In the Black World —
The referee looked at the scene on the field and was momentarily stunned, but his professional integrity allowed him to faithfully report the situation.
"…And now taking the lead is Ash Ketchum! His Blastoise is unbelievably fast!"
"It's as if the surrounding water is helping it move forward! Compared to the other competitors and their Blastoise, the difference is like night and day!"
"Is this even a turtle?! If this were the tortoise from the fable, even if the hare never rested, it probably still couldn't catch up!"
"Oh my goodness, what am I seeing? Why are there such massive waves on the canals of Alto Mare?! Ash Ketchum and his Blastoise are surfing on them!"
At this moment, the referee was like a frog at the bottom of a well, utterly shocked by Ash's performance.
Blastoise had gone all out from the start, and Ash had nearly resorted to Aura Fusion just to win this race! But in the end, he didn't use that 'cheat' skill. No need—the current Blastoise was fast enough, utilizing its unique water-manipulation ability. That's why the referee said the water seemed to be aiding it. A normal Pokémon racing on Alto Mare's canals would face at least some resistance from the waterflow, but Blastoise's charge… was like plunging down a vertical waterfall! The speed was incomparable!
Just before reaching the finish line, Ash even had Blastoise create a massive wave to surf on! Instantly, Ash, already the audience's focus, became even more dazzling!
Everyone was cheering and screaming for Ash, so… he didn't notice that not far away, an invisible figure was silently watching him.
...
[Misty: Tsk tsk, his water manipulation has become even more impressive. Did it improve after reaching Elite Four–level?]
Yes, Blastoise had also broken through to Elite Four–level! Now, among Ash's original six Kanto starters, only Pidgeot hadn't made the breakthrough. It was precisely because of this breakthrough that Blastoise's water control had become so effortless!
[Flint: But to be honest… Is Black Ash usually this flashy? If it were White Ash, I'd understand. Black Ash should normally be a pretty low-key guy.]
[Flint: For example, at the end, using Blastoise's ability to create that huge wave, causing the audience to cheer and scream, getting attention from all over Alto Mare… Does he usually show off like that?]
[Sabrina: This, Elite Four Flint, is why you don't have a girlfriend!]
[Flint: !!!]
[Flint: I just choose not to date, that's all! In this world, your emotional intelligence and understanding of feelings should be on par with White Ash's!]
[Sabrina: People can improve, Elite Four Flint. And I… am a psychic. I can learn faster!]
[Sabrina: I've read many books on love and emotions now, so the Sabrina you see today is not the Sabrina from before!]
[Sabrina: Also, after watching the Black World for so long, I've learned a thing or two. So… don't compare me to how I was!]
[Flint: Then tell me, why is Black Ash showing off?]
Flint was genuinely annoyed. It was one thing for the Black World Sabrina, but for this Sabrina—an emotional novice from the White World—to talk down to him? She couldn't even recognize her own feelings until recently!
[Sabrina: Of course, it's to show off in front of the people he likes!]
[Sabrina: According to a book on love, people especially love to display their strong, mighty, handsome, or elegant, pretty, beautiful sides in front of their favorite partner.]
[Sabrina: Also, just before Black Ash approached the finish line, he slowed down a bit, glanced back to confirm Misty was behind him, then looked toward the shore to confirm the other person—me—was watching.]
[Sabrina: Then he had Blastoise use its powerful water control to create that stunning wave! Don't underestimate a psychic's observational skills, Elite Four Flint!]
[Flint: …]Well, I'll be damned! Everyone's watching the broadcast, but she's conducting a scientific study! She examined it so meticulously!
[Caitlin: Let me just say, what Sabrina said is true. I didn't observe it that carefully myself. It's just that as a psychic, I have an excellent memory, so I can recall the scene just by thinking about it.]
[Caitlin: Therefore, Sabrina is correct!]
[Cynthia: Hmm~ How surprising. Although Black Ash usually cares deeply for Black Misty and Black Sabrina, this is the first time I've seen him put himself in the spotlight just to perform for them.]
[Lance: Is this a man in love? Even the usually thoughtful and clear-headed Black Ash can get carried away and do things out of character…]
[Lance: But it's fine. In fact, it makes him seem more like a normal young man this way!]
[Lance: By the way, there seemed to be a transparent figure in the image just now, right? That should be… Latias?]
[Sabrina: I saw it too. This should be a scene specifically shown to us. Otherwise, with Latias's optical camouflage, we wouldn't even see an outline.]
Latias's invisibility is essentially using optical camouflage to blend itself with the surroundings, achieving an invisible effect. This kind of stealth can't be seen at all without thermal imaging or Aura detection. For example, the Phantom Thief sisters, having heard the legends of Latios and Latias, came to Water City prepared with their own high-tech and found Latias in no time. As for those of us in the real world watching the video, being able to see Latias is naturally a feature provided by the live broadcast room; otherwise, we'd be in the dark too.
[Steven: Latias has appeared, so the time for those two bastards to show up can't be far off, right? I really hope Black Ash teaches them a harsh lesson and tosses them into a labor camp.]
Here, Steven was actually downplaying it. His real thought was: I wish those two were dead!!! It's just that Black Ash wasn't even willing to kill Vicious, so killing those two… is theoretically impossible.
...
In the Black World —
Ash finally rode the massive wave across the finish line, successfully winning the Water Race championship!
During the post-race award ceremony and interview, reporters eagerly asked Ash about the wave, why he wasn't the slightest bit surprised, why Blastoise seemed to command the power of Alto Mare's canals, why… They asked a hundred thousand 'whys,' and Ash had only one answer:
"Because my Blastoise is really strong!"
This answer could be applied to all occasions, including now. Thus, the reporter ultimately got nothing useful.
After the race, the four planned to continue sightseeing in Alto Mare. There were recent festivities and some scattered places they hadn't visited. Again, the Silver Conference wasn't starting immediately; it wasn't a crime for them to relax here. Or rather… this should be their last period of relaxation before attending the Silver Conference.
This time, they were all going to the Grand Cathedral together. This was the place Ash, Misty, and Sabrina visited yesterday, but Brock hadn't been. Ash also had an inexplicable feeling about the strange device inside the Grand Cathedral. The guide told him the device was just a replica based on the legend, merely a decoration. But Ash felt a hidden power within that device…
Just as everyone was heading to the Grand Cathedral, Ash once again felt that hidden gaze. He'd sensed it many times recently and could no longer dismiss it as his imagination. Someone in Alto Mare was definitely watching him!
This time, Ash didn't immediately look away. Using his peripheral vision, he carefully observed the area and discovered… the person staring at him was a girl with dark brown hair styled in two long sidelocks, wearing a green-and-white knee-length dress predominantly green. The dress revealed her long, beautiful, jade-white legs. Her petite feet wore a pair of green flat shoes, making the whole outfit look perfect. On her fair, lovely face was an expression of curiosity as she looked at him.
Curiosity… Have I seen her before?
Ash silently recalled and was certain he'd never seen that girl before.
Could it be… she was attracted by his dashing performance during the Water Race?
No, no, no, that couldn't be it…
Ash suppressed his slightly narcissistic thoughts. In short… he didn't know if the girl he was observing was that girl. He had to go ask to find out.
Thinking this, Ash naturally acted. After telling Misty and the others he had something to do, he ran toward the girl.
Seeing this, a look of panic flashed across the girl's face, and she quickly turned and ran away.
Misty and Sabrina immediately noticed the girl moving against the crowd, and their faces darkened instantly. It felt like… they'd caught the scent of a vixen!
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