Since everything was out in the open, the previous matter was put behind them, and Natsui, not being a petty person, didn't pursue it any further.
After all, he was just here to challenge the Gym. If this hadn't involved him, what Tad grew up to be or the reputation of the Tangelo Gym had nothing to do with him.
"It seems the second match was another tie. I wonder what Miss Cissy's next event will be?"
After this incident, Cissy no longer dared to underestimate Natsui. With mixed feelings, she said, "The final event is a wave-riding race. As long as you can win this, you'll earn the Tangelo Gym's Sea Ruby Badge."
As she spoke, Cissy recalled her Seadra and led Natsui and Sabrina to a beach outside the Gym.
The waves lapped at their feet as Natsui and Sabrina walked side by side, leaving two sets of footprints, one deep and one shallow, in the sand. When they reached the spot, Natsui looked back and suddenly made a new discovery.
From this angle, the Tangelo Gym looked less like a warehouse and more like a red cola can lying on its side!
Even its windows were shaped like the opening of a can!
Pointing to a buoy with a red flag out in the distant sea, Cissy said, "See that flag? Whichever Pokémon reaches it first, circles it, and is the first to return, will win the final victory!"
Natsui looked out and could only see a small dot bobbing in the waves. By his estimation, the buoy was at least six or seven hundred meters from the shore.
If that was the case, a round trip would be over a thousand meters. This would undoubtedly be a great test of a Pokémon's stamina and burst speed, especially for a smaller Pokémon like Seadra.
Cissy was obviously aware of this, and since this was her own competition event, she was naturally well-prepared.
She opened a Poké Ball and, to their surprise, released her own Blastoise!
As the blue light faded, the two Blastoise stood together. Although they looked no different from the outside, as a qualified trainer, Natsui could still accurately tell which one was his own Pokémon.
However, his Blastoise had already used up some of its energy in the first two rounds. Natsui decided to recall it and sent out another Pokémon.
"It's up to you, Gyarados!"
The moment the massive Gyarados appeared, it let out a heavenward roar. Its terrifying, intimidating presence even made Cissy's Blastoise retreat several steps in fear!
Cissy quickly calmed her Blastoise's emotions, then turned to look at Gyarados in surprise. "What a powerful aura! I've seen many Gyarados before, but very few have had such an intimidating presence!"
"Really? I don't think it's any different," Natsui shrugged nonchalantly. "In fact, I usually just use it as a mode of transport to cross the sea."
Cissy listened with a look of astonishment. "Such a powerful Pokémon, and you just use it as a mode of transport? As expected of the Indigo Conference Champion, what a terrible waste of talent..."
"Not at all," Natsui said, waving his hand humbly. "Actually, I have several Pokémon just like it. They're nothing special!"
Natsui's tone at this moment was exactly like someone being complimented on their masterpiece; although he pretended not to care, he was actually beaming with pride on the inside.
It had to be said that after being tempered by several high-intensity battles at the Indigo Conference, Gyarados had grown rapidly, and its aura had become even more fearsome!
Fortunately, after that initial beating it received right after evolving, it was still very obedient and had never disobeyed any of Natsui's commands.
Cissy shook her head and sighed, no longer dwelling on the topic. Instead, she urged her Blastoise to jump into the sea, and she followed close behind, leaping onto its back.
Seeing Natsui still standing on the shore, she slapped her forehead in a moment of realization. "Ah, I forgot to tell you. In this wave-riding race, the trainers have to participate too!"
Although Natsui had his doubts about why this was necessary, he wasn't the type of trainer to be pampered or timid. Since it was a Gym rule, he didn't say anything. He grabbed onto Gyarados's scales and, with a graceful flip, also jumped onto its back.
Patting Gyarados's head, at his signal, Gyarados swam out into the sea and came to the starting line alongside Blastoise.
On the shore, since Tad was absent, Sabrina temporarily took on the role of the starter. She picked up a starting pistol, pulled the trigger, and fired a shot into the air.
Bang!
At the sound of the gunshot, both Pokémon suddenly accelerated. Although Natsui and Cissy had prepared themselves, their bodies still couldn't help but jolt from the force.
The two Pokémon shot off like arrows from a bow, swimming further and faster. However, in terms of both speed and stamina, Blastoise was slightly inferior to Gyarados in every aspect, so it fell behind right from the start of the race!
Wave after wave splashed against the two Pokémon.
Initially, Cissy had wanted to rely on her years of experience and use the currents to find an opportunity for her Blastoise to catch up. But just as Natsui had said earlier, Gyarados, having served as a utility Pokémon, also had rich experience in navigating the sea.
The seawater rushed past them.
Standing on Gyarados's back, Natsui observed for a moment and then gave a command, "Gyarados, take the inside lane!"
Although they had started side by side, in this kind of circular race, the inside lane was often the fastest and most energy-efficient route. Therefore, getting to the inside track early to seize the advantage was particularly important.
However, just as Gyarados was about to change its course, its body suddenly jolted again.
Natsui almost lost his footing. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick, and he wrapped his arms around Gyarados's neck, avoiding a fall into the sea.
When he had steadied himself and looked back, he realized that Cissy had also been trying to take the inside lane, and her Blastoise's hard shell had slammed viciously into Gyarados's side!
Seeing Natsui look over, Cissy shouted, "Sorry about that, but this is a Pokémon race, after all. Physical contact is unavoidable! I hope you don't mind!"
Natsui shook his head and refocused his gaze on the distance.
With Gyarados's sheer size and weight, it was certainly not afraid of Blastoise. Now that he was prepared, he was even more fearless.
And so, although the two Pokémon occasionally bumped into each other, Natsui maintained his lead throughout. He was the first to pass the buoy and began to head back towards the shore.
And Cissy's Blastoise, despite chasing with all its might, simply lacked the ability to catch up to Gyarados. Instead, the distance between them only grew larger!
One body length... two body lengths, until it was three...
In the end, with a huge advantage, Gyarados was the first to reach the finish line, leaving Cissy with a helpless, wry smile!
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