After the Gym Challenge and my sister, Charmaine, leaving Lilycove for her Gym duties in Slateport, I spent the next few days trying to figure out how to reach Ever Grande City, the location where the Hoenn League was held, the best way possible, only to no avail due to my current condition. At the same time, I was doing recovery training on my legs, mainly just trying to use crutches instead of my wheelchair to travel around the city at my own pace, though I had to find relatively less crowded areas in the city to avoid getting knocked down by any passerby wandering around.

I knew the few days would definitely not be enough for me to travel to Ever Grande on my own, but I wanted a bit more flexibility of how I could show up during each match in the Hoenn League. Being in a wheelchair made me feel restricted at times on the battlefield, after all.

During this time, I also wanted to further derust my battling skills, rather than just sticking to my usual training regime. Thankfully, the Lilycove Gym Leader, Wally, was happy to help, and when he was not involved in a scheduled battle, he would take some time to do some practice battles with me in the Gym. Every time that happened, Wally always had a serious expression on his face, a complete contrast to his usual soft look.

Hearing his story from the past, perhaps trying his best in every practice battle against me was the best way for him to put his faith and guidance onto me, so that I could have a happier ending to my road in the Hoenn League compared to him, which he deemed as unsatisfactory. Even though he seemed to be over it at that time, it must have affected him a lot during the moment stuff happened back then.

Obviously, the training was nothing more than a last-ditch effort from my one month hiatus, but at this point, I had to try everything I could.

One of the days after finishing up training with Wally in the Lilycove Gym, I gave my usual thanks to the Gym Leader before exiting the Gym entrance. It was already nearing evening time, as I noticed the sun about to set, a beautiful orange-coloured veil covering the sky. I was slightly mesmerized by the sights and briefly stopped in place, until I was tapped from the back on my right shoulder.

I looked back and saw a familiar childhood friend of mine, who seemed excited to have noticed me.

"Lows! I can't believe I got to see you here!" Cassie smiled.

"Yeah, there were some updates to my situation, and I got to work around them to finish my remaining Gym Challenges." I explained.

I never officially told Cassie the news of me returning to the Hoenn League, but my friend seemed unsurprised in her reply, "I knew a thing or two about it. I actually had a battle with Charmaine earlier, and she told me about the recent news. Congratulations for collecting all the Gym Badges, Lows!"

"I see…" I said, "What brings you here, then?"

"Well, it's mainly to battle Wally for extra practice, of course." Cassie replied, "But also, I actually bought some tickets to watch some contests held at the Lilycove Contest Hall."

"Contests? The ones held for Pokémon Coordinators to participate?" I asked.

Her eyes sparkled upon noticing my slight interest towards the topic, "Yeah! During my journey around Hoenn, I was blessed enough to watch a spontaneous street performance by a Coordinator, and it was dazzling! I got hooked into Pokémon Coordinating at that instant."

"The performance must have been really good for you to become such a big fan." I smiled, knowing when Cassie became passionate about something, she would be crazy about it for at least a few months.

"For sure! I'm even considering Pokémon Coordinating to be something I want to dabble on for my future journey." Cassie said.

"What about battling?"

"Well… Currently, I'm thinking about it." Cassie looked slightly hesitant before confessing, "Truth is, in the first few Gym Challenges for the Hoenn League, I was doing relatively well, due to my knowledge from Trainer School and all. But afterwards… I felt like I hit a thick wall. I was falling behind when sole knowledge was not enough to make me go all the way. I managed to collect all the badges in the end, but it was a struggle towards the end to make it there. I don't feel really confident about the Hoenn League."

She continued, "I actually asked for advice from my parents earlier, but they simply smiled and told me, 'We'll support you in doing whatever you pursue!' While I appreciated their sentiment… it didn't really help me to make a decision moving forward."

"You still have time to think after the Hoenn League, so no rush to make a decision." I said, "Though currently, you do seem more interested in Coordinating than battling, so if it's something you really want to do, you can give it a try after the Hoenn League."

Cassie still seemed bothered to immediately accept my suggestion, to which I did not blame her.

"Lows… the three of us started out our journeys in Hoenn with the idea of becoming great Trainers together, didn't we?" Cassie said, "But now it just looked like I want to back out after just a year. Wouldn't that be a little selfish towards you and Disc?"

"I don't think that's being selfish, Cassie." I gave her a reassuring smile, "Interests change and go, right? Instead of doing something that no longer makes you happy, changing paths might help you regain your passion again and even find something you truly love. I'm sure Disc would think the same, too."

