Pokémon: Midnight Blue

Lucius

I got up and walked toward Robin, but as I did, a voice came over the loudspeaker.

Attention all Indigo League participants. The Opening Ceremony will begin shortly, please report to the arena immediately.

Everyone competing in the League jumped to the call and filed into the arena. I was flooded by other trainers and no longer had a chance to approach my old friend. Apparently, our conversation would have to wait. I gave way to the current of the crowd and slowly squirmed my way to the arena.

As I walked into the arena, the sunlight gleamed in my eyes, and as it settled, I saw a young woman standing in the center on an elevated platform holding a microphone. She waited for the entire congregation to enter, and then she began to speak.

"Welcome, Pokémon trainers, to the Indigo League tournament!" the entire room went quiet as she began, "The preliminary battles will begin tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a few things to share with you all. First, let me point out that the winner of this tournament will be granted the opportunity of taking on the Kanto Elite Four, and if he or she can survive that, the Pokémon Indigo League Champion, Kira Fakir!"

There was a loud roar of applause about the arena, and it felt good knowing that I had experienced the honor of encountering such a renowned trainer on more than one occasion. Then I realized, there were probably tons of trainers who had crossed paths with Kira in the past, so I decided to keep the excitement to myself.

"That being said," the announcer continued, "We have two little treats for you. Kira Fakir is here with us to observe the tournament, so please welcome the champion of the Kanto region!"

With that, the entire arena went silent. Every trainer in the room gaped in sheer admiration and awe as Kira entered the arena and joined the announcer on the platform. This made me realize that my assumption was probably wrong. Few if any trainers could have possibly crossed paths with Kira in the ways that I had. Otherwise, they would not look at him as if he were a god among men.

"Kira will be fighting in a match to open the tournament," the announcer broke the silence, "In an attempt to challenge Kira for the title of Pokémon Indigo League Champion, please welcome the strongest member of the Elite Four and Kira's greatest rival, Lucius Shama!"

The crowd roared in applause as a tall, thin, young man with blood-red hair and blue eyes stepped into the arena. The trainer named Lucius accepted the reception warmly and confidently, but it was obvious to me that this audience thought much less of him than Kira.