Hey, everyone!

Having won the Earth Badge in a battle against Doug, the acting gym leader in Viridian City, James and his friends, accompanied by Tessa, are now on their way to the Indigo Plateau.

Upload Date: 19th October 2014


Chapter 54: Gathering of Friends

Route 23, Kanto

6:47pm, 2nd June 2005

"That was a great meal!" James proclaimed as he put his knife and fork down. "I didn't know you were such a good cook, Tessa!"

"You'll pick up skills like that the more you travel," Tessa replied. She looked around. "It's starting to get dark – we should get everything washed up."

It was the end of their second day travelling towards the Indigo Plateau. They'd crossed into Route 23 from Route 22 earlier that morning, though they hadn't noticed as real difference between the two yet.

"Route 23 gets much more rugged," Tessa had said when they'd stopped for lunch. "It'll be much harder once we're on the mountain paths leading up to the Indigo Plateau."

At present, the terrain was still relatively easy. As with much of Kanto's countryside, it was mainly woodland with the occasional gentle hill and grassy meadows. However, the mountains loomed over them and it was only a matter of time before they hit the mountain paths Tessa had mentioned.

James felt that it had gotten darker a lot quicker than normal. It was probably just the fact that the overcast sky hadn't gotten that bright anyway. The normal, beautiful orange sunsets they got when the sun was out had been replaced by a gloomy grey, which only made the mountains, silhouetted against the grey sky, look even more menacing.

"I'm going to quickly do some more training with Spear before I go to bed," Richard said as he finished washing the last plate and handed it to James to dry.

"Don't stay up too long," James replied as he started drying the plate. "You're going to need all your strength for tomorrow."

"Got it." Richard nodded. "I just want to see if we can get Drill Peck under control."

"Yeah, I understand," James nodded in response.

Spear had learnt Drill Peck earlier that day, but every time he tried to use it, he ended up losing control and crashing into the ground.

"Come on, Spear!" Richard called to the spearow, who was stood over by the other pokémon.

Spear nodded. He took off and flew after Richard as he moved away from the camp.

"Do you think we should help him?" Livvi asked.

"You wouldn't be able to help," Tessa replied dismissively.

"Why not?" Livvi demanded. "We've trained together in the past and we've all got stronger thanks to that!"

"The problem is that Spear loses control and crashes," Tessa replied. "How can you help with that, little sis?" she added, patting Livvi patronisingly on the head.

"Hey!" Livvi snapped angrily, swatting Tessa's hand away. "What do you think, James?"

"I think Tessa has a point," James sighed. "If they needed a training partner, then we could help. But I can't see a training partner helping with this."

"Well, since we can't do anything, shall we have some hot chocolate?" Tessa grinned.

"Sure." James nodded. Tessa immediately set to work brewing some hot chocolate.

"How are you feeling?" Livvi asked James.

"I'm fine," James replied, giving her a puzzled look. "Why?"

"I mean, we're on our way to the Kanto League," Livvi explained. "Don't you feel nervous?"

"Well." James pondered for a second. "I guess so."

"I wonder what kinds of trainers you'll have to battle there," Livvi said, gazing at the mountains in the distance.

"I think many of them will probably be tougher than the gym leaders," James sighed. "They all will have managed to get to the league after all."

"But you've beaten eight gym leaders as well!" Livvi grinned reassuringly at him.

"Yeah." James nodded. He pulled out his eight Kanto gym badges and gazed at them for a second before looking back at the mountains. He took a deep breath. "I can't wait to get started!" He grinned.


11:38am, 3rd June 2005

The sky remained cloudy as the group travelled into the mountains. They found themselves walking along a path running along a valley. Thick pine forests clung precariously to the sides of the mountains surrounding them. A river, full of crystal clear water and countless stones ranging in size from pebbles to boulders, ran to the left of the path they were following. The powerful sound of the water tumbling over the stones meant that one had to raise their voice slightly if they wanted to speak.

James suspected that the river looked much nicer on a sunny day, when the water could sparkle in the sunlight. As it was, however, the water reflected the dull grey of the still-overcast sky.

"We need to head to the left," Tessa said as they approached a fork in the road. "Into that forest over there."

"Got it." James nodded. He turned to Richard. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still a little tired," Richard replied with a yawn.

"How long did you stay up last night?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A little while," Richard replied.

"Any success with Drill Peck?" Livvi asked as they entered the pine forest.