My words of encouragement seemed to have lifted the pressure off Cassie, and her usual smile returned in her face, "I guess I'll really have to give it a serious thought after the Hoenn League, then! I'm glad I talked to you about it. Thanks, Lows, I needed that."

"You can talk to me anytime about your problems, Cassie." I said, "We're friends, after all."

"Of course! Likewise for me." Cassie said, "Anyways, enough about me. When are you leaving Lilycove to start heading towards Ever Grande for the Hoenn League registrations?"

I answered, "I'm not too sure yet. Truth be told, I'm still uncertain on how I'm going to get there safely. My legs aren't fully recovered yet, after all, and moving around is difficult. And if possible, I don't really want to ask big sis, Wally, or Winona to help. They're probably busy enough as is.

Cassie immediately suggested, "Why don't I help you out, then? We should be able to get the Ever Grande with my signature Surf Pokémon, Hydro. He's a Wailord, big enough to fit both of us to get there safely! You shouldn't need to worry about your restricted movements on his back."

"I have no reason to reject the offer, then." I smiled, "I was in a bit of a dilemma, anyway. Thanks a lot, Cassie."

"No worries! Take it as a thanks for helping me figure things out." Cassie chuckled, "In the meantime, you'll have to stay here for the next few days, though. I have my contests to watch."

I laughed, "I've already waited for a few days thinking of a plan, a few more days won't hurt."

"Sounds good, then!" Cassie concluded the conversation, "Now, if you excuse me, I have a contest to watch in ten minutes. Apparently, Hoenn's number one Coordinator, Lisia, is going to make a special appearance there tonight! See you later!"

She then dashed towards the Lilycove Contest Hall, leaving me behind in just a few seconds. I let out a light chuckle, glad that her energy had returned after her initial worries.

I hope she's able to figure out the road she wants to take after the league.

"Looks like we've arrived!"

Cassie yelled as Hydro the Wailord made his stop in front of an island located around the clear sea after approximately two hours of travelling. Thankfully, the trip was rather smooth and both Cassie and I did not get seasick too easily. The island was where the city of Ever Grande was located, which was also where the Hoenn League would be held every year.

Upon stepping foot onto the island, we noticed many skyscrapers and tall buildings, before the long queue for the PokéCentre inevitably caught our attention. It was not difficult for us to deduce that the queue stemmed from the Trainers who had also just recently arrived to register for the Hoenn League with the plans of healing their Pokémon afterwards.

Cassie and I exchanged quick nods before also entering the queue, which thankfully, the weather was not too hot at the time for the queuing experience to be even more draining than it already was. After around half an hour, we finally reached in front of the registration table, where a nurse was serving as the receptionist as she asked in a clear voice, "Hello, Trainers registering for the Hoenn League! May I have your Trainer ID cards and badge cases, please?"

We did as instructed and the nurse quickly examined our accessories while also typing on the keyboard connected to the computer in front of her. Shortly, she flashed us a gentle smile, "Cassie Jones and Lows Landerson, you two are all set for the Junior Division in the upcoming Hoenn League! You two are also given the option to stay in one of the hotels shown here for the duration of the tournament."

"Sounds nice…" I said as we stared at the three different images of grand-looking hotel buildings shown on a sheet of paper by the nurse. To not waste any further time, we quickly made our decision and both picked the orange building, which was apparently called the 'Dragon King Hotel'.

"Dragon King Hotel it is!" The nurse said, "You can also pick one of your friends to stay in the hotel rooms provided for each of you. It can either be a Trainer participating in the Hoenn League or a normal guest. Do you have any person in mind, Cassie and Lows?"

Cassie simply shook her head, but I took some time wondering who I could join up with for the next few days, until I noticed a Trainer who was walking forward right beside the queue to check on the rough queue length.

"Sip!" I yelled, immediately catching his attention as he smiled and gave me a quick high-five.

"What are you doing beside the queue?" I asked.

"I'm just quickly checking the queue to see how long I have to wait for. It's a habit of mine from working in the hot springs to see how much workload we have for the upcoming hours." Sip answered.

"You're actually here at the perfect time!" I said, "Apparently, we get hotel rooms to stay for the duration of the tournament, and we're allowed to have a roommate to join along. Wanna be roommates together for the next few days?"

Sip seemed to like my idea and replied, "Sure! I haven't registered for the Hoenn League yet, though."

The nurse overheard our conversation and kindly suggested, "Why don't I have Sip's name registered as Lows' roommate first, then? Sip can join the queue for the Hoenn League registration and go through the usual procedures afterwards."

