Violet City
As expected, Falkner had his own reasons for letting Roy stay overnight at the Gym.
Early the next morning, Falkner woke Roy, who was still fast asleep.
Because of the vast difference in strength, although the idea of fighting had disappeared, he still wanted to have a race with Roy, just like his father and Roy had.
Roy wanted to refuse, but Dragapult appeared from the Poké Ball on his waist.
"Doryu!"
Dragapult had been replaying the race in his mind all night, and when he heard that someone wanted to challenge him to another race, he looked at Roy with anticipation.
Seeing the Dragapult's eyes, Roy finally agreed to Falkner's invitation.
However, this time no apprentices arrived at the mountain track in advance to set up traps, which means that Dragapult and Staraptor can fly from the beginning to the Sprout Tower without any hindrance.
"Doryu!"
Before the race began, Su Tian came to the Gym and watched his son riding on the back of the Staraptor, his eyes sharp and full of fighting spirit.
This is how a young man should be; he has the same style he had back then.
Now that he's handed the Gym over to Falkner, he can rest assured.
After leaving a letter for Falkner, Su Tian secretly slung a package over his shoulder, avoided the Gym apprentices who were training, and stealthily made his way towards the Gym entrance.
Just as he was about to reach the Gym entrance, he saw the sunlight shining through the Gym's gate, which was like a beacon of hope.
Su Tian lunged towards the light source at the entrance.
Suddenly, a figure blocked the entrance to the Gym, obscuring Su Tian's glimmer of hope and halting his progress.
Su Tian looked up and saw that it was the referee from the Gym.
"Master Su Tian, where are you going?"
The referee looked at Su Tian with a smile.
Yesterday, Falkner told him to keep a close eye on Su Tian, but he didn't take it seriously at the time.
Now it seems that no one knows a father better than his son!
Su Tian slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten about the referee!
Seeing that his escape plan had been discovered, Su Tian was still unwilling to give up. He straightened his hunched back, composed himself, and said:
"Referee Allen, due to yesterday's defeat, I have learned my lesson and decided to go out and gain experience to improve my skills."
Besides, I'm at the age where I should be venturing out and making my own way in the world.
When we meet again, you'll see a different me!!!
After saying that, Su Tian put on a serious expression, as if even he himself had been fooled by his own words.
"You think I want to control you? Don't you even know how old Falkner is?!"
"His current strength isn't enough, how can he take over managing your Gym? You'll just get scolded when the Pokémon League holds you accountable."
The referee's smile slowly faded, and in a completely different manner, he chased Su Tian back from the Gym entrance.
Having failed to escape, Su Tian could only return to the Gym. At that moment, he felt exactly like a bird Pokémon captured by poachers.
The difference is that poachers use cages or Thunder Shock collars to imprison Pokémon, while he is imprisoned by the Gym behind him.
As Su Tian returned to the Gym, he made sure to retrieve the letter he had left for Falkner; it seemed he would have to save it for another time.
The white line surrounding the Violet Gym.
As the Gym apprentice beside him shouted "Begin!", Falkner was about to command his Staraptor to take off...
A dark green blur swept past the Staraptor, leaving Falkner, who was riding on the Staraptor, far behind and inhaling its exhaust fumes.
Falkner quickly commanded the Staraptor to give chase, but by then Dragapult was no longer visible, leaving only a white streak in the sky.
Having already familiarized himself with the track, Dragapult became even faster; he knew where to slow down and where to accelerate.
Soon Roy brought Dragapult back to the pass of the mountain range, attempting to break through the turbulent airflow once more.
This time, Dragapult didn't rush into the turbulent airflow immediately. Instead, he swayed his body to adapt to it and quickly rushed through the narrow passage.
When Falkner arrived at Sprout Tower his Staraptor, Roy and Dragapult followed.
It's not that Dragapult is slower Staraptor; rather, Dragapult waited at Sprout Tower for a while and, finding that Falkner hadn't arrived yet, flew back to the Violet Gym and flew around again.
Back and forth they went, Falkner and Staraptor were practically spun around twice by Dragapult.
When the two stopped at the top of the Sprout Tower, Falkner looked at Dragapult, who had already wrapped two loops around him, and his fighting spirit was ignited. He said to Roy:
"Again!!"
Roy shrugged, patted the Dragapult beneath him, and once again flew away as a blur.
The second trip.
"Again!!!"
The third trip.
"Again!!"
The... th trip.
"Again..."
After losing to Dragapult, Roy was speechless as he watched Falkner ride his Staraptor slowly through the air.
Why insist on comparing speed with his own Dragapult? Isn't that just asking for trouble?
"I... I lost again."
Falkner sounded dejected; he hadn't expected that he was no match for Roy not only in battles but also in speed racing.
Roy patted Falkner on the shoulder. The cool Falkner in front of him was actually just a Competitive boy at heart.
"Sigh~ Young man, losing is the norm. It's good for someone your age to experience more."
After saying that, Roy left Falkner at the Sprout Tower to think, and took Dragapult to the mountain track.
"Dragapult, you're free to do as you please. I need to go make breakfast."
"Doryu!"
After leaving Roy at the foot of the mountain, Dragapult charged toward the starting line of the mountain circuit.
He actually really liked that mountain track, especially during every turn, every acceleration, and every time he launched Dreepy at the top of the mountain to take down the flag and then put it back in its place.
Dragapult flew from the foot of the mountain to the top and back again and again, all the while reviewing his performance, figuring out which corners he hadn't turned well, and which straights he could have accelerated a few seconds faster, constantly pushing his limits.
Roy and the other Pokémon organized a barbecue at the foot of the mountain.
The Chandelure appeared and helped Roy start a fire, while the Annihilape still helped Roy grill the skewers over the fire.
The Golurk sat on a boulder with Mimikyu and Misdreavus, watching Dragapult constantly pushing his limits on the mountain track.
"You can go for a flight if you want."
"Clay doll."
The Golurk mechanically waved his hand; he had no interest in the race, but found watching Dragapult take off quite interesting.
When the Staraptor brought Falkner to Roy, they saw the Annihilape grilling skewers for Roy was lying in a rocking chair basking in the first rays of the morning sun.
Falkner didn't understand why they were eating grilled skewers so early in the morning.
However, when he saw that Golurk and Roy's other Pokémon were radiating powerful auras, Falkner felt that his understanding had undergone a complete transformation.
He was now somewhat relieved that his father had only had a race with Roy; if it had been a head-to-head battle, his father might not have been able to beat Roy.
That would be incredibly embarrassing.
But... looking at the information on Roy's ID Card, they were the same age, so why did Roy have such strength now?
Roy looked at Falkner, who had dismounted from the Staraptor, waved to him, and handed him a skewer of grilled meat.
"Haven't had breakfast yet?"
Falkner was taken aback. He wanted to ask who was eating barbecue skewers so early in the morning, but he still subconsciously took the skewers.
However, his eyes were drawn to the Dragapult, which was constantly circling and Fly among the mountains.