"Around the time of your second Pokémon League, things are in a weird spot. You know what to expect, yet at the same time you have no clue. Many fail to realize, at this point, just how different each regions Pokémon League is. The second is always the worst in my opinion. With the first you know so little that practically the whole event is new from start to finish, but the second is so similar yet so dissimilar that you'll be in a suspended state of panic and confusion half the time. I remember when I began that second League qualifier, with a field of over a hundred trainers I didn't have a clue what I was really in for. It was a nice wake-up call, every now and then you need those, if for nothing else to keep you on your toes."
As the sun just began to peer over the horizon, the warming rays bouncing off the small puddles of dew leftover from the previous night, trainers from all around began their preparations. The days, weeks, and months of wait were coming to an end. Within a few short hours, the gates would open and the road to victory would allow all who dare to attempt a chance at crossing it. The critters scurried about, the night lovers returning to their nests as those who relish in the sun began to leave. Yet, as nature prepared itself, so too did a few men and women.
Dressed with black pants and crisp white collared shirts, a few near identical helps all meticulously beautified a large room. A long red draped set of tables was carefully nitpicked. The trays of silver platters were pushed and prodded into symmetrical fashion, giving the artificial setting a very natural flow. One of the servants very carefully wrote names in calligraphy onto a series of paper tags, delicately lining them in order. Another worker began pulling at a small chain, as he did so the large shade began to receded giving way to the enormous window with a view of dozens of seats and an enormous field. The aroma nearly filled the room, leading all back to its origin. Just aside the massive room was a set of double doors which led to a fine kitchen. Metal stations and linoleum floors colored the room where a set of chiefs were at work preparing their ingredients for a meal fit for a king. Everything was nearing completion, which was for the best, within a few short hours the guests of honor would arrive.
Within the enormous open air arena was a fine dirt floor being worked on by a few laborers. Using a few water type Pokémon they attempted to reach the perfect consistency with the dirt. One worker painted a median line as another painted a circle around it, marking the center of the field. The high rising walls made of stone and wood, making the surrounding of the arena, looked well-kept yet gave light to the arena's age. The very traditional architecture looked quite fine and well crafted. The seats were made of stone for the audience, and surrounding the dirt battlefield was a circle of fine tiled floor. Aside the tile floor were a few openings leading out of sight from the arena.
Following these paths laid staircases into the dimly lit hallway where dozens of trainers would soon find themselves. The hallway lead to two enormous waiting rooms filled with chairs and a large television. A few workers were busy setting up tables within these waiting rooms, rushing to finish in time as they did not have much to spare.
At the Corbel supported entrance, which looked quite clean and pristine, the blue apron wearing salesman was busy at work stocking the small cabinets behind the small counter he was given. Just aside the entrance, opposite the mini market was a small medical aid station where a pink haired nurse was busy booting up the machines. As the two prepared their stations a hunched over janitor was busy mopping the floor, preparing everything.
"Ever Grande City has been cleaned and prepared completely for the trainers." A voice spoke from the back exit where two figures were entering in from, "And the Hoenn League Arena, as you can see, has been well cleaned and is nearly ready for the contenders."
"Excellent." The tall confident figure aside the servant said simply as he walked forth, his heels clacking against the floor, "And what of the Frontier representatives and the other gym leaders?"
"They will be arriving shortly, I have already received word from some." The worker replied with a bit of a nervous shake, as though he was in fear of the figure beside him
"Excellent." The figure repeated as he stopped in the middle of the room, the light bouncing off of his green hair and near-translucent green scarf, "The elite are prepared and more than excited to see the trainers this year. I too have a few trainers I am curious to see."
"Yes sir, very soon the gates will open and trainers will be on their way." The servant added as the figure he had spoken to, began to make its way down the hall.
"Very good, I will be in my quarters if needed." The man spoke one last moment before fading away into the hall
Elsewhere
"So we'll be arriving in the Hoenn Region pretty soon…" A familiar voice called out from the cockpit of a flying helicopter, his curly hair distorted by the headset he wore, "You guys ready?"
"Ready for what exactly?" One of the passengers sitting in the body of the flying machine asked as a strand of her vibrant red hair fell in way of her bright red cornea
"Well you know, seeing the people who are now part of your family." The pilot replied pushing back on his seat a bit, the cast metal pan behind him clanking against the metal support of the seat, "You gotta be at least a little nervous."
