Following the Elder's request, Aoki released the legendary Pokemon, Moltres, back to Silver Mountain.
As for taking its blood, that was just a sudden burst of inspiration, a natural progression.
Watching Moltres flee as if for its life, Aoki smiled again.
Then, with a thought, a spatial rift opened beside him, and he extended his right hand into it, mimicking Lance.
Of course, it was enveloped in psychic power; he couldn't just sacrifice his hands like Lance.
One hand went in, but two hands came back out. One was Aoki's own hand, and the other was someone else's severed hand!
It was precisely Lance's self-severed left hand, now wrapped in a thin layer of psychic power, preventing it from being pulverized by the endless spatial turbulence. At the same time, all the blood was sealed within by Aoki, so it didn't look gory.
Lance's left hand!
On it were the Unown tattoos that Aoki was very interested in, especially the exclamation mark Unown, which he cared about the most.
He wondered if Lance had thought about the Unown tattoos on his wrist when he severed his left hand.
If he had, and still chose to do it, what was the reason?
Aoki knew that Lance had shed the Unown on his body on Silver Mountain. Just as Aoki desperately wanted the Unown in Lance's possession, Lance must have also desperately wanted the Unown in Aoki's possession.
However, later, Arceus awakened his true nature. Whether it was self-forgetfulness or intentional, Aoki didn't know.
Moreover, it was quite surprising to Aoki that these Unown remained faithfully attached to his wrist even after leaving Lance's true body.
Aoki had only wanted to try, not truly believing that the Unown would still be there.
It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
After removing the psychic power from the left hand, the letter-like tattoos attached to it suddenly twisted.
In the blink of an eye, they transformed back into individual Unown, suspended before Aoki.
Looking at those large eyes, Aoki still felt somewhat unnerved.
Aoki had not yet fully understood the purpose of these Unown. He only knew that they had existed for a period far longer than the legendary Pokemon Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, as they had even served as mentors to Dialga and Palkia in their behavior.
He didn't even know if they were born before Arceus, or if they existed before the birth of this universe.
However, the strength of these Unown was truly not great, referring to their combat power. If their special abilities were also considered, it was truly uncertain if any Pokémon or human in this world could truly capture them, especially when all twenty-eight Unown were fully gathered together!
Among them, the question mark Unown and the exclamation mark Unown were naturally the strongest and most effective. With them present, all the Unown could condense into a single entity to unleash their maximum potential.
These Unown stared at Aoki for a long time, devoid of any emotion, like living machines.
They seemed to be thinking about something, and Aoki silently watched them, saying nothing.
From beginning to end, the Unown on Aoki's body had chosen to attach themselves to him willingly; it was not something Aoki could subjectively decide.
If these Unown were willing to attach themselves to him, they would do so even if Aoki didn't say anything. If they were unwilling, Aoki couldn't force them.
Suddenly, Aoki's right hand trembled slightly, and the Unown that were originally on his body also flew out, led by that special question mark Unown. The two groups of Unown faced each other in mid-air, showing no joy of reunion or any hostility, as if devoid of emotion.
The question mark Unown and the exclamation mark Unown, the two Pokémon, slowly approached each other and began to spin.
Then, the rest of the Unown also joined in, forming a circle, starting from the initial letter "A" to the final letter "Y."
However, Aoki noticed that one Unown was missing from this group. There were twenty-six, but only twenty-five were present. Including the exclamation mark and question mark, there were only twenty-seven!
As he pondered this, these Unown slowly shrank, and then, with a flash, they reappeared on Aoki's wrist.
However, when Aoki removed the wrist guard, he found that the positions of these Unown had changed. Not only the question mark and exclamation mark, but all of them had moved to the back of his hand, forming a circle, looking like a watch, except that this watch had a gap, and the final "Z" was missing!
And the question mark and exclamation mark seemed to have become the hands of the watch, the minute hand and the hour hand, except that these two Unown had no primary or secondary roles, so it was unknown which was the minute hand and which was the hour hand.
