The lively call rang out across the square: "Trainer for water racing, sign up here!"
John followed the voice, weaving through the bustling crowd until he spotted the registration booth. But he wasn't in a hurry to sign up just yet. He knew better than to jump in blindly; first, he had to figure out the details. Most importantly, he needed to know the rewards—if they weren't worth his time, he wouldn't bother.
Grabbing a manual from the booth, John flipped through the pages to get an overview of the water racing event. Alto Mare's water races were divided into four levels: Rookie, Official, Talent, and Master.
"Seems like a pretty standard setup," John murmured, rubbing his chin. But what really mattered were the prizes. Rewards were the key to whether he'd take part.
He skimmed over the rewards for the first three levels: Rookie, Official, and Talent. They were decent but unremarkable. Even the first-place prize at the Talent level—one million Pokedollar in cash, a rare Pokemon egg, a rare TM, and evolution items—didn't excite him much.
"The rare TM is kind of interesting," John mused, "but nothing else stands out."
The real draw was at the Master level.
First place in the Master's competition boasted a staggering five million cash prize, a random Mega Evolution Stone, and the prestigious title of "Guardian of Water." Second place offered three million, a high-tier Pokemon item, and a rare evolution stone. Even third place was lucrative, with a million cash and an advanced Pokemon item.
"Now that's more like it," John said, his eyes lighting up. The Mega Stone alone was enough to pique his interest.
But there was a catch. These competitions weren't easy to enter. The Rookie tournament was held weekly, the Official monthly, the Talent quarterly, and the Master annually. Only the top three finishers in each level could advance to the next. In theory, a skilled trainer could rise through all four levels within a year if they timed it right—but the difficulty of such a feat was obvious.
"The Master's tournament is in August, during summer vacation," John noted. That gave him nine months to prepare. But since he wouldn't be staying in Alto Mare long, he considered starting small—perhaps with the Rookie class.
Unfortunately, the weekly Rookie competition had already concluded earlier that morning. He'd have to wait a week for the next one.
As he stood contemplating, the man at the registration desk called out to him. "Trainer! Are you interested in the Tour de Alto Mare?"
John blinked. "Tour de Alto Mare?" He glanced down at the manual but found no mention of it.
"Here, take a look," the man said, pointing to a board at the booth.
In bold letters, it read: "Tour de Alto Mare." Beneath it was a brief description. This competition was aimed at tourists, and winning it earned the coveted "Alto Mare Medal of Excellence." In terms of prestige, it was on par with the Master's championship trophy.
"Tour de Alto Mare and Master's tournaments both held once a year," John murmured. "And this one's in two days."
It sounded promising, especially since the medal would make a fine addition to his growing collection.
He turned his thoughts to the Water(Dark)-type Pokemon he'd use. His Greninja was the only Water-type he had seriously trained.
"Should be fine," John reasoned. He remembered seeing a Totodile racing effortlessly along the riverbank earlier. If a Totodile could manage it, surely his Greninja could.
With that decided, John needed one more thing: a racing boat. There were several shops near the registration area, so he picked one at random.
The prices, however, made him wince.
A standard racing boat cost 20,000. A competition-grade one was 50,000. And the luxury model? A whopping 200,000. Rentals were slightly more reasonable at 200 per day for standard and 500 for competition-grade. Still, the overall cost was steep.
"These prices are outrageous," John muttered. "Especially that luxury model... it's clearly for the rich."
But as luck would have it, John was rich.
"Luxury racing boat, it is," he declared. "Two hundred thousand? Pocket change."
He chose a sleek black model with golden wave patterns. The boat's lightweight yet durable design impressed him, and the built-in foot straps promised stability. The store even threw in two specially designed ropes for securing Pokemon during the race. The shopkeeper patiently demonstrated how to tie the ropes in a way that wouldn't hinder the Pokemon's movement while maximizing speed.
Before leaving, the shopkeeper handed John a pair of gloves. "You'll need these," he said. "Wouldn't want the ropes to blister your hands." Judging by their quality, the gloves alone were worth a small fortune.
Fully equipped, John was eager to test his new gear. Unfortunately, it was already evening. Racing boats were prohibited from speeding through the city's narrow waterways after dark. Even the public ferries had ceased operation for the night.
"Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow," John sighed, packing everything away.
He headed to the nearest Pokemon Center, treating his Greninja to ensure it was in top condition for the upcoming race. Logging off for the night, he began to strategize for the thrilling days ahead.