As the attention turned to Sen, Lance, and Sato, the three maintained calm expressions, but inside, they were all speculating about Goodshow's real intentions.
But there was no way to figure it out immediately, so the three of them fell silent, and the others didn't dare say a word either.
Then, Goodshow called on someone...
"Lance, what do you think?"
Dragon Master Lance instinctively straightened up. After pausing for two seconds, he replied, "If we're speaking in terms of strength, Commander Shuto and Edward both have the ability to take the role."
Perhaps to avoid suspicion, Lance deliberately didn't mention his clanmate Siegfried.
Siegfried's expression didn't change, but his eyes dimmed subtly.
Goodshow showed no reaction after listening. He simply turned and looked at Elite Four Sen.
"I don't know the others well," Sen said smoothly. "But similar situations must have happened in the past. I'm sure the President already has a solution."
Sen was even more tactful. In just a couple of lines, he distanced himself completely from the issue and tossed the ball back to Goodshow.
Goodshow's mouth twitched slightly, and he turned again, this time to Sato.
Sato had planned to brush it off too, but the moment he locked eyes with Goodshow, something suddenly came to mind.
"…Aside from strength, the Elite Four of a region also symbolize safety and reassurance for the people. Shouldn't that aspect be considered too?"
Just like the current three Elite Four, they had each stepped over formidable opponents, proving their strength step by step.
That's why they earned the public's recognition and were ultimately named guardian deities.
If someone were appointed directly now, would the people of Johto accept them?
Everyone present was shrewd. It wasn't that they hadn't thought of this.
…It just wasn't easy to say out loud.
But Sato was different. Even if Shuto and the others weren't pleased by what they heard, they didn't dare speak up.
Sure enough, after hearing him out, Goodshow nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased that Sato had read his intentions.
Then he began his official concluding remarks.
"The Elite Four are extremely important to every region, so the choice must be made carefully.
We've all seen how much Pryce has contributed over the years. That's why we can't casually appoint someone to inherit the honor and responsibility he leaves behind.
Shuto, Edward, Siegfried… you all have the strength to become Elite Four. But what you lack is the reputation of an Elite Four. And there are many others like you. I won't make a unilateral decision to appoint any one of you.
So… whoever is the first to attain the reputation of an Elite Four will become our next Johto Elite Four!
Nagasawa, what do you think?"
"Um… h-huh? I think you're absolutely right, President!"
The absentminded Vice President jolted in surprise and quickly voiced his agreement.
"Alright, then that's settled."
Goodshow nodded, then was the first to rise from his seat. With his two female secretaries in tow, he exited the conference room.
Only then did Nagasawa Shin seem to remember he was the Vice President. He quickly got up and followed, the second to leave the room.
Sato and Lance exchanged a glance, gave a nod to Sen, and the three of them also stood up and walked out.
Then, the three candidates -Shuto and the others- and the senior officials finally got up and left the conference room.
Out on the League building's rooftop terrace, Sato and Lance looked out toward the towering Mt. Silver as they chatted about what had just happened.
"Tch! In the end, nothing was decided. Wasn't that just a waste of time?"
They'd known each other for too long. So the usually cool, composed, and charming Dragon Master Lance never held back in front of Sato.
If he wanted to complain, he complained. If he wanted to curse, he cursed. Whatever felt good, he said it.
"A resignation from an Elite Four is kind of a big deal, especially someone as senior as Pryce."
Lance smacked his lips, not wanting to dwell on it, and shifted the topic to Sato.
"Your Cynthia's really something~ First-ranked Elite Four in Sinnoh. You feeling the pressure, boy~?"
Sato glanced sideways at the gossipy Lance. "…Didn't I beat you? That makes me Johto's number one Elite Four, doesn't it?"
"...Damn."
Lance slapped his own mouth!
…Should've kept it shut.
Before the tournament, Lance had still believed he could beat Sato.
But in Sato's match against Pryce, he had only used Cacturne, Tyranitar, and Houndoom to force a direct surrender.
That kind of strength… even Lance wasn't sure anymore.
"Seriously though, how'd you get so strong so fast? Is Fujin-san really that good at training people…?
Ask him for me, would you~? Mmm… see if he's taking new students. Maybe he can take me too!"
"Be my junior~?"
"..."
Lance waved him off, put on his professional fake smile, and called Dragonite.
"Little Sato isn't so little anymore… Back in the day, it was all 'Aniki this, Aniki that'!"
Sato immediately turned to look, only to see Lance already flying off on Dragonite into the distance.
Snatched his moment and ran… no trace of that Elite Four heartthrob left.
---◓---
Sato didn't rush to leave the League building. Instead, he turned and headed for Sosuke's office.
As Sato's only direct subordinate at Headquarters and liaison for mission assignments, Sosuke held a solid position in the League.
His private office wasn't big, but it had everything it needed and was in a prime location.
"Our team has already started coming together. Most of them are former Gym Trainers and trainees from our own Gym.
When they heard there was a chance to work directly under you as Leader, they didn't hesitate at all to transfer from their original posts.
They're all our people, so I feel comfortable with them. As long as they had no conduct issues, I let them in."
As he spoke, Sosuke handed a list to Sato.
On it, Sato saw many familiar yet distant names. Plenty had once trained directly under him.
"Good. Handle these things however you see fit. Also, for those not from our Gym, if they pass the screening, they can join too. Let the rest feel some pressure."
"Understood," Sosuke nodded. He already had that idea in mind.
Setting the list aside, Sato opened his mission log and noticed a number of completed tasks under his name that he hadn't personally participated in.
He skimmed through them and quickly understood.
Sosuke really was the most meticulous and reliable among the first batch of trainees.
He hadn't taken on too many or too few tasks, just enough to meet League requirements. They were diverse in type and completed with solid performance.
They gave his new subordinates great experience while also lightening Sato's workload significantly.
Just as Sato was about to seriously praise Sosuke, his eyes suddenly stopped on a recently completed mission.
[Luminous Swamp Arbok Extermination Task ◓⃙ Completed.]
"Hm? What's wrong, Leader? Is there an issue with this mission?"
'Belle…' Sato shook his head and lightly tapped the words "Luminous Swamp" with his finger.
"No problem. Excellent job!"