The next day, the first light of dawn broke.
The coastline of Dewford Town was already bustling with people.
The salty, fishy sea breeze mixed with the sweet, cloying scent of sunscreen, carrying the noisy chatter of the crowd as it blew toward them.
The sun baked the beach, and every grain of sand radiated a scorching heat.
Fujiki had changed into a blue wetsuit that matched his hair color, making him look as if he were one with the blue sea and sky.
He moved through the crowd, constantly high-fiving and greeting familiar surfers. He responded enthusiastically, his face filled with pure excitement.
Jiang Han, dressed in a sleek, all-black wetsuit, stood at the edge of the crowd, looking somewhat out of place in the fervent atmosphere.
His gaze calmly swept over the excited faces and the rows of surfboards in various colors and flamboyant designs.
There wasn't a ripple of emotion in his heart. All of this was merely a part of the mission.
"Jiang Han! Over here!"
Fujiki waved to him from not far away, his smile so bright it was dazzling.
Jiang Han walked over.
"How are you feeling? Nervous?"
Fujiki patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm alright."
Jiang Han's reply was brief and calm.
Fujiki simply took it as the reserved nature of a newcomer. Pointing to the relatively calm water nearby, he smiled and said:
"Don't worry. We have plenty of time to warm up before Miss Tal arrives. I'll teach you some basic essentials first."
Fujiki's teaching was meticulous. From how to get on the board and paddle to how to judge the crest of a wave and use its momentum to stand up, he personally demonstrated every movement. His words were full of passion, as if surfing were his entire life.
Jiang Han listened quietly. His powerful memory and analytical skills allowed him to quickly engrave all the key points into his mind.
He wasn't learning a sport; he was solving a physics problem.
"Look, a small wave is coming!" Fujiki pointed ahead. "Don't be afraid. It took me a whole week before I successfully stood up for the first time! Go give it a try!"
Jiang Han nodded, picked up his surfboard, and stepped into the cool seawater.
He lay flat on the board, paddling with both hands, his center of gravity shifting slightly with the rise and fall of the water. As the wave approached, he timed it precisely, pushed up with his arms, exerted force with his core, and planted his feet firmly on the board.
The surfboard wobbled for a moment, but he forcibly stabilized it in an instant.
Though his movements were slightly stiff, he succeeded.
The sea breeze brushed against his cheeks as the surfboard carried him smoothly toward the beach.
On the sand, Fujiki's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
"You... you..." He pointed at Jiang Han, who was walking back calmly, and stammered, "Are you sure this is your first time surfing?"
Jiang Han stuck the surfboard into the sand and replied indifferently:
"Just lucky."
"That is definitely not luck!"
Fujiki excitedly circled Jiang Han twice, as if he had discovered a rare, unpolished gem.
"Your sense of balance and timing are pure talent! I might... I might have discovered a surfing genius!"
Jiang Han's heart remained untroubled.
Genius? It was nothing more than body control honed through countless brushes with death.
However, Fujiki's reaction was exactly what he wanted.
This was the effect he was aiming for.
In the time that followed, Fujiki's passion was completely ignited.
He taught everything he knew, passing on his secret techniques and insights to Jiang Han bit by bit.
And Jiang Han's learning ability shattered his understanding of reality time and again.
From barely being able to stand at the start to smooth gliding later on, and then to being able to perform simple turns on small waves.
Jiang Han's rate of progress couldn't just be described as visible to the naked eye; it was practically like he was on a rocket.
Some of the surrounding surfers also noticed this newcomer in black and the Gym Leader beside him who was acting like a madman.
"Isn't that Fujiki? Why is he so excited today?"
"Who's that kid next to him? First time seeing him, he's learning so fast!"
Just then, a wave of cheers like a mountain landslide or a tsunami erupted from the crowd.
"It's here! Miss Tal is here!"
Everyone's gaze simultaneously shifted toward the end of the horizon.
A dark blue line of water was rapidly expanding, like a moving city wall, carrying the momentum of a thousand thunderbolts as it bore down on the coastline.
The clamor on the sea surface instantly went silent, replaced by the heart-stopping, low rumble produced by the advancing giant wave.
