Part 3
Ash looked around at the crowd streets of Indigo Plateau excitedly, struggling to suppress the wide smile that was trying to break free from within him. All around him were the most devoted fans of Pokemon battling, and the sheer number of conversations he was hearing about Pokemon was making him shake. He didn't know where to begin, who to approach or what he should say.
Booths lined both sides of every street, selling numerous items from small figures of different Pokemon to posters of trainers that had made a name for themselves at the Indigo Conference before. The streets were loaded with people, and it was a challenge just to get down one block, although this didn't seem to bother Ash at all.
"Pika." Pikachu muttered to Ash, tapping his shoulder to calm him.
"I know Pikachu, but I can't wait to get going. It's taking way too long for the opening ceremony to start." Ash replied before a horn sounded loudly from the largest stadium on Indigo Plateau which brought all the hustle and bustle to a halt. On the huge monitors that were placed above every entrance of the stadium, a rather elderly man appeared on the screen with bright eyes.
"Hello everyone, I'm sure all of you know me as Charles Goodshow, president of the Pokemon League. This year I've chosen to attend the Indigo Conference, and I've been given the honor to inform all of you that the opening ceremony will be taking place in just a half an hour followed by the exhibition matches. I would suggest you find your seats early so that you don't miss any of the amazing battles that are going to take place!" He said, giving the camera a large smile before it cut off. And then the rush began.
The entrance to the main stadium became packed with fans as they rushed to find their seats, leaving the streets outside almost vacant as the shop owners closed up as quickly as they could.
"Whoa." Was all Ash could say. He had never been to Indigo Plateau as a child, but just the fans alone had already impressed him. Now he couldn't wait to see the trainers.
Ash stood on the battlefield of the main stadium, closing and opening his hands as he tried to keep his breathing steady. He was trying to contain his urge to excitedly greet the trainers that stood around them since he had seen many of these faces before in other Conferences. But this time he was a trainer standing alongside them.
He had to look professional.
Looking up at the small podium that had been set up for Charles to give his speech, Ash decided to study the features of the wood to stay calm. But this didn't help him at all. Fortunately for Ash, the person beside him was able to see his desperate attempt to keep his cool. Receiving a slap on the back, Ash turned to see who had hit him only to find a chuckling man looking at him.
"Hello there. I couldn't help but notice you were nervous." He said before tilting his head to give Ash an odd look. Ash's jaw had dropped the moment he got a good look at the man standing beside him. It was Mandi, one of the finalists in last year's Indigo Conference who he admired greatly after watching him perform in one match after another. "Is anyone home?"
Mandi waved a hand in front of Ash's blank expression which seemed to snap him out of his daze.
"No way, it really is you." Ash whispered to himself as he looked up at the slightly taller male, although Mandi seemed to tower over him. Mandi raised an eyebrow as Ash seemed to shrink down, losing whatever confidence he had left.
"I take it this is the first time you've entered a Conference?" Mandi asked Ash, receiving a nod from him. "What's your name?"
"Nineteen." Ash replied, unaware of the narrow glance Mandi gave him. Then he smiled warmly at Ash, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"A young one aren't ya." Mandi began. "I remember being in my first Conference. I choked pretty badly. It's not easy adjusting to the intensity the trainers will be battling with right now considering they spent practically their whole life preparing for this competition. It's like they're coming at you with the intent to kill. Not the mention the crowd can be just as bad as the trainers."
Mandi's comments only seemed to discourage Ash more, much to Mandi's delight. He didn't bother to go on since he was positive that Ash had tuned him out at this point. Turning away from the young trainer, Mandi smiled inwardly. If Ash was unnerved, there was no doubt that he would get himself eliminated in the first round.
'Whoever faces this kid in the first round had better thank me.' Mandi said to himself with a smirk as Charles Goodshow took his spot behind the podium, calling for everyone attention.
Ash didn't catch much of the speech. The few words he had exchanged with Mandi had plagued his mind, drowning out the voice of Charles.
