Devon Corporation's Battle Tournament

When Xinhai arrived in his room, he looked over the furnishings and found them quite nice. With so many people at the Pokémon Center, Torchic and Ralts's recovery and treatment would probably take quite a while.

So he took his toiletries to the bathroom, turned on the showerhead, and let the warm water wind down his back, washing the exhaustion of the journey away into misty vapor.

After a quick rinse of a few minutes, Xinhai dried his hair, tied his bathrobe, and went into the sitting area to check his messages.

As soon as Xinhai picked up the Pokédex, he saw a message from Nurse Joy: Your Pokémon's treatment is complete. Please collect them at the front desk.

He casually draped the damp towel over the rack, changed into clean clothes, and hurried outside. At the Pokémon Center's front desk, he lined up to retrieve his Poké Balls.

"Come on out! Torchic, Ralts!"

Back in his room, Xinhai released his Pokémon. Torchic happily flapped its little wings and ran over to rub against his feet.

"Chic~"

Ralts, meanwhile, gracefully walked up to Xinhai and gently tugged at the hem of his clothes with its tiny hand, its watery eyes full of dependence.

"Ralts~"

Seeing his Pokémon full of energy again, Xinhai smiled in relief. He crouched down, patted Torchic's head, then gently pinched Ralts's chubby little cheek. Carrying them onto the bed, he said, "Rest for a bit. I'll get you dinner."

Xinhai picked up the backpack beside him, took out a serving of Pokéblocks and Pokémon food, and poured them into their little bowls.

Catching the scent of the food, Torchic and Ralts happily ran over to their bowls and began eating with delight. After traveling all day, the two little ones had been starving.

Xinhai sat beside them, watching them eat happily, and felt satisfied himself.

After Torchic and Ralts finished the last Pokéblock, Xinhai smiled and rubbed both little ones' heads. "You two rest in the room for now. I'll bring you some Berry pudding after I eat."

The cafeteria on the second floor of the Pokémon Center was filled with a sweet fragrance as Xinhai stepped forward to line up for food.

Meals at the Pokémon Center came at no additional charge, so people could eat as much as they wanted. There was only one rule: no wasting food.

After eating, Xinhai returned to the room with two Berry puddings. He placed them on the table and called to the Pokémon playing tag on the bed, "Torchic, Ralts, come have some pudding."

Hearing him, Torchic dashed to the table and hopped onto it with a chirp. Its round eyes fixed on the wobbling Berry pudding, while the three bright feathers atop its head swayed gently with excitement. Ralts gracefully floated onto the table as well.

Both little ones looked eagerly at the Berry pudding, but neither Torchic nor Ralts began eating right away. Instead, they looked at Xinhai expectantly. Ralts even picked up its pudding directly.

"Ralts~" (Xinhai should eat too.)

"Go ahead and eat. I already ate in the cafeteria." Touched, Xinhai smiled and patted both little ones on the head.

"Ralts!" (Liar!)

Ralts did not put the pudding down, just stared straight at Xinhai.

Xinhai felt a little awkward. He had forgotten that Ralts could sense people's emotions and thoughts.

"Alright, alright, I'll have a bite." Xinhai smiled and patted Ralts's little head again.

At that, both Ralts and Torchic smiled. Torchic also nudged its own Berry pudding over with its head.

Xinhai picked up the little spoon from Ralts's plate and tasted a bite each of Ralts's and Torchic's Berry puddings.

One of the two puddings was a flavor favored by Psychic-type Pokémon, while the other was favored by Fire-type Pokémon. Both had very distinctive textures.

The Psychic-type pudding tasted sweet at first, followed by a slight bitterness, making for a very unusual flavor. The Fire-type pudding was sweet and spicy. Both were primarily sweet, complemented by other flavors, and both tasted quite good.

After trying both puddings, Xinhai smiled at the little ones. "They're delicious! You two eat too. Afterward, we'll call home and let them know we're safe."

Torchic happily chirped and eagerly pecked at the pudding, getting pale pink jam all over its beak. Ralts, meanwhile, elegantly used telekinesis to lift the spoon and savor the pudding in small bites.

Once Torchic and Ralts had finished eating, Xinhai brought them to sit by the bed. He opened his Pokédex and called his father, Yantai.

