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"That concludes all the content for this year's Gym Leader Conference."
"As per tradition, we will hold the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament the day after tomorrow. Please confirm whether you plan to participate in this tournament before midnight tonight by signing up at the registration desk!"
With those final words, Nora gathered her notepad and departed, leaving behind a group of drowsy Gym Leaders.
Chris had listened attentively to Nora's presentation. To be honest, the content had been rather vague and broad in scope, addressing matters from a national perspective regarding what Gym Leaders should strive to accomplish.
For example, she had mentioned how gymnasiums should guide the public toward establishing proper Trainer ethics: loving Pokémon, treating them well, and so forth.
While these were all valid points, they felt more like empty slogans than actionable directives.
Moreover, the entire meeting had functioned less like a conference and more like a lecture delivered to Gym Leaders.
No wonder so many had dozed off.
They had long passed the stage of needing such basic instruction. Senior Alexis mentioned that what they'd heard last year had been virtually the same rhetoric.
"Let's go sign up. There'll be a reception tonight," Alexis said, stretching his arms before patting Chris on the shoulder and standing up.
Chris rose as well and followed him out.
The registration point for the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament was positioned by the entrance, where the vice president's secretary was processing applications.
While waiting in line, Chris suddenly had a question.
"Senior, why do we need to register for the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament? Isn't this something every Gym Leader participates in?"
"No, not at all. Not every Gym Leader wants to participate in the ranking battles," Alexis shook his head. "Last year, only twenty participants entered the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament."
He glanced at the short queue.
"I expect even fewer this year."
"Why? Don't they want the rewards? Or aren't they interested in challenging the Elite Four?" Chris asked, puzzled. Even accounting for Gym Leaders who might have prior commitments, it seemed strange that nearly half would choose not to participate.
"The rewards are certainly enticing enough for most Gym Leaders..."
"The main reason is that many Gym Leaders feel there's no need to participate given the qualifying rules of the tournament."
"What rules?" Chris inquired.
"Wild Battle!"
"Wild Battle?" Chris exclaimed in surprise. He would never have guessed that the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament operated under such rules.
Wild Battle—an ancient combat format that could barely even be called a ruleset, given that it essentially had no rules at all.
There were no limits on the number of Pokémon used, no restrictions on the use of items, and Trainers could even directly attack their opponents.
That's because Wild Battle was originally designed as combat with the intent to eliminate the opposing Trainer!
Of course, the Wild Battle format in the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament didn't actually require defeating one's opponent in such a final manner.
Victory could be achieved by either defeating all of the opponent's Pokémon or forcing the opposing Trainer to withdraw from combat. And unlike traditional Wild Battle, the number of Pokémon was limited to six per side.
"What? Are you scared?" Alexis asked with a teasing smile.
"Not at all," Chris shook his head. How could he be afraid? He possessed the power of three legendary orbs!
It was the other Gym Leaders who should be afraid!
With the six-Pokémon limit, he'd let them use their full teams!
They would soon discover what it meant when a Trainer could fight alongside his Pokémon!
"My suggestion is that you'd better not participate this year.
I heard you helped Stephen with that Pokémon investigation incident? That wasn't particularly intense compared to this.
You might want to train with Stephen first, then come back to participate next year," Alexis suggested, before explaining the origins of the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament.
"The Gym Leader Ranking Tournament actually began as a government-sanctioned battlefield for Gym Leaders with grievances against one another. It was established to prevent them from settling scores privately and causing greater collateral damage."
"Today, there aren't many Gym Leaders with genuine hatred for each other, so it was renamed the Ranking Tournament to promote discussion and communication between gymnasium owners. However, the Wild Battle rules remain unchanged."
"After all, at the Gym Leader level, whenever the country requires our intervention, it typically involves confronting foreign threats, which makes Wild Battle experience still quite valuable."
"However, if you're determined to participate, rest assured that specialists from the National Medical Center are stationed alongside the tournament arena. As long as you're not killed instantly, they'll definitely be able to save you and facilitate a quick recovery."
"Furthermore, this is just a ranking battle among colleagues. Unless there's legitimate animosity, nobody would typically employ truly deadly techniques. It's all about scoring points, and everyone's already a Gym Leader. There aren't many who would risk losing potential allies by fighting too aggressively."
"So even if you're seriously injured by an opponent's attack, you'd be recovering for a month at most."
Chris nodded in understanding...
No wonder so few Gym Leaders signed up. Getting seriously injured and resting for a month wasn't worth the one or two rare treasures offered as prizes.
Moreover, only the top finisher earned the right to challenge the Elite Four. Gym Leaders who felt they had no realistic chance of winning wouldn't risk injury for minimal rewards.
Soon, it was Alexis and Chris's turn to register.
Both signed their names.
Senior Alexis had placed first in last year's qualifying tournament. Although he'd failed in his challenge against the Elite Four, he was naturally determined to make another attempt this year.
With the experience gained last year, he was confident he could progress further this time!
As for Chris, he had already formulated his plan.
After winning first place in the Gym Leader qualifying tournament, he would have until the next year's tournament to challenge the Elite Four—essentially a full year of preparation time.
Currently, within his lineup, Greninja already possessed some Elite-level combat capability and wasn't far from achieving true Elite-level strength. His other Pokémon were only one step away from Elite-level fighting prowess, given proper training and development.
After the ranking battle concluded and he secured the right to challenge the Elite Four, he would return to the Green Valley Gym and train intensively for six months, then visit the Galar region to master Dynamax!
With the blessing of three powerful battle enhancements—Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax—he would possess legitimate Elite-level combat power.
Perfect timing!
Therefore, he was determined to capture first place in this Gym Leader Ranking Tournament.
"I'm sorry, Senior Alexis," Chris thought as a slight smile formed at the corners of his mouth.