"Come on out, Arcanine!" With both speed and stamina, Arcanine was the only Pokémon Liu Qing had suited to this competition, which was why he had chosen him to compete. Liu Qing tossed his Poké Ball, and Arcanine's large, imposing figure appeared before him. Arcanine gave an affectionate bark and licked Liu Qing's palm with his warm tongue.
"Haha, Arcanine! All right, all right!" Liu Qing laughed and patted Arcanine's neck. "I'll be counting on your help again this time!"
Liu Qing explained what they would be doing next. Once Arcanine understood, he fastened the reins attached to the skateboard onto him. Although the organizers would provide standard skateboards on the day of the competition, participants had to bring their own reins. After all, each competitor used a different Pokémon, so naturally their choice of reins would differ too. The ones Liu Qing fastened onto Arcanine, for instance, were fireproof.
"Arcanine, just walk slowly and pull me along!" With his right foot on the skateboard, Liu Qing lowered his center of gravity and took a few deep breaths. Then he pushed off gently with his left foot and called to Arcanine, "Go!"
Liu Qing and Arcanine might have worked seamlessly together in battle, but their performance now left much to be desired. Arcanine started walking as instructed, yet before he had taken even one step, Liu Qing had already crashed into his rear. Their first attempt ended in failure.
"Arcanine, it's all right. Let's try again!" Liu Qing refused to give up and got ready once more. This time, he deliberately slowed his own start. At his brisk command, Arcanine moved, and sure enough, Liu Qing did not immediately crash into him as he pulled the board along. But that only meant it had not happened immediately. Before long, Liu