"Thank you..." Yellow began to blush again as she accepted the small oval-shaped box. "and don't worry, all four of us have lived in Kanto or close to it our entire lives so we know the culture," she told him when she took the chopsticks and showed him she knew perfectly well how to use them.

"Things will be a little different once we arrive in the Unova Region, though," Blue informed them. "But with a World Tournament like this there is bound to be a mix of a few different cultures so we shouldn't have to worry too much."

Green gave him a jab with her elbow and a wink. "and it looks like that might not be the only thing that's starting to mix... Red might start to fall behind if he isn't careful..." she giggled after noticing the way that Yellow had made it a point to sit beside Red while their new friend had taken the opposite side each time they had seen him.

Blue gave her an annoyed grumble and pulled away but Red just raised a eyebrow in confusion. Before he could say anything there was another blast from the Air horn signaling that the ship was now docking in Castelia City.

He smiles. "You should've seen the looks I got in Sinnoh when I used chopsticks to eat. I got asked what I was eating with several times." He stands up and places everything that isn't currently being used back into his bag before slinging it back into place on his shoulder. "Well, shall we go?" He picks up his suitcase and Yellow's suitcase as well, then he simply waits while the others stand up and grab their respective luggage.

Green giggled again when she noticed the special treatment Yellow was receiving once again while all four of them gathered the rest of their own baggage and began to follow.

Once they had exited the ship they were all greeted by the city's Gym Leader, Burgh, as well as the head of the Battle Company who was a sponsor for the World Tournament. "Some of your colleagues radioed ahead and told us about the trouble you had out at sea," Burgh explained when he saw Blue and he offered him his hand to shake. "The other Gym Leaders will be meeting on the top floor of the Battle Company's building to talk to this so-called Captain of yours. I and some of the Unova Gym Leaders will be joining the meeting as well while Geoff here will show your friends to their Hotel in Dirftveil City," he indicated the man standing beside him who looked more like a janitor than the head of a major company.

Blue nodded before joining Burgh as the two made their way down Mode Street while Geoff indicated for the others to follow him down Gym Street in the opposite direct that lead to Driftveil's Central Plaza.

As they're walking, he's looking around in amazement at all the sights, since it's his first time setting foot in a different region since he left Kanto the first time, and as he is, he hears a slight, girlish giggling. "Such a little kid! You'd think he'd never seen a city before!" A large Pokémon that is various shades of green with two tusk-like appendages sticking out of the sides of it's mouth walks up with her on it's back. "Haxorus." He takes in her appearance, noting her black hair, yellow hair accessories, her cream-colored top with pink trim, her pink waist sash, her cream-colored pants with a gold ring around the bottom of each leg, and her pink and white shoes with gold straps. "Oh, and who might you be that allows you to talk to me like that?" She smirks and rushes over to them. "My name is Iris, and I wanna be a Dragon Master!"

Geoff frowned slightly at her. "Iris, you shouldn't have wondered off. Drayden told you to stick close to me until we met up with our guests from Kanto so that we could all go to the hotel in Driftveil City together," he scolded. "But now that you're here we can be on our way."

He motioned for her to follow and, in spite of it's side, she directly hopped down from her perch on the Pokemon's back and turned a somersault in midair before landing on her feet before joining the group along with Haxorus.

They left Castelia City and took the most direct path to Driftveil City through the Relic Passage.

"I'm sorry that the town's Gym Leader, Clay, isn't here to welcome you himself since he's attending the meeting with the other Gym Leaders," Geoff apologized as they entered the city. "But I'm sure he would want you all to make yourselves comfortable and enjoy your stay here so feel free to tour the Marketplace or Lighthouse at your leisure, but for now, most of the other trainers from Kanto have already checked into their rooms," he continued as he showed them to one of a handful of hotels in the vicinity built exclusively to house trainers taking part in the World Tournament.

