[Dragon Master Lance: Want to be an Honorary Elite Four?]
[Bestselling light-novel author Shauntal: Interested in coming to Unova as the one and only Champion-in-training?]
The two of them sent Grey messages almost at the exact same time—and both messages were tied to the League.
One was to serve as Kanto's Honorary Elite Four; the other was to become Unova's Champion-in-training.
And it would be the "only" one!
It honestly left Grey a little flattered. He couldn't help thinking when he'd become this in-demand—so much so that even Unova, all the way overseas, had come looking for him and extended an offer.
But…
Why him?
Grey scratched his head, confusion filling his mind.
Lance's side was easy enough to understand. After all, it was just an invitation asking whether he wanted to be an Honorary Elite Four.
And Lance had asked him more than once before if he wanted to be Elite Four—so asking about an honorary position was basically the same idea.
But Unova? What was that about?
If Grey remembered right, he hadn't really had any contact with Unova at all, had he?
Online and offline combined, the only Trainers he'd ever interacted with from Unova… were members of Team Plasma.
And in that situation, the Unova League was inviting him to be the "only" Champion-in-training?
Could it be that they were short on talent and desperate for fresh blood to bring in new energy?
The moment that thought appeared, Grey felt like it actually made a lot of sense.
Alder's ace had died a few years back due to illness and age, and among the new generation, there weren't many Trainers who could shoulder the banner.
Sure, Alder had raised a new Volcarona, and he still had Champion-level strength—but he was nothing like he used to be.
That was also why Team Plasma had been able to run wild in Unova.
If there were just one more Champion-level Trainer over there, or if Alder had still been at his peak, would Team Plasma really dare to stir up trouble?
"Sigh… in the end, it's all because the strength just isn't there."
Back at the Fighting Dojo, Grey let out a sigh, feeling a bit sentimental about it.
"What's wrong? You've been staring at your phone and zoning out, and your mood keeps shifting. Did something happen?"
Sabrina's eyes blinked lightly. Even though she knew Grey's thoughts tended to jump around, whenever his emotions changed this much, something big had definitely happened.
"Here, take a look yourself. I'm still thinking about who I should reply to."
Grey scratched his cheek and handed her the phone, letting the screen content fall into Sabrina's view.
Sabrina skimmed it and was surprised too. "The Unova League is trying to poach you?"
As someone Team Rocket had once tried to poach from the League, Sabrina immediately understood what Unova was doing.
Dangling bait. Poaching talent.
The difference was, compared to an organization like Team Rocket that couldn't even sell the bait properly, the League's credibility was naturally far higher.
Most people would be willing to bite.
What's more, the Unova League really did need talent right now. If Grey actually went over, he might receive a huge tilt in resources.
Sabrina couldn't give him an answer on that.
Now it just depended on what Grey wanted.
After thinking a moment, she said, "Decide for yourself."
"Then I'll reply to Lance first, and ask what the details are for an Honorary Elite Four."
Grey took back the phone and opened his chat with Lance.
[Dragon Master Lance: Want to be an Honorary Elite Four?]
[Dojo Annihilape: So what is this Honorary Elite Four position supposed to do?]
Grey had figured he was replying so late that Lance wouldn't see it for a while.
Instead, it was like Lance had been camping in front of the screen waiting—because the moment Grey sent the message, Lance fired back with a whole wall of text.
[Dragon Master Lance: An Honorary Elite Four has the same status as an Elite Four member. You keep being a Gym Leader like usual—eat, drink, live your life. Salary and bonuses still get paid, treated on the same scale as the Elite Four. League meetings are optional—come if you feel like it, skip if you don't. And when your strength is there and you want to become Champion, you can start the Elite Four Challenge directly.]
[Dojo Annihilape: Damn, isn't that just getting paid to do nothing? The League is really going all-out.]
Grey read it carefully and realized… wasn't this basically just a title?
Hold a spot, do no work, still collect Elite Four-level benefits. It was ridiculously sweet.
It was the kind of perk that even Larry over in Paldea would stare at and refuse to look away.
[Dragon Master Lance: That's not exactly wrong. But Honorary Elite Four is a benefit the League offers to Trainers who've made outstanding contributions and reached Elite Four level.]
[Dragon Master Lance: Based on your current League merits and your own strength, you already meet every requirement. And since your Gym isn't officially sanctioned right now, the higher-ups feel like you've been shortchanged, so they're asking for your opinion.]
[Dojo Annihilape: Then of course I'll take it. Mainly because I want to do my part for the League—catching Team Rocket is something I should be doing anyway. Since it's the League's goodwill, I won't hold back. hehe.jpg]
[Dragon Master Lance: Good. I'll go discuss this with the other higher-ups right away.]
"Hah—just like I thought! Gym Leader Grey, League Trainers should be looking up to you!"
At Indigo Plateau, inside League Headquarters.
Looking at Grey's message, Lance's expression grew more and more pleased.
He'd been afraid Grey wouldn't want the Honorary Elite Four position.
But now Grey had accepted it openly—and even told him he wanted to contribute to the League, that catching Team Rocket was simply his responsibility.
It made Lance feel like everything was worth it!
With that thought, Lance picked up his phone and sent a message to the work group chat.
[Dragon Master Lance: Emergency meeting. Everyone to the third-floor conference room—now. Important matters to discuss.]
[Lorelei of Ice: Received.]
[Bruno the Fighter: Received.]
...
...
Saffron City, Fighting Dojo.
Grey had no idea what was happening on the League's side. After replying to Lance, he opened Shauntal's chat.
[Bestselling light-novel author Shauntal: Interested in coming to Unova as the one and only Champion-in-training?]
He had to admit—Shauntal really was a novelist. Even her nickname was way longer than most usernames Grey had ever seen.
Grey thought for a moment and started typing a polite rejection.
But before he could type much, he heard a "ding."
[Shauntal: Gym Leader Grey, please don't reject this so quickly—why don't you first hear what kind of sincerity the Unova League is offering?]
"…"
Grey's fingers paused. He deleted what he'd typed and started over.
[Dojo Annihilape: Alright.]
[Shauntal: The Unova League promises that you may choose any city in Unova to settle in, and your monthly salary will be five million. Food, lodging, and travel will be fully covered by the Unova League. Pokémon training and cultivation expenses will also be reimbursed in full.]
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810