Pokémon Court

Chapter 65: Hearthome Conference

“That place seems to be noisy,” Terrance muttered to himself.

After parting ways with James, Terrance wandered aimlessly.

James was very reluctant to say goodbye. It was rare to find someone of the same age with whom he can get along so well, but it wasn’t something he could change…

He needed to return to the hotel before his parents came back, and Terrance clearly wasn’t going in the same direction.

Regretful separation, waiting for the next reunion.

…

…

Although Hearthome City is said to be a huge commercial center, Terrance wasn’t satisfied because he couldn’t find a single decent large department store.

It seems that to buy the things he needed, he could only set his sights on Veilstone City.

The Veilstone Department Store there was reputed to be the best and largest department store in the Sinnoh region.

Terrance looked around as he contemplated his next move.

As he walked toward the source of the commotion, a flustered girl called out to him.

“Excuse me…”

“Could you tell me where the registration counter for the Hearthome Conference is?” A girl asked. She had teal-coloured twintails, and was dressed in a white tracksuit, appearing flustered.

“Could it be… I’ve already missed the registration time?” When she said this, the girl showed a worried look.

“The Hearthome Conference?” Terrance was slightly surprised.

“The Pokémon Contest, right?”

“Yes, yes, the Pokémon Contest!! The registration counter…”

“The registration counter is usually inside the venue, right?”

“If you’re looking for the Pokémon Contest’ venue, it should be to the north of Hearthome City. It’s in that direction, right next to Amity Square.”

“Ah… really? Thank you so much! I have to hurry over and register, so please excuse me.” The girl, overjoyed by the information, hurriedly ran in the direction Terrance had pointed out.

“Pokémon Contest Hearthome Conference?” Terrance hesitated for a moment.

It sounded quite intriguing.

Since he rarely has time to come out, why not give the Pokémon Contest a try? After all, despite doing coordination training for so long, he is still a complete Rookie Coordinator.

If he missed this opportunity, who knows when he will get another chance to participate in the Pokémon Contest?

“Let’s give it a try, my debut battle.”

“The girl just now seemed to mention that the registration time… is about to end, right? So, is the Pokémon Contest scheduled for tomorrow? That works, I can just stay in Hearthome City for one more day.”

Terrance, rarely interested in fighting, decided to participate in the Pokémon Contest, considering it as a form of entertainment.

As for the nervousness of his first competition? Terrance didn’t feel it.

Knowing yourself and your opponent is the key to victory. Whether it was research during his free time or him paying close attention during his time at Crown Academy, Terrance had learned a lot about Pokémon Contests.

In Terrance’s view, whether it’s the Hoenn region or the Sinnoh region, the level of Pokémon Contests is far inferior compared to competition like The Ever Grande Conference and the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Only Grand Festival is worth taking seriously.

Compared to a traditional Trainer, Coordinator is just a derivative profession, perhaps more likely to appear in front of the public than professions like Rangers, but ultimately it is still a derivative profession.

The mainstream in this world were the conventional battle Trainers.

However, Coordinator can also be considered the profession derived from Trainers with the widest audience appeal.

They also form a tremendously vast group, among whom are individuals capable of rivaling exceptional Trainers, such as the victors of the Grand Festival – Top Coordinators.

And this is precisely Terrance’s goal.

Perhaps, he could also try to dominate all regions’ Pokémon Contests and become a Pokémon Master.

…

The next day, Terrance, having successfully registered, arrived at the Pokémon Contest venue.

Registration for Pokémon Contests is relatively lenient. Events like the Indigo Plateau and Lily of the Valley Conference require challenging eight Gyms, earning Badges, and having the Gym Leader record the challenger’s Trainer ID data before participation is allowed.

In contrast, the Hearthome Conference doesn’t have such strict rules. As long as you are a citizen under the Pokémon League’s jurisdiction, you have the right to sign up for the competition.

The threshold for entry is much lower compared to traditional Trainers.

Next to Amity Square, countless Coordinators preparing to compete were here, practicing moves with their Pokémon.

Piplup, Shinx, Budew, Floatzel, Glameow…

Numerous Pokémon from the Sinnoh region were warming up with their Coordinators before the competition.

Until Terrance’s gaze fell on a Skitty.

By Terrance’s standards, this Skitty had beautiful fur with a natural shine, indicating not only good care but also good innate talent.

Especially when the Skitty opened its narrow eyes, the brilliance of intelligence in its pupils suggested its cleverness.

“That person—”

The Coordinator beside Skitty caught Terrance’s attention. On closer look, it was the girl who had asked for directions yesterday.

“Did you find the registration counter?” Terrance walked over and greeted her.

“Oh… you’re the person from yesterday,” the girl said in surprise.

“I owe you thanks for that. If it weren’t for you, I might have missed the registration time. By the way, I’m Abby, and this is my partner, Jhonny.”

“Abby… No need to be so polite, and besides, the registration deadline was eight o’clock. You wouldn’t have missed it no matter what,” Terrance replied. “I’m Terrance, and I also registered for this Hearthome Conference. Now, we’re opponents.”

“Oh… You’re a Coordinator too? That’s great! Please take care of me. It’s my first time participating in the Sinnoh region’s Pokémon Contest.”

“As I thought, judging from your accent, you’re from the Hoenn region, right?” Terrance smiled. Both Skitty and the girl’s appearance and accent gave him a sense of familiarity.

“You’re right…” Abby looked surprised.

“Hehe…Let’s get to know each other again. I’m also from Hoenn region,” Terrance said.

Next, Terrance tapped the Poké Ball at his waist. With a flash of red light, Beautifly gracefully appeared. It circled around and finally landed on his shoulder.

“And this is my partner, Beautifly.”

After saying that, both Terrance and Abby burst into laughter.

“From the look of you, I guess this isn’t your first time participating in a Pokémon Contest?” Abby asked.

“Well…” Terrance hesitated.

“Because you don’t seem nervous at all. When I first participated in a Pokémon Contest with Skitty, I was completely flustered. If Skitty hadn’t performed remarkably, I would have embarrassed myself that time.”

“I see. So, Abby is a veteran.”

“I wouldn’t dare say that, but I have already won a Ribbon.”

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