It's like they're coming at you with the intent to kill…the crowd can be just as bad.
Ash felt as though he was standing alone among the trainers. His heart was racing, his chest felt tight as though he was being suffocated. And he could feel thousands of eyes staring down at him from the stands above. This stage was so big, and there were so many trainers that have been working their butts off to get here. Did he really belong here?
The roar of the crowd tore Ash away from his thoughts, returning his focus to the president who waved the crowd as he left the podium.
"What happened?" Ash asked himself in a whisper as he began to panic. The trainers that had been standing on the battlefield were beginning to disperse, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
"Pi!" Pikachu said, pointing toward the only tunnel the trainers were using as an exit. Ash gave his Pokemon a desperate nod of thanks before following the crowd that would eventually take him to the lobby of the main stadium where multiple monitors were displaying the match ups that had been created for the exhibition matches.
The exhibition matches were nothing more than the opening day for the competition. It was optional, but most trainers accepted since it was a great way to warm up for the real battles that followed. Aside from that, it gave the fans something to cheer for on the first day, not that anyone really took these matches seriously. For Ash though, he would have to find a rhythm now or he would be stunk in a funk for his debut.
But it seemed like the odds were against him as he spotted the small picture that was next to his own. It was Mandi.
Mandi chuckled inwardly as he glanced at Ash who wasn't too far away from him. This was a golden opportunity to remove Ash early on. If he could throw him off his game entirely during the their exhibtion match, his first round opponent should have no trouble knocking him out of the tournament.
Ash paced nervously back and forth in the empty corridor, going over what strategies he could use to find a rhythm. But nothing came to mind.
'When was the last time I even needed to find a rhythm?' Ash asked himself as he shook his head. 'This is going to be one colossal train wreck.'
The roar of the stadium sent a chill down his spine. Even though he was beneath all of the action, the cheers of the fans were still loud enough to reach his location.
It's like they're coming at you with the intent to kill…the crowd can be just as bad.
Ash began to chew on his lower lip, running a hand through his hair as he came to a quick conclusion. If anyone could help him get out of this funk at this point, it was Ivysaur. One, if not the most level headed companion he had the moment. Hopefully using someone with a calm mind would rub off on him before he dug himself into a hole that would be too difficult to get out of.
Ash took both of his hands and began to slap his cheeks together, using the pain to distract himself from how nervous he felt. This was no time to cower away. All he had to do was focus on the match at hand, and he would be fine.
"And moving on to our next match, we have got Ash vs Mandi." The ref said as looked at both trainers, starting with Mandi. The experienced trainer gave him a kind nod which the ref returned before looking toward Ash.
The ref spent a moment waiting for Ash's response which was rigid nod of his head. The ref could clearly see that Ash was glued to the spot he was standing, looking as though he was wearing clothing with way to much starch. He could only hope that Ash would be able to follow the procedure properly at this point.
Ash was unable to stop his hands from shaking as he looked out at the packed stadium behind Mandi. Thousands of people were staring down at him. Just that thought alone made his mind go blank.
'I can't remember anything!' Ash screamed at himself, looking down at his shoes. He felt slightly better with the crowd outside of his vision, but this didn't remove the queasy feeling he had in the pit of his stomach.
"This will be a one on one battle. Trainers, you may begin!" The ref said. Ash's head snapped upward at the call as he snatched a Pokeball of his belt. He gave it a shaky toss onto the field, releasing his Ivysaur who looked about the stands before looking back at Ash. Spotting the discomfort within Ash's eyes, Ivysaur could tell that it must've been really if bad if Pikachu wasn't able to calm down Ash in the slightest.
"Pinsir! Let's go!" Mandi shouted as he released his own choice onto the field. Ash stared at the opponent with a dreadful expression. He had sent Ivysaur out too early, giving Mandi the opportunity to pick and choose who he would use against them. He had already put himself at a clear disadvantage.
'Damn it.' Ash said inwardly as the ref took a few steps away from the battlefield, raising his flags to signal the start of the match.
