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"It's so strange! Even though we're just walking on the road, something feels off about the atmosphere!"
Misty looked around as she walked. There was nothing unusual to see, but she felt like countless pairs of eyes were staring at her, which made her feel a little uneasy.
"Toge toot~~"
"Does Togepi feel the same way? What exactly is it? I can't quite put my finger on it..." Hearing Togepi's voice, Misty looked down and asked.
"The smell of battle," Ash said calmly as he walked along.
"Smell of battle?" Listening to Ash's words, Misty was slightly startled and looked confused.
"It's a normal thing. Even though we haven't arrived at the competition site yet and the tournament hasn't started, there are many contestants walking on this road."
"Not all of them are Trainers who are going to participate in the competition, but once they get here, every contestant has already begun to enter a competitive mindset."
"In other words, the other Trainers walking beside us could all be competitors. Because of a Trainer's instincts, they unconsciously start sizing each other up. No one wants to lose in terms of presence!"
Although Brock had never participated in a League competition himself, he was still a Gym Leader, so he understood the feeling well.
If you observed carefully, you'd notice that whenever eyes met while walking on the road, it seemed like sparks were about to fly between both parties. But this was also part of the charm of the League competition.
"The competition is so intense!" Misty had originally thought that Gym battles were already quite fierce.
But after feeling the atmosphere and hearing Brock's explanation, she realized that the League Conference was more intense than she'd expected.
"Alright, don't worry about it! Let's go!" Ash called out and then quickened his pace.
After crossing through the mountainous area of Indigo Plateau, they soon spotted a paved road. This was the road leading to the Pokémon League.
The Pokémon League—though it was called a League and served as a competition venue—was actually no different from a city. All facilities were readily available.
Everything was there, from Pokémon Centers to shops to hotels, as well as amusement parks and restaurants. There were many stalls selling snacks and souvenirs lining the roadside.
After all, the Pokémon League only hosted this event once a year, and this time of year was when they made most of their profits.
"Is this the Pokémon League? It's my first time here, and it feels like being in a big city like Celadon City!"
Walking down the street, it was already quite lively. They could clearly see tourists everywhere. Since the conference hadn't started yet, visitors had come out to enjoy the attractions.
"Of course! The League Conference is the largest event in the region, and many people come every year."
"So the entire League facility is very well-developed!" Brock explained after hearing her comment.
"So where should we go now?"
"I need to register first," Ash responded. The registration location was at the Pokémon Center, and he also needed to check in there.
"Then let's hurry! Once registration is done, I really want to look around," Misty responded excitedly.
"Ash! Misty! Brock!"
At that moment, a voice called out. The three of them paused when they heard it, then stopped walking.
They turned around and looked in the direction of the voice, soon spotting a familiar figure waving through the crowd.
"Pika~~"
A small yellow figure jumped down from the person's shoulder, called out excitedly, then ran toward Ash and leaped at him.
Ash instinctively caught it, and the Pikachu quickly climbed up his arms and settled onto his shoulders.
"Pika!"
After being caught off guard, Ash's Pikachu also smiled. The two little Pokémon hugged each other in recognition, then immediately started playing together.
"Great, I caught up!" The running figure reached them, placing her hands on her knees and breathing heavily.
"Yellow?! What are you doing here?" The girl before them was none other than Yellow, whom they'd parted ways with back in Viridian Forest.
"Well... I was traveling and didn't know what to do for a while. When I heard that the Indigo Plateau Conference was about to start, I decided to come watch Ash's matches!"
Yellow scratched her cheek with her finger in embarrassment, looking at Ash with a slight blush as she spoke.
"I see! Let's go together then! I'm about to register."
Although they hadn't known each other for very long, they were already good friends. Ash was naturally happy that Yellow had come to watch him compete.
"Okay!" Yellow also breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. She'd been worried that showing up so suddenly might be too forward.
Just like that, the group of four headed toward the Pokémon Center. At that moment, there was a commotion around them.
"The Sacred Flame is here!"
As the commotion spread, passersby on the road consciously moved out of the way. Soon the entire street became clear, and then they saw a runner slowly jogging while holding a torch.
At the same time, a bus followed closely behind. Ash and the others instinctively stepped back to the side of the road. Looking at the person on the bus, they recognized President Goodshow.
"It's President Goodshow, and the Sacred Flame has arrived too!"
Misty couldn't help but comment when she saw the scene. Since they had already encountered it in Viridian City and had been the ones who helped recover the flame, seeing it arrive safely gave them a small sense of accomplishment.
"Do you know that old man?"
Yellow asked in confusion. Misty hadn't recognized President Goodshow at first either, so it was no surprise that Yellow, who usually didn't pay much attention to such things, didn't know him.
Seeing that the others seemed quite familiar with the old man, she couldn't help but ask.
"Yes! When we were in Viridian City before..." Brock explained the situation after hearing her question.
"I see! I didn't expect it to be those Team Rocket people again."
Having met Jessie and the others in Viridian Forest before, Yellow frowned when she heard this.
As they were talking, the Sacred Flame had unknowingly arrived in front of them. President Goodshow stood on top of the bus, waving to people on both sides of the street, when he also noticed Ash and his group