After another day of secret discussions in the hidden room, Ryosuke, Tōkichi, and Maiko naturally received news from Shadow Team.
Ryosuke immediately brought this good news, "I have already contacted the leader of Shadow Team in the Johto Region. As long as the money is paid, Tetsuya will definitely disappear without a trace!"
""How much?"" The two asked.
"Well… one million."
"What!? Is Shadow Team robbing people? Can this little kid be worth one million!?" Tōkichi said.
"They have already investigated Tetsuya's background. After all, he is Pryce's student. Ordinary people would not dare to touch an Elite Four's student."
Although the three of them were somewhat unwilling, when they thought that as long as they could make Pryce suffer, or even step down, their source of income was far beyond this mere one million.
In the secret room, Ryosuke transferred the money. Now Tetsuya had already been targeted by Shadow Team. As long as he left the range of the League Headquarters at Mt. Silver, he would face mortal danger at any time!
Now these three Elite Four were also suffering in silence. There were some matters that they could only comply with Shadow Team. Over the years, the benefits Shadow Team had obtained from the three of them had already exceeded the money they had received in bribes.
Through years of interaction with Shadow Team, the three of them had gained a general understanding of this organization. Its active range was generally within the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh Region.
But in Kanto, there was Team Rocket, the local dominant force. In Hoenn, Team Magma and Team Aqua were competing fiercely, making it difficult for other forces to intervene. In Sinnoh, Team Galactic was deeply rooted. Therefore, the region where Shadow Team was most active was still Johto.
Of course, all of this was before Shadow Team was eliminated by Giovanni…
--◓---
The first event of the New Year celebration was the Elite Four "match", which was a Pokémon performance conducted by the Elite Four from Johto and Sinnoh. These were mainly for entertainment and relied heavily on the popularity of the Elite Four.
Tetsuya also paid attention to the Elite Four from Sinnoh. At the very least, he needed to remember their appearances, so that when he went to Sinnoh in the future to… well, "operations", he would not unknowingly encounter these major figures without realizing the danger.
Among them, the most familiar was the Ground Elite Four Bertha. She could truly be considered an evergreen figure in the Sinnoh Region, later even being promoted to the League Council of Sinnoh.
Then there was the Fire Elite Four, whose student later became the new Fire Elite Four, Flint.
There was also the Psychic Elite Four, whose student and daughter Caitlin would later become an Elite Four member of the Unova Region.
The one accompanying Caitlin had an even greater background. Although she was not introduced, many could recognize her as the genius girl of Sinnoh, Cynthia!
Finally, there was the Electric Elite Four, whose student Volkner was a friend of Flint and later became the Gym Leader of Sunyshore Gym, also "possessing" the strength of an Elite Four member.
Looking at the lineup of the Sinnoh Region, the pupils cultivated by several Elite Four members later all became Elite Four themselves or reached that level. In contrast, in the Johto Region, only Karen later became an Elite Four member.
'No wonder the Sinnoh Region prospered while Johto declined…'
In the eyes of ordinary people, these Elite Four were figures beyond reach. Naturally, the exhibition match of the Elite Four brought the atmosphere of the entire venue to its peak.
The Elite Four students from both regions had already begun observing each other from below the stage.
Tetsuya and Cynthia had met once before, and they nodded to each other.
"Hey! I didn't expect you to be an Elite Four's student," Cynthia greeted casually.
"Your friend is as well, right."
"Mm, Caitlin specializes in Psychic-types. It would be better if you avoid battling her."
Cynthia's implication was naturally that Tetsuya's level was inferior to Caitlin's. It seemed that Caitlin's level had already surpassed Flint and Volkner.
Thinking about it, it made sense. It was precisely because, in Sinnoh, aside from Cynthia, Caitlin could no longer find an opponent capable of fighting her that she eventually traveled far away to the Unova Region.
After Caitlin left, her father's other student, Lucian, was able to become the Psychic Elite Four of Sinnoh, and he was the strongest among the Sinnoh Elite Four.
Tetsuya smiled slightly. A Psychic-type opponent was indeed quite troublesome, especially since he "specialized" in Poison-types. When facing a Psychic specialist, he would have no choice but to avoid them.
Caitlin gazed into the distance. In her eyes, the people around her were like air. Aside from Tetsuya, the other three were quite annoyed. This kind of arrogant attitude was indeed difficult to accept.
---◓---
This event had originally been planned by Ryosuke and the other two. The upcoming Elite Four Challenge was the main event. To suppress Pryce, they would definitely make Tetsuya lose, and it had to be under the condition that the other three all won for it to have value.
In this way, Pryce would become the target of public criticism. The students of the other three Elite Four would all win their matches, while only Pryce's one would lose. Even the pressure of public opinion would be enough to leave Pryce struggling… maybe.
That night, although they had already reached an agreement with the Elite Four from Sinnoh, Ryosuke still brought Tōkichi and Maiko to invite them out.
"We ask the four of you to perfectly carry out this 'performance' in the Elite Four Challenge. When you leave, we will present Pokémon personally raised by us as gifts."
Ryosuke said. These so-called agreements had naturally been discussed from the very beginning of the planning. As Elite Four members, ordinary gifts could not move them. Only high-quality Pokémon could be used as bargaining chips.
"You want us to lose three matches and win one. The one to win should be the student of that Pryce, right?" Bertha said.
"Exactly! He uses a Piloswine. At that time, we can arrange for the student of the Fire Elite Four to face him. I believe it will definitely be handled," Tōkichi said.
"Don't forget Karen's defeat! That kid named Tetsuya has some strength~ So please have your students prepare well and not be careless," Maiko reminded.
"I wonder what arrangements the four of you have for tomorrow. That way, I can manipulate the draw accordingly. For now, my idea is to have the the Fire-type kid face Tetsuya. As for the other three matches, since they are just for show, I can arrange them casually."
Ryosuke said, completely exposing the shady dealings of the Johto Region.
The Elite Four of Sinnoh looked at each other. Finally, the Psychic Elite Four said, "Why go through so much trouble…? Such manipulation could easily reveal flaws. Tomorrow, I can simply use psychic abilities to control the draw. It will be done without anyone noticing."
"That would be excellent! Then we will rely on you!"
Seeing how cooperative the four members of Sinnoh were, Ryosuke and the other two were very pleased, and they left amidst laughter and conversation.