Sand Dune Field.
Garchomp lay half-buried in the warm sand, eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying the texture beneath its body. Cynthia watched it quietly for a moment before speaking.
"Your techniques have improved a lot."
Although Cynthia had raised many powerful Pokémon herself, when it came to care and food preparation, she knew her limits. Training was her strength. Daily conditioning and nutrition were another field entirely.
Austin did not pause his hands. "I trained for this most of my life. I also undertook one-on-one training with my grandfather recently. Then I learned from Blue for seven days. After the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House opened, I stayed around Pokémon constantly. Improvement is normal."
"That is still a fast improvement."
Cynthia understood Garchomp's temperament well. It would not show satisfaction unless it was genuinely approved.
Its current relaxed state meant there was no doubt.
Austin Black understood it properly.
Cynthia glanced at Garchomp again.
Should I ask him to take care of Garchomp and the others more often? That might be too much trouble.
Her thoughts paused.
It could work. He is already taking requests. It should not matter whose request it is.
. . .
In the afternoon, before preparing Mapo Tofu, Austin Black checked his Pokégear for a while.
Cynthia sat nearby, reviewing a document Lucian had sent her.
Her device kept buzzing with group messages.
One of the Champions who had been absent for a long time finally appeared.
Lance Blackthorn had returned, temporarily stepping back from investigator duties to resume Champion-level coordination work.
He was the Kanto Champion and also served as the Johto Champion.
Lance: "Besides the Pokémon World Championships, we are introducing a new global tournament."
Several Champions and Elite Four members had already held a planning meeting recently, including Leon, Wallace, Lucian, and others.
Cynthia had not attended.
She was on leave, and Lucian handled matters in her place.
Ethan: "Why create a new competition system?"
Lance: "To increase participation and improve large-scale competitive structure."
Blue: "That is for revenue, correct?"
Lance: "...Yes."
Blue: "Honesty is efficient."
Lance: "We also need to operate sustainably."
Red: "What is the new format?"
Lance responded with a voice message.
"It is called the Emerald League. It is a competition for Emerald Class Trainers and above."
Blue:" Very original with the name."
Lance:" As I was writing before being interrupted, unlike the World Championships, entry is invitation-based."
"It runs in two seasonal circuits, February to May, then July to October, with regional tours in each circuit."
"The top sixteen overall point holders qualify for the final championship stage in early November."
A file was shared: Emerald League System and New Rules.
Austin opened it even though he was not eligible to participate.
The structure was closer to a high-level circuit for Gym Leaders and above.
Calling it the Gym Leader League would have sounded too narrow.
Wildcards still existed for non-Gym Leaders.
In practice, most top sixteen placements would likely be Elite Four members or Champions.
Raihan of Hammerlocke Stadium was one exception, already performing at an unusually high level.
Even so, figures like Blue from Viridian Gym and former Gym Leader Giovanni existed in the system, so exceptions were not new.
Lt. Surge: "Such a long season, no breaks?"
Lance: "Roughly one event every two weeks. It is designed around the World Championships schedule."
Lt. Surge: "We still need more funding."
Ethan: "Regional tours?"
Crystal sent a voice message explaining the format in simpler terms.
"For example, Lance may compete in Galar, while Leon competes in Johto."
Lance: "Correct."
Ethan: "Got it. So no Dynamax? Anyway, when Leon comes to Johto, I will beat him."
Red: "Are indiscriminate formats allowed?"
Lorelei replied calmly to Ethan.
"Although Dynamax is restricted outside Galar, do not underestimate Leon."
Blue: "You haven't answered Red's question"
Lance: "For safety and entertainment balance, the Emerald League cannot allow indiscriminate match formats."
The indiscriminate battle format referred to a system where Trainers themselves could be targeted during a match.
Under such rules, defeating the opposing Trainer often became more important than defeating their Pokémon.
If the Trainer went down, the battle was over.
Red, Blue, Lt. Surge, Bruno, Ethan...
It would be more accurate to say that most veteran Trainers from Kanto and Johto were experts in this style of combat.
Compared to modern tournament formats, which prioritize safety and spectator appeal, many of them preferred unrestricted battles, or even straightforward street fights.
Red: "I understand."
He knew better than anyone why the format had disappeared.
The risk of permanent injury was simply too high.
From a business and organizational standpoint, unrestricted battles were destined to fade away and never return to mainstream competition.
Blue: "Are you entering?"
Red: "Not for now. I'm staying at Mt. Silver to continue training."
Blue: "@Blue What about you?"
Blue tagged himself and answered moments later.
"Still thinking about it. Most likely not."
There were still opponents he wanted to challenge.
Leon.
Lance.
Cynthia.
Steven.
Every one of them was a mountain worth climbing.
As the thought crossed his mind, Blue noticed someone quietly reading the conversation.
Austin.
Blue immediately tagged him.
Blue: "@Austin Interested? I can get you an invitation."
Besides Gym Leaders, the Emerald League also allowed a limited number of invited participants.
Blue could easily secure one of those spots.
For Blue, it was a minor favor.
For Austin, it sounded more like entering a nightmare difficulty dungeon.
Austin: "Wouldn't I get destroyed?"
Blue: "Gym Leaders and wildcard participants are included. You're more than strong enough."
Lt. Surge: "Why do I feel attacked?"
Sabrina: "+1"
Brock: "+1"
Whitney: "+1"
Blue: "I'm a Gym Leader too."
A devastating finishing blow.
Red: "If I participate, I'd also be a wildcard."
A counter-finisher immediately followed.
Ethan: "@Sabrina Go film your movie."
Sabrina had become surprisingly active in the entertainment industry. Every so often, she appeared in productions filmed at Pokéwood in Virbank City.
Ethan: "@Whitney Go drink your Moomoo Milk."
Living entirely in the present, as always.
Whitney: "I want a beatdown so badly."
The moment Ethan challenged Sabrina, nearly everyone staring at their Pokégears silently gave him a thumbs up.
Brave.
Incredibly brave.
Hopefully still alive.
Austin Black: "I'll think about it. I still have breeding work to handle."
Blue: "Good point. I didn't consider that."
Neither Ryu nor Zenith lacked battle instincts.
In fact, both enjoyed combat.
Austin Black's strength was sufficient to compete.
The real problem was the travel schedule.
Flying from region to region every couple of weeks would seriously interfere with operations at the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House.
Just as Austin Black was considering the possibility, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What are you looking at so seriously?"
Cynthia had walked over at some point and glanced toward his phone.
. . .
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