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"I heard you have a Blaziken and Hariyama? We should have some matches in the future," Tate greeted with a wine glass in hand.
His voice projected a very bold feeling upon first hearing.
Victor studied Chris seriously.
"Your strength isn't bad, young man. If you have time, you can visit this old man's dojo sometime."
"However, compared to Pokemon battles, I'd prefer a real personal combat match with you."
Victor's weathered eyes flashed with subtle intensity as he raised his tea cup in place of wine.
"Definitely," Chris quickly agreed, raising his own cup in response.
It wasn't just Pokemon that Victor had used to defeat so many Trainers in the past. Daring to engage him in personal combat—well, the three orbs gave Chris that confidence.
Everyone chatted for a while before the three Elites departed one by one. After all, Chris's age made it difficult to integrate into their circle. Even Roy, despite not being exceptionally old, would probably struggle to communicate extensively with the two veteran Elites.
However, everyone agreed to meet at the "Summit Conference"—a gathering hosted by the Champion where all Elite Four participated in a five-person meeting to finalize major national Pokemon-related policies. These meetings occurred irregularly, but typically once or twice annually.
The three Elites had just left when Principal Vladimir brought some of his friends over.
"Chris, let me introduce you. This is Jase, president of the Breeders Association and my old friend of many years." Vladimir's smile was flushed, his tone proud. Before coming to find Chris, he had been entertaining a group of old friends with drinks.
For a teacher, there was probably nothing more gratifying than a student's success. Especially with a first-rate genius like Chris—why shouldn't he show off to his old buddies?
It seemed this wasn't just a dinner to celebrate Chris becoming Elite, but a social gathering to establish connections.
Chris thought to himself while maintaining his smile, quickly raising his glass in greeting.
"President Jase."
"You don't need to be so formal—just call me Old Jase." Jase also meant to establish familiarity with Chris.
"Then I'll call you Mr. Jase." Since Jase and his teacher were the same generation, Chris didn't dare actually call him "Old Jase."
Jase nodded in satisfaction and spoke loudly. "Your teacher has entrusted us with publishing your research paper on Greninja's MEGA evolution through our association.
We'll review it as soon as possible and publish it in the International Pokemon Breeding Journal.
However, in the coming days, you'll need to cooperate by answering questions about the content and performing some MEGA evolution tests with your Greninja. Remember to keep your phone on."
"Of course, you can contact me anytime you need," Chris agreed repeatedly.
"This is Nora, vice president of the Trainer Association. Her father is my best friend. You can also consult her regarding Elite affairs in the future," Vladimir continued, introducing a woman in business attire with a professional demeanor.
"Nice to meet you again, Elite Chris," Nora greeted with a professional smile.
"President Nora, long time no see." The last time Chris met Nora was at the Gym Leader meeting, where she had been conducting a session for a group of Gym Leaders.
"Please set aside time tomorrow afternoon. I'll represent the Trainer Association to discuss your Elite contract details," Nora continued.
"Certainly, I'll be available." Upgrading from Gym Leader to Elite naturally meant upgrading his contract as well.
Afterward, Principal Vladimir introduced several other prominent figures to Chris: the president of the Pokemon Coordination Association, an S-rank Pokemon Coordinator, the director of the Pokemon Hospital, and others. Chris could approach them anytime he needed assistance in their respective fields.
Principal Vladimir didn't typically bring Chris to networking events, but when he did make connections, they were top-tier networks!
Although Chris wasn't accustomed to this type of gathering, establishing these connections was necessary. Moreover, since he was today's guest of honor, he patiently accompanied the visitors.
Only at eleven o'clock in the evening did the guests gradually disperse.
Principal Vladimir, who had made an exception today by drinking some wine, was escorted home by Senior Alexis.
Chris was finally able to return to his hotel room to rest.
"Whew~" Chris exhaled in relief and went to shower, washing away the alcohol smell clinging to his body.
"The next goal should be the Championship," Chris thought while showering.
Through this Elite battle, Chris had assessed his own strength.
He had easily defeated an Elite without using Zeraora, or even Garchomp equipped with Landorus's Treasure, or Mega Shiny Gardevoir equipped with the "Lustrous Orb."
His strength might not yet match the Champion, but it had far surpassed Elite level.
For a Champion battle...
"Raise the overall Pokemon level to 80, and I should be able to attempt challenging the Champion," Chris considered, then suddenly remembered, "By the way, I can first complete Victory Road in the game as practice for challenging the Champion."
In the game's Victory Road, failing a challenge simply meant returning to the Pokemon Center to start over. But in reality, Elite Four members only had one opportunity to challenge the Champion annually.
This year was approaching the New Year, making a Championship challenge this late inadvisable. If he failed next year's challenge, he'd have to wait another full year.
Therefore, he needed to succeed on the first attempt!
Emerging from the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, Chris made himself a glass of milk and leisurely settled onto the beanbag sofa by the window, reaching for his handheld gaming device.
In the game, his character was currently on the Isle of Armor.
Chris was still building reputation with Master Keaton's dojo.
Originally expected to take six months to reach maximum reputation, it actually required less time than anticipated.
After his status upgraded from ordinary disciple to core disciple, he occasionally received more challenging missions that rewarded two reputation points instead of one.
The difficulty had increased, but Chris's completion time remained consistent. Therefore, reputation accumulation was effectively faster.
Currently...
(5980/6000)
"Huh? Only 20 points left?" Chris was startled when he saw the panel data.
Previously, he had been absorbed in grinding and hadn't paid close attention.
He never realized he was so close to obtaining the legendary Pokemon "Kubfu"!
Perfect!
Twenty reputation points would take at most five hours. If several missions awarded 2 reputation points, he might not even need to stay up all night.