"Tsareena has overtaken the field from fourth to second!"
Amid the excited commentary and cheers, all the race cars rounded the first bend and disappeared from the spectators' view.
Apart from the final sprint across the finish line back at the starting point, updates on the rest of the race had to be radioed to the commentator by people stationed at key stretches of the course, then relayed to the crowd.
That was amateur backroad racing: no broadcasts, no lavish prizes, no big-name sponsors. Everyone simply gathered for a bit of fun.
"Want some sauce flatbread?"
Someone who had brought snacks took out sauce flatbread to hand around, free of charge. They were just sharing.
Some people brought sauce flatbread and cold dishes, while others brought drinks, mostly homemade fruit juice, light wine, and the like.
It was like a picnic among strangers. No one knew what anyone else would bring; they simply brought their own little token of goodwill and left it to chance what goodwill they received in return.
A young punk with dyed hair accepted a biscuit rather bashfully. Like a well-behaved child greeting one elder after another at New Year's, he nibbled at it in shy little bites.
The games classified Pokémon Trainers like him as "Bikers," and they mostly used Pokémon such as Koffing and Muk.
The Koffing beside the young punk had received a biscuit too. It held everything in with all its might to keep its gas from leaking, and that effort, combined with its embarrassment, turned its entire body red.
Anyone who didn't know better might have thought a Jigglypuff had taken flight.
A blue figure soaking in the pool climbed ashore. Wooper approached hesitantly and stood at the edge of the crowd, its little black-bean eyes staring so hard they nearly bulged out.
It looked as though it was about to learn the Normal-type move Leer.
A girl broke a small piece of sauce flatbread off her mother's portion and insisted that Wooper let her pet it before it could eat.
The wild Wooper couldn't understand human speech. It merely watched the girl's waving hand and swayed along with it, making everyone laugh.
"They're past the second crucial bend! Leading the pack is Yixiong, the electrician from Pokémon High School!"
That was the maintenance worker Shen Qi had first spotted. Sorry, but he couldn't cheer for a member of staff.
Shen Qi shouted inwardly, Come on, Lilligant!
Unfortunately, they were too far apart for him to convey his feelings through the game.
Further race updates reached the commentator over the radio.
"Tsareena's pink racer is right on his tail! The gap widened on the bend, but she's fighting to catch up on the straight. There's still hope!"
"Whooo-!"
The crowd, which had settled into something like a picnic atmosphere, grew excited again.
"Just where did that Tsareena come from?"
"Yeah, she suddenly appeared in amateur races on Island 6 and Island 5 over the past two years, and she's consistently done pretty well."
"I follow professional racing, and I've never heard of a driver whose signature Pokémon is Tsareena."
"Maybe they've been keeping her under wraps."
Many Pokémon that boosted a car's performance from the passenger side never showed themselves. A special device kept their Poké Ball open without releasing the Pokémon, allowing them to use moves from inside it.
Xia Yang's Krabby could sit in the passenger seat, but Pokémon such as Onix and Gyarados, which were longer than the car itself, certainly couldn't fit.
Another reason was weight distribution. A Pokémon in energy form inside a Poké Ball weighed very little. Fully releasing it into the passenger seat meant making the car race under an extra load, which was a disadvantage no matter how you looked at it.
That was why some spectators suggested Tsareena was a Pokémon some professional driver had kept hidden.
"Tsareena has overtaken him! She's taken the lead!"
The commentator had barely finished speaking when another update came in. "Yixiong retook the lead at the third crucial bend. What a tight race!"
By this point, Shen Qi had a fairly clear idea that Lilligant was strong on the straights and weak on the bends.
She only had two support moves. One was Growth, which raised Attack and Special Attack.
When applied through a Skill Slot, it increased the car's horsepower and torque, giving it both rapid acceleration and a high top speed after the boost.
Shen Qi had also heard spectators say that Lilligant had a good car. He had no idea where she had gotten a race car.
"The final bend! Who will appear in front of us first?!"
The course looped back toward the finish, bringing the cars into view again. Excited spectators crowded up to the boundary of the safety zone.
A gray race car decorated with lightning bolts emerged from the bend first!
"It's Yixiong, the electrician from Pokémon High School! He's two car lengths ahead of the car behind... not a huge gap. Can Tsareena overtake him?"
The final two or three hundred meters before the finish were almost entirely straight. Shen Qi knew Lilligant had the horsepower advantage, but he still clenched his fists nervously.
Racing didn't permit competitors to attack one another, and most forms of interference were forbidden. Tactics were allowed, though, such as the leading car blocking the car behind from overtaking. That was exactly what Yixiong was doing.
