Inside an office, the overall interior design felt quite serious. Three young men stood casually before the desk in the center of the room. Each stood about a meter apart from the others, and none of them attempted to strike up a conversation, remaining silently in place.
The middle-aged man sitting at the desk pushed up his glasses and said meticulously, "Katsuyoshi, I'm counting on you for this Indigo League."
The one he called Katsuyoshi stood on the far left of the three. He had brown hair, a burly build, and was dressed very simply. He carried a snakeskin bag and had a small pouch attached to his waist. Katsuyoshi nodded expressionlessly and replied, "I will take the championship."
"Is there anything else? If not, I'll be going," he added. Without waiting, he turned and left the office, being extremely decisive.
After he left, the eyes of the other two clearly showed some dissatisfaction. Seeing Katsuyoshi leave like that, the Director felt a bit helpless. However, he knew that Katsuyoshi's personality was just like this; one couldn't necessarily call him arrogant.
"Right, you two should head back as well. Regarding the rewards for this Indigo League, we will keep our word," the Director said. The two nodded and left the office.
They closed the door, walked downstairs, and arrived at the main entrance. Watching Katsuyoshi walking away in the distance, the tall one grumbled, "That Katsuyoshi is way too arrogant. Does he really think he's the most powerful one?"
After speaking, he gave a cold snort and left on his own. Once he was gone, only one young man remained. He had an ordinary appearance—to put it politely. He had black hair, a short stature of about 1.6 meters, and was slightly hunched over.
Watching the direction Katsuyoshi had gone, he sneered, "Those exaggerated battle records sound like lies the moment you hear them. I don't know why the academy leadership actually believes them."
"Just you wait and see. Every single one of you looks down on me."
"I, Ishida, will definitely take the championship this time. When that happens, I'll expose your lies."
"I'll make everyone realize that I am the strongest."
As he thought this, Ishida's expression became distorted and his eyes widened, filled with madness. Then, he instantly returned to normal and slowly walked away, as if nothing had happened.
Eichi rode his bicycle, the scenery constantly falling behind him. The breeze blew against his face, making him feel refreshed. The sun wasn't too strong today.
Eichi was currently on his way to the Indigo Plateau. Viridian City was the city closest to the plateau, so he had set out a week before the competition. Along the way, Eichi saw many people heading in the same direction. They were all young and were all going to participate in the Indigo League.
As the start of the Indigo League drew closer, people everywhere were incredibly excited. Even before Eichi had set out, he could feel the lively atmosphere in Viridian City. Everyone's passion for the Indigo League was just like the World Cup in his previous life; the anticipation was immense even before the matches began.
After seven days of riding, Eichi finally reached the Indigo Plateau. The plateau was massive, resembling a giant city from a distance. It was filled with various buildings, cars, shops, pedestrians, and the famous Indigo Stadium.
Even though the competition hadn't started yet, the crowds at the Indigo Plateau were already growing. Aside from the participants, most people were there to watch the tournament. Walking along the streets, people were everywhere, and street vendors were busy shouting to hawk their wares. This was only the pre-competition period; during the actual tournament, the Indigo Plateau would be even more lively than it was now.
The Indigo Plateau was so large that there were four or five Pokémon Centers inside. Furthermore, during the Indigo League, the League would mobilize Nurse Joys from various cities to come and help. Naturally, besides Nurse Joy, there was also Officer Jenny. It was said that dozens of Officer Jennies would be maintaining order during the Indigo League.
Eichi arrived at a Pokémon Center. Every Pokémon Center allowed for registration. Moreover, the Pokémon Center here was exceptionally large—slightly better than those in other cities. Countless electronic screens hung in the air within the lobby. Since Pokédexes hadn't been invented yet, the registration process was relatively complex.
Eichi handed his trainer certificate to Nurse Joy. This was also called an identity magnetic card, an ID-like card. Nurse Joy swiped the card on a machine next to the computer and began tapping on the keyboard.
Then, she said with a smile, "Hello, Eichi. Please show me your badges."
"Alright," Eichi replied. He took his badge case out of his backpack, opened it, and handed it to Nurse Joy. She took the case and began her inspection.
"Eichi!"
While he was waiting, Eichi suddenly heard someone calling his name. He turned around to see a young man with green hair, a sturdy build, and a sunny, handsome face. It was Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Eichi was pleasantly surprised. "Ryuichi! It's you! You're here too!"
Ryuichi walked to Eichi's side and watched Nurse Joy work. "I only arrived a short while ago myself."
At that moment, Nurse Joy finished her check. She returned the identity magnetic card and the badge case, along with a new magnetic card.
"Everything is in order. Congratulations, Eichi. Your identity registration is complete. Please keep your items safe. This is your room magnetic card. Every participant can stay in the Athletes' Village for free until the competition officially ends."
Just as she was about to explain the rules and precautions, Ryuichi spoke up. "I can explain everything to him. No need to trouble yourself."
Hearing this, Nurse Joy smiled and said, "Alright then. Thank you for your help."
After Eichi thanked Nurse Joy, he left with Ryuichi. Once they stepped out of the Pokémon Center's main doors, Eichi began to ask questions.
"Ryuichi, I remember you went back to Vermilion City to look for traces of Zapdos. Did you find it?"
Ryuichi sighed. He shook his head with regret at the memory. "When I got back to Vermilion City, I heard many people had seen Zapdos passing through. I followed the direction it left in, but I searched for a month without ever encountering it. In the end, I had to give up and continue my journey."
"Anyway, enough about me. Let me tell you the rules of the Indigo League." Ryuichi clearly didn't want to dwell on the matter and changed the subject.
"By the way, let me tell you—we participants can stay in the Athletes' Village for free until the tournament ends. Furthermore, at any restaurant on the Indigo Plateau, you can eat for free just by showing your participation certificate."
Eichi knew this; in the anime, Ash ate for free at a restaurant. Besides free food at restaurants, medical treatment at the Pokémon Center was also free. It could be said that these benefits were very friendly for participants from ordinary families.