The hustle and bustle of the celebration gradually faded away.
In Nimbasa City, tourists and citizens were still heatedly discussing the recently concluded League Conference.
Inside the castle, Draconis sat upright upon his throne, a faint smile on his face as he cast his gaze downward.
There, five Trainers who had just reached the pinnacle stood respectfully, their hearts filled with both excitement and trepidation.
They knew very well that from the moment His Majesty personally bestowed upon them the titles of Elite Four and Champion, they were no longer ordinary Trainers.
Alfred stepped forward and unfurled a gold-stamped imperial decree, a smile also playing on his face.
"Congratulations to you all!"
Anna, Koharu, Derick, and the others looked over excitedly.
"From this day forth, Anna, you are officially appointed as the Pokémon League Champion, to coordinate all matters related to Pokémon within the kingdom!"
"Lucas, Raphael, Koharu, and Derick, the four of you will serve as the Elite Four, guarding the four directions, maintaining order in the Unova region, assisting the Champion, and guiding humans and Pokémon to move forward together!"
"Yes!"
"As you command!"
The five of them bowed in unison, their voices synchronized and firm.
Draconis nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone as casual as if he were discussing household chores.
"Very well. From now on, within the Unova Kingdom, Gym operations, tournament arrangements, handling of rule-breaking Trainers, wild Pokémon disputes... all of it will be left to you."
Derick was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask:
"Your Majesty, then you..."
Draconis smiled slightly. "I have more important things to do."
Everyone's expression turned solemn, and the rumors they had heard before immediately surfaced in their minds.
It was said that His Majesty enjoyed researching new things; the Electric Lights, steam trains, and other items already in use within the kingdom were all developed by him.
In an instant, the five powerful individuals, who had just been in high spirits, suddenly felt a faint sense that they had taken on an incredible burden.
But what moved them even more was that His Majesty Draconis trusted them so deeply.
"As you command!" everyone said. "We will certainly not fail Your Majesty's expectations!"
Draconis nodded with satisfaction. "Mm, good. With those words from you, I can rest easy."
He paused and then added another sentence, his tone relaxed but carrying unquestionable authority:
"Remember, just go ahead and do what needs to be done; the entire power of the Unova Kingdom will be your backing. Just don't forget to improve your own strength. By this time next year, I hope the five of you will still be the ones standing here."
Hearing this, several people couldn't help but recall the words His Majesty Draconis had just spoken in the Grand Arena.
This immediately caused a sense of urgency and pressure to well up in their hearts.
"Yes!"
Having finished his instructions, Draconis did not stay any longer.
He stood up, smoothed out his slightly wrinkled royal robes, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible joy:
"The matters are concluded, so I shall take my leave. The subsequent inauguration ceremony, personnel arrangements, work details... the President of the Pokémon League will handle the arrangements for you."
The League's President was also one of his people.
After speaking, Draconis said no more and turned to leave, accompanied by Alfred.
Only the five newly appointed high-ranking League officials were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
It wasn't until the King's figure completely vanished that Derick let out a long breath and looked at Anna with a bitter smile:
"Champion... why do I feel like our days ahead won't be very easy?"
Anna gazed in the direction Draconis had left, her eyes filled with admiration and tenderness.
She gently stroked the Champion's medal on her chest, a confident smile appearing on her lips:
"That's only natural. However, isn't the fact that His Majesty Draconis can trustingly leave everything to us the greatest proof of our worth?"
Koharu's eyes sparkled:
"Exactly! We must achieve great things and not fail His Majesty's trust!"
Lucas and Raphael exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
Former rivals had now become partners fighting side by side.
The era belonging to the Unova Kingdom League has only just begun!
Meanwhile, having returned to the castle, Draconis had already lain back down on his familiar lounge chair.
Warm black tea was once again served at his side, and Minccino hopped onto his lap to act cute.
In the Ecological Park behind him, the Pokémon were still leisurely and carefree.
In the distance, the faint clamor from the streets of Nimbasa City could still be heard.
Draconis took a light sip of the black tea and squinted his eyes comfortably.
Perfect.
There's a Champion, the Elite Four are assembled, and there are people to handle the troublesome matters.
From now on, he could finally live in peace—
A salted-fish king's life, free from handling government affairs or worrying about trivial matters, drinking tea and basking in the sun every day, surrounded by Pokémon.
However... that was impossible!
The steamships exploring other lands had not yet returned, there was still a hidden crisis over in Oldalun City of the Kanto region, and Draconis had already decided to save Aaron.
And he would guide the Kanto region to establish a Pokémon League and Trainer system to strengthen the connection between the two regions.
