Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, July arrived.
Under the blazing sunlight, the Cross Cup kicked off in fiery fashion!
At the Solaris City stadium, the venue was already packed with trainers who had been drawn by the tournament's reputation.
Just as most Fire-type Pokémon are extremely passionate, trainers who specialize in this type are no exception.
"What an atmosphere... just as expected of Champion Leo. This Cross Cup is even more crowded than some League tournaments."
Ethan held the competitor's handbook in his hand, carefully reviewing the rules of the Cross Cup and making preparations before it began.
This edition of the Cross Cup was divided into two phases: the preliminary rounds and the main stage.
During the preliminaries, the vast majority of trainers with insufficient strength would be eliminated.
In the end, only 64 trainers would advance to the main stage, which meant that the elimination rate in the preliminaries was extremely high.
"Do the preliminaries use a trial-based system?"
"That makes sense. Fire-type Pokémon are mostly focused on direct attacks. By evaluating the power of their moves, weaker trainers can be filtered out to a certain extent."
Ethan looked over the preliminary rules and nodded slightly, thinking things through and also considering the best member to participate.
"Ethan?"
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
Ethan looked in that direction and discovered that the person approaching was his former classmate, Patrick Mills.
As a trainer specializing in Fire-type Pokémon, Patrick's presence there was only natural.
"So it really was you! What are you doing here?"
"Don't tell me you're also here to participate in this Cross Cup?"
After confirming it was Ethan, Patrick was very surprised.
After all, he didn't remember Ethan having that many Fire-type Pokémon.
"Ah, I'm doing the Solaris City Gym evaluation. And I just happened to see that the Cross Cup was being held, so I decided to take part."
Ethan smiled slightly and said it quite casually.
"The Solaris City Gym evaluation..."
Patrick's gaze flickered.
Of course, he knew about the Pokémon World Championship.
Unfortunately, his age had already exceeded the limit, so he could only sigh inwardly and think that Ethan was truly a lucky guy.
"Attention, Cross Cup participants!"
"The preliminary rounds are about to begin! Please proceed to your respective evaluation areas according to your participation number..."
At that moment, the announcer's voice spread throughout the venue, causing the crowd to begin moving toward their respective evaluation zones.
"Evaluation Area Number 7..."
Ethan looked at his participant badge and scanned the surroundings.
"Ethan, you're also number 7?"
Patrick, standing beside him, also saw the number on Ethan's badge and asked in surprise.
They then compared their badges, and upon seeing that they matched, the two walked together toward the evaluation area.
Before long, the Cross Cup preliminaries officially began!
When all the participants in Ethan's area had gathered, the examiner began calling out the competitors.
Starting with number 701, a girl dressed in light clothing stepped onto the stage. As she opened her Poké Ball, an Arcanine appeared on the field.
"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz!"
At the girl's command, Arcanine stomped heavily on the ground, its body becoming enveloped in flames as it shot forward at high speed.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the score on the testing device began to jump wildly, finally stopping at 198 points.
"What a high score!"
A wave of exclamations immediately erupted from the crowd.
According to records from previous editions of the Cross Cup, 198 points was already an extremely high score—something that generally only Advanced-level trainers could achieve.
"It's definitely very high, but if this level is enough to enter the main stage, then there's nothing to worry about."
Ethan pondered for a moment. Although that attack was indeed powerful, it posed no problem for him.
After the girl with Arcanine, trainers went up to the stage one after another to take the test. The pace was very fast, but the highest score remained at 198.
"Number 732, competitor Patrick."
At that moment, the examiner suddenly announced.
"Finally, it's my turn."
Patrick, standing among the crowd, clenched his fists and shot a furtive glance at Ethan.
Back in university, he had been completely overshadowed by Ethan. Now, in this internal confrontation of Fire-type Pokémon—his specialty—he had to reclaim his pride.
"Winning by a narrow margin isn't enough! This time, I'm going to win with an overwhelming advantage!"
Patrick took a deep breath. As he opened his Poké Ball, an Arcanine appeared on the field.
This Arcanine's fur was exceptionally glossy, and its size was clearly larger than that of the girl's Arcanine earlier, causing everyone present to look on in amazement.
"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz!"
Patrick's gaze hardened as he gave the same command.
At that moment, the girl who also had an Arcanine clenched her fists tightly. The same Pokémon and the same move were the best way to showcase the difference between them.
The next second, Patrick's Arcanine was seen lowering its body slightly. From its paws, scorching heat began to surge forth, and in an instant, flames engulfed its entire body.
However, despite being covered in fire, Arcanine did not move at all, allowing the flames to burn more and more fiercely. As time passed, the fire grew increasingly violent, eventually transforming into a massive fireball.
"What is this?"
"Why are that Arcanine's flames getting stronger?!"
"Shouldn't the recoil of Flare Blitz damage the user itself?"
"Why can this Arcanine use Flare Blitz to increase its own strength?!"
Seeing this scene, the crowd erupted into exclamations. Only a few people guessed what was happening and narrowed their eyes.
"The ability Flash Fire..."
Ethan watched the scene with great interest.
Ever since the days of competing for a spot on the university team, he had always been fascinated by the way Patrick's Arcanine used its own flames to activate the Flash Fire ability. Even now, he still found it impressive.
Next, the Arcanine, having pushed the power of its flames to the limit, lunged forward. With a single step, it vanished instantly from its original position.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, Arcanine's body suddenly appeared in front of the testing device and slammed into it head-on.
Instantly, the device's score began to rise frantically, increasing by the hundreds. When the third digit briefly stopped at 4, the speed gradually slowed, finally coming to a halt at 431 points.
"Damn, this is insane!"
"431 points! In previous editions, this score would have been enough to enter the top 8—even the top 4!"
Seeing the number on the testing device, the spectators were completely stunned.
Although the Cross Cup is a grand celebration for Fire-type trainers across the League, there is an unwritten rule: veterans of the old generation and those trainers who already enjoy great fame in the Fire-type Pokémon scene usually do not participate.
As such, Patrick's strength among the participants was undoubtedly among the very best, and he even had the capability to contend for the championship title.
(End of chapter)