"We've managed to avoid crashing into the ground," Richard replied. "But we still need to work on Spear's aim – we can't get the attack to hit."

"As long as you keep practicing, I'm sure it'll be fine." James grinned.

"Easy for you to say." Richard yawned again. "Drill Peck is a very complicated attack."

They entered a clearing in the forest, where a path from the east merged with theirs. To their surprise, they found a familiar face grinning at them from a fallen log at the side of the path.

"Fancy seeing you guys here!" Aaralyn grinned.

"Aaralyn!" James, Livvi and Richard cried in surprise.

"Who's this?" Tessa asked James.

"This is Aaralyn Keegan," James replied, introducing the two of them. "Aaralyn, this is Livvi's older sister, Tessa."

"Pleased to meet you." Tessa offered her hand to Aaralyn.

"Same here!" Aaralyn nodded eagerly. "Are you competing in the Kanto League as well?"

"That's right." Tessa nodded. "You too?"

"Yeah." Aaralyn nodded. She turned back to James. "So you managed to get all eight gym badges then?"

"Yeah." James grinned proudly. He produced the eight badges and showed them off to her.

"Wow! Nice!" Aaralyn said, looking closely at them. "Did you win your Marsh Badge from Sabrina?"

"Yeah." James nodded.

"How did you find it?" Aaralyn asked.

"It was a tough, but manageable battle," James replied. "We managed to come up with some good strategies beforehand."

"So, you beat her in one go?" Aaralyn asked.

"Yeah." James nodded.

"Lucky," Aaralyn sighed. "I only beat her on my second try."

"A win's a win, isn't it?" Livvi pointed out.

"And you probably beat a gym leader on your first try who James had to have a rematch against," Richard added.

"Yeah." Aaralyn nodded. "Did you get your Earth Badge from Doug?"

"That's right." James gave a nod in response. "I was really surprised that he's the acting gym leader."

"It surprised me too!" Aaralyn said, pausing for a second to remember her battle against him. "Not that I want to disrespect him or anything, but I found him really easy to beat – I didn't lose a single Pokémon."

"Same here." James folded his arms. "I kind of feel bad now that I think about it."

At that moment, they all heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up.

"Hey, again!" Josh called to them as he approached them from the east path.

"Josh?" James cried. "Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" Josh grinned, giving James a high-five as he reached them.

"What are you doing here?" Livvi asked. "I didn't think you were competing in the league!"

"I'm not," Josh replied. "I just wanted to come along and support you guys."

"Awesome!" James grinned.

"So, I take it you managed to win all eight gym badges then?" Josh asked.

"That's right!" James said proudly, holding out his badges again.

"Awesome!" Josh grinned. "Looks like you've gotten a lot stronger since we last met."

"We've gotten stronger too!" Livvi protested.

"Yeah!" Richard nodded.

"You guys have been training too?" Aaralyn gave them a curious look.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. An idea came to her. "Hey, Richard, why don't we have a one-on-one battle and show them how much better we are?"

"Sounds good to me!" Richard grinned.

"I'll act as your referee," Josh said immediately.

"This should be good," James sighed as he, Tessa and Aaralyn moved over to the side of the path. "But really I should be the one battling."

"Don't worry!" Aaralyn grinned. "You'll get your chance soon!"

"Go, Dorru!" Livvi called, throwing out her poké ball.

Dorru cried out as she burst out of her poké ball.

"I choose you, Spear!" Richard called, also throwing out a poké ball.

Spear cried out as he materialised.

"Use Agility!" Richard ordered.

Spear nodded and flew towards Dorru. In a split second, he moved round behind Dorru.

"Now use Aerial Ace!" Richard called.

Spear nodded and dove towards Dorru, his wings glowing white. Dorru cried in pain as she was hit.

"Are you alright, Dorru?" Livvi called.

Dorru pulled herself up and nodded.

"Use Double Kick!" Livvi ordered.

Dorru charged forwards towards Spear.

"Dodge it with Agility!" Richard ordered.

Spear nodded and flew past Dorru at a blinding speed.

"Now use Drill Peck!" Richard shouted.

"He's trying it now?" James cried in surprise.

"What's up with Drill Peck?" Aaralyn asked as Spear started spinning like a drill and plunged towards Dorru.

"They haven't completely mastered it yet," Tessa replied. "Richard was saying that-" She paused as Spear accidentally veered off course. "It still isn't very accurate."

