"Thanks." Terrance took the water bottle.
Traveling from Sootopolis Plaza to the Outer Sea actually required a long walk. Fortunately, this festival was purely for entertainment and not an official competition; otherwise, many people would probably find it unbearable to endure a festival that lasted half a month.
The rules for the Flying-Type entertainment event, the "Flying Obstacle Challenge," were as follows: In the skies above the Outer Sea, a circular area would serve as the arena. Flying-Type Pokémon would start from the starting point and race toward the center to compete for the victory item placed there.
During the flight, Pokémon were not allowed to use moves to attack others. However, moves could be used for dodging or movement purposes, and physical contact with an obstructive nature within the designated area was permitted.
From this perspective, larger Flying-Type Pokémon had an advantage, as they generally possessed greater flying speed and stronger physique.
However, there was another important factor: throughout the event, countless mini flying devices manufactured by LaRousse City would continuously fire beams at the competitors. If a Pokémon was hit by a beam, it would be marked and thereby eliminated.
From this point of view, smaller Pokémon actually had the upper hand, as they were more agile and less likely to be hit by the flying devices.
"Dodging and Flying" was the core of this entertainment event.
Without being able to attack, how could a Pokémon stand out among thousands of competitors and successfully seize the victory item at the center? This undoubtedly tested a Pokémon's intelligence, reflexes, situational awareness, and, most importantly, their luck.
"If I'm not mistaken, there will definitely be a large number of flying devices… How to use other Pokémon to shield oneself from the beams will be the key to this entertainment event." Terrance said, squinting his eyes as he walked toward the destination with the water bottle in hand.
Sharan followed beside Terrance. Watching the expression on Terrance's face, she suddenly shivered. Why did she have the feeling… that someone was about to get set up?
"Brother Terrance?" Suddenly, Terrance heard a familiar voice. He paused slightly and saw Chisana, along with an unfamiliar girl, not far ahead.
"Chisana, you're here too," Terrance said, unsurprised.
"Yeah, Brother Terrance, are you starting from this direction too?" Chisana asked, referring to the starting point of the first event.
"That's right. Let's do our best together," Terrance said with a smile, giving both Chisana and the girl beside him an encouraging look.
"Mr. Terrance…" Kikka, upon seeing Terrance, also became slightly excited, but it was tinged with nervousness.
"You're Chisana's friend, right? No need to be so formal…" Terrance said.
The two young Coordinators couldn't help but feel a little nervous after finding out they would be starting from the same point as Terrance. Given the format of this event, chaos was inevitable, and a single misstep could easily cost them their qualification.
At the same time, Trainers were not allowed to battle alongside their Pokémon; how well a Pokémon performed depended entirely on the Trainers' initial instructions, which would depend on their predictions about how the event would unfold.
The directions the Trainers gave to their Pokémon—and the Pokémon's own performance on the spot—would almost entirely determine the outcome of the event.
Terrance and the two kids didn't discuss anything about the upcoming event. All three of them understood very well: although they differed in experience, right now, they were competitors.
"Want Wallace's autograph?" Hearing Kikka's question, Terrance chuckled and said something very similar to what Mr. Fuego had told him: "Then you'd better put on a good performance in this event. If your Pokémon can make it all the way to the final battle at the center, Wallace will probably notice you..."
As he spoke, Terrance even let them in on an insider tip: "After all, Wallace isn't participating in the first event."
...
The Flying-Type event had already been clearly explained in the advertising pamphlet; all participants were well aware of the rules.
The circular area was enormous, covering nearly half of the Sootopolis Outer Sea. In the sea below, countless Water-Type Pokémon formed a rescue team that was already on standby, while in the sky above, a dense swarm of flying devices made many participants gulp nervously.
"This really is... an event they've invested heavily in," Terrance muttered, glancing up at the mass of flying devices overhead.
The starting point where Terrance had arrived gathered nearly a hundred people, all lined up along the same passage, preparing to advance toward the center.
Chisana and Kikka, rather unluckily, had been assigned to the same starting point as Terrance. In fact, Terrance had already calculated the distance from here to the center—it was very far. With such a long distance and so many Pokémon participating, the organizers would definitely increase the attack frequency of the flying devices to prevent the final battle at the center from becoming too chaotic. In other words, they would try to eliminate as many participants as possible.
Although the competition had yet to begin, Terrance could already foresee that this would be the most brutal elimination round he had ever experienced.
Dozens of starting points were scattered all around the circular area…
The region Terrance was in should be considered the "Southern Zone."
Stretching lazily, Terrance revealed an eager, itching-for-action expression, even though there was still some time before the event officially started.
Meanwhile… many people had already begun sneaking glances at Terrance, watching him with either nervousness or anxiety.
"Uh..."
Am I really that scary?
Terrance, feeling a little helpless, took out a Poké Ball. Although this was just one starting point, there were still a lot of staff members present. These staff weren't like the kind who were hastily thrown into the job without preparation — they had undergone long-term training. Their sense of duty was one thing, but their personal skills were also outstanding. When it came to helping or guiding participants, they had very effective methods.
...
Among the nearly one hundred people present, there were both Trainers and Coordinators. Each stood behind their own Pokémon, cheering and encouraging them.
After a long wait, the event was finally about to begin. Beautifly hovered next to Terrance, both of them having already worked out their strategy, ready to face this thousand-man battle.
"I'll leave the first one to you," Terrance said, full of confidence as he looked at Beautifly.
It had never once let him down.
"Beauti~fly~" Beautifly fluttered gently, the small sticker on its body identifying it as Terrance's Pokémon. Next, Terrance and Beautifly turned their gaze toward the skies over the sea — the battlefield they were about to conquer.
"All participants, to your positions... ready..."
A loud voice rang out through the speakers. A referee, wearing a headset and holding a starting pistol, pointed it toward the sky.
Bang!
The pistol fired.
At that moment, at the starting points, along the starting lines...
Countless Pokémon rose with the wind, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle—as if witnessing a divine miracle.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~~~~
From all directions, thousands of Flying-Type Pokémon took flight at the same time. The boundary of the entire circular area seemed to be swept over by a raging gale.
The entire Sootopolis Outer Sea grew restless from these Pokémon taking flight.
Spectators, tourists, and participants watching the situation over the Sootopolis Outer Sea through giant screens and televisions all held their breath—they were witnessing a terrifying scene unfold.
Among the swarms of Pokémon taking off, just as they entered the attack range of the flying devices...
In just one second, countless beams of light rained down!!
In one second, nearly a thousand Pokémon were shot down!
Disqualified — just like that!
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