The morning’s epic battle had concluded, but the day was far from over. The "coronation" ceremony of the Elite Four would proceed directly in the afternoon, requiring only a simple call to gather all Trainer Association members.
Nearly 100,000 live spectators filled the arena alongside hundreds of millions watching online, all witnesses to this historic moment.
"Let’s congratulate Draconia’s youngest Elite Four ever!"
"Elite Four is definitely not the end of John’s journey, I look forward to him being crowned Champion!"
"Ah~~~~ John, I love you!~"
The shouts of crazed fans from the auditorium made John feel slightly uncomfortable, strengthening his resolve to maintain his privacy and focus on his Pokemon journey.
John accepted the "seal" that symbolized his position in the Draconian Elite Four.
Unlike Gym Leader seals, which bore local characteristics, different materials, regional Pokemon engravings, and location-specific text, the Elite Four seals maintained uniformity across the kingdom. Each was crafted from pristine white jade, topped with a dragon-type pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
The white jade seal before John bore the image of Garchomp.
"Congratulations!" Damon, the former Elite, personally handed the Dragon Seal to John, his tone carrying unmistakable bitterness.
The white jade dragon seal symbolized Elite status, something no one relinquished easily. Especially when lost in battle. The regret belonged to him alone.
"Thank you. It was a wonderful battle," John replied, shaking Damon’s hand with sincere eyes.
Wonderful, truly wonderful.
Had John’s expression been anything less than genuine, Damon might have suspected mockery. Even so, the words stung.
Damon turned and walked away, departing amid applause and cheers that were no longer his. Mixed emotions churned within him. He had once stood in this very spot, accepting everyone’s acclaim, but that had been in victory.
Time to consider what came next.
What should a former Elite do after relinquishing their position? Retire into comfortable obscurity? Or...
John stood at the battlefield’s center, receiving congratulations from tens of thousands. He waved goodbye to the crowd, posed under countless camera flashes, and finally walked slowly toward the player tunnel.
At the tunnel entrance, Saul Badman, Harisson, and Damian had been waiting, surrounded by a pack of media personnel eager for interviews. However, the imposing presence of John’s mentors kept the reporters at a respectful distance.
"Mentor!" John greeted respectfully.
"Excellent battle," Saul affirmed John’s recent performance.
Harisson and Damian started to speak, but Saul raised a hand. "Let’s discuss this in the lounge."
As they moved toward the private area, media representatives attempted to thrust microphones forward for interviews. Damian’s Gengar materialized beside them, grinning with a mixture of friendliness and menace that sent chills down their spines.
Gengar was Damian’s ace Pokemon...
The reporters tacitly lowered their microphones. Nobody wanted nightly Gengar nightmares.
The door closed behind them.
Harisson immediately slapped John hard on the shoulder, his face beaming as if he’d been the one to defeat Damon.
"You magnificent bastard! You absolutely demolished that old man! So satisfying!"
"Elite Damon remains formidable," John replied modestly, though he spoke truthfully. "If I hadn’t studied his tactics in advance, this would have been a much fiercer battle."
As an Elite Four, Damon lived under constant scrutiny, his strategies, team compositions, even psychological patterns analyzed by countless trainers. Without prior video study, a chance encounter in the wild would have proved far more challenging.
"Powerful or not, he still got steamrolled," Harisson said dismissively, apparently forgetting his own previous defeat to Damon, which, by extension, meant John could probably flatten him even easier.
"Damon’s strength remains considerable," Damian interjected fairly. "I don’t know his future plans, but if he still harbors ambitions for Elite Four position, he might very well challenge the other two Elites."
Mentioning the "other two Elites" clearly excluded himself, Damon’s strength would struggle to threaten Damian’s position.
"Speaking of which, Harisson, now that John’s achieved the Elite Four, when will you join him?"
"I’d love to witness the rise of Riverstone’s Three Elite Four," Damian added with a grin.
"Next year!" Harisson’s eyes blazed with determination. John’s victory had successfully ignited his competitive spirit. He vowed that next year, he would defeat an Elite and claim the position he’d pursued for so long.
"Easy there," Saul cautioned. "It’s wonderful to aspire toward ’Three Elites from One School,’ but don’t become impatient and lose perspective chasing titles."
"Yes, Teacher" Harisson agreed, taking deep breaths to cool his burning enthusiasm.
True passion belonged in daily training and future battles, not in momentary excitement that would only burn him to ashes.
"Excellent work," Saul placed his right hand on John’s shoulder, offering praise once more. After a pause, he added with barely concealed eagerness, "When are you planning to publish that paper on Greninja’s bond evolution?"
At the mention of Greninja’s unique evolution, Harisson and Damian perked up immediately. Though they’d witnessed the transformation before, their curiosity had only intensified.
John smiled. His Mentor had repeated this question twice now, clearly an attempt at casual conversation while his mind remained fixated on the research implications. The rightful source is novel[f]ire.net
"Actually, Professor, I was hoping you could help me with exactly that. I’ve already completed the paper and plan to submit it within the next few days."
With that, John handed over the thesis he’d prepared before the battle.