Fast Around Corners Is What Really Counts

From Hau'oli City's outskirts to the downtown area, the map showed it was nearly ten kilometers away. It was not that far, considering Melemele Island itself was not very large.

After walking up from the seaside onto the road above, he could see an Exeggutor bus stop by the roadside.

On the other side was a village-sized residential area, with plenty of bright flowers planted around it. Several ordinary-looking Meowth ran around and played inside.

However, Cyclizar seemed never to have seen any of this before. With an excited expression, it ran over to the bus stop, hugged the signpost, and started biting it, frightening away the Wattrel resting on top.

"???"

Xingye froze at the sight, then quickly ran over and tried to pull it off with all his strength.

"Hey, you can't eat that!"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

"Listen to me, don't mess around..."

He facepalmed and shook his head. He had nearly forgotten that Cyclizar had amnesia. That was fine out in the wild, where it could quickly adapt by relying on Pokémon instincts.

But once they entered the city, if it wanted to rush over and bite everything that caught its interest, there was no telling how much trouble it would cause. It looked like he would have to give it a proper lesson...

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the blazing sun scorched the earth.

One man and one lizard walked along the road. Sweat slid down their skin and dripped onto the ground, leaving faint traces that quickly vanished.

Xingye felt like he was about to be roasted dry, but there was nowhere to escape the heat on either side of the road. The palm trees used as decorations offered no shade whatsoever.

There was still more than half the journey left to Hau'oli City, so he decided to rest in the woods up ahead first. Alola's weather was just too hot.

But just then, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind. Xingye and Cyclizar instinctively turned around.

They saw dust rolling in the distance as a Tauros charged toward them at the forefront.

Only when it got closer did they notice that a blue-gray seat had been fitted onto Tauros's back like clothing.

A boy in a blue-and-white striped short-sleeved shirt sat on top. His black baseball cap was worn backward, and he looked to be in a great hurry.

However, Xingye did not pay attention to who the other person was. His focus was on that Tauros, especially its riding gear.

"Pokémon riding?!"

He was a little surprised, since it was his first time seeing it. But Tauros was fast, and it passed him in the blink of an eye, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

"Cough, cough..."

Xingye shut his eyes and coughed twice, fanning away the dust with one hand. He could not help feeling annoyed.

"Is he not afraid of hitting someone, running that fast?!"

But just as he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that Cyclizar had dropped onto all fours. Its gaze was locked on the departing Tauros, brimming with fighting spirit!

It crouched in a running stance, then turned back and gestured for Xingye to get on quickly. Its expression seemed to say, "Boss, the ride's ready."

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar!"

"So you're saying everything's ready, huh!"

The corners of Xingye's lips rose. He had nearly forgotten that Cyclizar was a ride Pokémon, and that he had the [Riding EX] talent.

The heat really had fried his brain. If he had thought of this earlier, they would definitely have reached Hau'oli City already. Why would they need to walk there under the blazing sun?

"Let's go! We're catching up!"

"Cyclizar!"

Xingye climbed directly onto Cyclizar's back. Of course he could tell this was a rivalry between Pokémon. Tauros could carry a person while running so fast, so Cyclizar wanted to beat it in the field it excelled at!

However, Cyclizar was not wearing riding gear right now, so Xingye could only hold onto its neck to make sure he would not be thrown off by the excessive speed.

"I remember people in Paldea seemed to install handles and footrests on Cyclizar to make riding easier. I should get one too someday..."

Just as Xingye thought that, a fierce gust of wind struck him, nearly throwing him off. Cyclizar launched forward like a bullet and raced ahead, its speed continuing to climb!

Although it had tire-like ornaments on its chest, it still ran with its hands and feet in practice. Only Miraidon could actually run on wheels...

"Fast... too fast... Slow... slow down... I can't hold on much longer..."

Xingye screamed incoherently. Cyclizar was already going over one hundred kilometers per hour, and he had no protective gear at all. His hairline had practically been blown halfway up his head.

The boy riding Tauros ahead, along with Tauros itself, noticed the movement behind them at the same time.

But just as they turned to look, accompanied by someone's scream, a figure shot past them with a whoosh.

"So fast! What was that?!"

Both he and Tauros froze for a moment before looking ahead. Their fighting spirit erupted at once as they shouted, "Interesting, but we won't lose either! Let's catch up!"

"Moo!"

As Tauros began accelerating as well, the distance between them started closing. Two spectacular trails of flying dust instantly appeared on the road!

Then the boy suddenly called out, "Alola~ I haven't seen you around here before. Did you just move here? I'm Xiaoyang, and I attend Pokémon School in Hau'oli City. You are..."

"I'm... I'm about to die..."

Xingye could barely speak. The only thing he could do was cling tightly to Cyclizar and refuse to let go.

Just as Xiaoyang was about to ask more, a bend suddenly appeared ahead! Once they passed it, they would soon reach downtown Hau'oli City.

But any Trainer familiar with Pokémon riding races knew one thing: being fast around corners was what really counted! Anyone could step on the gas in a straight line.

"No one knows this road better than I do. Once he starts slowing down, we'll take the drainage ditch through the turn and pass him in one go!"

Xiaoyang looked extremely confident, but in the next instant, he froze. That unknown Pokémon ahead had no intention of slowing down at all!

"The road's this narrow, how dare you?! You're not even slowing down? Aren't you afraid of charging straight into the sea?!"

No matter what the person behind him thought, Xingye had gradually adapted through his Riding EX talent.

Without riding gear, he still could not perform very well, but Cyclizar needed no guidance at all. It was on autopilot, with the throttle wide open!

The moment it entered the bend, it actually took the turn instantly at a speed of one hundred and twenty, no different from running in a straight line.

Xingye on its back was not affected too badly. It just felt like his body was running ahead while his soul chased after it, and he was only moments away from losing consciousness.

Watching the distance between them grow wider and wider, Xiaoyang's expression became increasingly astonished. "Could he be a professional Pokémon riding racer...?"

Even so, neither he nor Tauros would admit defeat. After taking the turn, they gave chase at full speed. Hau'oli City's towering buildings were already visible in the distance. The finish line was right before them!

Cyclizar and Tauros raced one after the other, each carrying its Trainer at full speed.

As they drew closer to the city, more ride Pokémon and vehicles appeared around them, but all could only scramble aside in panic before them.

Under countless eyes, just as they were about to cross the line and decide the winner, Officer Jenny, who was eating a donut while on duty, suddenly spotted them!

She walked into the middle of the road with Gumshoos, raised a red warning sign, and shouted, "You two, don't you know the speed limit on city roads is fifty?! Stop right now!"

"Huh?"

Hearing that bone-chilling voice, Xingye's soul finally caught up with his body, bringing him back to his senses.

When he saw Officer Jenny, he froze for a moment before panic instantly filled his face. "Where are my brakes? Which one is the brake?!"

After Xiaoyang realized something was wrong, he hurriedly hit the brakes and had Tauros slow down and stop. But Xingye's Cyclizar was not equipped with riding gear and could only respond to voice commands. It was already too late...

Cyclizar crossed the line at full speed. It had amnesia and did not understand any of this at all, so it directly ran over Officer Jenny and Gumshoos.

As two screams rang out, only two simple words remained in Xingye's mind...

"I'm done for..."

As Cyclizar sped away toward downtown and Officer Jenny twitched on the ground, Xiaoyang and Tauros stopped where they were. Together with the other witnesses nearby, they all wore expressions of utter shock.

"Speeding, assaulting an officer, and fleeing the scene... What sentence does that get, anyway?"