"The League Conference is a grand tournament held in every region. Generally, it happens once a year, but each region starts at a different time. For example, our Kanto region's Indigo Plateau Conference starts in half a year, while Johto's Silver Conference is just about to begin."
"The day before the League Conference begins, participants must register with eight Gym Badges to qualify. You can have more, but not fewer. If you only complete your set on the day of the tournament… sorry, you'll have to wait until next year—and the Gym Badges you collected this year will all be voided. You'll need to start over."
Misty explained every detail of the League Conference rules to Ash.
In terms of rules, the League Conference was pretty strict. Contestants had one year to collect eight Gym Badges. In reality, not every Trainer actually had a full year—most didn't. After all, every Trainer sets out at a different time. If you wanted to leave right after the previous Conference ended, that took no small amount of timing and luck.
Take Ash, for instance. It was only his second day on the road, and the Indigo Plateau Conference would begin in just half a year. That meant he'd have to collect eight Gym Badges within six months—otherwise, he'd miss his shot at the Indigo Plateau Conference.
"Are Gyms hard to beat?" Ash asked, curious.
"They can be hard or easy. The main purpose of Gyms is to serve as the League's training checkpoints—thresholds for Trainers. Gym Leaders are far stronger than the average Trainer. If they fought challengers at full strength, almost no one would pass."
"That's why Gym Leaders usually judge based on how many Badges a Trainer already has and how long they've been traveling. The more Badges you've earned and the longer you've been on the road, the stronger the Gym Leader will go."
Gyms were League-set trial gates across each region. If Gym Leaders always fought every challenger at full power, the trial would lose all meaning—it wouldn't be a trial at all.
Imagine a rookie just leaving Pallet Town with a Beginner-tier starter and maybe a Rattata or Pidgey caught near home, then running into a Professional-tier or even Gym-tier opponent…
Forget tactics for a moment. With a gap that huge, even if you had a Champion calling the shots, you still wouldn't win.
So as a rule, Gym Trainers wouldn't use their true full strength in matches against challengers. If a challenger could actually force out and defeat the Gym Trainer's full power, it proved that challenger had the makings of a Champion!
Don't get confused—the "Champion" here isn't the regional League's reigning Champion, but the League Conference Champion. They differ by just two characters in name, but the meaning is worlds apart.
Generally, a League Conference Champion's strength runs from Professional Level to Gym Level. Only a very rare few Conference Champions of a region reach the Elite Four level.
"If you run into an Elite Four-level Trainer entering the Conference, well, tough luck. People at that level aren't there for the Conference title; they're after a seat among the Elite Four. The Conference Champion earns the right to challenge the Elite Four, and if you beat them, you take their place."
Misty wagged a slender, pale finger as she spoke, very matter-of-fact.
By now Ash had learned most of the League Conference rules. For a brand-new Trainer like him, without a single Gym Badge, a Gym's trial wouldn't be impossibly hard—and he finally relaxed a bit.
At the Pokémon Center front desk, he took out his Pokédex and successfully registered for the League Conference. Nurse Joy even kindly gave him a map, with every city's Gym marked.
Nurse Joy suddenly recalled something and smiled at Ash. "Come to think of it, you're the second Trainer from Pallet Town to arrive in Viridian City—and also the second Pokédex holder."
"Second? Who was first?" Ash blinked, then hurriedly asked.
He and Misty had reached Viridian City quickly partly because of the Spearow chase, and partly because they'd traveled through the night. Even though he was the one who left late, their speed should've been impressive. There shouldn't have been anyone faster… right?
"The first was a boy named Gary Oak. He seems to have come in a sports car. When he arrived at the Pokémon Center, that red sports car drew quite the crowd." Nurse Joy tapped her soft, white chin, recalling her first impression of Gary yesterday.
"A sports car… That guy Gary really knows how to live it up!" Ash ground his teeth, clearly annoyed.
He was out here crossing the world on foot, and Gary? Cruising in a sports car! The difference in treatment was night and day.
"The meaning of a journey lies in the scenery along the way," Misty said to Ash, her tone layered with meaning. "That Gary may be faster than you, but he sees the world flash past like a blur. A trip like that won't bring him much growth."
"Exactly—what's the point of being fast! There's no way Gary's had more experiences than me. On my very first day I even met Ho— mmff!!" Ash hadn't finished when a pair of soft white hands clamped over his mouth.
Standing behind him, Misty shot Nurse Joy an apologetic nod, then hooked one arm around Ash's neck while the other kept his mouth covered, dragging him away from the counter.
Only after they'd gotten some distance from the front desk did Misty let go. Gasping for air, Ash grumbled, "What was that for, Misty?! Trying to kill me?"
With Misty's strength, Ash could've easily broken free—but he was afraid he might hurt her if he struggled. Besides, he figured she had her reasons for doing it, so he didn't fight back.
Still, clamping his mouth and locking his neck like that? It was practically an assassination.
Misty rolled her eyes, exasperated. "You've got some nerve. You seriously thought you could talk about meeting 'that one' out in public? Do you have any idea how many people are after that Pokémon? If anyone heard you met it on day one, you'd have eyes on you the entire trip. Use your head!"
Hearing that, Ash paused, then scratched his head, embarrassed. "S—sorry. I didn't think it through. You're the careful one here, Misty."