"Yellow, you were amazing~!"
Lillie's smile was dazzlingly bright. Seeing her good friend advance made her genuinely happy.
"For sure. I'm not even confident I could beat Hilda myself," Leaf agreed.
Hilda was one of this year's so-called "monsters" from her region—an incredibly strong trainer. To have beaten her, Yellow had done something truly impressive.
"I hope she can keep it up."
Dylan chuckled softly. From this match alone, he could tell Yellow hadn't even shown her full strength yet.
If she were to face Red, Selene, or Leon right now, she'd still probably lose.
But since her power scaled with her emotions and resolve, nothing was certain.
After Hilda's elimination and Yellow's advancement, the tournament entered a thirty-minute intermission before the next matchup.
This time, it was Cynthia versus Peony.
Peony was the former Champion of Galar, Rose's younger brother, and a Steel-type master with Champion-level strength.
But in the end, Cynthia defeated him and successfully advanced to the Top 16.
As the second day of battles concluded, the crowd was electrified with excitement—though it was late, and they'd have to wait for tomorrow's matches.
"Dylan, Leaf, Selene, Leon, Blue, Red, Yellow, and Cynthia," Leaf counted off one by one on her fingers as she listed the eight trainers who had already made it to the Top 16.
"The Gym Leader's already advanced, so the rest of us have got this in the bag!"
Selene declared confidently between bites of her meal, eyes sparkling with determination.
"Tch~ You say that, but if you get matched against the old man, I don't think you'll win," Blue said, folding his arms.
The "old man" he mentioned was Giovanni.
"Hmph~ What are the odds of that? And even if it happens, who cares? I'm invincible now!"
The girl puffed up proudly, full of fire and confidence since her victory over Lance.
Silver gave his overconfident senior a side glance, then silently went back to eating. He knew he couldn't beat this lunatic woman anyway.
"Hahaha~ What about Dylan, then?" Giovanni couldn't help but ask with a smirk.
As soon as Selene heard that name, she froze. She glanced around and saw that Dylan hadn't returned from the bathroom yet—then puffed up with bravado again.
"Dylan? Hah! He's not of this earth—he's an extra-dimensional demon!"
Standing tall with her hands on her hips, she looked like a proud peacock, voice full of exaggerated heroism.
"One day, I'll drag that so-called Dylan down from the heavens, trample him beneath my feet, and take him home as my personal—"
Whack!
"Eek—ouch…"
Selene clutched her head and whimpered, teary-eyed.
She didn't even need to turn around. She knew that familiar strength and feeling all too well.
Blue: "Pfft—!"
Red: (︶)
Even Giovanni and Silver burst out laughing.
"Selene, your imagination's getting a little wild," Dylan's half-amused, half-threatening voice came from behind her. "Who did you just call a demon?"
"Eh? Oh, Gym Leader brother, you're back! Look, I saved you a chicken drumstick—I know it's your favorite!"
Selene's big, clear eyes sparkled innocently. Her sweet, crisp voice sounded so sincere it was almost disarming.
"You really are a good student," Dylan said warmly.
"Of course! You're my teacher, after all! To me, you're like the radiant sun in the sky and the moon that lights up the night—you're my lifelong inspiration!"
Selene clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at him with complete sincerity, eyes shining like stars.
"...Legendary."
Blue was impressed.
"Very good. Your attitude pleases your teacher. In fact, tonight I plan to do special training with Yveltal—you'll assist me."
"Eh?" Selene froze. "Y-Yveltal?"
"What's wrong?" Dylan asked with a benign smile.
"Um…"
"No backing out. This is your teacher's special care for his beloved student."
"I… I understand."
Selene pouted miserably, already imagining herself being used as Yveltal's moving target again.
The private box was filled with laughter. Everyone was still in high spirits about the World Championships.
But the next day, Giovanni wasn't smiling anymore.
He stared at the big screen, expression unreadable.
There were sixteen trainers left—eight matches total.
But why… was his opponent his own son?!
Giovanni's eyes flickered between calm and turmoil.
"Holy crap, they actually paired Giovanni with Silver," Leaf said, staring at the screen in shock.
What rotten luck for Silver!
