Pokémon World Championships — Global Trainer Rankings!
Lucas tapped open the app labeled World Championships. The interface was surprisingly simple — if one wanted to log in, they only needed to fill in their trainer identity information.
Of course, Lucas didn't log in directly.
After all, his identity had long been exposed, and this was an official League app. Who knew whether it might include location tracking or data collection functions?
Besides, if one only wanted to browse the public rankings, there was no need to log in at all.
"Master Class, Ultra Class… it's almost exactly the same as in Pokémon Journeys."
Lucas scrolled through the homepage, raising his eyebrows slightly. The system was nearly identical to the one in the anime.
In the anime, the World Coronation Series had been initiated by the Galar Region. Trainers could register online to participate freely, and its ultimate goal was very straightforward — to determine who truly stood at the top of the world!
The strongest trainer on Earth!
The tournament format was simple: trainers challenged those ranked above them to earn points and raise their standing through continuous battles.
Rankings were divided into Master Class, Ultra Class, Great Class, and Normal Class, each represented by symbols of Poké Balls — the Master Ball, Ultra Ball, Great Ball, and so on.
The Master Class contained only the top eight trainers in the world. The Ultra Class ranked from 9 to 99. Those in the top eight would receive the prestigious title of Master.
"I hope you won't let me down, Cousin."
Lucas opened the Master Class ranking list — he wasn't interested in anything below that tier.
A leaderboard appeared before his eyes.
Master Class Trainers — Global Ranking:
No.1 — Indigo Champion: Lance Blackthorn!
No.2 — Galar Champion: Leon Laventon!
No.3 — Sinnoh Champion: Cynthia Shirona!
No.4 — Former Hoenn Champion: Steven Stone!
No.5 — Unova Champion: Alder Adeku!
No.6 — Kalos Champion: Diantha Deveraux!
No.7 — Hoenn Champion: Wallace Waterford!
No.8 — Galar Hammerlocke Gym Leader: Raihan Woodrow!
"As expected, they've ranked all the regional champions together."
Lucas let out a faint chuckle — this outcome didn't surprise him at all.
After all, this tournament was organized by the Pokémon League itself, and since it was the very first global ranking, it was natural for each region's champion to occupy the top positions.
Because what does a Regional Champion represent?
They stand at the very summit of their respective regions — the strongest among all trainers there!
If even the regional champions couldn't make the top eight, then what would that say about the value of their titles? Wouldn't that make the position of Champion a complete joke?
"Ha! I knew it! Kanto really is the strongest! Champion Lance is awesome!"
On the couch across from him, Green let out a proud laugh. Her pure, bright face glowed with smug delight.
The girl's sense of regional pride was far stronger than expected. Seeing Lance ranked No.1 genuinely filled her heart with joy.
"Raihan's rank is too low."
Sitting beside her, Marnie furrowed her brows slightly. Unlike Green, she wasn't overly thrilled about having two Galar trainers in the top eight. Instead, she thought Raihan was underrated.
She didn't doubt Lance's strength — after spending so much time around Lucas, she had long come to respect the Dragon Master's power.
Not because Lance was Lucas's cousin, but because she had witnessed with her own eyes his battle in Celadon.
His ace Dragonite had fought evenly against Reshiram for quite a while — and his two Dragonairs could even execute coordinated double-dragon strategies.
Lance's strength undeniably stood among the world's top tiers. For Marnie, seeing him ranked first — especially since Lucas wasn't even included in the rankings — came as no surprise.
As for Leon, though he was hailed as Galar's undefeated champion, most of his battles had been confined to Galar itself. Marnie figured he was certainly a top-tier champion, but whether he could actually surpass Lance was anyone's guess.
Still, Raihan's placement truly seemed too low.
"That Hammerlocke Gym Leader, huh? Is Raihan really that strong?"
Green blinked curiously. She hadn't even heard his name before — she rarely paid attention to matters outside Kanto.
"Yes. Aside from Leon, Raihan is the strongest trainer in Galar. He's easily strong enough to serve as an Elite Four or even a champion in other regions," Marnie said evenly — not boasting, not belittling, just stating facts.
"A Gym Leader? No way." Green was startled. "You're telling me a Gym Leader could be on par with an Elite Four Champion? That's a bit much, isn't it?"
Lucas chuckled softly. "No, Marnie's not exaggerating. Raihan really is strong. In fact, his rank might actually be too low. If you compared these eight by ability, he's probably not weaker than Alder, Wallace, or Diantha."
He paused thoughtfully. In his previous life — in the anime — Raihan had been ranked seventh among the Masters.
A Dragon-type specialist, Raihan was also the trainer who had taken the most victories against Leon in official records within Galar.
Lucas had personally battled him earlier that year, and he could confirm Raihan's power was at the level of a mid-tier champion.
As for Wallace and Diantha — both were widely regarded as the weakest among the champions. And Alder…
Alder had grown old — not in body, but in spirit.
Even if they fought now, Lucas doubted Alder could defeat Wallace or Diantha.
Ranking him fifth was likely a gesture of respect from the League for his years of service.
After all, this was only the initial global ranking. The true order would soon be rewritten — purely by strength.
"And don't underestimate Gym Leaders," Lucas added with a smirk, glancing at Green. "Did you forget that Giovanni was a Gym Leader too? His strength is easily on par with Leon's."
