Chapter 209:
"Both Pokémon are on the move! Okay, we can see they're incredibly fast, covering two to three hundred meters in just a few seconds, and their speed is still increasing!
However, Blaziken's speed seems only slightly ahead of Ponyta's? Is this Blaziken's limit?
As far as I know, contestant Andō Riku's Ponyta achieved an impressive third place in Nagisuna City's Summer Horse Racing event!"
"Furthermore, friends who have watched horse racing know that most racehorses exert their strength in the later stages. From this perspective, contestant Hayashi Kaede's agreement to contestant Andō Riku's proposal seems unwise..."
Kondō Satoshi, riding his Aegislash, performed steadily. He first created suspense by using "Hayashi Kaede's unwise decision" as a hook to evoke tension, confusion, and even schadenfreude in the audience.
This way, most spectators would mistakenly believe Hayashi Kaede's agreement was truly foolish.
A seemingly guaranteed victory, yet he agreed to such a horse racing match.
In other words, wasn't this purely using his own weakness against the opponent's strength?
Sure enough, upon hearing this commentary and seeing Blaziken occasionally being overtaken, the spectators grew worried for Blaziken.
"Ah, Hayashi Kaede is too arrogant, still too young. Probably got a bit carried away after raising so many powerful Pokémon."
"It looks pretty risky."
"Wait... I often see that Blaziken running in the mornings... This isn't how it usually goes..."
But in reality, Kondō Satoshi was closest to Blaziken and Ponyta. He observed the demeanor of the two Pokémon.
Ponyta had steady breathing, but its gait was noticeably rushed.
Because the time limit was only five minutes, which was far too short for a Pokémon suited for long-distance running.
In contrast, Blaziken stayed just a bit ahead of Ponyta—a mere one or two meters—no more, no less—and its expression was relaxed and natural.
Clearly, Blaziken wasn't going all out.
So, he knew well that the winner of this "horse race" would likely still be Hayashi Kaede's Blaziken.
He was just commentating this way deliberately for the sake of uncertainty.
It couldn't be helped; it was part of the job. If he couldn't engage the audience's emotions, his commentary would be a failure.
Sure enough, around the two-and-a-half-minute mark, Ponyta's Trainer couldn't hold back.
"Ponyta, use Agility!"
Suddenly, the flames on Ponyta's body flickered intensely, and its speed surged dramatically.
At this moment, its speed within the arena almost transformed into a fiery whirlwind, capable of sweeping across the entire arena in just a minute or two.
But its Trainer's urgent voice still rang in its ears.
"Faster, faster, even faster!"
This confused Ponyta. When it looked up, it realized Blaziken was still just a little bit ahead.
The distance remained stubbornly fixed.
It refused to accept it.
It was the third-place winner in the horse race!
How could a Blaziken possibly outlast it in endurance?
So, mustering all its strength, it accelerated again.
Contrary to expectation, Blaziken was still just ahead, and it even looked quite pleased.
"Ponyta!"
Infuriated, Ponyta let out a high-pitched neigh, completely disregarding its own condition. Under these circumstances, its energy surged faintly, seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough.
It felt a flicker of joy, thinking it could finally surpass this chicken.
But the next second, the opponent's Trainer's voice rang out.
"Alright, Blaziken, enough playing. Use Quick Attack!"
Hayashi Kaede, worried this would demoralize Ponyta, finally gave the order.
"Blaziken!" (Hehe...)
Blaziken paused slightly, patted Ponyta's hindquarters, then glanced at the vast space—perfect for testing its limits.
And so, amid Ponyta's expression shifting from humiliation to shock, then to helplessness, Blaziken began to accelerate.
The first move, Quick Attack. The moment it was used, Blaziken's form turned into an orange lightning bolt. In mere seconds, it left Ponyta over a hundred meters behind, leaving a dense trail of exhaust in the arena.
Kondō Satoshi, watching from above, immediately brightened up.
"A comeback, a comeback! Initially, it seemed unwise for contestant Hayashi Kaede to agree to the race, but who would have thought Blaziken was holding back? It's still accelerating, Blaziken's speed is still increasing! Heavens, what incredible speed! My eyes can't even keep up!"
Actually, he didn't even need to stir up emotions, because the next moment, the entire audience's eyes were wide with astonishment.
"Holy crap, is this for real?"
"This speed... four laps a minute? Wow, and it's still increasing?"
"Are there any experienced Trainers who can tell me, is this really a Gym Leader-level Pokémon?"
Down below, Blaziken was completely unaware of the audience's gasps, lost in its own world.
Because running here felt utterly liberating.
Back when the roads weren't properly paved, the cobblestone paths in the town were so short, and there were often tourists or residents, so it always had to be careful.
When it was a Combusken, it was manageable, but after evolving, it felt increasingly constrained by those narrow paths.
Here, it felt its innate nature was fully unleashed.
Quick Attack alone wasn't enough. It started combining moves—the instant Quick Attack ended, it used Agility, followed finally by the Fire-type major move, Flare Blitz.
Lap after lap, the bonuses from Speed Boost were fully unleashed.
Until finally, the entire arena was filled with nothing but a flickering crimson blur.
"Oh no... this kid..."
At the Trainer's command post, Hayashi Kaede facepalmed. Originally, he wanted Blaziken to win quickly and stop playing around, afraid it would crush Ponyta's spirit.
But now, Ponyta and its Trainer were utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly at the orange blazing lightning zooming around in the arena.
Seriously, dude...
Are you kidding me?
With speed like this, challenging you to a race was just giving you a chance to have fun, wasn't it?
In a matter of fact at this moment, someone else was even more astonished.
Kaito, seated in the judges' booth, had stood up, his eyes wide.
If the laymen were watching for the spectacle, he, as the newly appointed Fire-type Elite Four member of the Eastova League, was analyzing the technique.
Blaziken has two possible Abilities, one is the common Blaze, and the Hidden Ability is Speed Boost.
Everyone knows Blaze's effect.
But Speed Boost is different. Its name easily leads to the misunderstanding that it directly increases Blaziken's speed.
Actually, that's not the case.
It works by increasing the activity level of Blaziken's energy after each move is used, making the next move quicker and smoother.
However, recent research shows that Blaziken with this Ability do indeed have slightly higher speed than average.
But... not to this extent, right?
He also has a Speed Boost Blaziken!
This speed is almost comparable to when his Blaziken first reached Elite Four level!
No, he must seek advice from this young man on how he trained his Blaziken.