Okay this one will end at a weird place but I would have stopped it earlier if I didn't added some more of it.

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Eric and Kirlia arrived to where Eric and Emily stayed last night and as a surprise Emily was still there waiting for them, she finished packing both tents and as Eric got closer she tended his stuff to him. Eric placed it all back in his backpack, thanking Emily to have waited for him as he had to go heal Kirlia. Emily said that it was nothing and asked Eric that she wanted something in return but that it could wait until they were in Starrock City but before that she had to thank another one. She turned toward Kirlia and thanked her as she saw that note Kirlia left with the pokeball. They finished packing and Eric called back Kirlia into her Wish Ball before they continued their trip toward Starrock City. Both faced trainers on their way, Eric even faced one that asked for a one on one battle where Eric decided to test Growlithe for the first time. Eric called him out and Growlithe came out… asleep. The other trainer took advantage and ordered his Spinarak to use Poison Sting until Growlithe fainted. Eric just after losing called back Growlithe and not knowing why Growlithe came out asleep asked Emily if she knew what just happened. “Told you Eric, Growlithe is really hard to train and even when you arrive to train it, they sleep when they want and won’t even budge even if their trainer tells them to.” Emily answered. Eric then thought of how he would be feeling if this would happen during a contest. He then had made his choice and after healing it back to full health he would trade it in hopes of not receiving another one in return. After a while and facing other trainers Eric and Emily finally arrived at the gates of Starrock City.

Eric and Emily went straight to the pokemon center and healed their pokemon before getting out of the center. Emily as they got out remembered Eric about what she wanted, a two on two duel with him, but it can wait after the contest. Eric accepted the duel, but first he said to Emily that he had something to do in the world linked trading house first and would join her after that in the registration office for the Starrock City Pokemon Contest, Emily told Eric that she would go ahead to the big building in the Eastern part of town where they took the registrations. Eric went ahead and entered the building next to the pokemon center where all trainers around the world can offer pokemons up for trade for any other one. As he entered the house he saw the row of trading machine and sat at one… He checked the offer for Growlithe a little and even if he saw numerous trades none was interesting. He then decided to go in the random trade one and sent his Growlithe to some unknown trainer from somewhere and received in return a pokeball. Eric impatient to see what he received in return for his Growlithe went out and as he wished that this pokemon was something cute and trainable said out loud as he held the pokeball over his head: “Come on out!!” The mysterious pokemon came out and a cream colored pony looking pokemon with a mane and tail made of red flames came out. “What is that pokemon?” Eric asked as he pointed out his pokedex toward it and the pokedex answered with his usual voice: “Ponyta, the Fire Horse Pokemon. A Ponyta is very weak at birth. It can barely stand up. Its legs become stronger as it stumbles and falls while trying to keep up with its parent while running in the fields all day.” Ponyta came toward Eric and Eric saw something dangling out of Ponyta’s mouth, a piece of paper that Eric took and opened to look at it. A message was written on it. Eric read it out loud: “Please take good care of Ponyta, I sent it to trade as I am a Ponyta and Rapidash Breeder but I don’t have place for him anymore in my stables.” Eric then re-read it in his head and after some seconds… took his Pokedex again and said as he checked it: “Rapidash? What is that?” The Pokedex answered: “Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pokemon, and the evolution of Ponyta. Rapidash usually can be seen casually cantering in the fields and plains. However, when this Pokemon turns serious, its fiery manes flare and blaze as it gallops its way up to 150 mph.” Eric surprised about that pokemon: “Oh my… a Fire type for another Fire type, think I’ll need to try you at one time to see if you are like my old Growlithe.” Ponyta neighed as Eric called it back into his pokeball just before taking out to join back Emily who was waiting for him in front of the office.

As Eric approached Emily, she asked him what he had to do, and Eric answered that he traded Growlithe. Emily curious and afraid of what Eric had she asked which Pokemon Eric had in return. Eric thinking Emily asked that to be funny, he answered a “not telling until you see it”. Eric now at the side of Emily asked her that he was ready and they could go ahead and register with him in the contest. Emily stopped him as he was about to enter the three floor building. She told him that she already registered herself and came out to wait for him. Eric not thinking of it as a bad thing entered after asking Emily to come anyway and help him with the things that had to be done. Both trainers walking in and going straight to the counter where a big “Registration” was written above it, Eric asked the red-haired guy behind the counter that he wanted to register in this year pokemon contest challenge. The guy looked at him as he explained him that Starrock City was a 1 pokemon entered only for the contest and gave him a form to fill. Eric filled it and as he was approaching of that “pokemon entry” line, he thought about it for a moment on who to enter in it and finally decided to put on Shuixiao on the line of the entered pokemon. The guy at the counter took back the form and checked if it was filled correctly before adding it to the pile of sheets that were entered. He then said to Eric that the preliminaries to choose the 32 contestants would be in three days starting at 1 PM and to be sure to be there or an automatic disqualification would be the punishment for not showing. Giving Eric after that a suit of clothes telling him that there was the basic clothes offered to every new participants.

Eric surprised of that comment from the guy turned toward Emily and asked what are those preliminaries. Emily then went ahead and shown a flier to Eric as she explained that those were the rules and that to participate in contest that had more than 32 entries, there was a preliminary round where every trainer had to, in front of the judges, show that they were good enough to participate in the contest’s rounds. Adding after a moment that for the next three days they could do anything they want but to make sure not to miss that deadline for even one second in three days. Eric understanding now he kept the flier and decided to read it tonight to make sure everything was good with everything. Emily after explaining everything told that they should go and take a room in the hotel until the contest would start. Which they did and as they entered their hotel room they saw that it was more like a luxurious suite than a simple double beds room, two huge beds in separate rooms, each with a full bathroom and even a kitchen and a living room in their “room”. After preparing themselves, Emily asked if Eric was ready for their 2 on 2 duel now. Eric not surprised from Emily question was surprised about where she asked him… “Here? I doubt the owner of the hotel will be happy to see what we did in the room Emily.” Eric said… “not in the room silly, there’s a reason why I took the hotel instead of the Pokemon Center, there’s a special area in it where we can have duels, they have about every possible field as options too.” Emily answered after being able to hold her chuckling from what Eric said before. Eric feeling a little dumb as he learned this told her that he was ready anytime now.

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