After staying overnight at Patrick's beach house, the man was kind enough to give us a ride back to Olivine City's port.

"Thanks again for the ride, Patrick," I said, "You really didn't have to."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Patrick said, waving a lazy hand, "It's the least I can do."

I smiled as I watched the boat cut through the waves, splitting the water into two.

"What's next on the agenda for our Johto journey?" Nina asked.

"Why not enter the Extreme Pokémon Race in Eggster Town," Patrick suggested, "It's happening tomorrow afternoon."

"The Extreme Pokémon Race?" Kat parroted.

"Yup. It's an annual race that's loads of fun! The Pokémon has to pull their trainer on a skateboard and wind around obstacles in Eggster Valley and the Shelby Ranch. Then, the trainer receives a fake Pokémon egg, and the Pokémon have to pull their trainers back to the start."

The others and I glanced at each other and smiled.

"That does sound like fun!" Elsu exclaimed, "Count me in!"

"You already know that I'll be entering!" Nina exclaimed.

"Same for me!" I said.

"Us too!" Kat and Eric said.

I turned to Rina and smirked.

"What about you, Rina?" I asked.

"Me? Oh, no, I can't ride a skateboard," she said, "If the race had roller skates, then I would've entered."

A smile spread across my face as I nodded. After a few minutes, we arrived at Olivine City's port.

"Eggster Town is to the east of Ecruteak City; you can't miss it," Patrick said as he docked off the boat.

When Patrick tied the speedboat to a mast, we hopped off the vessel.

"Thanks for bringing us here, Patrick." I said.

"Anytime!" Patrick said with a smile.

When Patrick untied the boat, the engine flared to life.

"Take care, kids!" Patrick exclaimed.

Then, the man sped away from the port, leaving a split in the water. I sighed as I glanced back at the sprawling metropolis behind me.

"Why don't we fly to Ecruteack City?" Eric suggested, "From there, we can walk to Eggster Town."

"That sounds like a good idea," Kat said, glancing at me, "What do you think, Eragona?"

I smiled and nodded as I pulled out two Pokéballs.

"Jet, Charcoal! We need you!" I exclaimed, tossing the Pokéballs.

At my command, my Garchomp and Charizard appeared with mighty cries.

"Yanmega, get out here!" Elsu said, tossing a Pokéball.

At his command, the Ogre Darner Pokémon appeared.

"We're heading to Ecruteak City, you three," I said, "Can you give us a ride?"

The three Pokémon nodded and hunched over. Kat and I got on Jet, Nina and Eric hopped on Charcoal, and Rina and Elsu got on Yanmega. The three Pokémon nodded to one another before taking to the skies.

I never get tired of flying on the backs of my Pokémon.

As we flew through the air, I saw the autumn-colored leaves below, and soon, I saw Burned Tower.

"Land down there, you three." I said.

The Pokémon nodded as they flew down into the city. The Pokémon landed and happily cried out.

"Thanks for the ride, you three!" I said.

The Pokémon cried out before being returned to their Pokéballs.

"Patrick said Eggster Town is to the east of here." Eric said.

"Then, let's get going!" Nina said, skipping ahead of us.

I smiled at the others as we walked to Ecruteak's eastern gate. Once out of Ecruteak City, the others and I followed the skipping redhead down the dirt path.

"Hey, I think I see Eggster Town up ahead!" I said.

As we reached the top of a hill, rolling fields were abundant as far as the eye could see.

"This must be Eggster Valley!" Rina exclaimed, "Look at all the Pokémon and trainers!"

When Rina mentioned it, I saw a lot of trainers with their Pokémon. When I turned around, I saw a Rapidash with a collar around its neck. The Fire Horse Pokémon sprinted across the hills with its trainer in tow on a skateboard.

I've never seen a Pokémon with a collar before.

"Looks like they're training for the race." Eric said.

"We sure are!" said a familiar voice behind us.

We turned around and smiled at the familiar faces.

"Amora!" Elsu cried.

"Micheal!" Nina exclaimed.

Our old companions smiled.

"Good to see you, kids, again!" Micheal said, "How've you been?"

"Great, thanks!" Nina said, "How've you two been?"

"We've been alright," Amora said, "We ran into each other in Eggster Town while we were going to train for the race tomorrow."

