The night passed in the blink of an eye.
The next morning, Ethan Black woke up early.
"Wake up, Cacnea, Shuckle! It's time for breakfast," he said with a smile after preparing food for his two Pokémon.
"Cac!" Cacnea shouted happily upon hearing that breakfast was ready.
Shuckle, meanwhile, poked its little yellow head out from under the bed, its bean-like eyes turning curiously.
"Come out, Shuckle. Today I prepared some really tasty Pokémon food," said Ethan Black, lifting the food to catch its attention. The aroma spread right away.
Perhaps because of the smell, or because Ethan Black had offered fruit the day before, Shuckle let its guard down a little. Hesitant at first, it finally crawled out from under the bed. Step by step, it approached the plate, picked up a piece, and popped it into its mouth.
In the next instant, its eyes narrowed in delight. It placed its two little hands on the edge of the plate and began eating enthusiastically. Clearly, it really liked the food.
"Looks like it worked. Pokémon really are so pure. If you treat them sincerely, they'll also respond sincerely," said Ethan Black with a smile as he watched Shuckle's satisfied expression.
"Ethan, Ethan! Are you awake yet?" a voice rang out, accompanied by urgent knocks on the door.
"Coming, coming!" Ethan Black replied, rolling his eyes. He knew without looking that it was that guy, Kyle Miller.
"Come on, hurry up, we have to pick someone up!" Kyle Miller said as soon as Ethan Black opened the door, dragging him along without another word.
Ethan Black quickly pulled away. His two Pokémon were still in the room!
After putting his Pokémon back into their Poké Balls and grabbing his backpack, he was taken by Kyle Miller to the car. With the roar of the engine, they sped toward Ironvale City.
"Phew, lucky we made it in time," Kyle Miller said half an hour later, when the car stopped in front of the station.
"Who are you picking up? I've never seen you this nervous," asked Ethan Black, stuffing the last bite of bread into his mouth while rolling his eyes.
Just then, two girls came out of the station. One of them was Hailey Blake, Rachel Blake's younger sister.
"There they are," Kyle Miller said with a smile, walking over to greet them.
"Kyle, you almost arrived late," said Hailey Blake with a faint smile.
Then she looked toward the car and exclaimed in surprise, "Ethan?! What are you doing here?"
"Why couldn't I be here?" Ethan Black replied, rolling his eyes as he got out of the car to greet her.
"You two know each other?" asked Kyle Miller in surprise, looking back and forth between them.
"Yes. The entry ticket for the Bug-Catching Contest I had was a gift from Hailey," Ethan Black explained with a smile.
"The entry ticket for the tournament...?" Kyle Miller's face darkened.
That ticket was the one he had given Hailey Blake himself!
Now he understood why he hadn't seen her at the tournament: she had never planned on going!
"And this girl?" he quickly asked, changing the subject, as he looked at the girl next to Hailey Blake.
Ethan Black looked at her too. She had long black hair, wore glasses, and her brown eyes peeked out from behind the lenses. Her clean face, casual clothing, and sketchbook in her hands gave her a calm, studious air.
"She's my best friend, Sarah," said Hailey Blake, introducing her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah Anderson," said the girl, shooting her friend a slightly annoyed glance before smiling politely.
"H-hi, I'm Kyle Miller," said Kyle Miller, a little shy, scratching his head.
"Hi, I'm Ethan Black," Ethan Black greeted naturally.
"Then, let's go register first," suggested Hailey Blake.
The four got into the car, with Kyle Miller driving toward the city center.
"Devon Corporation's Mixed Tournament?" asked Ethan Black in surprise when he heard the purpose of the trip.
"Yes, that's right. This year's prize is Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ eggs!" said Hailey Blake, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Nidoran eggs..." Ethan Black's eyes lit up. In his backpack, he had a Moon Stone, a Water Stone, and a Sun Stone. Having a Nidoking or a Nidoqueen would be perfect for his sandstorm team. Both Pokémon had great potential, so the prize interested him as well.
"Don't worry, I'll help you win the championship," said Kyle Miller confidently from behind the wheel.
"Hey, Kyle... can we talk about something?" Hailey Blake asked suddenly.
"What is it?" Kyle Miller replied without turning.
"Can I team up with Ethan for the tournament?" asked Hailey Blake bluntly.
Screeeech!
The sound of brakes was heard immediately.
"I-it's fine, if you don't want to, I understand," said Hailey Blake nervously at his reaction.
"Of course you can. If you don't team up with me, I'll just team up with your best friend," Kyle Miller replied as if nothing had happened. "That way I probably have an even better chance of winning! You really want that Nidoran!"
"Fine, fine. You two play, but don't drag us into it," protested Ethan Black and Sarah Anderson in unison.
"What if we all participate and let the teams be random? That would be more fun!" suggested Hailey Blake suddenly.
"I'm in! It's just for fun!" agreed Kyle Miller right away.
Ethan Black and Sarah Anderson tried to refuse, but Hailey Blake snatched their trainer IDs before they could object.
At the same time, Kyle Miller had already arrived at the stadium.
"I have the IDs. In my left hand are Ethan's and Kyle's, and in my right are mine and Sarah's. I'll hand them to the staff at random, and let them make the pairs!" said Hailey Blake, running toward the registration desk.
"Ahhhh! Why Kyle again?!" she shouted in frustration when she saw the final result.
The teams were: Hailey Blake with Kyle Miller, and Ethan Black with Sarah Anderson.
(End of chapter)