*Note: The Pokémon League official begins! This is a very big Pokémon League with a lot of action. I spent like 3 months to write it and think about the rules, battles, etc... These are the best chapters I made in my entire life and all the rules are well explained and that's not all, I prepared a few surprise to make this Pokémon League more immersive. The first surprise is in the Chapter 117. Enjoy this wonderful and exciting Pokémon League with a lot of surprises! Unfortunately, these surprise are for Patreon members only so if you want to know about them... suscribe to my Patreon! Link at the end of the chapter.
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"Don't overthink it. When I was young I did some favors for certain important people and now I've cashed in a few of them. That's all," Spencer said quickly.
From the look on Ash's face, anyone could have guessed what he was thinking, but… the truth was that Spencer hadn't lied. At least not entirely. Of course, he had never gotten involved in anything illegal.
"Alright. Thank you very much," I nodded.
Yes, he's right. Whatever he did, Spencer doesn't seem like a bad person, so doubting him was disrespectful on my part.
"No need to thank me. We're family after all," Spencer said, brushing it off.
Ash didn't give those words much importance. He thought Spencer said it because Molly saw him as an older brother and vice versa, and because their families were very close. He could never have imagined that Spencer's words hid something more — something he would never have guessed no matter how smart he was.
"Alright," I nodded.
"Excellent. Now enjoy the time you have left. We'll be heading to Indigo Plateau soon and you need to be well-rested. I suggest you don't train during the time you have left. Just rest and prepare mentally for what's about to come," Spencer said.
"Yeah, you're right," I nodded.
There was one week left until the start of the Pokémon League and honestly I had already trained enough, so I would use these two weeks to rest.
"Right, before you go I almost forgot to give you this," Spencer said.
Then from his other pocket he pulled out a bracelet and a pendant, both with a round slot in the center.
"I took the liberty of getting accessories for your Charizard and Lopunny. A pendant for your Charizard that fits its body perfectly and a bracelet for your Lopunny so it doesn't interfere with any of its movements," Spencer said.
Wow, he really thought of everything.
"Thank you very much," I said.
"I already told you, no need to thank me. We're family," Spencer said, downplaying it.
After this conversation, I spent the rest of the day with Molly.
…
Time flew by and soon the moment arrived. Two days before the start of the Pokémon League, on Friday, all participants had to be there the next day — one day before the League began, for the presentation, explanation of the rules, etc. That day would only be for explaining everything clearly to all participants, as well as holding the draws to see who would battle whom in the preliminaries, so that the actual matches could take place the following day.
With that said, that same day we got up early in the morning, ready to head to Indigo Plateau and… we weren't exactly a small group. This time, our group — which used to be just three people — had multiplied. It included me, Celeste, Roxanne, Molly, my mother, Celia, Spencer, Professor Oak, Koharu, Talia, Giselle, Joe, Aurora (Celeste's grandmother), and Naria and her grandfather, whom we ran into at the airport by pure chance.
Let's talk about Giselle and Joe. Both were coming not just as spectators but as participants. Yes, as expected, Giselle had passed all the necessary exams to participate in the Pokémon League. According to the law, she qualified to enter the Pokémon League even without a single Gym badge. Still, thanks to her excellent grades, everyone at school knew that this year Giselle would participate in the Pokémon League. The biggest surprise, however, was Joe.
After Ash left and Giselle's attitude changed… Joe also changed. He went from being the worst student at Pokémon Tech to the second best, only surpassed by Giselle. And although his grades weren't as good as Giselle's, he also qualified to participate in the Pokémon League. It was surprising how much he had changed in just a few months. But according to him, he had always had that ability — he just lacked the confidence to achieve his goal, perhaps because of Giselle's constant insults. But thanks to Ash making her change, he was also able to bring out his true potential.
As for Celeste's grandmother… it was obvious she was going to come. Unfortunately, Celeste's aunt had to stay at the Pokémon Center and couldn't come, but she said she would follow the entire Pokémon League on television, without missing a single minute, unless she had an emergency to attend to, of course.
And finally, Naria and her grandfather. It was pure coincidence that we ran into them, but also a pleasant surprise that Naria didn't hesitate to take advantage of. Since our last conversation, Naria had become much happier and livelier. The reason was that the video she uploaded of my battle, along with the photo with me, had gained a ton of likes and even followers. In short, she had taken her first step in the tough world of being a streamer.
The group this time was large, but that didn't make things awkward. Quite the opposite — everything felt more lively. The adults chatted cheerfully among themselves. At first Naria's grandfather seemed a bit uncomfortable, but that didn't last long. In just a few minutes he integrated perfectly into the group. In fact, he integrated so well that he even tried to flirt with Aurora. Since I didn't want to know anything about that, I simply focused on talking with everyone.
Normally the conversation could have gone in any direction, but not today. Today the only thing we talked about was the Pokémon League and how nervous those of us who were participating felt.
