Standing inside the entrance of the Motostoke Stadium, Maiden was hit with a massive wave of nostalgia as he looked around. It was at this exact stadium where he witnessed his first Pokémon battle as a kid. He could remember sitting atop his father's shoulders in the stands to get a good look at the phenomenon that was Dynamaxing. 

        Of the two contenders he was watching, one stood out above the rest. He was a fairly tall youth with rugged features and a well trimmed goatee and mustache. Piercing emerald eyes stared his opposition down with determination that could move mountains. The massive elephantine Pokémon beside him had become bigger than anything young Aiden had ever scene. Aiden stared in wide-eyed wonder as the younger Chairman Rose gave the command for his prized Copperajah to eviscerate his adversary. 

        It had been a truly glorious sight to behold, and now, twenty years after that day, it was finally Aiden's turn to make his mark. And with Rookidee at his side, he was confident that they would be able to accomplish just that. Taking a deep breath, he strode up to the counter where he was to collect his uniform and badge ring. The employee behind the counter looked up from his computer screen and addressed him. 

        "Trainer ID please," said the employee while holding out his hand. 

        Aiden reached into his pocket and pulled out his endorsement letter and handed it to the man. 

        "Ah yes, Aiden! I have your things all ready to go," the man stated as he reached down and grabbed Aiden's premade uniform along with the badge circle. "Go ahead and put these on and then head to the booth over there to take your League Card photo to get your ID."

        Aiden took the items and blinked. His uniform had been premade? Aiden glanced down at the articles of clothing he'd been handed with a raised brow. They were the standard uniform but there was one thing that caught his attention that made him curious. A letter was attached to the uniform. Aiden headed to the locker room and set his stuff down so he could open the letter. 

       Aiden Warren,

        This letter is to inform you that your rent for your flat has been taken care of for next month. From here on out you will be given a dividend of ¥1,500 which will increase based upon your performance in battle. As you may have noticed, your uniform has your last name on the back and your preferred number of choice: Five. You are to wear this to all official gym battles. Good luck, 

        Your sponsor

        Aiden raised a brow at the letter in suspicion. Very few people he was acquainted with knew he liked the number five. His former boss and a few coworkers as well as his parents knew. He figured he'd question them later. For now, he needed to change. Sliding into his uniform, he tossed his clothes into the locker and stepped in front of the mirror to see how he looked. 

        I never imagined I'd be wearing one of these. I suppose dreams can come true after all...

        Aiden exited the room and made his way to the booth to have his picture taken for his League Card. Waiting for him was a woman dressed in a similar uniform to the man behind the counter. 
        
        "Ready for your picture?" she asked, getting her camera ready while he gathered his thoughts.

        "Sure, but I have a question first. Can my Pokémon be in the picture with me?" Aiden asked hopefully. 

        "Of course! just send it out and let me kniw when you're ready," said the camera woman with a smile. 

        "Thanks, this will only take a sec!" 

        Aiden released Rookidee from his ball, onto his shoulder. The little bird yawned and stretched his wings a bit before looking around and then facing Aiden. 

        "Look alive pal, we're getting our picture taken," Aiden informed Rookidee.

        "We are!?" Rookidee chirped, his head snapping toward the woman holding the camera, eyes widening. "You sure it's okay for me to be out? I mean, you told me you were the one who was gonna be on the card you mentioned."

        "Yeah, but this is our journey right? I want my card to have you in it. Now come on, smile for the camera would'ja?" Aiden replied.

        "Thanks Aiden, you're a pal. Wait wait wait! Gotta make sure they get my good side," Rookidee chirped, posing for the camera as the woman snapped the photo. 

        "Alright, perfect! Now if you'll just wait right there, I'll be right back with your official league card," the woman said excitedly as she walked over to what appeared to what was known as a Rotomi, a gray and red machine operated by a Pokémon known as Rotom. 

        After transferring the data from her camera chip to the Rotomi, she began tapping on the screen. Several minutes later, a card came shooting out of the slot into her hand. With a smile on her face, she returned to Aiden and handed him the card. It was a simple looking card with Aiden's name on the bottom right hand corner of the card while his number was on the bottom left. The background was a generic one with red, white and light blue stripes behind him and Rookidee. While it seemed rather plain, the pose they were in was something he liked. Aiden held out his hand while Rookidee perched on his fingers. 

        "Now that is one handsome bird!" Rookidee grinned, inspecting the card as Aiden held it up. "I mean, you look good too pal," he quickly added after clearing his throat. 

