The line of waiting Trainers had transformed into a cacophony of excitement and clamor. Battles raged, bets were placed, and the air thickened with the tension of hopeful victors and potential losers. It was almost like a gambling den.

 

“Next!” A person shouted from within the Gym.

 

At last, it was Noah’s moment. He stepped into the room, relishing the burst of air-conditioned chill that greeted him. Flashing a grin, he approached the receptionist’s desk.

 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you started out there,” she said, staring holes straight into Noah.

 

Noah averted his eyes, the adrenaline from the trainer battles dying off. The receptionist sighed, “It’s fine,” She pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering,“I don’t understand what the League was doing when they assigned just me to Viridian Gym.”

 

“Name and identification, please,” she prompted, her fingers poised above the computer keyboard.

 

“My name’s Noah Clarke, but I haven’t registered with anything.” he replied, shifting his weight restlessly from one foot to the other.

 

Fingers dancing on the keyboard, the woman paused to ask, “Do you have a Pokedex?” She asked.

 

“Yes.” Noah took out the sleek red electronic machine. “Give it here.” Noah handed the device to the receptionist.

 

Expertly navigating through its interface, the receptionist found a screen displaying a lengthy serial code. “62604539…” she muttered, accurately transcribing each number into her computer system.

 

With a final click of her mouse, she said, “Found it.” Turning to Noah with a stern expression, she said, “Alright, I’ll ask you a few questions and you have to answer them honestly. Lying makes you liable for immediate disqualification of the League.”

 

A lump formed in Noah’s throat. He nodded.

 

“How many times have you participated in the League?” “What level are your Pokemon?”…

 

The questions were simple and straightforward, and most questions were required answers based on the trainer’s strength, so Noah figured that they were gauging the strength of the trainer.

 

Noah responded without hesitation. His answers were fed into the computer system, each keystroke as precise as a surgeon’s incision. “Alright, that should cover it,” she said, pausing as a card was spat out by the adjacent printer. “Your account has been credited with 100000 Pokedollars.”

 

She handed over the card, briefly outlining its features. “If you touch your card to another trainer’s card, you can transfer Pokedollars. It will also display your Gym badges here,” she traced a square on the card. “It’s fingerprint-activated, so it’s thief-proof.”

 

Noah nodded his head and took the card, placing it into his belt-space. After confirming that there was nothing else, he turned around and left the Gym.

 

Before embarking on the trek to Pewter City, Noah headed to the PokeMart to stock up. Sleeping bag, check. Prepackaged food, check. Bottled water, check. Potions and antidotes, double-check.

 

While navigating the labyrinthine aisles, Noah and Riolu stumbled upon a section dedicated to training equipment. The array of goods ranged from weighted vests to dumbbells. Riolu’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, bouncing up and down as if pleading for the training gear.

 

He selected a vest and a set of dumbbells for both him and Riolu. The items were versatile and travel-friendly, unlike other bulky equipment.

 

The purchase set him back 85000 Pokedollars—a significant dent in his wallet but a mere pittance compared to his remaining 2000000 Pokedollars.

 

The duo had one last errand before plunging into Viridian Forest. They ventured into a phone store, identifiable by its large Pokeball logo.

 

Geez, the Pokeball logo is way too overused. Noah thought. After consulting with a store employee, he purchased a model slightly inferior to the latest, but with nearly identical specs and a considerably lower price tag.

 

The phone cost him 529000 Pokedollars, which was more than enough to leave a dent in Noah’s once 2000000 Pokedollars, but it was a necessary purchase to learn more about this world.

 

After paying for his card, the staff implanted a SIM(or at least that’s what he assumed it was) card into it and a screen protector. There was a Trainer-specific pack that was a one-time purchase for unlimited data for 50000, to which Noah eagerly agreed to.

 

They gave him his phone number, briefly explained on how to use the phone and sent him on his way. With the phone set up and ready to go, Noah eagerly entered Nishi’s number from the note he’d saved. Her last online activity dated back a day, so he texted a simple ‘hi, I'm Noah" hoping for a future reply.

 

The world he was venturing into seemed uncannily familiar. Advanced phones, well-organized internet forums—even a thriving online community debating Pokemon-centric topics.

 

One particular forum post caught his attention: a pinned message detailing the League’s procedures. The rules seemed straightforward enough, but what unsettled Noah was the discretionary power Gym leaders had in choosing their Pokemon based on the challenger’s strength.

 

Basically, Gym leaders use different Pokemon depending on the strength of the trainer, and to challenge the champion, one must defeat all 8 gym leaders and the elite four, then they will be entered into a tournament against the other challengers.

 

The winner of the tournament gets the opportunity to challenge the current champion for the mantle. It was a simple but adequate explanation on the league.

 

However, the fact that Gym leaders decided on what level of Pokemon they would use instead of a set team worried him. After all, what’s stopping them from going ‘I don’t like this trainer’ and use one of their stronger Pokemon.

 

Okay, that probably wouldn’t happen, but still, it was worrying.