"Riku, thank you!"
At the Orange League headquarters, the League elders who had received the news suddenly bowed deeply to Riku.
"No, no, you mustn't!" Riku quickly waved his hands.
"Grandma , after all, I live in the Orange Archipelago and am also a member of the League.
We can't just stand by and watch other Leagues step all over us."
"In any case, your contribution this time is too great!" Grandma sighed.
"Before you came, we had already discussed it at length.
Now the islanders of the Orange Archipelago are very interested in you. They've even started calling you the number one expert in our Orange League."
"So, we've decided to publicly announce you as our Orange League's 'Quasi-Champion.'"
"Quasi-Champion?" Riku blinked in surprise.
"Is there really such a title? I've only heard of the Elite Four..."
"No." Unexpectedly, Grandma shook her head decisively.
"This is not an official title. It's a special honor granted by our Orange League."
Riku was taken aback but quickly understood.
This so-called Quasi-Champion just sounded prestigious. It was probably not much different from Drake's "Chief Trainer" title.
Dada da—
Suddenly, the fax machine in the conference room rang.
A secretary-like woman in a suit quickly jogged over. When she saw the contents of the fax, her eyes lit up. She ran back and handed it to Grandma.
"This is..."
Grandma was surprised. After reading it, she passed it around to the other elders and then turned back to Riku with a smile.
"Riku, the Indigo League just faxed us a letter.
It's a letter of apology. The Indigo League is formally apologizing to our Orange League."
"What?!"
Drake and the others' expressions changed. Jealousy soon replaced their shock.
This was a major League bowing its head!
Even if they didn't want to admit it, they understood clearly—the Indigo League only did this because they saw Riku defeat Bruno.
If Bruno had won, the Indigo League wouldn't have bothered with the Orange League.
"Sigh..."
At a moment when she should have felt thrilled, Grandma sighed instead.
"Actually, we've always wanted to form our own Elite Four team. The reason the Orange League has always been looked down upon is because we've never even been able to form an Elite Four."
"But now that we have Riku, we finally see a glimmer of hope."
Riku asked curiously, "Grandma, what are the requirements to become an Elite Four member?
Drake also has a Champion-level Dragonite, so shouldn't he qualify?"
"It's not that simple," Grandma shook her head.
"The primary requirement to become an Elite Four member is to possess six Champion-level Pokémon."
"Drake only has one Dragonite. You currently have three Champion-level Pokémon. We're still quite far from that requirement."
After a pause, Grandma added,
"Moreover, that's not even the most difficult part.
The real challenge is completing the tasks issued by the Pokémon League Center."
"In strong Leagues, many Trainers possess six Champion-level Pokémon, yet they can't become Elite Four members because they fail these tasks."
May asked curiously, "Grandma , what kind of tasks does the Pokémon League Center issue? Are they very difficult?"
"Very difficult—unimaginably so," Grandma said with a frown.
"They often involve legendary Pokémon.
Many years ago, our Orange League produced a genius Trainer. He had six Champion-level Pokémon and confidently took the Elite Four assessment."
"But unexpectedly, he didn't return until many years later—and he failed. Since that brief return, he vanished completely. Decades have passed, and I haven't seen him again..."
As Grandma recounted the memory, her expression dimmed with sorrow.
It seemed she had deeply admired that genius Trainer. Perhaps they had even shared a close relationship.
May worriedly said, "Tasks involving legendary Pokémon... isn't that just sending people to their deaths? Riku, let's not aim to become an Elite Four member. Life is more important."
"You're overthinking it," Riku shook his head.
"I don't even have the qualifications to register for the Elite Four yet. I'm still just an unregistered resident..."
"Riku, we in the Orange League will do everything we can to help you get a Pokémon Trainer ID!"
Grandma 's tone became urgent.
The Pokémon Trainer ID was like an identity card in the Pokémon world.
If Riku was recruited by another major League and registered under their Trainer ID, then any future achievements of his would have nothing to do with the Orange League.
Becoming their Elite Four member would be out of the question.
In truth, the Orange League was rather pitiful.
In terms of size, the Orange Archipelago was not small—it could be considered mid-to-upper tier.
But in the eyes of outside Trainers, the Orange League was just a minor region.
Forget the Elite Four—they didn't even have a proper Champion-level Trainer.
Trainers like Drake, who only had a single Champion-level Pokémon, were generally classified as Elite-level Trainers elsewhere.
They couldn't even come close to being considered Champion-level.
And the current Riku—even if he defeated Bruno—could, at best, be considered an Elite-level Trainer.
Strictly speaking, as someone without a Trainer ID, Riku couldn't even be considered a Trainer.
Strength was strength; titles were titles.
To become an Elite Four member, one had to first be a Champion-level Pokémon Trainer with six Champion-level Pokémon and pass the assessments.
"Grandma, please help me with this as soon as possible."
Riku was now genuinely troubled by his unregistered status.
"After all, Bruno is a veteran Elite Four member of the Indigo League. He's probably quite famous throughout the Pokémon world. Since I've defeated him, some forces are likely to start targeting me."
"If I'm still an unregistered resident by then, I'll be vulnerable to being exploited."
"I believe everyone who cares about the League understands this. I have feelings for the Orange League, and I hope the Orange League can reciprocate."
Grandma and the other elders exchanged glances and nodded solemnly.
"Rest assured, we won't let you down."
Ding—
Just as Riku was about to leave, a system notification suddenly rang in his mind.
The Ralts egg is hatching. Please assist the host with the delivery in time.
Delivery?
The Ralts egg was finally hatching!
Suddenly, Riku felt a strange, warm sensation in his heart—
A bond of blood.
Although he had never been a father before,
Riku felt certain—
This was the feeling of becoming a parent for the first time.
-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter