inside with one-sided bursts of Ice Shard, the Lapras up front was able to edge the smaller Pokémon out and deny them the lead. The Lapras and Kingdra Josh had passed earlier had squeezed in front of him as well, threading the needle between Snacker and the inside wall. The surf had become quite rough from how dense the traffic was in the top half of the field - only one second separated first place from seventh. Josh's left arm was shaking from how hard he was pulling on his mount's corresponding side - it took a lot of strength to turn the shark that much without losing speed in the U-curve back. Rougher water was typical on boost laps simply due to added water displacement from Aqua Jets, Ice Shards, and the like, but the effect was amplified in tighter traffic.

Other than the two Lapras battling for top spots, the remainder of the six Lapras entered into the race were not performing as well, being buffeted about by the rougher surf as well as the other racers. While none of it was with intent, contact between Pokémon was inevitable. The youngest racer in the field, a teen by the name of Forest, got to experience that firsthand - when rounding a corner, his Lapras rammed into Raye and her Dragonair, which caused both of them as well as two more Lapras in the middle of the field to all lose their balance. The Silver League star was already not having a good debut in Gold League, and this made it only worse. While she and the other Lapras inevitably recovered after losing well over a second and a half, the young one and his Lapras weren't so lucky. The ice-type's right-front fin was completely submerged, causing them to lurch in that direction. Once the Swampert pulling up the rear had passed them, the teen and his partner floated to the outside of the track, climbed out of the water, and recalled the clearly injured Pokémon.

---

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Josh wasn't giving up his position without a fight, though. After one last sweeping curve to the right, there would be a long stretch along the surface where Snacker could really turn up his jet's power. He guided the dark-type along the middle of the track, letting a Blastoise behind him pass briefly. His angle coming out of the turn would be better, though, and let him pass the shelled Pokémon up easily on the way out of the curve. Expelling a high-pressure burst of water from his rear, Josh's Sharpedo shot down the backstretch faster than any other Pokémon in the field was capable of. As nimble as Vaporeon were, there was no Pokémon in the field that could match Snacker in a sprint. The combined wakes of the many Aqua Jets bounced Josh and his partner atop the waves unpredictably, though the vicious Pokémon was able to make micro-adjustments to keep from sailing into the wall by accident.

---

Energy: 58%
Position: 5/18
Interval: 0'49"490 (+0'00"682)

{WC: 516}
{PC: 7}