"I know this invitation came too abruptly. I'll offer more specific terms later."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me. You might be disappointed."
"We'll see." Shan Sheng waved a hand. "My sister sent me to the offshore Sevii Islands to gain experience. I really have learned a lot."
"Nido!"
"Nido!"
At Shan Sheng's feet, the Nidorina who had performed so well earlier bounced around.
Shen Qi gave her a thumbs-up in praise. "What an amazing Nidorina."
The little blue beast straightened up, chest out and head high, brimming with pride. She wasn't the slightest bit dejected over a single defeat.
"Shan Sheng, when did you decide... that I was the best racer on Island 6?"
Embarrassingly enough, Shen Qi genuinely couldn't remember ever beating Shan Sheng.
That sounded a little arrogant, but Shan Sheng wasn't angry. He remembered what had happened.
"Tsareena's race car passed me first, then you overtook me too. You were probably in a chase race with Tsareena and didn't notice the other cars."
Shan Sheng had only recently arrived on Island 6 then and was completely unfamiliar with the terrain. He had been especially cautious on those deserted mountain roads.
Trying hard to recall that day's chase, Shen Qi vaguely remembered possibly passing some other cars. Little Sheep had still had its stock performance back then, pushing its limits to chase Lilligant. He hadn't dared let his attention wander for even a moment.
"Sorry, sorry."
"It's fine. If I were in a chase race with someone else, I probably wouldn't remember what cars I'd passed along the way either."
Shan Sheng responded casually. His attitude was nothing like that of the villain Shen Qi had believed him to be.
A villain who seized on people's weaknesses to force them into a Car Badge Duel.