After Cain and the other three discussed for a while, the most important ritual was finally about to begin.
So that more people could witness this grand ceremony, the enormous stadium where, last time, the challenge battle against the Elite Four had been held when Lance took office was once again put to use.
Even so, even such a large stadium was completely packed.
"Welcome, everyone, to this extremely important event of the League, the founding ceremony of the Kanto League and the Johto League! I will be the host of this ceremony!" announced a middle-aged man with a pair of small mustaches, dressed in a purple suit, standing at the center of the stadium.
Because these were two events of great significance, all regions sent their most outstanding experts, as well as those who, like Cain and the others, would enter the mysterious continent.
Most of them were acquaintances of Cain, since the quotas were limited and the attendees were practically the best of each region.
For example, Cynthia from the Sinnoh region, who greeted Cain from afar, as well as Diantha and Drasna from the Kalos region, among others.
The host spoke at length, but in reality he was only giving "reasonable" explanations for ordinary people who were unaware of the details. For those with sufficient status, all of it was nothing more than irrelevant chatter.
From the moment the Central League approved and gave its consent to the application submitted by the Kanto League, in a certain sense, the division had already been completed. What remained was simply to precisely detail the allocation and redistribution of personnel.
During the period afterward, the only thing the League did was legally and orderly refine those lists. As for informing the general public, it was more of a formality so that they would know that something like this had occurred.
Once the unnecessary words were finished, the reassignment of important positions was officially announced.
The old president of the Kanto League assumed the position of president of the Kanto League, while the vice president became the president of the Johto League.
At the lower levels, some directors remained in Kanto with the same positions, and others were replaced by their deputy directors.
On the surface, it seemed that all secondary positions had been promoted and that the main positions had been lowered by half a level.
But in reality, that was not the case. The former Kanto region was too vast, so neither the main positions nor the secondary ones could manage it completely. The most reasonable approach was for each to administer one region, which was more efficient and less exhausting.
Therefore, although it previously appeared to be joint management, in practice there had already been a division of labor. That was also the reason why this separation was so fast and without major upheavals.
For the Elite Four, the impact was not that great. Those most affected were the mid-level cadres, since the appearance of vacancies above gave them the opportunity to rise.
The incentive of power is difficult to imagine, so after the division into Kanto and Johto, both regions would enter a period of rapid development.
This allowed the League, previously bloated and heavy, to release a new vital force, capable of making the overall strength of Kanto and Johto far surpass that of the former Kanto.
After all, there were people with potential and ability trapped in positions that did not match their strength. They wanted to advance, but all paths were blocked, and unless someone above made a major mistake, no matter how hard they worked, there would be no changes.
Over time, people lost motivation and fighting spirit, and the entire League became increasingly heavy.
Now, with the division into two regions, the number of positions practically doubled, allowing those with ability, potential, and ambition to regain new momentum.
For this reason, many influential people were not too surprised to learn that Kanto, the largest region in the entire League, would be split into two. It was an inevitable trend; otherwise, internal conflicts would have caused the League to collapse before any external pressure.
"And now, the most important moment! Let us present the Elite Four of the Kanto region and the Johto region!"
"Waaa—!"
The host's words fell like a bomb in the stadium.
This sentence contained many meanings.
Announcing the Elite Four directly without mentioning the Champion indicated that, even after the division into Kanto and Johto, neither region would have a Champion.
Moreover, with two regions, there would be a total of eight members of the Elite Four. That is, four new ones would appear at once, and not chosen through competition, but directly appointed by the League.
"Region of Kanto!"
"Elite Four of the Ghost type, Agatha."
"Elite Four of the Fighting type, Bruno."
"Elite Four of the Dragon type, Lance."
"Elite Four of the Ice type, Lorelei."
Everyone understood that these four were exactly the former Elite Four of the Kanto region. Unlike other positions, they were not divided between the two regions, but were assigned as a whole to Kanto.
And what about Johto?
Were they going to appoint four completely new Elite Four members for Johto all at once?
For a moment, many residents of Johto felt uneasy and dissatisfied.
What did this mean?
In the previous positions, Johto had mainly received promotions from secondary posts; even the president came from the former vice president, which was still acceptable. After all, those positions already had experience and ability.
But now, in what represented military strength—the Elite Four—all of them had been assigned to Kanto. How could the people of Johto feel safe?
Could it be that, in the eyes of the Central League, Kanto was the legitimate child and Johto the stepchild?
More and more people thought this way. If Johto did not provide a reasonable explanation, its citizens would not accept the situation.
"We now invite the members of the Kanto Elite Four to come up to the stage!" announced the host.
Agatha appeared on the stage like a shadow, silent and imperceptible. Bruno leaped down from the stands with pure physical strength, covering dozens of meters before landing firmly.
Lance was far more eye-catching: standing on the back of his Dragonite, he waved his cape and descended from the air.
Lorelei, for her part, walked up step by step, leaving behind her a trail of ice that clearly displayed her identity as an Ice-type Elite Four member.
With the appearance of these four legendary members of the Elite Four, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
(End of chapter)