Noon approaches on the day of the race. Sweltering summer heat radiates on Celadon City. The competitors all line up at the starting point: the west entrance to Route 16.

The air is thick with anxiety, rivalry, hopes, and prayers. You can feel the tension and excitement even before the start of the race. As the racers line up, the smell of sweat, rubber, and oil come together to create an oddly harmonious and competitive aroma.

It's like the calm before the storm. The racers hold silence, passion, and ambition close to their heart before the start.

That is, excluding two notable competitors.

"Here I thought you wouldn't show up, Rad!" Rydel shouts at his rival. The two masters of the cycling craft glare at each other. Rydel is in a striped ruby red, sapphire blue, and emerald green jersey. On his head, he wears the most popular and durable helmet on the market made from discarded Shelmet shells. Next to him is his trusty Manaphy-hued road racer.

"Hah! I thought you'd forfeit while you still could, Rydel!" Rad shouts back. Rad is in a pearl white and platinum jersey with a diamond pattern. He too has a Shelmet helmet. Next to him is his reliable Darumaka red road racer.

The two athletes warm-up stretches while they still have time. As they shout back and forth at each other, a crowd files in where the race is scheduled to begin. Among the crowd is the duo that promised to be back again for race coverage: Gabby & Ty. The two of them rush to the starting line as they do last minute adjustments.

"Are we ready?" Ty asks, heaving the camera onto his shoulder. Gabby nods as she dusts off her blouse. Ty does a quick countdown.

"All right. In six, five, four..." he says. Three, two, one...

"Broadcasting from here in Celadon City, I'm Gabby representing Hoenn News Network's TV Mauville. We're here to bring you live coverage of the beginning and end of the race," Gabby says. She takes a step back as Ty pans out the view for his camera. The crowd cheers on as the competitors line up near what is both the start and finish line of the race.

"I'm here at the starting line where the expected fifteen competitors are to begin the race," she states. She moves over to a man dressed in black and white stripes. Anyone can assume he's the referee with a whistle around his neck and a neon yellow cap on his head. He's tall and muscular, like the competitors. Beads of sweat slide down his stern facial expression as he eyes the participants and crowd.

Gabby continues. "I'm here with the head race administrator Miles Prower. Mr. Prower, could you please explain to the audience the race and its rules in-depth?"

The striped man looks down at Gabby, who is easily a foot shorter than him. He grunts once as Gabby holds the microphone as close as she can to his face.

"The race," he starts, "begins here at the entrance to Route 16. We have taken down the barricade directly north of the Cycling Road and competitors will start in an enclosed clearing behind the building to our right." He points over to the border post between Celadon and Cycling Road. On normal circumstances, anyone going this way is forced onto their bike to travel the road. However, on this occasion, cyclists and spectators alike are allowed access to Route 16.

"The course then proceeds a few meters west until the riders successfully pass the building. They then take the downhill slope to the bottom of Cycling Road. Afterwards, they take a sharp one hundred-eighty degree turn to their right around the lakes and proceed up the hill of Cycling Road until the road levels out again. Afterwards, it's a flat road and flat-out sprint to the finish line."

"Ahh I see..." Gabby replies, "so it's a large loop then?" Prower nods at Gabby's summary.

"It's a loop that challenges all the techniques of road racing: sprinting, climbing, and downhill control. It's a battleground," Prower grunts. He crosses his arms as he squints at the competitors, particularly at the noisiest pair. The two of them continue to shout at each other. Gabby pays them no mind.

"So what exactly makes this sort of race different from any other bicycle road race?" Gabby asks. At that question, a small grin forms at the side of Prower's mouth. He pulls off his hat and wipes the sweat off his forehead with a shirt sleeve.

"This race is special. Every competitor is allotted one Pokémon of their choice. And they are allowed only one non-damaging attack on that Pokémon that they can use up to twice in the race," Prower huffs. His arm slowly rises as he points at the competitors. Ty promptly pans the camera in its direction to spot other administrators attaching Poké Balls in the center of the handlebars of all the competitors' bicycles.

"There are, of course, a few rules. Like I said, you can use the move up to twice. It also must be a non-damaging move. We also do not allow any direct speed increasing or decreasing status moves, such as Agility or Cotton Spore. If the Pokémon is released during the race, it cannot be returned. And lastly, each Pokémon is subjected to Gastro Acid before the race, eliminating their ability," Prower nods as he looks down to Gabby. Gabby nods as she looks in awe of all the competitors and their now fully equipped bicycles. Each and every one has the iconic red and white capsule affixed to the center of the handlebars. With the press of a button, the Pokémon within would then release and be at the competitor's usage.

"It's not just a race of pure athleticism. There's strategy as well. When to release your partner. When to use the move. If and when to use the move again. If to release your partner at all," Prower explains. "It's what makes these races so damn exciting."

Gabby nods as she pulls her microphone down back to her chin. She turns to Ty and nods to him.

"And that is a quick debriefing of the race. Today, we are partnering with Jubilife TV from Sinnoh and will also have coverage of the riders near the bottom of the hill on Cycling Road," Gabby explains, "To you, Roxy."

At the bottom of the hill, two reporter partners from Sinnoh also are on the hunt of the story of the race. One of them is a green-haired woman, Roxy, the face of the bulletin. The other is the cap-clad man, Oli, the eyes of the bulletin. Roxy clears her throat as she looks straight into the lens.

"Thank you, Gabby. I'm Roxy, roving reporter representing Jubilife TV. I'm here at the bottom of Route 16 where other spectators await the athletes to race their way down the hill and make a torturous one-eighty turn to proceed up the hill they just sped down. According to avid fans, many of the competitors fatally crash at this point, which is known as the U-Turn," Roxy explains. "There are records of crashes ending the profession of some riders at this point. This place is no joke."

