No, it wasn't a question of how valuable it was. Under normal circumstances, Lilligant would never wager a component of her race car.
If Shan Sheng had announced through the organizers at the outset that the race would include an emblem showdown, Lilligant would most likely have withdrawn outright.
It was precisely because she treasured her race car so much and feared losing its emblem that she had come under such immense psychological pressure.
So... what exactly had happened to make her accept such an unreasonable showdown at the last minute?
Lilligant was driving with her head down now, so Shen Qi couldn't call her. He would try to catch up first.
"Uncle Dev, I'll head out first."
"Oh, take it easy on the road."
After finding the Little Sheep, Shen Qi settled into the driver's seat. Only shortly after leaving the abandoned mine did he realize he had made a mistake in his haste.
Chansey wasn't with him. How was he supposed to catch up with Lilligant...?
With no other choice, Shen Qi pulled over and took out his phone to send a message.
ID Shen Qi: I just found out you had an emblem showdown. Why did that happen?
The phone stayed silent. A long time passed without a reply.
That made sense. If their situations were reversed, Shen Qi wouldn't have been in the mood to explain what had happened to anyone for a while either.
He could only assume that some extremely weighty condition had forced her hand. Otherwise, Lilligant would never have agreed to a sudden emblem showdown.
With the Little Sheep stopped, Shen Qi stood beside it and recalled the race...
Nothing had seemed wrong. Apart from Shan Sheng, the Perilla Racing Team had only had a pretty woman dressed in snug sportswear.
Screech-
A race car swept past him, then stopped abruptly. A woman's angry voice rang out from inside.
"You idiot! Why did you slam on the brakes all of a sudden?!"
"Sis, that's him!"
The perilla-leaf team emblem on the side of the race car clearly identified its owner.
Shan Sheng got out, beaming. "You're the fastest Little Sheep driver on Island 6, right? I overlooked you that day. I didn't notice at first that you were carrying such a heavy load."
With him putting it that way, Shen Qi saw no reason to deny it.
"That's me."
"You're the only one left! You're the only one left on Island 6!" Shan Sheng counted on his fingers. "Island 5 has no competition, and Island 7 is practically deserted. Once I beat you, I'll only have the earlier islands left!"
Shen Qi asked tentatively, "You want to have... an emblem showdown with me?"
"An emblem showdown would be best. That way, you'll give it everything you've got against me!"
His straightforward answer took Shen Qi rather by surprise.
If they held an emblem showdown, Shen Qi would be getting a huge bargain.
If he wanted the Little Sheep's lousy emblem, he could take it;
if Shan Sheng lost, he would be handing over the emblem of a class B race car.
"I'd like to change the terms a little."
"How?"
"Hmm... if I win, I don't want your emblem. Just return Tsareena's emblem."
To be honest, Shen Qi's demand was a bit excessive.
The Little Sheep gave him practically no bargaining power. Wagering the emblem of a van worth 40,000 b against the other man's spoils wasn't merely betting small to win big. It was practically getting something for nothing.
"Sure."
Another crisp, decisive answer. Shan Sheng didn't give it a second thought.
"As long as you're willing to give it your all against me, I'm happy to accept that condition."
After a brief moment of thought, Shen Qi decided he had nothing to lose.
If I lose, I'll just give him the emblem. I'm not a racer anyway, and... it's not as though I have no chance of winning.
If he didn't find a way to win Lilligant's emblem back, she would probably stay depressed for a long time. By the time she recovered, who knew where Shan Sheng would have gone to race?
That emblem was irreplaceable to Lilligant. Getting her another one six months later wasn't an option.
"I accept."
"It's a deal! I'll speak to Island 6's chief shipowner again!"
They added each other as friends. Afraid that Shen Qi might change his mind, Shan Sheng confirmed it once more. "We're having an emblem showdown, okay? If I win, I take your emblem. If I lose, I return Tsareena's emblem to you."
It was indeed an extremely lopsided wager. Even if Shan Sheng owned more than one race car, the terms still favored Shen Qi enormously.
Yet Shan Sheng had accepted, and with great enthusiasm. That was enough to show how straightforward his goal was: he simply wanted to defeat Island 6's strongest driver in a race where both sides gave it their all.
"Wait..." The excited Shan Sheng suddenly froze. "Where's your emblem?"