As soon as they enter, he releases Kihaku from his Poké Ball and keeps walking, Kihaku stretching as he follows. "I am Seishin Taiji, and I am in training to become an Aura Guardian. I would very much like to battle you when we get a chance, Iris. What say you?" He slides over so he is in between Yellow and Iris, but is still closer to Yellow.

"Fine, we'll battle once the Tournament begins," Iris gave him a smirk. "If you're really as strong as you say you are then we're bound to meet up in the Tournament anyway so we can make a game out of it: Whoever makes it the farthest is the winner and If one of us get taken out before we meet then they automatically lose; deal? Your friends here can even join in, too if they want," she offered.

Red and Green both nodded in agreement.

"It's a deal, but you should know that we're both finalists from the Kanto Pokemon league and Red here is even the reigning champion," Green said as she indicated him with a gesture of her thumb. "My name is Green, by the way. I specialize in Pokemon Evolution so all of my Pokemon have reached their highest evolutionary stages. Yellow won't be taking part in the tournament, but between the two of us and Seishin of us you should have your hands full. Not to mention our friend Blue, he's the strongest Gym Leader from our region," she explained as they approached the front desk to check in to their rooms.

He smiles widely and goes to check into his own room, then turns back to them. "To all of those battling, expect the unexpected. I am known back in Sinnoh for having a very unorthodox battling style. That is the only help you are getting from me in regards to the tournament." He turns to walk off to his room with Kihaku and bumps into a girl in white and pink baseball cap with a pink Poké Ball on the front, a black sleeveless vest over top of a white sleeveless shirt, short jean shorts with little white spiky pieces sticking off at the bottom, black boots with pink laces and soles, and brown curly hair, knocking her over onto her back and causing her head to hit the ground somewhat hard, so her vision blacks out for a second, and when it goes back to normal, he is crouched down next to her. "Are you alright? I'm sorry for bumping into you, but I wasn't expecting you to be there. My name is Seishin." He stands up and offers her a hand up.

Touko has been training for several days for up coming match with Clay. She was determined to win the match with flawless victory. She used the up coming tournament to her advantage during training. She would battle the trainers that were in Dirftveil City for tournament. She batted about 30 people and had a decent winning record.

Just a few days before the tournament Touko woke up one morning and headed to the dinning hall for breakfast. She sat down at a booth and ate a hardy breakfast. Today she was planning to take on Clay at last. She glanced out the window and smiled. It looked beautiful outside. No cloud in the sky! That was a sign for victory! Once she was full, Touko got up and headed over to the Dirftveil City gym. She had Yoru out of his poke ball. He was following right behind her and was anxious for the match.

"Yoru! We are so going to win!!" Touko spoke with pride. "Our training will surely pay off!"

The dark pokemon nodded his head in agreement.

When they arrived at the gym, Touko came to a halt. Before she could open the door, she saw a sign posted on it. She let a gasp of horror after reading it. The gym was closed!!! Clay was out for important meeting and it wouldn't be reopen until after the tournament. 

"This is not fair!!" Touko shouted and crossed her arms. She then turned to look at Yoru. "Nurse Joy said the gym would close on the day before the tournament! How dare he just closed ahead of time!? Surely he could open it back up, when he got back from this meeting!!"

Yoru just shrugged. Touko was just over reacting.

The pokemon trainer let out a sigh and said, "Might as well go back to the Pokemon Center. Maybe we can train for the tournament later day. Oh! That reminds me! I need to register!!"

Yoru slapped his head with his paw. He then gave her a look of disapproval.

"Hey! We were busy training for the gym! So don't give me that look!" She then dashed off and headed back the pokemon center. Yoru was trialing right behind her.


When she arrives to the pokemon center, she notices a lot people for the tournament were checking in for their rooms. She squeezed her way through the hoards of people and ended up getting bumped into. She fell to the ground and looked up. She a boy crouching beside her introducing himself. He then stood up and offer his had.