"I don't think we'll be that nervous until Christmas dinner when Ms. Serenity is introducing us to the rest of the family." The blue haired girl aside the red replied with a bit of a raised voice to be clear over the loudly gushing wind outside
"Yeah, but you're actually going to see them for the first time now." The pilot replied turning back for a moment to check on the passengers, two of them being the girls he was talking to, the third passenger being a sleeping elderly woman half covered with a vibrant red, blue, and green serape. The girls were very distinct in look from one another, the blue haired one had her hair mostly tied in a long braid behind her with a few strands of her bangs covering her forehead and part of her face. She wore a large purple beret-like hat along with a buttoned grey jacket which reached to her thigh allowing her tight black pants and brown boots to still be seen. The red haired girl on the other hand had her hair tied in two long braids resting on either side of her shoulders, she wore a zipped up sleeveless black vest with a hood attached to its back, her long sleeved bluish-green shirt showing through. Accompanying this she also wore black shorts which were several inches above her knees, yet her dark blue leggings covered the rest of her leg before being tucked into her long black boots.
"Oddly enough, finding out you're now related to a friend is only have the problem, the other half is telling that friend you're now related." The red haired girl responded, "It will be odd, only a short while ago we were battling each other in the Unova League, now we're brother and sister…"
"Technically niece and nephew…" The blue haired girl corrected
"Let me tell you something." The curly haired pilot began as he looked out the window to see Swellow flying beneath the helicopter, "The beauty about friendship is that it's one step away from family. A true friend is someone who will be there until the end, through the tough times and the good times. If you guys really were friends, they'll be happy you found a family, and I'm sure they'll be even happier to call you family. It's not weird to call friends family, it's weird not to….I happen to know the family you've been accepted into, and it's one of the good ones. No matter what, until the end they will always be there for you. That woman sleeping beside you is the manifestation of kindness, everything she touches practically turns into a ball of sunshine. If she accepts you as family, anyone will."
There was a moment of serene silence in the helicopter. The bird-Pokémon outside fluttered alongside the winds which carried the flying machinery. The two girls glanced at each other for a moment before slowly turning their gaze to the tranquil sleeping woman. The blue sky, the white clouds, and the warming rays of the sun all painted a lovely portrait.
"That's such a load of…." The red haired girl began
Elsewhere
"It's been a while…" Soft words spoke as their owner tightened his purple shoe laces, the soles of his shoes quite ragged and beaten, every scratch and piece of dirt they had drudged through still somehow present despite how cleansed they were. Every battle-scar those shoes held was worn with pride, they were reflective of the journey their owner had taken.
"We've all changed quite a bit I'm sure…" A voice spoke before it set its teeth into a flat crispy chip. His vest was a somewhat faded red, partially bleached from the sun. His hair was short and dry, the long time spent in the sun practically withering it. Yet his voice did not reflect his sun-tattered look, his voice was chipper and energetic. There was no worn nature held in his words, rather, he had the tone of a puppy, robust and ready for anything.
"I've been through so much…" An accented voice spoke with a bit of a twitch as its speaker tightened the stitching on his pant leg. The pant leg was torn distinctly from mid-thigh straight down to the foots cuff, a crude stitching done to keep the two halves together. Clothing tattered and torn, skin filthy and battered, no bag, a partially scorned jacket, wiry facial hair growing alongside a head of longer wiry hair. Shoes scratched all about with a rock still implanted in the soles toe as though it had been lodged in while being kicked. The clothes of a vagabond, barely sufficing for warmth and dignity, "Bloody hell!"
"Are you excited to see them?" A female voice asked as she adjusted a strand of uniquely pink hair from her face, her hair well-kept and her skin fair, her clothes crisp and clean proudly displaying a Cleanse tag with archaic writings all over it, her belt proudly displaying six clean metal balls of various colors. For a traveler with such a clean wardrobe and scar-less fair skin everything of this girl spoke to either experience or luck
"I mean, I know you guys have some odd rivalry going on." A female voice clarified adjusting her hair which protruded in a ponytail from the back of her cap. Her body was well toned and muscular, clearly an experienced traveler who had long been working on her adventure. She was set on cleaning the red shell before her, a small odd yellow tendril-like extension protruding from one of the holes with two odd little black eyes. The two of them turned to the other one with them, the boy with the faded red vest.
