"Victory is decided!! The fierce battles have finally come to an end, and our final Top Four contestant has finally emerged!"
The slick-haired announcer's passionate voice echoed throughout the entire stadium.
"Now, let's take a look at the four trainers who have officially made it into the Top Four!"
As his words fell, four portraits appeared one after another on the massive screen.
Selene. Red. Dylan. Giovanni.
The moment these four faces appeared, both the stadium and the livestream exploded.
"How is it possible that they're all from Kanto?!"
"Hahahaha—! Our Kanto Elite Four are just that cracked!! THAT cracked!! (voice breaking)"
"There are four members of the Kanto Elite Four, and also four people in the Top Four… so who exactly didn't make it? 😏"
"This is ridiculous! How could something like this even happen?!"
"I kind of want to move to Kanto now…"
The entire venue erupted, because the scene before them was simply too shocking.
"Monsters! Every single one of them is a damn monster!"
Even Wallace couldn't help swearing. He'd mentally prepared himself for this outcome, but actually seeing it still left him stunned.
They fought and fought for so long, and in the end, not a single trainer from another region made the Top Four.
How was that even possible?!
"That's honestly incredible…"
Steven sighed sincerely. How could Kanto possibly be this strong?
"Breaking Kanto's dominance really feels impossible,"
Alder shook his head helplessly.
Sure, he believed Unova had a bright future—after all, Rosa, Hilda, and Iris were all still very young.
But the problem was… Kanto was the same.
Aside from Giovanni, the rest of the Kanto Elite Four were all young, and there were also even younger successors like Yellow and Silver waiting in the wings.
Alder couldn't help but sigh.
That day, no one yet knew how Kanto's dominance could ever be broken.
The entire world felt as if it had experienced an "earthquake"—at least, for regions outside Kanto.
For Kanto itself, however, this was a day of unmatched pride and glory.
Especially for Goodshow, who looked so radiant it felt like he'd aged backward by several years.
But back in the office, a few people were feeling very different.
Blue was extremely depressed—so depressed that he didn't even feel like scrolling on his phone anymore.
There were only four spots in the Top Four.
But the Kanto Elite Four plus the Kanto Champion made five people.
So… where did the missing one go?
When Blue saw people bringing this up on the forum, his face literally turned green.
Meanwhile, Giovanni and the others were calmly seated—some sipping tea, some watching short videos—while Selene stood at the front, hands on her hips, chest out proudly.
"Gym Leader Brother said that once this World Championship ends, he's retiring."
Selene spoke righteously.
"So then, how do you think the Kanto Champion position should be handled?"
Dylan lay back on a lounge chair, casually scrolling through the forum, completely unconcerned.
His retirement wasn't a secret. Though it hadn't been publicly announced yet, Giovanni and the League higher-ups already knew.
He'd only stepped in last year as an emergency measure. Once a suitable successor appeared, he'd planned to step down anyway.
Compared to being Champion, Dylan still felt more suited to being a Gym Leader.
As for who became Champion next? Let them fight it out themselves.
Leaf and Lillie munched on grapes nearby, watching the discussion with great interest.
"If someone here becomes Champion, that means we'll be short one Elite Four member,"
Giovanni said thoughtfully.
"That's no problem~ Yellow and Silver are both suitable candidates. Just see which one wants it,"
Leaf smiled.
Of course, realistically speaking, Yellow was the better fit for now—Silver was still a bit behind.
"That works. Then I'll go first, as the head of the Kanto Elite Four."
Giovanni smiled calmly, exuding effortless confidence.
"I'm the most suitable for this position. What do you think?"
Kanto Champion.
This was the position Giovanni had coveted for a long time—Silver would definitely be proud of him.
And becoming Kanto Champion meant truly standing at the pinnacle of this world.
As the strongest region, the value of the Kanto Champion title spoke for itself.
But clearly, his "subordinates" disagreed.
"I don't think so,"
Selene shot back without hesitation.
Red didn't speak, but nodded in agreement.
"Oh?"
Giovanni wasn't surprised at all. He simply smiled and looked at Selene and Red.
He'd known it wouldn't be that easy.
Selene had never hidden her ambition—she joined the Elite Four specifically for the Champion seat.
As for Red, even though he rarely spoke, his goal had always been the very top.
"So, Uncle, what era are we living in? Using rank to pressure people is outdated,"
Selene pouted.
Red nodded again—same opinion.