In the passenger seat, Magnemite worked hard to maintain Light Screen, reducing the jolts and stress on the car.
Unfortunately, Magnemite had no buffing moves and couldn't improve the car's performance. Lilligant kept gaining speed, then swung the nose of her car aside to evade the blockade ahead.
"A beautiful pullout! Tsareena has overtaken him!"
Through the clear window, Magnemite's crestfallen expression was plainly visible. It knew their car couldn't retake the lead.
Yixiong eased off the accelerator and patted Magnemite.
"It's all right. You already did really well. We'll tune up the car and try again next time."
Magnemite looked toward the big box beside the finish line. Inside was the winner's Berry gift package.
...I want some.
Sensing his Pokémon's feelings, Yixiong smiled gently.
"Let's buy some Berries to eat on the way home."
Chapter 11: Are You Trying to Cause Trouble?
"Let's congratulate Tsareena on winning today's grand prize!"
The organizer, who doubled as the commentator, picked up a gift box the size of a microwave. It was heavy with specialty Berries from Berry Forest on Island 3.
Lilligant basked in everyone's cheers, but still didn't take the box.
She turned lightly, found the familiar boy, and beckoned with her leafy hand.
[Lilligant hopes someone will give her a hand-that particular boy.]
Excited as he was, Shen Qi nervously wrapped his jacket more tightly around the lower half of his face like a scarf.
Most people's attention was focused on the makeshift podium. Shen Qi had to avoid being recognized by the maintenance worker.
"Wow, is that Tsareena's Pokémon Trainer? I've never seen him before."
"Obviously not, okay? He looks way too young, and he doesn't look strong either."
"Maybe he's that trainer's son or something. His father's a famous racer, so he has to hide his face."
All sorts of outrageous guesses flew around. Shen Qi simply took the box of Berries and stood beside Lilligant.
Click, click.
Amid the applause, quite a few backroad racing enthusiasts took commemorative photos. Shen Qi was glad he had covered his face. Otherwise, in places as small as Island 6 and Island 5, word would spread in no time.
Some children ran over to Lilligant, laughing and asking for a photo with her, only to be caught immediately by their parents.
Many racers didn't want too much contact with strangers. Even if someone wanted a commemorative photo, they should ask politely first.
After being scolded, the children behaved themselves. Lilligant agreed with a smile, and the photo captured a sea of innocent, smiling faces.
Photo confirmed.
Holding his phone, Shen Qi took a photo too. To be fair, at just over a meter tall, Lilligant looked perfectly at home standing among the children.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Shen Qi put the box in the pink race car's back seat.
When people said backroad races didn't offer much in the way of prizes, it was true that they couldn't compare with the lavishness of major races. But these Berries weren't cheap either.
In the games, most Berries were picked up or received from Pokémon Trainers. Only later generations let players buy them directly. A single Berry cost several dozen Pokémon Dollars, while those in the Black and White games could easily cost over a hundred, approaching the price of a Poké Ball.
A heavy box like this had to weigh twenty or thirty jin. The organizers were merely merchants from an outlying island. Offering a prize worth several thousand b without any sponsorship income or media coverage was very generous.
"Lilligant, where do you live?"
Silence...
Lilligant put her hands on her hips and stared at Shen Qi, looking both annoyed and amused.
"Ahem, ahem..."
Shen Qi quickly realized his mistake... what did he mean, where did Lilligant live?
She lived at Pokémon High School!
"Do you park your race car around there too?"
Lilligant nodded in confirmation.
Behind Pokémon High School, the grounds connected to Marker Woods and even led to the sea farther away. There were plenty of places for Lilligant to hide a race car.
[However, Lilligant has no intention of letting the boy know about her little workshop just yet.]
Reading the text prompt, Shen Qi understood.
After all, the place where Lilligant hid and tuned her car held an important secret of her entire life-her Pokémon life.
At 30% courtship progress, he couldn't expect her to bare her heart and show him everything.
Thump.
Lilligant closed the driver's door and glanced at Shen Qi out of the corner of her eye, hesitating to speak.
[She wants to invite the boy into the car, but is too embarrassed to say it outright.]
Then let me do it!
"May I have the honor of riding in your car, Lilligant?"
After making his sincere request, Shen Qi pulled a goofy face. "Unfortunately, I can't use any moves, so I can't support you through a Skill Slot."
[Hee-hee...] [Who expected you to use Pokémon moves?]
Her leafy hand patted the passenger seat, signaling for Shen Qi to get in.
Before you continue