        "If you think this is cool, wait until you see what we can do with this later? I have a generic copy right now, but once I get some time on my hands, I can edit this and make it look a hundred times cooler. See, Rotomi have features that allow us the freedom to--"

        "Whoa, slow down there buddy! I can't keep up with all that mumbo jumbo. Keep it simple for me pal," Rookidee said nervously. 

        Aiden rolled his eyes and pointed to the machine. "Okay, here's the short version. I put this card inside that machine and it comes out looking cooler."

        "You mean I can look twice as cool?" Rookidee inquired, looking between the card and the machine in wonder. 

        "Sorta. It changes the background to whatever we feel like having so there's that. We can add effects to the card and make it our own. Like I said, we'll do that when we have time. Right now," Aiden paused, directing his attention to the sound of murmuring competitors gathering by the entrance to the pitch. "Come on buddy, it's time to head on in..."

        As Aiden walked over from the Rotomi to the crowd of trainers, he began to notice something he hadn't before. There was diversity when it came to the age of the contenders. It ranged from the legal age of ten all the way up to what appeared to be elderly folk. Recalling his conversation with his old boss, he realized that maybe he wasn't too old to be starting out if there were men in their sixties taking the challenge for the first time. A relieved feeling came over him as he stepped into th crowd. 

        "Hey Aiden, over here!" came the familiar voice of Hop from across the room, drawing Aiden's attention toward the purple-haired lad and his friend Gloria. 

        Aiden waved to the duo and received a wave in return. Hop looked more excited than a Yamper playing fetch with a Moo Moo Milkbone. Meanwhile, Gloria was doing her best to stay calm in spite of how excitable her friend was. Aiden's attention was drawn to an employee opening the doors to the tunnel that lead to the pitch. Thanks to the employees, everyone was ushered inside in an orderly manner so as to avoid any shoving that might take place. Once inside, there was a lot more room to move around inside the large tunnel. Hop and Gloria found Aiden and Rookidee fairly quickly. 

        "Isn't this exciting!? It's finally happening. I've always dreamed this day would come when the tale of my legend would begin," Hop exclaimed with a fire in his eyes. 

        "You're not the only one who's been looking forward to this day for a while... about fifteen years to be exact," Aiden admitted sheepishly. 

        "Fifteen years!? that's a long time to be waiting for something like this. What were you doing this whole time?" Hop asked bewildered. 

        "Collecting cards and waiting tables," Aiden said with a nervous laugh. "I could have started when I was ten, but I decided not to," Aiden shrugged. "I didn't feel ready back then..."

        "I can't imagine waiting that long. When I first got my Wooloo I wanted to go right away! Mum didn't let me though, so I had to wait until I was a little older. But now that I'm sixteen, and have another partner with me and an endorsement from my brother, I can finally chase my dream of becoming the strongest trainer ever!"

        "Oi, don't go leavin' me out of your lime light. I was endorsed by your brother too you know!" Gloria inputted hastily. 

        "Hang on, you mean the Champion himself endorsed you guys? that's awesome!" Aiden declared in surprise. 

        "Yep! And now we're gonna show the world what we're made of. What do ya say Aiden, wanna be our rival?" Hop asked, much to his surprise. 

        Hop extended his fist out toward Aiden and waited, a grin on his face and a spark in his eyes.

        A rival huh? I can't say I wasn't expecting to get one eventually. It's been said that friends are good to have on a journey, but a rival will push you to your limits. Looks like I'll be getting double that with these two...

        Aiden flashed them both a smirk and reciprocated the action, bumping fists with Hop who looked over at Gloria with an expectant look on his face. 

        "Oh, alright," Gloria sighed, shaking her head as she bumped fists with the two to complete their makeshift rivalry pact. 

        "Brilliant!" Hop exclaimed excitedly. "Let's do our best out there mates."

        Aiden nodded and looked over at Rookidee who nodded back at him. At that moment, he could hear the roar of the crowd getting louder as Chairman Rose introduced the gym leaders. As he finished up with the last leader, the crowd began to grow louder as if urging the trainers to come forth from the tunnel. 

        "This is it pal," Aiden said, taking a deep breath. "Time to go introduce ourselves to the world!"

        With that resolve in mind, the trio and the bird made their way toward the end of the tunnel until finally, they were in full view of the roaring crowds and flashing lights. The time had come for the world to know their name.