"I'm umm Touko," she replied. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. "It's fine I was in a hurry to go register for the tournament.. I really should watch where I am going."

Yoru caught up and was panting. He sat down the ground beside her to catch his breath. 

"So I should be the one saying sorry," spoke Touko again. She noticed Yoru was by her side again. "Yoru, glad you caught up. Let's go register." She then looked back the boy." It was nice meeting you, Seishin. I'm sure we'll see each other again. 

She then dashed over to Nurse Joy to sign up for the tournament.

He raises an eyebrow at the exuberant girl, then shakes his head, walks off to his room with Kihaku following close behind, and upon reaching his room, he sets his stuff down on the bed, then heads back down to the lobby to register. Upon reaching Nurse Joy, he smiles and nods when she asks if he would like to register. She hands him the form and he goes and sits down to fill it out. Once he finishes, he walks back over and hands it to Nurse Joy, who smiles and puts it in a stack with the rest of the filled out registration forms. "I wish you luck, Seishin-san!"

Once all four of the trainers from Kanto had received the keys to their respective rooms Geoff automatically escorted them out of the Pokemon Center to their respective hotel. "Don't worry, your registration for the Tournament itself has already been taken care of by the league and your rooms were preassigned. That was just a formality so that we know you've all arrived safely," he explained.

Blue Green and Yellow all gave their signs of understanding. Red nodded as well, though he had had only been half paying attention. He had been too distracted by the fact that Iris still seemed to be following them to the same hotel and continued to the same floor that had specifically been set aside for Gym Leaders and other VIP guests like on the boat. She, however, entered on of the first rooms nearest to the elevator.

"She's not a gym leader, is she?" Red asked as he continued to stare in confusion. Iris seemed to be even a few years younger than Blue had been when he became a Gym Leader.

"Of course not. Not yet, anyway," Geof chuckled. "She is, however, Master Drayden's top pupil so she just happens to be sharing a room with him. Its very likely she will one day become a Gym Leader, though."

Red nodded again to show his understanding before Geoff finally stopped and indicated two room across the hall from each other where they would be staying. The four would not have a conjoining suite this time, but the two rooms were still deluxe two-bed suites nevertheless. Once all four of them had set aside their luggage they automatically made their way back to the Pokemon Center to meet with Seishin again.

Once they enter, they see him and Kihaku tossing a ball of aura the size of a tennis ball back and forth across a 5 foot space to each other. Upon seeing them enter, he catches the ball and dissolves it, then stands up and goes to meet them, gesturing for Kihaku to follow him. "So, what would you guys like to do now?" Almost immediately after that and almost immediately in sync, both his and Red's stomachs growl, and he scratches the back of his head in embarrassment.

Blue let out a groan of annoyance and automatically looked over at Red. "Really?" he asked, but Red only made his own sheepish gesture at the sound his stomach had made.

"Well, it has been a while since we've all eaten," Green offered with a shrug. "Lunch wasn't served before we arrived this morning, so it might not be such a fine idea."

Yellow reluctantly smiled to give her own approval to the suggestion leaving Blue to groan again. "Am I the only one here with any self control?" he complained even though he was completely outnumbered.

"Then as long as we're going to eat, would you all mind if I made lunch for everyone?" Yellow asked, still with a bit of reluctance. "I feel bad to taking Seishin's food earlier and I also wanted to thank him."

"As long as you don't mind," Red gave his approval with a nod while both Blue and Green recoiled back almost fearfully. But before either could react, Yellow had already approached Nurse joy to ask for use of the Pokemon Center's small kitchen area.

He stares at them in confusion. "What? Is her cooking bad or something?" Before he can get an answer, Nurse Joy nods and points to where it is, so she comes back and grabs his and Red's hands before dragging them into the kitchen and seating them at the table, Kihaku silently following them.

Both Blue and Green slowly follow as Red and Seishin are dragged into the Pokemon Center's kitchen. After taking their own seats the four trainers all waited in a slightly grim anticipation while Yellow was still busy plating the last of the food.

