Mt. Silver and Indigo Plateau are not very far apart. Even a Pokémon with a slow flying speed can travel from Mt. Silver to Indigo Plateau in two or three hours.
Furthermore, the speed of the particular Pokémon carrying Eddie was far from slow. In fact, it was much faster than most Pokémon in the world.
Therefore, about an hour after departing from Mt. Silver, Eddie, who was riding on the Pokémon's back, had already spotted the familiar Indigo Plateau in the distance.
"Go in from the west. That's the passage for trainers on flying Pokémon. The east side is the flight path for airplanes."
After Eddie reminded the Pokémon, it flapped its wings and flew in from the western approach.
For such a grand event, naturally all kinds of people would come to watch the competition, so it made sense to have separate routes for trainers' flying Pokémon and ordinary travelers' airplanes.
There is an open field to the west of Indigo Plateau, specially prepared for trainers who arrive on flying Pokémon. From time to time, you can see various Flying-type Pokémon landing here.
The Pokémon carrying Eddie flew through the air for a while before landing here in a very conspicuous manner.
How conspicuous was it? It spread its wings and, without harming Eddie, transformed itself into a massive fireball and descended from the sky at a dramatic angle.
It's said that before the conference, the sacred flame is carried by torch bearers from outside Indigo Plateau. After several days of running and passing it along, they bring it to the Indigo Conference venue and light the sacred flame on the ceremonial stand during the finals.
The source of the sacred flame is said to be Moltres from the Kanto region. This flame has been burning since the League's establishment and has continued burning for seventy years without going out. This makes people marvel at the special nature of Moltres's flame. If there were no external factors, the flame would probably burn forever.
Eddie arrived at a very opportune moment. A team of torch bearers happened to be passing through this area, holding the sacred flame in their hands. They were preparing to carry the sacred flame into the Indigo Conference arena and light it on the ceremonial stand for the finals.
However, it seemed that something unusual had happened with the sacred flame on the torch they were holding.
"Hey, hey, what's going on? The sacred flame—the sacred flame is surging! It's burning so intensely!"
Naturally, many people were paying attention to the torch bearers' procession. Reporters surrounded the team in multiple layers without blocking their progress. When the sacred flame suddenly surged, they were among the first to notice it.
However, before everyone could continue their surprise, a loud bird cry echoed through the sky!
At this moment, almost everyone at the scene heard the bird's call. As if sensing something significant, there was complete silence for a moment.
The reason was simple: they saw it.
A huge fireball descended from the sky onto the open space prepared for trainers. The fireball looked almost identical to the sacred flame held by the torch bearer.
But when the sacred flame completely touched the ground, it split apart and transformed into a giant bird wreathed in flames!
"That—that Pokémon that emerged from the sacred flame! Isn't that the legend of the Kanto region? It's rarely seen in modern times and only appears in certain records. It's the true source of the sacred flame of the Indigo Conference—Moltres!"
An experienced reporter recognized the giant bird and immediately raised his voice, roaring at the top of his lungs as if he couldn't vent his excitement otherwise.
After a brief silence, the scene immediately became lively. The spectators quickly picked up their cameras and phones to photograph the Legendary Pokémon floating before Eddie.
The reporters who had just been surrounding the torch bearers suddenly changed their target as if possessed, aiming all their various recording equipment at Moltres. The camera flashes almost turned the entire venue into a sea of light.
This was genuinely big news. Moltres had actually appeared at Indigo Plateau at this exact moment! Could this be a sign of something?
The reporters' faces flushed with excitement as they photographed Moltres from every angle, fearing they would miss any detail!
Of course, the player community was equally excited. This was a Legendary Pokémon. They had seen the three Legendary birds in Saffron City before, but they hadn't dared to get close for fear of being caught in the aftermath of the battle. Therefore, they could only watch from a distance using various items. Now, they could finally observe this Legendary bird safely.
However, while everyone was excited, they were also confused.
Why had Moltres appeared here? More importantly, why had Moltres landed in the open space designated for trainers' flying Pokémon?
They desperately wanted to know the answers to these questions.
Although everyone had some guesses about the answer in their hearts, no one dared to be certain without seeing it with their own eyes.
But they didn't have to wonder for very long, because the answer soon appeared.
A trainer who was very familiar to everyone dismounted from Moltres's back. After speaking a few words to Moltres, the Legendary Pokémon spread its wings, transformed back into sacred flame, and flew away.
"That person—that person is Eddie! The hero who defeated Team Rocket! It's Eddie!"
Following a reporter's exclamation, everyone became agitated again. The eyes of the media reporters instantly lit up as they swarmed forward, looking for a chance to interview Eddie.
When Moltres had been present just moments ago, almost no one had dared to approach it. After all, the power of a Legendary Pokémon cannot be ignored. Even if Moltres wasn't specifically targeting anyone, the pressure emanating from it was still enough to prevent ordinary people from getting too close.
But Moltres was gone now, and the reason it had come here was simply to deliver a trainer. And this trainer turned out to be the famous Eddie.
Not just the media, but even the participating trainers, the spectators who had come to watch the competition, and even the player community were excited. They followed the reporters in rushing toward Eddie, curious and wanting to know why Eddie could command a Legendary bird.
However, when they rushed toward Eddie, he smiled as if to say 'I knew this would happen.'
Eddie acted decisively. He immediately released Gardevoir, activated Psychic, and instantly teleported away, leaving behind a crowd of restless people.
"Is this the legendary bird? Ahhhh! It's so beautiful, so perfect! This is the beautiful thing I want to collect!"
A collector named Lawrence III, after experiencing the Dragonite rampage incident in Crimson City two and a half years ago, had already determined that Pokémon were the most beautiful collectibles in the world. Therefore, he would naturally come to this Indigo Conference to watch the battles between trainers and appreciate the beauty of their Pokémon.
At this moment, he discovered that Legendary Pokémon were even more beautiful than ordinary Pokémon.
In his heart, he naturally felt the urge to turn the Legendary Pokémon into a collection.
However, Lawrence III knew that it was impossible for him to obtain such collections. He wasn't a trainer, and even if he were a trainer, he would never be able to obtain that ideal collection.
That was a Legendary Pokémon. Even if there existed someone in the world who could defeat and capture a Legendary Pokémon, it had nothing to do with him.
Therefore, he could only keep this thought buried in his heart.