"The Champion position should go to the most capable person, right?"
Red nodded yet again.
"Then what's your plan, Selene? If we follow the standard process, none of us will ever become Champion."
Giovanni smiled faintly as he questioned her.
That was the real problem.
Normally, becoming Champion meant defeating all four Elite Four members in succession, then beating the Champion.
Since Dylan was retiring, no one needed to challenge him.
But the issue was—
Take Selene as an example. Even without fighting Dylan, she'd still need to defeat Blue, Red, and Giovanni consecutively, without freely swapping her main team.
This wasn't about confidence—it was simply unrealistic.
One-on-one, she had faith in herself.
But three consecutive battles like that? Impossible.
And Giovanni, Red, and Blue weren't pushovers.
Even Giovanni and Red fell silent at that thought. Their strengths were close—solo matches were fine.
But three in a row? That was genuinely difficult.
"Ahem—let me say something."
Blue cleared his throat loudly, feeling the need to make his presence known.
Why did it feel like they were excluding him entirely?!
Damn it, he wanted to be Kanto Champion too!
"Huh? Blue, you're competing with us too?"
Selene asked in surprise.
Red and Giovanni both gave Blue strange looks.
Blue's face turned even greener.
What was that reaction supposed to mean?!
"I! Oak Blue! Want to compete for Kanto Champion—is that really so shocking?!"
He was furious.
"No no, of course not~"
"Yes it is! My eyes don't lie!"
"Ahaha~ not at all."
"Hmph! I'm competing too, no matter what!"
Blue snorted angrily.
"Ummm…" Selene tilted her head.
"What I mean is—none of us are confident we can take the Champion seat through the normal process, right?"
"That's right. Under current conditions, it's impossible,"
Giovanni nodded.
"So then—let's use this World Championship to decide,"
Selene grinned.
Blue's expression instantly collapsed.
"Wait! I protest!"
Blue objected fiercely—no choice, his results were the worst.
"Objection overruled, Blue. Minority obeys the majority~"
Selene replied sweetly.
Blue: (︵)
"So whoever makes it into the finals becomes the new Kanto Champion?"
Giovanni asked after a moment's thought.
"Of course! No excuses about luck either—luck is part of strength. Whoever gets matched against Gym Leader Brother should just accept their fate."
Selene answered matter-of-factly.
After all, Dylan was still in the Top Four—meaning someone was guaranteed to face him.
And drawing Dylan meant instant doom.
"What do you think, Red?"
Giovanni smiled.
"Works for me."
Red nodded without hesitation.
Selene was right. Luck was part of strength.
If fate matched you against Dylan, then so be it.
No complaints—just try again next year.
"Alright, it's settled. Whoever reaches the finals becomes the next Kanto Champion."
Giovanni agreed. This was the fairest solution.
And he believed in himself.
As long as he didn't draw Dylan, he was confident he could defeat either Red or Selene.
"Heh—heh—! I'm the chosen one! Just you wait!"
Selene declared proudly, hands on her hips.
A joke—her bond with Gym Leader Brother was something they couldn't possibly understand.
She knew she was destined to face Dylan.
And that battle deserved to be on the grandest stage—the finals.
The semifinals were big, sure—but not big enough.
"Careful you don't get overconfident, Selene,"
Giovanni warned meaningfully.
Life had taught him one thing: never get too cocky.
"That won't happen. My bond with Gym Leader Brother is incredibly deep!"
Selene waved her hand confidently.
Overconfidence turning into disaster?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Heh…"
Giovanni chuckled softly.
I'm Dylan's partner—and we even share secrets no one else knows. I haven't even said anything.
Red remained silent, thinking to himself that he and Dylan shared a bond as destined rivals who understood each other perfectly.
The three of them were all strangely confident.
Meanwhile, Blue sat off to the side, chugging his drink nonstop.
Damn it! You'll all regret this!
Glug glug glug—
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Arceus's flame burned fiercely atop the torch, standing proudly against the wind.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Indigo Stadium."
From atop the platform, the slick-haired announcer greeted the crowd energetically.
"Today, we begin the semifinals of the World Championship!"
"After countless fierce battles, four trainers will once again face their opponents today, competing for a spot in the finals!"
"So—who will defeat their powerful rivals and advance to the final stage?"
"Let's wait and see!"
On the massive screen, the four portraits slowly lit up—
The matchups were about to be decided.
P.S. Merry Christmas