"Sounds good!" I nodded, "Thanks a lot."

Sip also accepted the suggestion and told the nurse his brief personal details as instructed, which the nurse quickly inputted into her computer and finished the process in less than a minute.

"You're all set for the Hoenn League, Lows Landerson and Cassie Jones! You'll be able to receive your hotel room keys from the hotel lobby once you arrive at the Dragon King Hotel later. We hope you enjoy your stay, and all the best in the Hoenn League!"

We thanked the nurse for her hard work, before Sip walked towards the end of the queue to register himself. I went towards one of the nearby round tables in the PokéCentre to rest up, feeling slightly mentally drained from the large crowd, before Cassie joined me shortly after healing her Pokémon.

Before we could start our brief rant about the huge queue for the Hoenn League registrations, a familiar voice called for us, "Lows, Cassie, it's great to see you two again!"

We looked towards the direction where the voice came from, and it was our longtime friend, Disc. The three Trainers who started their journey together from Pallet Town had finally reunited.

Cassie cheered, "Disc, you made it too!"

"Well, we actually haven't made it to the bracket stage yet, or so I heard." Disc said, "There are rumors around the city that there's a new rule set by the PLA in order for us to qualify for the main bracket stage."

"Oh no!" Cassie said, "Hope it's not too tough for us."

"Shouldn't be." Disc said, "We've come so far to give up now, anyway."

Suddenly, another tap on my shoulder made me turn around to see Regis, whose wide smile remained as he said, "Hey, you made a successful landing in the end, after all!"

"Couldn't have done it without you, technically." I laughed.

"Didn't do much on your flights." Regis chuckled, not willing to take the credit for the help he contributed. He then greeted Cassie, who he knew from the few days in Fortree, and also introduced himself to Disc, who seemed to get along with him well.

Sip then joined along after his registration was over, and immediately activated his server mode, as he warmly introduced himself to the group, which received positive response from the friendly individuals.

I did not think the interaction would turn out to have any other outcome, anyway. Sip always knew how to express his social energy appropriately and appear approachable even for strangers, probably due to his experience working in the hot springs. On the other hand, I could be slightly awkward towards some strangers on the other hand, which while part of it contributed to my not so pleasant childhood, was also something I knew I needed to work on going forward.

After a bit of chit-chatting, an announcement was made through the P.A. system, which called all Trainers around the area to gather around the center of the PokéCentre, where a small stage was temporarily set for the occasion. The Trainers did as instructed, and after a few minutes, the Hoenn Champion, Brendan eventually headed towards the stage under the protection of a few bodyguards, which the Trainers surrounding him cheered and clapped loudly upon noticing his presence.

He started by saying, "Before I go into the official announcement for the Hoenn League, I would like to first congratulate everyone here for gathering the badges required for the league. Behind all these badges collected were blood, sweat and tears from none other than yourselves. For that, give yourself a pat in the back, and a round of applause!"

The Trainers, motivated by his words of encouragement, happily cheered and clapped along.

Brendan's face then turned into a serious look, "However, there is still more work to be done for every one of you here. There's one more challenge ahead of you all before the bracket stage officially begins, which is adapted after a successful iteration from the last Indigo League, which concluded just recently."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "To make it to the official bracket stage, each Trainer is required to challenge one of the Elite Four members in a one on one single battle, where the goal is to showcase and impress them with your skills, to show that you have the capabilities to be on the grand stage of the main tournament."

There was some brief commotion about the new rule, before everyone eventually quieted down after noticing Brendan's gesture to continue his explanation.

"Each battle will last for a total of five minutes, or end when one of the Pokémon is unable to battle. Afterwards, 64 Trainers will be picked for the final bracket stage." The Hoenn Champion said, "Trainers will have to make their decisions and pick the Elite Four member they want to battle tomorrow, where the registration time will be announced by tonight. Good luck, and all the best for tomorrow, everyone!"

A few claps were heard upon the conclusion of Brendan's announcement, but it was obvious that most Trainers were still in shock of the sudden rule addition and were discussing with their peers about it. As Brendan left the stage and the PokéCentre under the protection of his bodyguards, though, most of them then left the scene, assumingly going to their stays and figure things out from there.

Out of the individuals in our group, Disc, the most logical person of us, said, "This rule makes sense. So many Trainers have enough badges for the Hoenn League due to the new Gyms, it's helpful to cut down numbers to see who's really cut out for the main stage."

