"Gardevoir, there's a huge rock ahead! Turn left, quick!"
"This time, to the right! Use Psychic to destroy that tree blocking the way!"
As the ice sled sped down the slope, whenever they encountered an obstacle, under Natsui's decisive commands, his Pokémon would either destroy it or control the sled's direction, allowing them to narrowly avoid danger every time.
Whoosh!
The speeding sled kicked up layers of snow.
The two sleds were at times neck and neck, and at other times one would pull ahead of the other. They seemed evenly matched, yet each had its own advantages.
Compared to Danny's sled, Natsui and his Pokémon were much lighter—Haunter was even floating completely above the sled. This meant that on straight sections, they couldn't apply enough pressure to lower the sled's center of gravity and maintain stability and speed.
On the other hand, precisely because of their light weight, they could easily steer around obstacles, avoiding the risk of flipping over from using too much force. And it was often in these moments that Natsui would push forward and overtake his opponent!
Just then, the scenery changed. They were halfway through the race and had passed below the snow line. The ice and snow gradually disappeared, replaced by a winding mountain path made of rock and dirt.
With every meter they advanced, the friction caused the bottom of their ice sleds to scrape and wear down. For a moment, they left two long, white trails of ice shavings behind them!
Fortunately, the ice created by Articuno was extremely hard, so the sled's body was in no danger of shattering in the short term.
High above, Sabrina sat in the cable car, looking down at the race through the glass window. Seeing them go back and forth, it was impossible to tell who would win.
But in her heart, she was, of course, completely biased towards Natsui, not even sparing Danny a glance.
Fortunately, this stalemate was finally broken as they entered the latter half of the race and approached a wide forest.
Based on Danny's past race experiences, he knew this forest was very dense and impossible to pass through directly. Therefore, upon reaching it, he had to go around it, making a large, curved turn to reach the finish line.
Having slid down this mountain for so many years, he knew the terrain like the back of his hand, so this time, he didn't hesitate and began to turn in advance, just as he always did.
However, when he happened to glance over at Natsui, he saw that he was steering his sled straight towards the forest!
This is bad!
Did he misjudge the situation? Didn't he see the danger ahead!?
Danny was alarmed. As the Gym Leader, the last thing he wanted was for someone to get hurt at his Gym.
With no time to think, he quickly shouted, "No! You have to turn now! You can't get through that forest, you're going to crash!"
But Natsui seemed not to have heard him, continuing to approach the forest without wavering.
Danny frowned, hesitating whether he should try to stop him. But just as he was deciding, he saw Natsui steer his sled directly towards a protruding rock. Then, to his utter disbelief, the sled jolted upwards, launched high into the air, and flew over the forest!
This is...
Danny only needed one look to immediately guess Natsui's intention. He knew Natsui was planning to use the height of Mt. Navel, along with the speed and inertia from the slide, to leap over the forest, taking the shortest route directly to the finish line.
It had to be said, this was an incredibly bold decision!
Without immense courage, it would be impossible to attempt such a crazy stunt!
But... this forest is at least a few hundred meters wide. With the speed of the ice sled, it's absolutely impossible to make it!
Danny's heart pounded with anxiety, but even if he wanted to stop Natsui now, he was powerless.
Seeing Natsui's ice sled slowly begin to fall, his heart leaped into his throat!
A light breeze messed up Natsui's bangs.
Even as he felt the sled descending, he remained unhurried. He even had a spare moment to glance at the cable car and make eye contact with Sabrina from high in the air!
Flashing her a bright smile, Natsui then said softly, "Haunter, let's fly!"
As he spoke, out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew, not only halting the sled's descent but also carrying it all the way to the finish line!
Nani!?
On the ground, Danny was completely dumbstruck, only able to watch as Natsui impossibly soared over the forest, completely overtook him, and left him far behind!
Thud!
When the strange wind dissipated, Natsui's ice sled hit the ground, kicking up countless ice shards, and with its remaining momentum, it slid directly across the finish line!
After skidding for a dozen meters, the ice sled slowly came to a stop. Natsui got off, and after waiting for more than ten seconds, Danny's sled finally crossed the finish line.
"You... how did you just do that?"
Danny was utterly amazed. That super long-distance jump was simply beyond reason. And why had such a strong gust of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere?
"Of course, I borrowed my Pokémon's power," Natsui smiled. "Well, I won the third match, right?"
Danny applauded and said with sincere admiration, "Of course! I have to say, in all my time as a Gym Leader, this is the first time I've seen someone leap over that forest from such a height. It was truly an eye-opener!"
Natsui smiled faintly.
In fact, back at the summit when he was looking down, he had already planned his route in advance.
After all, unlike Danny, he wasn't familiar with the terrain and didn't have extensive racing experience. Therefore, to win, he naturally needed some other method.
Just then, Sabrina also got off the cable car and walked over from a distance.
When she reached his side, Danny took a badge from his pocket and handed it to Natsui.
"Congratulations, you have successfully challenged the Navel Gym. As proof, I now present you with this Spike Shell Badge."
Natsui looked down. Just as Cissy had said before, the Spike Shell Badge was also made from a shell.
On the white shell was a red Pokémon paw print, and in the center of the print was a glistening glass bead!
Although it wasn't as pretty as the Sea Ruby Badge, it was still very unique.
Taking the badge and placing it in his badge case, Natsui said his thanks, and then, together with Sabrina, he turned to leave.
Watching their backs, Danny stood there in a daze for a long time.
Looking back on today's Gym battle, it could be said that he had learned a lot.
It wasn't just about Natsui having an Articuno; it was mainly Natsui himself that he couldn't see through at all.
And most importantly, his beautiful female companion had never once spoken to him from beginning to end, nor had she even given him a proper look!
For him, this was undoubtedly a huge blow, and for the first time, it made him question his own status as a Gym Leader and his own charm.
But he was a carefree person, after all, and this was just a small episode in his life. So, he shook his head, put it out of his mind, and didn't even bother to find out Natsui's identity. Instead, he recalled his Pokémon and headed back towards the sea.
Blue skies, white clouds, and the beautiful ocean. What could be more desirable than this!
Now, let's get back to surfing!
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