Su Tian looked at the giant dragon phantom not far ahead and wondered if it was just his imagination, but he could sense a Flying type energy emanating from it.
But shouldn't Dragon God Dive be a Dragon type move?
The air currents, which had been disrupted again by Mega Pidgeot's flapping wings, were completely ignored by Dragapult, which was enveloped by the dragon's phantom.
The dragon phantom looked at the blue divine bird beside it with disdain; in its eyes, this blue bird was nothing more than a scruffy bird.
The blue divine bird didn't back down either, returning the same disdainful gaze.
Two phantom figures, a blue divine bird and a green dragon, charged together toward the Sprout Tower.
Those still fighting below the Sprout Tower were completely bewildered as they stared at the two phantom figures in the sky.
What exactly are those two illusory figures in the sky?
Those in the know understand that the two are engaged in Gym battle, while those who don't might think they're about to attack Sprout Tower.
The people below the tower were so frightened that they fled in droves.
Falkner watched the two charging almost parallel lines, feeling tense. He hoped someone could break his father's record, but he also didn't want Su Tian to lose.
This left him with mixed feelings.
"Falkner, hurry up and record this!"
Hearing the apprentice's reminder, Falkner quickly commanded the Staraptor to take off and took out a video camera to record the two of them.
The next second, the two figures were about to rush through the Sprout Tower at almost the same time, but Dragapult and Mega Pidgeot did not stop immediately due to inertia, and stopped after flying for several dozen meters at almost the same time.
Riding on the back of the Mega Pidgeot, Su Tian was in high spirits, his eyes brimming with undisguised excitement.
"Awesome! I haven't felt this good in ages!"
Su Tian looked at Roy was riding on Dragapult beside him.
"Roy, no matter what, I have to admit you're my opponent in this match. As expected of the Dragapult used by the Galar champion, your speed is incredible!"
"Master Su Tian, you flatter me. Your Mega Pidgeot is also very fast. If I hadn't given you a few seconds at the beginning, I would definitely be behind you."
Although the outcome is still unknown, Roy's humble and undeterred character is very much to his liking.
The two returned to Sprout Tower together and found Falkner and several Gym apprentices waiting for them at the bottom of Sprout Tower.
Su Tian jumped off Mega Pidgeot, showing no interest in the outcome of the race, and instead looked at Roy with admiration.
"Young man, if it weren't for the Pokémon League rules, I would be handing over the Fly Badge to you right now."
The referee on the side didn't care what Su Tian said; he only cared about the final result.
Since the two crossed the finish line almost simultaneously, the referee could not directly determine whether Roy won or Su Tian was faster.
Now we can only rely on the video footage that Falkner took to determine who was faster.
The referee approached Falkner and reviewed the video Falkner had taken from the top of the tower. Dragapult and Mega Pidgeot appeared in the air, one after the other...
At the end of the video, the blue bird attached to Mega Pidgeot and the green dragon attached to Dragapult both rushed across Sprout Tower at almost the same time.
This...
The referee was momentarily speechless. In all his years of refereeing, he had judged countless matches, but this was the first time he had ever seen anything like it.
Su Tian looked at the hesitant referee, walked to the other's side, and watched the two of them rushing through the Sprout Tower together in the video.
Roy followed behind Su Tian and was also a little stunned when he saw the end.
Are we going to have to do another one?
Suddenly, Su Tian's legs went weak, and the Mega Pidgeot beside him also reverted to its Mega Evolution form.
He was so excited that he forgot he was in Mega Evolution mode.
An apprentice nearby quickly handed Su Tian an energy bar to replenish his energy.
Alright, I guess Su Tian doesn't have the stamina for another match.
"Wait a mininute."
Falkner began retrieving the video frame by frame, eventually focusing on the frame where the blue divine bird's beak and the dragon's phantom head crossed the finish line together.
However, upon closer inspection, it was the dragon phantom on Dragapult that arrived at Sprout Tower before the blue bird.
Therefore, logically speaking, it should be Dragapult who arrives at the Sprout Tower.
After repeated playback and pauses, the referee nodded in agreement with Falkner's statement.
That means the winner of this race is... Roy.
The referee reviewed the video and announced the final result.
Upon learning that he had lost to Roy, Su Tian was not disappointed. A U-shaped white wing-like metal Badge appeared in his hand, with an "s" symbol engraved on one of the wings.
"Roy, just like I said, this winged Badge symbolizing freedom and speed is yours."
Roy took the Badge and placed it in his Spatial Bracelet.
He knew that if Su Tian hadn't lingered at the starting line for those few seconds, the outcome of the race might have been reversed, but Su Tian had plenty of experience with this track.
So whether it was Su Tian who let him win, or Dragapult won by relying on his own strength, no one can say for sure.
Looking at Roy's youthful face, Su Tian sighed:
"Sigh... I'm getting old. It's your era now, the young people's world. Looks like I'll have to go out and gain some experience in a while."
After saying that, Su Tian turned around and glanced at Falkner.
Falkner naturally understood his father's unspoken meaning; he knew that his father wanted to abandon the Gym and go on a trip with him.
As for who will take charge of the Gym after Su Tian leaves, that's naturally only him, the big grudge.
However, he wouldn't let the other party have their way. He would keep a close eye on Su Tian at all times to prevent the other party from abandoning the Gym and running away.
Su Tian his son approach with a wary look on his face, Su Tian sighed softly. Was it because his acting was too bad?
They didn't manage to fool Falkner?
How did Roy manage to fool Falkner in the first place?
After the competition, Roy and Su Tian returned to the Violet Gym together. Seeing that it was getting late, Roy originally wanted to stay at the Pokémon Center for the night.
I'll think about my next destination tomorrow.
Just as Roy lifted his leg to leave, Falkner, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
"Etc!"
Roy turned to look at Falkner, the man he had tricked so badly during the battle that he was left with nothing but his underwear.
"There are rooms inside the Gym; you can stay there for a day."
Falkner suddenly extended an invitation, suggesting that Roy could stay at the Gym for a few nights before leaving.
Having regained some strength, Su Tian looked at Falkner with a strange expression. Of course, he knew his son well; the boy had never attended any Pokémon Trainer Academy and usually had almost no friends.
This was the first time he had ever invited an outsider to stay overnight at the Gym.
Upon hearing Falkner's invitation, Roy paused for a moment, but quickly realized that he didn't care. He could just sleep at the Gym for one night, saving him the trouble of going back to the Pokémon Center.