Chapter 174. Forget It, I Can't Take Even a Bit of Hardship
Natsume didn't think much of it.
There are plenty of baffling behaviors among Pokémon.
Maybe those Moltres have just been acting weird these years.
Besides, Natsume doesn't have a Moltres, and even if it concerns Divinity, it has nothing to do with him.
Suddenly, Natsume's gaze swept over the bald, plucked Zapdos.
After a moment, Natsume shook his head sharply.
He couldn't possibly pass it on to some outsider bird, right?
"Gyaa—"
Zapdos surveyed the surrounding Pokémon with full-throated vigor.
Its sharp talons slowly scraped the ground, leaving several white grooves.
Its eyes blazed with fighting spirit, like a burning flame, scorching hot.
Too strong.
These Pokémon raised by humans are too strong.
Originally, Zapdos came to settle the score with center-parted.
Later, it found the enemy was still too powerful, so it changed its mind.
It decided to obtain that thing called Divinity, then go find center-parted to settle the score.
Now, Zapdos felt many of the Pokémon here were very strong.
Battling them would surely enhance its strength.
"This Zapdos really loves to compete for dominance," Misty whispered a complaint.
"This is how it should be. This is the right kind of spirit!"
Ash clenched his fist.
"Pikachu, we can't lose!"
"Pika!"
Just as the atmosphere on site grew taut, on a high platform not far away, the curtains were yanked open.
"Ahem, quiet!"
A slightly aged voice suddenly rang out, echoing through the venue via a sound amplifier.
The crowd fell silent at once.
This was the famously strict Ghost-type Elite Four—Agatha.
Nobody dared get on her bad side.
Amid swirling smoke, an elderly lady in formal attire, looking dignified and rigid, strode out slowly.
"Ahem, as everyone already knows, this Torch Relay will select a few torchbearers from among the participating Trainers."
Agatha was terse and to the point.
"Ahem, but," she changed tack.
"This year, there will be no selection."
"Our torchbearers will only run a portion of the route."
"If you can pace alongside them the whole way, you can smoothly take over for the latter half."
"Ahem, that's that!"
Saying this, Agatha took a torch bearing Moltres's flame from Officer Jenny and handed it to a strapping young man.
"I'm this year's League torch relay lead runner."
"Anyone who wants to participate, follow me!"
The strapping youth stepped down from the stage.
The crowd automatically opened a path below.
Many wore troubled expressions.
There were three days left until the opening of the competition.
The relay route alone would take a full two days.
Over these two days, the torchbearers had to circle the entire Indigo Plateau and finally return to the stadium.
This time, Trainer torchbearers were slotted straight into the second half, which made it much harder than in past years.
"Alright, let's go!"
Gary hesitated, only to see Ash suddenly charge out.
"Wait for me!"
Gritting his teeth, Gary followed.
"Good grief—"
Upon hearing they'd be running for two days, Misty's legs went weak on the spot.
"If you don't participate, you can ride your Pokémon to pace."
Saying so, Brock climbed onto Onix and gave chase.
Around them, some Trainers clenched their teeth and kept up, while others regretfully shook their heads and mounted their Pokémon.
Even if they couldn't receive Moltres's blessing themselves, a scene like this was rare and not to be missed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Indigo Plateau Conference opening ceremony!"
Up in the sky, a Magnezone drifted past.
"Natsume…," Honora looked toward Natsume.
"I don't plan to take part."
Before he finished, Zapdos beside him whooshed off like an arrow.
Its neck stretched long and pressed low, its body streamlined.
A body built for flight was surprisingly not bad at running.
Seeing this, Natsume arched a brow.
No wonder the Galarian form of Zapdos evolved into a ground-running mode.
This Zapdos had only been a road-runner for two months and already had this speed.
It wanted first place.
Sensing Zapdos's resolve, Natsume was taken aback.
If center-parted had half of its resolve, it would probably have already laid flat across the undefeated world.
In Honora's arms, center-parted, who had intended to take a nap and had just closed its eyes, heard thunder roaring in its mind.
On the track, a faint blue light rose in Natsume's eyes as he strolled along behind Zapdos as if walking in a garden.
It charged hard, even several times trying to overtake the League's lead runner.
Fortunately, Natsume dragged it back.
"If you keep this up, you won't have any strength left in the second half," Natsume reminded it.
"Gyaa—"
Zapdos tilted its head, unconcerned.
If you just keep taking first place, what's this about strength or no strength?
Seeing this, Natsume shook his head slightly.
This Zapdos clearly hadn't adapted to the existence of a Trainer.
It wasn't taking scientific advice to heart.
By contrast, the other Trainers planning to do the long run like Ash and Gary were thoroughly prepared, taking turns with their pacing Pokémon to break the wind.