Then, a pair of cries rang throughout the area. I turned to see Micheal's Arcanine and Amora's Ninetales run up to us, wearing collars.

"Why are your Pokémon wearing collars?" I asked.

"It's so we can hang onto the leash attached to it and make it easier for our Pokémon to pull us." Micheal explained.

"They're not bothered by it?"

Amora grinned and shook her head.

"Nope." she answered, placing a hand on her Ninetales.

As long as they're not bothered by it, I shouldn't worry.

"So, you kids gonna enter the race?" Micheal asked.

"We sure are!" Kat exclaimed, "It sounds like a lot of fun!"

"We were about to head into town to get something to eat," Amora commented, "Wanna join us?"

"Sure!" we said in unison.

The two older trainers retracted their Pokémon before walking through the valley with us in tow. When we entered the small town, we searched for a place to eat. Eventually, we found a small restaurant and went inside. After grabbing a seat and ordering our food, the eight of us chatted away.

"You guys met Lugia?" Amora asked in surprise.

"Yup, and it left us a parting gift." Kat said, pulling out the Silver Wing.

Micheal scoffed as he leaned back into his seat.

"See? What did I tell you, Amora?" Micheal questioned, glancing at Amora, "You hang around with these kids, and you're bound to see something incredible."

"I second that!" Amora said.

When our food arrived, we happily ate and chatted away.

"That was delicious!" Rina said.

"Yeah, it was perfect!" Amora said, "Changing the subject; are you guys ready for the race?"

"Yeah," I replied, "But we don't have the proper equipment to participate race."

"I can help with that." said a friendly voice.

We turned to our side to see an older man with silver hair.

"How so?" Nina asked,

"I can help train and prepare you, kids, for the race tomorrow," he said, "I know a thing or two about the Extreme Pokémon Race."

"That would be wonderful; thank you, sir!" I said.

After paying, we followed the older man outside to a cart pulled by a Tauros.

"Hop on!" the man said, sitting behind the Tauros.

The others and I smiled as we climbed onto the cart with hay bales. The man flipped the reins, and the carriage began to move.

"Ah, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself," the man said, "I'm Mr. Shelby, and I run a local Pokémon Day Care with my wife."

"I'm Eragona, and this is Libby." I said.

"I'm Kat, and this is my buddy Angel." Kat greeted.

"I'm Eric." Eric said.

"The name's Micheal." Micheal said.

One by one, we introduced ourselves to Mr. Shelby.

"Mr. Shelby, you said run a daycare, correct?" Amora asked.

"Mhm. My wife and I are responsible for taking care of eggs and the new hatchlings," Mr. Shelby explained, "When they're old enough, we release them, or we let trainers adopt them."

"That's sweet, Mr. Shelby," Rina said, "I can't wait to see all the baby Pokémon!"

I chuckled as the Tauros pulled us along the valley's path. After a while, we soon arrived at a house with a small pond beside it.

Wow! It almost reminds me of the Pokémon Nursery back in Maidbury City.

After getting off the cart, Mr. Shelby detached the cart from the Tauros and let it roam in the area surrounding the property. Mr. Shelby soon opened the door and was greeted with shelves of Pokémon eggs.

Whoa! Look at them all!

We walked into the house and saw an older woman polishing a pink and beige egg.

"Honey, I'm back!" Mr. Shelby greeted.

The woman looked up and smiled.

"Welcome home, dear," she said, "Oh, and who are these lovely children?"

"Hello, ma'am!" we greeted.

"These are some new friends of mine," Mr. Shelby said, "These kids are looking to enter tomorrow's big race."

"How lovely! I'm Kimie. Make yourselves at home!"

The others and I thanked the woman as we scanned the house full of different colored eggs.

"Are these all your eggs?" Kat asked.

"They sure are!" Mr. Shelby said, "We sometimes find eggs lying around, or trainers come and give them to us."

To think that Pokémon eggs could be lying around just about anywhere.

"I'll be right back," Mr. Shelby said, "I'll see if I can find some equipment."

When Mr. Shelby left the house, a chorus of adorable cries erupted. I turned around to see a Riolu, Budew, Pichu, and two Eevee sprinting over to us.

"Oh, my gosh! They're so cute!" Amora exclaimed.

