Red Rock Isle—this was one of the four main islands of the Whirl Islands, and it was precisely here that the Whirl Islands Cup was being held.
In Scarlet City, the city of Red Rock Isle, Lucas and his two companions had just arrived.
Within Scarlet City stood a massive palace—this was none other than the temple of the priestess of the Whirl Islands.
At this moment, however, two noble and graceful women stood before the temple gates.
"Lucas."
As though having spotted something, one of the women's faces blossomed with a radiant smile. She broke into a light run, rushing forward toward the boy approaching from the opposite direction.
Seeing this, Lucas let out a faint chuckle and caught the running woman in his arms. Her warmth and softness filled his embrace.
"Sorry, Ilene, it seems I'm a little late."
After holding her for a short while, Lucas gently apologized to Ilene with a soft voice full of warmth.
After all, the Whirl Islands Cup was already nearing its end, about to conclude entirely. Even if he came now, he and Ilene would not have much time to spend together.
"It's fine. I'm already so happy just because you came."
Ilene's beautiful and gentle face lifted into a smile as she shook her head lightly, answering with a bright laugh.
And that truly was what she felt in her heart.
"Come, Lucas, let me introduce you. This is the current priestess of the Whirl Islands, Maya. She's also my good friend—the one who invited me to watch the Whirl Island Cup."
Taking Lucas's hand, Ilene turned to introduce the purple-haired woman walking toward them from behind.
"It is an honor to meet you, Miss Maya."
Lucas swept his eyes over Maya and offered her a courtly smile with a touch of noble etiquette.
She wore a white gauze dress, her long purple hair cascading to her waist, her skin fair and flawless, her features delicate and lovely, and her temperament elegant and regal.
This was the current priestess of the seas of the Whirl Islands—Maya.
"Hello, Mr. Lucas. The honor is mine as well."
Maya gave a slight curtsy, a refined lady's greeting, her beautiful eyes flickering slightly as they gazed upon Lucas.
"Although I've heard Ilene speak of you before, Mr. Lucas, meeting you in person today… you truly are extraordinary."
Maya sighed with emotion as she looked at him. As the priestess of the sea, she was far from an ordinary person.
Precisely because of that, she could perceive the uniqueness surrounding Lucas.
It had to be said—Ilene really had stumbled upon a priceless treasure.
Maya cast Ilene a sidelong glance. She knew perfectly well that Ilene and Lucas were already engaged.
However…
"Mr. Lucas and your companions must be tired from the journey. Please, come inside. I've already had the servants prepare food."
Maya spoke with a gentle smile. Her voice was unhurried, pleasant to the ear, carrying a soothing cadence.
This was the refined upbringing instilled in her since childhood as a priestess.
Everyone entered the temple to rest. But because the finals of the Whirl Island Cup were about to begin, Maya, as the priestess, had to attend.
Naturally, Lucas and the others also made their way there to watch together.
Although the Whirl Island Cup did not command the same overwhelming attention as a regional championship—after all, it was merely a local event, restricted solely to Water-type Pokémon—over the years, the tournament's scale had grown considerably, surpassing many other local competitions.
After all, this was a true festival for Water-type trainers.
---------------------------------------------------
Ancient Arena
"The level isn't all that great."
Green watched the Gyarados and Dewgong battling in the arena and couldn't help but pout, expressing her candid opinion.
Though the fight looked intense on the surface, in her observation, it was nothing more than at the level of elite trainers.
Not to brag, but if she sent out her Blastoise, it would absolutely crush the competition.
"The Whirl Islands Cup is indeed famous here in the islands, but its reputation still hasn't spread outward."
Lucas's tone was indifferent. Personally, he felt that the rewards of the Whirl Islands Cup were truly exceptional.
Not only would the victor gain the standard tournament prizes, but they would also receive the blessing of the priestess herself, honored with the title of "Hero of the Seas."
In Lucas's eyes, such a tangible reward was far superior to a mere regional championship trophy.
Of course, everyone's aspirations were different. A regional tournament's scale was leagues beyond that of the Whirl Islands Cup.
