By the time Liu Qing was ready to leave for the Indigo Plateau, two days before the Indigo League opened, Arcanine's compressed flames had turned blue-white, far exceeding his expectations. Exeggutor could fire Solar Beam much faster, and its color had changed from pale green to green-white. Gyarados and Salamence had also considerably shortened the time they remained immobilized after using Giga Impact.
"Liu Yuan, you're coming too? Don't you have classes?" Liu Qing asked in surprise that morning when he saw Liu Yuan following behind Mili.
"Of course! How could I miss my big brother's tournament? Dad also said that if you make it to the finals, he'll find time to come watch," Liu Yuan said with a smile. "Besides, school's on break during the tournament!"
"Heh, you little rascal." Liu Qing smiled. "Then watch your big brother put on a good show, and cheer me on!"
"Yes, big brother!" Liu Yuan answered loudly.
"All right, let's get on the plane. We can watch the torch relay along the way, too." Happy to see her two sons getting along, Mili led them aboard, with Liu Qing and Liu Yuan following close behind.
Although the Indigo League Conference had yet to open, its torch relay had begun half a month before the opening ceremony. In every city along its route, countless spectators and Pokémon Trainers waved little flags bearing Poké Ball designs to welcome the torchbearers. After watching the festivities in several towns along the way, the family's plane landed at the Indigo Plateau airport.
"Aunt Mili, Liu Qing, Liu Yuan!" As soon as they stepped off the plane, they saw Lorelei waiting to welcome them, an identification card hanging around her neck.
"Cousin!" Liu Qing and Liu Yuan called together, while Mili exchanged greetings with Lorelei.
"Aunt Mili, Liu Qing, Liu Yuan, how about I take you to your hotel first, then show you around?" Lorelei asked.
"Sounds good." Mili nodded her agreement.
Although the tournament had not yet begun, the steady arrival of competitors had already brought the entire Indigo Plateau to life. They followed Lorelei out of the airport and got into a car. A short drive later, they stopped at a luxury hotel. Nearly all its rooms had been reserved by wealthy spectators coming to watch the tournament, and the Wave Wind family had made reservations as well. Once they had put away their luggage, Lorelei drove the three of them around to see the sights, stopping when they passed the registration office.
"Welcome to this year's tournament. Which of you two is competing?" Liu Qing had come to register, and Liu Yuan had followed along out of curiosity.
"I am," Liu Qing said, pointing to himself.
"All right. Please fill out this personal information form first."
Liu Qing took the form and looked it over. It only asked for basic information such as his name, gender, and birthplace, so he quickly filled it out and handed it back to the staff member.
"Please show me your eight Badges, or another credential qualifying you to compete. Once we've verified it, you'll be eligible to participate in the Indigo League tournament."
Competing in the Pokémon League required collecting eight Badges. However, for various reasons, fewer than a hundred people actually managed to obtain all eight each year. To ensure the tournament could proceed, represent a broader range of Trainers, and remain lively, the rules also allowed outstanding Pokémon School graduates and those who had passed the Pokémon certification exam to compete.
However, graduates and those who passed the exam were only prospective competitors. Once official registration closed, the organizers calculated the difference between the number of registered eight-Badge holders and the planned number of competitors. Before the tournament opened, they held a preliminary selection round for those candidates. This round lasted only half a day, and each Trainer used just one Pokémon to decide the outcome. Thus, although at least ten thousand Trainers registered for a Pokémon League Conference, only a little over two hundred ultimately appeared at the opening ceremony and competed.
Liu Qing took out his Badge Case and handed it over. The eight Badges were quickly verified, and the staff member returned them to him. "You're now qualified to compete. If you have a Pokédex, please show it to me. Otherwise, please present your identification card."
The Pokédex served the same purpose as a personal identification card, so once the staff recorded either one, the competitor only needed to present it to enter future matches, rather than go through repeated checks. Once registration was complete, the staff member also gave Liu Qing a Trainer's Handbook. He could consult it whenever he had any questions.
"Liu Qing, do you see those people?" Inside the car, Lorelei pointed at the pedestrians along the road. "They're probably competitors, and experienced ones at that. They know that before a tournament, they shouldn't just read the Pokémon Trainer information published by the League. They need to gather information with their own eyes, too. After all, the League's profiles are very limited, sometimes even incomplete. You realize that being with me has already drawn their attention, don't you? Plenty of observant Pokémon Trainers will be keeping a close eye on you!"
"Heh, it doesn't matter!" Liu Qing swept his gaze over the people watching him and spoke calmly.
"You..." Startled by his answer, Lorelei's red lips formed an O. "You're quite an arrogant kid! Then I'll look forward to seeing what you can do!"
The next day was the day before the Indigo League tournament opened, and registration reached an unprecedented peak, with a long line stretching from the registration office. Liu Qing spotted a familiar figure among those waiting: Ash. Although they had become acquainted at the Grand Canyon, Liu Qing honestly had little regard for Ash's reckless personality and his habit of shouting about winning through sheer perseverance. He did not go out of his way to greet him, though he did run into Brock and Misty, who were not in line.
