Pokémon: Helping Pokémon Pays Off

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The distance from the outskirts of Hau'oli City to the city center was about ten kilometers—not too far, considering Melemele Island wasn't that large to begin with.

After walking up from the seaside road, they passed by an Exeggutor-shaped bus stop.

On the other side was a small village-like residential area, surrounded by vibrant flowers with a few ordinary-looking Meowth playfully chasing each other around.

However, Cyclizar seemed to have never seen anything like this before. Excited, it darted toward the bus stop, hugged the signpost, and started gnawing on it, scaring off a resting Pikipek perched above.

"???"

Hoshino was stunned for a moment, then quickly rushed over, pulling hard to get it off.

"Hey, you can't eat that!"

"Cy-Cyclizar~"

"Listen to me, stop messing around…"

Hoshino rubbed his forehead and shook his head, almost forgetting that Cyclizar was suffering from amnesia. This wasn't much of a problem in the wild since a Pokémon's instincts could help it adapt quickly.

But once in the city, if it kept running off to bite anything that piqued its curiosity, it could cause a lot of trouble. Clearly, some proper training was needed.

It was now early afternoon. The blazing sun scorched the earth, its heat relentless.

Man and lizard continued down the road, sweat trickling down their skin, leaving faint marks on the ground that quickly evaporated.

Hoshino felt like he was being roasted alive, but there was no shade on either side of the road. The decorative palm trees were useless for cover.

With more than half the distance to Hau'oli City still ahead, he decided to rest in a distant grove. Alola's heat was just too much.

But just then, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from behind. Hoshino and Cyclizar instinctively turned to look.

A cloud of dust rose in the distance, with a Tauros charging toward them at full speed.

As it got closer, Hoshino noticed that the Tauros was equipped with a blue-gray riding seat, almost like it was wearing clothes.

A boy in a blue-and-white striped T-shirt sat atop it, his black baseball cap worn backward. He seemed to be in a hurry.

Hoshino didn't pay much attention to the boy, his gaze fixed on the Tauros—especially its riding gear.

"Tauros Charge?!" 

He was a bit surprised. It was his first time seeing one up close. But the Tauros sped past in an instant, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

"Cough, cough…"

Hoshino coughed with his eyes closed, waving away the dust, growing slightly annoyed.

"Running that fast—aren't you afraid of hitting someone?!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Cyclizar was now on all fours, its eyes locked on the distant Tauros, radiating a fierce fighting spirit!

Cyclizar crouched into a starting position, then turned its head to signal Hoshino to hop on—its expression practically screaming, "Boss, your ride is ready!"

"Cy-Cyclizar!"

"Oh, you're saying everything's good to go, huh?!"

A grin crept onto Hoshino's face. He'd nearly forgotten that Cyclizar was a ride Pokémon—and he even had the [Riding EX] talent.

The heat must've fried his brain. If he'd thought of this earlier, they'd already be in Hau'oli City instead of walking under the scorching sun.

"Alright! Let's catch up to them!"

"Cyclizar!"

Hoshino leaped onto Cyclizar's back. He could tell this was a rivalry between Pokémon—Cyclizar wanted to outpace Tauros in its own domain since the Tauros had shown off by running fast while carrying someone.

However, without proper riding gear, Hoshino had to cling to Cyclizar's neck to avoid being thrown off at high speeds.

"I remember people in Paldea usually install handlebars and footrests on Cyclizar for easier riding… I should get those someday."

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden gust of wind nearly flung him off. Cyclizar had launched into a sprint, rapidly accelerating with no signs of slowing down!

Although it had tire-like structures on its body, it still ran using its limbs—only Miraidon could roll on wheels.

"Too… fast… Slow… slow down… I can't hold on…!"

Hoshino screamed incoherently. Cyclizar had already exceeded 100 km/h, and with zero safety measures in place, his hairline seemed to recede under the force.

Up ahead, the boy on Tauros and the Tauros itself sensed something approaching from behind.