Aoki had intended to sit down and thoroughly explore what special abilities these Unown would now grant him, but considering that this was ultimately not a good place, and that there were still many important figures at the Alliance headquarters on Silver Mountain, Aoki hurried towards them.
Although he didn't know why the Elder hadn't exposed his identity or even attempted to attack him, Aoki still felt a sense of urgency.
"I need to speed up the pace again. Giovanni's Mewtwo has already been born. The upcoming period will be when Giovanni is at his strongest, so a war with the Alliance is inevitable!
Although my current identity is fine, it definitely won't last long. If I can't gain real power, I probably won't be able to stay in the Alliance for much longer!" Aoki thought to himself.
Then, with a flash, he disappeared from his original spot.
Returning to the Alliance headquarters on Silver Mountain, the Elder and various regional leaders were holding a meeting, some present in person and others via video conference.
Aoki's teacher, Wallace, representing the Hoenn region, was among them.
In the corridor, he encountered many familiar faces, including his close friend Steven, whom Aoki had called for rescue, as well as Lance and Lorelei from the Kanto region, and Cynthia from the Sinnoh region.
Seeing Aoki appear, they all gathered around him, as only Aoki knew the specific events that had transpired there.
Looking at the tragic battlefield on the Silver Mountain platform, one could tell how perilous the battle had been, and they had no idea about the current situation of the Divine Cult.
Their hearts were filled with curiosity!
Aoki looked at his companions, hesitated slightly, and then gradually recounted everything he had experienced that day, even including his forced capture of the divine Pokemon Moltres, though he didn't elaborate much on that particular incident.
Because looking at their eyes, Aoki didn't know how to explain the strength he now possessed.
Compared to him, they were indeed more or less on a different level, and Aoki had even caught up with many of the Alliance's older generation of trainers, including his own teacher.
When he was on the Temporal Continent, Aoki's strength was already far ahead of theirs, which was why he could act alone, infiltrate the Divine Cult, and gradually dismantle them through his plans.
However, due to special reasons, he had stayed on the Temporal Continent for nearly six more months, and this period was the best time for Aoki to grow and develop.
He was able to focus wholeheartedly, without any external pressure, on improving his strength, training his Pokémon, and digesting the gains from within the Spatial-Temporal Mountain barrier.
After returning to the Pokémon world, he immediately widened the gap between himself and Steven, and Lance.
Even these few people present could be said to be among the most talented trainers in the entire Pokémon world.
But Aoki had a time cheat.
Just as Aoki calmly finished recounting the entire incident, everyone present had a shocked expression.
Both Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, and Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon, were Pokémon that only appeared in legends, yet today they had appeared before Aoki and his companions.
However, after everyone had recovered from their shock, they all, without prior agreement, looked at Lance, Lance Dragonite.
Lance's eyes widened. When he learned that the leader of the Divine Cult was actually his grand-uncle, his father's elder brother, the legitimate eldest son of the previous Dragonite family head, his eyes and expression were filled with shock.
In the end, it turned out that the root cause of everything lay within their Dragonite family.
Everyone looked at Lance, unsure what to say. With their understanding, they certainly wouldn't transfer their views and prejudices against the Divine Cult onto Lance.
They wouldn't even pay too much attention to the Dragonite family.
But they couldn't represent the majority of people!
The Divine Cult had been established for a long time, but it had not been active for long. However, since its emergence, it had continuously disrupted the lives of residents in various regions, causing many people to suffer undeserved calamities. The public outrage caused by this was bound to be considerable.
If they were to learn that the root cause of all this came from the Dragonite family, although it wouldn't lead to a direct assault on the Dragonite family to destroy this massive family, it would certainly bring many negative impacts to them, and the Dragonite family's businesses in various regions would also be affected.
The family's power would inevitably decline significantly due to this incident, and they might even fall out of the list of giant families.
So, for a time, everyone was unsure what to say to Lance. After all, offering comfort seemed inappropriate, and they couldn't just reprimand the family based on superficial observations like ordinary people.
But honestly, because of this incident, there would definitely be some lingering resentment towards this family in their hearts.
Aoki patted Lance's shoulder, saying nothing.
Originally, this matter had little to do with Lance, and he didn't need to bear anything.
