"This is it... Ever Grande City, the home of the Hoenn League..." Davin was getting excited as he was getting closer to the huge city on the ferry he stood on.
A whole month had passed and Davin had trained hard so that his Pokemon could be the best that they could be for the tournament. The young boy was determined to take the title of champion and make up for his lost at the Varex League. "This time... I'll win it for sure!"
When the ferry arrived to its destination, Davin immediately headed for the main lobby, where he showed Nurse Joy his eight badges and handed her his Pokedex for registration. After that, she gave him a guide of the Hoenn League rules and told him about which room he would stay in.
When he got to his room, he immediately plopped on to the bed and enjoyed the nice feeling of the fresh covers. Then, he walked out on to the patio and looked across the wide view of the area.
"This is so great! I can't believe I'm finally here."
A few hours later, he headed down to the lobby and began reading the guidebook as he sat on one of the provided couches.
"Okay. The preliminary rounds are 1-on-1 battles and the winner will move on to the next round. The qualifying rounds will consist of three double battles and if the first two are won, that trainer will move on. The final rounds will be full battles with the top 32 participants and winning twice will bring you to the quarterfinals. From there, the top 8 will do battle, reducing it to the top 4, and then to the top 2, where the champion will be decided." Davin sighed. "Sounds pretty intense."
Right then, he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled when he saw who it was. "Maura! You made it!"
"You didn't think I'd go back on our promise, did you?" she chuckled.
"Of course not. It's just that I haven't seen you in awhile and I thought you had something better planned."
"As if. I wouldn't give up the league for anything."
They started to chat some more until a familiar face entered through the automatic doors. Davin smiled as he ran up to him. "Haro! Good to see you!"
The blonde smiled and nodded. "Same here."
"Wow. You weren't kidding, you really are friends," Maura said as she went to Davin's side. "I'm glad to see that you and Davin's rivalry has settled."
"Yeah." Haro suddenly frowned. "Hey, listen. I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot when we first met. I'm sorry that I insulted you at that time and... I hope you and I can be friends, too." He stuck out his hand towards her.
Maura was a bit surprised by his action but she gladly shook his hand and said, "I'd love to be your friend, Haro. And don't worry about what happened in Lilycove; it's all in the past."
"Good." he smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go register." he calmly walked past them.
The next second, Maura whispered to Davin, "What'd you do to him? He's a completely different person now. Did you drug him or something?"
Davin laughed. "No. He had a lot on his mind and he just needed someone who would listen to and understand him." he looked at Haro as he was just getting his badges back from Nurse Joy. "He's a really nice guy once you get to know him."
"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the Hoenn league Ever Grande Conference!" The announcer stated the next day. "Trainers near and far have come to participate in this tournament of battles, where one will become the champion. What kind of battles will these excellent trainers show us?"
As the announcer continued, the participants were gathered in the trainers' waiting room, looking at the big screen that was provided. Davin, Haro, and Maura were sitting next to each other as they listened.
"Well, here we are... in the Hoenn League tournament..." Davin stated.
"Yep. It should be a good one." Haro confirmed.
"Everything will be great as long as we do our best." Maura added.
The announcer finished his introduction and stated, "Now, without further ado, let the preliminary rounds begin!"
