Giovanni stared at the Landorus that had lost its ability to battle, speechless for a long time.
He had actually lost.
This was different from his earlier, experimental challenge against Lance.
Different, too, from the Gym battle when he had invited Dylan to fight.
Giovanni had always been a meticulous, mature man.
He usually knew in advance which battles he would win—and which he would lose.
He always prepared himself mentally beforehand.
That was why, even when he lost those past battles, he could accept the results calmly.
They had been within his expectations.
But this time… it was different.
He had lost.
Lost to Red.
Why?
Giovanni frowned deeply, unable to understand it.
He had gone all out.
Even though he hadn't used Beedrill, Beedrill had never been part of his calculations from the start.
Even without Beedrill, he should have won.
He had Great Tusk.
He had Mega Kangaskhan.
He had Therian Landorus.
With a lineup like that—how could he lose?
To ensure victory, he had even revealed Persian, one of his rarely used hidden core partners.
Before the match, he had felt it—
That this battle with Red was something like fate.
He had always believed that he and Red were destined to clash one day.
And yet…
He lost.
"Landorus is unable to battle! Mega Charizard X wins!"
"Since all six of Giovanni's Pokémon have lost the ability to battle, the winner of this match is Red! Red advances! Giovanni is eliminated!"
The referee announced the final result.
"We have a winner!" the slick-haired host shouted excitedly, his voice echoing through the entire stadium.
"After an intense battle, Red defeats the formidable Giovanni by a narrow margin and advances to the finals!"
"Let us congratulate Red! In the upcoming final, he will face Dylan to compete for the ultimate championship throne!"
The stadium instantly exploded with deafening cheers.
"Red! I knew you could do it!"
"As expected—Red really is the strongest among the Kanto Elite Four!"
"AAAAH! How could Giovanni lose?! Damn it!"
"Hahaha! I bet on Red—this payout is insane!"
"From today on, Red is the strongest man in the world beneath Dylan!"
Cheers filled the Indigo Stadium.
The battle had been incredibly close and intense—and precisely because of that, the victory tasted all the sweeter.
Of course, where there was joy, there was also sorrow.
For Red's supporters, this was the most exhilarating moment imaginable.
For Giovanni's supporters… it was agony.
"…Sigh."
Lance let out a deep sigh.
Just that close.
"There's nothing to be upset about," Apollo said, patting Lance on the shoulder—perhaps to comfort himself as well.
"Making the top four is already impressive. After all, Giovanni couldn't use his true main force."
"Yeah… if he could've used that, Giovanni definitely wouldn't have lost," Lance agreed, though he still sighed.
Nearby, Silver watched the battlefield, a trace of disappointment on his usually cold face.
Such a shame.
But looking at Giovanni, who stood silently on the field, Silver knew—
He would need to think carefully about how to comfort his father.
He knew how badly Giovanni had wanted to win.
"Hmph. Useless."
Inside a prison cell, Rainbow Giovanni scoffed when he saw Giovanni's defeat.
Losing to a mere teenager—how embarrassing for a parallel-world version of himself.
Of course, Rainbow Giovanni also knew that without Dark Mewtwo, he himself would probably fare even worse.
But so what?
He wasn't the one standing on that battlefield.
Back in the Stadium
Giovanni finally adjusted his emotions and recalled Landorus.
He lifted his mature, composed face and looked at the cap-wearing boy walking toward him.
"Heh… congratulations, Red."
Giovanni smiled calmly, no different from his usual demeanor.
The battle was lost—but his dignity would not be.
Even in defeat, one must retain their pride.
"Thank you," Red said, shaking Giovanni's extended hand.
"I really didn't expect you to grow to this level," Giovanni sighed lightly.
Back then, he could defeat Red with relative ease.
Now… Red had defeated him.
That was something he truly hadn't anticipated.
Red remained silent, unsure what to say.
He had enjoyed the battle immensely—but once it was over, he returned to his usual cool, reserved self.
"Next, you'll be facing Dylan," Giovanni said, smiling as he patted Red on the shoulder.
"Do your best."
"I hope you put on a great performance—our new Champion of Kanto."
