Passed the First Round of Preliminaries

Led by his two senior brothers, Xinhai arrived at the rest area. They sat there for about half an hour while contestants continually came and went.

Before long, Long Yi's Pokédex vibrated. He glanced at it and said to Xinhai and Yingxiong, "My preliminary match is in the south district. I'm heading over first."

"Good luck, Senior Brother Long Yi!" Xinhai said as he looked at him.

Long Yi nodded, then quickly left the rest area with Blaziken.

Less than two minutes later, Xinhai's Pokédex received a message as well:

[Contestant Xinhai Bai Mu, please bring your Fighting-type Pokémon to the strength testing station in the east district for the first round of assessment.]

"Senior Brother Yingxiong, my preliminary match is in the east district, so I'll head over first." Xinhai rose to his feet and said to Yingxiong.

"Alright, see you in the main event tomorrow!" Yingxiong said with a smile, waving him off.

Xinhai nodded and led Combusken through the corridor, following the clear signs to the testing grounds in the east district.

This was a broad open space. At its center stood a sturdy-looking cylindrical strength-testing machine that appeared built to last. Above it hung a huge display screen, currently showing "000."

Two staff members in tournament uniforms stood beside the machine. One held a large megaphone and maintained order. "Line up properly! No pushing! Everyone gets three attempts. Your score will be the average of the three attacks. An average above 300 means you pass the first round! Have your Pokémon ready in advance!"

A fairly short line had already formed before the open space, consisting of around a dozen Trainers and their Pokémon.

The contestants wore varying expressions. Some nervously rubbed their hands together, while others confidently reassured their partners.

The Pokémon came