"An exhibition tour?"
Inside a massive roundtable conference room, the Kanto Elite Four gathered. As the youngest among them, Klein was assigned the responsibility of leading the upcoming Elite Four Exhibition Tour.
Lorelei smiled and handed Klein a promotional booklet. "Every season, the regional Elite Four travel to various cities for exhibition matches. It's a key event for the League's public image. This time, the League has specifically chosen you as our representative."
As the new Sandstorm Elite Four and a prodigious young trainer, Klein was naturally the focal point of this year's promotions. The League executives had designated him as the face of the exhibition matches.
Now an official member of the Elite Four, Klein had registered all his Pokémon in the League system—a total of seventy-eight. Of those, over fifty were Steel, Ground, or Rock-types, making him a true Sandstorm specialist.
However, since Klein was the Kanto Elite Four, the League preferred that he mainly use Pokémon native to Kanto and Johto.
Among his suitable Pokémon, there were more than a dozen that fit the criteria. Notably, Swampert—his most prominent Pokémon in the recent Championship—was specifically requested by the League to remain part of his main team. After all, it had already become his signature Pokémon.
"Who will I be battling in the exhibition matches?"
Klein had seen exhibition matches in the original Pokémon anime and was always curious about how the opponents were chosen. Surely, it wasn't as simple as random trainers like Ash suddenly jumping in for a challenge.
Lorelei swayed slightly, causing certain… assets to shift before continuing, "The opponents are usually past regional top three trainers, Gym Leaders, or trainers ranked within the top 1,000 of the Pokémon Trainer Magazine."
Ignoring the distraction, Klein focused on the match details. "Any other requirements?"
"You need to display the presence of an Elite Four."
And how exactly should he demonstrate that?
First, Klein's usual travel clothes were completely replaced. The League provided him with specially designed Elite Four attire—high-end, locally made, and meticulously crafted. Compared to the practical but worn outfits he had used during his regional journeys, the League had clearly invested heavily in his image.
"Where is the first exhibition match?"
"Vermilion City."
"My opponent isn't the Gym Leader, is it?"
If it was just Lt. Surge, Klein didn't think there would be much of a challenge—he had already battled at Vermilion Gym before.
"Of course not."
Lance cleared his throat and flipped through the documents. "Your opponent is a well-known female trainer. She was the runner-up in the regional tournament four seasons ago and also won the Hoenn Contest Grand Festival in the past two seasons."
Bruno laughed heartily. "A beautiful trainer, and a Contest Star at that? Beauty and the Beast—what a great show this will be!"
Klein's brutal battle with Wulfric had already sparked massive online discussions. His ruthless, overwhelming style had earned him the nickname Tyrant of the Sandstorm. Now, with this fierce battler facing off against a graceful Contest idol, the League was certainly stirring up excitement.
"The first match will take place in three days aboard a luxury cruise ship in Vermilion City."
With the exhibition match settled, the meeting turned to more serious matters—Elite Four duties and ongoing responsibilities.
"Klein, are you sure you want to take on the Special Criminal Pursuit assignments?"
The criminals designated as Special Cases were exceptionally dangerous. Some, like the leaders of Team Rocket, had deep underground connections and armed forces, making them difficult to take down. Others were notorious for their cruelty and cunning, often leaving little trace of their whereabouts.
"My battle style is well-suited for these missions."
Klein's direct statement made Lance and Bruno exchange glances before nodding in agreement. The decision was finalized—Klein would handle these assignments.
Currently, Team Rocket was the biggest threat in Kanto. They were involved in illegal Pokémon trafficking and had harmed many trainers by stealing their rare Pokémon. The League's main focus was on dismantling their operations.
While Klein was strong enough, Lance preferred that Bruno accompany him on missions against Team Rocket to ensure stability. Lorelei and Agatha, on the other hand, were more involved in cultural and educational efforts.
"Team Rocket has an upcoming operation at Mt. Moon. Klein, Bruno, I'm leaving this one to you two."
As the meeting continued, the rest of the agenda had little to do with Klein. It mainly involved Gym Leader evaluations. Some Gyms had excessively high pass rates and were being downgraded, while others had pass rates so low they were also being penalized.
Six Gyms had repeatedly failed evaluation over multiple seasons and were stripped of their Gym status, being relegated to regular training centers. Agatha was assigned the task of selecting new candidates to replace them.
"Lorelei, how is the Pokédex expansion project with Professor Oak going?"
"The latest update added three new Pokémon to the Kanto Pokédex. Professor Oak has finished the upgrade, and Pokémon Centers across the region will implement it soon. Additionally, two Pokémon Centers have requested renovations—I inspected them personally, and they are indeed outdated. Also, we need to replace old Poké Balls, as some have developed internal humidity issues, making Pokémon uncomfortable."
Lorelei was responsible for overseeing Pokémon Centers, ensuring medication supplies, coordinating Poké Ball distribution, and handling trainer funding requests. Unlike the others, her work was less flashy but crucial to the League's daily operations.
As each Elite Four member reported their tasks, Bruno remained in charge of security and law enforcement, now joined by Klein for criminal investigations. Lorelei and Agatha handled administrative and logistical duties.
The Elite Four ranking system differed from standard tournaments. Instead of battling for points, their contributions to the League determined their standings.
Bruno was intentionally kept as the lowest-ranked Elite Four so that, if challengers wanted to battle for a spot, there would be enough time to prepare without disrupting Lorelei and Agatha's work.
With Lance promoted to Champion, Bruno's role as the "gatekeeper" of the Elite Four became even more critical. Now, Klein was also in the spotlight as the most vulnerable target for challengers.
"Let's focus on the Vermilion City exhibition match first."
—
A few days later, fireworks lit up the skies of Vermilion City as a massive luxury cruise ship approached from the distant ocean. The entire event was being broadcast live by multiple TV stations.
"The debut of the new Sandstorm Elite!"
"Wait… isn't that the brutal guy? Let me check his opponent—Miss Sally?!"
A stunned trainer exclaimed. To him, Klein was the embodiment of wild, brute-force battling. He never expected that Klein's opponent would be the elegant and beloved Sally.
This was Beauty and the Beast in its truest form. And Klein… was very much the beast.
"Aren't you worried?" a friend asked. "Sally was nearly a regional champion, and she's spent years refining her skills in Contest Battles. We don't actually know her full strength. I believe she'll teach that barbarian a lesson."
The Sally fanboy grinned confidently. To him, his idol was surely going to put the Tyrant of the Sandstorm in his place.
(End of Chapter)