Libby happily cried out as she hopped off my shoulder and wagged her tail at the two Eevee. The baby Eevee smiled and happily cried out. Snubbull leaped out of Rina's arms and let out a cry, making the Riolu smile. Angel chirped out a cry and playfully tossed the Budew with her ribbons.

"They're so cute together!" Nina exclaimed.

Kimie smiled as she watched their little ones play with our Pokémon. Mr. Shelby walked back into the house and smiled at the sight.

"Good news, I've found some extra skateboards you kids could borrow," Mr. Shelby said, "However, there are only three."

We followed the man outside and saw three skateboards and leases on the lawn.

"Only three of you guys can enter the race." Amora said.

The others and I glanced at one another with unsure faces.

"I think the racers should be Kat, Elsu, and Eragona." Nina said suddenly.

"I agree." Eric said.

"Sounds good to me." Micheal said

The others agreed silently. Kat, Elsu, and I turned to one another and smiled.

"Thanks, you guys." Kat said.

"So, what Pokémon will you use in the race?" Mr. Shelby asked.

Kat grinned before taking out a Pokéball.

"Goodra, come on out!" Kat exclaimed, tossing the Pokéball.

At her command, the Dragon Pokémon appeared with a friendly cry.

"Smart choice," Elsu said, pulling out a Pokéball, "So, I'll use this Pokémon!"

When he threw the Pokémon, his Scolipede appeared.

"Scolipede is a fast Pokémon, so choosing it was a good call, Elsu." Eric said.

"Thanks," he said, "So, what Pokémon are you gonna enter into the race, Eragona?"

I hummed as I thought about who I had on my team. I grinned as I pulled out a Pokéball.

"Okay, I choose you!" I exclaimed, tossing the Pokéball.

At my command, my Sceptile appeared.

"Sceptile, huh?" Micheal questioned.

"Yup," I said, "Ajax is fairly fast in the trees and on the ground."

"A fine display of Pokémon, indeed," Mr. Shelby said, "Now, time to practice!"

Nodding to the man, Kat, Elsu, and I attached the collars to our Pokémon as we stepped onto the skateboards with the leashes in our hands.

"Let's go!" Elsu exclaimed.

Our Pokémon cried out before sprinting away from our friends with us in tow.

"This is so cool!" Elsu exclaimed.

"It sure is!" Kat said.

"Okay, guys, move right!" I said.

Our Pokémon nodded before shifting to the right.

"Now, left!" Kat said.

Our Pokémon cried out as they moved to the left.

"Speed up!" Elsu said.

Our Pokémon smiled as they sped up, sprinting across the rolling hills.

"Alright, let's head back to the others," Elsu said, "Race ya!"

The Scolipede reared before sprinting the other way.

"Hey! Wait up!" I exclaimed.

"No fair!" Kat laughed.

Our Pokémon cried out before turning around and chasing after Elsu and Scolipde. When Kat and I made it to the daycare, Elsu leaned against his Scolipede with a smug grin.

"What took you girls so long?" he asked.

"Ha, ha, very funny," I deadpanned.

"I'd pay to see you pull a stunt like that at tomorrow's race." Kat said.

"Please don't..."

Kat and Elsu laughed as they got off their skateboards.

"You guys certainly got the hang of it," Micheal said, "But that's not all you're gonna have to do."

"How so?" I asked.

Micheal grinned before presenting us with three eggs.

"These are dummy eggs," he said, "For this race, we're gonna go through the valley and come back here to the daycare to get a dummy egg."

Micheal smirked as he passed us the dummy eggs.

"Amora and I were just about to train with them," Micheal said, "Wanna join us?"

"Sure!" the others and I exclaimed.

Amora grinned as she tossed up a Pokéball, and out came her Ninetales. Micheal mimicked the redhead and called upon his Arcanine. The two older trainers picked up their dummy eggs before stepping onto their skateboards.

"First one to that large tree and back wins!" Nina chimed in.

I tightened my grip around the leash and egg, waiting for our mini-race to start.

"On your mark..." Rina began.

"Get set..." Eric said.

"Go!" Nina exclaimed.

Then, our Pokémon sprinted off, pulling the other and me behind them. I laughed as the wind blew past me as I flew across the valley with my friends.

Ajax and I will win the Extreme Pokémon Race, whatever it takes! What could possibly go wrong?