171: Komoda City, Gym Tournament

Central Park, Komoda City.

There was a large crowd gathering in Central Park of Komoda City today. Hisoka stood among them while listening to the excited people talking about the gym leader qualification test.

Yes, today was the day the gym leader qualification test was going to be held. Interestingly, he found out that the previous gym leader of Komoda City had been arrested for colluding with Team Rockets. Currently, that person was spending his life sentence in prison.

As a result, the gym leader position of Komoda Gym had been vacant for many years. And because of its strategic location, many people have been competing with each other for the gym leader position. Who wouldn't want to be the gym leader of the third largest city in Kanto, after all?

After years of wrangling, the President of the League, Charles Goodshaw, finally made a decision to issue invitation letters to many elite trainers with outstanding strength and outstanding reputation in Kanto to participate in a tournament to determine who would become the new official gym leader of Komoda City.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!"

Suddenly, a large Pidgeot landed in front of them, causing the dust to stir up. A tall man in his thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, jumped down from the Pidgeot and put it away. He looked quite elegant in his white suit.

"Let me introduce myself first."

Said the man loudly.

"My name is Yukimura, and I am one of the officials of this tournament. Some of you may already know me, but for those who don't, I am also one of the Chief Officers of the Kanto Region."

"Now, please line up and enter the park in turn. By the way, the is a Pokemon Academy in this park, and the students are in class now, so keep it down, alright?"

Yukimura spoke in a gentle manner.

Hisoka, along with the crowd, followed Yukimura as they walked along the path in the park. In the surroundings, there were all kinds of berry trees.

The commotion created by the crowd also startled the Pokemon hidden in the park. The Pokemon gathered on the sides, watching them with a curious look. It didn't seem they were afraid of them.

Hisoka discovered that in addition to some of the native species of Kanto, there are also many Pokemon unique to the Johto region, such as Hoothot, Murkrow, and Heracross.

"What kind of Pokemon is that? I haven't seen it before."

A voice of a girl in the crowd suddenly rang out. She was pointing to a tree.

Hisoka turned to where she was pointing and found several birds with dark blue, white, and red feathers perched on a branch of a tree. The red crest on their chest was shaped in a V letter. Their tail also looked somewhat V-shaped, very similar to a swallow.

"They are called Swellow and came from Hoenn."

A young boy with fair skin and black hair answered the girl's question. He was wearing a yellow cap, a red and white hoodie, yellow shorts with black sides, and a pair of black shoes.

'Huh? Isn't that Jimmy?'

At first, Hisoka just gave the boy a casual look when he realized the boy looked somewhat familiar. When he took a second look, he finally recognized him.

He remembered that the boy, Jimmy, was the champion of the last Johto League Conference. Many people said that Jimmy was a genius Pokemon trainer, and more importantly, he was just fourteen years old. Truly amazing.

After everyone's interest had worn off, they continued to walk through the park until they reached a large lake.

An old man and a woman were already waiting there.

The old man had balding, blue hair. He was a portly little man with a lab coat.

Meanwhile, the woman with the glasses was lithe and curvy. She had brown hair and was wearing a black suit with a pair of black boots. She also sported a pair of gold earrings.

Yukimura's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went to them after telling everyone to wait.

"Hey! Isn't that Miss Lorelei?"

"Yes, that's her!"

"Is she going to host the tournament?"

Seeing Yukimara talking with the two people, the crowd quickly recognized the beautiful woman as they discussed in hushed tones. She was Lorelei, the Ice Mistress and a member of Kanto Elite Four.

Shortly afterward, Yukimura returned to the crowd, along with Lorelei and the old man.

"Hello, may I get everyone's attention? This is Lorelei, a member of Kanto Elite Four, and this is Professor Westwood V. They are invited by the League to be the assessor of this tournament."

After a simple introduction by Yukimura, Lorelei raised her legs and walked in front of the crowd, who was gazing at her. Being so close to her, everyone could feel the air of confidence around her.

"Welcome to Komoda City Gym Tournament. Each and every one of you is an Elite Trainer that was selected by the League after careful inspection. I'm sure you already know why we are here today. The gym's existence is not only to nurture excellent trainers but also to maintain public security. So a gym leader must have a certain level of strength..."

Lorelei's speech was very brief. The gym leader tournament in Komoda City was basically a closed competition, so there would be no reporters or the media. Only the students in the academy, including the teachers, were allowed to watch the game as spectators.

The tournament would be held for three days. During this time, no one was allowed to leave the park. Accommodation and food would be provided by the League for free.

Seeing the crowd starting to stir, Lorelei clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention.

"I have told you all the rules. The tournament will officially start at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Gather here one hour earlier. You have to register first so we can match you with your opponents."

After saying that, she turned to Yukimura on the side.

The two looked at each other and nodded. Yukimura then took a step forward and faced the crowd.

"Okay, now the staff will lead you to your rooms. Please be quiet. The students are still in class now. There are a few more things I want to add. You can use all the training facilities in the academy. Just make sure to take good care of it. The canteen is open from six in the morning until nine at night. You can bring all of your Pokemon to the canteen. That's it for today. You are dismissed."