The city of Regala was, as would be expected of the capital of Sengun, a hive of activity even in the mid-morning. This was the first impression that Alix Pearce gathered as she walked out of the SailFlight building and onto one of the main streets of the city. All around her, people were stopping off at newspaper stands or cafés, catching up before heading to work, or just generally out and about. There were plenty of Pokémon Trainers nearby as well; Alix could pick out species of all types and sizes. One in particular caught her eye, a graceful Karagrin - a Flying-type Pokémon native to Sengun - sailing the skies.

She was almost immediately bumped aside by the many others who had followed her out of the building to go their separate ways. Kicking herself a little for zoning out, she approached a signpost topped with a sculpture of a sleeping Eevee. She studied the signs for a few seconds before finding the one pointing the way to Ilex Laboratories, and set off.

Five minutes later, she rounded a street corner and found three magnificent buildings lit up by the morning sun. First, the dominating feature of the vista: the Palace of Regala, home to the ruling King Paros and seat of Sengun government, bedecked with spires and statuary. Second, the skyscraper, Victory Tower, where the best and strongest Trainers gathered to challenge the Pokémon League. And last, the smallest of the trio, Ilex Laboratories. It would have been like any other research lab, were it not for the massive tree growing from the roof. The effect of seeing the three buildings together was definitely something. No wonder there was a photographer selling snapshots to tourists.

Alix pressed on, taking the road to the Labs. Up close, it was just as impressive as from a distance. Taking a moment to examine her reflection in one of the windows - she had to make a good first impression, and had chosen to dress in her best clothing for the occasion - she set some stray hairs back into place before making for the double doors, which swooshed open for her.

The Lab reception was a comfortable-looking room, with several seats around the place and a receptionist on duty. "Morning!" he called out as Alix approached. "You here for registration with the Professors?"

"Yep. Also to pick up a Pokémon I reserved. Name's Alix."

The receptionist consulted his computer monitor. "Redfern?"

A new voice answered that. "That would be me. Ato Redfern, also here for registrations." Alix glanced round to find a younger kid dressed in the style of a Pokémon Ranger, with a Poké Ball on his belt. He looked hardly older than fourteen, though that was the minimum age requirement for the Sengun League.

The receptionist tapped a few keys. "Right. Ato Redfern... there we go. Take a seat. And your surname, miss?"

"Pearce. Called from Eyria a few days ago."

More keyboard tapping. "Ah, there you are. Torchic and Pokédex on reserve. I'll give the Professors a heads-up, let them know people are arriving for morning regs. They'll want to wait for more Trainers to get here before seeing you all at once. Take a seat, and I'll let everyone know when they're ready for you."

"Alright, thanks." Alix chose a seat on the opposite side of the Lab from where the kid, Ato, had settled in. He'd let a Mareep out of the Poké Ball he carried and was busy preparing some form of snack for the Electric-type. Alix had to smile; it was rather cute.

The young woman with the dark skin shook the cobwebs loose off of her body as she stepped off of the huge Sail-branded airship that had just docked in Regala. Between the long and cramped boat journey from Castelia City to Port Fae, the long and frankly way too expensive cab ride from Port Fae to Spirivic, and then the airship ride from Spirivic to Regala, she had been doing a lot more sitting and laying still than she had been used to. Her right leg was feeling the effects of it and she reached down to rub at the weakened limb. As she did so, the young Petilil that she held in her arm scrambled up from the crook it formed to atop her shoulder, the Grass-type not a fan of being horizontal for survival reasons. While adjusting the brace, the woman grimaced slightly.

"Damn. My legs must have said screw sleep and went straight to hibernation. That's a long ass trip." She reached up onto her shoulder and steadied the nomadic Nina as she stood back up. "Thanks for not going too crazy on the whole thing, Nina. I know you're not the kind to stay still."

"Lillil! Petilil!" Nina seemed to appreciate the praise for her efforts.

Robyn surveyed the area outside of the station, and was immediately struck with a sense of deja vu. Regala seemed to be very similar to her hometown of Castelia, only if a king had gotten to make all the design calls. As she walked, she took in all the sights and sounds that were new to her, yet all too familiar. The names may have changed but the calls stayed the same. Street peddlers hawking their wares, frantic businessfolk trying to catch cabs that were already full, people telling other people the various holes in which they could shove their newspapers. She definitely wasn't homesick with this kind of action going on around her.

It wasn't hard to find the path to the Ilex Laboratories. The streets that led to the Palace nearby might as well have been paved with gold. It was like something out of the houses of the most egomaniacal of rap stars. And next door, of course, was the finish line for this little quest. The massive tower that spiraled into the sky like Robyn used to...would soon be doing again. Victory Tower was the final level for this challenge, but clearly she was not ready for the big time yet. Nina was small, yet to be in a real battle, and...completely lost in her own little bulby head. Swaying in Robyn's arms to a beat only she could hear. The headphone wasn't even dropped down for her. Maybe she's finally remembering her own tunes. Hopefully I can still teach her a fourth move...

Ilex Labs stood out as the only one with an actual tree on top of it. As defining features go, in a city of buildings it worked really well. As Robyn walked in past the swooshing double doors, the reception area again had a hint of deja vu to it. This feeling however was not as welcome as previous ones, as it harkened back to the reason why Robyn was doing this in the first place. She walked up to the receptionist, who was typing away at the computer he was working on. As Robyn plopped Nina onto the counter, he looked up.

"Ah, good morning!" He seemed chipper, and gave a quick look to the Petilil still bobbing on the table. "Here to pick up a Pokédex and take the League Challenge?"

Robyn nodded. "Yep, that's the plan! Me and Nina gonna kick ass!"

Nina perked up upon hearing her name and smiled. "Lillil!"

"That's what we want to hear!" He turned back to the screen. "And your last name?"

"Springs."

It took a second for the receptionist to find her application. "Excellent. Have a seat over there and the Professors will be calling you in with some of the others."

Robyn nodded again and picked up Nina, heading over to a second where a couple other people were waiting. A young kid, and another girl about her age. She gave a slight wave as she gingerly set herself and Nina down, awaiting their journey's official start.