"Are you alright, Spear?" Richard called as Spear stopped spinning and landed.

Spear nodded.

"Use Poison Sting!" Livvi yelled to Dorru.

Dorru nodded and charged forwards, the small horn on her head glowing purple. She quickly stabbed Spear before he had the chance to use Agility.

"Use Double Team!" Richard shouted as Spear recovered from the attack.

Suddenly, a crowd of Spear doubles appeared.

"Now use Aerial Ace!" Richard ordered.

All of the doubles swooped down to attack Dorru, who was sent flying when the real one hit.

"Great work, Spear!" Richard grinned as the doubles faded.

Spear nodded.

"Are you okay, Dorru?" Livvi asked.

Dorru pulled herself back to her feet and nodded.

"Alright, use Bite!" Livvi called.

Dorru charged forwards and sank her fangs into Spear. The spearow cried in pain.

"That did more damage than I thought it would!" Livvi grinned as Dorru released Spear and jumped back.

"That's because Dorru used Crunch instead of Bite!" Tessa called.

"What's the difference?" Livvi called to her.

"Crunch is more powerful!" Tessa called back.

"How do you know it was Crunch?"

"Because Crunch is a more violent bite, and that's what Dorru did!" Tessa called back.

"Wow! Great work, Dorru!" Livvi called to her.

Dorru nodded proudly.

"Alright, now use Double Kick!" Livvi called.

Dorru charged forwards towards Spear and, spinning on her front legs, delivered two powerful kicks with her back legs, sending Spear flying back.

"Are you alright, Spear?" Richard called.

Spear pulled himself back up and nodded.

"Alright, use Double Team again!" Richard called.

Spear nodded. Another crowd of doubles appeared.

"Now use Agility and follow it up with Drill Peck!" Richard called.

The Spear doubles nodded. They all flew past Dorru at a blinding speed before turning, starting to spin and ploughing into Dorru. She cried in pain as she was hit by the real one.

"You did it, Spear!" Richard cried in delight as Spear's doubles faded and the real one flew back to him.

"Use Fury Swipes!" Livvi called to Dorru, who was just managing to pull herself to her feet.

Dorru charged forwards.

"Dodge it and use Aerial Ace!" Richard yelled.

Spear flew to the left, easily avoiding Dorru's attack, before turning and diving back towards her with his wings bathed in white light. Dorru cried in pain as she was hit and thrown back. She landed with a crash and made no attempt to get up again.

"Dorru is unable to battle!" Josh announced. "The winner is Spear!"

"I'm sorry, Dorru," Livvi sighed, patting her gently on the head before recalling her to her poké ball.

"Great work, Spear!" Richard grinned as Spear flew back towards him. "You managed to master Drill Peck!"

Spear gave a nod as he landed on the ground in front of him. Suddenly, he started glowing white and a series of light beams started circling him.

"He's evolving!" Richard cried.

"I guess that's the proof that Richard has gotten stronger since I last saw you guys." Aaralyn smiled.

Spear's wings grew much larger, as did his neck and beak. Once his body had also enlarged, the light burst into a cloud of sparks.

Spear let out a cry of triumph. He was now completely covered in brown feathers. His beak was much longer and sharper than it had been when he was a spearow.

"This is great, Spear!" Richard beamed at him as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Fearow, the beak pokémon and the evolved form of spearow. Fearow's long neck and elongated beak are ideal for catching prey in soil or water. It deftly moves this extended and skinny beak to pluck prey. It can remain flying for a whole day without landing."

"Congratulations, Richard!" James grinned, walking over and giving him a high-five.

"Yeah, congratulations," Livvi added.

The others congratulated Richard as well.

"Thanks, guys!" Richard grinned back at them as he recalled Spear to his poké ball. "It's ironic that my pokémon evolved now even though I'm not taking part in the league!" He laughed.

"Still, you've proved that you're stronger than before." Aaralyn grinned. "We should have a battle at some point in the future."

"On that subject, shouldn't we get going again?" Tessa asked. "We're still a long way from the Indigo Plateau."

"Alright, let's get going." James nodded. He looked over at Aaralyn and Josh. "Did you guys want to travel with us to the Indigo Plateau?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Josh grinned.

"I'm in as well!" Aaralyn grinned. "Let's get going!"


