Inside the Saffron Gym, Sabrina stared at the profile of the new head of the Kanto Elite Four.
'Giovanni – Head of the Kanto Elite Four
Specialty: Ground Type'
Giovanni—the boss—had become the head of the Elite Four. For Sabrina, this was nothing short of a lightning bolt from a clear sky.
Her head was spinning. Numb.
How could this have happened?
But…
Sabrina's eyes wavered with psychic ripples. She exhaled softly—perhaps this was fine. With the boss's strength, he'd do just fine in the League.
Then suddenly, she tilted her head.
Hold on. How had Dylan and the boss suddenly been promoted?
What happened to Lance?
At that moment, the Kanto League's official website and forums were already ablaze.
"We regret to inform you that Lance, Agatha, Bruno, and Lorelei have formally resigned from their positions. We thank them for their many years of service to the Kanto region."
"The new Champion and Elite Four of Kanto have now been appointed. They will inherit the will of their predecessors and protect Kanto!"
This announcement stunned the entire region.
All four members of the Elite Four gone in one day? This was way too sudden.
Agatha, maybe, was reaching retirement age—but Lance and the other two were in their prime.
Why such a coordinated resignation?
Many people immediately sensed something off. Clearly, there was a story here. But since the League wasn't saying anything, all they could do was speculate.
On the new Champion and Elite Four page, the comments were exploding:
"Oh good, from menace Gym Leader to menace Champion. And he's listed as a Dragon-type specialist too? Incredible."
"Waaah! Our Dylan finally made it! Go Dylan! Asha will always support you!"
"Fully approve of Dylan becoming Champion!!"
"I always said Giovanni should've been on the Elite Four!"
"Never seen these three before. But this Leaf girl is so cute—she looks really young. Is she really Elite Four material?"
"Unfamiliar? Just visit the Rota Gym a few times—you'll get very familiar…"
Most comments were positive, though naturally, there were a few skeptics and even trolls.
Which was to be expected. Lance and his team had massive prestige in Kanto, with tons of fans. Replacing all four without an explanation was bound to ruffle feathers.
But the League had no plans to explain. What could they say? That Lance had slaughtered half the council and broken ties with the League?
Not a chance.
Inside the League HQ, Goodshow led Dylan and the new Elite Four into their office suite.
"This is your designated lounge and office space. If you're staying at the League HQ, housing has been arranged on the Plateau as well," Goodshow said with a smile.
Dylan looked around—everything was new. Fresh furniture, fresh décor. Clearly, this was all redone for them.
Goodshow, to his credit, wasn't tone-deaf enough to leave behind the "belongings" of the former Four for their replacements.
"Hard to believe... The Indigo Conference hasn't even started, and I'm already Elite Four," Blue muttered, glancing around.
His original goal after leaving Pallet Town had been to dominate the Kanto League. Now, while he hadn't quite taken the top, he was pretty damn close.
This was a huge step forward.
"Wait, Chairman—does this mean Red and I can't participate in the Indigo Conference?" Blue suddenly asked.
They had signed up for the tournament, which was just days away.
"Of course not," Goodshow chuckled. "You're Elite Four now. You can't be going down to compete with the kids."
After all, the Indigo Conference winner earns the right to challenge the Elite Four. If the Elite Four themselves joined, that would make a mockery of the whole process.
(Like in the anime, Ash became Alola Champion because there simply wasn't an Elite Four at the time—the league was new, and the tournament was funded and organized by the Aether Foundation. The rules weren't even finalized.)
"That's fine. I don't want to bully rookies anyway," Blue shrugged.
Honestly, if not for the formal process, he wouldn't have entered. The whole tournament would've been just him vs. Red in the finals anyway.
To the west of Cinnabar Island lay a wide stretch of open sea—and on it, a crescent-shaped island not marked on any map.
That day, the forgotten isle welcomed several new visitors.
"Cerise Island... we finally found it," Agatha said, leaning on her cane as she looked toward the dormant volcano at the center.
It was a bizarre structure, ringed by seven towering stone pillars.
"You're sure this is it?" Lorelei asked, pushing up her glasses.
They had searched the sea for over a day to find it.
"No doubt," Agatha said. "This entire island is one giant 'badge energy amplifier.' With the right energy, it can summon a legendary bird Pokémon."
"Which one?" Lorelei asked.
"Who knows? Ho-Oh, maybe? Or Lugia? We'll know when we summon it," Agatha replied.
Kanto had many legendary birds—the famed trio of Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres.
But the "legendary large bird Pokémon" were Ho-Oh and Lugia.
Which one they could summon, Agatha didn't know.
"If Lance captures this one, along with Zekrom, he'll be unstoppable," Lorelei said, smirking. "Then our dream will be within reach."
She had left with Lance because they shared the same ideals.
There were too many Pokémon suffering, too many humans abusing nature. The League was too soft. The wicked should be purged.
Lance stood with arms folded, his black cape fluttering as he gazed at the mountain.
"When we summon it... we strike," he said.
To rid the world of evil, they needed power. And a legendary bird would grant that.
The world must be made clean again.
"At this point, the only one who could stop Lance is Dylan," Agatha said with a sly chuckle.
"But what if Dylan opposes us?" Bruno asked bluntly.
He had never wanted to leave. He was fine being Elite Four.
So why the hell was he here now, with these lunatics?
Oh right—because Agatha had pulled some trickery on him. And now, even if he wanted to leave, he couldn't.
He really didn't get it. Lance and Lorelei being zealots was one thing. Why was Agatha out here risking her geriatric spine?
And to top it off, Bruno seriously doubted they'd succeed. Last time they tried something big, they got wrecked by Aizen. This time? Probably Dylan.
Dylan used to be their most reliable ally—now they had made him their enemy.
Bruno was Tired™.
"Dylan is like us—devoted to Pokémon and justice," Lance said calmly, confidence in his voice.
"???" Bruno was baffled.
Justice? Has Lance seen Dylan's online nickname?
"The League won't let us kill freely," Bruno reminded them.
Not everyone deserves death, but to Lance and Lorelei, anything evil must be eradicated. No shades of gray. Only black and white.
"The League can't stop us now," Lorelei said coldly.
With them gone, the League had no strong cards left. Except Dylan.
"But Dylan is the Champion now."
That got everyone's attention. Lance, Lorelei, and Agatha all turned to him.
Bruno felt goosebumps rise.
"He's Champion. The new Elite Four are in place too. And Dylan's listed as a Dragon-type specialist."
Bruno's tone was strange as he showed them the website.
Dylan, the multi-type master, had chosen Dragon as his official specialization. What did it mean?
Lance's title. Taken. By Dylan.
Lance's brow twitched.
Dylan... was this a tribute to me, your senior? Truly... you've finally understood.
Dragons. Are. Supreme!
"Heh... Goodshow moves fast," Agatha said with a twinkle in her eye.
They'd only been gone two days, and he already replaced them.
Her gaze landed on Blue's profile.
Oak's grandson, huh...
"Tch. Just some kids," Lorelei scoffed.
"Well, we'll need the badges to activate the island. Let's get them," Agatha said.
She was generally level-headed, but even she had things she couldn't let go of. Otherwise, she wouldn't be out here "starting over" with the crazies.
...
Wasn't the real issue that Dylan was Champion now?
These three were still plotting—did they really think Dylan wouldn't flatten them?
Bruno sighed deeply. Maybe it was time to think about an exit strategy. He didn't want to end up in the same cell block as the Rocket Executives.
He'd rather not get prison-jumped by Archer and company.
And sure, he could probably reverse it and beat them up instead—but still.
Bruno had always been loyal to the League, dammit!
End of Chapter 319