"Hillary." The red vest wearer began with a growing smile, his skin lightly tanned yet still somewhat pale, his hair very different than it had been before, and his stature wholly unlike his previous stature. Josue was not the same Josue he had been. Just as energetic and caring as he had been, yet more knowledgeable of the world, hardened through experience yet still warm as he had ever been. "He's my cousin, of course we have to try to one up each other. And Iian is one of my best friends, he may be a tad…."
"Rough." The purple-laced trainer said rubbing his shoulder as he turned to his female friend. His hand rotated around his shoulder, yet the fabric of his hooded jacket could be felt through his palpations. His hooded jacket was practically a dark sapphire, yet it had some slightly faded patterns within it barely visible alongside a faint symbol of 'TM-87'. His hair was near pitch-black and wavy, mid length yet not quite frumpy nor voluminous. "But I'll be fine, I just can't wait to see Josue and Iian. I mean, Eliza…they're family."
"I understand." The girl with the pink strand of hair, Beth, replied with a warm smile as she pushed the random items within her bag down, a small keychain with a Red Cross dangling from the bags zipper. She turned back to look at the tall blue bi-pedal wolf creature slowly walk to its owner, the hoodie wearer who patted the wolf on the head, "So are you still not going to tell me what happened in that mission?"
"No…way…am I losing." The disheveled vagabond-esque traveler growled under his breath as he drudged forth stepping within a muddy puddle, the dirty water soaking the bottom of his pant-leg. His eyes were determined with intensity on the path before him. His face looked as though he hadn't slept within days, yet he managed to pull himself forth out of some maniacal will to progress.
"Ga-r." The thin and dainty Pokémon moving aside the trainer called out as it carefully moved through the twigs and rocks. It looked at its trainer with a bit of sadness, its eyes almost speaking on its behalf. It clearly cared for its trainer, wanting to help him in any way it could, yet it pitied him as well. His tattered look was very contrary to the Pokémon's look which was very elegant and refined, clean and pristine.
"Six Pokémon." Hillary spoke as she threw her backpack over her back, the thick coarse material clearly worn from long enduring nights in the wilderness, "That's all you have against the field of trainers."
"I know." Josue replied with a grin as he looked at a small black film container he palmed in his hand with a piece of tape atop it holding the word 'Mirage', "And now I actually have six Pokémon to go through the league with. Plus I have a bit more experience with the league."
"…but you do realize you fought in the Unova league right?" Beth asked as she threw her single strapped bag over her back, Raian picking up his bag as well, the contents knocking against the silver pokeball holder he had on his side
"Yeah so?" Raian asked as he adjusted his bag a bit, the few arrows sticking out of the back rattling around a bit against the hard quiver they were held in. The blue Pokémon, Lucario, looked up at his trainer Raian in a bit of agreement with his last statement as the three made their way out of the hotel room, the two beds behind them sinking into the dark room.
"…this isn't the Unova League Gal, this is the Hoenn League." Iian spoke with a bit of pride in his voice as he moved forth through the verdant growth around him, his shoe accumulating more dirt with each step as the mud held all it contacted together in a thick cake.
"Gar…" The Pokémon replied with an upward inflection as it moved after Iian, his footsteps clearly leaving a path, it's not even noticeable.
"The Hoenn League is the second oldest standing Pokémon league," Iian carried on as he found a large clearing with road and buildings aside a sign stating 'Evergrande'. "This is…"
Evergrande City PokeCenter
"The Hoenn League!" The announcer proclaimed with enthusiasm on the screen beside the counter where Raian stood waiting for his Pokémon to be put back to max health, his attention more on the television than Beth who was busy speaking with the pink haired nurse behind the counter.
"Hmm…" Raian half grunted watching the program setting up for the incoming League
"One of the oldest and most renowned Pokémon League tournaments in the world, only the best of the best of the few of the proud of the…" The announcer carried on Raian glancing back at the machine for a moment, his pokeballs still glowing as they were operated on, "…The best trainers around are the ones who make it this far, and only the best of them will actually get the chance to compete in the league itself which will host preliminary rounds in twelve short hours. The gates to Victory Road are set to open in two and a half short hours, we can only sit at the edge of our seats as we wait to see who will show…speaking of which, who are some trainers to keep an eye out for?"
"Your Pokémon have been fully restored." The nurse's voice called out to Raian, his attention still mainly on the television
"Thank you…" Raian habitually responded as he grabbed the trey of his Pokémon, his face still directed at the screen which showed some energetic wild haired man shouting about top trainers expected to compete in the Hoenn League.
