"Meow~"
"What did you say?"
"Meow..."
Hmm. Rowan didn't understand a single word. Usually, he could accurately grasp what Nekomi was trying to express, like he had a built-in Pokémon language translator specifically for her in his brain.
But now, all Rowan was getting was gibberish.
Even if that translation ability had failed, he shouldn't be unable to understand anything.
Which meant there was only one answer: what Nekomi was saying right now was gibberish.
Even if Rowan was replaced with a fellow Meowscarada, it still wouldn't be able to understand what she was saying.
Taking advantage of the inherent difference in language, Nekomi pulled a classic act of playing dumb, sidestepping Rowan's earlier question entirely.
And that also indicated that the root of the issue wasn't really about "secretly taking a photo."
Nowadays, taking a photo and posting it in a group chat was pretty common; sometimes, certain pictures would inexplicably go viral.
This behavior isn't inherently good, but as long as you're not shoving the camera in someone's face and it doesn't cause any consequences, no one really cares.
After all, if it doesn't go viral, no one will even notice.
As for how Nekomi sensed something was off—chalk it up to battle instincts or something like that.
"Forget it. You didn't do anything weird, right?"
"Meow! (Nope!)"
She had merely defended her own sovereignty—how could that be called something weird? It was a perfectly reasonable action.
So Nekomi responded with confidence. And since the person in question was still lining up not far from them, Rowan didn't think too much of it and handed Nekomi a slip of paper.
It was something he drew earlier when he got his number tag; it showed the mode of transportation to be used in the upcoming competition.
"Let's take a look. I haven't opened it yet, so I don't know what kind of transport it'll be."
"Meow. (Wheelchair.)"
Nekomi didn't bother with suspense—she opened the slip right away. It wasn't the small gear she had really wanted, like roller skates, but it was still acceptable overall.
Someone nearby had drawn a pogo stick—something without wheels—and was trying to figure out how to get their Pokémon to use such an item.
"A wheelchair, huh... I'll be counting on you. Pushing this thing while running probably won't be very comfortable."
"Meow, meow~ (No, it's you who have to tough it out—sitting on this thing definitely won't be comfortable.)"
Nekomi scratched her chin, looking like she had some special ideas.
Before Nekomi could explain her strategy, a familiar voice called out nearby.
"Mr. Rowan! Are you here to compete too?"
"Pika Pika!"
Team Rocket knew Ash well after chasing him for so long, and they hadn't guessed wrong—he had indeed shown up at the competition.
But seeing Pikachu arrive here alongside Ash left Rowan a bit confused.
"You... plan to have Pikachu compete with you?"
"Nope! I borrowed Brock's Onix. But Pikachu is indeed competing; it's teamed up with Misty's Staryu."
Ash understood clearly that having Pikachu pull him while running wasn't realistic, so Pikachu wasn't the participating Pokémon—instead, it was participating as "human".
"..."
The competition rules didn't actually prohibit two Pokémon from competing together, and Ash, participating just for fun as a civilian, faced looser restrictions anyway.
Still, Rowan remembered that Pikachu did have prior experience in competitions—back then, it had even ridden on Squirtle in a race, though the result had been pretty average.
"What did you draw?"
"A bicycle. Pikachu got a kick scooter."
How Onix would manage to operate a bicycle, or how Pikachu and Staryu would work together to operate a kick scooter, Rowan had no idea—and there wasn't time to dwell on it.
The referee in charge of the competition was already calling on all contestants to head to the starting line.
"Meow... Meow. (Make sure you sit tight—trust me and don't let go.)"
"I trust you. But tell me first—what exactly are you planning to do?"
"Meow."
"I see... Got it. Go ahead and run at full speed—I'm not falling off."
Nekomi didn't stand behind the wheelchair. Instead, she turned it around so that Rowan was facing backward.
And besides the safety belt on the wheelchair, Nekomi even added an extra layer of security using her stem to double-secure Rowan. The other Pokémon, too, were getting ready based on whatever mode of transportation their Trainers had drawn.
For example, there was the "Brother Han," who drew the pogo stick. Her online username was "What Did Mother Machamp Do Wrong?", and her Pokémon really was a Machamp.
That pogo stick looked to be of pretty decent quality, and right now, Machamp was using its lower pair of arms to control the pogo stick, while its upper arms held its Trainer firmly in place.
"I'll repeat this once more! All contestants must move along the designated course! The drawn mode of transportation must remain in contact with the ground! Contestants, remind your Pokémon to get ready—the race is about to begin!"
As the preparation signal went out, Nekomi exerted strength to lift the wheelchair.
She then positioned it sideways on the road, changing it from a four-wheeled ground stance to one where only a single main wheel touched the ground—this reduced friction and made it easier for her to accelerate.
Bang!
The starting pistol fired, and all contestants burst out from the starting line in quick succession. The nearby screens also switched to a live aerial view of the race.
[This year's race is just as intense as previous ones! Right at the start, the contestants are already pulling ahead of each other! Leading the race is a Ponyta pulling a unicycle, and... um...
A Meowscarada pulling a wheelchair! This is a Pokémon from the Paldea region—its first appearance on this competition's stage!]
The commentator seemed unprepared and didn't recognize Nekomi's species right away, but that minor slip didn't cause any criticism among the audience.
These days, broadcast slip-ups are pretty common—honestly, getting someone's name right is already an achievement.
[Machamp is also demonstrating the power of a Fighting-type Pokémon, pushing the pogo stick's potential to the limit and following closely behind!—Oh no! Too much power—the pogo stick snapped! Unfortunately, the first contestant to get eliminated has appeared!]
Machamp had tremendous strength. With four arms, it excelled at all kinds of fighting techniques—but only those.
That's because having more arms didn't make a Machamp's hands any more dexterous; on the contrary, it was quite clumsy. With all that brute force, it often messed up delicate tasks.
Staring at the pogo stick it had accidentally broken, Machamp looked embarrassed. Its Trainer didn't blame it—instead, she was comforting her Machamp.
At that moment, the one sweating the most wasn't any of the contestants—but the sponsor of the sports equipment.
People tend to follow the crowd. They wouldn't care how the pogo stick broke—only that it did.
At this point, if a couple of troublemakers start stirring things up online, it'll be a huge mess. The people watching the livestream were already notifying the PR team to prepare for damage control.
[Meowscarada just did a drift while pulling the wheelchair! The leading group has already opened up a gap with the others—though it remains to be seen how long their stamina will last!
Now let's turn our view to the contestants in the rear...
Currently lagging behind is the bicycle being pulled by Onix! Perhaps due to Machamp's mishap, Onix seems hesitant to go all out!
Running alongside Onix is the Pikachu–Staryu pair. Their body structures appear to make using a kick scooter quite difficult—but let's hope they can still achieve a good result!]