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 — Indigo Trainer: Lucas Blackthorn!
No.6 — Unova Champion Level Trainer: Iris Aurelian!
No.7 — Hoenn Champion: Wallace Waterford!
No.8 — Unova Champion: Alder Adeku!
This was the current ranking of the Masters Class trainers. Yes, although Lance had betrayed the League, President Loki still did not remove his name from the list.
After all, erasing Lance from the Master class rankings without explanation would immediately draw suspicion from the public. Everyone would demand answers.
Since the day Lucas challenged Iris and took her position, the Master class rankings had not changed at all.
Meanwhile, Diantha's current placement was at the top of the Ultra class rankings. When Lucas appeared on the Master class rankings, she naturally slipped from No.8 down to No.9…
This alone had plunged Kalos's trainers into complete despair for a long while. From the start of the World Coronation Series until now, Diantha had barely made any moves, yet her ranking just kept falling. How miserable was that?
As the Champion of Kalos, Diantha was expected to carry the responsibility that came with her title. The honor of Kalos rested on her shoulders.
But…
The Masters Eight had never been a place for the weak. Especially the top five—there was no need to even think about it. Diantha had a very clear understanding of her own strength.
After witnessing the battle between Lance and Leon with her own eyes, Diantha knew exactly where she stood.
Cynthia and Steven were also frighteningly strong, both of them hid their true power extremely well. Judging by Wallace's level, Steven was definitively above him, and Cynthia should be at a similar height.
As for Lucas…
She didn't even consider that option. Even Diantha had heard his reputation. And even without using any legendary Pokémon, he completely crushed Iris, who had once defeated Wallace.
That left Diantha with only the last three positions she could possibly challenge.
Originally, she had been wavering and hesitating. But the moment she heard Lucas's words, her tension surged instantly.
"Mr. Lucas, do you have some information I should know?"
Now that she'd made up her mind, Diantha asked with genuine curiosity.
Would the Master Class Rankings really shift soon?
"Ah~ You should already know about Indigo's recently appointed Champion and Elite Four, right? None of them are simple characters."
Lucas said with a light, amused smile. The complete change of Indigo's Elite Four lineup had caused an enormous global wave of discussion.
But the average person had almost no information on those five individuals.
After all, Red, Blue, Zinnia, Caitlin and N—none of them were public figures beforehand. They had little to no official records in the general public's view.
"Could you briefly explain?" Diantha asked with a faint frown, clearly curious about her colleagues from another region.
"In detail, your League should have some intelligence gathered already. For the moment, the temporary Champion of Indigo is N, the Hero of Ideals chosen by the legendary black dragon Zekrom, the Dragon of Ideals."
"As for the weakest among the Indigo Elite Four, Caitlin, I would estimate her true combat power to be at least on par with Champion Wallace."
"Red and Blue should be able to step into the realm of top-tier champions by the end of the year. As for the Dragon Master, Zinnia, her power should be only slightly below Steven's."
Lucas propped his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment before smiling lightly at Diantha.
"And I'll even give you one piece of information for free: Lance and the previous Indigo Elite Four? They were defeated by those five."
Hiss—!?
Though Lucas did not speak loudly, Serena froze on the spot the moment she heard it. After regaining her senses, she gasped sharply.
Diantha's eyes widened with a shock she couldn't conceal. Even the always-stoic Lysandre, who had been quietly observing from the side, couldn't stop his eyelids from twitching violently.
A legendary dragon's chosen hero! Two monsters on the verge of becoming top-tier champions! A Dragon-type champion comparable to Steven! A Psychic-type champion comparable to Wallace!
Good grief! Absolutely unbelievable!
Diantha opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak. What was she even supposed to say?
How were the other regions supposed to compete with this?
Indigo was terrifying enough already with the previous Indigo Elite Four already monstrously strong. Yet now that they had stepped down, five even stronger monsters had taken their place…
"…I see. It seems I really do need to hurry."
Diantha took a deep breath, calming her mind as her thoughts spun rapidly.
Now she understood what Lucas meant earlier when he implied the master class rankings might change soon.
With Indigo's new lineup…
Once they started challenging the Masters Eight, how many of the current positions could possibly survive?
She needed to act before that happened. She needed to boost Kalos's reputation while she still had the chance.
"I'll challenge Alder first. Then I'll challenge Wallace. If I can secure consecutive victories, even if they are the lowest-ranked among the Masters Eight, it will still raise Kalos's global standing."
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Diantha made her decision. Being the Champion of Kalos was exhausting indeed.
After all, Kalos's Elite Four weren't exactly… reliable. The region was practically depending on her alone to hold the line.
"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Lucas. Speaking of which… aren't you planning to challenge the ranking soon?" Diantha asked.
"Yes! Mr. Lucas, you could definitely place even higher!" Serena added with a sincerely puzzled expression.
"No rush. Let's just say… an unexpected factor came up."
If he said he originally planned to challenge his beloved cousin Lance, would anyone believe him?
But plans never keep up with change. Lance was probably still sitting in prison, reflecting on life right now.
Once Lance finished his labor reform sentence, then Lucas would challenge him properly.