Indigo Plateau, Kanto

11:56am, 4th June 2005

"We're finally here!" Aaralyn cheered as they reached the end of the path leading to the Indigo Plateau.

"So this is the Indigo Plateau?" James looked around. He wasn't sure quite what he'd been expecting, but it was different to his expectations. A couple of taller mountains met the western edge of the plateau. Beneath them, lay a large lake filled with the same clear water that they'd seen in the rivers they'd passed on the way up here. Pines trees were dotted around across the plateau, though they only formed thick forest on the eastern edge.

James had expected the Indigo Plateau to have more of a settlement than it did – all he could see were a total of five large stadiums, one of which was built into the side of the lake. On their left, further along the main path towards the first stadium, was a large building which formed a square shape. At the middle of the front side was the large poké ball symbol which designated a pokémon Centre.

"That's the Trainers' Village," Tessa explained as she and Aaralyn started walking towards it. "We should go there first so that we can register."

"So is this where we're staying?" James asked.

"That's right." Aaralyn nodded.

"Is it alright for us to stay at the Trainers' Village?" Livvi asked. "Richard, Josh and I aren't competing."

"It's fine," Tessa replied. "The Trainers' Village is the accommodation for spectators as well."

"That's a relief," Livvi sighed.

"It looks like there's quite a queue," Richard said as they approached the door to the Trainers' Village.

"That's the problem with arriving on the day of the opening ceremony," Aaralyn replied.

"The opening ceremony is today?" Livvi cried in alarm.

"Yeah." Tessa nodded. "Didn't you know?"

"We did," James replied. "We just didn't tell Livvi."

"So that's why you were so desperate to win the Cinnabar rematch," Livvi sighed as they joined the queue. "I don't appreciate being left in the dark!"

"Sorry." James apologised. "I was just worried that you'd get stressed out if you knew how little time we had left."

"It's alright." Livvi shrugged and smiled at him. "Just don't do it again."

"Yes, Livvi," James sighed.

"James?"

James looked up upon hearing a voice. Joe was standing nearby, looking at them. "Joe!" he cried in surprise. "Long time no see!"

"How have things been?" Joe asked, moving over to them and shaking James' hand. "I see you made it to the league."

"That's right!" James nodded. "I actually only got my last badge a couple of days ago, but I'm still here!"

"Glad to hear it!" Joe grinned. "I've been looking forward to battling you again for ages!"

"We've got some time to kill while we're waiting in line," James replied. "Want to have a battle right now?"

"No, no." Joe shook his head. "I meant when we meet in the finals of the Kanto League!"

"I think having a pokémon battle right here would be a bad idea anyway." Livvi pointed out.

"How have you two been, Livvi and Richard?" Joe asked, turning to them.

"Good, thanks," Livvi replied.

"Same here." Richard nodded.

"Umm, who's this?" Aaralyn asked James.

"I'll introduce you," James replied. "This is Joe Carnack. He's a trainer we met on Route 3 a couple of months ago and he travelled with us for a while."

"Pleased to meet you," Joe added, turning to Aaralyn.

"Nice to meet you too," Aaralyn replied. "I'm Aaralyn Keegan from Lavender Town."

"And this is Josh Tyler and Livvi's older sister, Tessa," James added, introducing him to the other two.

"Pleased to meet you as well." Joe grinned.

"Same here." Tessa nodded.

"Likewise," Josh added.

"Have you gotten stronger since we last met?" James turned back to Joe.

"Yeah." Joe nodded. "Did you think I was just going to sit around doing nothing for two months?"

"I was kind of hoping that you were," James replied with a sigh. "Still, at least this means that it'll be a really good battle when we fight!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Joe grinned. "I still need to pay you back for beating me that time!"

"That was only a one-on-one battle!" James replied. "I want to beat you properly in a full battle!"

"Calm down, guys," Richard said, giving them an exasperated look. "Save it for the league."

Livvi looked around, ignoring the commotion around her. She took another couple of steps forward as the queue moved and they passed through the doors of the pokémon centre. This particular pokémon centre had been modelled to look like the interior of a log cabin, with wooden walls and floor. The reception area was also much bigger and had sofas and chairs on either side of the entranceway. At that moment, she caught sight of a girl with long brown hair, wearing a pink top and a navy blue skirt, sat on one of the sofas in the reception area.

"Sara?" she called, remembering the name.

"Huh?" Sara looked up. "Livvi? James? Richard? Josh?" Is that you?" She got up and walked over to them.