"Pinsir, let's start strong with X-Scissor!" Mandi commanded, pointing at Ivysaur. Mandi's shout almost made Ash's heart stop as he looked at the man. It was as though he had grown three times larger as he leered at Ash. His expression was so much more intense than when he had first met him.
"It's like they're coming at you with the intent to kill…
Pinsir charged at the grass type, opening its horns a bit as they gained a dark yellow glow. Ash was unable to give Ivysaur a command, but this didn't seem to bother his Pokemon as it leaped out of Pinsir's path of attack.
"Pinsir, pursue it!" Mandi ordered. Pinsir came stomping to a halt before it turned to charge at Ivysaur again like a raging Tauros. Ivysaur continued to dodge the attacks regardless of how fast Pinsir approached, but these actions weren't very appreciated by the crowd that was quickly becoming restless.
"Come on kid, order an attack!" They began to shout at Ash which further terrified him as he shifted his gaze to the crowd for a moment.
"Ivysaur, use um, Energy Ball!" Ash ordered. Ivysaur evaded yet another attack from Pinser before planting itself on its feet. The petals on its back opened up, allowing its bulb to fire off an orb of condensed energy toward Pinser who had turned to attack once again. To Ash's surprise, Pinsir simply lowered its horns and rushed forward, using them to cut right through Energy Ball with ease.
Ivysaur gave a pained shout as Pinsir swiped at it with its horns, landing a hard attack across the side of the grass type. Pinsir didn't stop after this one attack, it continued to beat away at Ivysaur who couldn't escape now that Pinsir had gotten so close. This beating continued for a while, and not even the crowd could get excited over this one sided beating, but Ivysaur continued to withstand the powerful attacks.
"Alright Pinsir, I believe it's time we went in for the finish!" Mandi ordered. Pinsir responded to the command by stretching its horns apart quite widely before it snatched Ivysaur from the ground in between them. Ash's eyes became wide as he stared at Pinsir holding his weakened Ivysaur in the air, slowly closing the distance between its horns. Ivysaur struggled to break free at first, but soon is focus was set on resisting the urge to cry out in pain. But despite Ivysaur's perseverance, with every passing moment the pressure on its body increased until it could take it anymore.
Ivysaur began to scream its torso was crushed, the kind of scream that alarmed the referee. The ref quickly threw down both his flags onto the field, gaining the attention of Mandi.
"This battle is over!" He declared, crossing his arms in an X to declare the battle a no contest.
"Enough Pinsir." Mandi said calmly. Pinsir loosened the grip of its horns, dropping Ivysaur to the ground where it remained still. "I believe it's time we take our leave."
Mandi and Pinsir made their way over to the exit of the field, taking a moment to look back at Ash who had fallen back onto his bottom. He was still in shock at the result of his first Conference battle. The professional circuit was a whole new level frontier.
"Is my Ivysaur going to be alright Nurse Joy?" Ash asked, rushing over to the woman to who just exited the medical wing through the double doors.
"You may want to sit down to hear this." She said, motioning to the small couch near the door.
The two of them sat down together, allowing a few moments of silence to pass by as she stared into Ash's eyes. They held a wealth of concern for his Ivysaur, and she knew right away that this was going to be tough. She hated this part of her job, because she would either have to break the heart of a loving trainer, or see the sickening response of a trainer who didn't care for their Pokemon.
Ash held his breath as observed Nurse Joy's grim expression. He could tell that the news she had was something he wouldn't want to hear. Soon enough, Nurse Joy sighed and hardened her expression as she began to speak.
"The kind of damage your Ivysaur sustained during that match isn't something that can be healed quickly. I saw the replay of what happened, and that Pinsir damaged the bone structure of Ivysaur's torso. If not for the referee intervening, Ivysaur could've been injured to the point of no return." Nurse Joy explained, watching as Ash's expression darkened considerably. "But don't beat yourself up over this. Ivysaur will be fine, it will just need a lot of time to rest and heal up if you plan to battle with it in the future."
