The next day, at the Main Stadium of the Ever Grande Conference in Ever Grande City.
The Sacred Fire had burned in midair for nearly half a month, yet it still shifted with the wind as though it were alive.
Every seat on the spiraling tiers surrounding the Sacred Fire Altar was occupied. Men and women, young and old—almost everyone was watching the Battle Arena below.
Although the competition could not compare to the Champion Masters, this was still the greatest annual celebration.
Today, two figures appeared on the dais. One was President Mr. Goodshow, who had also appeared at the opening ceremony.
The other was a tall young man in a black suit.
His rare silver-blue hair had practically become his trademark: the Steel Champion, Steven Stone!
"I never expected a rock fanatic like you to show up this year." Mr. Goodshow shook his head slightly. Of all the regional Champions, this one's hobby was the strangest.
Such a promising young man, and of all the things he could have loved, he had chosen rocks.
"Because I heard something very interesting." Steven toyed with an Evolution Stone in his hand. "A Mysterious Trainer with a Darkrai."
His gaze grew deep for a moment. "What would someone like that hope to achieve by entering the conference? I'm truly curious."
After all, he was the current Champion of the Hoenn Region. Keeping an eye on dangerous individuals like this was part of his job.
"It's starting." Mr. Goodshow shook his head. There were hardly any Champions he could hold a proper conversation with.
The Champion of Sinnoh could spend hours buying a single ice cream, while the Champion of Unova actually dared to whistle at girls decades younger than himself...
"I really do worry about the future of the Champion League,"