"So, you made it here as well Sara?" James grinned. "You managed to get your last gym badges?"

"Yeah." Sara nodded. "You too?"

"Yeah." James nodded as well.

"How have you been?" Livvi asked. "Did your ankle get better alright?"

"Yeah." Sara nodded. "I only twisted it."

"Another friend of yours?" Aaralyn asked James.

"This is Sara Hurst," James replied. "We helped her get out of Rock Tunnel on Route 10 after she was attacked by a machoke and twisted her ankle."

"Are these your friends?" Sara asked.

Aaralyn, Joe and Tessa quickly introduced themselves to her.

"Looks like we're almost there," Richard said suddenly. They were almost at the main desk.

"Come to think of it, why are we here?" Livvi asked. "We're not registering."

"I don't know," Richard replied. He turned to the others. "Livvi and I'll wait for you over there," he said as the two of them, quickly joined by Josh, left the queue to sit on one of the sofas.

"I need to get going as well," said Joe. "Training and all that. How about we meet up again this evening and all go to the opening ceremony together?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." James nodded.

The others agreed as well.

"Alright." Joe nodded. "See you later!"

"Next please!" James heard one of the receptionists call. He stepped forward. "Can I see your trainer card and Kanto League badges please?" she asked.

"S-Sure!" James replied nervously, handing over his badges and his trainer card.

"Thank you." The receptionist quickly swiped his trainer card and checked his badges. She then quickly typed something into the computer and then handed him his card and badges back. "You'll all registered!" She smiled at him.

"Thanks!" James smiled back as he took them. It was a strange feeling to actually be here, to now officially be a competitor in the Kanto League.

"Your room is number 147 on the first floor in the west wing." The receptionist continued, handing him a key card. "The opening ceremony will start at eight this evening, though you don't have to attend if you don't want to. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" James replied with a grin.


12:35pm, 4th June 2005

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Richard asked.

"Don't know," James replied.

"Lunch would probably be nice," Josh sighed.

The three of them were sat in Room 147, which had a balcony which overlooked the lake. There were four beds, but they only needed three of them. Much to Livvi's frustration, Tessa had insisted that she couldn't share a room with three boys and dragged her to her room, number 151, which was further down the hallway.

The first thing that had struck James about the room was that it was very clean – cleaner than any room he'd been in before. He supposed that the cleaning staff had been overworked in preparation for the prestigious Kanto League. The sheets on the beds were so white that it was actually a little difficult to look directly at them. The carpet, a dark blue colour, was thick and soft beneath their feet – they'd felt obliged to take their shoes off upon entering the room.

The bathroom was basic, but in excellent condition, though the thick, almost choking, scent of cleaning materials still hung in the air.

"When do you want to have lunch?" Richard asked Josh.

"Anytime soon," Josh replied. "I don't really mind though."

"Tessa and Livvi said that they'd come and get us when they were ready for lunch," James said to them. "They shouldn't be too long."

"Since we've got some time to kill," Richard began. "What are your plans for the Kanto League?"

"I swear we've had conversations like this ever since we started travelling together," James sighed.

"Yeah, but you dodged it all the previous times because the Kanto League was a long way off." Josh pointed out.

"Yeah." Richard nodded. "Now you really do have to think about what you're going to do."

"I guess so," James sighed. "I really want to try and come up with different tactics for all my team members so that I no one can predict what kind of strategy I'll use."

"It sounds like a good idea." Josh nodded. "But can you actually manage that?"

"I'll see what I can do," James replied. "I've got this afternoon to do some training after all."

"That reminds me," Richard began. "Weren't you going to get Professor Oak to send Cuba here for the league?"

"That's right!" James suddenly exclaimed. "I'll get him transferred as soon as we're done with lunch – then it's straight to training!"

"We'll help too!" Josh laughed.

"Yeah!" Richard grinned. He thought for a second. "Competing in a league really is fun, huh?"

"You'll get into the next one that comes up, Richard, I promise you!" James said with a reassuring grin.

"Ha!" Richard laughed. "I don't need you to promise that I'll get in – I'll get in by myself!"

"That's the spirit!" Josh grinned.


7:49pm, 4th June 2005

"It looks like everyone's here," Joe said, looking around. The sun had just disappeared behind the mountains to the west, but there was just enough light left in the sky to make out the stadiums and the surrounding area. Having had dinner almost an hour ago, everyone had reassembled outside the Trainers' Village to set off for the opening ceremony in the main stadium.

