The Pilgrimage

The competition, called the Champions' Pilgrimage, is based on an old legend about the formation of the country. To commemorate this legend, a competition is held every 8 years, open to people aged 17 to 24 (the ages of the heroes). It's all very traditional, sort of a rite-of-passage kind of thing. Entry is not mandatory, but is extremely common (most teams just do one route, then drop out afterwards).

The rules of the tournament are that people compete in teams of four. Each trainer can start with a level 5 pokemon. The teams must then travel on foot to each of the five cities visited by the Heroes of Legend. While the teams are free to choose their own path from city to city, they must stop at certain landmarks on their way between cities. These landmarks are in less-traveled areas, so dealing with wild pokemon and nature in general is an issue.

In each city, there will be one person who has been chosen to represent that town's legendary patron. They'r referred to either as "The Patron" or by the name of the particular legend. Each Patron will grant the team some sort of task or challenge that they have to complete. Once this is done, the Patron will give the team their Blessing, which is represented by a badge.

Collecting all the Blessings qualifies the team to be chosen for a final competition that determines what team are declared the Champions for the next eight years. Representatives are chosen based on who impressed each Patron the most, one by the royal family, one by popular opinion, and one by "fate" (lottery). Given three months to collect all the badges, completing it first doesn't give a real advantage (though some Patrons might think it's impressive).

Becoming a Champion is considered a huge honor and they become a household name for a while. Also, the team earns 100k (total, not per person), so it's not bad money.

Patrons and Legends

 * Argylle: The Blessing of Conviction, granted by Reshiram and Zekrom
 * This granted for free at the start of the Tournament, and as such the town's patrons (always two members of the royal family) do not need to be challenged.
 * Newport: The Blessing of Ingenuity, granted by Uxie
 * Swansea: The blessing of Harmony, granted by Rayquaza
 * Caerwys: The Blessing of Sacrifice, granted by Xerneas
 * Glasbury: The Blessing of Fortitude, granted by Solgaleo
 * Pembroke: The Blessing of Purity, granted by Jirachi