Night settled over Vermilion City, and neon lights flickered on one by one.
Ash's Pokédex chimed crisply, the screen lighting up.
A new message popped into view—
An email from Lt. Surge.
The Pokédex's functions were almost on par with a smartphone, especially in cities where the signal was strong.
Because of Rayquaza, though, there weren't many satellites in this world's sky.
Technology was advanced, but wireless coverage was… patchy.
In cities, reception was fine.
Out in the wild, it vanished pretty often.
"'Pokémon Club Invitation'…" Ash read the subject line aloud.
Below it was an address and a short description:
[Vermilion City Trainer Exchange Night]
"Lt. Surge works fast," Brock said, leaning in to look. "The Pokémon Club isn't the sort of place just anyone can walk into."
"I've been to a few gatherings at Cerulean's Pokémon Club," Misty added. "They're… okay, I guess."
"Most of the time it's almost empty. Only the big monthly event really draws a crowd."
It wasn't some mandatory meeting.
Some people showed up.
Others couldn't be bothered.
"It's basically an elite Trainer circle for each city," Brock explained.
"Typically, the people who receive invitations fall into three categories."
"First, strong elite-level Trainers—even from out of town."
"Second, local Trainers with decent strength. Their actual level is treated more flexibly."
"Third, gifted rookies—usually recommended and certified by a Gym Leader or a Pokémon Professor."
"Normally, you don't even qualify for an invite until you've earned at least one Gym Badge."
"Lt. Surge sending this means he's acknowledging you, Ash."
Half an hour later—
The three of them stood in front of a gray-white building in a park in the city center.
Yellow lightning symbols were painted all over its exterior, and the surroundings were nicely landscaped. Dozens of vehicles were parked nearby.
There were no guards or security personnel anywhere in sight.
Well… fair enough.
A bunch of high-level Trainers were gathering here.
Who exactly was supposed to protect whom?
Ash pushed open the heavy oak door.
The inside was nothing like its plain exterior.
The wide hall was brightly lit, warm light spilling over dark red carpet.
Clusters of Trainers stood talking in twos and threes, and the Pokémon at their sides all radiated strength and presence.
The air smelled faintly of tea and sweets.
Soft conversations and quiet laughter drifted here and there.
"This place…" Misty looked around, astonished. "There are so many strong Trainers."
Brock nodded. "This is pretty much Vermilion's upper training circle."
Just as the three of them stood there, feeling a little out of place, a familiar voice called out:
"Ash, you made it."
Professor Sakuragi walked over, holding a teacup.
Tonight, he'd swapped his lab coat for a casual suit.
He looked far more relaxed than he did in the research lab.
"Lt. Surge told me about that wonderful battle at the Gym today," he said, smiling.
"Using Dig to break Raichu's burst combo—that was an impressive piece of tactics."
Generally speaking, Pokémon Professors didn't attend these gatherings all that often.
Someone like Professor Bill at the lighthouse almost never came.
But Sakuragi was still relatively new in town, and his research lab was newly established.
He needed to build good relationships with Vermilion's elite Trainers.
"You're flattering me, Professor," Ash said modestly.
On his shoulder, Pikachu puffed out its chest proudly.
"Pikachu!"
"This way," Sakuragi said, gesturing them deeper inside. "Let me introduce you to a few people."
In the middle of the hall, they spotted Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny chatting with a small cluster of Trainers.
Both were out of uniform tonight.
Joy wore a light blue long dress, soft and elegant.
Jenny had on a sharp black suit, radiating professional confidence.
Their presence felt completely different from their workday look.
"Ah, Ash!" Joy noticed them first and waved with a smile.
"I heard you did wonderfully today."
"Lt. Surge hasn't spoken so highly of a challenger in quite some time."
Joy was clearly very pleased that Ash had beaten Surge.
Someone needed to knock that muscle-head down a peg.
If he kept rampaging, her workload would just keep getting worse.
Jenny turned too, her gaze steady and approving.
"To defeat Lt. Surge's Raichu head-on… as expected of a Trainer who's stood before a giant Dragonite."
"All thanks to Professor Bill in the first place… his research is incredible," Ash said, scratching his cheek a bit awkwardly.
At that moment—
The lights dimmed.
A single spotlight flared to life, shining on a small stage at the front of the hall.
Lt. Surge was already standing there, though no one had seen when he'd moved.
He was actually wearing a dark formal suit tonight.
The tie was… a little crooked, but overall he looked far milder than he did during Gym battles.
"Everyone!" Lt. Surge's voice boomed through the room, conversation dying down instantly.
"Welcome to Vermilion City's monthly Pokémon Club gathering!"
His gaze swept the crowd, finally settling on Ash.
"Tonight, we've got a special guest—Ash from Pallet Town. Some of you have probably already heard about what he did at the Gym today."
The Vermilion Pokémon Club was a fully legal League organization—
essentially a Trainer union for Vermilion, centered around Lt. Surge.
Low murmurs rippled through the hall, along with a few impressed whistles.
Plenty of Trainers turned toward Ash now, eyes full of curiosity and respect.
Passing Lt. Surge's personal test battle was no small feat.
As long as you were below true elite level, Lt. Surge could bring out something that would solidly beat you.
In other words, no matter how weak or strong you were, the difficulty of his challenge remained the same.
He simply swapped which Pokémon he used.
"As Vermilion's Gym Leader, I hereby officially invite Ash to join our club."
Surge took a metallic card from his pocket, its edge catching the light.
"This is our membership card. With it, you can access all the club's facilities and resources."
And beyond that, there were various perks and privileges all over Vermilion.
Like free first-class seating on the train or ferry.
Ash walked up to the stage under many watchful eyes and accepted the weighty card.
The front bore an embossed lightning bolt.
On the back, his name and membership number were engraved.
"Thank you, Lt. Surge," Ash said seriously.
He knew perfectly well this was a kind of sugar-coated bullet.
But… it was still sweet.
Lt. Surge laughed and slapped him on the back again, nearly knocking him forward.
"Work hard, kid! I'm counting on you to put on a good show at the Indigo Conference!"
For the rest of the evening, Ash and his friends were introduced to a number of Vermilion's top Trainers.
There were official Indigo League competitors,
specialists who dedicated themselves to particular Pokémon types,
and even Vermilion's own Pokémon Investigator.
"I didn't expect Vermilion to have this many strong Trainers," Misty murmured.
Brock nodded. "Every city has a circle like this."
Around halfway through the gathering, Lt. Surge came over again, this time with Professor Sakuragi at his side.
"Hey, kid," Surge said, grinning. "Feel like hitting the amusement area?"
"They've got a bunch of giant mechanical Pokémon there."
…
…
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