Nurse Joy waited a moment for a reply from Ash, but she received nothing from him. Rising from her seat, Nurse Joy took a few steps before Ash spoke up.
"Can I see Ivysaur?" He asked. She looked back at him, but Ash refused to make eye contact with her.
"Sure, although Ivysaur won't be able to respond right now."
"That's fine."
Nurse Joy led him into the medical wing where she took Ash to a small room where Ivysaur could be found floating in a large canister of some strange liquid that glowed green. Nurse had spent a moment explaining what this would do for Ivysaur, but just when she finished her explanation she noticed that Ash pretty inattentive. He was clearly more interested in Ivysaur itself than the machine that contained it.
Nurse Joy gave him a soft smile, something what went unnoticed by Ash, then she left him alone in the room. As she shut the door, Ash moved closer to the container, placing a hand on the glass to get as close to Ivysaur as possible.
"I'm sorry Ivysaur." He croaked as he stared at his unconscious companion. "I really screwed up this time, and you got hurt because of this. I panicked the moment the battle started, I couldn't think straight and only made it worse for you. I came to the battle, but I forgot my brain. I'm deeply sorry for this."
Closing his open hand into a fist, Ash looked up from the canister toward the ceiling where he gave a bitter shout. There was nothing more frustrating than seeing his Pokemon get hurt and he couldn't do a thing about it. He wasn't going to let this happen again.
"How can a move like that be fair!?" Ash exclaimed as he threw his hands into the air. "The damage done to my Ivysaur basically took it out of the tournament!"
The man Ash was hollering at only sighed as he remained seated behind his desk. He was a small elderly man with a long white beard that was better known as Charles Goodshow.
Ash had watched the replays of his short battle against Mandi, and he was positive that-that attack Pinsir used to finish off Ivysaur should be illegal. Not to mention Mandi himself had ordered Pinsir to use that attack. No one should be allowed to do that.
"How old are you kiddo?" He asked, bringing all of Ash's shouting to an end.
"Nineteen."
"Ah, that explains it. You've never battled here before." The president said to himself quietly. "I'm sorry kid, but the finisher that Pinsir used was completely appropriate."
"How!?" Ash roared.
"Calm down and let me explain." He began. "You see, this is the professional circuit, which I'm sure you've figured out by now. Winning is everything here, and you have to stop at nothing to do that. Sometimes you meet Pokemon that are so motivated to win that on willpower alone they'll remain standing no matter how much damage you do. To label yourself as a professional trainer, you have to show that you're going to go to any length to become the best. Your opponent today simply showed that he has what it takes."
"But my Ivysaur was-"
"I know this doesn't seem fair, but everyone has to deal with this at some point. Pokemon receive injuries like that a fair amount of times during their career. The officiating is not like high school and college. They're not here to save you any more, that's up to you." He continued as he pointed at Ash.
Ash was completely shut down by this. He had nothing to say because he was in the wrong. It was clear now that he hadn't made the full transition from college to the professional circuit. He acted as though he was a kid that was being picked on. No one was going to protect him at this point. It was up to him and his Pokemon.
Ash gave Charles one last look before he turned to head toward the door, but Charles had one last thing to say.
"It's win or go home kid. What are you going to do?"
Ash quietly walked through the corridor where his room was located, replaying what Charles had said to him several times. He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, but he managed to get to his room while moving on auto pilot, only to be greeted by a sight he wasn't expecting.
In the darkness of his room, only the active computer screen in his room provided light for the five Pokemon that were in his room, crowded around the computer. The first thought that went through Ash's head was a quick thanks to the management of the hotel for putting him on the ground floor. He was positive the weight of Snorlax would've caused the floor to collapse if he was on any other floor.
"What are you guys doing?" Ash asked, gaining their attention at once. Snorlax and Charizard moved aside silently, revealing that Pikachu was standing next to the mouse of the computer, using the gadget quite skillfully for a Pokemon. Ash looked down at the monitor, checking to see what they had been watching.
