The Dragon Master Lance stood on the stage in a big unused dome in Hearthome. The dome was filled with anxious people and many TV cameras.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Sinnoh Region. My name is Lance. And as you may know I am the Pokemon League Champion in the Kanto and Johto area. The Pokemon League is a very great thing. It offers plenty of jobs. But more importantly it gives the young adults experiences that they will use for the rest of their lives. And it also gives them hobbies to keep them occupied and out of trouble. Because the Pokemon League is such a great thing to have. It is my honor to announce that there will be a Pokemon League in Sinnoh!" The crowd instantly burst into cheerful roars and there was clapping mixed in. "But for a Pokemon League there needs to be an Elite Four and Gym Leaders. We at the other Pokemon Leagues have decided to open up a tournament for the masses. We have picked out eight cities to hold each round, and the semi finals and finals will all take place in Lily of the Valley Island. The first leg of the tournament will begin two weeks from today. Now listen to me closely for these words are important. There will be thousands entering this tournament. You can sign up at any pokemon center. Then there will be Preliminary matches held at Jubilife and it will get down to 1,024 who will participate in the tournament with the first round being in Oreburgh. There will be more detailed instructions at the Pokemon Centers. That concludes this speech." The red haired man then preceded to walk off the stage. The image suddenly went black as a young male turned off his television. The male had long black flowing hair that he tied into a ponytail. His eyes were a soft, ocean blue. His navy blue shirt had one long sleeve but didn't have a second sleeve. Brown cargo pants and black tennis shoes finished off his wardrobes. He rose to his feet. Next to him was a Buizel with black, triangular shades on. The pokemon also rose to his feet.
"You're going aren't you?" asked the kids mother who was in the kitchen. Next to her was a Murkrow that was helping cook pancakes.
"Yes. You can't blame me can you?" replied the male in question form. His mother shook her head no and laughed.
"I would've pushed you too go. But you know there are going to be some experienced trainers there. And most trainers are going to have a full team of six. You should work on expanding and quickly" kindly advised the mother.
"Will do mama. I'm sure the local Pokecenter is crowded with people trying to enter. I will just go sign up tomorrow morning. But for now I'm going to take Buizel out and do some training. I'll be in my usual spot. Send Murkrow to get me when dinner is ready." The kid then bolted out the door with Buizel hot on his tail. The mother just shook her head side to side and let out a sigh.
"Ah kids, what can you do about them Murkrow?" she mumbled rhetorically. "But he isn't a kid anymore. He is sixteen. Where did the years go Murkrow? Going after this tournament is a good idea for him. But he will take you and I'll be all alone here in Sandgem." The mother and Murkrow suddenly got really sad. Murkrow nudged the mother's chin to raise her head up. She smiled slightly and patted Murkrow on the head. "Well no worries. I'll just have to call him every day." She pushed back her tears and the two continued to cook.
–
The young male made a punching motion and yelled "Ice Punch!" The Buizel nodded firmly and slammed it's ice covered punch into the huge oak tree in front of him. "Follow up with IronTail!" The Buizel quickly rotated around and rammed it's two metallic coated tails into the tree. "Now push off then use Water Gun!" Buizel firmly planted it's feet against the tree then pushed off and took off like a rocket. Buizel spun around so it's back was parallel to the ground. He then raised his head up and unleashed a stream of water against the tree. While still carrying momentum Buizel put his feet against the ground and kept sliding back. He stopped sliding right in front of his trainer. "Good job Buizel. That's our Combo Breaker! This tournament is our chance to get noticed. You ready to turn some heads?" Buizel slide his shades up with one finger and gave a single, confident nod. A Murkrow came flying towards the trainer and pokemon. The young male knew what that meant and headed back to the house.
–
The next morning the male entered the PokeCenter with Buizel at his side and Murkrow perched on his head. Off the right there was a brand new desk. Above the desk was a banner that said Pokemon League Tournament Sign-ups. Behind the desk sat a nice looking brunette. Just as the male suspected there was no one trying to sign up this morning.
"I'm assuming you want to sign up" greeted the brunette in a cheerful voice. "Your number is seven which means your preliminary is going to be on Saturday, the 17th, the final day of preliminaries. You will need to be in Jubilife that day. If you forget then tough luck. Now give me your name and you will be all signed up" she informed.
"My name is Cotter Alexander" he said with a charming smile.