"Let's see what Giovanni decides to do," Dylan murmured.
"Father."
Silver's brows were tightly furrowed. He clearly didn't like this matchup either.
"Silver, maybe we should—"
Giovanni hesitated. Could he really bring himself to eliminate his own son?
"Father, you're not thinking of forfeiting, are you?" Silver instantly saw through him, expression turning cold.
"You want glory, don't you, Silver?" Giovanni asked quietly.
"Yes—but not the kind that's given to me." Silver's voice was firm.
"Father, I want to prove myself. I want results. But not by your charity."
He was proud through and through.
He took pride in being Giovanni's son and Dylan's disciple, but that was exactly why he refused a handout.
If Giovanni forfeited, it would cheapen everything.
His senior Selene was already at the master level. Yellow had advanced by defeating Hilda.
And he? Advance because his father handed him the win?
Absolutely not.
"Even if I lose, then I just wasn't strong enough. No one else is to blame," Silver said calmly.
"Or do you think my resolve is so weak?"
Giovanni's eyes flickered—then he slowly smiled.
As expected of his son.
"I understand, Silver. Then let your father see how far you've come this past year."
…
"Now, let's welcome our next competitors!"
"Giovanni!"
"Silver!"
The host's voice boomed powerfully.
From one side of the arena emerged Giovanni in his signature black suit, every step steady. From the other, Silver, red hair blazing and expression sharp.
"AAAAHHH! Giovanni, my king!! I love you!!!"
"Giovanni will win for sure!!"
"Kanto's second strongest! Show him the weight of the earth!"
"No monster can stand before the might of Kanto's No.2!!"
The Indigo Stadium exploded with cheers.
This was Giovanni.
Over the past year, he had proved again and again that he deserved his position as the top of the Kanto Elite Four.
Even without challenging rankings recently, he fought off all challengers—many of them monsters in their own right—and crushed them all.
Aside from Dylan, Giovanni was indisputably the strongest symbol of Kanto.
(Lance had moved to Johto—tragically for Kanto.)
Red might currently be ranked higher, but many Giovanni fans insisted Giovanni was the stronger one—after all, Red had never challenged him directly but had gone straight for Leon.
"This world is insane," Lt. Surge muttered. Koga and Sabrina shared the same expression as the thunderous chants shook the air.
After all, this man—now worshipped like a hero—had been the boss of Team Rocket just a year ago.
"And that woman screaming 'Giovanni I love you'… is she serious?"
"Well, the boss does have that kind of charisma," Koga sighed.
Lt. Surge snorted, while Sabrina quietly scrolled through her phone.
Sabrina's appearance had changed drastically.
Her hair was now a fashionable medium length; she wore a fitted pink camisole revealing a slim waist and smooth stomach, paired with white long pants and a black belt.
Bracelets adorned her wrists, giving her a stylish, youthful aura. She no longer had the icy intimidation she once carried.
Yes—Sabrina was now a movie star. She'd debuted in Unova.
Just like she once said—she wanted a new life, and she loved the one she had now.
"What do you think?" Lt. Surge asked the three stunned people beside him.
Archer, Proton, and Ariana.
They had been released on bail—thanks to Giovanni's personal intervention.
Giovanni had visited them in prison and explained everything clearly.
"The boss… is this popular now?" Archer muttered, complicated emotions on his face.
For him, Giovanni and Team Rocket had been his spiritual backbone.
"No surprise there. He's the boss," Proton added, equally emotional.
Ariana looked conflicted as well.
They knew Giovanni was respected now, but seeing the reality was overwhelming.
If things continued this way, Giovanni becoming League Chairman no longer seemed impossible.
They'd only been away for a short time, but the world had changed without them.
Lt. Surge patted Archer and Proton on the shoulders.
"Times have changed, brothers. Be good now, yeah? Look at the boss and Sabrina—they're doing great. Maybe you two should try becoming Gym Leaders or something."
Sabrina shot him a glare, then went back to discussing her next movie with her agent.
Should she play a "mysterious woman," or a "witch queen"?
Truly a dilemma.
Archer, Proton, and Ariana fell silent.
(End of Chapter)