Just as they turned to look, a shadow shot past them with a whoosh, accompanied by someone's frantic screaming.

"What the—so fast! What was that?!"

Both the boy and the Tauros were momentarily stunned. Then, with a spark of competitive spirit, the boy shouted, "Interesting! But we're not losing to that—let's catch up!"

"Moo!"

As Tauros began to accelerate, the gap between the two racers started to close. The dusty road was now marked by two streaks of speeding Pokémon, kicking up sand and leaving dramatic trails—a beautiful sight of fierce competition.

The boy suddenly called out, "Alola! Haven't seen you around here before. Did you just move here? I'm Ash Ketchum, I study at the Pokémon School in Hau'oli City. You are…?"

"I'm… I'm about to die…"

Hoshino could barely form words, his only focus was clinging desperately to Cyclizar for dear life.

Ash was about to ask more when a sharp curve appeared up ahead! Once they passed it, they'd be entering Hau'oli City's urban area.

Any trainer familiar with Pokémon riding races knew one thing: only speed through curves counts as real speed! After all, who can't go fast on a straight path?

"No one knows this road better than I do. Once he slows down for the turn, we'll cut through the drainage channel and overtake him in one go!"

Ash wore a confident grin—but the next moment, his face froze. That strange Pokémon up ahead showed no sign of slowing down!

"The road's this narrow—how are you not slowing down?! Aren't you afraid of flying straight into the ocean?!"

But Hoshino wasn't worried. Thanks to his [Riding EX] talent, he had started to adapt to the situation.

Though the lack of proper riding gear limited his performance, Cyclizar didn't need his input—it was practically on autopilot, running at full throttle!

As they hit the curve, Cyclizar maintained a blistering speed of 120 km/h, taking the turn as if it were a straight line—smooth, sharp, and without the slightest hesitation.

Hoshino barely felt the turn himself. The only side effect? It felt like his body was racing ahead, but his soul was lagging behind—on the verge of losing consciousness entirely.

Watching the distance between them widen, Ash's face twisted in disbelief. "Don't tell me… he's a professional Pokémon rider?!"

Even so, neither he nor Tauros was ready to admit defeat. After clearing the curve, they pushed themselves to the limit, closing in fast. Hau'oli City's towering skyline came into view—the finish line was just ahead!

Cyclizar and Tauros, each carrying their trainers, dashed at full speed.

As they neared the city center, the road grew busier with more ride Pokémon and vehicles. But none could stand in their way—everyone frantically scrambled aside.

With all eyes on them, just as the finish was within reach, fate took an unexpected turn.

Officer Jenny, munching on a donut during her patrol, spotted the two speeding figures barreling down the road.

Stepping forward with her Gumshoos, she raised a red warning sign and shouted, "You two! Don't you know the city speed limit is 50 km/h? STOP RIGHT NOW!"

"HUH?!"

That thunderous command snapped Hoshino back to reality—his soul finally catching up to his body.

Seeing Officer Jenny, his mind went blank for a split second before panic set in.

"How do I brake? WHICH ONE'S THE BRAKE?!"

Behind him, Ash quickly pulled the reins, slowing Tauros to a stop.

But Cyclizar didn't have a riding kit with brakes—it responded to voice commands only. By the time Hoshino realized this, it was already too late.

Cyclizar charged ahead at full speed, completely ignoring Officer Jenny's warning. With its amnesiac mind, it had no idea what was going on.

It plowed straight through Officer Jenny and her Gumshoos without slowing down.

Hoshino could only think of two simple words as he heard their anguished screams fade into the distance:

"I'm screwed."

Cyclizar continued racing toward the city, leaving Officer Jenny twitching on the ground.

Ash and Tauros stood frozen in place, their jaws dropped in disbelief. Around them, the gathered crowd shared the same stunned expression.

"Speeding… assaulting an officer… and hit-and-run… What kind of sentence does that get again?"