More than thirty contestants surged forward almost as one.
The spectators' excited cheers filled his ears, their voices a noisy, jumbled buzz. But by then, Xia You was wholly focused on the race and automatically shut everything else out.
With contestants crowding the way ahead, Blastoise could not pick up speed yet and could only stay among the other Pokémon, maintaining a fairly average pace.
That only changed at a sharp ninety-degree turn. Some contestants' Pokémon lacked maneuverability, while others had charged too hard earlier and could not take the turn at that speed. They had to slow down, throwing the formation into chaos, and gaps finally appeared in the tightly packed field ahead.
At that very moment, Blastoise accelerated sharply, using his larger body to squeeze past the other Pokémon. In one push, he overtook the middle of the pack and surged to the front.
At the same time, relying on their Pokémon's agility, Ash and Misty followed closely behind Xia You and joined the leading group.
The Pokémon Ash had entered was his Totodile, while Misty had entered her Corsola.
With their smaller builds, these two Pokémon benefited from Blastoise's massive frame once he cleared a path. They easily followed behind Xia You and successfully squeezed through as well.
As they continued along the waterway, staff stood at every turn to direct them, so there was no need to worry about taking the wrong route.
Spectators lined both sides of the waterway all along the course, showing just how popular this water race was.
The Pokémon swam swiftly. After another two or three turns, only a handful of contestants remained in the leading group, naturally including Xia You, Ash, and Misty.
Now, the only ones still ahead of them were Rossi, the favorite to win, and his Wailmer.