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The thirty-odd racers surged forward in a spray of foam, their Pokémon pulling surfboards at breakneck speed.
The roar of the crowd filled the air with excited shouts, cheers, and chants blending into a single deafening hum. But Kai tuned it all out. His focus narrowed to a razor's edge: the race itself. Nothing else mattered.
With so many competitors crowding the channel, his Blastoise couldn't yet unleash its full power. For now, it matched the group's pace, biding its time in the thick of the pack.
The turning point came at the first sharp ninety-degree bend. Several Pokémon, pushed too hard too soon, couldn't hold their speed. Some overshot the curve; others slowed dramatically. The formation broke apart, and at last, gaps appeared.
Kai seized the chance. "Blastoise now!"
With a powerful thrust of its arms and legs, the great turtle bulldozed through the water, shoving aside smaller Pokémon as it powered through the opening.
In one bold surge, they broke free of the middle ranks and shot into the lead group.
Close behind, Ash and Misty clung to their boards, riding the wake Blastoise carved open.
Their Pokémon, Ash's Totodile and Misty's Corsola, were small but agile, and with the path cleared, they darted through effortlessly to join Kai in the front.
The course wound onward, with staff stationed at every bend holding bright flags, ensuring no one took a wrong turn. On both sides of the canal, the banks overflowed with spectators, cheering wildly as the racers tore past.
One by one, challengers fell away, until only a handful remained in the first echelon: Kai, Ash, Misty… and the hometown favorite, Ross with his mighty Wailmer.
Ross had enjoyed the prime starting position thanks to his champion status. With no one blocking his way at the launch, his Wailmer had surged ahead, forcing the others to claw back the distance.
Even now, his lead was slight but stubborn. He knew every twist and shortcut of these waterways by heart.
"Keep steady, Wailmer!" Ross called. "They won't catch us that easily!"
Kai narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that."
The straightaway ahead allowed for a burst of speed, and Blastoise churned the canal into froth. Ash and Misty pushed forward too, their Pokémon giving everything they had.
For a moment, the four competitors raced side by side, neck and neck.
But as the course wound tighter and the pace quickened, Ash's fortune faltered.
At a sudden sharp curve, Totodile couldn't slow down in time. Ash shouted, but it was too late the board slammed into the stone wall with a thud. Ash was pitched into the water headfirst.
By the time he clambered back onto his board, dripping and sputtering, half the second tier of racers had streamed past. Kai and the others were already gone from sight.
"Dang it!" Ash growled, teeth clenched. "We're not giving up, Totodile! Let's go!"
What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
When Kai next glanced over his shoulder, disbelief flickered across his face. In the space of just a few turns, Ash and Totodile had not only caught up they were right behind him again.
And Totodile… was running.
Its stubby legs blurred like pistons, skimming across the water's surface in a way that defied physics.
Sometimes its feet didn't even touch the canal at all, as though some invisible force carried it forward.
Kai's gaze flicked upward and for the briefest instant, sunlight caught on something massive in the air.
A shimmer, translucent and unseen to most eyes, tugged the rope at Ash's board.
So… it's them.
Kai smiled wryly to himself. Latias and Latios. Of course, they'd notice Ash. He really is the "chosen one."
And judging by the playful yet protective energy, Kai had little doubt it was Latias lending her aid.
But before Ash could overtake the entire field, another shadow swooped in. Latios, ever the stern guardian, wrapped its psychic presence around its sister and Totodile, tugging them away.
In a blink, they veered off course into a narrow side channel not part of the race.
The crowd gasped, puzzled. To them, Ash had simply taken a wrong turn. But Kai knew the truth: Latios had intervened, unwilling to let his sister meddle too deeply in human affairs.
With Ash gone, only three remained in the lead pack: Kai, Misty, and Ross.
The finish line loomed ahead, just beyond the grand canal.
"Blastoise final sprint!" Kai commanded.
Blastoise roared, eyes blazing, and surged forward with all its might. The sheer force of its strokes raised waves that rocked even Wailmer off balance.
Misty's Corsola fought valiantly, but its smaller body could barely withstand the torrent.
Ross shouted encouragement, Misty gritted her teeth, but Kai's determination carried him through. Blastoise powered ahead by a narrow margin one board-length, then two until, at last, they crossed the finish line first.
The canal erupted in thunderous applause.
Kai exhaled slowly, shoulders relaxing as the cheers washed over him. Victory was his but already he was wondering what it truly meant, in a city where unseen legends watched from the skies above.
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