The night quickly passed.
By morning, within the Indigo Plateau—
The doors of the conference room were pushed open. Loki, dressed in formal attire, slowly walked inside, breaking the otherwise silent atmosphere.
The three men and two women inside all lifted their heads at once, looking toward him.
"Strictly speaking, this is our first official meeting, isn't it?"
Loki took his seat at the head of the table. Behind him stood Officer Jenny Zero and the Head Nurse Joy.
With the two standing behind him, the small and slender Loki somehow looked like a true winner in life…
Well, he was already considered a winner in life, being the overall Chairman of the Pokémon League.
At his words, the three men and two women remained silent.
Loki's gaze slowly swept across the five—Red, Blue, N, Zinnia, and Caitlin!
Yes, these five were the candidates for the new Indigo Elite Four.
They were here because Loki had personally contacted each one and invited them to the Indigo Plateau.
"I have a question."
After a moment of silence, Blue raised his head and spoke.
"Go ahead. I'll answer to the best of my ability."
"Where's Lance? And the former Kanto Elite Four? Where did they go?"
Blue looked directly at Loki. He had asked his grandfather, Professor Oak before, but he gave no answer.
The official explanation stated that the four former Elite Four members were injured during the battle against Team Rocket and had temporarily stepped down. This announcement had caused an uproar.
After all, in Indigo, the Elite Four held incredibly high popularity.
And now, suddenly—all four stepped down at once?
Countless people flooded the League's official channels demanding explanations. Yet no matter the pressure, the League repeatedly insisted that the four were "injured and unable to continue their duties."
And what could the public do?
Naturally, Blue didn't believe that explanation at all.
"As for Lance…" Loki's expression turned solemn. After a brief pause, he finally answered,
"What I can tell you is this: your future enemies will very likely be the former Indigo Elite Four."
His words carried a heavy, oppressive weight.
"The four of them… have embarked onto the wrong path, a dark path."
Silence. The message was clear. Lance and the others had turned against the League.
No wonder they suddenly resigned all at once.
Red and Blue both frowned deeply.
N, Zinnia, and Caitlin remained quiet—they had already been told the truth by Lucas.
"This is your official appointment letter. If you agree, from today onward, you will become the new Indigo Elite Four."
"Of course, the League won't force you. If you do not wish to accept it, I will not insist."
Loki shifted away from the heavy topic. He pulled out five documents and handed them to the five candidates before continuing:
"By signing this, you will be taking on the responsibilities of the Elite Four—protecting all the people of Kanto and Johto."
"You will also be facing the dangerous remnants of Team Rocket… as well as—"
—Lance and the former Elite Four.
Loki didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was painfully clear.
Normally, appointing Elite Four members was a long, complicated process.
But this was a crisis. The League needed replacements immediately.
And the five before him—despite even the oldest being only in their early twenties were all monstrously strong.
Red: High-level Champion tier. Ace: Mega Charizard X.
Blue: High-level Champion tier. Ace: Mega Blastoise.
N: High-level Champion tier. Ace: Zekrom, the Dragon of Ideals.
Zinnia: High-level Champion tier. Ace: Mega Salamence.
Caitlin: Low-level Champion tier, nearing mid-level. Ace: Mega Metagross.
All of them were Champion-level trainers.
Caitlin was slightly behind, but her psychic powers paired with her Psychic team made her incredibly formidable—far stronger than her original portrayal in the games or anime.
Additionally, Red and Blue had already begun touching the threshold of top-tier Champions. They could break through at any time.
Weaker than the old Elite Four?
Not at all. In Loki's view, these five were FAR stronger.
Especially N—even if his personal battle instincts weren't as fierce as Red or Blue…
He had a literal legendary dragon backing him.
Zekrom. Enough said.
Red stared at the documents, his crimson eyes flickering. He had planned to challenge the Indigo Conference at the end of the year—to defeat Lance and become Champion of Indigo…
But fate moved too fast.
"This is… actually pretty interesting."
Blue grinned and immediately signed without hesitation.
Why refuse? Becoming a member of the Elite Four directly was a shortcut.
As for Team Rocket remnants and the former Elite Four? Blue wished they would show up.
Would the new generation be weaker than the old? Don't make him laugh.
And as for the public doubting them?
Heh~ Blue would make them shut up with pure strength.
