Lilligant had much the same idea. After taking an excellent 3rd Place in last year's Autumn Race Finals, her Driver Points had reached 469.
Having 500 points was one of the requirements for T2 Certification.
If Lilligant could still place in the top five in the more fiercely contested Spring Race Finals, she would truly have the foundation to begin her journey into T2.
Shen Qi... still had a long way to go. After all, races under Pokémon Trainer rules far surpassed those under Pokémon rules in both participant numbers and the level of competition.
That did not really matter, though. Shen Qi was happy just to drive race cars, enter races, and win prize money. He did not have Lilligant's single-minded determination to fulfill her long-held wish of earning T2 Certification.
"Lilligant, good luck."
"Yes!"
After talking with Lilligant, Shen Qi caught hold of Dodo.
"Gujī?!"
Dodo was aghast. He really had not drunk too many beverages today. He had only finished half of the complimentary coffee given to Pokémon on the plane.
"That's not what this is about."
After transferring at Saffron City for a flight to Pewter City, they would have to drive back once they collected the cars. The shortest route was through Diglett Tunnel.
When Shen Qi had first started driving Stone Bone Longing, he had taken Diglett Tunnel out of Pewter City.
The natural tunnels dug by Diglett and Dugtrio stretched for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. Some sections had been used by humans in ancient times, and in the modern era, they had even been converted into underground tunnels that vehicles could travel through.
In exchange, humans left Pokémon Rations at various points in Diglett Tunnel. Drivers taking a break sometimes fed the Diglett too, as if paying a toll.
Humans had