Pokémon Association Assessment
At four in the morning on February 3rd, a car slowly made its way to the quiet town of Whitby. The headlights illuminated the road, and the streetlights flickered faintly on either side.
"Here we are." Bruce parked the car in the public lot and woke Liam and Luka.
The three of them got out in turns, each taking the time to rest so they wouldn't drag their tired bodies into the small town of Whitby.
As they slowly woke up, they rubbed their sleepy eyes and looked out through the car window at the dim streetlights, the row of houses, and the dense darkness that lay beyond, which was completely invisible.
"It's February now, and the sunlight in Kīlauea is very limited. I suggest we find a place to sleep first, and then apply to enter the volcanic eruption area after dawn," Bruce proposed.
"Sounds good. Dawn is around eight in the morning, so we can't rest for four hours," he added.
"I have no objections," Luka shrugged and slowly opened the car door.
"Okay," Liam nodded in agreement.
The three of them stepped out of the car.
There were no pedestrians on the road, only the cold wind sweeping past with fine splinters and particles of snow swirling around, marking this as a realm of ice and snow.
Given the special circumstances at this time, the three quickly found a hotel.
"Oh, Zhenari?" The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the three of them, showing an interesting expression.
"People from Avalon," Bruce replied casually.
While operating the computer to check them in, the staff mumbled, "Trainers from Avalon rarely come here, especially during this special time."
"After all, the distance is quite far," Liam added.
The staff member smiled and looked the three of them up and down, asking, "Is this your first time here?"
Before the three could respond, the corner of the staff member's mouth lifted slightly as they said, "Don't be nervous; since no one has been talking to me at night, I can give you some precautions for free."
The three exchanged glances upon hearing this and then nodded slightly.
Seeing this, the staff chuckled softly, looked at the three, and said leisurely, "In the past two days, many trainers have traveled to Whitby every day, requesting to enter the Rake Volcano eruption area."
"You're lucky. A batch of trainers just left last night, so there are enough rooms available now."
They paused before continuing, "If you want to enter the volcanic eruption area, you first need to pass the Pokémon Association's inspection."
"There's the Pokémon Association building over there; you can go there when dawn breaks." The staff pointed down the road to the left.
"What does the Pokémon Association's inspection involve?" Bruce asked.
The staff showed a slight smile and replied, "Since the eruption area of the volcano is only a hundred miles away, the number of lava piles is very limited, and the environment on the island is relatively fragile, it's impossible to accommodate too many trainers at the same time."
Bruce and the others nodded, understanding.
"However, with so many trainers coming to Kīlauea during this period, the Pokémon Association has to impose strict restrictions on this."
"Firstly, the trainer must have a clean record with no criminal history."
"Secondly, the minimum requirement is that the trainer must be a professional trainer with a certification recognized by the Pokémon Alliance, which is common across all countries."
"Thirdly, a battle assessment with Fire-type Pokémon must be conducted."
"Must they use Fire-type Pokémon?" Bruce was perplexed.
The staff nodded slightly and explained carefully, "Yes, it must be a Fire-type Pokémon."
"Because you are all here for your Fire-type Pokémon, hoping to make progress on the island."
"And the area you're about to enter is filled with volcanic ash, with lava scattered in all directions, and the violent energy contained within the lava pile must be able to withstand a professional-level Fire-type Pokémon."
"Therefore, the strength of the Fire-type Pokémon cannot be too low."
Bruce suddenly nodded, understanding the staff's meaning.
In short, the Pokémon Association does not want a special situation where a trainer is at the professional level but has a weak Fire-type Pokémon, which would be a burden. Once inside, they would not be able to share the energy of the lava pile and would simply be taking up space.
"As long as you meet the three conditions above, you can successfully enter the eruption area of the volcano," the staff concluded.
"Thank you." Bruce nodded slightly and gave the staff a small tip at the same time.
The staff suddenly broke into a bright smile, saying loudly, "Gentlemen, I wish you a pleasant night."
The words were sincere, and the expressions serious.
Soon, the three of them entered their respective rooms to rest and await dawn.
On February 3rd, at eight in the morning, it was just at dawn. The three had finished washing up and exited the hotel.
Compared to the early hours of the morning, the streets were undoubtedly much livelier now, with cars passing slowly and trainers walking along the streets.
