The moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light spilling over the forest.
Silas was walking along the road leading toward the Indigo Plateau.
Long-distance flight wasn't just tough on him—it was also a huge drain on Pidgeot's stamina. The bird simply couldn't yet carry a human from the far south of the Kanto region all the way to nearly its northernmost point in a single flight.
Besides, this wasn't a straight path. They had to follow designated air routes—zigzagging here and there—so the energy and time spent were considerable.
Flying straight through the open sky wasn't an option either; Silas didn't want to risk being swarmed by wild Flying-type Pokémon mid-air.
Even though they kept to a relatively low altitude—around a kilometer high—to reduce pressure on the human body, falling from that height would be very different from falling off a fifty-meter cliff.
For all these reasons, Silas had been alternating between riding Pidgeot and walking on foot for the better part of the day.
By the time he finally reached the entrance to Indigo Plateau, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening.
He followed a narrow mountain trail for a while. As he walked, the steep ridges on his right gradually disappeared, replaced by a bright and bustling city below.
The most striking sight, of course, was the massive open-air stadium that dominated the view—like a giant soccer arena from another world.
That was the main stadium of the Indigo Conference, where the top sixty-four contestants would battle in the final tournament.
Around it were four smaller arenas, about half the size of the main one, each corresponding to a specific terrain: Water, Grass, Ice, and Rock.
Every contestant who qualified for the main tournament would have to battle once in each of those arenas. Only those who won all four matches would earn a spot among the sixty-four finalists.
The smaller, standard-sized battlefields scattered around were used for preliminary matches.
Besides those, an endless Trainers' Village, a massive Pokémon Center, and the towering Pokémon League Headquarters rose into the night—each building glowing brightly enough to be visible even in the dark.
Silas stretched lazily into the cool evening breeze. "Finally," he murmured. "I made it."
A sharp spark of fire flashed beside him.
It was Blaziken, practicing a simple burst of flames.
Mastering the Ultimate Fire-type Move, Blast Burn, wasn't something that could be done overnight. According to Mrs. Briney's explanation, even with the most detailed guidance, it would take months to grasp—longer to perfect.
And that was just the basics.
To truly draw out the full destructive power of Blast Burn, Blaziken would have to practice it again and again, over and over.
Still, with its talent and determination, Silas believed Blaziken could shorten that time by quite a bit.
"Don't rush it," he reminded gently. "Start from the basics—train using simple moves like Ember, then build up step by step."
"Blaz…" Blaziken nodded helplessly.
At first, it had been overconfident—trying to use Fire Punch and Blaze Kick right from the start, moves it was already comfortable with. But that had proven too ambitious, resulting in almost no progress.
Both moves consumed a lot of energy, and even for a Fire-type as skilled as Blaziken, controlling such intensity in delicate training wasn't easy.
Silas hadn't stopped it at the time. Even if he knew it would fail, he wanted Blaziken to experience and understand that fact firsthand.
A good Trainer, he believed, must take care of every aspect of their Pokémon's growth.
He grinned to himself. Man, I'm just too good at this.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Back into the Poké Ball—we're here."
He said this as he recalled Blaziken into its Luxury Ball.
Then, stepping off a cliff's edge, he called out, "Pidgeot!"
At once, one of the six Luxury Balls on his belt burst open.
A flash of red light illuminated the darkness—and suddenly, Silas was no longer falling. Pidgeot swooped in below, catching him mid-air.
"Let's go~"
He patted its back and gave the command.
Pidgeot rolled its eyes silently. My Trainer's getting way too into this thrill-seeking thing.
It still remembered when he used to cling to its neck, begging it to fly lower—not jump off cliffs for fun!
Of course, Silas couldn't see the expression—or else Pidgeot might have found its snack rations "reduced."
"Pidgeeeoooot!"
With a clear, sharp cry, Pidgeot became a streak of golden light darting through the darkness, heading straight for the glowing city below.