Oli pans out the view of the U-Turn. In the center are lakes that go all the way up Route 16. To the right is the path the competitors will be speeding down. To the left is the path the competitors must climb their way back up to reach the finish line.

"We will await the competitors on their way down the hill. This is Roxy of Jubilife TV reporting in," Roxy states. "Back to you, Gabby."

Gabby nods as she looks back at the competitors. She glances over at Prower. He holds up all five fingers on his right hand. She has five minutes to get in her last questions.

Gabby dashes for the first person she sees. Unfortunately for her, the first person is Rydel.

"Rydel, I'm Gabby from TV Mauville. We spoke yesterday. The race is about to begin. Want to divulge your strategy to us?" Gabby asks quickly. Rydel heaves his right leg over his bicycle and stands over it.

"My strategy? Pulverize that guy over there!" he winks, grinning cheekily, pointing at Rad with his left thumb. In an instant, Rad shouts back.

"I'll be the one doing any pulverizing here! I'm here to win!" Rad yells, waving a fist in the air. Gabby hears a whistle. In response, she turns to Prower. He now has two fingers up.

"We'll see you at the end of the race," she says aloud.

"You'll see me for sure!" Rad shouts.

"You'll see me and my dust, Rad!" Rydel shouts to him. The whistle then blows again. The two masters, Rydel number five and Rad number seven, nod as they approach the starting line. On the far left is Griffin Bellamy, number one. To him, it's fitting for what position he wants to end this race in: first.

The tension in the air increases tenfold like a Voltorb using Magnet Rise. Prower holds his left arm straight up in the air as each competitor holds their position. The crowd in the background cheers their favorite on. The sheer poise the athletes hold would impress anyone.

"The race," Gabby whispers, "is about to begin."

Prower then brings his arm down. Go!

"And they're off!" Gabby announces. "We will be bringing live coverage of the beginning and first turn of the race!"

In an instant, every racer accelerates from standstill. Vying for the best position out of the gate is crucial to establishing yourself early. Getting lost—or last for that matter—in the pack is the last thing anyone wants.

"Raaaaaaaah!" Rad roars, pumping his legs forward. He sprints forward and settles in the front. Directly behind him is Rydel, chasing Rad by his tail. The rest of the pack settles in a cluster behind the two. At the helm of the group is the number one rider: Griffin.

Rad approaches the first left turn as the leader. As an experienced rider, he knows the trickiness of corners. It's all about leaning in at just the right angle and getting back out again. If you lean in too much, your pedal will hit the ground and lead to utter failure.

It's a real battle on the edge.

However, it's not over after that. Once you lean in and endure as much as you possibly can, you reset your posture back to normal. Then, it's another all-out sprint for the lead.

"And Rad successfully turns the corner to Route 16! He doesn't even stop his pedalling as he dashes madly for the downhill portion of the race!" Gabby exclaims, giving her play-by-play narration.

Rad pedals with acute awareness, deftly curving around the first bend. He then stands up on his pedals and instantly bursts with speed forward, as if he's being shot out of a cannon. He swings his bicycle seat back and forth from left to right, repeating the motion. With a simple click of a lever, he shifts gears.

"Already dancing, Rad?!" Rydel shouts, directly behind Rad. Gabby shuffles through some of Ty's papers, producing a small sheet with simple racing terms.

"Rad sped out of that corner with a riding technique called dancing! By increasing the gear and relying on momentum, he accelerates at top speed! It's a feverishly paced technique that requires strength, heart-rate control, and stamina! It's very taxing on the body's energy, but produces incredible results!" Gabby announces into her microphone as the two lead racers speed by, out of sight. Within seconds, the rest of the pack follows suit. Gabby watches as they zip by, leaving her to wait for when they ascend the hill at the finish line.

Rad and Rydel both lead the race, merely inches away from each other. Rydel rides Rad's slipstream as Rad zooms downhill.

"You better watch yourself, Rad! It's bad if your body weight shifts off your saddle while riding downhill! Especially when it's to the front tire!" Rydel shouts at his rival. Rad roars in laughter as his legs pump like pistons on a steam engine.

"Your incessant yelling is making me feel so pumped up right now, Rydel! Bring it on!" Rad yells back. He then leans in, shifting his gear again. His crank spins faster as he pedals intensely. The two of them pass one, two lakes as they fast approach the bottom of the hill.

"I'm Roxy of Jubilife TV reporting in on the fast approaching leaders of the race. In first is Rad Rickshaw from Sinnoh. Right on his tail is Rydel from Hoenn. The two are speeding down the hill of Route 16 preparing for the infamous U-Turn!" Roxy announces as she spots the approaching jerseys of the two cycling kings. Rydel and Rad both lean towards their left as they hug the barriers of the edge of the course. Then, with Rad in the lead, they turn to their right. With that, they take the sharpest angle possible, zooming through the one hundred-eighty degree turn. They finish the curve with dancing as they begin their dash up the hill.

"Phenomenal! The two leaders conquered the U-Turn with ease! It's no wonder they're considered the masters!" Roxy shouts. In the same instant, another jersey zips by her, curling around the U-Turn with the same sharp turn technique.

"And catching up quickly is last year's winner, Griffin Bellamy! Along with the cluster following close behind!" Roxy shouts as the rest of the racers turn the corner within a second of Griffin. It's still anyone's race.

"This is Roxy reporting from the bottom of Route 16 at the U-Turn! With the kings in front, the prodigy close behind, and the cluster catching up fast, it's anyone's guess who will win!" Roxy announces. The crowd cheers as the racers begin the ascent up the hill.

The real race begins now.