Seeing Blue sign so cleanly, Red also wrote down his name. His best friend had accepted—how could he fall behind?
Caitlin quietly signed her elegant name.
N and Zinnia, having received Lucas's instructions beforehand, naturally didn't refuse either.
"I warmly welcome all of you to the League. Soon, your names will appear on the official Indigo League website."
Loki smiled. With the new Elite Four in place, the League finally had real combat power again.
"Chairman, what about the Champion? Who will fill that position?"
Blue immediately asked. That was the question he cared most about.
Among the five of them—who would be Champion?
Blue's gaze swept across the others. None of them were weak. But the Champion position?
He had NO intention of giving it up easily.
Caitlin subtly lowered her gaze—she knew she wasn't ready.
N and Zinnia didn't care much.
Red's eyes flickered—he too desired the Champion throne.
Loki chuckled softly. They were still young after all.
"For now, N will temporarily serve as Champion. This is only provisional. After the Indigo Conference at the end of the year, the Champion Challenge will be held."
"If you want to challenge N then, you are free to do so."
His gaze landed on N's elegant face.
Without reaching top-level Champion, none of the others could defeat a high-tier legendary like Zekrom.
Unless N didn't use Zekrom, Red and Blue stood no chance at their current level.
"I object!"
Blue leapt to his feet immediately, expressing blatant dissatisfaction.
He, the great Blue, be beneath someone he barely knew?
A guy with green hair and a pretty face?
Absolutely not!
"Emmm…"
N blinked innocently at Blue's intense glare.
Such strong hostility…
"N, what do you think?" Zinnia asked, amused.
"If you want it, I can give the Champion position to you."
N spoke sincerely.
"…"
Blue was speechless.
How was he supposed to keep acting aggressive when the other party was so gentle?!
"If there are disagreements, you may have a friendly match. But it is still an emergency period—so just a light sparring session."
Loki interjected calmly.
"Fine. N, let's have a battle. If you win, then I'll wait until the end of the year to challenge you again."
Blue wasn't unreasonable—he wanted proof.
N nodded. "Okay."
They moved to the League's training grounds.
"Make sure you go all out. A battle should be fought with everything."
Blue warned seriously as he pulled out a Poké Ball.
N was momentarily stunned. He had planned to take it easy…
But hearing Blue's seriousness, he straightened his expression.
"…I understand."
Zinnia's face twitched.
And then—
And then Blue went pale.
A towering, majestic black dragon stood before him, radiating divine pressure—the overwhelming Dragon of Ideals, Zekrom!
Blue nearly vomited.
Zekrom. THE Zekrom.
What kind of joke was this?!
What kind of background did this green-haired guy have?!
He looked harmless, but what kind of "harmless" person carried around a literal legendary dragon?!
"…I think you make a great Champion."
Blue immediately recalled Blastoise and spoke sincerely.
Nope. Absolutely not fighting that.
N: "…"
Red: "…"
Caitlin: "…"
Fight what? Fight WHAT?
A Dragon/Electric legendary that counters Water and counters Blastoise?
Impossible.
Blue swore revenge would come eventually. But not today.
…
Goldenrod City.
The most prosperous city in Johto—connected directly to Kanto's Saffron City by high-speed rail.
And with Saffron heavily damaged in the war, Goldenrod felt even more bustling by comparison.
Massive skyscrapers reached toward the sky, and Goldenrod's department store was famous throughout the region—larger and grander even than Celadon's.
Yet few knew that deep beneath Goldenrod lay Team Rocket's largest Johto base.
Today, that base had an uninvited visitor.
BOOM!
A violent explosion echoed through the underground. Several Rocket grunts were blasted across the floor, groaning in pain.
"All of you are trash. Where is your boss?"
A crimson-haired figure in a black cloak stepped on a grunt's arm, cold eyes staring down at him.
It was Lance.
Following a trail of clues, he had arrived here.
His goal?
Destroy this entire Johto base—and more importantly…
"You worthless insect. My patience is limited. Tell me—where is Giovanni, that filthy rat?"
Lance slowly increased the pressure beneath his foot, a cruel grin curling across his face.
He was here for Giovanni.
Even if he had to destroy all of Goldenrod today, he would drag Giovanni out.
Mewtwo?
Lance would show Giovanni that his Mewtwo was worthless.
(End of Chapter)