According to their agreement, whoever advanced to the finals would become the new Kanto Champion.
That had been settled in advance.
Dylan had already eliminated Selene.
Giovanni had now lost to Red.
So the new champion could only be Red.
Of course, the official succession would have to wait until the World Tournament concluded and Dylan formally stepped down.
"Mm," Red nodded.
The semifinals had finally concluded.
The fierce battle between Red and Giovanni spread rapidly, replayed and discussed endlessly.
It was simply too good—a perfectly matched, high-level clash.
The finalists were now confirmed:
Dylan, Champion of Kanto vs. Red of the Kanto Elite Four.
The anticipation was overwhelming.
Some even joked that it was a special kind of Champion Challenge.
After all, both Dylan and Red held very unique statuses.
The finals were scheduled for three days later, prompting waves of groans—but the officials paid them no mind.
The competitors needed time to adjust.
Though, admittedly, Dylan didn't really need it.
Red, however, absolutely did.
This battle meant everything to him.
The Next Day
Behind the Kanto League headquarters, in the training grounds—
Red stood deep in thought, considering his lineup for the finals.
Truthfully, he didn't have many core Pokémon.
Unlike others who maintained multiple full teams, Red had fewer than two teams total:
Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise, Pikachu, Roaring Moon, Snorlax, Lapras, Espeon, Arcanine, Machamp.
That was it.
(Arcanine and Machamp were core members in the Let's Go versions.)
Red had always believed in quality over quantity.
He valued bonds over numbers.
And he trusted that these partners were enough to face any opponent.
Still… he hesitated.
Because he had no idea what lineup Dylan would use.
"Don't overthink it," Blue said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, rolling his eyes.
"Just bring your strongest six. What if Dylan uses Arceus or something? Then planning is pointless anyway."
Red tilted his head slightly.
Blue was blunt—but he wasn't wrong.
Dylan had teams for all eighteen types.
Who knew what insanity he'd pull in the finals?
Red quietly recalled his Pokémon.
There was no point in special training now.
Three days wasn't enough to force meaningful growth.
Maintaining condition was enough.
"By the way, Red," Blue asked curiously,
"If it were up to you—what kind of Dylan would you want to fight?"
Red fell silent.
"Come on, say something. There's no one else here," Blue complained.
He hated this about Red—the guy barely talked.
Every conversation felt like Blue doing all the talking while Red said nothing.
"I do have one," Red finally said softly.
"For Dylan… yes."
"Oh?" Blue's eyes lit up. "What type?"
Red went silent again.
"…Say it," Blue urged.
"I'm not telling you."
Blue froze.
"The hell?! Red, you jerk! I cheered for you in the semifinals, you know!"
"I'm about to become the Champion of Kanto," Red said calmly, glancing at him.
"Tch—so what?" Blue snapped.
"You're my subordinate. Show some respect."
"…What the hell did you just say?!"
"You believe me? I'll drug your water on finals day and lock you in the bathroom all day!"
"I'd still be Champion of Kanto."
"Fine! Fine!! Red, you'll regret this!"
Bang!
Blue stormed out, slamming the door.
Red's lips curved upward slightly.
That felt good.
"You two are still just as close as ever."
A teasing voice reached Red's ears.
He froze—and turned around.
Dylan.
"…!" Red's face flushed slightly as he instinctively lowered his cap.
When did Dylan get here?
Had he heard everything?
Dylan just smiled and didn't tease further, sitting down on a nearby bench.
"We're about to meet in the finals," Dylan said, gazing at the sky.
"Funny how things turn out, isn't it?"
Red looked puzzled.
"You might not believe this," Dylan continued,
"But aside from that match with Apollo, the first real all-out battle I ever fought as a Trainer… was the one against you in Vermilion City."
"Do you remember?"
Red's crimson eyes shone brightly.
Of course he remembered.
It was the first time he had lost to someone other than Blue.
Even now, the memory remained vivid.
"And now," Dylan smiled,
"my finals opponent is you again."
Fate really was strange.
As for what team he would use in the finals—
Dylan had already decided.
A team perfectly suited…
For battling Red.