"This won't work. The acceleration from Speed Boost can't last forever, and Bug-type Pokémon like Yanmega aren't built for endurance. He may be in first place now, but I'm afraid this contestant, Xiaomeng, will be out before he's even covered a third of the course!" Xiao Yu explained insightfully, having competed in a similar Hot Air Balloon Race before.
"Oh no! Contestant Xiaomeng's hot air balloon is on fire! Could it be friction against the air from moving too fast?"
Only moments after Xiao Yu finished speaking, the balloon at the very front burst into raging flames. That wasn't even the worst of it: the ropes connecting the balloon to the basket snapped one after another, leaving Yanmega dragging only the basket. Then the basket itself fell apart, and amid desperate cries for help, Xiaomeng and his exhausted Yanmega plummeted toward the ground.
"Where's the rescue team? Hurry and rescue contestant Xiaomeng!"
"Oh no! The burning balloon is drifting toward the other twenty contestants! Will they be able to escape this crisis?"
Although Liu Qing, Xinghui, and Xiao Yu were among the main pack, they were right at its front. After Flygon pulled Yuling's hot air balloon higher, the burning balloon headed straight for the three of them, putting them directly in its path!
"Togekiss, dodge!" Liu Qing hurriedly turned up the burner. Togekiss gave a soft cry and flapped its wings, pulling the hot air balloon higher into the sky, while Xinghui and Xiao Yu peeled off to either side.
"Fire! Put it out!" The three escaped safely, but the Voltorb-shaped hot air balloon immediately behind them wasn't so lucky. Seeing his balloon engulfed in raging flames, its pilot forgot all about controlling it and shouted in panic. Then things got even worse. The out-of-control balloon first collided with