Chapter 97 Steven: White Feather, do you want to be a Hoenn Elite Four member? You're kidding, I'm a native of Saffron City, Kanto.
How could I possibly be from the Hoenn region?
However, the Pokémon I control seem to lean more towards Hoenn.
But to be honest, it's only Swampert and Aggron.
The rest, like Electivire and Houndoom, are more common in the Johto region, and Magneton is even more ubiquitous—you can find it almost anywhere there's electricity.
Magneton's numbers are, in some ways, greater than Caterpie's, and its coverage is wider.
A truly common Pokémon.
Hearing this, Steven fell silent. Was he really overthinking things?
Was the other person really not a trainer who immigrated from the Hoenn region?
With such strength, yet not being a member of the Hoenn region, clinging to a dilapidated gym—I really don't know what the Kanto League was thinking.
Steven looked up, seeing a hole in the ceiling, and glanced around at the dusty gym. How could such a crappy gym limit the grand dreams of an Elite Four member trainer?
No… I absolutely have to recruit this guy and make him one of the Hoenn Elite Four. A trainer with such a competitive spirit is bound to become a Champion-level trainer in the future;
those two Pokémon are definitely Champion-level in the future. With a little training, I could even give him the Hoenn Champion title. Besides, I also want to go to the Sinnoh region to do some archaeological research on the Sinnoh ruins.
While Daigo was making his own plans, Bai Yu's attention was focused on Swampert and Aggron. These two Pokémon always sneak out to battle in the games.
They're not behaving themselves now either. Such a warlike nature won't do; if something happens in the future, they might easily become disobedient.
"You two, if you do this again…"
"I won't take you with me."
Bai Yu reached out and tapped the two Pokémon on the head.
Aggron, abandoning its usual serious and domineering expression, reached out and rubbed against Bai Yu, looking pitiful. Swampert, seeing this, quickly changed its expression as well, pretending it wouldn't dare to do it again.
The Magneton floating nearby stared blankly at the two Pokémon, its body tilted to one side with a wise expression, looking completely out of place.
"These two idiots,"
Bai Yu said helplessly. It's always the same.
It seems he needs to properly discipline these two Pokémon in the game.
Compared to them, Electivire is much more docile, at least it doesn't actively ask to battle, its daily training is not much worse than theirs, and its strength is not much inferior.
As for Houndoom, it used to be an active and warlike Pokémon, always wanting to be the first to battle in every match. Perhaps because it has played too many matches, it seems quite lazy. Fortunately,
it hasn't neglected its daily training, and its strength improvement is much more gradual than Aggron and the others. Its temperament in battle is not much different from before.
"Bai Yu, I would like to invite you to become one of the Hoenn Elite Four. What do you think?"
Daigo had been thinking for a long time, almost dreaming of going to the Galar region to mine for rare gems.
After calming down, he told Bai Yu his thoughts about the match.
As long as Bai Yu agrees, Daigo has a way to get the Kanto League to give his approval.
After all, he's just a Kanto League gym leader, and Daigo believes the Kanto League will give him face. Even if they know he's strong, Daigo can simply offer some conveniences.
He's the son of the Devon Corporation; this small amount of money is nothing to him.
"Elite Four? I have absolutely no interest in Elite Four."
"Is that so? That's great."
Daigo nodded in response, ignoring what Bai Yu said.
When he finally realized what Bai Yu had said, his expression changed, and he repeatedly pondered Bai Yu's words.
He refused?
Really? He, the champion of the Hoenn League, actually refused an invitation.
Daigo stood there, stunned, his mind replaying Bai Yu's words.
Someone could actually refuse an invitation to the Elite Four position, and not just any position, but the kind that didn't require any review and directly made him one of the Hoenn Elite Four. Such an honor, countless trainers would rack their brains to become one of them.
"You should think about it again, that's the League Elite Four."
Daigo felt that Bai Yu must have misheard him, after all, that was the League Elite Four.
It wasn't like asking Bai Yu to go to the Hoenn region to become a Gym Leader; the two were different in status.
Their positions within the League would also change significantly.
"To be honest, Daigo, the champion, was invited by Guild Master Tamarange to become a Kanto Elite Four member, but I declined."
