A Challenger Approaches

(https://youtu.be/vnbsHl4fswk?si=CATEzGKHRdq_ckvp) It's been a long, hot day of making deliveries for Nar. With the sun setting over the horizon, it takes it's heat with it, and a cool breeze blows through the streets of Vanhoover. Nar is more than a little tired, but the cool air revitalizes him in a way not even the strongest espresso could. Taking a deep breath of the fresh night air, Nar heaves a content sigh as he glides along the streets of the city towards home. Having motors in his skates was a godsend at times like these. Sure, it meant more speed, but it also meant he didn't have to kick his legs to maintain speed when he wanted to rest his legs. At this point in his life, he'd grown so accustomed to riding his rollerblades that his legs hardly, if ever felt any strain from constantly having to balance on them. Thoughts of a nice dinner, and cuddles with his daughter lazily float through Nar's mind. So familiar with the streets of Vanhoover he is, that he barely pays any attention to his surroundings. Even with such little thought given, he avoids obstacles, and pedestrians alike with relative ease. He knows the layout of the city so well he doesn't even have to think about his route home. His body simply goes on auto pilot as it takes him home. As Nar passes through a narrow side street to short cut past one of the city's busiest roads, something breaks him out of his trance. A shadow leaps down from the landing of an emergency stairwell, blocking his path about 50 feet ahead. Nar slows to a stop about 15 feet away, and the figure comes into focus. It's a pegasus with pastel green fur, and a spiky, styled, deep green mane. He wears streetwear typical of a Stormblader, with customized rollerblades to match. "Hey, Straw Hat." The pegasus greets him with a friendly tone, a smile, and a lazy wave of his hand. "Been looking for you." Nar raises an eyebrow at this. "Yeah? What for?" The pegasus answers. "Heard what you did to 'The King' in that cull a while ago. Figured you might be a fun challenge." For a moment, Nar's weary mind tells him to refuse, but then, the thought of a good race fans the flames of excitement in his heart. "What. You just looking for a race for fun?" He knows that isn't the case. Stormbladers typically don't seek others out just for fun. The pegasus shakes his head. "Nah. I wanna challenge you. E-class Dash." He sighs, then shrugs. "I'm getting tired of having to go to all the culls. Figured the best way to avoid them was to just get a teammate." His eyes then grow serious, and a grin forms on his lips. "Loser joins the winners team." For a moment, Nar considers refusing. He wasn't exactly interested in skating with a team just yet. Then again... It has been a while since he'd had a good race. Nar returns the pegasus' grin with one of his own. "I'm down." The details of the race are hashed out rather quickly. Standard Stormblading rules apply. No magic, no flying, no injuring. First to reach the archway of Beaver Creek Park wins. Once the two have input their race into their Stormblading apps, they are directed to prepare at a designated starting line. Nar crouches down, then pulls his metal aviator goggles over his eyes. As they ready, their phones buzz in unison. A count down. Three short buzzes at 1 second intervals, then, a long buzz that signals the start. Motors whine, and the two take off down the street. (https://youtu.be/gT4J8XFEKKc?si=tCYlZcBIumVZkq2X) Wind rushes past Nar's face, fanning the flames of excitement in his heart ever brighter. The streets of the city rocket past him, as Nar's skates kick into top gear. Out of the corner of his eye, Nar can barely see his opponent trailing slightly behind him. A look of feverish excitement plasters his face. The two barrel down the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding obstacles. Pedestrians exclaim in surprise, and shout angrily as they speed past. A group of pedestrians rounds a street corner just as the two Stormbladers approach. The pegasus veers into the road to avoid them, but Nar doesn't have that luxury. He hops up to his right, and grabs hold of a flagpole sticking out of the side of a building. Curling himself up as much as he can, Nar swings forward on the pole, then kicks his feet out ahead of him as he lets go. He just barely clears the head of the tallest of the group, landing a few feet behind the last. He turns his head to shout an apology, then turns his attention forwards once more. It's then that he realizes where they're headed. Ahead is Maple Street, which is always packed with traffic at this time of night. Luckily, he knows of a bridge that goes over it a few blocks south. As Nar veers off down a side street, he watches his opponent continue past, intent on crossing the busy street. Thankfully, the side street is free of any traffic at the moment, and Nar makes it to his destination in short order. He hurries up an incline leading out from a plaza, up onto the bridge. A mare yelps in surprise as Nar springs up onto the railing of the bridge just ahead of her. Sparks briefly flash as the rails of his skates grind along the bridge's rail. He kept the middle two wheels of his skates removed specifically for this kind of thing. It wasn't impossible to grind on 4 wheels, but it was damn sure easier with the middle two removed. Hopping off of the rail, Nar lands on the path heading down off the other side of the bridge. A stallion takes a swipe at him with an umbrella, but he ducks under it, and continues on. Emerging from the walking path, the goal comes into sight. A few blocks down, the archway into Beaver Creek Park stands under the light of two street lamps. With a sudden burst of speed, he rockets towards the archway. He vaults over a bench on the way, and before he can register it, he's entered Beaver Creek Park proper. Dirt, gravel, and grass are kicked up as Nar initiates a powerslide to stop himself. A couple sat on a nearby bench jump, and Nar lifts his goggles. "Sorry. Hope I didn't ruin your date." He apologizes, with a sheepish smile. The couple stare at him for a moment, before the stallion replies with an excited. "You're good dude! That was sick!" The mare nods rapidly in agreement. A shouted curse pulls Nar's attention back to the entrance of the park. When he turns, he sees his opponent leaning against the arch, panting heavily. "Damn!" The pegasus curses, between breathes. "How'd you get here before me? I didn't see you cross Maple Street." Nar simply grins, and shakes his head. "A wise Stormblader never reveals his lines." He approaches, and the pegasus chuckles as he holds out a fist. Nar bumps it with his own. "Welp. Guess I'm on your team now." The pegasus chuckles. "Not that I mind. I get the feeling teaming with you will be pretty damn fun." Nar gives a nod, and a "Damn right." The pegasus pauses momentarily, then reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. "Ah shit. I gotta get going. See you around Straw Hat!" He then turns, and begins down the street. It's only after the pegasus is out of shouting range that Nar realizes he never asked the guy his name.