The Indigo Plateau Conference is the tournament held by the Indigo League at the Indigo Plateau.
Before reaching the Top 8, the tournament does not use full 6-on-6 battles. Instead, it uses 3-on-3 matches designed to resolve battles quickly.
During the first four rounds, both the battlefield and opponent are determined by drawing lots.
The battlefields are divided into four arenas: Rock, Grass, Water, and Ice.
Trainers must win continuously to advance to the Top 16. Only once a trainer reaches the Top 16 do they battle on the main stadium field.
Ash boarded Professor Oak's private plane.
Looking out at the clouds, he thought about the intense training over the past period.
Now it was finally time to test the results.
This would be the first major tournament he entered after earning eight Gym Badges.
Gary, who was traveling with him, was equally excited, constantly thinking about the upcoming Indigo Conference.
Professor Oak quietly sipped his coffee.
It was rare for two trainers from Pallet Town to participate in the Indigo Conference at the same time. Over the past weeks, he had watched both of them train tirelessly in preparation.
Brock handled the logistics.
He designed reasonable training plans for them, balancing work and rest.
He also used the best ingredients to cook food their Pokémon loved.
Training consumed a lot of energy, so they needed proper nutrition.
Ash understood this principle well.
He trained with his Pokémon during the day, and trained with Misty at night.
He never got tired of it.
Normally quiet, the Indigo Plateau had now become extremely lively because of the conference.
Crowds filled the venue, bustling with excitement.
The moment the plane landed, Gary dashed out like a rocket, determined to register for the competition before Ash.
Professor Oak watched Gary disappear at a speed comparable to Pikachu, leaving only a blur behind.
"Was that Gary just now?" he asked in confusion.
Seeing his childhood rival even competing over who registered first, Ash couldn't help laughing.
Gary's competitive spirit was getting stronger and stronger.
He hadn't been this intense before—maybe their recent training sessions had put pressure on him.
"Gary sure is in a hurry," Delia Ketchum said.
Then she turned to Ash.
"Shouldn't you hurry too?"
Ash nodded and released Misty's soft hand.
He instinctively reached for his backpack, only to realize Brock was already holding it.
"I'll carry your bag," Brock said, handing him the Badge Case.
Brock handled logistics flawlessly.
Taking the Badge Case, Ash ran toward the Pokémon Center to register.
A long line of trainers stood at the counter.
Gary was already far ahead.
When he saw Ash arrive, he immediately began his usual teasing.
"Ash, you're so slow. Did you lose your Badge Case or something?"
"Gary, are you worried about me?" Ash replied with a grin.
"Hmph! Who's worried about you? I'm just afraid you won't even make it into the Indigo Conference. After all, I plan to crush you under my feet there."
Gary turned his head away stubbornly.
Ash liked teasing his childhood friend.
From head to toe, the only thing tougher than Gary's pride was his mouth.
"Oh really?"
Seeing Ash's teasing smile made Gary feel like throwing his shoe straight at his face.
After half an hour, Gary finished registering and waited quietly nearby.
"Ash, even though the Indigo Conference only requires eight badges," Gary said while spinning his Badge Case,
"I think the more badges you have, the more it shows a trainer's true strength."
"Don't you agree?"
Before Ash could answer, a nearby trainer suddenly snapped.
"The number of badges doesn't represent strength!"
"How do we know you didn't challenge a bunch of weak Gyms?"
Another trainer chimed in sarcastically.
"No way… are there really still people who need eight badges just to enter the Indigo Conference?"
Ash recognized the uniform the sarcastic trainer was wearing.
It was from that Pokémon Trainer School.
Looks like this guy was a top graduate, allowed to enter the Indigo Conference directly.
Gary ignored the passerby completely.
His attention was only on Ash.
He grinned.
"Miss, here's my Pokédex and my badges."
Ash handed them to the staff member.
She began entering his information.
A trainer behind him glanced curiously at the open Badge Case.
Inside were the eight classic Kanto Gym Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Rainbow Badge
Soul Badge
Earth Badge
Marsh Badge
Volcano Badge
All eight of the most well-known Kanto League badges.
Their prestige was extremely high.
Unlike some trainers who collected easier badges from lesser-known Gyms.
Especially the Soul Badge, Marsh Badge, Volcano Badge, and Earth Badge—these Gyms were notoriously difficult.
The Marsh Badge, in particular, had a frightening reputation.
Rumor said challengers had to pay a "price" to enter, and a strange middle-aged man inside would scare them off with psychic powers.
As for the Earth Badge, some trainers believed Ash had gotten lucky.
Recently, news had spread that the Viridian Gym Leader had changed, making the badge much easier to obtain.
Still…
This kid didn't look like someone capable of defeating Giovanni.
"Gary, do you have the Marsh Badge and the Earth Badge?" Ash suddenly asked.
Gary froze.
"…Tch."
He muttered something under his breath and turned away.
Then he ran off.
Ash finished registering.
The drawing results would be announced that evening, and the tournament would begin tomorrow.
Ash later found Professor Oak and Brock in the restaurant.
Misty and Delia had gone out sightseeing.
"Hungry?" Professor Oak asked.
During the trip, Oak had basically been paying for everything, though he didn't seem to mind.
After all, the Oak family was wealthy.
"What will you do later? Go sightseeing or return to the hotel?" Oak asked.
With four trainers from Pallet Town, and two competing in the Indigo Conference, he naturally wanted to make sure everything was arranged properly.
This was a great chance to bring fame to Pallet Town.
"I'm going back to rest," Gary replied.
He wanted to research information about all the competitors and prepare in advance.
"I'll go take a walk," Ash said.
He dipped Pikachu's biscuit in ketchup.
If Pikachu didn't eat ketchup for a day, it felt completely uncomfortable.
Professor Oak nodded.
Ash planned to wander around and buy some souvenirs.
Once the opponent draw was announced, he could consult Gary's collected trainer intelligence.
Gary would complain about not sharing it…
But in the end, he always did.
After all, he wanted Ash to go far enough in the tournament so he could personally defeat him.
"Pikachu trainer?"
A pleasant female voice came from the side.
Was she calling me?
Ash turned toward the source.
Standing there was a Pokémon research student—Giselle.
She wore a school uniform with a pleated skirt.
Her long dark wine-red hair reached her hips, and her delicate fair face stood out beautifully.
Her long legs looked even more slender under the sunlight.
"Good thing I found you."
Her clear eyes stared at Ash.
Seeing the confused look on his face, Giselle frowned slightly.
Don't tell me…
He doesn't remember me?
The Pikachu trainer had left a deep impression on her.
She had come to the Indigo Conference hoping to settle the score.
"Giselle?" Ash said.
He finally recognized the elite student from the Pokémon Trainer School.
When they first met, she had been a freshman student.
Now, she had already graduated as a top honors student.
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