Drawing Lots

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the League's official opening arrived.

Led personally by Teacher Li Qiang, Yan Yang and the other seven members of the representative team boarded a flight to the Johto League headquarters, each carrying different feelings.

Inside the cabin, most of the team members could barely conceal their nervousness and excitement. Quite a few were even flying for the first time, curiously looking down through the windows at the city shrinking beneath them.

Yan Yang, however, looked calm. Leaning against the window with his eyes closed, he rested quietly. This was nothing unusual to him.

After arriving at their destination and checking into the hotel the League had arranged for each school's representative team, Yan Yang finally had a chance to let all his Pokémon out for some fresh air.

The room was fairly spacious, but it instantly became lively.

Yan Yang swiftly grabbed Pyroar by the ear just as he was about to pounce onto the soft bed and clearly start fooling around. He warned in a low voice, "Listen, don't wreck anything here! If you break something, get ready to stay here forever!"

Pyroar let out a wronged "Woooar," indicating that he understood. His attention was soon drawn to the thick fluffy carpet on the floor, which he curiously pawed at.

Houndoom was far more vigilant. He paced over to the window and scanned the outside with his gaze, as though searching for any possible presence watching them.

Only after Yan Yang stepped forward and pulled the curtains tightly shut with a swish did he relax and find a corner to lie down in.

"Relax, Houndoom," Yan Yang reassured him. "The area around League headquarters is one of the safest places there is."

If this place was