Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, Eichi didn't go out to train. Instead, he stayed in the living room to watch the live broadcast of the Indigo League.
Grandma Shi was cleaning the dishes, Grandpa Shi went out for a walk, and Eichi returned to his room to read.
Only Akira was left in the living room watching TV. Eichi had told him to call him once the event began.
He studied for about half an hour before hearing Akira shout from the living room.
Eichi knew the League League was starting. He set his book down, closed the door, and went downstairs.
When he arrived in the living room, Akira had already switched the TV to the Indigo League. The opening ceremony was underway.
Seeing Eichi come down, Akira said excitedly, "Brother Eichi, come quick, it's starting!"
Eichi nodded and released Scyther and Beedrill.
The two of them, along with their Pokémon, sat on the sofa and began watching the broadcast.
The Indigo League was the Pokémon League tournament of the Indigo League, held in the Indigo Plateau of the Kanto region. The main venue was the Indigo Stadium.
It was the only League tournament that allowed participants to qualify through multiple methods. In addition to collecting eight Gym Badges, Trainers could also enter by graduating from a Pokémon research school or by passing the Pokémon League certification exam.
The opening ceremony featured a sacred flame lighting ritual. The flame would continue to burn throughout the competition, symbolizing a prayer for the safety of Trainers and Pokémon. It was said that the sacred flame originated from Moltres.
In the anime, Ash had once served as the torchbearer.
After the opening ceremony, the official matches began. The first four rounds were three-on-three battles, held across four types of fields: Water, Grass, Ice, and Rock.
There were 256 competitors, and the arena for each round was determined by lottery. Contestants had to win consecutively to advance to the fifth round.
Why 256? Because that was the maximum number of participants allowed each year. If there were more, the event would take too long.
Therefore, the number was capped. Still, every year, more than 256 qualified. Aside from those who had collected eight Badges, there were also participants who got in through other means.
When there were too many, some of those alternate qualifiers were eliminated beforehand.
Starting from the fifth round, the matches used standard battlefields. From the Top 32 onward, each Trainer could still use three Pokémon, and matchups were decided by drawing lots.
From the sixth to the eighth rounds, beginning with the Top 16, Trainers competed in full six-on-six battles to enter the quarterfinals.
After the format explanation, the broadcast continued showing the Round of 256.
Because there were too many participants, several battlefields operated simultaneously, and the broadcast camera randomly switched between them.
At the moment, the match being shown featured a Butterfree and a Raticate.
Since it was a television broadcast, Eichi's King's Eye couldn't be used.
Still, judging from their aura alone, both Pokémon had clearly reached the Experienced tier.
It was said that the Indigo League had the highest overall strength among all League tournaments, and its prestige was extremely high.
Eichi quietly watched the match, while Akira kept shouting in excitement, jumping up whenever someone won.
Truthfully, none of the competitors were weak. Every Pokémon shown had reached the Experienced tier, some even the Elite level.
Among them, the Kanto starters appeared most frequently.
Almost every ten or so matches, one of the starters would show up.
Akira was filled with envy. He turned to Eichi. "Brother Eichi, they're all so strong! Oh, right, you're going to compete in the Indigo League too, right?"
Eichi replied seriously, "Yes, I will."
Akira asked, "Then when will you compete? I'll definitely watch your match!"
Eichi smiled. "Next season."
"What? Next season? Then I'll make sure to watch it live and cheer you on from the screen!"
Akira said with determination.
Eichi chuckled. "Then I'll be counting on your support."
"No problem!"
After that, Eichi looked over at Beedrill and Scyther. Both were staring intently at the TV screen.
Beedrill knew it would be participating in the next Indigo League, facing powerful opponents then.
It felt both excited and nervous. Scyther was the same. There was still a year to go, plenty of time to grow stronger.
Eichi could tell what they were thinking.
That was a good thing. Pressure brought motivation, after all.
He turned his attention back to the screen. Some contestants' tactics and use of moves were very instructive.
He went back to his room to grab a notebook, jotting down the useful strategies. A faint memory is worse than a written one, after all.
Some of the competitors looked quite old, and their Pokémon were frighteningly strong.
Each one could take out an opponent in a single blow, earning thunderous applause every time they won.
Eichi had imagined such scenes in his previous life, and he still did now. He was a bit worldly too, wanting to one day stand in that spotlight.
…
As time passed, noon came. Grandma Shi began preparing lunch, and Grandpa Shi returned home. The Ishimoto family owned a few fields in town, where they grew crops and lived peacefully.
The matches paused for lunch and would continue in the afternoon.
After eating, Eichi took a nap.
When he came back downstairs later, the battles had resumed.
He lowered the TV volume. Grandpa and Grandma were still asleep, and he didn't want to disturb them.
On screen, the current match was between a Primeape and an Arbok.
This Arbok was far stronger than the ones used by that poaching team before.
It made excellent use of Poison-type moves. Before Primeape could even unleash its full strength, it was defeated.
Watching this, Eichi suddenly realized he had overlooked something.
Beedrill was also a Poison-type Pokémon, yet he hadn't properly developed its Poison-type potential.
As a Trainer, that was a major oversight. Thankfully, it wasn't too late to fix.
Better now than never.
For now, he kept watching and taking notes.
…
Meanwhile, in a beautiful Breeding House, two people were also watching the Indigo League in the living room.
Archie lounged lazily on the sofa, while Amelie sat upright, focused on the screen.
Suddenly, Amelie asked, "Anyone you know participating this time?"
Archie thought for a moment. "A few. Some are my juniors, said to be pretty skilled. One of them's even from my own year, and he's got what it takes to win it all.
Some younger ones from my family are competing too.
Honestly, I can't understand why so many of those who left on their journeys at ten wasted their potential.
Even if they come back home to make up for it later, the lost years can't be fully recovered. Eventually, many just fall behind and get replaced."
Archie ranted helplessly.