Woken up by Aoki's pat on the shoulder, he ended his daze and then showed a slightly bitter smile.
How could he not have thought of what others were thinking, he just thought more deeply than others.
He slowly sat down in a nearby chair and let out a long sigh, "It seems... I have no choice but to return to Johto..."
"Return to Johto? Don't you go back every now and then?" Lorelei asked calmly.
Although Lance and Lorelei still frequently battled and sparred, their relationship had greatly improved.
It all began when Lorelei was severely injured and appeared in the Aura Highlands on the Temporal Continent, where she was rescued by Aoki...
In short, Lorelei and Lance buried the hatchet, or rather, only Lorelei buried the hatchet, and slowly came to accept Lance's presence, though her desire to challenge him never ceased.
Listening to Lance's words, Aoki understood his meaning.
It seemed that this incident would indeed have a significant impact on the Dragonite family, and Lance would have to return to the Johto region to compete for the Champion position.
With the prestige of the Champion position and the convenience of action, he could bring many benefits to the Dragonite family. Moreover, Lance's reputation was not small throughout the Kanto region, and he also had a considerable reputation within the entire Alliance. Although not as great as Aoki's, it was still significant.
As long as Lance's strength met the requirements, becoming a Champion would not be difficult; it just depended on whether he wanted to or not.
But now, it was no longer a question of whether he wanted to or not; it was something he had to do.
This was the constraint of being a family member; since he had accepted the family's help, he naturally needed to step forward when the family needed him.
As long as Lance wanted to return to the Johto region, the current chairman of the Johto region would definitely welcome him with open arms.
Lance could be said to be the most talented trainer in the entire Kanto region in the past two decades, a sure-fire future regional champion, whose explosive talent was evident at a glance.
Originally, the Dragon Clan was powerful and a behemoth in the Johto region; even without Lance's existence, it would not affect the Dragon Clan's status.
Furthermore, Lance was born in the Kanto region and had a stronger affinity for it, so after the Kanto branch split into Kanto and Johto, he had always aimed to become the Kanto region's champion.
The Alliance was happy with this, as a complete Dragon Clan with a regional champion would almost give the family control over half of the entire region, making their power too immense.
However, after this incident, it is estimated that not only will the general public condemn the Dragon Clan, but the Alliance will also seize this opportunity to deliver a severe blow.
Even if they originally weren't going to cut them down, after that exchange between Aoki and Elder Ge, they would still make a cut, and it would be as ruthless as possible. Although it's said that you can't build without breaking, if you can't break it, then weaken it first, and maybe there will be a chance to break it.
This Dragon Clan is very likely to become Elder Ge's guinea pig, and the best kind of guinea pig at that.
A large, ancient family with influence spanning the entire Alliance is something no one can ignore. If you use this family for an experiment, the results will likely be excellent.
Lance saw things very clearly, but his return to the Johto region might not necessarily save the entire Dragon Clan, but at the very least, it would prevent the Dragon Clan from plummeting into ruin.
And now, Lance was also the hope of the Dragon Clan. They would likely bring out treasures, special materials, or items that had been hidden for who knows how many years to help Lance improve his strength, allowing him to quickly ascend to the champion position.
From this perspective, it wasn't entirely bad for Lance!
Aoki slumped beside Lance, patting his shoulder again, "Have you made up your mind?"
If Lance truly didn't want to return to the Johto region, Aoki believed Elder Ge could definitely stop him. In fact, even without Elder Ge, the Kanto Alliance chairman could definitely stop him.
Lance looked at Aoki, smiled helplessly, and slowly shook his head, "No choice."
Hearing this, Aoki said nothing more.
After just a few words, everyone present understood, but the one most deeply affected was Steven.
As members of prominent families, sometimes they were simply not in control of their own destinies.
The reason he was so free now was entirely because his father was fully in charge of the company and the family, leaving him with no worries.
But Steven knew a bit about his father's health. It was fine for the next few years, but after that, it was truly uncertain!
Moreover, as the heir to the Stone family, it was impossible for him to serve as champion and hold real power, at least not for long.
