Registration
Indigo Plateau Stadium — Player Registration Office.
Sam spent over half an hour walking there and another full hour in line before it was finally his turn.
"Please show your ID."
The registrar extended her hand.
Sam handed over his Pokédex.
The moment she saw the red device, she looked slightly surprised. Among the many participants of the Indigo Plateau Conference, very few actually possessed a Pokédex issued by Professor Oak.
She began verifying the information:
"Sam. Resident of Pallet Town. Received Bulbasaur from Professor Oak's Laboratory…"
After confirming everything, she nodded.
"This is your competition profile. Your match time and venue can be checked through the official Indigo Plateau website."
"Understood."
With that, Sam completed registration.
---
An Unexpected Encounter
As he stepped outside, hunger finally caught up with him.
He was about to leave for food when a familiar figure caught his attention.
Waist-length silver hair.
Sapphire-like eyes.
A tall, flawless figure and pale skin that drew attention effortlessly.
But Sam wasn't staring because of her beauty.
He recognized her.
Karen.
The future Elite Four member specializing in Dark-types.
According to what Sam knew, after Lorelei and Agatha stepped down, Karen would take one of the vacant Elite Four seats.
"Little brother, staring at someone like that isn't very polite," Karen said with a teasing smile as she approached.
If this had been a year ago, Sam might have been flustered.
Now?
His composure didn't waver.
"I'm just surprised to see the famous Miss Karen here."
Karen blinked slightly.
"You know me?"
Sam didn't answer directly. Instead, he smiled.
"Are you here for a Masters invitation too? With Elite Four seats opening up, it's only natural the competition would get interesting."
Karen's expression cooled slightly.
"Who exactly are you?"
But Sam merely waved casually and turned away.
Behind him, Karen watched thoughtfully.
"This Indigo Plateau Conference…" she murmured with a smile. "It's more interesting than I expected."
---
Morning of the Match
The next morning.
7:00 AM.
The alarm rang.
Sam opened his eyes, silenced it, and sat up slowly.
Today was his first match.
Yesterday's opening ceremony had nearly turned into chaos thanks to Team Rocket. Fortunately, Moltres had still been successfully lit to symbolize the start of the League.
Sam couldn't help but wonder about James' background. Causing that kind of disturbance at the Indigo Plateau Conference and walking away unharmed?
His family influence was clearly deeper than it seemed.
But that wasn't today's concern.
"Time to wake up, Dratini."
The small dragon stirred sleepily. Apparently, it had stayed up late watching television with Lapras.
"Dratini."
With some gentle urging, it finally rose.
Sam opened the curtains.
Sunlight flooded the room.
The gem on Dratini's chest sparkled brilliantly in the light.
The Dragon Gem.
A reward from the Mewtwo mission.
Several of Sam's Pokémon had traces of dragon blood—Charizard, Gyarados, Aerodactyl—but after careful thought, he gave the gem to Dratini.
Training a pseudo-legendary Pokémon required immense time and resources.
Without help, evolving into Dragonair could take three to five years.
Sam didn't have that kind of time.
With the Dragon Gem, Dratini's growth speed would accelerate dramatically.
If luck favored him—
It might even evolve during this Indigo Plateau Conference.
That would be ideal.
---
Water Field
His match was scheduled for 10:00 AM.
Venue: Water Field.
Half home-field advantage for Dratini.
"Let's start strong."
---
The Stadium
By the time Sam arrived, the stands were already packed.
Even the preliminary rounds had full audiences.
The noise was overwhelming.
This was his first time competing in such a massive event, and the atmosphere felt different from ordinary Gym battles.
After squeezing through the crowds and entering the player lounge, the noise finally softened.
He exhaled.
There were multiple lounges for participants. No familiar faces here—Ash, Gary, and Karen must have been assigned elsewhere.
Sam found an empty seat and sat down.
He closed his eyes.
Breathe steady.
Mind calm.
In less than an hour—
His first Indigo Plateau battle would begin.
And this time,
There would be no room for mistakes.
---------------Author---------------
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