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The day after the Lantern Festival marked the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
At the summit of the League's Trainer Association headquarters, the Elite Four meeting commenced as scheduled.
King of Underworld Roy, Tyrant Victor, Fire God Tate, and Shiny Elite Chris - the four Elite trainers took their positions at cardinal points around the conference table.
This time, Nora, Vice President of the Trainer Association, presided over the meeting. Unlike her absolute authority during the previous Gym Leader conference, Nora's role here was more collaborative - discussing matters with the Elite Four on behalf of the Association.
The agenda included territorial disputes between nations. To prevent conflicts from escalating to the national level, Elite Four members often intervened first, engaging in battles with opposing countries' Elite trainers. These battle outcomes frequently influenced whether their nation held advantage in territorial negotiations.
Since such situations could arise unpredictably, the four Elites rotated through capital duty stations throughout the year, remaining on standby.
National tournaments requiring Elite supervision, international competitions demanding Elite attendance, and diplomatic exhibitions all required advance coordination between the Elite Four and the Trainer Association.
"Please sign this document, and the first half of our meeting concludes here," Nora announced after about an hour, handing Roy a formal agreement.
Once all four Elites reviewed and signed, the document's contents would be officially ratified.
Nora collected the paperwork. "We've arranged the required battle venues. Location coordinates have been sent to your phones. You may travel independently or use Association helicopters for transport."
With that, she departed, leaving the four Elites to conduct the meeting's second half - the Elite Four tournament to determine who would earn the right to challenge the Champion.
All four checked their phones simultaneously. The coordinates weren't nearby, but rather indicated a location over a hundred kilometers offshore from the capital. Zooming in revealed several small islands scattered across the ocean.
"I'll head out first," Roy announced, standing and releasing his Poké Ball. A Dragapult materialized behind him.
In the next instant, both Roy and Dragapult vanished completely.
Clearly, this Dragapult had mastered techniques beyond its natural moveset.
"Roy's getting impatient," Tate smiled. "Seems he's determined to claim a high ranking this time."
"That's youth for you," Victor replied with a warm grin.
"Well then, seniors, I'll take my leave as well," Chris said, snapping his fingers. Gardevoir appeared behind him immediately.
Faint purple light flickered as Chris and Gardevoir teleported away from the Association's top floor.
"What do you say we arrive later and let those young disciples duke it out first?" Tate suggested.
"Not a bad idea, but if I know them, they'll try eliminating us veterans first before settling things between themselves," Victor chuckled, shaking his head as he headed toward the stairs. "We shouldn't keep the young ones waiting too long. I'll head out as well."
Tate realized Victor was right - Vladimir's former students had no history of infighting.
"Then I'll go too."
A firebird swooped down from the sky above.
After teleporting to the city outskirts, Chris mounted his Totem Salamence. Using Lugia as transportation would be too ostentatious - if he rode the legendary sea guardian, it would make tonight's newspaper headlines before tomorrow arrived.
As his hidden trump card unknown to others, Chris preferred keeping some secrets.
The Totem Salamence's speed was extraordinary. With Agility activated, it matched military fighter jets, and its tremendous stamina allowed sustained high-speed flight.
Fifteen minutes later, Chris arrived at the target island.
This wasn't an isolated landmass - two similarly sized islands lay several hundred meters apart. Each featured a crude battlefield at its center, with mechanical referees already stationed and waiting.
For Elite-level battles, standard arenas were inadequate, and even human referees would face danger. The Trainer Association cleverly employed robotic officials instead.
Roy had already taken position on one island when Chris arrived. Chris landed on the same island, joining his senior.
They waited silently, sharing an unspoken understanding, until Victor and Tate arrived.
A few minutes passed before both remaining Elite trainers appeared.
"How should we divide up?" Tate suggested. "How about Uncle Victor and I take on you senior disciples?"
"No, let's follow tradition," Roy declined.
Victor randomly picked up a branch, breaking it into four pieces - two long, two short. After shuffling them behind his back, he presented them to the other three. "Draw lots. Same lengths fight each other."
"Come on, you draw first. I'll take whatever's left."
So this is the Elite meeting's 'old tradition'?
While Chris puzzled over this, Roy and Tate had already stepped forward to select their branches.
Before Chris could draw, the results were clear - both Roy and Tate held long pieces. With two short pieces remaining, no drawing was necessary.
Therefore, in this Elite Four tournament, Roy would face Tate while Chris would battle Victor.
"This island will serve as the final battlefield for the two winners," Victor explained, pointing beneath their feet before indicating eastward. "Young Chris, let's head to that island for our match."
"Understood," Chris replied, remounting Salamence and flying toward the eastern island.
Roy and Tate exchanged glances before heading to the western island.
The Elite Four battles would proceed simultaneously without spectators.
The format was more intensive than Gym Leader ranking battles. While Gym Leaders received two or three days' rest between matches, Elite meeting victors immediately returned to the central island for the next duel.
It was essentially two consecutive Elite-level battles.
Beyond testing individual strength, the format challenged each trainer's team depth and endurance.