The Pokémon League was one of the biggest tournaments in any region. It attracted not only local spectators but visitors from other continents as well. Those vast numbers of tourists naturally brought flourishing business, and Liu Qing was now taking Liu Yuan around the bustling streets.
"Hey, isn't that Liu Qing? Hey, Liu Qing!" The sudden call made Liu Qing turn toward the voice. A boy stood outside an open-air café, waving to him.
"His name's Reggie. He's a friend I met in Fuchsia City."
Having run into a friend, Liu Qing naturally went over to greet him. Several others were with Reggie, including his younger brother Paul. Liu Qing assumed the rest were friends of his.
"This is my younger brother, Liu Yuan." After bringing Liu Yuan over and introducing him, Liu Qing pulled out a chair and sat down, with Liu Yuan taking the seat beside him. "You made it here without any trouble, too. Looks like you managed to get all eight Badges."
"Yeah. After we parted ways, I challenged the Fuchsia Gym Leader again. I won, but only barely," Reggie said.
"Heh." Liu Qing smiled, then looked at the others. "Reggie, who are your friends?"
"Oh, my fault. I nearly forgot to introduce them. The one with black hair and black clothes is Xiao An. The one in blue is Han Ye. Don't let the 'cold' in the name fool you—Han Ye isn't calm at all, and can be a bit impulsive. The one in the checked clothes is A Xuan. I met all three while traveling around Kanto. They've all earned eight Badges and qualified for the tournament," Reggie said, introducing them one by one.
"Hello. I'm Liu Qing. I'm looking forward to facing you in the tournament." Liu Qing nodded to the three.
"Heh, so am I. Ever since Reggie told me about your battle, my blood's been pumping. I've wanted to face you in the tournament ever since," Han Ye said.
"Same here. I'm looking forward to our match," Xiao An and A Xuan said together.
"Liu Qing, is your brother competing too?" Reggie suddenly asked.
"No, my brother's here to watch me compete." Liu Qing turned to Paul, who had remained silent and was trying to look cool. "What about your brother, Paul?"
"Same for him. Right now, he's mostly watching different battles to gain experience."
"I've spotted quite a few strong Pokémon Trainers among this year's competitors. I wonder who'll end up taking the championship," Xiao An said.
"Do you even have to ask? Me, of course!" Han Ye declared loudly.
"Hmph. With that impulsive streak, you think you can become champion?" Xiao An shot back mercilessly.
"You!" Han Ye snapped angrily. "And you think you can? Why don't we battle right now?"
"Stop arguing, you two. Naturally, the championship will go to me, the oldest one here." A Xuan looked about twenty and spoke with the air of an older brother.
"Hmph. Age doesn't equal strength," Paul said with a cold snort.
"Exactly! My big brother's definitely going to win!" Liu Yuan called out.
"Wrong! My big brother's going to win!" Paul had been pleased when Liu Yuan agreed with him, but the rest of his words immediately drew an objection.
"All right, Liu Yuan, stop arguing. You can't win a championship just by talking about it. It'll come down to strength." Seeing that Liu Yuan was about to speak again, Liu Qing quickly stopped him, while Reggie also quieted Paul.
"Well, Liu Qing's right. It'll come down to strength. I'm off to do some special training." With that, Han Ye turned and left.
"Oh, I forgot I still have a few battle specials to finish watching. I'll be going, too." A Xuan turned and headed toward the dormitories.
"I'm leaving as well." Xiao An gave no reason, but left along with the others.
"Sorry, Liu Qing. I'll head off too."
Within moments, everyone had gone, leaving Liu Qing and Liu Yuan staring at each other.
"Big brother, should you go back and do some special training, too?" Liu Yuan asked.
"Heh, there's no need." Liu Qing smiled, stood up, and continued shopping. Though Liu Yuan felt anxious, his brother's confidence left him with little choice but to keep quiet and follow.
At last, the Indigo League Conference's eagerly awaited opening ceremony arrived. Countless Pidgeotto were released into the sky. Since the Kanto Region had no Pidove to symbolize peace, Pidgeotto were used in their place.
The competitors began entering in lines from both sides of the stadium. Naturally, Liu Qing, Ash, Gary, Reggie, Xiao An, A Xuan, Han Ye, and the others were among them.
Whether they had once been opponents or companions, everyone now wanted to give it their all so they could stand on the podium at the end and claim that trophy.
Once all the competitors had taken their places, the final torchbearer, dressed in white, ran through the stadium entrance, climbed the long staircase, and lit the main cauldron. Fireworks immediately burst across the sky, the spectators cheered loudly, and airships of various colors began filming from every angle.
After President Damaranchi delivered his speech, the atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak. Cheers rang out to the heavens as the Indigo League tournament officially opened.
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