On the day of Ever Grande Conference's opening ceremony, the streets and alleys of Ever Grande City were already bustling even before dawn.
The noise outside the window echoed in the center of Ever Grande City. Xinhai opened his eyes. The light coming from the gap in the curtains was brighter than usual, and there was the sound of the conference broadcast adjustment downstairs.
Eevee squatted on the window sill, holding the glass with his two front paws, his tail gently sweeping behind him, and his big brown eyes stared unblinkingly at the flow of people gradually gathering on the street below.
"Bu Yi." Hearing the movement of Xinhai getting up, Eevee turned around and called out, with obvious excitement in his voice.
Xinhai opened the curtains, and Morning Sun rushed into the room.
On the main road leading to Ever Grande Stadium downstairs, people were gathering from all directions, some holding homemade support signs, some carrying Pokémon, and many local residents moved small benches to sit on the roadside, occupying a position to watch the delivery of Sacred Fire.
The colorful flags on the roadside rumbled in the morning breeze, and the whole city was like a mouthful of water boiled by a fire, steaming out.
Xinhai, who was also affected by the atmosphere of the conference, briefly washed up, changed into a clean dark adventure jacket, put Eevee on his shoulder and left the door.
There were already many trainers walking around in the corridor, some of them were rushing out wearing adventure clothes like him, and some were leaning against the wall and chatting leisurely.
There were six or seven people lined up at the elevator entrance, so Xinhai simply took the stairs and jogged all the way down from the fourth floor.
The rest area on the side of the hall was full of trainers. Some were taking a nap holding Pokémon, some were looking down at their mobile phones, and a few others were talking around the table.
The sunshine outside has filled the streets, and the air is mixed with the salty humidity of the sea breeze and the aroma of breakfast wafting from the roadside stalls.
He followed the flow of people towards the arena and met several trainers who were also attending the opening ceremony. Everyone nodded to each other and said hello.
The square outside the arena was crowded with people. Several rows of temporary guardrails were erected at the entrance. Staff shouted to guide spectators and contestants into the arena.
Xinhai showed Pokédex and his player ID, and entered the arena from the contestant channel.
The player area is located on the south side of the venue, with rows of stepped seats facing the Sacred Fire platform in the center.
Xinhai found a seat to the side and sat down. Eevee jumped from his shoulder to the empty seat next to him and squatted down, with his tail on the seat, looking around curiously.
Many players have already taken their seats, some are closing their eyes to relax, some are chatting in low voices with their teammates, and a few are gathering together to take pictures of Pokédex.
Sacred Fire The final arrangements are being made over the stage. The huge flame disk has not been lit yet, but the pure white stone carved pedestal alone is enough to make people unable to take their eyes away.
The sound waves from the audience came one after another.
Xinhai looked up and looked around. The stands with tens of thousands of people were packed full, and colorful flags, banners, and support signs were swaying one after another in the crowd.
He tried to find where his parents were, but the stands were too big and he couldn't tell them apart, so he gave up.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, the announcement in the venue rang. The audience was quiet for a moment, and then the first wave of cheers broke out - Sacred Fire runner is here.
Listening to the hustle and bustle in the venue, Xinhai followed the crowd's gaze and looked towards the entrance of the arena.
A young man ran out of the passage holding a Sacred Fire torch. His steps were neither fast nor slow, and his posture was as relaxed as running in his own yard.
He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. He came to the venue wearing a special Sacred Fire runner's costume with a bright smile on his face.
Next to him was a Blaziken, whose stride was exactly the same as that of a boy. Its red and white feathers were dazzlingly bright in the sun, and the flames on its wrists beat gently with the rhythm of running.
The Blaziken's posture was more relaxed than that of a teenager. He would even raise his chin towards the audience after taking two steps, as if he was receiving cheers.
Sacred Fire runner took Blaziken into the lounge and waited for the lighting ceremony to begin.
The host came on stage and said a series of words that made people excited. Finally, he suddenly raised his voice. "Let us welcome President Pokémon League, President Damaranch!"
The audience burst into applause, and Xinhai also followed suit and looked towards the stage.
President Damaranch walked out from the side stage. His white hair was dazzling under the light. He was a bit short and his steps were not fast but steady.
He was wearing a dark blue League formal suit with a special Badge on his chest. When he walked onto the podium, he waved his hand towards the audience.
He walked to the microphone, cleared his throat, looked around the stands and the player area, and then spoke with great enthusiasm -
"I can't stand it anymore~"
The tone of his voice was long and loud, with a hint of intimate complaint, as if the opening ceremony was so lively that his blood was boiling.
The audience was quiet for a moment, and then burst into overwhelming laughter and applause.
Xinhai also smiled and shook his head. I had heard the president's mantra many times on TV, but the effect was different when he heard it live. In just one sentence, the place with tens of thousands of people was transformed from solemn Mura to a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
President Damaranch smiled and waited for the applause to subside a little, then cleared his throat and began to make a formal speech.
His speech was not long and did not make much sense. He first thanked the contestants and the audience present, then briefly reviewed the development of Hoenn League over the years, and finally changed the topic to Sacred Fire.
"Sacred Fire will never go out." President Damaranch looked around with a hint of solemnity on his face, "It symbolizes the tenacity passed down from generation to generation by trainers League, and is the fire of bond between trainers and Pokémon."
He paused, glanced at the young faces in the contestants area, and curved the corners of his mouth. "This flame will continue to pass through young people and will never be extinguished."
After saying that, the young man in the audience ran up to the podium with a torch and handed the burning Sacred Fire to the old man.
President Damaranch took the torch, gave the other party a few words of encouragement, turned around, walked to the front of the Sacred Fire stage, and used the flame to ignite the center of the pedestal.
With a roar, the Sacred Fire stage lit up. Warm golden flames poured out from the inside of the pedestal, converging into a beating fireball at the top. The light reflected on the faces of tens of thousands of people around, and the entire arena was dyed a warm golden color.
Next came the oath session. President Damaranch led all the trainers on the field to collectively recite the oath, with a loud voice that resounded throughout Ever Grande City.
Then two Elite Four from Hoenn League came on stage and played an exhibition match.
Poni's Ice-type Pokémon faced off against Drake's Dragon-type Pokémon. The two sides were fighting back and forth with their skills displayed brilliantly. The audience had a great time watching, and cheers came one after another.