[Currently, the battle for first place is still between Ponyta and Meowscarada. In terms of endurance, Ponyta holds the advantage, but it has given up several opportunities to overtake its opponent!
Perhaps it's a strategy to conserve stamina.]
The commentator didn't know the exact situation and could only speculate based on their own understanding. For Pokémon, the length of the race is equivalent to a long-distance run, and managing stamina wisely is part of the strategy.
Only the contestants on the field truly knew what's going on.
Ponyta's Trainer had already signaled it multiple times to find a chance to overtake. After all, Nekomi isn't omnipotent.
She reacts very quickly in battles, but when it comes to long-distance running, she still falls short compared to Ponyta.
Being in the leading group is already a sign that she's stronger than the average member of her species.
And it's precisely that strength which is why Ponyta dares not overtake her.
There are no restrictions on Pokémon species in the arena—whether it's the initial form or final form, every Pokémon has its own combat power.
But there are always some Pokémon that dislike, or even fear, combat.
Ponyta is that type. It's not conserving stamina by refusing to overtake—it's afraid to.
In Ponyta's worldview, the one running ahead while pulling a wheelchair isn't a cat at all, but a fierce tiger that would tear it apart the moment it got close.
There are also many natural rivalries among Pokémon species. Grapploct will battle Golisopod when they encounter each other, and the loser is likely to be eaten.
Seviper and Zangoose have been fighting for generations—their enmity is etched into their DNA.
Tinkatuff attacks Bisharp camps to loot the high-quality metal from their bodies.
Unlike Pokémon who live in harmony with humans, wild Pokémon live in much harsher environments. When a weak Pokémon encounters a stronger one, fleeing is often an instinct.
Right now, Ponyta feels that if it dares to overtake, it will be taken out on the spot.
The fact that it can keep up from behind is already the result of rigorous training.
At the same time, in the lounge of the Varsity Team of Rowan's university, several people were also watching the live broadcast.
"Brother Han is really unlucky. Her pogo stick broke just like that."
"Could've been worse. Remember last year's competition? Her Machamp almost caused an incident after it unbuckled its belt!"
Machamp and Machoke wear a golden belt around their waist. The belt isn't just an ornament, it's their power limiter.
Once the belt is removed, they can unleash extremely powerful strength.
However, such a thing is too dangerous, and aside from a few top-tier Trainers specializing in Fighting-type, very few people would let them do this.
"Brother Han finally got the first place she missed out on, but earlier she called him a 'gilded poser' and now it has turned into a 'carry'? How did that conclusion even come about?"
"It's sprint speed is fast, sure, but that doesn't prove much, does it?"
"That Ponyta is scared. Meowscarada didn't do anything, and it still scared Ponyta. Isn't that enough?"
As the drone broadcast zoomed in, someone on the Varsity Team noticed something off about Ponyta and began to understand why Brother Han had sent back such a message.
"Maybe that Ponyta's just timid in battle. It's not like we haven't seen Pokémon like that before."
"No point in talking too much. We'll know once someone comes over to test it.
Even if he's really just here for show, there's nothing you can do about it. Just make it clear to him to not mess things up.
And if he does have real skills, then we'll need to rely on him to help boost the team's performance.
Say what you want behind his back, but be polite to his face."
The one making the final call was the Varsity Team's captain. Unlike the younger members of the team, he had been leading the Varsity Team for two years and understood well what a last-minute addition like this usually meant:
Either they had skills, or they had connections.
And with either of those, there was no reason for him to pick a fight with him.
Meanwhile, in the mid-race area, some people were busy at work.
Just like in human marathons, this was the spot for Pokémon to recover their stamina.
People wearing volunteer vests had already prepared drinks made from Berries and salt. Among those volunteers, naturally, were none other than the Team Rocket trio.
They acted very enthusiastic and looked completely normal.
"Ready?"
Meowth pushed up the glasses that were part of his disguise and asked the two next to him.
"Ready. Once the brat and Pikachu get here, I'll give him this special drink."
"They'll fall asleep after drinking it."
"Then we'll carry them to the Pokémon Center on stretchers, and take away Pikachu along the way."
Jessie and James took turns reviewing their plan, placing the specially marked drink toward the back, and continued watching the race progress on the nearby screen.
But just then, the commentator's sudden announcement interrupted their thoughts:
[Staryu just used Water Gun to try and speed up; it's a very clever idea, but unfortunately… Pokémon are not allowed to use moves during the race! A pity—the only pure Pokémon team is disqualified for violating the rules!]
Clatter...
The drink cup in Meowth's hand fell to the ground. They had planned for so many things; except for what to do if Pikachu didn't make it here.
And now, there was no time left to come up with a new plan. The leading group was already approaching. Nekomi had no interest in the drinks; she didn't even pause and just dashed past.
The few people trailing closely behind her made more or less the same decision.
It was actually the second group, arriving later, who—realizing the gap had widened and there was no more chance to compete for ranking—stayed behind and helped themselves to the buffet, experiencing Team Rocket's enthusiastic service.
With their plan disrupted, Team Rocket's instinct was to maintain their current identity and act like perfect volunteers.
Meanwhile, the leading group had reached the second leg of the race, where they could choose to abandon their means of transportation.
Ponyta's Trainer mounted Ponyta and immediately noticed something was off.
"Come on, charge, Ponyta! This is a race, there are rules in a race! If it tries anything weird, it'll be disqualified! Show some backbone!"
"?!"
Only now did Ponyta realize this wasn't the dangerous wilds, but it was a little too late.
By the time it began to accelerate, Nekomi was already nearing the finish line.
"Meow! (Relax!)"
If it had been a sprint race, Nekomi would've already won. But in terms of endurance, she was still no match for a Pokémon like Ponyta.
Seeing her opponent overcome its fear and starting to catch up, Nekomi suddenly surged forward, using the stem on Rowan's body to fling him toward the finish line.
To make it easier to travel with Rowan, Nekomi hadn't discarded the wheelchair during the second leg, but now she completely threw off this burden.
After tossing Rowan toward the finish line, Nekomi's legs burst with terrifying power as she charged toward the finish line, and just after crossing the line, she caught Rowan in a princess carry.
"Meow~ (All done~)"
[They've crossed the finish line! You can really see the strong bond between Meowscarada and its Trainer. It's Trainer completely trusts his Pokémon!
Ponyta also gave a final push at the end, but their sprint to the finish line was close; referees will need to review the result.]
"Well done. You can put me down now; there are quite a few people around."
Being held like this by your own Pokémon in front of everyone just felt a little weird.
But more than that, while waiting for the results, Rowan received even more surprising news.
Old Liu had sent him a message, saying everything on his end had already been communicated. He just needed to fill out a form and it's done.