After chatting a bit longer, they parted ways. Meeting Serena, Diantha, and Lysandre by chance was unexpected but not troublesome.
After exchanging contact information with Lucas, Diantha left quickly—she needed to return to the League to issue her challenge request.
That's right—she was going after Alder!
Though Alder was a veteran champion, Diantha still had confidence in herself. While she wasn't among the strongest champions…
Alder's abilities had noticeably declined in recent years.
Kalos needed her to step forward!
And with online busybodies ranking the regions and placing Kalos dead last—that humiliation could not stand!
Reviving Kalos's prestige was her duty!
"Wow~ She works fast. Looks like Diantha's fired up," Green remarked as they exited the Café Soleil, scrolling through her phone.
She had found the news article—it was indeed the official announcement of Diantha challenging Alder. And the post's popularity was skyrocketing.
After all, ever since Lucas defeated Iris, no Masters Eight challenges had taken place for quite some time.
Trainer communities exploded.
"Front row! I've been waiting eighteen years for this! Diantha Champion LET'S GOOO!"
"Oh, this is gonna be good. Kalos losers are finally showing signs of life."
"Who're you calling losers, huh?"
"I'm dying! Kicked off the Masters Class rankings, and now she comes back by challenging No.8. Might as well be a full-time actress."
"Act your mother—why don't you tell your precious Steven to go back to mining?"
"DAMMIT! Why is it always someone challenging Unova!? What did we ever do to deserve this!?"
"Speaking of which, rumor says the new Indigo Champion is the Hero of Ideals. Tsk tsk~ even the black dragon doesn't want Unova anymore." (Lmao)
And thus the usual chaos ensued.
Without question, the news of Diantha challenging Alder would soon sweep across the entire world.
As the Champion of Kalos, and as the first Master rank trainer push down the Masters Eight—Diantha naturally drew a massive amount of attention.
Especially the long-suffering trainers of Kalos, who were now worked up like they'd taken stimulants, frantically cheering for her.
"The tournament really has an impressive influence. The League truly made a smart move pushing this event—it gives them new global attention," Giovanni commented calmly.
"And it sparks healthy competition between the regions, though… Indigo's advantage is a little overwhelming right now."
Giovanni said with a faint smile, "I have to say, this World Coronation Series is truly an outstanding event."
The only downside, in Giovanni's view, was that other regions, compared to the Indigo League...
Well, there's practically no chance of winning.
Archer huffed. "Only because you and Mr. Lucas didn't join. If either of you entered, no matter which League you chose."
If Team Rocket joined the competition, a couple of those seats would belong to them.
Giovanni gave him a cold look.
He actually said that out loud?
If Lucas joined any regional leagues, he would overshadow every single champion on that region.
"Anyway, Lucas, Uncle Giovanni, who do you two think will win, Alder or Diantha?" Green asked eagerly, skipping over Archer's nonsense, Green enthusiastically consulted the two strongest members of the group
She didn't have a bad impression of Giovanni anymore; after all, after so much time and occasional contact, he had left a pretty good impression on her.
Ignoring what the Team Rocket did, Giovanni's personal charisma is indeed undeniable.
"Alder, I think," Archer answered before the strong duo could speak. "He's been champion the longest. And that Diantha pardon my bluntness but she spends half her time acting. How much training could she possibly do?"
Marnie tilted her head. "But Alder lost to Wallace. His level seems to have weakened."
"Wallace specializes in Water types. Alder's ace, Volcarona, is hard countered by Water. You can't use that as proof that he's weak," Archer argued seriously.
"But that doesn't mean Diantha will lose. I heard she found Gardevoir's Mega Stone when Mega Evolution was first discovered," Green interjected, siding with Marnie.
"Little girls, Mega Evolution doesn't mean—"
Their debate continued endlessly.
Meanwhile, in the Lysandre Labs…
This is one of Lysandre's research facility in Lumiose, which also stand as a base for Team Flare.
And deep within this research facility the sounds of battle echoed.
Rumble!
After a short while, the battle ended, and the doors to the training chamber slid open.
A tall woman with long, vivid pink hair strode out. Any trainer from Kalos would instantly recognize her.
It was Malva, the Fire-type Elite Four member of Kalos and a well-known news reporter.
But few outsiders knew the truth:
Malva was also an executive of Team Flare.
She was the only character in the entire Pokémon anime who was both an official Elite Four member and a villainous team executive.
(Special manga Lance's Elite Four doesn't count—they were self-proclaimed, not officially recognized.)
Malva walked down the hallway to a small observation room.
Inside was a sealed ecological chamber filled with lush plants. Lysandre stood outside the barrier, watching intently.
"How was it?" he asked without turning around as Malva approached.
"Not bad. Alain really does have talent. Kids these days are annoyingly brilliant," Malva replied with a shrug, speaking to Lysandre without the slightest respect for his authority.
"He's a good piece for us. But he needs more time to mature. The beautiful world is no longer far away," Lysandre murmured, eyes locked on the small creature clinging to a tree.
A tiny green being—shaped almost like an green glop—trembled, as though enduring a profound, indescribable pain.
It was a Zygarde. The Core.
Yes—Lysandre had already captured Zygarde Core.
(End of Chapter)