Alex, who was still lying in his bed, slowly began to notice the sunlight shining through the curtains and into his room.
As he sat on the edge of the bed with half-closed eyes for a few seconds, he stretched his body thoroughly to get rid of the stiffness left behind by the night's sleep.
After letting out a large yawn, he finally stood up. Although he still felt somewhat tired, he was also genuinely excited for today.
Not only was the main event of the Hoenn Champion Tournament finally beginning, but today was also the day when all remaining participants would receive their new participant numbers based on their strength.
In the Kanto Champion Tournament, Alex had received participant number 20.
However, this year was different.
Alex knew there was a good chance he would receive a single-digit participant number. Perhaps he could even make it into the top three.
With that thought in mind, his mood immediately improved.
Alex released all of his Pokémon from their Poké Balls and began preparing breakfast for them while simultaneously turning on the television.
The PokéNews morning program was already live. On the screen, a host and two experts were discussing the upcoming tournament.
Alex immediately recognized all three individuals.
The two experts were Professor Birch and Gym Leader Wattson, while the host was Mary, one of the most famous television personalities in Hoenn.
Alex had to admit that the program never invited unknown guests. Only genuinely famous individuals were given a seat on this show.
Although Professor Birch was nowhere near as internationally famous as Professor Oak, he frequently appeared on television throughout Hoenn and was undoubtedly the most well-known Pokémon Professor in the region.
The program began with several minutes of casual conversation before eventually moving on to the topic that actually interested Alex.
Mary suddenly adopted a more serious expression and said, "Now let's get to the interesting part."
"As most viewers already know, participant numbers are assigned according to the average level of a trainer's registered Pokémon."
"This system exists to ensure that the strongest competitors don't eliminate each other too early in the tournament."
"And because the main event consists of a 64-participant bracket divided into four separate sections, only one trainer from each bracket will ultimately advance to the semifinals."
As Mary spoke, a large list appeared on a secondary screen beside her. The names of all 64 qualified participants were displayed.
Alex immediately focused his attention on the list.
Unfortunately, only the first eight participants were shown clearly enough to read, while the remaining names were displayed in much smaller text.
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Participant 1: Winona: 58.66
Pokémon: Noctowl LV 56, Tropius LV 58, Pelipper LV 58, Dragonite LV 59, Skarmory LV 60, Altaria LV 61
Participant 2: Steven: 57.33
Pokémon: Claydol LV 56, Armaldo LV 56, Cradily LV 56, Aggron LV 57, Skarmory LV 59, Metagross LV 60
Participant 3: Alex: 57.33
Pokémon: Ditto LV 56, Umbreon LV 57, Blaziken LV 57, Gardevoir LV 58, Scizor LV 58, Crobat LV 58
Participant 4: Amber: 56.66
Pokémon: Gardevoir LV 54, Dusclops LV 54, Walrein LV 55, Salamence LV 55, Blaziken LV 60, Entei LV 62
Participant 5: Nadia: 56.16
Pokémon: Gyarados LV 53, Crawdaunt LV 54, Milotic LV 55, Ludicolo LV 55, Swampert LV 60, Kingdra LV 60
Participant 6: Leonardo: 54.5
Pokémon: Alakazam LV 50, Breloom LV 52, Metagross LV 53, Cacturne LV 55, Mawile LV 58, Exploud LV 59
Participant 7: Flannery: 53.33
Pokémon: Arcanine LV 52, Houndoom LV 52, Rapidash LV 53, Magcargo LV 54, Camerupt LV 54, Torkoal LV 55
Participant 8: Mark: 52.5
Pokémon: Magnezone LV 50, Weavile LV 51, Bronzong LV 53, Staraptor LV 53, Garchomp LV 54, Torterra LV 54
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Alex stared at the list for several seconds. A look of surprise gradually appeared on his face.
He had not expected this tournament to have stronger Participants than the Kanto Champion Tournament had.
The top five participants, in particular, stood a realistic chance of winning this tournament.
Although Alex personally believed that only the top four had a truly good chance of taking first place.
Gym Leader Winona, who held a slight level advantage over everyone else, had earned the number one position. However, despite that advantage, Alex did not consider her the favorite to win the tournament. At least, not from his perspective.
Since he had previously arranged with Steven to participate in this tournament together, he was not surprised to see Steven ranked near the very top.
What did surprise him, however, was that his own Pokémon had finally caught up to Steven's in terms of levels.
For as long as he had known Steven, Steven's team had always maintained a noticeable level advantage over his own.
The fact that his Pokémon had finally reached the same level made Alex feel both happy and proud. It was proof that all the effort, money, and resources he had invested into his team had not been wasted.
Alex understood Steven very well, and he knew Steven understood him just as well.
That was precisely what made Steven such a dangerous opponent. Neither of them would be able to rely on simple tricks or surprises against the other.
Steven was familiar with almost all of Alex's usual strategies and battle habits, while Alex possessed a similarly deep understanding of Steven's approach to battling.
If they met in the tournament, neither side would have an easy victory.
However, Steven and Winona were not the only participants whom Alex considered genuine threats.
Participant Number Four, Amber, also had a very good chance of winning the entire tournament.
Alex had never heard of her before, yet she possessed a Level 62 Entei.
Although that Pokémon was, with almost complete certainty, merely a half-blood Legendary Pokémon rather than a true Legendary, it was still an incredibly powerful creature. Especially at such a high level.
That single Pokémon alone was enough to make her one of the most dangerous participants in the competition.
In fact, if Amber managed to secure favorable matchups, Alex would not be surprised if Amber reached the finals.
Participant Number Five, Nadia, was certainly not weak either.
A team centered around powerful Water-types such as Milotic, Swampert, Kingdra, and Gyarados was extremely impressive.
However, despite her strength, Alex did not believe she possessed a particularly good chance of defeating any of the top four participants.
The difference between the top four and everyone else seemed fairly significant. At least on paper. Of course, Pokémon battles were not only decided by numbers alone.
A fortunate matchup, an unexpected strategy, or a moment of inspiration could completely change the outcome of a battle.
Still, Alex felt that Nadia belonged more to the category of dark horse contender rather than genuine tournament favorite.
As his eyes continued moving down the rankings, he eventually spotted a familiar name.
Flannery, whom he had met on the ship to Hoenn
A small smile appeared on his face. She was the first people he had met after arriving in Hoenn, and they had developed a fairly good friendship during their journey.
Although she appeared relatively weak compared to the top five participants, Alex knew that for someone of her age, Flannery was already an exceptionally talented trainer.
Most trainers would spend many years trying to reach the level she had already achieved.
The fact that she had managed to enter the top eight participants of the entire Hoenn Champion Tournament spoke for itself.
Alex also knew that Flannery still possessed plenty of room to grow. If she continued improving at her current pace, she would almost certainly become one of Hoenn's strongest trainers in the future.
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