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 [i]swoosh[/i]ed 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.