Hearthome City

Hearthome City, known as "a place where hearts connect," had convenient transportation, thriving commerce, and comprehensive infrastructure. An ideal place to settle down, it was the commercial hub of the Sinnoh Region.

It was also the gateway to Solaceon Town and Pastoria City.

Bai Shi pedaled his bicycle hard all the way and finally arrived before the Double Battle Tournament began.

As soon as he reached Hearthome City, Bai Shi headed to the tournament venue and completed his registration.

He received his contestant number from a staff member.

"I'm number three?"

Looking at the number on his card, Bai Shi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

As its name suggested, the Double Battle Tournament required two Pokémon Trainers to compete as a team.

Teams would be randomly assigned by computer on the tournament's opening day.

The computer would randomly pair two contestants, regardless of their numbers, into a team.

Then, based on the number of contestants, the teams would be divided into several groups.

They would battle the other teams in their group.

This would continue until the final winner emerged.

From start to finish, the Double Battle Tournament would last three days.

Neither its scale nor its atmosphere could be compared to the small competition Bai Shi had previously entered in Sandgem Town.

For Bai Shi, who had never taken part in a tournament like this, it was a rare experience.

After receiving his number, Bai Shi did not leave right away.

Instead, he shamelessly asked the staff for information.

And he actually managed to learn a few useful things.

To prevent too many Pokémon Trainers from entering, the organizers usually limited the number of contestants to thirty-two.

As soon as registration reached that limit, they would close it immediately.

In other words, spots in the Double Battle Tournament were first come, first served.

Anyone who wanted to compete would do well to register early.

"Good thing I arrived a few days ahead of time. Otherwise, I might not even have gotten to compete."

Bai Shi could not help feeling relieved when he learned this.

All those days of frantically pedaling his bicycle had not been for nothing.

If Bai Shi had arrived a little later, he might have been relegated to the spectator stands.

Naturally, he would also have lost his chance to compete against Paul.

Moreover, the number each contestant received was directly tied to when they registered.

The earlier they registered, the lower their number would be.

The fact that Bai Shi had received number three proved that only two people had completed registration before him.

Bai Shi therefore figured that Ash and his friends had probably not yet arrived in Hearthome City.

Otherwise, he would not have received such a low number.

"My entering the Double Battle Tournament shouldn't affect the original plot too much, right?"

Bai Shi held his number card and spoke with some concern.

In the original plot, Ash and his friends, as well as Paul, had all entered the Double Battle Tournament.

But only thirty-two Pokémon Trainers could compete.

Who knew whether his presence might squeeze Ash or one of the others out of a spot?

That could leave some unlucky member of their group unable to register for the Double Battle Tournament.

"Knowing Paul's personality, that probably won't happen to him."

"Ash and his friends are always getting into some kind of trouble, though. It's hard to say with them."

"They'd better not miss registration because they arrived late or something."

"I still want to trade blows with them at the tournament!"

Bai Shi did remember some of the Double Battle Tournament's plot.

But asking him to recall the numbers Ash and the others had received was a bit much.

He could only hope they would be able to enter without his presence affecting them.

"Thirty-two people will be entering the Double Battle Tournament."

"The odds of me ending up on Paul's team are tiny."

"As long as I don't get a teammate who drags me down too badly, I'll be satisfied."

The reason Bai Shi had entered the Double Battle Tournament was to battle Paul.

He wanted both to show what he could do and to demand an explanation for the Staravia Paul had abandoned.

Naturally, he did not want to end up on the same team as Paul.

"Zangoose has already gotten very proficient with its high-speed Crush Claw."

"Staravia also learned Air Slash recently."

"With those two Pokémon, I should be able to put up a decent fight."

Bai Shi touched the Poké Balls at his waist, looking quite confident.

With his current strength, surely he would not rank dead last among the thirty-two contestants?

For this Double Battle Tournament, Bai Shi planned to use only Staravia and Zangoose.

The slightly weaker Dunsparce and the mischief-prone Stantler would remain on the bench, ready in case anything unexpected happened.

This was also the main reason he had put Staravia and Zangoose through such intense special training lately.

"There are still a few days before the Double Battle Tournament starts."

"They've worked hard through all that training."

"Since I have some free time, I might as well take the Pokémon out for a feast!"

"I can worry about the Double Battle Tournament later."

Back in Oreburgh City, to encourage his Pokémon to work hard at mining, Bai Shi had made them a promise.

He had promised to treat them to a feast.

The conditions and facilities there had been rather basic, and he had not wanted to settle for something halfhearted.

That was why he had been unable to fulfill his promise promptly, putting it off until now.

Now, he had finally reached a big city with fancy restaurants.

Of course, Bai Shi was going to make good on his promise.

So he made a point of choosing one of the finest restaurants in the city.

He took his Pokémon there, and they thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful meal.

After the feast, Bai Shi even made a special trip to a Pokémon massage parlor.

He booked a full-body massage package for each of his Pokémon as a reward for all their hard work in training.

"That was money well spent."

Seeing how relaxed and content his Pokémon looked, Bai Shi felt pleased.

Over the next few days, Bai Shi stayed in the city without a care, waiting for the Double Battle Tournament to begin.

As the days passed, the openings of the Pokémon Contest and the Double Battle Tournament drew closer.

The competitive atmosphere throughout the city grew stronger, and the streets bustled with activity.

Promotional posters for both events were plastered all over the streets.

Many Pokémon Trainers had gathered here to enter either the Pokémon Contest or the Double Battle Tournament.

Pokémon Trainers could be seen in practically every corner of the city.

They were making their final preparations for the upcoming competitions.

"If a local tournament is this lively, wouldn't the Lily of the Valley Conference be even more incredible?"

Having just returned from the training grounds, Bai Shi could not help marveling at the bustling streets.

He could scarcely imagine the spectacle on Lily of the Valley Island when the Lily of the Valley Conference was held.

"If I have time, I'll definitely visit Lily of the Valley Island."

Bai Shi quietly decided that whether or not he ultimately collected all the badges, he would go and join in the excitement of the Lily of the Valley Conference.