With that said, our plane soon arrived and set off for Indigo Plateau — the place where the Kanto Pokémon League would be held and the first Pokémon League I would participate in.
…
One hour later…
Despite what you see in the games, Indigo Plateau wasn't close. It was quite far from Saffron City — about an hour and a bit by plane, so we barely had time to get comfortable.
"Look, I can already see Indigo Plateau from here!" Joe said.
Immediately, we all hurried to look out the plane windows and saw it…
Indigo Plateau.
I had seen photos online, some short videos recorded from the entrance, and a couple of livestreams showing the area from outside. But from above it looked different. Much bigger. More serious.
It wasn't just a stadium lost in the middle of the mountains. It was as if they had built a small city around the tournament.
From the air you could clearly see the main stadium — enormous, white, standing out above all the other buildings. Around it stretched other lower structures, internal paths, open areas, and what appeared to be several secondary fields. I remembered reading that the preliminaries weren't all held in the big stadium. It made sense. With the number of participants who signed up each year, they would need more than one field to organize everything.
The official website explained it quite clearly: initial rounds reduced to three-on-three, spread across different fields around the plateau. Only when the best trainers remained would the battles move to the main stadium and be full six-on-six matches.
In theory, I knew it.
But seeing it in person was different.
When we landed and left the airport, the first thing I noticed was the noise. It wasn't a quiet murmur. It was the constant sound of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people moving in the same direction.
There were tons of people everywhere. Some carried six Poké Balls on their belts and walked with that mix of nerves and concentration that clearly marked them as qualified trainers. Others wore T-shirts with the League logo, caps with the name Indigo Plateau, or just normal clothes. Entire families with small children pointing toward the stadium. Groups of friends carrying banners. People who had probably bought their tickets online just to experience it.
Not everyone was there to compete.
Many were there to watch.
And that made everything feel so much bigger.
I remembered reading that the main stadium had a capacity for more than sixty thousand people. At the time it seemed like an enormous, almost exaggerated number. Now, seeing the amount of spectators already moving around the village even before the opening ceremony, I was starting to believe it.
Giant screens were installed at various points around the plateau. Official stores sold League merchandise. The main Pokémon Center had lines that wrapped around the corner. There were designated training areas, although almost everyone seemed too busy observing the atmosphere to actually focus on training.
After registering as a participant along with Giselle and Joe, we were given our official credentials and identification wristbands. Shortly after, the Pokédex showed the notification for the opening ceremony in the main stadium that same afternoon. Attendance was mandatory for all qualified trainers.
They also confirmed what I had already read: trainers had covered accommodation during the tournament. An assigned room for the duration of their participation and priority access to the Pokémon Center. Companions did not fall into that category, so they had to arrange their own accommodation in the village. Still, everything was well organized. You could tell this event had been running smoothly for years.
As we walked through the streets of the plateau, I noticed small details that weren't visible in photos. The real height of the stadium. The distant echo of sound tests. Flags waving high above. The constant flow of people entering and leaving.
On the internet it looked impressive.
In person… it was imposing.
It wasn't just the size. It was the feeling that all of Kanto was watching.
I had read the rules several times before coming. Preliminaries of three-on-three. Progressive reduction until the top sixteen. From there, full six-on-six battles in the main stadium. Official referees. Registered Pokémon. Changes allowed under standard regulations.
Everything was clear on paper.
But now it wasn't just a rulebook.
It was reality.
And for the first time I understood that I wouldn't just be battling another trainer.
I would be battling in front of tens of thousands of people.
And that completely changed the feeling.
While we were admiring the beautiful scenery before us, it was time to head to the stadium. So after saying goodbye to everyone, I, followed by Giselle and Joe, headed to the designated area in the message that had arrived on our Smart Rotoms.
At first glance, an incredible scene greeted us. In the middle of the gigantic battlefield there were dozens, no, hundreds of Pokémon Trainers, all talking — some in groups, others alone.
"So many people…" Giselle said, impressed.
"According to what I've read, a total of 256 participants compete every year, no more, no less," Joe said.
"And what happens if more than 256 participants register?" Giselle asked.
That's true. I remember that in the anime exactly 256 trainers participated, but… what happened if someone else signed up?
"That can't happen, because once 256 participants register, registration closes," Joe explained.
"Still… what about Pokémon Tech? I mean, we can't know if we're going to participate until we take the exams," Giselle said.
True.
"Didn't you know? Since Pokémon Tech is a somewhat unconventional way to become a Pokémon League participant… the Kanto government only reserves 2 spots for Pokémon Tech students. Spots that have been taken by us," Joe explained.
"Huh? Every year? But we're the first ones who have managed to qualify for the Pokémon League," Giselle said, confused.
"Yes, the first in the Kanto region, but… didn't you know that the Pokémon Tech of Kanto and Johto share spots? The reason you've never seen anyone from our school participate is that until this year, the spots had always been taken by the Pokémon Tech from the Johto region," Joe said.