After a short while she finally turned toward the others with a bowl in each hand filled with something that was a dull brown color that almost looked like dry cereal. Red glanced warily at Blue and Green who both winced slightly at the sight of the unidentifiable food. But rather than any of the four humans, Yellow instead offered the two bowls to Kihaku and Pika.

"I've been learning to cook from my Uncle lately and he's even been showing me how to make Pokemon Food, too," Yellow explained.

Pika looked up at his trainer cautiously until Red gave him a reluctant nod. Yellow would feel bad if the group didn't at least try her food. The Pikachu picked up a single pellet as Yellow turned again to retrieve the rest of the food and slowly began to nibble. After its first bites, Pika began to eat more rapidly in spite of the food's unusual appearance. It then paused briefly to call across the table to the Lucario, encouraging it to try the food as well.

Kihaku hesitantly reaches down, picks up a piece, eats it, and then starts to eat faster, although at a much more sedate pace than the Pikachu. He looks at the three of them. "He's used to eating berries, not Pokémon food, since that's usually all we have on hand when we're out in the field. I don't know how to make Pokémon food, so I just find some berries for him to eat. He particularly prefers Pecha berries, but will eat virtually any. I usually have a stock for him, but I ran out this morning and haven't stocked back up yet." Shortly after Pika finishes, Kihaku does the same, and sets the bowl down.

Yellow gave a nod to show that she had been listening, though her body was still turned as she finished plating the food for the five human trainers. "I see," she said.

"I was actually wondering if it might be list that for you since you made it sound like you travel around a lot. Red is the same way when he is out on Mt. Silver, so I thought you two might enjoy a warm meal prepared by hand," Yellow continued as she turned again and placed a plate full of food in front of Red, Green, Blue, Seishin and then finally a plate at the empty spot between Red and Seishin for herself.

Red was finally beginning to understand what Blue and Green had meant about Yellow's cooking skills. He couldn't even identify whatever it was supposed to be on his plate. He gave another reluctant look toward Blue while Yellow didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Well, go on," Blue smirked. "After all, you and Seishin are really the ones she went through all of this trouble for..."

He frowned back. Red picked up his utensils in an annoyed fashion then resumed his look of uncertainty when he looked back down at his plate. He really didn't want to hurt Yellow's feelings so their was no choice but to at least try it. 

Pika gave him an encouraging nod. It's reaction had been the same when it had seen Yellow's Pokemon Food, but it seemed to have liked it in the end.

Red finally closed his eyes and took his first bite. There was a pause. He then opened his eyes again and appeared to be smiling. "Hey, this doesn't taste bad at all, Yellow."

He shrugs and picks up his chopsticks before starting to eat, completely at ease, and he eats at a similar pace to Kihaku, making it obvious where the Pokémon gets it's eating habits, and once he finishes eating, he stands up, takes off his hat with his right hand, Kihaku follows suit, and the two of them both bow, their right hand/paw over the hearts. "Thank you for the delicious meal, Yellow-chan. I appreciate you feeding Kihaku as well." He stands back up, places his hat back on his head, and kisses the back of her hand lightly before releasing it.

"Uh... n-no, you don't have to thank me, I was just trying to thank you for what you've done to help me..." Yellow stammered, lowering her head in an attempt to hide her face which was turning an increasingly bright shade of red at the act of act of gratitude.

"And that's strike two..." Green began to giggle while Blue only sighed before the two finally beginning to eat her own food now that it had been deemed safe in spite of it appearances. 

"Hmm?" Somehow, Red felt as though this was directed at him, but he still didn't quite understand what she had been implying. But before he could even ask, Geoff entered the Pokemon Canter. Once he had spotted Blue he gave him a wave, asking for Blue to come with him.

Blue nodded back and began to stand. "It looks like the Kanto Gym Leaders and being asked to join the meeting," he said. "I'll be sure to let you know what the officials decided to do with that so-called Captain when I get back."