This wasn't something that could be solved by simply ensuring that the Stone family would absolutely not interfere with his influence and judgment. In many cases, he was also not in control of his own destiny. He couldn't just sit by and watch the Stone family's strength suffer greatly, or watch various blood-related members within the Stone family undertake particularly dangerous missions, with their lives not guaranteed, could he?
So Steven felt that even if he did become champion, he would step down before long.
But now, having worked so hard, if he truly didn't aim for that position, Steven wouldn't have many goals left.
However, on the other hand, Aoki was still in front of Steven, so he had to catch up to Aoki first.
The atmosphere among the few of them became slightly silent, not knowing what to say.
Everyone sat in the corridor, silently contemplating their own thoughts.
Soon, the conference room door opened, and everyone's expressions seemed a bit solemn. There was no communication between them; they just silently walked out of the conference room.
Some people also brought their juniors with them, such as Drake bringing Aoki and Steven, and the chairman of the Sinnoh region bringing Cynthia, and so on.
The group of bigwigs all looked quite uneasy.
Aoki and Steven followed behind Drake without saying anything.
After the few of them walked out of the Alliance Headquarters building, they summoned their Pokémon and flew towards the Hoenn region.
Halfway through the flight, Drake's expression slowly relaxed, and he sighed, "A troubled time indeed."
Hearing Drake's sigh, Aoki and Steven exchanged glances and stepped forward together, asking, "Teacher (Champion Drake), what was discussed in the meeting?"
Drake glanced at Aoki, then at Steven, and finally settled his gaze on Aoki, moving his Salamence closer to Aoki's Salamence.
Then, Drake very skillfully jumped from the back of his Salamence to the back of Aoki's Salamence.
Knowing that Drake was Aoki's teacher, and Salamence recognized him, it showed no resistance and allowed Drake to get on its back.
Bang!!
Drake punched Aoki directly on the head.
"Teacher! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Aoki immediately clutched his head and cried out.
With his current Psychic power and reaction speed, he could certainly have avoided Drake's critical hit to his head, but he dared not do so.
He even had to release his Psychic self-protection to prevent Drake from being repelled by the Psychic power.
"Now you know it hurts? You were quite impressive when facing the Cult Bishop, weren't you? Going up there to show off? Making yourself look so powerful?" Drake berated Aoki relentlessly.
Aoki dared not resist, letting Drake do as he pleased. Clearly, he had learned about the battle from Elder Ge and their meeting.
And in the meeting, Elder Ge had specifically praised Aoki, commending his youth and talent, his extraordinary strength at such a young age, and stating that if it weren't for his presence, the Alliance would have suffered heavy losses, and so on.
"What are you showing off for, you brat? Don't you know how many old geezers are still hidden within the Alliance? They're so powerful, you don't need to make a move at all!" Drake continued.
Aoki nodded repeatedly, not even attempting to resist.
After a long while, Drake's anger slowly dissipated.
Bang—Bang—
This time, it wasn't a hit to the head, but a solid pat on Aoki's shoulder, his face filled with relief and a hint of melancholy, as he slowly said, "You brat... you've finally surpassed your teacher..."
He finally understood how Yagyu Go must have felt back then, that feeling of a master being surpassed by his disciple, truly filling his heart with satisfaction and relief.
However, amidst the relief, there was still a bit of loss. A disciple surpassing their master also meant that the master's mission was complete, and there was nothing left to teach the disciple.
A glorious retirement for the teacher!
Listening to Drake's words, Aoki was truly touched.
Regardless of his identity or status, whether he was righteous or evil, his two teachers were truly sincere towards him, and Aoki could clearly feel that.
Drake returned from Aoki's Salamence to his own Salamence's back, flying rapidly and looking at the distant scenery.
"As a teacher, there's one last thing I can do for you..." Drake thought to himself, looking into the distance.
Originally, when Aoki had resolved the three Cult cadres with lightning speed last time, Drake had felt that Aoki's strength should be no less than his own, just thinking it was not much different.
But now, after a month, judging from Elder Ge's description of Lance's strength, Aoki was actually able to hold out for a period of time, clearly indicating that his strength was already above his own.