"I'm not particularly interested in the Elite Four position."
"I'd rather witness the strength of a champion and challenge the champions of various leagues."
Bai Yu shrugged, speaking nonchalantly.
Bai Yu wasn't particularly interested in the Elite Four or the Champion, even after leaving the Kanto region.
The only thing that interested him was the strength of these Elite Four members and Champions; fighting them would be more interesting than holding that position.
Besides, becoming a member of the league meant taking on many responsibilities. Not only the Kanto region, but also the Hoenn region and others were restless. Those evil forces were like rats; to completely eradicate them, one would have to capture the masterminds behind those evil organizations alive.
Furthermore, quietly developing one's strength would be much harder than imagined.
This was Bai Yu's initial thought. "
Being a Gym Leader is fine, but becoming an Elite Four member or even a Champion is not…
It's a pity. With your strength, you could become a Champion-level Trainer in a year, maybe even less. I was even thinking of handing over my position to you then."
Daigo sighed. Since Bai Yu refused, he wouldn't force him. He
just felt regretful that a Trainer with Elite Four-level strength was only a minor Gym Leader. If this were in the Hoenn region, he would have forced him to become one of the Hoenn Elite Four.
Now that the Hoenn Elite Four position was vacant, he could only choose someone else, and he didn't know when he would find a suitable candidate.
"Champion Daigo, didn't you come to Kanagawa to check out the level of Gyms in other regions, and maybe see if you could invite a suitable one back to become an Elite Four member?"
Bai Yu couldn't help but feel curious.
Hoenn Champions generally don't leave their home region unless they are participating in the Pokémon Master Tournament.
That is, the tournament held by Leon in the Galar region, which has only become popular in recent years.
Each Pokédex member can also display their world ranking.
Of course… the champions from each region are ranked in the Pokédex according to their results from the previous Masters Tournament. Leon was the champion of that tournament.
Steven defeated Lance and then encountered Leon. His main Metagross lost to Leon's Charizard in the subsequent battle, resulting in a regrettable defeat.
"I just happened to be here. I was invited by Lance, or rather, by the Kanto League." Steven reverted to his previous rich young master demeanor, his tone completely calm.
He had indeed come by chance, wanting to see the gym that had been making headlines in the Pokédex.
It wasn't a wasted trip, as he did see the gym's unique features.
Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to recruit it to the Hoenn League, which was a significant loss for the Hoenn League.
"Indigo Plateau, that's true." Bai Yu thought for a moment. The Indigo Plateau was next to Viridian City, and to get from Saffron City, one had to pass through Marsh City. It was understandable that he'd feel itchy to challenge a Gym there.
After all, Daigo only liked two things: fossils (rare minerals) and battles, especially against powerful Trainers.
Daigo and Bai Yu talked for a long time
, mostly about their views on Steel-type Pokémon.
Daigo's thoughts differed from Bai Yu's. Bai Yu liked Steel-type Pokémon simply because of their outstanding resistances, and the amazing effects of learning moves.
As for Daigo… he genuinely loved Steel-type Pokémon, regardless of which one.
"Since Gym Leader Bai Yu doesn't intend to come to my Hoenn League, I'll take my leave."
Daigo had also heard some of Bai Yu's insights on Steel-type Pokémon. While their ideas differed, their ultimate goal was the same, which allowed Daigo to master some unique techniques.
After Daigo left, Sabrina came up.
"Did you see that? Professor Oak's grandson was sitting in the stands too."
Sabrina naturally noticed Qinglv in the stands.
Qinglv watched the entire match, and after it ended, he quietly left.
He had been comforted by Bai Yu earlier, and now that he had secretly come to watch the match, Qinglv didn't want Bai Yu to see him.
Having already lost face once, with Qinglv's prideful nature, he would never lose face a second time. This battle was also an opportunity for him to improve his strength,
especially Magneton.
It opened up a whole new door for him.
He had already thought of the best lineup to counter Red's team and Bai Yu's team, and he also wanted to contact Red to ask for Blastoise.
After the Lavender Town incident, Qinglv had given Blastoise to Red and hadn't gotten it back yet. Blastoise was a perfect obstacle remover, and it was a Pokémon he had raised all along. How could it be in someone else's hands?
