Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 124 Racing Competition
"Huh? This...isn't it yet."

In an instant, Narutosuke became even more shy than Sasami, stammering and shaking his head with a flushed face.

Zuo Renmei, standing to the side, lowered her head even further.

"Oh~"

Xiaoxia nodded meaningfully.

“Well… it’s like this,” Satomi suddenly spoke up, explaining to everyone.

Neither of them are professional hosts or professional directors.

They only got together because of shared interests.

"With your level of expertise, getting a certificate should be a piece of cake," Xiao Gang's voice rang out.

Unexpectedly, the two shook their heads in unison.

“No, that would turn my hobby into a career,” Narusuke said.

"Yes, yes, that must be so painful." Satomi shuddered.

"Wow, you two look so alike." Xiaoxia's eyes narrowed slightly.

"We're now traveling together, taking on commentary gigs for various amateur competitions along the way."

Narusuke laughed.

"You absolutely have to participate in tomorrow's race, please!"

Naruto clasped his hands together and looked pleadingly at Natsume and Ash.

That Dragonite and Pikachu left a very deep impression on him.

"If you come to participate, my art will reach a new level!"

A look of fascination appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"Art?"

Jiaozi was chewing on a bowl of milk tofu when her bright eyes drifted toward the two of them.

"Commentary is the secondary processing of the game; that's the art!"

Narusuke's powerful voice rang out.

"Okay, no problem, Ponyta and I will do our best!"

Ash seemed to be infected by the other party's aura, jumped onto Ponyta's back, and said to Tomiko:

"Miss Tomiko, please teach me how to ride!"

Seeing how motivated Xiaozhi was, Fuko covered her mouth and chuckled:
"no problem."

"Uh, can you really learn it in one night?" As Tomiko and Satoshi left, Misty couldn't help but complain.

"Ash has a strong athletic talent."

Natsume's voice drifted over.

"Whoosh!" The flames were blown away.

Natsume suddenly lifted up a huge, vacuum cleaner-like device.

"I'm going to find the little groundhog."

"Mr. Natsume, let me help you!" Jiaozi ran over excitedly.

"No, I've registered Middle-Part Hair and Quick Dragon for tomorrow's race, so you'll have to keep an eye on them for me."

Without turning his head, Natsume picked up the instrument and began to probe into the distance, beeping softly.

"All right."

Jiaozi lowered his head, intending to sign up himself.

"In that case, Onix and I can also go on the field." Brock took out a Poké Ball.

"And me, me and the starfish, Ms. Zomi, remember to give me lots of screen time!"

Xiaoxia, being very outgoing, hugged Zuorenmei's arm.

"Okay."

The next day.

Under the glaring sunlight.

Three enormous screens floated in the air.

Upon closer inspection, each screen is supported by two Magneton-like creatures.

The three screens all displayed the same hillside.

At the top of the hillside, a group of people and Pokémon gathered.

"Welcome to the annual Lalamoa running competition!"

In the sky, Narutosuke appears riding on Magneton.

On the hillside, Ash rode on Ponyta's back, feeling nervous.

"Ash, don't rush, keep going!"

Looking back, I saw Xiaoxia and Xiaogang.

Behind the three were a Super Armored Rhinoceros, a Gem Starfish, and an Onix, respectively.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu stood on Squirtle's shell, cheering Ash on from the side.

"Woo~"

A giant Dragonite roared to the sky, seemingly gathering its strength.

Above his head, a Pikachu with a spiky middle parting, covered by a blanket, looked drowsy. To the left of the Dragonite was a Gengar, with Ash's Charmander perched on its head.

"Gengar!" Gengar raised a stick of spicy mud above its head.

"Neil~" The little dragon understood and used the flame on its tail to light it for him.

To the right of Dragonite is a dazed Psyduck, holding its head in its hands.

On Psyduck's head, riding a Pokémon that Natsume named "Big Brick".

"Honestly, why did you insist on signing up?"

Xiaoxia covered her face.

The most amazing thing is that the combination of a duck's head topped with a brick actually passed the review.

The races are not limited to trainers and Pokémon; Pokémon can participate with each other.

A single Pokémon or a single trainer is considered a participant and their score is not counted.

"That's strange, why can't a trainer ride another trainer?"

On the distant plains, Natsume held a huge instrument and kept scanning.

Natsume glanced at the giant screen in the sky and shook his head.

If he rode Ash and had Ash's psychic powers to help him, he might actually win the championship.

Becoming a champion seems to grant one the title of "Lalamo warrior"?
Natsume had no interest in these empty titles.

"Here comes the pre-match trash talk segment."

"Is Dodrio's trainer, Dodrio, just too typical or is he really that skilled? Let's wait and see!"

The host, Naruto, suddenly spoke.

On the hillside, a trainer sitting atop a Dodori, his arrogant expression betraying his growing unease, was starting to show.

He dug that hole in front of Tomiko's house, so he's definitely going to be the champion this time.

After discovering that Ash had only trained for one night and was planning to replace Tom in the competition, Duli couldn't help but laugh at him.

The director captured it on camera the very next second.

Damn it, how does the host know what he's saying from such a distance?
Dulif shut his mouth; he felt that the host the chief had chosen this year seemed different from those in the past.

"Damn it, Dullif, don't underestimate me!" Ash clenched his fist.

"Whoosh—" The little pony reared up on its front hooves, its voice full of energy.

"Here it comes! Ash Ketchum isn't going to give up! Is he going to land this punch?!"

The host, Naruto, spoke again, and everyone's eyes turned to the big screen.

Even Natsume cast a glance at it.

Natsume was taken aback when he saw the Dodori.

He found a few tufts of hair near the pit at Tomiko's house.

The instrument beeped, attracting Natsume's attention.

In front of him was a small mound of earth.

Digging into the mound of earth, we found several tree fruits buried inside.

"What's this?" Natsume leaned closer, staring at the few blueberries.

Even ground squirrels won't bury tree fruits in the soil, because they would rot very quickly.

"Forget it, let's take our time looking for it."

He strolled around leisurely, occasionally glancing up at the game.

Natsume said he had never had such a comfortable field survey experience before.

That morning, Natsume did make some discoveries.

He found some dried gopher droppings.

It is very similar to soil, but with stronger fertility.

It was most likely left by a small ground squirrel, heading towards the wilderness area.

"Ash and Dulriff are unstoppable and have taken the lead!"

"Onix, Rhyperior, and Dragonite—they're huge! The whole hillside is trembling!"

The loudspeaker carried the host's voice very far.

Not only Natsume can hear it, but many Pokémon species that inhabit the grasslands can also see it.

Countless Tauros, Dudu, and Rhino raised their heads and looked at the three giant screens in the sky.

These Pokémon chewed on grass and berries, each one intently focused, as if watching some novel object.

Natsume observed this thoughtfully.

In the past, these human-organized events had nothing to do with these wild Pokémon.

But this year is different; the host is Narusuke.

His shared property with Zorenmei was a truck.

Besides the audio system and cameras, the truck also has these three huge screens.

"Let's see the most promising Dragonite! Oh my god, it's gone the wrong way!" Narusuke's astonished voice rang out.

On the screen, a large, fast dragon was running uphill, and every time it lifted its leg, the small blanket with the middle parting would tremble.

Natsume: "."

Forget it, he should just stick to looking for the groundhogs; the more he looks, the more annoyed he gets.

(End of this chapter)