Lt. Surge did not seem to have any personal grudge against Ayaka, either.
Only when the driver's window of Autumn Leaves rolled down and Lt. Surge stuck out a muscular, gloved arm to give a thumbs-up did Shen Qi realize that the guy was simply acting out of loyalty to his friends.
Little Sheep and the Cultivation Pod were blocking the Rainbow Flying Sword, and Shen Qi was a good friend of his. Lt. Surge had to at least make a gesture.
Ultimately, Lt. Surge was not aiming to become a top racing driver at all. He was a professional Pokémon Trainer in the battle circuit. He had only entered the race because he had not participated in any battles lately and wanted to practice something other than dealing damage.
That was why he would do something that seemed so outrageous...
"Holy shit?"
In Little Sheep's rearview mirror, the Rainbow Flying Sword caught up again, shooting straight from sixth to third.
Shen Qi had been concentrating fully on driving, but in the blink of an eye, the situation behind him had changed completely. There was no time to mount a coordinated defense.
What was that freakish speed?!
Little Sheep blocked the Rainbow Flying Sword once, then used a burst from Helping Hand to overtake it coming out of the turn, only for the Rainbow Flying Sword to accelerate right past from the side.
It was as though Shen Qi were an ordinary pedestrian, with a racing car speeding past him.
That speed... was far beyond highway speeds.
Shen Qi estimated that the Rainbow Flying Sword had to be traveling at around 250 kilometers per hour to create such a terrifying difference in speed.
"What a light chassis."
The Rainbow Flying Sword's sharp silhouette truly resembled a streaking magical flying sword.