These trainers were men and women of various backgrounds, and Bruce could hear languages from several countries in his ears.
The three quickly finished their breakfast and then went directly to the Pokémon Association building.
After a while, the building of the Pokémon Association, filled with island characteristics, came into view. The three entered the hallway, only to find dozens of trainers as far as the eye could see.
"These people are really quick." Seeing the scene before him, Luka complained aloud.
"Well, we have to wait for the inspection anyway," Bruce replied.
"Let's register first." Liam pointed to the counter not far away and then said.
The three walked towards the counter, took out their trainer IDs, and went through the registration and information verification process.
After completing all of this, the staff looked up and asked, "Please fill in the strength level of your Fire-type Pokémon honestly; we will match you with opponents of similar levels for the battle assessment."
"The standard for passing the battle assessment has nothing to do with winning or losing. The referee will judge whether you can pass based on your performance in the battle."
The three nodded slightly and filled in the strength level of their respective Fire-type Pokémon.
When the staff saw the words "gym level" next to Blaziken, their eyes lit up slightly, and they looked at Bruce.
They paused and then continued, "Please go to battlefield No. 1 and wait there."
After that, the three followed the guidance signs and arrived at battlefield No. 1.
This was an outdoor battlefield, and there were many trainers sitting in the stands on both sides, all watching the battlefield with great interest.
There was a professional-level match taking place.
The three found a place to sit and silently watched the game. Because it was the simplest form of 1V1 battle, each match ended very quickly, one after another, and soon it was Luka's turn to play.
His opponent was tall and muscular, with Nordic-like skin and features. He sent out a professional-level Rapidash.
Luka sent out Infernape, defeating Rapidash in a straightforward and brute manner, prompting cheers from the trainers on either side of the arena.
Up until now, no one had identified the three of them.
In fact, this was quite normal. Although the International Youth Exchange Competition had some influence, it was far inferior to the more significant international competitions like the World Championship, which primarily focused on youth.
Additionally, there was the "foreigner effect."
The so-called foreigner effect refers to the inability to accurately identify the differences in appearance among individuals of different races within a short period of time.
In simpler terms, it means that the faces of foreigners cannot be easily distinguished.
Initially, even Mikazuki confirmed Bruce's identity with the help of Gardevoir's different coloring, let alone these foreigners of various races.
Luka returned to the side of the two, and Liam stood up, walking toward the battlefield under the announcement of the radio.
His opponent was a Black trainer who sent out a Pokémon Bruce had never seen before—Salazzle.
Salazzle was tall and slender, with a fuchsia lace pattern on its belly and a pair of soft, flowing fins at its waist.
Salazzle is solely female and does not have a corresponding male Pokémon to pair with.
【 Pokémon: Salazzle (Poison/Fire)
Ability: Corrosion
Qualification: Gym
Level: Lv 46 (Ace) 】
Bruce was a bit surprised, realizing that the rival before him must be quite famous.
Her name was Claire, a native of Kīlauea, and she was one of the talented young trainers in recent years, having graduated from university.
After the referee's judgment, both passed the battle review successfully.
The two did not communicate with each other and waited silently for the referee to speak.
A moment later, although it was February and the temperature was low, this blonde woman was not dressed heavily, revealing her fair skin and long, slender legs.
Liam listened attentively to the heated discussions among the trainers beside him and soon gathered information about the blonde woman.
In the battlefield, her main Pokémon was a gym-level Fire-type Pokémon. It was expected that she would become a gym-level trainer before turning thirty.
Standing at the command seat was a tall blonde woman who walked slowly in front of him.
"Let's hope she's a qualified rival," he thought.
In front of Arcanine, which was infinitely close to gym-level strength, this Salazzle had no resistance whatsoever and was easily defeated.
"Brother, it's your turn." Liam returned to his seat and patted Bruce on the shoulder.
Once again, warm applause erupted from both sides of the venue.
Bruce nodded slightly, stood up, and walked toward the battlefield under the gaze of many trainers.
During this time,
he had grown accustomed to seeing elite champion qualifications and hadn't witnessed gym-level qualifications for quite some time...
As soon as the blonde woman appeared on stage, there was a commotion from the stands on both sides.
Bruce sighed quietly and then watched the match intently.
p treon / Thenamealreadyexis
50 chapters ahead