Galar Region, Wyndon, the top floor of Rose Tower.
At this moment, Rose, Leon, and their secretary Oleana were all watching the broadcast of Giovanni's Elite Four challenge.
"That's an outstanding performance, Leon. How do you rate it?"
Seeing Giovanni's Nidoking had already beaten Lorelei's third main roster Pokémon, Piloswine, Rose let out a sincere sigh.
At the moment, Rose was very envious. Why wasn't such a powerful Gym Leader from the Galar Region?
"That's just normal performance for Gym Leader Giovanni."
Leon chuckled and shook his head as he answered.
When they were in Hoenn, he had sparred with Giovanni briefly. To be honest, Leon wasn't the least bit surprised by Giovanni's excellent showing right now.
No one understood better than him how easy it was for a Trainer like Giovanni or himself to beat normal Champion-tier opponents.
Leon himself often did this to Raihan.
"Dragon Storm" Raihan was, on the surface, the strongest Trainer in the Galar Region besides Leon, and he was also the Hammerlocke Gym Leader.
According to the League profile, Raihan was the Gym Leader of Galar's strongest Gym. Supposedly, if he just switched regions, he'd be able to claim a Champion title.
Without question, Raihan was a Champion-tier Trainer.
However, to this day, Raihan had already lost ten straight battles to Leon. At the same time, he was also the Pokémon Trainer who had defeated Leon's subordinate Pokémon the most times.
Well, Leon had probably gone easy on him many times, but even so, Raihan could never take more than two of Leon's main roster Pokémon in a single battle.
And yet that was already the best record among the Trainers in the Galar Region who challenged Leon.
"Truly terrifying~ and honestly... enviable."
Rose took a sip of coffee and couldn't help sighing again.
What was terrifying was that Giovanni was a Champion-tier Trainer no weaker than Leon, and now he had finally "awakened" as well, which was proven by his decision to challenge the Elite Four.
As for being envious, that went without saying. Rose dreamed of the Galar Region growing prosperous, and in such an era...
Strong Trainers were a region's backbone!
If Giovanni were the Galar Region's Gym Leader, Rose would wake up laughing in his sleep. Not to mention Giovanni wasn't only strong himself—his son Damian was the real point!
To be honest, when Rose learned why Damian had joined Team Rocket in the first place, he had found it laughable.
Giovanni had neglected Damian?
But if it were in the Galar Region, Rose was confident he could fill that hole in Damian's family affection and care.
That's right, Rose could guarantee it. The care Giovanni couldn't give Damian, Rose could!
That was how much he valued the training of the younger generation. Who in the Galar Region didn't know that Rose valued new-generation Trainers the most?
He often visited the orphanage to see those children, didn't he?
But there were no ifs in this world. Rose was very regretful that Giovanni and his son weren't Galar natives.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Giovanni should be able to win his challenge. Even that so-called Invincible Under the Heavens Lance probably isn't Giovanni's opponent."
Rose said this, not thinking there was any other possibility.
Because in Rose's view, the peak of a Trainer was at the level of Leon and Giovanni. Even Damian's ordinary main roster was actually close to Leon's level.
It was just that Damian had more Legendary Pokémon.
And Kanto Champion Lance, even if he was also top-tier Champion material, Giovanni still had Groudon, the crimson lord of the land.
So Giovanni reaching the top of Kanto was inevitable.
"Supposedly, Team Rocket has been growing smoothly in Kalos. I just wonder if their next goal will be Galar."
Watching the battle on the screen, Rose thought to himself.
If Team Rocket came to Galar, Rose would have to think carefully about how to deal with them. After all, at this point, Team Rocket establishing itself in every region was the trend.
"Damian..."
Rose really did want to talk to that young man who had changed Team Rocket—and even the world order—in person.
After all, such outstanding young people were far too rare.
Kanto, Indigo Plateau.
With one Thunder Punch from Nidoqueen, Lorelei's final Lapras finally fell.
Lorelei recalled Lapras and stared at its Poké Ball in her hand for a long time, before finally lifting her head to look at Giovanni across from her.
"Even though I'd already expected it, looks like I still underestimated you, Giovanni."
"Just luck."
Giovanni still wore that faint, unhurried smile.
"Is that so? Well, whatever. I lost fair and square."
Lorelei put the Poké Ball away and turned her slender waist as she walked off the field. She had already done her best, but Giovanni's strength was simply too overwhelming.
He had beaten her entire team with nothing but Nidoking and Nidoqueen, and that had really shocked Lorelei.
In fact, she hadn't even beaten Nidoking at all; Nidoking had only been injured and withdrawn by Giovanni.
So strictly speaking, she had been completely shut out by Giovanni. That was something Lorelei hadn't expected before the battle.
But the facts were right there in front of her.
Lorelei wasn't the kind of person who couldn't handle losing. Next, she'd let the other colleagues deal with Giovanni.
After all, she didn't hold any grudge against Giovanni.
"Unbelievable! Gym Leader Giovanni easily defeated Lorelei and cleared the first round!"
The shocked voice of the emcee in shades rang through the entire arena over the mic.
"So that's Uncle Giovanni's strength?" Dawn was also utterly shocked.
"Is Lorelei really Champion-tier?" Serena even couldn't believe it anymore.
She couldn't even win Gym battles this easily!
"Of course, Serena. If the ones on the field were Diantha and Lorelei, which one do you think would win?"
Damian asked Serena with a half-smile. After all, the girl had seen too few strong people.
Serena: (⊙—⊙)
"This is only the beginning. Keep watching."