Claiming victory in a regional competition brought massive fame and accomplishment to the trainer—sometimes even recognition across other regions.
Take Ash for example—when he performed well in the Silver Conference, he was recognized later by Tyson in Hoenn.
That was the influence of regional tournaments.
But of course, the region's prestige mattered as well.
For example, in Alola—Ash even became the first champion of the newly founded Alola League, but his fame still didn't rise much…
At the root of it, Alola's influence was simply too small. Before the League was established, the world mostly thought of Alola as nothing more than a tourist paradise.
"Recently, people have been saying that the trainers of the Indigo really have gotten weaker."
Seated beside Lucas, Ilene blinked her lovely eyes and spoke softly.
Originally, she hadn't paid much attention to the world of trainers, but ever since getting engaged to Lucas, she had often browsed trainer forums.
After all, since Lucas himself was a trainer, as his fiancée, she naturally had to understand a little about the trainer world—this way, she would have more to talk about with him.
"What? Who dares to say that Indigo trainers are weak?"
Green froze when she heard this, blurting out a sharp and incredulous question.
As a native-born Indigo citizen, who didn't have a sense of pride in their home region? And besides—
To claim that Indigo trainers were weak? What a joke!
Was Lucas not proof enough? That monster was standing right in front of them! He might be part of Team Rocket, but he was still only eighteen years old. Among contemporary trainers, who could be his equal?
And even if you didn't count Lucas, there was still Red!
Green also had a strong impression of him—that Pallet Town trainer who had dared to challenge Lorelei head-on aboard the S.S. Anne.
Not to mention, she had her own confidence. She might not be at the level of monsters like Lucas or Red, but she dared say she was still among the most outstanding of her generation.
To say that Indigo trainers were weak? Utter nonsense.
"That's what they say on the forums," Ilene explained, noticing Green's reaction. She blinked her clear eyes as she spoke.
She truly didn't understand the matter too well.
"Ha! Those idiots…"
Green's delicate features tightened into a scowl as she pulled out her phone.
Damn it! She was going to give those clueless keyboard warriors a good lesson!
"Well, they're not entirely wrong. The quality of contestants in recent Indigo Conferences really hasn't been great."
Lucas laughed lightly as he glanced at the intensely focused Green before speaking.
A region's overall strength was generally reflected in its performance in tournaments, as well as the strength of its Elite Four and Gym Leaders.
As for Indigo's Elite Four? Their strength was unquestionable. Even Lorelei, ranked fourth among them, was a champion-level Ice-type trainer.
Couple that with Indigo being the largest of all regions, and it would be strange if it weren't considered the number one region.
But it was true—the recent years' Indigo Conference competitors had shown a sharp decline in quality.
"That's only because we haven't been competing! Otherwise, would those guys dare to yap like that?"
Green was clearly displeased. She refused to believe her home region was weak.
If not for the absence of people like Lucas or Karen, even just Green participating would have shut them all up.
Green might only be at the level of an Elite, but her strength was enough to challenge the Elite Four of other regions.
"This year, the other regions will be in for quite the surprise. Two of your fellow townsfolk are competing."
The corner of Lucas's lips curved faintly. Although he didn't personally care much for regional pride, as long as Lance and the other three Elites remained, Indigo would always be worthy of its title as the number one region.
But letting the world see Indigo's strength firsthand wasn't a bad thing.
And this year's Indigo Conference would indeed be under the world's gaze—for both Red and Blue would be competing!
Blue was aiming to make a name for himself in one fell swoop and claim the title of Indigo Champion.
Red was gunning straight for the title of "strongest trainer."
By the year's end, both of them would absolutely reach the level of top champions, strong contenders to challenge Lance.
Of course… that assumed Lance would still be the Champion of Indigo by then.
After all, it wasn't impossible that he might part ways with the League before the Indigo Conference even began.
"Two townsfolk?" Green looked at Lucas in confusion.
She was from Pallet Town. One of them had to be Red, but was there really another person her age who could be compared with him?