"Let's get going," Livvi said, glancing at her watch. "The ceremony starts at eight, so we've got ten minutes to get there."

"Yeah, let's." James nodded. The now-larger group set off towards the stadium, chatting amongst themselves about the battles that lay ahead.

"I really hope I can do better than last time!" Tessa said optimistically. "I was only able to make it to the second round last year before getting knocked out."

"I managed to get to the second round as well." Joe nodded. "But I was really unlucky with the matchups – I was up against Professor Oak's grandson, Blue from Pallet Town."

"Wait, the Blue?" Sara asked. "The one who went on to win the competition and beat the Elite Four to become Champion of Kanto?"

"Yeah," Joe sighed. "I was completely flattened when I fought him."

"I didn't know that the Champion lived in the same town as you, James!" Livvi exclaimed, turning to him.

"We don't really see him around since he became Champion," James replied. "And anyway, he used to live on the other side of town to me – I've only actually met him once."

"On that subject, have you heard about the favourite to win this year's competition?" Josh asked.

"No," Richard replied, turning to him.

"Apparently there's another, really powerful trainer from Pallet Town competing in the league this year," Josh replied.

"So the rumours about me have already spread then?" James laughed.

"Yeah, right!" Livvi rolled her eyes.

"I don't know much else about him." Josh continued. "He was the runner-up in last year's competition and apparently has known Blue since they were both kids."

"So you think he's come back this year to avenge his loss?" Joe asked. "Anyway, I remember that trainer – his name's Red. He doesn't really talk that much if memory serves."

"I've heard of him too." James nodded. He shuddered slightly. "I hope I don't end up against him in the league."

"If you get far enough, then it'll probably be inevitable." Tessa pointed out.

"In any case, losing to the favourite wouldn't be something to be ashamed of," Livvi added.

"I guess so." James looked up at the sky as something bright caught his eye. "What's that?" he cried in surprise, pointing it out to the others. It looked like a giant, floating ball of flames. As it moved past, James saw that it was actually a bird with wings of fire. He quickly whipped out his Pokédex.

"Moltres, the flame pokémon. It is said to be the legendary bird pokémon of fire. Every flap of its wings creates a dazzling flare of flames. If injured, it is said to dip its body in the molten magma of a volcano to burn and heal itself."

"Another of the legendary bird Pokémon!" James exclaimed. "That's incredible!"

"I wonder what it's doing here," Livvi murmured as they all gazed after the Moltres as it got slowly further and further away from them.

"Moltres always flies to the Indigo Plateau at this time of year," Tessa explained. "That's the reason why the Kanto League is always hosted up here rather than in some place more accessible."

"What's the significance of Moltres?" Richard asked.

"A flame left by Moltres takes weeks, sometimes even months to go out," Joe replied. "Part of the opening ceremony is for one of the trainers to scale the mountain where Moltres roosts and light a torch using one of the flames."

"Moltres normally leaves as soon as it lights the torch," Aaralyn added. "So that means the chosen trainer is most likely on their way back down to the stadium now."

"What do they do with the flame once they get there?" James asked.

"They use it to light a bigger flame in the main stadium, which burns until the end of the competition," Aaralyn explained.

"Does the league go on for weeks or months then?" Richard asked. "You said that the flame doesn't go out for that long."

"They usually help it to go out sooner using some water pokémon," Joe replied.

"We should hurry up, guys!" Sara called. "We don't have long until the ceremony starts!"


8:12pm, 4th June 2005

They'd made it just in time for the beginning of the ceremony. Livvi, Richard and Josh had gone to the stands to watch. James, Joe, Aaralyn, Sara and Tessa, on the other hand, had joined the ranks of the competitors waiting to walk out into the stadium. Each trainer was allowed to have one of their pokémon out of its poké ball to accompany them into the stadium.

"There are so many other trainers," James murmured as he pulled out Charka's poké ball and let him out.

"Yeah." Joe nodded as he pulled out a poké ball. "Don't worry though – most of them will be knocked out in the qualifiers tomorrow."

"Who are you bringing with you?" James asked.

"I'll show you," Joe replied. The poké ball opened with an electronic pop. The burst of energy reformed and a persian appeared.

"So your meowth evolved!" James grinned. "Congratulations!"

"Same to you and Charka!" Joe grinned back.

