The Indigo Plateau Conference (Japanese: セキエイ大会 Sekiei Conference) is the Indigo League general championship competition. It exists in the anime and manga only. It does not appear in the games.

The conference is held once a year on Indigo Plateau. Many of the Conference's ceremonies are references toward the Olympic Games.

Events

During the competition, the Pokémon League Village on Indigo Plateau becomes a mecca for all things Pokémon. Trainers receive free food and lodging in the village. While most League activity occurs in the Pokémon League Pavillion and on the battlefields, parades and other such activities within the village keep the spectators happy when there is no battling. Additionally, there are some important ceremonial events unique to the conference.

Opening ceremony

The Pokémon League opening ceremony calls upon the spirit and flame of Moltres to ignite the fire that burns atop Indigo Stadium throughout the competition. Moltres's virtues symbolize Pokémon League competitions. The flame changes many hands, through competitors that are approved to be torch bearers. Without the flame, the competition could not begin. All competing Pokémon Trainers gather in Indigo Stadium and the central torch is finally lit. League president Charles Goodshow addresses the trainers, and then the games begin.

Closing ceremony

During the closing ceremony, all trainers that competed at the conference march into Indigo Stadium one last time, and the top winning competitors are honored. Chairman Goodshow awards each trainer with a Pokémon League Badge that signifies participation in the competition. Afterwards, the stadium lights dim for a fireworks show. Moltres's flame is extinguished until the next year's competition, and all battlers and spectators return home.

Competition

Only certified Pokémon trainers who have acquired at least eight Indigo League Gym Badges may enter the competition. Ideally, there are around 256 competitors, with each sudden death Pokémon battle eventually eliminating all but one. The top trainer earns the title of League Champion.

Rounds

The competition lasts for eight rounds. Four preliminary rounds span for four days, followed by two days of rest, and then the final rounds begin.

Preliminary rounds

In the preliminary rounds, trainers must compete on four different battlefields: rock, grass, water and ice. All matches are three Pokémon each. The battlefield is decided by a game of chance, and the competitors are chosen randomly by computer. Only trainers who win on all four battlefields progress to the final rounds.

The fields are possibly a reference to the Kanto region's Elite Four, since there are four different battlefields which all boost the power of a specific type of Pokémon. The Ice field could be a reference to Lorelei, the Rock field could reference Bruno, who owns two Onix, the Grass field could reference Agatha who, despite specializing in Template:Type2s, owns several Poison Pokémon, and the Water field could reference Lance, who owns a Gyarados and several Template:Type2s that are able to swim.

Final rounds

Final round battles take place in Indigo Stadium. All battles are full battles, with the exception of the fifth round, which is three-on-three. Only 16 trainers make it to the final rounds. Competitors are chosen by fishing for Magikarp labelled with a letter and number that match that of another competitor.

Rules and Regulations

The Indigo League is very strict on what defines a battle and what defines a match. A battle is one Pokémon against another one, and a match is made up of the individual Pokémon battles. Thus, the number of battles within a match is defined by how many Pokémon are used. The following conditions cause the Pokémon to lose the battle:

The trainer recalls the Pokémon
The Pokémon is knocked out, or too weak to battle
The Pokémon falls asleep
The Pokémon refuses to battle

Trainers who have participated in the Indigo Plateau Conference

The following trainers competed in just the preliminary rounds:

The following trainers competed in the final rounds:

Former participants

Paul of Veilstone City

Indigo Plateau Conference winning trainers

The winning trainers are shadowed and cannot be identified; they are apparently not anyone Ash would know. Template:League Conferences