When Luther returned to his room, he saw that Mai was just about to leave with Mao and Dawn.
He glanced around curiously, but Candice wasn't there.
"She went to the Pokémon League to try to get tickets," Mai explained. "She rushed here, but she didn't reserve any, so she had to pull some strings to get a general admission pass for the preliminary round."
Judging by Mai's expression, nothing significant had happened between her and Candice since Luther left, which put his mind at ease.
After Mai left, Luther checked on the Pokémon egg. Eager to see what was inside, he gently tapped the shell, hoping the occupant would respond.
The only reply was silence, punctuated by the rustling of curtains in the evening breeze.
With nothing else to do, Luther browsed the Pokémon League's tournament discussion forum. One of the top threads featured a photo of him, Etorre, and Ash chatting with Cynthia.
"If you don't know, just ask: Who are these three?"
"Did Cynthia handpick them for the main tournament?"
"I haven't heard them mentioned among the tournament favorites. Is the information broker here?"
Luther scrolled through the replies, silently observing the discussion. Suddenly, a user with the nickname "Unhappy Exeggutor" posted:
"I have some information on that Marill and its trainer. Pre-orders open now."
Luther frowned. Who was this?
He clicked on the profile and examined it for a long time. Though there was no identifying information, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Exeggutor in the profile picture seemed eerily familiar.
He called Kirlia over. Perched on his lap, Kirlia gazed at the phone screen for a while before forming a mushroom-shaped silhouette with its hands.
"Gardenia, are you earning extra money like this?!" Luther immediately messaged Gardenia.
"What are you talking about?" Gardenia sent a Slowpoke emoji to express her confusion.
"Don't you dare deny that 'Unhappy Exeggutor' is you!" This courtyard... I've taught apprentice Pokémon trainers here for so long that I could never forget it. Kirlia even had special training with Exeggutor. Its face is burned into my memory. Who do you think you're fooling?"
"All right, all right, it's me. I'm just earning some extra money to support the gym. It's all to better educate apprentice Pokémon trainers and nurture Pokémon, you know?"
True to form, Gardenia feigned ignorance before admitting the truth in one smooth move.
"Don't worry about it. The only information I might reveal is what the Pokémon League doesn't record, mostly about Trainers' personalities and battle styles. You can find most of that data in the League's data center just by knowing someone's name. It's not a big deal."
For Gardenia's sake, Luther let her have her way.
After all, she was right. Most of the information was publicly available anyway. What these Pokémon Trainers really wanted was off-the-field intel. As a Gym Leader, Gardenia certainly knew how to strike the right balance.
Moreover, she genuinely embodied the principles of education and battle, as Luther had already witnessed firsthand.
By midnight on the first day, 479 participants had registered. By the registration deadline the night before the tournament, the final count was 1,064.
This marked the highest registration count in the history of the Lily of the Valley Conference. Luther read an analytical forum post that made a compelling argument: this surge in participants proved that Sinnoh was experiencing a new wave of promising rookies and that the overall strength of its Pokémon Trainers was rising.
After the registration deadline passed, the tournament format was revealed.
Luther and his group, who had gathered to await the Pokémon League's announcement, were not surprised by the dual system combining point-based scoring and direct elimination.
Ettore mentioned that this year's Lily of the Valley Conference was being held nearly a month earlier than usual. This likely meant that the organizers had decided to use the dual system for the preliminary rounds, which would allow competitors more rest time.
Phase 1: Direct Elimination
The 1,064 registered trainers competed in three 3-on-3 direct elimination matches to determine the top 133 who would advance.
Phase 2: Point-Based Scoring
Win: 3 points
Loss: 0 points
*Simultaneous knockout: One point for both sides
The 133 trainers will be divided into seven groups. The top nine trainers from each group, based on their cumulative points, would advance to the main tournament with 64 trainers.
The remaining sixty-three trainers would compete for the final revival spot.
Luther studied the tournament format for a long time. After understanding it, he marveled at the event organizers' meticulous planning, yet also felt a sense of its ruthlessness.
The direct elimination system of the first stage was the most brutal. Three-on-three battles left no room for error. Losing meant immediate elimination from the Lily of the Valley Conference—all efforts reduced to nothing.
Of the 1,064 Trainers, 931 who had collected all eight Badges were ruthlessly eliminated.
The second stage was a gift from the Pokémon League. The points-based system ensured that spectators who bought tickets and eagerly awaited the tournament would get their money's worth.
A single all-day pass granted access to a continuous stream of battles—a real bargain.
For Pokémon Trainers, the new points system served as positive reinforcement. They had more opportunities to appear on camera rather than being carried away after brutal battles.
The Pokémon League must have noticed the surge in Trainers participating through Gym Data. This prompted them to revise the tournament format and advance the start date of the competition.
"For the next few days, all we can do is rely on luck," Etorre said, placing his phone on the table and sighing.
Everyone understood what he meant. Their greatest fear was the direct elimination system in the first three rounds. If any of the four of them were to clash prematurely, their dream of a six-on-six battle would vanish.
Luther chuckled bitterly. "My luck is...inconsistent, to say the least."
Dakota stroked Darkrai beside him and sighed. "I'm barely scraping by. All I can do is leave it to fate."
Ash scratched his head. "My luck has never been particularly good."
Luther rolled his eyes at Ash.
"If your luck isn't good, whose is?"
You run into Legendary Pokémon everywhere you go, and you even get to ride them!"
Pseudo-legendary Pokémon literally fall on your head while you're walking, and you hatch Larvitar from eggs like it's nothing! How can you say your luck isn't good?"
Suddenly, Mai and Mao remembered something and pointed to the starry sky, laughing. "Let's make a wish!"
"Make a wish?"
"Yeah! What's there to lose? Who knows? Maybe it'll come true."
Luther, Ettore, and Ash exchanged glances. They slowly stood up, looked up at the dazzling starscape, and closed their eyes.
For the first time, the three men were doing something so new, so utterly girly. Yet their posture conveyed a profound sense of reverence.
"Dakota, aren't you going to join us?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Spare me. Just watching the three of you from behind makes the whole scene too girly. Just pretend I've already made my wish."
Etorre, who had just finished making his wish, couldn't help but retort, "You're the girly one! Your whole existence is girly! We're trying to enjoy a little ritualistic sentiment here, and you ruined the mood with that comment!"
"I heard that under the starry sky, the legendary Pokémon Jirachi listens to people's wishes and helps them come true. Can't we at least hope to meet Jirachi?"
After that, the scene erupted into chaos.
Luther grabbed a grape to throw at Dakota, who retaliated by pelting him with a cherry.
Etorre raised a cream cake, ready to smash it into Ash's face.
But Ash dodged, and the cake splattered onto Mao's face instead.
Life, as always, holds unexpected twists and surprises.
Watching their mischievous trainers, Chikorita and Bayleef nudged their leaves together and settled down, ignoring the commotion.
Snorlax and Marill devoured the flying food and fruit in the courtyard, never letting a scrap go to waste.
Eelektross and Magnezone ignored their trainers entirely and continued to charge at each other.
The two Darkrai exchanged silent glances and sighed in resignation.
Meanwhile, Kingdra and Corsola sipped juice, calmly observing their trainers' chaotic brawl.
The final night before the preliminary round ended in a raucous uproar.
(End of Chapter)
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