"Sigh, it's a long and difficult road ahead!" Thinking of these things, Draconis couldn't help but sigh softly.
*
Three days passed in a flash.
Morning in Nimbasa City remained peaceful and serene, as sunlight filtered through the castle's carved glass windows and fell gently upon the carpet.
Draconis rarely slept until he woke up naturally; he stretched and walked slowly to the terrace.
The Minccino had long been waiting; one obediently handed him a warm towel, while another held the freshly brewed Deerling black tea, their movements so skilled it was as if they had practiced thousands of times.
"Your Majesty, the weather is pleasant this morning, and the flowers and leaves in the Ecological Park are in full bloom. Would you like to move there for a rest?" Alfred asked softly.
Draconis took the teacup, had a sip, and sighed contentedly. "No need, I'll just bask in the sun here and take in the city scenery while I'm at it."
He leaned back in the soft lounge chair, his gaze casually wandering toward the distant Pokémon League Headquarters.
There, it was already a scene of bustling activity.
Since their appointment three days ago, Anna and the Elite Four had been working almost non-stop.
The refinement of the League system, the appointment of Gym Leaders, the handling of wild Pokémon disturbances in various places, the auditing of Trainer qualifications, and even the allocation of Pokémon Centers between towns—all of it was piled in front of the five of them.
In the League's conference room at this moment, documents were piled as high as mountains.
Anna sat in the main seat, quickly flipping through documents while calmly assigning tasks:
"Derick, the Dragon-type Pokémon habitat conflict in the western region is your responsibility to coordinate!"
"Koharu, follow up on the assessment matters for the Grass-type and Bug-type Gyms in the eastern region."
"Lucas, handle the reports of illegal poachers on the northern border with your team."
"Raphael, draft a proposal for the Pokémon protection plan in the southern seas as soon as possible!"
The four of them felt their scalps tingle at the sheer volume of work, but they could only agree one by one.
Derick rubbed his throbbing temples and spoke with a wry smile:
"His Majesty is quite leisurely, dumping all the kingdom's Pokémon affairs onto us. This is much more exhausting than training."
However, with great power comes great responsibility. Since becoming one of the Elite Four, Derick's reputation and status had improved, and he also received a handsome monthly salary.
Derick was already prepared to bring his mother from Castelia City to Nimbasa City to live together.
Doing this, he should be considered to be giving his mother a good life, right?
Hearing Derick's words, Koharu put down her pen and nodded in agreement. "Sigh, I wanted to go home and have a good rest!"
Raphael sighed helplessly. "I only slept for six hours last night."
Lucas even slumped directly into his chair. "If I had known, I wouldn't have fought so hard during the tournament..."
Listening to everyone's complaints, Anna couldn't help but chuckle.
She put down her pen and looked toward the castle.
"His Majesty Draconis entrusted us with such an important responsibility because he trusts us. It's only right that we work a bit harder. Besides, in a few days, everyone will be able to have a good rest."
The New Year was approaching, and the Pokémon League would also be taking a break.
At that time, they would be able to return home in glory, visit their parents, see friends and relatives, and show off in front of others.
"Hehe, everyone in town definitely won't expect that I've already become one of the Elite Four, working for His Majesty Draconis!" Koharu could already imagine the shocked expressions of the people back home.
Derick also had a similar premonition.
A year ago, he was just a waiter working in a tavern; now he had become one of the Elite Four. If everyone found out, they would surely be astonished.
Raphael had a calm smile on his face. Unlike the others, he came from a fallen noble family in Opelucid City. Now that he had become one of the Elite Four, his family would be able to rise again, right?
Atop the castle, Draconis casually picked up an exquisite dessert, feeding it to the Volcarona and Dragonite that had approached, while listening to Alfred's casual report on the League's situation.
"Your Majesty, Champion Anna and the Elite Four have handled seventeen disputes caused by Pokémon and suppressed three poaching groups in the past few days. Order within the kingdom has been initially stabilized."
Draconis nodded slightly. The long-standing vacancy in the Unova Kingdom had finally been filled.
As for the Pokémon poaching groups...
Regarding this matter, Draconis was also quite helpless.
Where there is trade, there is harm. From the moment the Trainer system was born, it meant that Trainers would have a massive demand for rare and powerful Pokémon.
Some noble families, in order to let their younger generation get ahead of others, would even go as far as spending huge sums of money to buy rare Pokémon...
Profit moves people's hearts; even if he enacted the strictest laws, there would still be those who would take the risk to do such things.
How should this matter be handled?
....
Power Stones PlZZZZ
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