"Mr. Rime is unable to battle. Perrserker wins."
"Phew… that was close, way too close. I almost lost there."
Hearing the referee's final announcement, Silas finally let out a breath of relief.
Even with a type advantage, he had nearly been overturned. And that was with neither side using their true ace Pokémon.
It served as a reminder to Silas. In his previous life, whether in the anime or the games, anyone who could become an Elite Four member or a Champion was no pushover. When battling opponents like them, one had to stay fully focused at all times.
"Meowr!"
Perrserker returned to Silas's side, tilting its head up to look at him. Its orange eyes were slightly widened, its mouth open in a grin that revealed rows of sharp teeth.
"We really have to thank you for this battle, Perrserker."
Silas smiled as he praised it, reaching out to grab the horn-like tufts on its head. The hardened fur felt like metal, cool to the touch.
"Meow!"
Litten circled around Perrserker, raising its paw to pat it, the two cats exchanging a series of "meow meow" sounds as if chatting.
Meanwhile, Silas lifted his head to meet Leon's gaze. Leon wore a gentle, refined smile.
"Your Perrserker and Litten are both very impressive. That final Iron Head was incredibly cool."
"Your Dreepy and Mr. Rime were strong as well. If we get the chance, let's have a full team battle next time."
"No problem."
The two exchanged polite compliments, agreeing to battle again in the future with their full teams.
Leaving the crowd, they walked side by side toward the Pokémon Center near the battle plaza, chatting and laughing along the way.
Friendship between trainers was simple. One good battle was enough. As long as you earned each other's recognition, you could become friends.
They also exchanged contact information.
Just last month, the Devon Corporation had successfully launched a second satellite into outer space. Its signal now covered the entire blue planet.
With that, the spread of transceivers had accelerated rapidly. Even distant regions like Galar and Paldea now had network coverage.
"Nurse Joy, could you please check them?"
Silas handed over Perrserker's Poké Ball and gently placed Litten from his shoulder onto the small cart.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to warn it, "Be good, okay? If you end up with hidden injuries, you might never be able to evolve."
"Meow! (⊙０⊙)"
Litten's pupils widened, its mouth forming a perfect O of shock.
It immediately lay down obediently and let out a soft, cute "meow."
After every battle, Silas made sure to bring his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for a full checkup and treatment.
There weren't many people today, so it didn't take long before it was their turn. The two of them sat to the side and waited.
Silas's gaze unintentionally fell on Leon's wrist. There, he noticed a blue and white band.
"That's the Dynamax Band that was announced recently, right? The one that allows Pokémon to Dynamax."
Leon raised his wrist and nodded.
"That's right. It was developed by Ms. Oleana."
Dynamax was a battle system unique to the Galar region.
Unlike the other three battle systems, Dynamax could only be used in Galar, as other regions lacked the necessary energy.
Although Pokémon received a significant boost after Dynamaxing, this limitation made it unpopular among most trainers.
And when something wasn't favored by trainers, the main population of the Pokémon world, it inevitably restricted the region's development.
On top of that, Galar had not yet fully unified under the League system. The royal family was still causing internal issues.
Unless those problems were completely resolved, Galar would not be able to enter a phase of rapid development.
As they chatted casually, Silas learned quite a bit from Leon.
People in Galar were also trying to change things. For example, they were incorporating Dynamax into Gym challenges and actively competing for the opportunity to host the next World Championships.
Their conversation was interrupted by Nurse Joy calling out.
After retrieving their Pokémon, Leon left first as he had other matters to attend to.
Silas, meanwhile, idly passed the time by playing with Litten, scratching its belly and chin as they waited for Diantha.
She had gone out with Gardevoir and had not yet returned.
It was close to dinner time when Diantha finally came back, carrying several large shopping bags.
They had dinner at the Pokémon Center. After a full day of traveling and an entire afternoon of fun, the two of them went to bed early.
And no, nothing happened.
…
The next day, Silas and Diantha arrived at the Sinnoh League hand in hand. They were guided by staff to the designated battle arena.
There were quite a few spectators.
Cynthia was considered the rising star of the Sinnoh League. If she failed this challenge, the Champion position would remain vacant.
At the appointed time, Cynthia appeared, dressed as usual in her black coat with her long blonde hair flowing.
The League Chairman, Charles Goodshow, personally presided over the Champion challenge.
The elderly man announced the rules himself, which showed just how much importance the League placed on Cynthia.
A Champion challenge was different from an Elite Four challenge.
A Champion was the strongest trainer in the region.
Once you became Champion, you had to accept challenges from all trainers. It was essentially a full time job with almost no rest.
Of course, there were ways around it. You could "disappear" from time to time. Go mining, travel the world with Bouffalant, or even act in movies.
As long as you weren't caught, you could avoid battles.
The Elite Four, however, were completely different.
A region could go without a Champion, but it absolutely could not function without its four Elite Four members.
In the Pokémon world, Champions were often seen doing whatever they pleased.
But Elite Four members were like overworked laborers, clocking in every day without rest. If even one of them disappeared, a quarter of the League's operations would grind to a halt.
In other words, the Champion was the region's final pillar of strength.
Normally, they could do whatever they wanted, but when a major crisis struck, they had to be capable of turning the tide.
It wasn't a problem if a Champion slacked off.
It became a problem if they were forced to grind daily work instead.
The Elite Four, on the other hand, handled the League's daily operations. Organizing tournaments, evaluating Gyms, dealing with criminals, all of it fell on their shoulders.
Because of their importance, the League had regulations.
Newly appointed Elite Four members were granted a one to two year exemption period during which they could refuse all challenges.
Take Siebold as an example.
If Silas had challenged him immediately after he took office and defeated him, Siebold would have been removed from his position before even properly starting his job.
If a position changed hands multiple times in a short period, it would destabilize the League.
And on top of that, it could create personal grudges between trainers.
Without restrictions, Siebold could recover and challenge again repeatedly.
Even if he lost, constantly issuing challenges every few days would make it impossible for anyone to focus on their duties.
The roles of Champion and Elite Four were fundamentally different.
The Champion needed to be as strong as possible.
The Elite Four needed stability.
"So if I become an Elite Four member, I'll be stuck working nonstop every day, right?"
Silas asked, staring at Diantha, wanting a clear answer.
"Exactly."
Diantha nodded without hesitation.
"Siebold has been the Water-type Elite Four member for a few days now. Have you seen him return to Shalour City?"
"Gasp…"
Silas sucked in a sharp breath.
Now that she mentioned it, that was true.
Not only had Siebold not come back to celebrate, even their calls had become less frequent.
Someone is plotting against me.
That old man Gurkinn definitely did not tell me this.
(End of Chapter)