"Hey Raian, ready?" Beth asked walking up beside her comrade as he began clipping his pokeballs to his holder, his Lucario standing beside him looking upwards at the television as well
"Yeah, one second." Raian replied staring at the screen
"Come on, this thing will be on for hours, let's go get some breakfast." Beth said rolling her eyes as she nudged Raian's shoulder
"Not hungry." Raian replied his eyes glued to the host
"Well I am, and I'm not going through victory road on an empty stomach." Beth retorted as she began pushing Raian forth, his shoes skidding across the ground, Lucario walking forth aside him, "Come on, don't be a baby."
"I'm not a baby." Raian retorted turning around to see the screen as Beth continued to drag him forth
"My goodness, just come on." Beth rolled her eyes with a sigh as she dragged the boy, "Don't throw a…"
"…Tantrum, you can buy more" Hillary said as Josue dragged his feet forth, his hands rubbing his face in panic, his eyes filled with dread and pure fear as he moved forward
"You don't understand…." Josue groaned as he shuffled forth, his legs moving in zombie like motions as he progressed, "I will die!"
"You aren't going to die just because you're running low on chips." Hillary rolled her eyes as Josue dragged his arm and shoulder across the side of a building they passed, "You aren't even out, you're running low!"
"But running low is just a façade, running low is the same as being out!" Josue snapped at his ranger ally, "I might as well start eating my leg!"
"Or you could just enjoy the chips you have left and look for somewhere to buy some more…" Hillary tried to logically speak
"I already checked, there are no chips for sale around here." Josue groaned holding his hands before his face, peering through his fingers, "And my mom won't send in an airdrop of chips."
"I think you'll live…" Hillary replied rolling her eyes
"I'm just so huUungry..." Josue groaned as his stomach gurgled loudly
"Ugh, I feel you…" A strange voice suddenly called out, Hillary and Josue both turning to see a figure walking forth from the foliage, pieces of twig sticking out of their disheveled hair, their feet bare and partially covered in dirt and soil. As the sunlight hit the figure it revealed the pink hair and bright pink eyes of a girl roughly the age of Josue, perhaps a year or two older, "I could really use some food myself."
"She understands, why don't youUu?" Josue asked squinting his eyes at Hillary
"She probably hasn't eaten in a while, you ate a bag of chips, literally minutes ago." Hillary replied as she noticed a restaurant out of the corner of her eye, "Oh hey, food."
"Food, food, food, food, food…" Josue mumbled as he pushed past Hillary and made his way to the restaurant
"Sorry about that…" Hillary apologized to the girl as she brushed the twigs from her hair
"It's fine, I'm actually pretty hungry myself." The pink haired girl replied brushing off her blue sleeveless shirt
"You can join us if you want." Hillary said looking at the dirt on the girl's clothes, assuming she was a trainer that had spent the past few months sleeping outdoors, and deciding she could use a real meal, "My treat."
"You know…I think I'll take you up on that…" The pink haired girl replied with a grin as she began moving forth
"…there's a lot of trainers to keep an eye out for this League…" The faint voice buzzed through a static screen as Iian shuffled his feet through the dirt and roots. His breath was slightly panting yet consistent, his nose practically letting off steam to compliment the deranged look his eyes held.
"We're here." Iian grinned as he looked forth through the growth to see signs of life moving back and forth, "Gal, hurry up, I can't wait to see the bloody look on everyone's faces when they see just how powerful my Pokémon are."
"Gar…" The gardevoir replied rolling its eyes as it followed its trainer
"Raian will pro'ally be all like 'whaaa? No waaay. A trainer can't be that strong unless 'e's with a group of wankers'." Iian mocked as he placed his hands on the two tree trunks before him which acted as a gateway into the city, "And Josue will probably be like…"
"I'm hungry… so I don't care." Beth retorted as she walked forth aside Raian who drudged forward looking backwards
"I just want to see who we're up against." Raian whined as Beth saw the restaurant down the street a couple of buildings
"That ruins the fun of it, just wait to see who you face when you face them." Beth spoke as she made her way to the food establishment, Lucario and Raian sadly following
"But what if I'm on the program? I'll miss my chance at seeing myself." Raian argued, "How often do I get to see myself?"
"You are yourself, you literally see yourself every day." Beth rolled her eyes
"But not in HD TV, I look better there than I ever will here." Raian replied with a sad face as the group reached the restaurant, Beth pushing on the door to unleash the commotion from inside.
