Guardian Angels

Chapter 5 - Tour Coronation

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Chapter 5 — Tour Coronation

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Every spectator along the race route leaned in to get a better look as the waves spread across the surface of the finish line, lightly battering the sidewalks and the gondolas parked along them. "Who won!?" the MC asked dramatically, leaning on his podium near the main bridge to look closely at the finish line. "I couldn't see a thing! It was way too close!"

Buizel gradually slowed down and allowed his chariot to settle into the water. Ash frantically looked back as if to look for clues about the race's winner. He panicked when he noticed Dawn slipping from Piplup's excessive speed, prompting her chariot to crash against his. They screamed as their chariots overturned and tossed them into the water with large splashes. Buizel threw Piplup an unimpressed look, and a flushed Piplup rubbed the back of his head with a fin and muttered an apology that Buizel dismissed with an eye roll.

Ross' Wailmer slowed down while Ross expertly maintained his balance as their chariot drifted to an almost complete stop. The pair circled back to where the other two trainers fell. "You two alright?" Ross asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Ash resurfaced and shook his head to clear some water off his face. "Yeah. I'm fine." He shot Dawn a teasing smirk as she resurfaced. "You couldn't keep your balance back there, eh?"

Dawn glared at her friend. "Excuse me, who slowed down right in front of me?"

Ash whistled innocently and looked away. "Anyway! I totally won!"

"No, I did!" Dawn countered.

Ross laughed and lifted his sports sunglasses to his forehead. "Actually, I won. There's no way I lost."

Ash looked at the MC as the other racers crossed the finish line around them, with Josh and his Magikarp in fourth place. "So, how is this settled?" he wondered. "Or did we tie?"

Latios chuckled as he descended from the sky and stopped just above the canal, clapping slowly. The sharp clicks of his claws carried every clap across the canals and smothered all sounds around it, drawing everyone's attention to him. The intense light that emanated from his body dimmed. "Wonderful effort from all three of you. That was quite the finish. It's the most thrilling ending to a Tour de Alto Mare we've had in a long time."

"Very much so!" Latias agreed as she levitated to her sibling's side. "I don't think we've had such a close three-way finish in years." She looked at each of the three contestants one by one and flashed each of them a proud smile. "You three, and your Pokémon, all performed admirably, and you have my gratitude, along with that of my brother, for providing such an entertaining finale to this year's race." She paused to let her words sink in. Slowly, her mouth curled into a smirk that revealed some of her teeth. "However, it wasn't a tie. One of you won."

Ash, Dawn, and Ross looked between them repeatedly, the same thought in all three heads. The crowds chattered eagerly amongst themselves and many leaned in while awaiting the news. "It appears we do have a winner, folks!" the MC announced enthusiastically. "Great guardians, if you may..."