Over thirty contestants shot forward in a chaotic swarm. The air was filled with the excited shouts of the crowd, a loud, buzzing noise. But at this point, Natsui was completely focused on the race, automatically blocking everything else out.
Because the front was packed with contestants, Blastoise couldn't use its full power at first and had to maintain an average speed in the middle of the pack. This continued until they reached a sharp ninety-degree turn. Here, some of the contestants' Pokémon lacked control, or had started too fast and couldn't maintain their speed through the corner. They were forced to slow down, and the formation fell into disarray. An opening finally appeared.
At that moment, Blastoise suddenly accelerated, using its large body to push other Pokémon aside. It shot past the middle group and into the lead pack. At the same time, Ash and Misty, thanks to their Pokémon's agility, followed closely behind Natsui and also made it to the front. Ash's Pokémon was his Totodile, and Misty's was her Corsola. Because both were small, they took advantage of the path Blastoise cleared and easily squeezed through.
They continued along the waterway. At every turn, staff members were there to guide them, so there was no worry of getting lost. The canals were lined with spectators, showing just how popular the race was.
The Pokémon swam at high speed. After two or three more turns, only a few contestants were left in the lead group, including Natsui, Ash, and Misty. Now, the only person still ahead of them was the favorite, Rossi, and his Wailmer.
Because he was the favorite, he had been given the best starting position. With no one in front of him, he had been able to use his full speed from the start and create a large gap between him and the other racers. It might have seemed a bit unfair, but that's just how it was. Even if it wasn't him, someone else would have been in front. Giving Rossi the top spot was a sign of respect from the organizers for the previous year's champion.
The waterboard cut through the river, sending spray to both sides. Misty and Ash were close behind, and the gap between Natsui and the leader was constantly shrinking. When they reached another straight section of the canal, all three of them accelerated at the same time, pulling up almost even with Rossi.
The four of them were now neck-and-neck. Natsui's group had the advantage in speed, but Rossi was a local. He knew the terrain like the back of his hand—where to turn, where to slow down. So even if he was temporarily overtaken, he would always manage to catch up at a corner.
As the race entered its second half, they all stopped holding back and began to sprint, widening the gap between them and the second group.
But then, Ash had a bit of an accident. As they were going around a corner at high speed, his Totodile couldn't slow down in time and crashed them right into a wall. Ash was thrown into the water. In a race like this, such a delay was almost fatal. By the time he got back up, not only had the second group of racers passed him, but Natsui and the others were long gone.
Natsui thought that after that, Ash would have a hard time catching up. But to his astonishment, just a few turns later, Totodile was pulling Ash's waterboard right up behind them again. Its speed was unbelievable, almost as fast as flying.
No, perhaps Totodile was flying.
Natsui looked closely and saw that something was wrong with Totodile's state. It wasn't swimming in the water at all; it was standing on the surface, moving in a running motion. Its two short legs were moving so fast they barely touched the water. It was as if something invisible was carrying it.
He looked above it. Although there was nothing there, when the sunlight hit at a certain angle, Natsui could faintly see something huge holding the rope behind Totodile. An idea sparked in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile.
As expected of the chosen one of the anime. So Latias and Latios have already taken notice of Ash.
So who is helping him now? Latias, or Latios?
Based on their personalities, it's probably the female, the younger sister, Latias.
The rest of the race passed in a blur. In the blink of an eye, after one more turn, they were back in the main canal. Not far ahead was the finish line. With Latias's help, Totodile's speed was astonishing. In an instant, it had passed Natsui and the others and was far in the lead.
This shocked Misty and Rossi. They had no idea Totodile could be so fast.
But then, another invisible shadow flew over Totodile's head and pulled both it and Latias into a small side canal. That canal wasn't part of the race course. Going in there meant they were heading away from the finish line, giving up their chance to win. It seemed Latios didn't want his sister to meddle in human affairs and had pulled both her and Totodile off the course, and they disappeared from view.
With Ash gone, only Natsui, Misty, and Rossi were left in the lead group.
Seeing the finish line so close, Natsui knew it was time to go all out. He pulled on Blastoise's reins. Blastoise understood what its trainer wanted. Its eyes grew firm, and it used all its strength to charge for the finish. The immense power created huge waves. Even the larger Wailmer was affected by the current, let alone the small Corsola.
But even so, neither of them gave up. They also gave it their all. Even though Misty had said before the race that Natsui would win, at this point, she was caught up in the heat of the moment and couldn't think about anything else. She bit her lip and urged her Corsola to sprint.
The three Pokémon raced for the finish. In the end, Blastoise crossed the line first by a narrow margin.
The moment he crossed the finish line, Natsui let out a sigh of relief. But before he could even feel the joy of victory, he was completely surrounded by the massive roar of the crowd.
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