Amidst the cheers of everyone, Aoki became the fourth Elite Four member of the Hoenn region!
He was adorned with the Elite Four medal specially crafted by the Hoenn League.
It was a miniature head of a yellow Tyranitar roaring skyward, surrounded by sparkling crystals representing the sand.
The Sandstorm Elite Four's medal, handcrafted by a special artisan, was rushed into production in ten minutes after Aoki's title was confirmed.
It looked very imposing and suited Aoki's identity.
After the ceremony, the medal would undergo special treatment to make it impossible to counterfeit, verifiable for authenticity, and embedded with Aoki's personal information, identity proof, bank account, and the special network account reserved for high-ranking League officials.
He had initially thought it would be simple, as when Lance became an Elite Four, it ended quickly, and he even benefited by becoming a Senior Breeder. He hadn't expected it to be so troublesome when it was his turn.
First, Adams announced Aoki's successful appointment. However, as a newly appointed Elite Four, he needed to satisfy the majority of people. Although Aoki and Steven's battle fully demonstrated their strength, there were always some hotheads who were dissatisfied with the result and caused trouble everywhere.
Therefore, to deal with these people, the new Elite Four would have a one-week waiting period for challenges. Anyone who felt Aoki was unqualified could come forward to challenge him within this week, with only one challenge slot per day, and no challenges would be accepted after the deadline.
A successful challenge did not mean the challenger could become the new Elite Four; it only meant that the newly appointed Elite Four might be removed from office. Of course, this would still require discussion and approval by the League's council to prevent some older generations from intentionally bullying newcomers.
In reality, this system was merely a formality; hardly anyone would come to challenge, and it was mostly just to silence some people.
You think the new Elite Four is unqualified?
Alright, why don't you go and defeat him yourself?
No strength?
If you don't have the strength, then shut up!
However, because of this system, Aoki needed to stay at the League headquarters for a week.
That wasn't a big problem.
After Adams announced this matter to the entire world, he announced another thing.
This year has been a tumultuous one for the Hoenn region, with continuous battles big and small. To promote the spirit of trainers throughout the region, a Hoenn Grand League would be held soon. Anyone who could collect eight badges would be eligible to participate in this competition.
Furthermore, the League promised that in this Grand League, based on the final rankings and strength, participants would be directly assigned to various positions within the League.
This reward seemed like saying nothing, but anyone with a bit of sense knew that this was the League recruiting talented individuals. As long as one performed well in this competition, it was very likely a step to instant success, becoming a hot new star within the League.
At the same time, working within the League made it easy to get in touch with high-ranking League officials. At that point, no matter which high-ranking official took a liking to them, it could be a step to instant success!
This was an opportunity for many civilian trainers and trainers from smaller families.
After Adams' announcement, everyone eagerly rolled up their sleeves, preparing to go back and start challenging Gyms.
It was believed that in the coming period, a large number of traveling trainers would soon appear again throughout the Hoenn region, and in this regard, the basic safety of trainers and the rules of the competition would all be the responsibility of the League.
After announcing these matters, Aoki was led backstage by staff to change into a special Elite Four uniform made from the latest League-researched materials, capable of adapting to various harsh environments.
Because Aoki was previously an investigator, this uniform was modified from the Chief Investigator's attire, looking more imposing and handsome. However, no matter how Aoki looked at it, he felt it was similar to Lance's flamboyant outfit, even the cape on the back was not much different, with a dark red hue.
But there was nothing he could do. The League had tried its best to make him the face of the League for a long time to come, so he needed to be dressed handsomely and imposingly.
Coupled with Aoki's recent facial restoration, it was a perfect match.
After changing into his clothes, pinning the medal to his chest, and having staff quickly cut his hair to match his current attire and face shape, this transformation, especially the change of clothes and hairstyle, completely altered Aoki's demeanor.
When he walked to the front stage again, the audience was also amazed, and cheers rose one after another.
It seemed that Aoki, who came from a common background and reached this point, was quite popular, gaining countless fans.
Then, with the help of the staff, Aoki and the other three Elite Four members, Sidney, Phoebe, and Glacia, took a series of photos together.
With Sidney's proactive deference, the even more handsome Aoki took the center position, naturally becoming the Elite Four's visual representative!
After taking some precious photos as souvenirs, this grand Elite Four inauguration ceremony concluded.
The audience also left satisfied.
At the same time, the internet was completely abuzz, and the name "Sandstorm Aoki" quickly became the hottest topic.
Aoki's past and his civilian identity were all dug up by powerful netizens.
This further added to the miraculous aura of Aoki becoming an Elite Four.
He also became an idol in the hearts of many civilian trainers, who fantasized about being able to achieve such a level themselves in the future.
As for Aoki, the person involved, he had to attend the League meeting that was convened at this time.
With the new Elite Four taking office, unlike the temporary appointment of Genji, this was a true assumption of power, so many tasks needed to be discussed and distributed.
Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Aoki, the four of them needed to re-divide the League's main tasks.
Originally, Sidney didn't manage much, because Steven was doing it. Phoebe and Glacia also had overloaded tasks. Now that Steven had stepped down as Champion, Sidney had to do many things even if he didn't want to.
At the same time, upon seeing Aoki's strength and dual-core tactics, both Phoebe and Glacia felt that they were about to be caught up. They also no longer wanted to undertake so many complex tasks and needed more time to improve their strength.
Sidney also expressed his support for this.
From the incidents involving Team Magma, Team Aqua, and the Hunter's Guild, it was clear that apart from Sidney, the other Elite Four members of the Hoenn League were somewhat weak and needed to quickly improve their strength to ensure the League had sufficient military deterrence, lest they be underestimated by some petty individuals again.
Moreover, Team Magma and Team Aqua had not completely disappeared; in fact, the danger might be even greater, requiring constant vigilance.
The seemingly complacent Hoenn League was slowly going to raise the overall atmosphere and the basic quality of trainers throughout the region.
This Grand League, and Aoki's appointment as the new Elite Four, were a very good start.