After a brief discussion among the four of Aoki, the most important ceremony was finally about to begin.
To allow more people to witness the event, the same large stadium used when Lance became an Elite Four member in the Elite Four Challenge was chosen.
But even with such a large stadium, it was still packed with people.
"Welcome everyone to the League's extremely important Kanto League and Johto League Inauguration Ceremony! I am your host!" A middle-aged man with a small mustache, dressed in a purple suit, stood in the center of the stadium as the host.
Because this was two major events, various regions sent their strongest individuals, as well as those like Aoki who were going to the Stone Continent.
Most of them were familiar faces to Aoki, as the number of slots was limited, so almost all participants were top-tier individuals from their respective regions.
For example, Cynthia from the Sinnoh region, who greeted Aoki from afar, and Diantha and Drasna from the Kalos region, among others.
The host rambled on for a long time, essentially providing a seemingly plausible explanation for ordinary, uninformed people, but for those with sufficient status and position, it was just irrelevant nonsense.
After the General Alliance approved and nodded to the Kanto League's submitted application, the entire Kanto League, in a sense, had already completed its division, it was just that a detailed list for personnel arrangement and deployment had not yet been compiled.
During the subsequent period, what the Kanto League did was to reasonably and legally complete this list and roster; as for informing the general public, it was more of a formality to let them know that such an event was taking place.
After the pleasantries were over, some important personnel or position changes were formally announced.
The former Kanto League President would serve as the President of the Kanto League, and the Vice President would become the President of the Johto region's League.
Some of the lower-level departments either had their original directors remain in the Kanto region, or their deputies stayed in the Kanto region to take over as directors.
From an intuitive perspective, it seemed as if all deputies were promoted, while the original heads were demoted by half a rank.
However, this was not the case, because the original Kanto region was too vast; neither the heads nor the deputies could manage the entire large region. The most reasonable distribution method was usually for the head to manage one region and the deputy to manage another, which was the most efficient and easiest way to manage.
Therefore, although the original Kanto region seemed to be jointly managed, in reality, a division of labor had already occurred, which was why this split was so swift and without much upheaval.
For these high-ranking officials, the impact was not particularly significant; the greatest impact was on the middle-level cadres. Vacancies in higher positions gave them opportunities to climb further up the ladder.
The motivation brought by this power temptation is unimaginable, so after the division into the Kanto and Johto regions, both regions are expected to experience a period of rapid development.
This injected new vitality into the originally bloated and massive League, allowing the combined strength of the Kanto and Johto regions to far exceed that of the original Kanto region.
After all, some capable and promising individuals were in positions that did not match their strength, and despite wanting to climb higher, they found all paths blocked. Unless those above them made a major mistake, no matter how hard they worked, there wouldn't be much change.
Over time, people would lose motivation and the drive to strive, and gradually, the entire League would become increasingly bloated.
Now, after being divided into two regions, the number of positions has almost doubled at once, revitalizing those with strength, potential, and a fighting spirit.
So, many people of status, upon learning that the Kanto region, the largest region in the entire League, was going to be divided into two major regions, did not show much surprise. This was an inevitable trend; otherwise, internal conflicts would surely explode the entire League before external pressure could.
"Now, the most important moment!! Let us introduce our Elite Four of the Kanto region and the Johto region!!"
"Whoosh—"
The host's words once again dropped a bombshell into the entire venue!
This sentence implied many things.
The Elite Four were announced directly without announcing a Champion, indicating that even after the Kanto region was split into the Kanto and Johto regions, neither of these regions had a Champion.
Furthermore, with two regions, there would be a total of eight Elite Four members, which meant four new Elite Four members would be added at once, and not through a competition, but directly appointed by the League.
"Kanto Region!
Elite Four Agatha, Ghost-type!
Elite Four Bruno, Fighting-type!
Elite Four Lance, Dragon-type!
Elite Four Lorelei, Ice-type!"
Everyone present understood that these four Elite Four members were all from the former Kanto region. This was unlike the other department heads and positions, which were evenly distributed; instead, all of them were given to the Kanto region.
What was the meaning of this? Was the Johto region suddenly going to produce four Elite Four members, all of whom would be newly appointed?
For a moment, residents living in the Johto region felt more or less uneasy and resentful.
What did this mean?
From the previous position allocations, most of the Johto region's positions were filled by deputies being promoted to full roles, even the president was a vice president promoted to president. That could be overlooked, at least the vice presidents were high-ranking officials with sufficient ability to manage the Johto region well.
But now, when it came to the Elite Four, who represented military power, they were all given to the Kanto region. How could the residents of the Johto region ensure their personal safety?
Did the General Alliance see the Kanto region as their biological child, and the Johto region as a stepchild?
Many people now held this view, and if the Johto region couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, its residents would certainly not accept it.
"Now, let's welcome the four Elite Four to the stage!!" As the host's words fell, the four well-known Elite Four members each displayed their unique methods of ascending the stage.
Agatha appeared on stage silently, like a shadow. Bruno, with pure physical strength, leaped from the stands, covering dozens of meters, and landed steadily on the stage.
Lance was much more flamboyant, standing on the back of his Dragonite, flapping his cape, and jumping down from mid-air.
As for Lorelei, she walked onto the stage step by step, but a trail of ice was left on the ground she walked on, showcasing her identity as an Ice-type Elite Four member.
As soon as these four well-known Elite Four members appeared, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.