"Don't ever do that again, you hear me? You're giving us a huge headache."
A Officer Jenny stood before him, hands on hips, scolding both Trainer and Pokémon.
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry about that," Silas and Pidgeot said in unison, nodding obediently.
They'd been caught. The Indigo Plateau and its surroundings were a no-fly zone, even outside of tournament season and their flashy entrance had immediately been flagged by League security.
Even after Silas showed his eight Gym Badges and Pokédex issued by Professor Oak, proving his identity as a registered competitor, he still got fined 20,000 PokéDollars.
That was already lenient. If not for the upcoming tournament and his reputable credentials, Officer Jenny might've made him "drink tea" at the station for a month.
"I get that you young Trainers are excited to participate," Jenny sighed. "You're actually the fourth one today.
"But as Trainers, you've got to stay calm. Otherwise, how will you keep a clear head during an intense battle?
"And out in the wild, Pokémon won't be as forgiving. If you lose focus for even a second—"
She stopped mid-lecture, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was already past nine.
"Ugh, forget it. It's late, and I'm off shift soon. Just go."
She waved them off impatiently.
Silas breathed a sigh of relief, thanked her sincerely, and left the police station with Pidgeot.
"Well, great," he chuckled. "First landmark I visit in Indigo Plateau, and it's the Jenny office. What a start."
He turned to Pidgeot. "Seriously, why didn't you stop me?"
"Pid-geot…"
Pidgeot hopped alongside him, rolling its eyes again. How's this my fault? You're the one who gave the order.
Besides, as Officer Jenny said—he wasn't even the first Trainer to do this today.
"You're a mature Flying-type now," Silas lectured seriously. "You should know which areas are restricted by League law."
Pidgeot responded by bumping its head into Silas's chest—and pecking the button on its Luxury Ball.
In a flash of red light, it vanished back inside.
Not listening. Trainer's nagging.
Silas stumbled back a step, then sighed and tapped the Poké Ball.
"Hmph, childish. Can't win an argument, so you hide."
He looked around the dark road ahead.
"So… the Trainers' Village should be… that way, right?"
Relying on his memory of the town's layout from the high vantage point earlier, Silas began walking purposefully toward his destination.
Pokémon League Trainer' Village — Service Hall Reception
"Hello, I'm here to complete my pre-registration and check-in."
A calm, polite male voice spoke up.
The Nurse Joy behind the counter, busy sorting documents, replied without even looking up.
"Of course. Please present your Trainer ID and eight official Gym Badges."
As soon as she finished speaking, a badge case — with a red Pokédex resting on top — was handed to her.
"Alright, one moment please," she said, taking them and typing on her computer.
"Silas Alaric, from Viridian City. Pokédex registered under Professor Oak. Badges: Pewter, Cerulean…"
Joy scanned through each digital verification.
Both the Pokédex and the Gym Badges could be authenticated electronically.
Silas Alaric… that name sounds familiar…
Joy thought absentmindedly, her mind dulled after a long day of processing trainers.
And these badges — they were impressive. Out of the eight Kanto Gyms, he had already collected six, missing only the notoriously difficult Saffron Gym and the nearly impossible-to-access Viridian Gym.
Joy felt a hint of admiration.
"All done! Your pre-registration and room check-in are complete.
Your room number is B34, and here's your key."
She pointed toward the exit with a polite smile.
"The B Building is to the left after you exit. Walk a bit further and you'll find it easily.
Also, even though you've completed pre-registration, you'll need to come back personally during the official registration period to confirm.
There's an information booklet in your room detailing all facilities and services in the Trainer's Village.
If you need help, you can also call the consultation number provided inside."
Nurse Joy smiled warmly at the handsome young trainer before her.
Then it hit her — she had heard this name before, on her family's gossip group chat.
No wonder… he really is handsome.
"Thank you very much," Silas said as he took his belongings and turned to leave.