"Miss Tal," the annual giant wave of Dewford Town, had finally arrived.
Jiang Han and Fujiki shared a look.
In Fujiki's eyes was a burning fighting spirit, the desire of a strong individual.
In Jiang Han's eyes, however, there was only calm.
He looked at that wall of water, his mind quickly calculating its height and speed.
"Go!" Fujiki barked, taking the lead as he charged into the sea with his surfboard.
Jiang Han followed closely behind.
The two of them, along with dozens of other top surfers, paddled toward the deep water to meet the grand challenge.
The giant wave drew closer and closer, its surging pressure making the very air feel thick.
"BOOM—!"
"Miss Tal" finally arrived, its violent power instantly turning the sea surface upside down.
"Ah!"
Screams rose one after another.
In just the first wave of impact, more than half of the challengers were ruthlessly slammed into the water by the giant wave, the sound of surfboards snapping clearly audible.
Waves tumbled and foam sprayed.
Relying on his superb skills, Fujiki moved nimbly across the wave wall, his posture as agile as a leopard of the sea.
Jiang Han followed right behind him, relying entirely on his powerful body control and reaction speed to withstand the pressure.
He gritted his teeth, staying fixed to his surfboard like a nail driven into wood.
Soon, only a dozen or so people remained on the wave wall.
As the giant wave continued to push forward, its form became increasingly violent.
Another crest hit, and several experienced veterans could no longer hold on, getting swept into the white foam.
Even Fujiki ran into trouble.
A strange vortex suddenly formed in front of him. He tried to turn and avoid it, but it was too late.
The power of the giant wave flipped him and his board over, throwing him into the churning seawater.
Now, only Jiang Han was left!
On the beach, Teng Zhai and Sandile's hearts were in their throats.
Teng Zhai clenched her small fists tightly, and Sandile was so anxious it let out a series of 'clack clack' Growls.
"Go for it! Big Brother!"
"Sandile! Sandile!"
Fujiki poked his head out of the water, wiped the seawater from his face, and shouted toward the black figure on the crest of the wave: "Steady! Jiang Han! You can do it!"
But Jiang Han's situation was already precarious.
He felt his physical strength draining rapidly, his legs feeling as heavy as lead.
The giant wave behind him was like a monster with its bloody maw wide open. The highest point of the wave wall had already begun to curl inward, about to form a closed tunnel of water that would completely swallow him.
Damn it! Was it still too much?
He could feel his body reaching its limit. Just a little faster! If he could just be a little faster, he could break out of this enclosure!
Just as Jiang Han was about to be swallowed by the giant wave.
"Click!"
A faint but clear mechanical sound came from inside the black surfboard beneath his feet.
Immediately after, from both sides of the surfboard's tail, two palm-sized miniature propellers actually popped out! The propellers spun rapidly, and a powerful thrust slammed into the surfboard!
His speed skyrocketed instantly!
Jiang Han felt a massive force come from under his feet, and he was nearly thrown off. Startled, he quickly realized what was happening.
Good grief! No wonder that old man sold this thing for so much; it turns out it's Team Rockets' special black technology!
This sudden acceleration allowed him to instantly escape the fate of being swallowed, but a new problem arose—the force was too strong, and he was about to lose control of his direction!
He immediately crouched down to lower his center of gravity while reaching out to grope along the edge of the surfboard.
"The switch... where's the switch!"
His fingers slid rapidly across the smooth surface of the board until finally, in an inconspicuous groove, he felt a protrusion.
Found it!
He pressed down hard.
The power to the propellers cut out abruptly, and the surfboard returned to its original state.
And Jiang Han, using the last of the momentum, whistled out from the closing giant wave tunnel like a black arrow released from a bow!
When that black figure reappeared in the sunlight, the entire beach erupted!
People cheered and jumped for joy, offering their most enthusiastic applause for this unbelievable miracle.
In everyone's eyes, this unknown newcomer, through skill and courage unattainable by ordinary mortals, had single-handedly conquered this year's "Miss Tal"!
Jiang Han glided smoothly into the shallow water and jumped off the surfboard. He looked back at the gradually subsiding giant wave behind him, then looked down at the plain-looking black surfboard beneath his feet.
It worked...
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