"Hey— that guy doesn't count!" Green puffed her cheeks in protest. "He wasn't a real Gym Leader!"
Lucas only smiled. Not real? After Giovanni's fall, the one who took over the Viridian Gym in the games was none other than Blue — a trainer who was practically a walking bug in the system.
"Looks like the world's about to get noisy again~," Marnie murmured, curling her lips into a small smile as she scrolled down to the Ultra Class rankings. She was looking for her brother Piers.
If Galar had an Elite Four system, she was sure her brother would've been part of it.
"I wonder who'll be the first to issue a challenge," Blue said eagerly, her eyes sparkling. "Once this ranking's out, the world's definitely going to shake!"
And indeed — that's exactly what happened.
Within hours, the official Pokémon League site was flooded with traffic, and the global trainer forums erupted into chaos. Threads were popping up faster than anyone could read them. Especially in the comment section below the official announcement—
"Is this ranking for real? Why's Diantha only sixth? This has to be rigged!"
"LMAO — cope harder! Your movie-star champion should stick to acting. Cynthia is the true Queen of the world!"
"Excuse me?! Steven deserves to be first! My dazzling gemstone prince forever!"
"You're all clowns! One's an actress, one's a geologist, one's an archaeologist — might as well form a performing arts group! Lance is the undefeated dragon master of Indigo!"
"Excuse me?! Leon from Galar says otherwise! The true No.1 is coming for that title!"
"My uncle Alder's still got it!"
"Wallace the Fabulous approves this message~ 💅"
It was pure chaos — absolute madness!
Every region's official forum was boiling over, each flooded with national pride.
And of course, that was inevitable. The regions had always been divided — naturally, no one would accept another as superior.
But the World Championships had shattered that balance.
This tournament existed for one purpose only:
To decide who truly is the strongest trainer in the world!
Once, the Indigo Elite Four were hailed as the mightiest in the world, and Lance — the Dragon Master — as the strongest Champion. But that was merely a title, a reputation.
Lance was strong, yes — but how strong? How could trainers from other regions ever know for sure?
Just like Leon, whose undefeated record in Galar earned him the title of "Unbeatable Champion." But did the people of Galar truly believe Leon was weaker than Lance?
Or Cynthia — the first female Champion in League history, who dominated Sinnoh with her commanding presence.
Or Wallace — the elegant coordinator who became both a Hoenn Champion and a master of contests.
Each of them was a genius — the strongest in their region.
Who among them would ever admit to being second-best?
And now, the World Championships would finally settle it.
Who is truly the strongest trainer alive?
—Cinnabar Island—
"The strongest, huh… heh."
A young man with spiky hair and a black T-shirt smirked as he looked at the ranking list on his phone. His handsome face curved into a confident grin.
Blue Oak.
"It won't be long. I'll show you all — this No.1 spot belongs to me!"
He pocketed his phone and strode toward the Cinnabar Gym.
—Lavender Town—
"The strongest trainer…"
A pair of red eyes quietly studied the name "Lance Blackthorn" on the screen. After a long silence, Red turned and walked straight toward the training field.
—Indigo Plateau, League Headquarters — Elite Four Conference Room—
"Lance, you're ranked first," Lorelei remarked, glancing up from her notes.
"Pointless."
Lance's hand froze briefly before he let out a cold snort, his proud golden eyes showing no emotion.
But Lorelei noticed the faint tension in his hand as he gripped the ancient text he was reading — his knuckles slightly whitening.
"First place… without that man on the list, this ranking is meaningless," Lance muttered quietly.
He had never doubted his own power — his dragon legion was unmatched.
But…
His strongest Dragonite had been defeated by that very cousin.
So, what worth did this so-called "World No.1" really have?
Lance wanted true recognition, the title of the strongest earned through battle — not empty prestige.
Otherwise, this crown of first place was nothing but an insult to his pride.
—Hammerlocke, Galar Region—
"Chairman, the rankings are out."
Oleana respectfully handed the report of the top eight trainers to Chairman Rose.
Rose glanced through it briefly and smiled faintly. "As expected, Lance is first."
That much was no surprise. The Dragon Master's reputation was legendary, and as Indigo's Champion — the home of the Pokémon League — it was natural the top honor would go to him.
"Leon isn't inferior to Lance," Oleana said calmly. "He's already obtained Charizard's Mega Stone. Even without Gigantamax, his strength won't diminish outside Galar."
She continued her analysis meticulously. "Meanwhile, Lance hasn't yet found a Mega Stone for Dragonite."
Rose chuckled quietly. "So you've already guessed what's next, haven't you, Oleana?"
"Yes," she replied.
And indeed — with the release of the Mega Evolution phenomenon, Leon's restriction to Galar had been lifted.
Which meant…
The world trembled as the news spread like wildfire — from forums to broadcasts, from trainers to Champions.
The second-ranked Galar Champion, Leon Laventon, had officially issued a challenge to the first-ranked Indigo Champion, Lance Blackthorn!
Leon would challenge Lance for the title of World's Strongest Trainer!
The rankings had barely been announced, and already — the battle for the crown had begun!
And Lance, the proud Dragon Master of Kanto… had accepted without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
TN: The lastnames of the Champions I took liberties with since most of them don't really have lastnames.