“After seven days of intense competition, the new generation of the Elite Four has finally been born—and they are—”
“Dragon-type Elite Four, Lance!”
“Ghost-type Elite Four, Agatha!”
“Ice-type Elite Four, Lorelei!”
“Fighting-type Elite Four, Bruno!”
Under the spotlight, with tens of thousands of spectators focused on them, Lance, Agatha, Lorelei, and Bruno stood on the highest stage of the Indigo Plateau.
Bathed in glory and flowers, they received the admiration and cheers of every Trainer across the Kanto region.
In the audience, Aaron couldn’t help but tremble slightly as he watched the four figures under the spotlight.
The Elite Four—the strongest combat power of a region.
Each one was a towering peak that every Trainer had to look up to on their journey.
After these seven days, witnessing true Elite-level battles alongside Lorelei, his previous pride from sweeping through the Pokémon Research Academy had completely vanished.
This world truly had far more powerful Pokémon and Trainers than he had ever imagined.
“Big brother, when I can finally travel, I’m going to challenge one of them and become the next Elite Four member!” Ash said excitedly to Aaron.
Because of Aaron, he had also gotten to know Lorelei early on, so he had been watching from the very first day.
“Tch, with your level, being able to collect eight Gym Badges would already be impressive.
The next Elite Four member is definitely going to be me,” said the spiky-haired boy beside them, Gary, pouring cold water without hesitation.
The Elite Four Challenge Tournament was a rare event held only once every few years, so Gary had naturally come with Professor Oak to watch.
“Hmph!
The one who will become Elite Four is definitely me!” Ash snapped back, glaring at Gary like an angry cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“Alright, you two brats, stop arguing.
I’ll reserve two spots among the future Elite Four for you.
As for the Champion—that will be mine,” Aaron said.
“Huh?” Ash and Gary both froze and stared at him.
“What?
If you’re going to participate in battles, then you should aim for the highest goal.
The Elite Four isn’t the end, and even the Champion isn’t the end.
A Pokémon Trainer’s path has no limit,” Aaron said calmly.
“Such passion… the vitality of youth,” Professor Oak said from the side with a satisfied smile.
“However, Aaron, your first paper has already been published.
You are now a doctoral candidate.
Hurry up and complete the remaining dissertation requirements.”
“If you complete your dissertation, then Aaron will become a full Doctor?
The youngest Doctor in the entire Alliance?” Gary asked in admiration.
The youngest Doctor—and my student,” Professor Oak said proudly.
He already had fame, status, and wealth beyond measure.
What he valued now was academic recognition and training outstanding researchers.
A researcher like Professor Elm from New Bark Town in Johto—and now another one: the youngest Doctor in the entire Alliance.
That made him extremely satisfied.
“That’s right, he’s my big brother!” Ash said proudly.
“Don’t flatter yourself.
The biggest failure in Aaron’s life is having you as a younger brother.
If you could be even half as good as him, Mrs.
Delia would already be thanking the heavens,” Gary shot back as usual.
“Gary!” Ash glared.
“I’m right here,” Gary replied, glaring back.
Aaron smiled and shook his head, not bothering to stop their usual bickering.
They had been arguing since childhood—it was just how they were.
“Teacher, can you help me get an Eevee?” Aaron suddenly asked.
“Hm?
What do you need an Eevee for?
It’s a rare Pokémon.
I can apply for one for research purposes, but I can’t just give it to you.
It’s not like Togepi, which led to discovery of the Fairy type,” Professor Oak replied curiously.
“But if I manage to discover a new evolution of Eevee—like a Fairy-type Eevee—then I could keep it myself, right?” Aaron countered.
“A new evolution?
Are you confident?” Professor Oak’s eyes lit up.
“I can’t say I’m completely certain, but I’d say I have a 70–80% chance.
Eevee’s genes are highly variable.
Theoretically, it should be able to evolve into almost any type of Pokémon.
Yet right now it only has Electric, Water, and Fire evolutions.
That’s clearly incomplete.
Give me three years, and I’ll definitely research a Fairy-type Eevee evolution,” Aaron said confidently.
“Good.
I’ll apply for one for you.
If you succeed, that Eevee will belong to you,” Professor Oak decided immediately.
Aaron nodded.
Either way, since he was destined to become a Pokémon Professor, he might as well use that identity to gain maximum benefit.
Fairy-type Pokémon in Kanto were still extremely rare, and powerful ones even more so.
But if they were rare, then all the more reason to collect them.
Ninetales, Gyarados, Snorlax, Togekiss, Sylveon, Meowth.
Just think about it—how many Gyms in Kanto could actually stand against him?
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked toward Lorelei, shining brilliantly on the stage.
His lips moved silently.
You owe me a condition.
Lorelei noticed his expression and immediately looked annoyed.
She had already fought hard all the way through—except against the other three Elite Four members, she had basically swept opponents three-on-one.
She had even used Fairy-type tactics to trick Lance, exhausting his main Dragonite’s stamina with Ninetales before finishing it off with a single Ice Beam from Lapras.
She even narrowly defeated Bruno in a last-hit victory, becoming one of the biggest highlights of the tournament.
But because she had pushed herself too hard in earlier matches, when she faced Agatha, her main Pokémon were already heavily weakened.
The official rules didn’t care about fatigue or injuries.
Just like in the original story where Ash’s opponent’s Blaziken fought a brutal, near-death battle in one match and still wasn’t allowed to rest in the next round—losing as a result.
Here, Lorelei also ended up being overwhelmed two-on-three by Agatha.
And just like that, the championship slipped completely out of her reach.
If not for Lance’s Dragonite stopping Agatha’s Gengar, Agatha would have taken the title instead.
Losing the match when victory was within reach already infuriated Lorelei.
Now she also had to owe Aaron a condition—she seriously felt like quitting on the spot.
Forget being an Ice-type Elite Four member—I want the championship!
After greeting Lorelei, Aaron turned and left.
He was just a spectator this time, but next time he came, he would be standing on that stage.
…
Time flew by.
Four and a half years passed in the blink of an eye, but the Kanto academic world had undergone changes unseen in the past decade.
“The New Pokémon Type—Fairy Type, the Dragon Slayer”
“The New Evolution Possibility of Eevee—Sylveon”
“The Probability of Mutation Through Cross-Species Pokémon Combinations”
“How to Teach Pokémon to Speak Human Language”
“How to Train Quadrupedal Pokémon to Walk Upright”
“How to Better Understand Pokémon Emotions”
“Analysis of Regional Variants Across Different Regions”
“The Possibility of Reviving Fossil Pokémon”
Countless papers capable of shaking the entire academic world had been published within four years—and they all came from a single name.
Aaron—the youngest Doctor in the entire Alliance.