Damian sat there with one leg crossed over the other, calm and composed.
With Lorelei defeated, the second to step up was naturally Bruno. This muscular man with his upper body bare also drew quite a few cheers when he appeared.
Back then, most of them were men, with a small number of women mixed in.
The referee entered again to announce the battle rules, then left.
On the arena's big screen, half-body portraits of Giovanni and Bruno appeared, along with the Pokémon they possessed.
"Hahaha~ Giovanni, I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
Bruno flashed a wild grin.
"I'm Bruno of the Elite Four. My creed is simple: whether it's people or Pokémon, as long as they're tempered through battle, their strength can break through their limits!"
"Come on, Giovanni! Let me feel your power myself! Let's see what's different between you and Damian!"
"Hmph—ha—!"
Bruno struck a fighting stance full of fighting spirit and threw out his first Poké Ball.
A Hitmontop with an extremely sharp aura appeared in front of Bruno!
Kanto Elite Four Bruno has come to challenge!
Ever since battling Damian back then in Celadon City, Bruno had been looking forward to the day he could battle Giovanni.
If he couldn't beat Damian, could he still not beat Damian's old man?
At that, the curve of Giovanni's lips deepened a little. You want to see my power? Then look closely.
And the facts proved that Bruno really couldn't beat Damian's old man.
Bang!
Along with a violent boom, Mega Lucario was directly smashed to the ground by Dugtrio's Earthquake, dropping out of its Mega Evolution and losing the ability to fight. (PS: In HeartGold/SoulSilver, Bruno has Lucario in his main roster.)
"Whew~ what a refreshing battle!"
Bruno was quite free and easy about it. He recalled the Lucario that had lost the ability to fight and gave Giovanni a thumbs-up.
"Giovanni, awesome!"
"Just luck."
Giovanni was still smiling faintly with great modesty. However, anyone truly paying attention would notice that from beginning to end, Giovanni's left hand had been stuffed in his trouser pocket and never taken out.
That kind of behavior itself represented Giovanni's arrogance.
He hadn't put Lorelei or Bruno in his eyes at all.
"Hahaha~ I'm really looking forward to you becoming our colleague."
Bruno laughed as he turned and left. He truly was looking forward to Giovanni joining the Elite Four.
After all, in Bruno's view, Lance and those two were all messed up, and he was the only normal one.
As for Giovanni, Bruno thought he was pretty normal too. Having a normal colleague like that would make Bruno feel a lot less pressure.
"Gym Leader Giovanni has once again easily defeated Bruno! So next up! He'll be facing the third Elite Four member, Agatha!"
At the emcee in shades' voice, Agatha, leaning on a cane, slowly walked out from the corridor and stood across from Giovanni.
Compared with the previous two matches, Giovanni narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Agatha across from him, her figure thin and her aura eerie.
Unlike Lorelei and Bruno, Agatha was a true veteran of the Indigo League.
And because she specialized in Ghost-type and Poison-type Pokémon, and had spent her whole life alongside these two types, Agatha's own temperament had also been affected.
Giovanni knew very well that Agatha was definitely a rather tricky opponent.
"Hehe~ As expected, it's you, Giovanni. You defeated Lorelei and Bruno so easily."
Agatha said with a smile.
"Well, if it wasn't necessary, this old body of mine wouldn't really want to get on the field either. But there's nothing to be done."
Then Agatha let out a faint sigh. There was no helping it. As one of the Kanto Elite Four, she had to step up and deal with challengers in an Elite Four challenge.
"I'm Agatha of the Elite Four, Giovanni Yo~ Now then, let this old lady see whether your strength can really climb to that place!"
But the next moment, Agatha's lips slowly curled up, and a Poké Ball was thrown from her hand.
White light landed, and a Gengar gradually emerged from the shadows, baring a wicked grin as its blood-red eyes locked onto Giovanni.
Agatha's Gengar!
However, this was clearly not Agatha's ace Gengar. As the longest-serving member of the Indigo League, how many Gengar Agatha had raised was something outsiders simply didn't know.
But it was enough to know that Agatha would have at least two Gengar in her main roster.
"I've long admired you, Agatha. Today, I suppose I'm finally getting my wish."
Giovanni gave a faint smile and threw out Nidoking again.
"Heh heh heh..."
Agatha let out a sinister, low laugh, her eyes sharp with fighting spirit.
In truth, she was nothing like what she had said, as if age had drained her desire to battle.
Agatha, who belonged to the same era as Professor Oak, had parted ways with him for an important reason: the two of them had different values when it came to Pokémon.
In Agatha's view, Pokémon were born for battle, and Agatha had always believed that she herself was the true warrior.
Kanto Elite Four Agatha has come to challenge!
Battle!
The intense battle continued.
Boom!
With a deafening blast, Agatha's ace Mega Gengar finally fell, and the one who beat Mega Gengar was none other than Rhyperior!
"This old crone really is tough."
Giovanni narrowed his eyes and looked at the badly injured Rhyperior.
And it was worth noting that his Nidoqueen had been beaten by Agatha.
Although he had been wary the whole time, Agatha's battle style was still too creepy, and Nidoqueen had ultimately been taken down.
That meant Giovanni was now left with only five main roster Pokémon.
"Hehe~ Looks like I really am getting old after all. Then next, let's have Lance."
Agatha didn't seem discouraged at all. She recalled Gengar with a smile and slowly walked off again.
"Oh my God! Gym Leader Giovanni has beaten Agatha again! Next, he'll be facing the head of the Indigo League Elite Four! Kanto's strongest man!"
"Dragon Master — Lance!"
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