"Huh?"
Shen Qi glanced at the Little Sheep. The emblem on its front was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking back carefully, it seemed that when he had crossed over... the Little Sheep hadn't had an emblem then either.
Of course, that wasn't because of any race. A vehicle used to haul cargo was bound to get knocked around and covered in scars. Its emblem had been knocked off long ago.
He could buy one for ten or twenty b and stick it on, but there was no need. To Shen Qi, that money was better spent on a pound of meat. If the emblem was gone, so be it.
"Uh... I probably knocked it off by accident."
"Then..." Shan Sheng looked a little awkward too. "Then see if you can buy an emblem and stick it on before our showdown."
"That's allowed too?!"
Shan Sheng was putting up a genuine emblem, yet he was allowing Shen Qi to wager a product worth barely a dozen bucks against it.
"Your emblem isn't what I'm after. As long as you give it your all. You want to win Tsareena's emblem back, so naturally you'll take this extremely seriously. Think of replacing your emblem as part of the ritual of a showdown between racers."
Just as Shen Qi had sensed earlier, Shan Sheng was very straightforward. His only goal was to race with everything he had and complete his own trial.
Someone who could accept a wager like this at least wasn't utterly wicked.
But why had Lilligant agreed...?
"Hey..."
"Ah, sorry. My sister has something else to do tonight, so I need to drive her back. The emblem showdown is settled!"
"Nido, nido!"
Shan Sheng returned to the car and started the engine. Nidorino was just as fired up.
The race car pulled away, leaving the red glow of its taillights to fade into the distance.
"You idiot."
"What is it?"
"That guy just now... was that really the Little Sheep that beat you?"
"Yeah."
Ayumi removed the sunglasses perched on her head as an accessory and toyed with them in her hands.
"It didn't look professional at all. Stock floating single-piston brake calipers, even ordinary seats, and low-end all-season tires."
Leaving aside the engine and other parts she couldn't see, the ordinary seats alone were already absurd.
Once the racing began, with hard braking, sudden acceleration, and high-speed cornering, a family car's diagonal seat belt had no way of holding the driver securely in place.
When modifying a car for racing on a limited budget, replacing the seat wouldn't improve the vehicle's performance, but it still had to be done. It needed a supportive bucket seat and a five-point harness.
Otherwise, the driver would be tossed around and shaken violently. No matter how skilled they were, they wouldn't be able to operate the car properly.
She hadn't seen a half-open mounting device for securing a Poké Ball on the passenger seat either.
"Maybe he only passed me because I wasn't familiar with Island 6's roads back then. He really isn't as strong as Tsareena."
Shan Sheng indicated that he didn't mind. "I'll put one lingering concern to rest and get another race in."
"Suit yourself. I won't come watch this boring race."
Chapter 59: Got a Spare Ball?
ID Shen Qi: Lilligant, I ran into Shan Sheng and heard about your emblem showdown. It's okay. I'll help you win it back!
He sent the message, packed with all the key information, and waited another ten minutes or so before Lilligant finally replied:
Don't! He's really good. You'll lose your emblem!
ID Shen Qi: My... Little Sheep's emblem got knocked off years ago. I'll buy one and stick it on before the showdown. At worst, I'll lose 20 b.
The other end fell silent. If Shen Qi had received that message, he probably would have been speechless for a long time too.
ID Shen Qi: Lilligant, I'll come find you.
ID Lilligant: Don't... don't. I'm such a mess right now...
["Speedy Hot Girl," Romance scenario progress: 79%]
Simply telling Lilligant that he would enter an emblem showdown for her had raised his progress by a full 6%.
He ought to give her some time to recover now. Lilligant still seemed to be in a terrible state of mind.
Of course, Shen Qi wanted to ask why she had agreed to the emblem showdown, but what was done was done. Finding out sooner or later made no difference.
Just as Shen Qi was about to give up on asking, another message lit up the screen.
ID Lilligant: That guy called Shan Sheng found out where my race car came from...
"Hiss-no wonder!"
So that was the reason... Shan Sheng knew the race car's origins.
The pink race car was a keepsake left by someone who had passed away. That meant he also knew that Lilligant was keeping her identity hidden and didn't want outsiders to learn about her circumstances.
He had used that information to threaten her. No wonder Lilligant had agreed to the emblem showdown at the last minute.
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