"That idiot, he's just a bit stubborn."
Bai Yu had already seen Qinglv, but just didn't want to point it out.
Ooki Green also had a touch of arrogance about him, no matter the situation.
"The Champion's strength...is it that strong?"
Champion level! Sabrina wanted to hear Bai Yu's thoughts. As the Psychic Queen, her strength had reached the Elite Four level, but she was still some distance from the Champion level.
If her psychic powers were out of control, Alakazam might be able to reach Champion level.
However, it would restrict Sabrina's own psychic abilities, a move that would hurt both herself and the enemy. Sabrina wouldn't overuse her psychic powers unless absolutely necessary.
She had previously encountered Lance, Guild Master Damaranchi... and now Steven.
Sabrina couldn't see Bai Yu's future clearly for the past few months, and the speed at which his Pokémon were improving was simply too fast.
That Electivire, which was just average at the time, had skyrocketed in strength in less than half a year, now reaching Elite Four level, and was among the best of the Elite Four.
Such a rapid improvement in all the Pokémon's strength was something most trainers couldn't achieve.
Only he could do it...what kind of magic did he possess? "Not bad. His strength is about what I expected."
Bai Yu shook his head, noticing Sabrina's gaze, and subconsciously said, "Why is there something on my face? Looking at me like that, could it be..."
"Little Bai, I think you're pretty shameless."
Sabrina lowered her head, her voice cold and aloof.
"Hehe~" Bai Yu chuckled.
He didn't notice the blush creeping onto Sabrina's pretty face.
Sabrina didn't understand these things; she only knew that staying by Bai Yu's side was the best decision she had made.
The incident with Steven was over.
The gym became quiet, and fewer trainers came to challenge him.
The referee standing to the side couldn't wait to spread the news of Steven entering the Macha Gym.
"Gym Leader, just you wait and see." The referee grinned slyly, looking at the Pokédex in his hand. "As long as this battle photo is added to the Pokédex, the gym will be packed tomorrow."
"What kind of bullshit eight gyms are these? Even if you add them all together, they won't be able to match the crowds at my Macha Gym."
A photo of the Hoenn Champion could indeed generate a decent amount of traffic.
Bai Yu hadn't thought that much about it, but the referee had prepared everything meticulously. He was determined to make tomorrow's performance the best in the entire Kanto League.
"What a pity."
"His strength is quite good. With a little training, and if I get him a Metagross, he'll definitely become a powerful trainer like me in the future."
Daigo sighed as he left the gym, feeling quite disappointed.
As the League Champion, even if he wasn't in Kanto, it was still a large region like Hoenn.
He personally extended an invitation, but Bai Yu decisively rejected it. Even if Daigo had a strong tolerance, he couldn't help but wonder if his personal charm had declined.
"But...that gym leader...I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
After leaving the gym, Daigo also felt something was off.
He had a feeling he'd seen that guy before, but couldn't quite place him.
"You're the Hoenn Champion? Zuvoki Daigo?"
A spiky-haired man in a crisp green shirt strode arrogantly.
The newcomer was none other than Qinglv, who had just left the gym and witnessed Bai Yu and Daigo's match. His purpose was simple.
"Who are you?" Daigo frowned, his expression hostile.
"My name is Qinglv, Daiki Qinglv!" Emerging from the shadows, Qinglv's tone became even more arrogant. "You may not know my name now, but this name will resonate throughout Kanto, and even the world, in the future."
"Daiki Qinglv,"
Daigo murmured. He seemed to have heard the surname Daiki before.
"Kid, you're pretty confident?"
"How many trainers in this world can reach my future heights?!" Azure was determined to stand at the pinnacle of Kanto and defeat the Kanto Elite Four. He wanted to
personally bring Lance down from his pedestal. What was a Dragon Tamer anyway? After a while, he planned to challenge the Elite Four; he wanted to see just how good they were.
"Wait until you win the Kanto League championship."
Daigo didn't know why he suddenly said those words.
He always felt that this boy possessed a special magic; Daigo even saw the same spiritedness he had when he left Laputa City years ago.
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(End of Chapter)