It was a video of his match against Mandi, more specifically the moment in time where Ivysaur had been severely injured. Glancing around at his Pokemon that surrounded him, Ash could see the intensity in their eyes. They were not pleased with that battle, and neither was he.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, looking up at Ash who only sighed.
"I'm still upset over how that match went south, but we can't waste time here. This is the professional circuit, everything we dreamed of. I'm not going to back down after one bad match. This will not be the end of the road for us." Ash stated, receiving a reassuring nod from each of them. "It's win or go home!"
Ash put his hand out in front of the group, motioning for them to put their own hand in as well. Once they all got in a paw, hand or whatever appendage they had, they threw their hands into the air together with a shout.
"Let's do this!"
May 14th
Main Stadium
Ash once again found himself standing among the competitors at the center of the battlefield. They were all grouped together, looking up the grand staircase that went to the very top of the stadium where a small platform was waiting. Resting on that platform was a large golden cup that glowed from the sun that beamed upon it from above. A single trainer ascended the stairs, tightly holding onto a small torch that was lit.
As he reached the top, he came to a stop in front of the golden cup which he tipped the torch into. The cup lit up with bright orange and red flames that could be seen with ease from any point in the stadium. The flame had been lit.
"I happy to announce that this will mark the beginning of this year's Indigo Conference!" Charles Goodshow declared in an excited fashion, throwing his hands into the air. The crowd reacted wonderfully, erupting with cheers.
Ash looked about at the crowd, a small grin creeping up on his lips. He had a different view of the fans now, something he had come to realize during the night. He was once a fan, and he never wanted to see anyone fail, he just wanted to enjoy the sport. And now was his chance to enjoy the sport from a new perspective. Not as the one watching, but as the one partaking. As the one winning.
They spent practically their whole life preparing for this competition.
"Pi?" Pikachu asked, glancing at Ash who was shaking. At first these words had left him feeling distraught, completely forgetting the fact that they applied to him as well. He put in the time and effort, now was his time to demonstrate his strength to the whole world. He was going to make his statement.
That he was going to become a Pokemon Master.
"Don't worry Pikachu. I'm just excited." He assured Pikachu who smiled at Ash who was handling the situation much better than he had the day before.
"This is the opening round for the tournament, the elimination round." Charles continued once the crowd had calmed down. "For those of you who don't know. This is where you put your foot down on the gas and never look back if you plan on making a run to the Finals. It's win or go home!"
It was the trainers turn to respond as each of them threw a hand into the air, but Ash didn't. He was looking directly at Charles who had made eye contact with him as he made his declaration to the trainers. Even though the two of them didn't speak to each other directly, a few words were exchanged between them.
'Alright, I'll show exactly what I've got.' Ash said with nod as he closed both of his hands into fists. He was burning now.
"Well the preliminaries wasn't too exciting yesterday, but now on this opening day to this years Indigo Conference at a sold out Indigo Plateau, all of Kanto patiently waits to see what trainer will earn the rights to return home with the Championship trophy and be listed among the great trainers of this region." Andy said into his headset before removing it once he was finished. "How was that?"
"Excellent my boy, almost as good as one of the announcers for the actual broadcast." Charles Goodshow said as he glanced at Ray and Charles, waiting for their nods of agreement. Now the real competition was about to begin, this trio of analysts had been moved to a small booth in the stands where they could provide commentary for the battles taking place.
"And for those of you tuning in right now, we have Charles Goodshow, the president of the Pokemon League, with us through the tournament, so this might be your one chance to speak to him in person if you get the chance." Ray said, looking down at the sheet of paper Charles had given him before their radio broadcast had began. It was an introduction for Charles that Ray would have to give every couple of minutes to makes sure that everyone listening was aware that it was head of the Pokemon League that was taking part in the commentary. Normally this would've been a bother, but the paycheck he received from Charles was more than enough to convince him that this was for his own good.