And it wasn't just a slight surpassing.
The three flew towards the Hoenn region at their fastest speed. The matter of the Cult was resolved, but the challenges ahead might be even greater.
Moreover, many Cult remnants had not been apprehended, the most crucial among them being the two former Elite Four members from the Johto region: Steel-type Elite Four Will and Psychic-type Elite Four Koga.
These two did not appear with the Cult Bishop, nor did they appear in various regions. It was difficult to know the exact number of people in the Cult.
The concern was that these two might lead the remaining Cult members to cause trouble everywhere, becoming a minor but persistent hidden danger for the Alliance.
Of course, even if they truly caused chaos, they wouldn't pose too great a threat to the Alliance. The most important thing was Team Rocket, and they needed to go back and discuss the details thoroughly.
Although Team Rocket was an underground organization in the Kanto region, it would more or less have a significant impact on the Hoenn region, so preparations needed to be made early.
Unlike the Cult, Team Rocket had dominated the Kanto region for decades, and even the Alliance had been unable to completely eradicate this organization.
Its combat personnel numbered in the tens of thousands, possibly even reaching a terrifying hundred thousand!
When such a behemoth truly launched an all-out assault on the Alliance, the threat it posed might be similar to that of the Cult, but the destruction it caused would definitely be much greater than the Cult's!
After flying for some time, the three continued their journey using Aoki's Psychic abilities.
Although it still hadn't been determined what changes the two special Unown plus twenty-five regular Unown had brought him, what he could feel now was a significant improvement in his ability to perceive spatial coordinates.
This would greatly increase the distance of his Teleportation.
Before this enhancement, Aoki's Psychic power couldn't support him in long-distance teleportation. In fact, with his spatial talent, the distance of spatial coordinates he could perceive was further than the distance his Psychic power could fold space, because his Psychic power was insufficient to maintain such a teleportation.
But now, not only had the range of spatial coordinate perception more than doubled, but the Psychic energy consumption during Teleportation had also significantly decreased, allowing for longer transmission distances.
Moreover, after long-distance teleportation and significant Psychic energy consumption, Aoki felt that his Psychic energy recovery speed had increased by more than tenfold.
What does tenfold mean?
Based on Aoki's current Psychic energy consumption rate, as long as he didn't do anything beyond his endurance limit, his Psychic energy was virtually inexhaustible.
Aoki was extremely satisfied with such an enhancement!
However, it seemed that this enhancement was not all the benefits these Unown truly brought him!
The three went directly to Steven's office. At this time, Steven and the other high-ranking officials of the Hoenn Alliance were already seated there.
Although Drake had gone to the Silver Mountain Alliance Headquarters, Steven had also participated via video conference, so he was mostly aware of the course of events.
Upon arriving at the office, Aoki found a seat for himself.
Seeing that Drake, Aoki, and the third person had arrived, Steven and Drake simply explained the Cult matter briefly, not going into too much detail, and focusing on the events that might occur next.
As for Will, Koga, and other Cult remnants, since they were few in number and skilled in Psychic abilities, it was easy for them to evade tracking, making it quite troublesome to completely eradicate them.
However, their threat to the Alliance was not very great, and they likely had enough self-awareness not to rashly appear and attack the Alliance.
"That's roughly the situation. Although Team Rocket isn't in our Hoenn region, there will still be some impact, especially in areas bordering the Kanto and Johto regions. We need to be prepared. A Team Rocket outbreak won't be as small-scale as the Divine Cult.
They have a large number of members spread everywhere, and the impact they cause will be significant." Adams clasped his hands on the table, his expression uncharacteristically grave.
He hadn't expected that after solving the Divine Cult issue, an even more serious one would follow.
Everyone else also nodded with solemn expressions. It seemed they would be busy for a while, and the threat was not small.
"Oh, by the way, Genji, Aoki, and Steven, your tasks might be quite heavy in the coming days. You need to be ready at all times." Adams looked at the three again.
