As the ground turned muddy, a Green Barrier rose over Rose Champagne. It struck car number 9, which was blocking the way, and forcibly pushed a path through to overtake it.
"That's not a foul?!"
Deliberately ramming another car was definitely a foul...
Lilligant shook his head, indicating that it wasn't.
Cars 9 and 10 had collided hard. One had a blown tire, while the other's front bumper was stuck. Both had been ruled out of the race.
Until the disabled cars were cleared away, their presence counted as obstacles on the circuit.
Rose Champagne hadn't deliberately damaged anyone else's car. Instead, it had used Rain Dance to make the ground slippery, then pushed the obstacles aside with Protect's defensive barrier. That did not constitute a foul.
"That Espeon's got some tricks."
Thanks to Rose Champagne's maneuver, the section blocked by the accident opened up a little, and Flower Crown finally made it past the tangle.
The blockage had only just cleared, but the cars ahead were already out of sight, while Flower Crown was still near the starting line.
"Chansey!"
"Jili!"
Being left behind was a major disadvantage. The upside was that the road ahead was clear. Chansey unleashed Helping Hand, and Lilligant no longer needed to split his attention watching the surrounding cars, skillfully using Growth.
Shen Qi added another handful of [Racing Energy]. Flower Crown's speed continued to climb, and its engine was already showing signs of incomplete combustion.
It wasn't that level 1 Growth and the other buffs had pushed the engine to its limits. It wasn't drawing in enough air.
Without enough air to combust the energy, it was difficult to increase power any further.
As a brilliant little sun rose, Lilligant's speed increased dramatically under Sunny Day's effect.
The Ability Skill Slot activated in