By the time Gary and Caitlin left the hotel, it was already afternoon. The sun hung lazily in the west, and dusk was deepening.
At the entrance to the Silver Conference's Competitors' Village, beneath the Poké Ball emblem, competitors stood in small groups, wailing.
"A year! I worked hard for a whole year, and they knocked me out in the very first round... boo-hoo..."
"My competitor dorm room! I only just got the key, and I have to get out tomorrow!"
"Hey, are you going to the opening ceremony tonight? Should I get us some group tickets?"
"No! Hell no! I'm not embarrassing myself like that!"
Young Master Mao sighed helplessly. Competitive events were that cruel; one wrong move could cost you everything.
All he could say was that winning and losing were part of the game. Better start over, young hero.
Caitlin curled her lip. "If you're bad, practice more. What's the point of all this howling?"
Several disgruntled looks immediately turned their way, only to hastily withdraw upon discovering a cute little blonde girl.
"All right, stop rubbing it in. Let's go." He took Caitlin to the official Pokémon Center.
On the enormous screen in the lobby, the forty-eight competitors who had advanced had already been divided into preliminary groups of three.
"Come on, milady. See if you can find me." Gary teased Caitlin lightheartedly.
"Let me see~" The girl smoothed her long golden hair and began searching the big screen intently.
"Oh! I found you!" Caitlin's eyes lit up as she pointed to the top. "Group A! That was really easy to find!"
Gary looked up in the direction Caitlin was pointing.
First in Group A: Gary Oak.
Second in Group A was a boy in ninja attire with half his face covered.
Last, in third