"That Dragonair is huge. You can tell it was raised really well."
"Yeah! He may be a streamer, but Fishing Dreamer is actually pretty strong."
"So what if he's strong? He's a streamer. All of his and his Pokemon's information is already online for everyone to see. There are even plenty of battle videos. He's running a rain team, right? I'll counter him into the ground!"
"Exactly! Putting all that information online for everyone to study was a terrible idea."
Many of the competing trainers eyed Caster coldly, already thinking about which Pokemon they could use against him.
Against a rain team, Electric- and Grass-types were obviously excellent choices.
"Thanks for all the support!"
After dealing with the crowd, Caster slipped into the central hall of the competitors' village and found a staff member to register with.
"Hello, I'm Caster from Cerulean City."
Caster did not have a Pokedex, so all he could provide was his name and the Gym badges he had earned.
"Okay. One moment, please!"
The uniformed girl smiled politely as she typed a few things into the computer. A moment later, Caster's information and Gym badge record appeared on the screen.
In the anime, before reaching Indigo Plateau, Ash had met an unfortunate trainer named Otoshi, who had been tricked by Team Rocket into handing over all eight of his badges.
Of course, badges obtained through cheating could never pass the League's verification process.
That alone was enough to show how clueless Team Rocket could be.
With that, Caster's registration was complete.
The staff member handed him a small booklet.
"Contestant Caster, this is the guidebook for the tournament. It contains the rules and format in detail, along with information about the facilities and sights around Indigo Plateau. It should answer just about any questions you might have."
"It also includes the staff contact number. If you run into any problems, please don't hesitate to call us."
"Thanks!"
Caster took the booklet and was about to leave when the staff member stopped him.
"Contestant Caster, please stay for a moment and confirm your first-round field and opponent."
Following the staff member's gesture, Caster looked at the screen. Four squares appeared, each marked with an icon representing one of the battlefields: Rock, Grass, Water, and Ice.
Caster recalled how the Indigo League Conference was structured and where its contestants came from.
The Indigo League Conference was the only Pokemon League tournament that allowed trainers to qualify through multiple routes. Besides collecting eight Gym badges, trainers could also enter by graduating from Pokemon Tech or passing the Pokemon League exam.
As a result, the tournament attracted a huge number of contestants. There was no preliminary group stage. From the very beginning, it was a strict single-elimination tournament.
For the first four rounds, each battle was three-on-three, with the matches taking place on the Water, Grass, Ice, and Rock fields in turn. This tested not only a trainer's individual Pokemon, but also the depth and versatility of their roster.
After four rounds of elimination, only sixteen elite trainers would remain from the more than two hundred contestants.
The fifth round was still three-on-three and would determine the top eight.
Only from the sixth round onward would trainers use their full six-Pokemon teams, all the way to the final battle for the championship.
The Indigo League Conference was brutally competitive.
There were no second chances. From the first round to the championship, a single loss meant immediate elimination.
Snap!
Caster pressed the switch.
The light spun across the four field icons before finally stopping on Rock.
Caster raised an eyebrow.
"Rock field?"
Of the four battlefields, the Water field suited Caster's team best, followed by Ice. Grass and Rock were the worst fits for his lineup.
But after training for so long, Caster was confident in his strength.
A slight disadvantage in terrain was hardly enough to stop him.
Besides, both Gyarados and Dragonair could fly. If the battlefield became a problem, they could simply take the battle into the air.
"Next, the system will randomly select your opponent."
The staff member made a few more inputs, and the screen displayed Caster's opponent.
A man in a kimono appeared on the screen, his hair sticking out in an absurdly spiky style.
"Huh? I remember him. Isn't that the unlucky guy who had all eight of his badges stolen by Team Rocket?"
Caster blinked when he recognized the man.
His name was Otoshi, and his ace Pokemon was a Marowak.
Caster didn't even need to know how strong Otoshi was. Anyone who could lose all eight Gym badges to Team Rocket and then challenge Ash to a battle with all eight badges on the line probably wasn't the sharpest trainer around.
"Looks like I got an easy first-round matchup."
Caster couldn't help smiling.
The staff member then gave him the time and location of the match and sent the details to his phone by text message.
On his way out, Caster noticed many trainers deep in thought as they decided which Pokemon to bring.
Since each trainer could only register six Pokemon, they had to carefully build a team capable of handling as many different opponents as possible.
Compared with them, Caster looked completely at ease.
He only had six Pokemon anyway, including Rotom. There was nothing to choose.
He would just bring them all.
As Caster walked away, he suddenly heard a familiar argument.
He slowed down and took a quick look.
Sure enough, Ash and Gary were busy trading insults again.
"Time to slip away!"
Caster rubbed his forehead.
He had no desire to go over there and risk getting dragged into the middle of their argument again.
After checking into the competitors' village, Caster had barely gotten a chance to rest before he was informed that it was time to head to the arena for the opening ceremony.
At the venue, Caster spotted both Gary and Ash.
However, the atmosphere was solemn, so none of them made a move toward each other.
He also spotted Ritchie, who was carrying a Pikachu just like Ash.
Soon, the opening ceremony began.
The final torchbearer ran into the arena, but just as he was about to light the ceremonial flame, the Team Rocket trio suddenly jumped out to cause trouble.
"What is going on? Who are these people?"
"How dare they disrupt the Indigo League Conference! Are they out of their minds?"
The interrupted torch ceremony immediately caused an uproar.
Caster stood among the crowd with his arms crossed, watching coldly.
He already knew what was about to happen.
The Moltres flame would take the shape of Moltres, smash through Team Rocket, and send the three of them blasting off.
And sure enough, after the brief interruption, the ceremony continued.
A giant ball burst open, releasing a flock of Pidgey dressed to resemble doves. They flapped their wings and soared into the sky.
Then Mr. Goodshow stepped forward and delivered his speech.
When he finished, the stadium erupted into warm applause.
The Indigo League Conference had officially begun.
"Contestants in the first round, please take your positions. The matches are about to begin!"
The announcement echoed throughout the main arena.
"Ash! Gary! I'm heading out first!"
Caster waved to them before hurrying toward his assigned match.
His battle was being held in an open-air side arena, roughly the size of a college basketball court. Despite being a secondary venue, the stands were still packed with spectators.
"Caster, keep it up!"
A familiar voice rang out from the crowd.
Caster turned and saw a girl with orange hair holding an egg-shaped Pokemon as she cheered for him.
The sight warmed his heart.
Misty!
Caster waved back before stepping onto the command platform. From there, he had a clear view of the entire battlefield.
Across from him stood Otoshi.
The man had apparently been waiting for quite some time, and his expression was unusually stern.
Caster took one look at the battlefield and his opponent and suddenly felt as though he had walked onto the set of an entirely different show.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think we were about to play cards."
Otoshi's ridiculously spiky hair made him look more like a Yu-Gi-Oh! player than a Pokemon trainer.
Now the only question was how well he could actually battle.