The instant the screen lit up, a familiar living room came into view. His mother, Nami, and father, Yantai, were facing the Pokédex. Nami's face was full of surprise. "Xiao Hai! Did everything go smoothly on the road? You didn't run into any danger, did you?"

Hearing his mother's concern through the video call, Xinhai felt warmth in his heart. "Mom, don't worry. I didn't encounter any danger. I arrived safely at the Pokémon Center."

"That's good! You have to be careful!"

"I will, Mom. I'll be staying in Rustboro City for around twenty days to improve my strength and prepare for challenging the Gym. So you don't need to worry about me."

"Twenty days? I understand. Keep warm at the Pokémon Center and don't catch a cold..."

Listening to Nami's nagging, Xinhai quickly interrupted her. "Mom, give the Pokédex to Dad. I want to talk to him for a bit."

"Huh? Alright, then talk to your father for a while." Nami handed the Pokédex to Yantai beside her.

Yantai looked at Xinhai and smiled. "Xinhai, you've arrived in Rustboro City. How is it? Did everything go smoothly?"

"Everything went smoothly. I'm planning to stay in Rustboro City for a while to train Torchic and Ralts and prepare for the Gym battle."

"It's good that you have a plan! Oh, right. If you get the chance, take a look at the department store. The Trainer School is starting up now, so there'll definitely be lots of events. Devon Corporation is also holding a Pokémon battle tournament. The prizes for the top few places are quite good, so you could give it a try."

"A tournament? Alright, I'll go take a look later. Oh, Dad, where would be the best place to buy a map of Rusturf Tunnel?"

Yantai stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then tapped the Pokédex screen with a fingertip. "There's an Explorer's Station in the southeastern corner of Rustboro City. The owner is a retired Pokémon archaeologist, and his hand-drawn maps of Rusturf Tunnel are very accurate. But there are minor changes inside Rusturf Tunnel every day, so when you get there, buy a few more maps from the stalls outside the tunnel and compare them."

Xinhai memorized the shop's name and smiled. "Alright, thanks, Dad!"

Nami, beside the screen, asked, "Where are Torchic and Ralts? Aren't they there?"

At that moment, Torchic and Ralts also crowded in front of the screen and excitedly greeted them. "Torchic!" "Ralts~"

Seeing the two adorable little ones, Nami could not help covering her mouth and laughing. "The two little ones look really energetic!"

After chatting with his parents for a little longer, and after Nami gave him a few more reminders, they finally ended the call reluctantly.

After hanging up, Xinhai found another number in his contacts and called it. "Hello, Yingnan? I'm at the Pokémon Center in Rustboro City. Come find me."

"Alright, wait for me a moment. I'll be there soon."

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the entrance of the Pokémon Center." With that, Xinhai hung up.

After tidying up a little with Torchic and Ralts, he went to the road outside the Pokémon Center. Before long, he saw Yingnan riding a Dodrio over to him.

"Get on." Yingnan looked at Xinhai, made a fist with his right hand, and pointed his thumb toward the rear seat.

Xinhai looked a little envious and asked, "Why did you come riding a Dodrio?"

Yingnan urged him, "Dodrio is fast! Come on, get on. We're going to Devon Corporation's department store."

Xinhai looked at Dodrio's back. With Yingnan's seat already there, it was clearly a little cramped. Helplessly, he said, "Forget it. I'm afraid I'll fall off. I'll ride my bicycle instead." As he spoke, he took the bicycle out of his backpack.

"Hey, riding a bicycle is nowhere near as fun as riding a Dodrio. Fine, keep up." Yingnan did not insist. After saying that, he directed Dodrio to rush ahead.

Xinhai placed Torchic and Ralts in the front basket and followed after him.

Yingnan did not have Dodrio run too fast, and the two traveled side by side. Hearing Yingnan mention Devon Corporation's department store earlier, Xinhai remembered the events and battle tournament his father Yantai had mentioned. He asked, "What are we going to Devon Corporation's department store for? Are you buying something?"

Yingnan replied, "We're going to enter the battle tournament organized by Devon Corporation. I specifically waited for you so we could sign up together. Registration ends today, so we need to hurry. The prizes for this tournament are pretty generous. Even the top eight get rewards."