After breakfast, Eichi began packing his things. By then, most people had already gotten up.
Kawasaki, who was some distance away, noticed as soon as he woke up that Eichi was already preparing to leave, so he hurriedly woke his lackeys.
They quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and packed their things.
By the time they had finished in a rush, Eichi had already left, and they hurried after him.
The movements of their group drew plenty of attention. The final battles had already begun.
Everyone started picking up the pace, keeping their eyes on their targets.
Beyond the camp lay a vast plain covered in grass, so there was no need to worry about losing sight of anyone.
Eichi strolled forward at an unhurried pace. Every now and then, he could see wild Pokémon passing by in the distance.
Looking up, he saw a group of Flying-type Pokémon circling overhead, each with a person riding on its back.
They were the teachers secretly protecting the students during this Cross-Country Race.
In truth, more than three hundred people had already been eliminated from the Cross-Country Race. They had withdrawn and left midway through.
The lower the grade, the more students had been eliminated. Eichi had barely seen any 4th Grade students.
As time passed, more and more people appeared on the plains. From the sky, they looked like tiny black dots.
After walking for nearly ten minutes, Eichi saw Kawasaki and his group catching up. They were less than a hundred meters behind him.
Eichi turned and spotted Kawasaki, who gave him a vicious grin.
Eichi ignored him and continued onward.
Just then, a voice rang out from Eichi's rear left.
"Teng Kong, let's have a battle. The loser gives their Star Bead to the winner."
The one who spoke was