Charka grinned as well.

"Wow! Your charmander evolved!" Sara called excitedly. She pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at Charka.

"I see you've got Clefairy with you," James said, noticing the pink pokémon clinging to her shoulder.

"That's right." Sara nodded as her Pokédex finished reading out Charka's entry. She put the Pokédex back as Aaralyn and Tessa joined them as well, accompanied by Rapidash and Pie respectively.

"Looks like we're about to go out," said Tessa. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah." James nodded.

"Let's get going!" Aaralyn cheered.

"Alright, trainers!" They heard one of the officials shout over the noise in the room. "Come on out into the stadium!"

There was an immediate rush for the exit. James decided to hang back slightly with the others to avoid being caught up in the melee. Slowly but surely, the crowd of trainers made their way out and into the stadium. As soon as they stepped out, they were met with deafening applause from the crowd.

"There're so many people," James murmured, looking around at the crowd. There must have been thousands of people all around the stadium's stands – there was no way that they'd be about to spot Livvi, Richard and Josh among them.

"Isn't it exciting?" Aaralyn grinned at him. "It's just like the SS Anne tournament, only much bigger!"

James nodded idly in response and looked around, noticing that there were some pokémon which he hadn't seen before. He pulled out his Pokédex.

"Wigglytuff, the balloon pokémon and the evolved form of jigglypuff. Wigglytuff's body is very flexible. By inhaling deeply, this pokémon can inflate itself seemingly without end. Once inflated, a wigglytuff bounces along lightly like a balloon."

"Poliwrath, the tadpole pokémon and the evolved form of poliwhirl. Poliwrath's highly developed, brawny muscles never grow fatigued, however much it exercises. It is so tirelessly strong that it can swim entire oceans without effort."

"Machamp, the superpower pokémon and the evolved form of machoke. Machamp has the power to hurl anything aside. However, trying to do any work requiring care and dexterity causes its arms to get tangled. This pokémon tends to leap into action without thinking. Its four ruggedly developed arms can launch a flurry of 1,000 punches in just two seconds."

"Sounds like there are going to be some pretty fierce opponents in the league," James sighed as he put his Pokédex away again, having failed to ease his nerves.

"Look, over there!" Joe hissed, nudging him.

"What?" James asked.

"There." Joe pointed to a boy wearing a red jacket, light blue jeans and a red cap. A pikachu was stood proudly on his shoulder. Both were facing away from James and Joe. "That's Red, the favourite to win this year."

"So that's Red," James murmured. He seemed to be very calm and collected. Not like James, who was already starting to grow nervous over the prospect of battling in front of so many people. At that moment, he was snapped out of his thoughts by someone tapping him on the shoulder. He looked round.

"So you made it too, James!" Dean grinned at him.

Wartortle grinned at Charka.

"Hey, Dean!" James replied. "Yeah, I guess I barely made it in!" He laughed nervously.

"Awesome!" Dean nodded. "Hope we get to battle each other at some point while we're here!"

"Yeah," James said with a grin. "We still need to settle that battle we had in Saffron City!"

"Sure, but I'm going to win!" Dean said confidently. They fell silent as the chairman of the Kanto Pokémon Association stepped up to the microphone on the stage at the far end of the stadium.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, competitors and spectators!" he began. "It's my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2005 Kanto Pokémon League!" His words were met with wild applause from both the audience and the trainers on the stadium floor. "As you all know." He continued as the applause died down. "The Kanto League has been an event aimed at bringing together pokémon and trainers to compete and deepen their bonds with each other for many years, and this year we have more competitors than ever!"

"How long will the speech go on for?" James asked Tessa.

"A little while probably," Tessa replied. "The chairman is a man who loves the sound of his own voice."

"How long did it go on for last year?" James asked.

"I don't remember," Tessa screwed up her face in concentration. "Maybe twenty minutes… no, wait… argh! I can't remember!"

"Twenty minutes?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Well," Tessa began. "That might have included the speech from the Champion as well – it was a year ago after all, I can't remember everything!"

"So, what happens after the speech?" James asked.

"They light the flame," Tessa replied. "Then they launch some fireworks and we all go back to the Trainers' Village."

"Will the person who lights the flame be the same person who gets Moltres to light the torch?"

"Normally." Tessa nodded. "Although there was one year when the trainer who'd lit the torch ended up spraining his ankle on the way back down the mountain and someone else had to light the main flame in the stadium."

