[Still battling for first place are Ponyta and Meowscarada. Ponyta has the edge in stamina, but it has passed up several chances to overtake its opponent!
Perhaps it's a strategy to conserve stamina.]
The commentator didn't know what was really happening and could only speculate based on his own understanding. The rally's distance made it a long-distance run even for Pokémon, and managing stamina was part of the strategy.
Only the competitors on the course knew what was actually going on.
Ponyta's trainer had been signaling for it to find an opening and overtake her for some time. Meownei wasn't all-powerful, after all.
Her reactions were quick in battle, but she still couldn't match Ponyta in a long-distance run.
She was only able to stay in the leading pack because she was stronger than ordinary members of her species.
That strength was precisely why Ponyta didn't dare overtake her.
There were no restrictions on what kinds of Pokémon could enter the arena. Whether in their initial or final evolutionary forms, Pokémon all had fighting strength of their own.
But some Pokémon disliked fighting, or were even afraid of it.
Ponyta was one of those. It wasn't holding back to conserve stamina-it simply didn't dare overtake her.
In Ponyta's eyes, the creature running ahead while pulling a wheelchair wasn't a cat at all, but a tiger that would tear it apart the moment it got close.
There were all kinds of hostile relationships between Pokémon species, too. When Grapploct encountered Golisopod, they would fight, and the loser would be eaten.
Seviper and Zangoose had fought for generations, their hostility already etched into their genes.
Tinkatuff raided Bisharp camps to plunder the high-quality metal on their bodies.
Unlike Pokémon that lived alongside humans, wild Pokémon lived in harsher environments. When a weak Pokémon encountered a powerful one, fleeing could be an instinctive response.
Right now, Ponyta felt as though it would be killed on the spot if it dared overtake her.
The fact that it could keep following behind her was already a result of its training.
At the same time, several people were watching the livestream in the school team's lounge at Xin Mu's school.
"Brother Han really had rotten luck. Snapped the pogo stick clean in half."
"That wasn't so bad. Did you forget how her Machamp almost caused an accident during last year's competition after taking off its belt?"
Once its belt was removed, it would unleash tremendous strength.
But doing so was far too dangerous. Apart from a handful of top trainers specializing in Fighting-types, very few people would let their Pokémon do that.
"Brother Han finally got the first place she missed out on, at least. But earlier she said the 'résumé padder' had turned into our 'ace.' How did she reach that conclusion?
"Sure, his Pokémon can sprint fast, but that doesn't tell us much, does it?"
"That Ponyta is scared. Meowscarada can frighten it without doing anything. Isn't that enough?"
As the drone's livestream camera moved closer, someone on the school team noticed Ponyta's strange behavior and began to understand why Brother Han had sent that message back from the venue.
"Maybe that Ponyta is just afraid to fight. It's not like we haven't seen Pokémon like that before."
"There's no point arguing. We'll know once he comes in for the test.
"Even if he really is just here to pad his résumé, there's nothing you can do about it. Explain things clearly and ask him not to disrupt anything.
"If he really has what it takes, we'll be counting on him to help us get better results.
"A little grumbling behind his back is one thing, but remember to be polite to his face."
The one who settled the matter was the school team's captain. Unlike the youngsters on the team, he had already led it for two years, so he knew exactly what it meant when someone was suddenly added just before a competition.
They either had ability or connections.
Whichever of those they had, he had no reason to offend them.
Meanwhile, some people were busy at the halfway point.
Just like in a human marathon, this was a place for the Pokémon to replenish their stamina.
People wearing volunteer vests had prepared drinks made with Berries and salt, and naturally, the Team Rocket trio was among those volunteers.
They were incredibly enthusiastic and appeared perfectly aboveboard.
"Everything ready?"
Meowth adjusted the glasses he wore as a disguise and asked the two beside him.
"All ready. When the twerp and Pikachu get here, I'll give him this special drink."
"Once they drink it, they'll fall asleep."
"Then we'll take them to the Pokémon Center on a stretcher and make off with Pikachu along the way."
Jessie and James took turns going over their plan, placing the specially marked drinks toward the back while constantly monitoring the race on a nearby screen.
But just then, a remark from the commentator interrupted their train of thought.
[Staryu used Water Gun to pick up speed! A very clever idea, but unfortunately... Pokémon aren't allowed to use moves during the race! This sole all-Pokémon pair failed to read the rules carefully and has sadly been disqualified for a violation!]
Clatter...
The drink cup in Meowth's hand fell to the ground. They had planned for plenty of things, but not for what to do if Pikachu never made it here.
There was no time to rethink their strategy, either. The leading pack was already approaching. Meownei had no interest in the drinks and rushed straight past without stopping.
The few competitors close behind made much the same choice.
Among the second pack that arrived afterward, however, quite a few saw the widening gap and realized they no longer had a chance at placing. They simply stayed to enjoy the buffet and experienced Team Rocket's enthusiastic service.
With their plan ruined, their instinctive choice was to maintain their current cover and play the perfect volunteers.
By then, the leading pack had reached the second stage of the race, where they could choose to abandon their vehicles.
Ponyta's trainer climbed onto its back and noticed something was wrong with it.
"Come on, Ponyta, go for it! This is a race, and races have rules! If she does anything funny to you, she'll be disqualified! Show some backbone!"
Ponyta belatedly realized that this wasn't the dangerous wilderness, but that realization came a little too late.
By the time it started accelerating, Meownei was already nearing the finish line.
"Meow! (Relax!)"
Had this been a sprint, Meownei would have won long ago, but her endurance in a long-distance run fell short of Pokémon like Ponyta.
Seeing that her opponent had overcome its fear and was starting to catch up, Meownei suddenly surged into action, using the vines around Xin Mu to fling him toward the finish line.
To make it easier to transport Xin Mu, Meownei hadn't abandoned the wheelchair during the second stage. Only now did she finally shed that burden.
After throwing Xin Mu toward the finish, Meownei unleashed an even more alarming burst of strength from her legs and shot toward the line. Once she crossed it, she caught Xin Mu in a princess carry again.
"Meow~ (All done~)"
[They've crossed the finish line! As we can see, Meowscarada and her trainer are perfectly in sync. Her trainer has complete faith in his Pokémon!
Ponyta also made a final push, but their finishing times were very close. We'll have to wait for the judges to confirm the result.]
"Great job. You can put me down now. There are quite a few people around."
Being held like this by his own Pokémon in public felt rather strange. But while waiting for the race results, Xin Mu saw an even stranger message.
Old Liu had sent him a notification saying everything had been sorted out on their end. All he needed to do was fill out a form.
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