Cassie nodded, "Well, we'll just have to do our best, then!"

The shock factor was not too evident in our faces due to the early warning from Disc, as we quickly accepted the new rule and then headed towards the Dragon King Hotel, the hotel where all of us coincidentally picked. Perhaps we just really liked the colour orange.

Receiving our hotel room keycards from the lobby, Sip and I's room was located at the seventh floor, while Cassie, Disc and Regis' rooms were located at the fifth floor, third floor, and ninth floor respectively. Regis upon seeing his room location, half-jokingly let out a big sigh, "If it weren't for the elevators provided, I would have said Arceus has given me a flightful test all the way from the skies…"

We slightly laughed before Cassie asked, "You guys have a rough idea on who to pick so far?"

We all shook our heads, with me saying, "Well, it's still early days, after all."

Disc suggested, "Let's first check out and settle in our hotel rooms first. How about we gather at around seven for dinner later? I heard there's a pretty good ramen restaurant nearby, where we can briefly discuss our rough picks for tomorrow as well."

Everyone agreed to Disc's suggestion, and exchanged Pokégear numbers with one another to communicate more efficiently. We then entered the same elevator together to get to our rooms. Disc and Cassie first respectively left after reaching their floor, before the elevator eventually arrived at the seventh floor, allowing Sip and I to wave our goodbyes to Regis before leaving the elevator.

It did not take us long to locate our room through the walkway as I knocked on the door three times before scanning the lock with my keycard, a habit my family always did when we travelled. Upon opening the room door, a cozy room for two greeted us; it had two single beds, a slim television, a table and two small couches. Opening the bathroom door, there was an area provided for showering, along with a big bathtub and a sink. It was similar to the other hotel rooms I had stayed in when I was younger, but the furniture and facilities were well-maintained, and the two of us enjoyed the comfortable space provided for us all for free.

I lied down on one of the beds, settling down just nicely, while Sip sat on one of the couches and asked, "Mind if I turn on the TV, Lows?"

I lazily waved my right hand, signalling him to go ahead.

The television was then turned on by my roommate, which showed an interviewer and Brendan, each sitting on a small couch facing each other. It seemed that they were currently undergoing a special live interview as part of the live broadcast of the upcoming Hoenn League.

"Brendan, thank you so much for taking your time to have this interview with me. First things first, how do you think of the Hoenn League this year so far?"

The Hoenn Champion smiled, "It's a pleasure! The Hoenn League this year felt pretty intriguing so far. Year after year, the quality of the Trainers just seemed to reach higher heights than the previous iteration. I also actually made some time to watch the segments featuring up-and-coming Trainers for this season every week, so the storylines of some of these Trainers have made me feel quite engaged, even as a Champion myself. I hope everyone can reach the results they desire in the Hoenn League happening very soon."

"For sure! I'd say we can definitely look forward to some of the spicy matchups that could possibly happen in the league." The interviewer said, "Next question, which division is the one you're most looking forward to?"

"Each division has its strengths and cons from a viewing perspective, but I'd say I'm looking forward to the Junior Division the most."

"Good answer! Mind if you explain more about that?"

"Of course." Brendan explained, "I started off from the Junior Division myself, so there was some nostalgia involved, obviously. Though I was busier in my previous years as Champion to watch all the matches, I always loved seeing the different battle styles of new talents, which while the Trainers from higher divisions were more professional and polished, their styles could turn out slightly stale in comparison. Also, the passion of the new Trainers are just unmatched, as this is their first of many opportunities to show what they're truly made of. I hope that the Hoenn League can serve as a stepping stone to their Trainer careers going forward!"

"Now, you say that you enjoyed watching these Trainers battle against each other… But what about when they're eventually going against you?" The interviewer smirked, "Are you perhaps just a little scared of losing your Champion status to one of the Trainers this iteration?"

Brendan simply laughed, "Of course not! I came far to become the Hoenn Champion, and I'm not going to let it go that easily without a fight. The Trainers this year are obviously talented, but I'd say I'm the Champion for a reason."

"Confident statement, as expected from the Hoenn Champion!" The interviewer smiled, "That's a good answer, Brendan. Once again, thank you for giving such good insights on the upcoming Hoenn League, Brendan."

"No problem!"

The interviewer concluded the interview as he stared towards the camera, "With that, the special interview with Brendan has ended, and the Hoenn League live broadcast will be taking a short break. What is going to happen in the Elite Four Entry battles? Who is going to strive and make it to the main bracket stage? We shall all find out the answers to these questions tomorrow. Later, the live broadcast will return for more news on the Hoenn League. See you soon!"