"Looks like a lot of trainers are eating here." Beth sighed as she entered
"All the more reason to not eat right now." Raian said smugly as he crossed his arms
"We're still going to eat." Beth retorted simply
"Aw come on, we could…" Raian began before he noticed a television hanging from the corner of the room, playing the Hoenn Stats show, "Hurry up, let's get seated already!"
"So…I take it you were hungry…" Hillary said in a bit of disbelief as the Pink haired trainer scarfed the last bite of a bowl of food into her mouth and set the empty bowl atop a pile of three other empty bowls
"You have no idea." The girl replied picking up a half empty gallon of water, "Walked all the way here from Sinnoh."
"Sin…Sinnoh?" Hillary questioned as a waiter walked Beth and Raian behind her to a table, "Hoenn is an island…"
"I'm aware." The girl replied as a waiter set down a new bowl of rice with two fried shrimps sticking out
Not long ago
"There she goes again, is she just walking around the boat?"
Present
"Are you competing in the League?" Josue asked with a mouth full of rice as he worked on his fourth bowl of food
"Nah, just watching." The girl replied as she set the tempura bowl down and began digging into a large steak
"Always good." Josue nodded as he stacked his bowl atop his pile of plates and bowls, as a small group of onlookers began to form
"They're both taking the Beefy Belt-Busting Bout…" An onlooker whispered
"And they're winning…" A second onlooker whispered back
"It's enough food to kill a snorlax, I swear…" A third onlooker added
"Hillary, you going to finish that?" Josue asked looking at the girl's salad
"No…" Hillary replied with a bit of an upward inflection
"Excellent!" Josue replied snatching the chunks of beef from the salad and throwing them on his plate before throwing shrimp tails into the salads plate
"Ha! See, I knew I would be on here!" Raian suddenly spoke up with excitement as the telecaster spoke all of twelve seconds on the boy
"…Made an impact in the, rather small, Unova League. Let's see if he can do it again here…" The host spoke as Raian pointed at the screen, Beth's attention turning towards the gathering crowd
"Did you see? I told you!" Raian proclaimed with a boastful glee as he held his hands to his hips and puffed up his chest, much like a proud bird
"What's going on over there?" Beth asked as she got out of her chair and made her way to the gathering crowd
"Aw, come on!" Raian said in disbelief as he held both hands pointed at the screen
"Bloody wankers making me be hungry…" Iian groaned as he held his stomach, the gurgling noises audible to all who passed by him. It took but a moment for the boy to spot a restaurant and stick himself to the window, craving the food inside.
"Gar…" The boys Pokémon called out as Iian clung to the window looking at the crowd inside
"I lost so much bloody money when I lost my wallet," Iian groaned as he slunked down the glass, smearing it as he lowered himself, "And I only won a little from battles…I should probably eat…"
"Gar." The Pokémon rolled its eyes watching Iian count his crumpled ball of dollar bills
"I can't believe it, they both won!" The onlookers within the crowd gasped watching the pink haired girl drink the last of her gallon of water, and Josue finishing off some blue drink
"Well, at least you won, so the meal is free." Hillary chuckled to herself as she rolled her eyes
"Hey, that doesn't matter." The pink haired trainer smiled, "You were willing to buy me a meal, so you're alright in my book."
"Do you want a few dollars so you can get another meal later?" Hillary asked as the girl rose from her chair
"You know…I would appreciate that." The girl replied with a smile as Hillary handed her a few poke-dollars, "And I promise you I will pay you back."
"You don't have to, it's fine." Hillary replied as the girl began moving
"No, I insist." The girl smiled as she put her hand forth for a handshake, "Hillary was it? Josue? It was great meeting you guys. I won't forget you two."
"Bloody wanker!" A voice called out as the Pink haired girl made her way into the crowd and disappeared
"No way…" Josue said suddenly as he looked up from his phone, a series of digits fading away
"Josue?" a second familiar voice called out from the opposite side of the crowd.
"Of all the odds…" Hillary chuckled as Iian pushed his way through the crowd from one side, Raian and Beth coming through from the other side to see Hillary and Josue sitting at the table filled with empty bowls and plates.
"Raian." Iian growled as he saw the boy and his friend
"Iian…" Raian retorted with a grin as he saw the unshaven and berated boy from the other side of the crowd.
"Josue!" Josue called out happily leaping to his feet.