Once they all finish, he sees Kihaku's ears perk up, and closes his eyes, then opens them again with a smile, and walks over to the main part of the Pokemon Center, Kihaku following him. "Well, well, what have we here?" Upon his arrival in the main portion, it is revealed that both he and Kihaku sensed Iris's aura, and she turns around upon hearing his voice. "Well, if it isn't the little kid." Haxorus and Kihaku each lock eyes with each other and cross their arms, and you can almost see a lightning bolt going between the two of them. "Tell you what, Iris: If I can beat you in this tournament, you have to quit calling me that." She smirks at him. "And what if I win?" He turns to look at her. "If you beat me in the tournament, you can keep calling me that."

The four trainers from Kanto finished their own meals shortly after Seishin and Kihaku and were approached by Nurse Joy. "From the looks of things, I'd say everything turned out okay?" she smiled after noticing the empty plates.

"Yes, thank you for letting my use the kitchen and for all of your help," Yellow nodded. "But I still feel bad about the mess I made, do you need me to help you with any of the cleaning?"

"It's really no problem, but I would certainly appreciate the help as long as you're offering."

Yellow gave her a nod and followed Nurse Joy back into the Pokemon Center's kitchen after gathering all of the dishes, including the ones left by Seishin and his Lucario.

"You know, I think Yellow really just enjoys helping people. And with her healing abilities she might make a really good Pokemon Nurse," Green giggled as she and Red watched them leave before they both turned their attention back toward the front lobby just in time to see the end of the small skirmish between Seishin and Iris. 

"Looks like we might have to mediate again,"

Red nodded and the two both exited the booth they had been sitting in and made their way over to the front desk. "I wonder what happened this time..."

He smirks and walks over to the Haxorus before petting it lightly on the head. "I've trained with Dragon-types before, so I know how hard they can be to train. I hope you know that I respect your dedication to them." He removes his hand and walks back over to the group. "Don't worry, I wasn't arguing with her. I just went over to say hello and make a little bet with her, since both of us sensed that they were here." He gestures to his right with a hand at Kihaku.

"You both... sensed them? That has to do with 'aura' again, right?" Red asked with a glace toward the door where Nurse Joy and Yellow had disappeared. He wondered if this would be something that Yellow would eventually learn.

Before he could even ask, Blue re-entered the Pokemon Center along with Geof and a rather large, muscular man with white hair and an intimidating beard that almost looked like a jaw with large, pointed teeth.

"Grandpa Drayden!" Iris cried out happy, rushing to greet him. She jumped up and threw both arms around his neck to hug him while he caught her and returned the hug, holding her up with ease. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Drayden, the Gym Leader of Opelucid City. My Master!" Iris introduced him.

He nods to Red. "Yes, it does. And I will eventually be teaching Yellow how to use it in full. She already has a basic grasp of it." He turns to Drayden and bows formally. "Master Drayden, it is an honor to meet you. I will be battling Iris in the near future, so I hope that she is as skilled as a student of yours would be."

Drayden  gave a hearty laugh. "No need to be so formal, dear boy! After all, as a Gym Leader I'll be taking part in the tournament as well. You'll all eventually have to face me as well if you all make it far enough."

"But even if you all beat me, you'll never beat Grandpa Drayden!" Iris added, giving him another hug.

Red began to smile at the prospect of a strong opponent but his smile faded when his focused turned to Blue who had seemed to be in a slightly fouler mood that usual as soon as the group had entered. "So what happened at that meeting?" he asked.

Blue let an annoyed huff. "A slap on the wrist," he said.

Green and Red blurted out the shock simultaneously.

"Our so-called Captain claimed that he's taking part in the tournament too and that he was just trying to get a leg up on the competition." he explained. "It cheating, but there is still no way to prove what exactly he is going to do with the information he gathered on all of us and the rest of the passengers."