Joy's busyness was understandable.
Every League Conference had tens of thousands of registered competitors, and their data was consolidated at the service desk ahead of time — not individually entered upon arrival.
The preparation workload was enormous, especially on the first day the Trainers' Village opened, when every detail had to be double-checked.
Just as Silas stepped out of the lobby, a silver-haired Trainer came walking toward him.
Silas nodded politely, and the other man returned the gesture.
Suzuki Toru… that was his name, right?
Silas recalled. They had met only once, under awkward circumstances — but with his memory, he instantly remembered every detail when their eyes met.
I wonder if we'll get the chance to battle.
As they passed each other, both men shared the same fleeting thought.
Everyone who came to the Conference had one main goal — not just fame or prizes, but to battle strong, diverse opponents alongside their Pokémon.
And from the looks of it, that guy wasn't weak.
Silas headed toward his assigned room.
Swipe. Open. Close. Collapse onto bed.
The motions flowed seamlessly.
"Ahh… this feels good."
He lay back, like a Magikarp flopping onto a soft lakebed.
A chime sounded — ding~ — and all six of his Pokémon appeared from their Poké Balls, curiously exploring their new home.
This was where they'd be staying for the next month or so.
The Pokémon League had provided every registered Trainer with an individual room only slightly less luxurious than a standard single suite at a Pokémon Center.
Each dorm room came with a kitchen, bathroom, and full amenities.
Trainers could even host small gatherings with friends.
At its peak, this Trainer' Village could house over 20,000 Trainers from across the regions, particularly during years when the Indigo Plateau Conference and Silver Conference were held back-to-back.
It was no exaggeration to call it a small city.
Next to the Village was a bustling commercial street, lined with Pokémon-themed restaurants, food stalls, and live performers.
Both Trainers and spectators would come here to relax and enjoy themselves with friends and family.
Meanwhile, long-term spectators hoping to watch the month-long Conference in person could only stay in nearby hotels — and reservations had to be made well in advance.
Book too late, and you'd be stuck watching the broadcast from home.
Even with a room secured, getting tickets for the main stadium matches was another battle entirely.
Every Pokémon League Conference was a grand festival for the entire region, generating enormous economic activity and excitement.
Before long, five of Silas's Pokémon — all except his Flaaffy — had found comfortable spots to rest.
"Alright everyone, let's rest early tonight. Training starts again tomorrow!"
His cheerful tone was met with collective sighs from his Pokémon.
After finally getting two days of rest, they were headed right back into training hell.
Even Pidgeot and Blaziken couldn't help but groan.
Compared to Silas's "daily training," the battle at the Seafoam Islands had felt easier.
Flaaffy dove straight back into its Luxury Ball, pretending not to hear him.
Silas often suspected this was one of the reasons it loved staying inside that ball so much.
"Pidgeot — tomorrow morning, continue teaching Togekiss aerial maneuvering.
Its turning speed at max acceleration still needs work.
In the afternoon, you'll continue your own wind control training — your Hurricane move still takes too long to charge.
Blaziken — we're focusing on Ember control.
When you can send a single ember through a rock and make it explode mid-way, we'll move to the next stage.
Gigalith — help Blaziken by making rocks of different hardness levels.
Also, keep refining your Earth Power — we're still in stage three.
Togekiss — no sneaking snacks during training!
And you're not allowed to land without my permission tomorrow!
Servine — your main focus is building energy to prepare for evolution.
I'll try to find you a suitable opponent, but be ready, evolution brings a lot of changes."
Silas's voice droned on in his familiar routine of detailed planning.
Eventually, his team fell asleep — and not long after, he followed.
Even in his dreams, a few words about training slipped from his lips.
He was exhausted.
From morning until now, not a minute's rest — morning runs, swimming, climbing, traveling, and brainstorming new explosive-fire training for Blaziken.
But that's the life of a Trainer.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
.....
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