These three individuals could be said to represent the entire Hoenn League's military strength. While they didn't represent all combat power, in the eyes of ordinary people, the Champion and Elite Four represented the region's highest combat power and were also the guarantors of the people's safety in the region.
With the Champion and Elite Four present, people would feel at ease, and the impact of Team Rocket might be smaller.
"Also, Aoki, I previously put you in charge of contacting the Sky Team in our Hoenn region. They have been unusually well-behaved. Although they do some things in the gray area, they rarely engage in dark activities, which has saved us a lot of worry." Adams then said to the League.
"Even though they've saved us a lot of trouble, and even the crime rate in the entire Hoenn region has gone down, they are still an underground dark organization. At this critical juncture, we still need to keep a close eye on them to prevent them from stabbing us in the back."
"Understood." Aoki nodded. The Sky Team matter was easy to handle.
"Alright, that's roughly it. Do you have any other important matters to discuss?" Adams asked after finishing everything he felt needed attention.
"President (Adams)..." Aoki and Genji spoke at the same time.
Then the two exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat awkward.
"Teacher, you first." Aoki gestured to Adams. After all, he was his teacher, and respecting elders and cherishing the young was a traditional virtue.
Hearing this, Genji smiled and said to Adams, "It's like this. On the way back, I thought carefully about it and still hope to resign from the position of Champion.
Of course, at this critical moment, it's not to shirk responsibility. I just hope that at this crucial time, someone more capable and stronger can take on the Champion position!"
Genji said to Adams. Although he didn't say who could succeed him, everyone present understood that he was referring to Aoki.
Through Genji and Adams' brief explanation of the Divine Cult Bishop's strength, they then specifically mentioned that Aoki had single-handedly held back Lance for a considerable amount of time, helping the League gain valuable time.
In fact, after the Elder praised Aoki, there was a certain degree of embellishment.
So when Genji said that someone more capable should take over as Champion, not a single person present objected.
After all, they were master and disciple, and indeed, the disciple's strength had rapidly increased, surpassing the master's. Such a transfer of position could even become a beautiful story.
Moreover, Genji wouldn't be retiring after stepping down. He could serve as an advisor to Aoki and Adams, similar to Professor Oak in the Kanto region, and also free up a position for a newcomer to rise.
If Aoki could successfully become Champion, then one of the Elite Four positions would become vacant, and Flannery would then be able to successfully assume the role of Elite Four.
From then on, the Hoenn region would officially complete the transfer of power between the old and new generations. As for the President and some civil officials, they were not within this scope of transfer.
After all, in any region, the face of the region will always be the Champion and the Elite Four. Even Adams, as the President, is not as effective as the Champion in front of the public.
Although, practically speaking, the President and Champion of a region have equal authority.
However, in the Hoenn region, because Adams had simultaneously served as both Champion and President, power was highly concentrated. So even when Genji became Champion, due to the short time, he was unable to fully take over all the authority from Adams.
A portion of the Champion's authority had already been entrusted to Aoki in advance.
Therefore, currently, Genji, apart from being the Champion in name, doesn't possess the corresponding authority, much like the original First Elite Four.
It wasn't that Adams was obsessed with power; it was purely because Genji was lazy, which led to this situation.
Adams nodded, indicating he understood, then looked at Aoki and asked, "Aoki, what were you trying to say just now?"
Hearing this, Aoki's expression was a bit awkward, but he still said, "Uh, actually, what I wanted to say is pretty much the same as what my teacher said.
People say that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier, and for me, a trainer who doesn't aim to be a Champion is not a true trainer.
So... I won't say more. I'm laying my cards on the table. I want to be Champion!"
Listening to Aoki's words, those present showed knowing smiles.
Aoki wanting to be Champion was no secret to them; in fact, many were eager to see him become Champion.
"Hahahaha—you rascal, so you've been eyeing my position for so long. Fine, it's time for this old man to yield it to you!" Genji wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed heartily, patting Aoki's shoulder vigorously.
A man of the sea is just that straightforward!
Everyone looked at Adams, wanting to see what he thought.
Unexpectedly, Adams glared at Genji with a stern look, "You are the Champion. You can decide this yourself. Why are you looking at me?