As the broadcast ended and switched into an advertisement break, it was almost time to meet up with the group. Sip and I, aware of the current time, prepared ourselves and headed back down to the hotel lobby, where the rest of the group was already there, as we joined them to head towards the ramen restaurant named "Fiery-Combusken Ramen".

We easily got ourselves a table of five and sat down on our seats before ordering our food. Afterwards, there was some time for a quick chat, so I asked, "Any picks in mind, you all?"

Disc said, "Yeah, it'll most likely be between Sidney and Glacia for me. I'll be using my Blaziken, Starlight for the battle, and I'm confident enough that he can defeat either of my choices."

Cassie also followed, "I'll pick Glacia! With Flare, these Ice type Pokémon won't be a problem for us!"

Her confident stance was a huge contrast from the uncertain Cassie I saw a few days ago, but I could only hope she was not just showing a facade in front of us.

Sip said, "Most likely Sidney for me. I'll be using my Flygon, Max, who should be capable enough to take his Pokémon down."

Regis appeared a little dejected hearing everyone's rough ideas, "My team consists of Flying-types, so I realistically have zero advantage towards any of the Elite Four members… I still have to think things through to not make a full crash landing."

"What about you, Lows?" Disc asked.

I shook my head, "Still unsure, but I'm using Surfer for the battle, so that's a start to making my final decision."

"Surfer has Ice Beam, right?" Cassie enthusiastically suggested, "Why don't you challenge Drake, then? His Pokémon won't have anything against you with that move alone!"

Disc was on the more reasonable side as he said, "It works on paper, of course, but remember, Drake is the strongest Elite Four member in Hoenn for a reason. He definitely will have his ways to counter that move."

Cassie nodded, "You have a point, Disc."

Disc then suggested, "If you want to play it safe, I'd say Sidney or Phoebe. Both should be manageable for you."

I thanked both of them for their insights, and the discussion concluded just in time for the food to arrive, and we enjoyed the delicious ramen while catching up with each other about the stories that happened during our journeys. After about two hours, we returned to the hotel and went back to our respective rooms to rest up and also make our final calls about who to battle on the next day.

After finishing my quick shower, I left the bathroom to see Sip going back to watching the live broadcast for the Hoenn League. I sat down on the other couch that was unoccupied, going back to thinking about my choice for the battle the next day.

Cassie's words first rung in my mind. Drake's Pokémon are all weak to Ice Beam, which is definitely an advantage for Surfer. But his Dragon type Pokémon are all known to be tough battlers, so the Ice type move alone won't be enough to impress him. I could always go for the safer choice, Sidney or Phoebe, but they're probably also other Trainers' popular choices, so the competition to impress will be a lot heavier there.

Harry's face suddenly popped up in my head, somehow. I still had not seen him in the city as of that moment, but I was confident that he would definitely make it.

I wonder who Harry would pick if he was me.

Actually, who am I kidding… He'd obviously pick Drake, with his skills and all.

...But am I confident enough to make such a brave choice like him?

I was still in the middle of derusting, and my skills might be slightly lacking to take on a risky choice in a battle that would determine the final spots for the bracket stage.

As the doubts started to creep in, Wally's gentle voice suddenly appeared in the midst of it all.

"Take it as an experience for you to become stronger in your future journeys. Charmaine and I weren't even league winners to begin with, and look at us now. The Hoenn League isn't everything, what matters in the end is the journey that makes the run so worthwhile."

It felt like the doubts in my head were slowly starting to disappear.

…This is most likely one of the only chances for me to experience an official battle with any of these Elite Four members. They'll help me see how far I have become… and whether I truly deserved that second chance for the bracket stage.

No matter what, the journey was already more than worthwhile for me to keep pushing my limits until the very end, right?

I nodded, clenching my fist as I made my final choice.

I told my roommate, Sip about it, who only responded with a reassuring smile and said, "Do your best, Lows."

It was enough for me to stay firm with my decision.

Now all there was to do… was to wait until the next day to come.

Lows' Pokémon Team:

Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Surf, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Iron Defense

Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature

Ability: Quick Feet

Moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Protect, Facade

Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature

Ability: Synchronize

Moves: Calm Mind, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt

Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature

Ability: Overgrow

Moves: Agility, Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb

Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature

Ability: Guts

Moves: Rock Tomb, Scary Face, Submission, Seismic Toss

Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature

Ability: Super Luck

Moves: Payback, Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Protect