"How do they decide who carries the flame?" James asked.

"A lucky dip?" Tessa suggested. "I have no idea. I think they decide on it a couple of days before the opening ceremony, so latecomers like us have no chance of being picked."

"Shh, guys!" Joe hissed. "Looks like it's time for them to light the flame.

"This year's torchbearer is Danny Kent from Lilycove City in the Hoenn region!" the chairman announced, gesturing across the stadium to the entrance from which the competitors had come. A boy with long black hair that covered his pale blue eyes, wearing an orange hoodie and tan cargo shorts walked out of the entrance, the torch clasped firmly in his right hand.

"That's strange." Aaralyn frowned as Danny moved past through the crowd towards the stage. "It's rare for the torchbearer to be from another region."

"Like I said, lucky dip!" Tessa grinned.

"What's up, James?" Joe asked, noticing that James had started frowning.

"The name Danny Kent rings a bell," James replied thoughtfully. "I can't shake off the feeling that I've met him before somewhere."

"We all ran into each other at some point while travelling around to get gym badges." Joe shrugged. "You probably crossed paths with him at some point on your journey."

"I guess so," James sighed. "It's really annoying that I can't remember though!"

Danny lit the main flame, which immediately bathed the whole stadium in a warm light.

"Unfortunately, our reigning Champion, Blue Oak, couldn't be with us tonight." The chairman continued with his speech. "However, he should be able to join us tomorrow for the qualifiers. I wish the best of luck to all our competitors. Let's make the 2005 Kanto Pokémon League the most memorable we've ever had!" There was another round of applause as the chairman stepped away from the microphone. There was a loud bang as the first of the fireworks exploded in the sky.

"I'm finally here," James murmured to himself as more fireworks were launched into the sky. His hand was shaking slightly from nervousness. What if he couldn't even make it through the qualifiers? What if he'd got all this way only to fail straight away?

Hearing Charka grunt at him, James looked down. Charka grinned up at him.

"I guess you're right, Charka." James gave a determined nod. "We can only do our best!"

Charka grinned. Laughing, James looked back up at the fireworks that filled the night's sky over the Indigo Plateau.


So, we're finally here – the Indigo Plateau. From here on out, it's going to be almost entirely battles rather than travelling (which works out well for me since they're easier to plan! :P).

I should probably explain my reasoning for having Blue instead of Red as the Champion since that'll probably be what everyone comments on first. I thought it seemed a little strange to not have a Champion in the first place, so I decided that I'd have Blue win the 2004 League (beating Red in the process) and go on to defeat the Elite Four and previous Champion. Therefore, this year Red is competing in the league against in an attempt to knock Blue off his pedestal.

Moving on, the pattern in the gym battles! As has been mentioned already, James has lost every other gym battle, which was the first part of the pattern. The second part of the pattern is that whenever he lost, his only supporters were Livvi and Richard (or just Livvi, in the case of the Pewter gym). He had at least one additional supporter in his victories (Joe in Cerulean, Josh, Aaron and Andrew in Celadon, Aaron and Copycat in Saffron and Tessa in Viridian).

Anyway, we'll begin the league properly next time! Feel free to let me know your thoughts about this chapter!

Until next time! :)


James' Team:

Active:

Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.

Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Agility, Slam and Thunder Wave.

Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Cross Chop and Brick Break.

Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Leech Life, Giga Drain and Spore.

Leytor (Seel): male, careful, good perseverance, likes bitter food, water type, Thick Fat ability, known moves are Water Pulse, Take Down, Safeguard and Ice Beam.

Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Slash, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.

Cuba (Cubone): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Double-Edge, Bonemerang and Bone Rush.

Livvi's Team:

Active:

Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.

Dorru (Nidoran): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

Cylune (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, known moves are Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.

Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

Salea (Chansey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Refresh, Double Slap and Egg Bomb.

Richard's Team:

Active:

Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.

Sting (Beedrill): male, hardy, often dozes off, eats anything, bug-poison type, Swarm ability, known moves are Focus Energy, Poison Sting, Twineedle and String Shot.

Spear (Fearow): male, mild, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Keen Eye ability, known moves are Drill Peck, Double Team, Aerial Ace and Agility.

Helix (Omanyte): male, naïve, somewhat stubborn, likes sweet food, rock-water type, Shell Armour ability, known moves are Protect, Water Gun, Mud Shot and Leer.