Chapter 124. The Racing Tournament
"Huh? This… not yet."
In a flash, Miles grew even more bashful than Remy, stammering and shaking his head with his face flushed red.
At his side, Remy lowered her head even further.
"Oh~"
Misty nodded meaningfully.
"Um… it's like this," Remy said suddenly, and began to explain.
The two of them weren't professional commentators, nor were they professional broadcast directors.
They simply came together out of interest.
"With your skills, getting certified should be easy, right?" Brock said.
To his surprise, both shook their heads.
"No, that would turn our hobby into a job," Miles said.
"Y-Yeah, that would be too painful," Remy shivered.
"Wow, you two are really alike," Misty narrowed her eyes.
"Right now we're traveling partners," Miles said with a smile.
"We take freelance commentary gigs for local competitions along the way."
"You have to enter tomorrow's race, please!"
Miles pressed his hands together and looked pleadingly at Natsume and Ash.
That Dragonite and that Pikachu had left quite the impression on him.
"If you join, my art will reach another level!"
Miles's eyes shone with obsession.
"Art?"
Honora chewed while holding a bowl of Moomoo Milk tofu, her clear eyes drifting toward the pair.
"Commentary is a second pass over the match—that's art!" Miles declared firmly.
"Okay, no problem. Ponyta and I will give it our all!"
As if infected by his vigor, Ash leapt onto Ponyta's back and said to Lara Laramie:
"Miss Lara, please teach me how to ride!"
Seeing Ash so motivated, Lara covered her mouth and chuckled.
"All right, no problem."
"Uh… can he really learn it in one night?"
As Lara and Ash left, Misty couldn't help but quip.
"Ash has great athletic talent," Natsume's voice drifted over.
"Whoosh!"
The flames were fanned.
Natsume suddenly hefted a huge device like a vacuum cleaner.
"I'm going to look for the little Diglett."
"Mr. Natsume, I'll help you!" Honora scampered over.
"No.
I've registered center-parted and Dragonite as a team for tomorrow's race.
You need to keep an eye on those two for me."
Without looking back, Natsume picked up the device and started beeping his way into the distance.
"All right…"
Honora lowered her head, deciding to register herself too.
"In that case, Onix and I can compete as well," Brock said, taking out a Poké Ball.
"And me!
Me and Starmie—Miss Remy, make sure to give me lots of camera time!"
Misty naturally hugged Remy's arm.
"All right, all right."
The next day.
Under the glaring sun.
Three giant screens floated in the air.
Looking closely, each screen was held up by two Magneton together.
All three screens showed a hill.
At the top of the slope, a crowd of people and Pokémon had gathered.
"Welcome to the Laramie clan's annual Racing Tournament!"
In the sky, Miles made his entrance, standing atop a Magnezone.
On the hill, Ash sat astride Ponyta, nerves taut.
"Ash, don't rush.
You can do it!"
He looked back to see Honora, Misty, and Brock.
Behind the three were a Rhyperior, a Starmie, and an Onix, respectively.
"Pika!"
Pikachu stood on Squirtle's shell at the side, cheering for Ash.
"Wooo~"
A huge Dragonite howled to the sky as if storing power.
On its head, a drowsy Pikachu with a center part lay under a little blanket.
To Dragonite's left was a Gengar, with Ash's Charmander perched on its head.
"Geng-ga!"
Gengar raised a stick of spicy mud overhead.
"Neey~"
Charmander understood and used the flame on its tail to light it.
To Dragonite's right was a dazed Psyduck clutching its head.
On Psyduck's head rode a Pokémon that Natsume had dubbed "Big Brick."
"Honestly, why did you have to register…"
Misty covered her face.
Most amazingly, the combo of a duck with a brick on its head had actually passed inspection.
The race wasn't limited to Trainers with Pokémon—Pokémon with Pokémon were permitted too.
A lone Pokémon or a lone Trainer would count as a pacer and wouldn't be ranked.
"Strange—why is it that a Trainer can't ride a Trainer?"
Out on the distant plains, Natsume held a huge device and kept scanning.
He glanced up at the massive screens in the sky and shook his head.
If he rode Ash with his psychic power as an assist, they might actually take the title.
Becoming champion would, it seemed, make one an honorary member of the Laramie clan.
Natsume had no interest in such empty honors.
"There it is—the pre-race trash-talk segment."
"Is Dario, the Dodrio's Trainer, just a stereotype or truly strong?
Let's wait and see!"
Host Miles's voice boomed.
On the slope, a defiant-looking Trainer sitting on a Dodrio struggled to keep his composure.
He had dug the pit at Lara's doorstep, so the championship was surely his.
When he learned Ash planned to replace Lara after just one night of training, Dario couldn't help but sneer.
The next second, the broadcast director caught him on camera.
Damn it—at this distance, how did that host know what he'd said?
Dario shut his mouth, sensing that the host the clan leader hired this year wasn't like the ones before.
"Don't underestimate me, Dario!"
Ash clenched his fist.
"Hrrr-haaah—"
Ponyta raised its forelegs, brimming with vigor.
"There it is—Contestant Ash refuses to be outdone!
Will that fist come down?"
Host Miles's voice rang out again, drawing every eye to the big screens.
Even Natsume glanced over.
Seeing that Dodrio, Natsume paused.
Near the pit at Lara's house, he'd found a few Dodrio feathers.
"Beep-beep-beep~"
The device chirped, drawing Natsume's attention.
Ahead lay a small raised mound.
He scraped it open, finding several Berries buried inside.
"What's this?"
Natsume leaned in, staring at those few blue Berries.
Even a Diglett wouldn't bury Berries like this—they'd rot fast.
"Forget it—slow and steady."
He strolled at ease, occasionally glancing up at the race.
Natsume mused that he'd never had such a comfortable field survey.
It wasn't as if Natsume found nothing that morning.
He discovered some dried Diglett droppings.
They looked much like soil but were far more fertile.
Most likely left by the little Diglett—heading toward the Safari Zone.
"Contestants Ash and Dario are unstoppable, seizing the lead!"
"Onix, Rhyperior, and Dragonite—what massive sizes!
The whole slope is trembling!"
The loudspeakers carried the host's voice far, far away.
Not only could Natsume hear it, but many of the Pokémon herds on the plains could see the screens.
Countless Tauros, Doduo, and Rhyhorn lifted their heads toward the three giant screens in the sky.
Chewing on grass and Berries, they watched intently, as if at some novelty.
Natsume took it in, thoughtful.
In the past, these human events had little to do with the wild Pokémon.
But this year was different—the host was Miles.
The joint property he shared with Remy was a cargo truck.
Aside from speakers and cameras, it carried these three gigantic screens.
"Let's look at the favorite—Dragonite—oh my Arceus, it's running the wrong way!"
Miles cried in shock.
On the screen, a big Dragonite huffed uphill, and each step made center-parted's little blanket shiver.
Natsume: "…"
Forget it.
He'd better just keep looking for the Diglett—the more he watched, the worse he felt.
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