Such coordination could save a lot of energy.
"Forget it."
"You'll understand when the time comes."
"In any case, you must abide by the competition rules."
"You cannot run ahead of the torchbearer."
"Understand?"
As Natsume spoke, Zapdos nodded.
This concerned winning or losing, so it was very important.
As for saving energy and the like, Natsume couldn't be bothered to explain to Zapdos.
Teach someone once, and they'll learn.
Midway through the long run, there were resupply stations providing water and food.
There were even accompanying medical vans with Nurse Joy onboard along the route, driven by Officer Jenny.
If someone collapsed and couldn't continue, they could receive timely rescue.
Soon, it was the latter half.
The torch bearing Moltres's flame had reached Ash's hands.
Except for Natsume, nearly every participating runner nearby was unsteady on their feet, as if they could collapse at any moment.
An entire day had passed.
It had already been a whole day.
Many runners turned their gaze toward Ash and Natsume.
What kind of monsters were these two?
That one named Ash had no long-distance running technique at all, yet he had somehow run the whole day without turning red or panting.
The other was even more outrageous, shrinking the ground beneath his feet and sauntering along at leisure, each step covering several meters at once.
Despairing.
Too despairing.
After a full day of running, the flame might end up having nothing to do with them in the end.
"Sir, here!"
Ash slowed and handed the torch to a Trainer running hand in hand with his Machamp.
"You…"
The Trainer's eyes were already going hazy, but he still lifted his head and looked at Ash in puzzlement.
"Looks like your stamina isn't quite enough."
"If I keep holding it the whole time, won't you have no sense of participation?"
"How about this—during the second half, you all take turns running with it for a while."
"If you can't keep it up, give it back to me," Ash suggested.
"Kid… you!"
The Trainer froze, then a sharp light burst in his eyes.
"Alright."
"Leave it to me!"
He took the torch, adjusted his breathing, and gradually raised his speed to match Ash's pace.
"What's going on?"
"Is Ash Ketchum not aiming for Moltres's blessing!?" the announcer's voice suddenly rose, and the TV broadcast's camera zoomed in hard.
"Everyone, come on," Ash beckoned to those behind.
The remaining Trainers lined up in order according to their own condition.
Meanwhile, the first Trainer had burned out, and Machamp carried him toward the medical van.
The torch passed back into Ash's hands as the second runner, and Ash handed it to the third.
The latter slowly picked up speed and took over the front position.
"So that's it."
"Ash Ketchum has incredible competitive spirit!"
"Gyaa…"
Natsume watched this scene from a distance, and a half-dead murmur rose at his feet from Zapdos.
"See that?"
"If you had saved your strength from the start, finishing the course would definitely be no problem."
"Gyaa…"
Zapdos no longer had the strength to respond.
But it felt that Natsume was right.
If it had listened to Natsume at the beginning, it wouldn't be this miserable now.
No wonder Pokémon raised by humans were so much stronger than those it met in the wild.
Sometimes a human Trainer's words are really useful.
All of a sudden, Zapdos felt its body grow lighter.
It looked up and shot Natsume a grateful glance.
Natsume was subtly propping up Zapdos with imperceptible telekinesis.
"Gyaa?"
Noticing the situation over by Ash, Zapdos tilted its head and looked at Natsume in puzzlement.
"Why would the 'Monkey King' do this?"
Natsume was a little nonplussed.
What kind of nickname was "Monkey King," and who gave that to Ash?
"Gyaa gyaa gyaa!"
If I keep holding it, won't the blessing be definitely mine?
Wouldn't that be a win?
Zapdos looked at Natsume in confusion.
"That's not how it works."
Natsume shook his head.
"The winner isn't necessarily the victor."
"If you earn everyone's heartfelt respect, even if you aren't the 'winner,' you're still the victor."
"In fair competition, competitive spirit comes first and winning or losing second."
Hearing this, Zapdos nodded blankly.
Based on the earlier cautionary tale about conserving strength, it felt that what Natsume was saying now should also make sense, even if it didn't quite understand.
"Huh?"
Natsume started in surprise.
He realized Zapdos had slipped free of his telekinetic support.
"Gyaa—"
It wanted to win with competitive spirit.
Seeing Zapdos stagger and resume running, leaving a sweaty, duck-like footprint with every step, Natsume couldn't help a surge of boldness in his heart.
The ghostly blue light faded from his eyes, and he tried running on his own for a stretch.
Ten minutes later, Natsume took to the air.
Forget it—he couldn't take even a bit of hardship.
Natsume's physical fitness was simply too poor compared to the people here.
Relying on his body alone, he was left in the dust by Ash in no time.
And that was with Ash running second, letting someone else lead and dropping the pace.
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