Rad dances up the steep hill of Route 16 with Rydel close behind. The two of them continue their shouting match, even with the pace they have and heavy breathing.

"Don't be a scaredy-Skitty! Just try and pass me!" Rad roars as the duo reach about a third of the way up the hill.

"Hah! Unlike you, I don't run away like a Poochyena with its tail between its legs!" Rydel shouts back. The two of them pant heavily, the drops of sweat cascading down their temples. Despite the quick start, their earlier established lead diminishes by every meter they climb.

"Don't tell me Mr. Speedy has tired himself out!" Rydel shouts as Rad's pace slows. With that comment, Rad accelerates in a defiant response. Rydel stays close as the two continue their ascent up the hill.

Behind them is last year's winner, Griffin Bellamy. He silently watches as the two rivals (what he considers nitwits) go back and forth at each other, like a Zangoose and Seviper. When one thinks he has the edge, the other follows suit. It may seem pointless, but, at the same time, they motivate each other. To Griffin, that rivalry is the only thing keeping those two in the front.

With his left hand, Griffin shifts one gear downward. He knows that Route 16 is a torturous climb, especially in the midday heat the race started in. Sweat slides down his nose over his lips. He grabs the water bottle mounted on his bicycle and squirts a bit into his mouth, gulping the freshness to cool him down. He knows that the keys to climbing are power, being lightweight, and rhythm. When climbing, you can't be like the two guys in front of him and expend all of your power at once. That leads to muscle fatigue and it won't get you the results you wish for.

"Whew," he says quietly, shifting his gear down one click. He then stands on his bicycle and slightly accelerates his pace. By both standing and sitting, it distributes strain during a climb. Combine this with a fixed heart-rate and steady cadence, you can efficiently make your way to the top.

But this race is different than just any athletic road race. Because every competitor has a trick up their sleeve.

Or, more appropriately, affixed to their handlebars.

Griffin glances to his right. He sees the sign that signifies the halfway point of the slope. Now is the perfect time for him to make his move for the front. He leans on the drop handles of his handlebars as he sits back down. The two guys in front of him are in the perfect position for him to surpass them.

"Let's go, Bronzor," he says, pressing the capsule's center button. With a flash of light, the Bronzor releases onto his shoulder. Griffin points to the sky, gripping his handlebars, as he leans forward on his bicycle.

"Gravity."

In an instant, every single competitor—save for the reigning champion himself—all feel the immense pressure weigh heavily on them. Those in the back of the pack slow down almost to a crawl. Some even dismount from their bicycles. It was the strategy that brought Griffin victory last year. There is no reason it wouldn't do so again.

Griffin accelerates by dancing his way up the slope. Sure enough, within seconds, he catches up to Rydel and Rad. To Griffin's surprise, the two rivals are...still shouting at each other?

"That Griffin kid used his Gravity tactic again! What are you gonna do about it?!" Rydel shouts as he rams into Rad's left side.

"I have no intention of doing anything! Why don't you do something, Rydel?!" Rad shouts back. Griffin can only sigh as he passes the two kings—now former kings—of cycling. He stands back up and easily passes them up. He watches the sign signalling the three-fourths marker as he continues his ascent of the hill. Everything is working just as he wanted it to.

"Nice and quiet up here..." he murmurs as he pulls away from Rydel and Rad. There's no way anyone can possibly reach him.

"Fine! I'll take care of him! Go, Porygon-Z!" a voice shouts. Griffin recognizes it as Rad's, but he can't possibly have a way to catch up at this rate...

"Hey, Griffin! Long time no see!" Rad booms as he appears beside the prodigy. Griffin turns to his left. In disbelief, he realizes that Rad is now next to him. How could that be?

"Can't say I dislike Trick Room. You think you're so fast? Well all my energy I expended earlier makes me slow down. So why not just reverse the field, right?" Rad roars as an immense pressure surmounts behind Griffin. He glances back and sees the once slow bunch now fast approaching him.

Astonished, Griffin stands back up. He accelerates with the dancing technique, merely trying to avoid getting swallowed up by the pack.

"It isn't over until it's over!" Rydel shouts as the pack starts to release their Pokémon. One by one, the last strategic moves fall into place.

"Magnemite, use Lock-On! We're chasing down the leader!" a competitor shouts. In an instant, the athlete with the number two on his jersey is tire-to-tire with Griffin.

Moves of all tactics echo on the slope while avoiding directly damaging other athletes. Number seven shouts Growth, causing his body to expand in size and in athleticism. Number three yells Focus Energy, heightening his concentration and energy. What was a race is now a war zone.

"Guess I gotta do my thing? Well, cmon out, Voltorb," Rydel shouts, pressing the ball. Out comes a Voltorb, its red and white design and furrowed expression telltale of its competitively Rash nature.

"Let's do this! Double Team!" Rydel continues. Suddenly, before everyone's eyes, there's two Rydels. Then four. Then eight. All of them line up and make Rydel his very own cluster for him to slipstream up the last length of the slope on.

"Time to jump on the speeding Magnet Train!" Rad shouts as he ducks in behind Rydel. Griffin grits his teeth, his poise now long gone, as he joins the end of the quickly accelerating bunch that Rydel formed. Within seconds, the trio pull away from the pack and see the apex of the slope.