"Moving on, today is just filled with exciting match ups to see who will proceed to the second round." Darnell cut in to keep the conversation moving. "Is there anyone you're following in particular Mr. President?"
"Hmm…well I wouldn't say I'm following them, but I've got an eye on them." Charles replied. Plainly stating the name of a trainer he was following was a big taboo right now. Not only would said trainer become a target for the rest of the tournament, but it would put him under unnecessary pressure.
"Oh really, what has he or she done to get your attention?" Andy asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Well I exchanged a few words with them, and from what I've seen, they have reacted properly. I like seeing trainers step up their game in the face of a challenge. Hopefully they won't waste my time." Charles replied, cleverly masking their gender as well.
"That's all the time we have right now since the first battle will be starting in just a few minutes. So in closing, we'd like to welcome you all to the excitement of this year's Indigo Conference."
Ash stood in the corridor leading out to the battlefield with his eyes shut, leaning against the wall. Pikachu did the same on the floor beside him as the few other occupants of the hall watched on curiously. They had been like that for several minutes now as their battle approached.
Ash couldn't deny that any rhythm he had was gone after his horrible performances. This was something Ash had not experienced until he was battling Mandi the day before, and he could see now why it was so important. A majority of his strategies in battles was done in the heat of the moment, even when he put in a lot of preparation beforehand. But without a rhythm, his ability to think clearly vanished along with his reckless abandonment. He would need to find a rhythm in this battle or he would be in line to get eliminated in the first round.
A rather young trainer came parading into the corridor from the stadium as the fans cheered. Clearly he had one his battle convincingly, and he was moving on to the next round. Which meant that it was finally Ash's turn.
"We'd like the trainers taking part in match number seven to please get onto the field at this time." An announcer called out. At this point in the tournament, none of the trainers received any entrances or even got their name called by the announcer at the beginning of the battle. You're simply a number at this point. But Ash responded to this.
His eyes snapped open, as did Pikachu's revealing an intense stare. Ash looked about at the other trainers in the corridor around him. It was as though the hallway had become a bit colder as he looked at them, then he turned to head out to the stadium.
Moving slowly to his box without much concern for the crowd, Ash stop once he made it to his box and looked at the ref who was checking to see he and his opponent were ready to begin.
"This will be a one on one elimination battle. The winner will be declared when the other's Pokemon is declared unable to battle. Trainers, are you ready?"
Ash and his opponent gave the ref a nod, them the referee raised both his flags into the air, the flutter of the flags signaling the start of the battle. Both trainers plucked a Pokeball off of their belt, giving each other a mutual nod a respect. Then their Pokeballs were tossed high into the sky, disappearing into the brightness of the sun for just a moment before they opened up, releasing the Pokemon within.
A/N
Alright, and here we go. The start to the Indigo Conference. I decided that I would get right down to business with this chapter and start out with some of the changes I had made to the competition. As you can see, the sport is now a lot more serious now that someone's career is at stake, and the injuries to your Pokemon can potentially be more threatening what has been seen in the anime. Panicking can result in not only a hard blow to your career, but your Pokemon could also receive an injury that could leave them out of commission for a while. As a trainer you have to be focused and on point at any given moment. Aside from that, I think you all should also know from this chapter that I'm an writer who will take risks.
And by that I mean, no one is safe in this fic. Just a warning...
Moving on, I'm sure a number of you will notice that I used the phrase 'It's win or go home' and while I know its frequently used in many professional sports, I found it very fitting for Pokemon since it can be taken literally throughout the competition. I'm trying to bring some of the touches of real tournaments and the hype that the media can bring, and this slogan seemed fit everything I was looking for.
So any comments, concerns or thoughts? Drop a line for me, I'm happy to reply to any of you! :D
Sorry for taking so long with this update, summer vacation started right after my last update so I've been a lazy bum for the past couple of weeks. But now I'm back, and refreshed so I can really get going again. We'll meet again at the next update.