[ti]private[/ti][S}[C/Abaddon] Go, Go, Gogoat!

Not wanting to be outdone, the Skiddo stared at Saber menacingly before glowing with a briolliant, white light. Both Josh and Saber gasped as the grass-type grew to around double his previous size, now a proper ride Pokémon. "Just because you've grown up doesn't mean you're outrunning me!" the Manectric teased, Nitro sounding a war cry of his own. It seemed the competition between Josh and Abaddon would be intense... until Abaddon suddenly vanished.

"Let's give him a bit to see if he reconnects," Josh gave his Manectric a pat before sliding down from the saddle, taking a seat on top of a small hill not far from one of the many lightning rods dotting the Steppes. "Could have just been a blip. If he's not back in... let's say ten minutes, I'm sorry, Saber, but I want to see how Nitro controls. You'll get your chance, too! Trust me!"

With Abaddon at last out of his head, Josh gently squeezed Nitro's sides and reached for the horns... but could not. Designed with an adult rider in mind, the boy laughed, realizing he could not steer the Pokémon. "Right... Gogoat don't wear reins. As fun as it being a kid, it sure comes with its drawbacks, too," he chuckled, sliding down from the grass-type's back when he was able to bring Nitro to a stop.

He withdrew the Pokémon, landing on his feet after a small fall into the space his partner had occupied. Going into his inventory, he applied the recently-purchased TINY SEAL to Nitro's Poké Ball and sent the Pokémon back out, the Gogoat now a bit larger than Luna, his Liepard. He was the perfect size for Josh's eleven-year-old body to grab onto.

More easily climbing aboard the Gogoat built for him, he grasped the two horns and began to push and pull on them, seeing how Nitro would react.

With a slap to his flanks from Josh, Nitro barreled down the Surge Steppes, motion lines briefly surrounding him as a visual confirmation of him engaging the Pokémon's so-called boost power. Strangely enough, it only was modestly faster than his standard gallop, not a huge difference like Braver's Extreme Speed or even Saber's Quick Attack. Was it due to the attributes of Nitro himself, or was it because he didn't possess a speed-boosting move?

It might be time to go to the Arena Shop and purchase a move.

For now, though, Josh simply enjoyed himself as he sped across the land, goading Saber to chase after him. "Heh, you asked for it!" the Manectric quipped back, zooming toward them in a QUICK ATTACK laced with high voltage powering his explosive acceleration. Even at sprinting speed, there was no hope for Nitro to outrun Saber.

Saber's cautionary remark caught Josh off-guard, nearly misfiring with his lasso, but successfully ensnaring the Ponyta. "Don't you worry about a thing, Saber," the playful trainer assured him. "I've watched and learned from Shalin. She's a master at this sort of thing, and taught me quite a few pointers." Without saying anything more, he slid down from the wolf's back and hastily leaped onto the wild, struggling Ponyta while its two front legs were ensnared.

Once he had both his hands buried in the horse's fiery mane and gripped its sides firmly, a red gauge appeared above his health bar. The Pokémon's burning body ignited as though it were using a fire-type attack, setting the lasso alight and forcing Josh to return it to his inventory before it fully disintegrated. It was a trick he had learned from other video games, and it seemed to work here, too.

Thankfully for Josh, his mastery of the KINDLER class made him not feel a thing. The wild Pokémon quickly realized that immunity and resorted to much more physical means of dislodging its unwanted rider.

Desperate to unseat Josh, the equine put the rest of its strength into rearing with its front legs and kicking with its back legs. While lacking the raw strength of a Tauros, Ponyta still had a lot of buck to them. Instead of muscle, the horse had finesse, able to more precisely flex its body right beneath where the boy sat. Unlike competitive cowboys, who were only permitted to hold onto broncos with one hand, Josh could use both, and it helped the boy a lot.

His reduced pain thresholds greatly carried his willpower to remain on the bucking Ponyta despite the pressure it put on his limbs and back. With one last mighty heave, the Ponyta kicked its rear hooves high, trying to throw Josh above its head. With a sliver of red bar, he remained seated... and the Pokémon seemed to give up.

"Whoooooo-hooooooooo!!!" the tired but triumphant boy cried.

"Are you okay, Josh?!" Saber shouted, repeating himself after a peal of thunder made it impossible for him to be heard the first time.

"I am, but Arceus, what a rush!!"