You're quite something; even as Champion, you're carefree. Now it's time for your disciple to take over all your responsibilities!"
As he spoke, he stretched, "People, you know, have to accept getting old. I also want to hand over things quickly…"
Undoubtedly, Adams also indicated that Aoki becoming Champion was perfectly fine.
After all, in terms of strength, Aoki had already surpassed Genji at this point, and in terms of popularity, Aoki's popularity could be said to be among the top in the entire Pokémon world.
To be able to fully display one's Champion-level strength without reservation in videos is something many people might never witness in their lives, so seeing it on TV is also good.
Moreover, Aoki is handsome, and among all his fans, female fans make up the majority.
Born into an ordinary family, he is down-to-earth, allowing many common people to strive with Aoki as their goal.
Furthermore, with the impending Team Rocket assault, having Aoki take over as Champion would better stabilize public morale.
Thus, after a unanimous decision by Adams and Genji, a Champion succession ceremony would be held in the Hoenn region one month later.
Genji's succession to Champion was rushed, and no proper ceremony was held.
This was also because Genji himself didn't care about it; only a small internal ceremony was held, and then a simple announcement was made throughout the Hoenn region.
Many people didn't even know that Adams was no longer the Champion of the Hoenn region.
Therefore, as a representative of the younger generation and the true realization of the League's old-to-new transition, this Champion succession ceremony would not only be announced to the entire League but also to the League branches in various regions, inviting them to send representatives to participate in this grand event.
In reality, Adams and Genji simply wanted to show off. After all, the Hoenn region was the first to complete the transfer of power between the old and new generations, and Aoki wasn't just barely making it; he relied entirely on his 100% strength.
If there was an opportunity, they might even invite a Champion from another region for an exhibition match, but the cost would be quite high. After all, it would be using someone else's identity to help Aoki establish prestige, and it would also, to some extent, diminish the other party's popularity.
Most people wouldn't necessarily be willing, so if they couldn't find anyone, there wouldn't be much they could do.
They couldn't just drag Adams down to fight Aoki, could they?
It was because they needed to prepare these things that the date was set for a month later.
This was originally a small meeting to determine the strategy against Team Rocket, but unexpectedly, it ended up determining the successor to the Champion position in the Hoenn region!
After it ended, everyone dispersed.
Everyone went home, each to their own mothers.
Steven was quite stimulated this time. When the two first met, Aoki's strength was still far behind his, but he never expected that in just a few short years, Aoki's strength would skyrocket, and he would even become the Hoenn Champion soon.
Steven didn't have any objections to Aoki becoming Champion; he was purely dissatisfied with the slow pace of his own strength improvement.
Now he was about to be left far behind by Aoki, unable to even see his taillights. Naturally, he felt a bit dejected.
After returning to his residence, Aoki did nothing. He didn't even take off his clothes; he just lay on the bed and fell asleep.
Too many things had happened today. Even though Aoki was a powerful psychic, he felt extremely tired.
Sealing Wallace, then dealing with Wallace, and learning the Divine Cult's main objective through him!
Battling the legendary Pokémon Moltres in the forests within Silver Mountain, then forcibly capturing it!
Personally stopping the Divine Cult Leader Lance, and resisting a Master-level Pokémon!
Witnessing the two legendary Pokémon Giratina and Arceus, and the transformation of Lance.
Capturing the Unown and releasing the legendary Pokémon Moltres.
Finally, applying to become Champion and setting the date for the Champion succession!
All these events were completed today, and the accumulation of so many things left Aoki physically and mentally exhausted.
...
He then lived a somewhat stable life, staying at the Hoenn League headquarters for seven days.
During these seven days, he didn't do anything else except recover his Pokémon and perceive the changes the Unown brought him.
However, these few days were the only peaceful ones.
Because seven days later, today, Aoki received a secret call from Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni.
Just from the phone call, one could tell that although Giovanni was still as energetic as before, he was now filled with an undeniable confidence.
That undisguised confidence, that confidence that looked down upon the world!
Now, Giovanni's strength and spirit had finally reached their peak, and he was ready to conquer the League!