The last leg of the race is the same as the beginning: an all-out sprint. This time though, you feel exhausted from climbing and are spent from the insanity of everyone utilizing their Pokémon.

"Again! Double Team!" Rydel shouts as he's the first to reach the top of the hill. Almost as if he's newly energized, he zips up to the flat road leading to the finish.

"Stop him! Trick Room!" Rad shouts. Rydel's acceleration, in the blink of an eye, becomes strained and slow. Rad easily catches up to him at the top.

Griffin yells, realizing his chance. "Bronzor! Gravity!"

All three riders, sweating profusely, panting heavily, all play their final cards at the climax of the race. Now, it's pure athleticism to the finish.

"Rad will bring home the win!" Rad roars as he dances, accelerating again. As if he had a reserve tank of energy, he pumps his legs, driving the crank around in his highest cadence possible. The chain spins the sprockets as he leans forward. This way, he utilizes his weight as a means of propulsion.

"We're not done yet!" Rydel shouts back as he speeds up and rides next to Rad. The two rivals sneer at each other one last time.

"Tiring," Griffin states as he pushes his body to its limit and catches up with the other two. Each athlete ready to fall over take the right turn towards the finish line. In a few meters, Celadon will crown the winner of the tenth annual Cycling Cup.

"And there they are!" Gabby shouts, jumping up and down. "The three favorites, neck and neck! Rydel from Hoenn! Rad Rickshaw from Sinnoh! And Griffin Bellamy from Kanto! All three are pushing themselves to their human limits for the glory of first place! Who will win it all?!"

The three cyclists have only one care in the world: first place. They sacrifice everything for the sake of winning once a year. That one day is today.

"And the winner is...!" Gabby begins. The three cyclists, heaving breaths, teeter back and forth approaching the finish line. It had to be the longest stretch of meters they ever experienced in their lives.

"...number eight!" Gabby announces as the rider with the number eight jersey crosses the goal first. He reaches his hands skyward. He is the winner. He just got first place in the tenth annual Cycling Cup.

Gabby grits her teeth as the other riders finish. "It's a close call...but second place seems to be a tie! Rickshaw, Rydel, and Bellamy all are tied for second place!"

The three athletes all decelerate with heavy breathing as they hold their heads down in defeat. The rookie, number eight, just stole first place from them.

"Well, that was fun," Rad manages as he gasps for air.

"Yknow what would've been even more fun?" Rydel asks. The two rivals' eyes meet.

"Beating you!" they shout in unison. They both breathe in deeply, injecting oxygen into their systems.

"But this annual race reminds me just how much fun riding is. Winning or losing," Rydel admits.

"Ehh...winning is pretty fun though," Rad jokes, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Sometimes..." Griffin murmurs, "...it gets noisy in the winner's circle."

"What I want to know is," Rydel puffs. "How did he manage to appear in such a crucial moment to snatch my victory away?" He squeezes on his brake, slowing to a stop. He then collapses on the ground, breathing madly.

"Ingenious kid. He's probably forcing a rule change as we speak," Rad answers, squeezing water to quench the thirst in his dry mouth. He too slows down and slowly comes to a stop.

"Teleport," Griffin says simply. He unbuckles his helmet and unzips his jersey. He can't tell if the tactic was cheap or genius. Either way, number eight, whoever he is, just won. He is victorious.

Rydel gasps a breath of air. "Hey, Rad."

"What do you want?" Rad wheezes back.

"Wanna retire?" Rydel asks. The two of them stare at each other for a moment. As if on cue, they both burst into laughter.

"Haha! You got me there, Rydel!" Rad shouts. "You trying to get me to retire so you can steal all the glory?

Rydel yells back to his rival. "If anyone should retire, it's you!"

"Says the one who sat behind me for half the race!" Rad roars.

"Says the one who rode my slipstream to the top of the hill!" Rydel yells back. The two rivals laugh once more, pulling off their helmets. They unzip their jerseys and stand themselves back up. The race is done. Someone else won. They're the champion.

"Well, guess it's time to do some maintenance," Rad says as he grabs his bicycle by the drop handles. He heaves his red road racer onto his right shoulder.

"I was thinking the same thing," Rydel says as he grabs his bicycle by its frame. He heaves his blue road racer onto his left shoulder.

The two masters then take their separate ways. Both share a passion for cycling. Both share a passion for winning. Both got second place in the tenth annual Cycling Cup.

"...well at least it's quiet," Griffin mutters, pulling his green bicycle in a direction any way not following the loud duo. Kanto is Griffin's home region. Maybe he could rest up and travel back to his hometown of Vermilion City. After all, he too got second place in the tenth annual Cycling Cup.

Gabby rushes over to the winner's circle where a rider nobody remembers lifts the golden trophy high into the air. His hair is a sweaty mess. His Pokémon, an Abra, sits stoic on his shoulder.

"What a fascinating event. It's a shame hardly anyone knows of it," Gabby says to Ty. The duo nod as Gabby pulls out her trusty microphone. They have a winner, a winner no one expected, to interview.