"Lucas, I don't know if you've heard about it yet?"
Ilene leaned her head gently against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his arm. Her lips curved with a serene smile, her expression quiet yet captivating.
The more time she spent with him, the more convinced she became that choosing Lucas as her partner for life was the wisest decision she could have ever made.
"What is it?"
"The Ranking Tournament. I heard the Pokémon League is preparing to establish a ranking system for trainers—a global leaderboard that includes trainers from all over the world."
Her soft words revealed a piece of news that even surprised Lucas.
"Is this true?" Even Marnie, who was nearby, cried out in shock.
A global trainer ranking? Was that really possible?
After all, trainers' strengths were not static, and when it came to top-level trainers, who could truly judge who was stronger?
"If they really implement such a ranking system… the world will go absolutely wild."
Green, who had been absorbed in her forum arguments, froze as well, clicking her tongue in astonishment.
Yes—such a controversial ranking would spark heated debates anywhere.
Everywhere, people had regional pride and loyalty. If their region's champions didn't get a high rank, the arguments would rage nonstop!
And besides—
How would such a ranking even be fairly decided?
Every region had its own pinnacle trainer—the Champion!
Who could confidently declare that their Champion was weaker than another's? Naturally, everyone believed their own Champion was the strongest!
"Interesting. This is really, really interesting."
The corners of Lucas's mouth slowly curved upward. This ranking system—it was the exact same setup from the newest Pokémon Journeys anime.
In the show, the one ranked number one was Leon, the strongest of the Masters Eight. Lance had even challenged Leon during the ranking system, only to lose.
He hadn't expected this world to actually adopt the same system.
"Where did you hear this news?" Lucas asked after a moment of thought, curious about Ilene.
After all, she was merely a local noblewoman—how had she gotten hold of such an important piece of information?
Even he hadn't known about it before now.
"Maya told me. The Indigo League sent people to contact her, asking her to collect and compile information on the contestants in this Whirl Islands Cup to hand over to the League."
"The League is already in the process of sorting through trainer data from all the major regions, preparing to draft the initial version of the global rankings."
Ilene replied with a soft smile.
Yes—this news had come straight from Maya.
Compared to herself as a mere noblewoman, Maya's position as the highest priestess of the Whirl Islands was far more exalted.
In essence, Maya was the true ruler of the Whirl Islands, her authority far surpassing Ilene's.
And the Whirl Islands, after all, held considerable renown within Indigo.
"I see… in that case, the world really is about to get very lively."
Lucas raised his brows slightly. If that was the case, then the news was surely genuine.
Which meant that the global ranking system would soon become a reality.
Tsk, tsk… once that happened, the whole world truly would erupt with excitement!
After all, until now, even the biggest competitions had only been regional. But this ranking system—it would encompass the entire world!
And as for trainers—who among them didn't dream of being the very strongest?
Even the Champions of each region—reaching that level already meant they were people of unshakable will and unmatched conviction.
Moreover, this was also another way to bring honor and glory to his own region!
"I wonder, when the rankings are finally revealed this time, who will be the one standing at number one?"
Lucas touched his chin thoughtfully, curiosity flickering in his eyes. In the original anime, the one ranked first was Leon, yet the Lance in the anime simply could not be compared to the Lance of this world.
His cousin Lance was, without a doubt, the very same Lance from the Pokémon Adventures, a true top-tier powerhouse among the strongest.
"Who knows, perhaps the two of them might actually end up clashing one day."
Once the ranking competition was announced, all the great powerhouses from every region who aimed to climb to the pinnacle of trainers would finally have a legitimate reason to cross paths and fight one another.
The whole world would be stirred into excitement. Various ranking challenges would inevitably begin to surface one after another!
"It's just that I don't know if the League will decide to place you into the rankings, Lucas."
Marnie tilted her small head slightly, her soft voice carrying curiosity as her gaze rested on Lucas's side profile.
Lucas arched his brow at her words. He had to admit, he was quite curious about that as well.
(End of Chapter)