Cain had not expected that Juan and the others would have managed to bring Alder here.
"Champion Alder, you're joking. The respect that is due is still necessary," Cain said with a smile.
It seemed that this time Alder's arrival was probably meant to pave the way for Cain's ascension to the position of Champion; or rather, not so much to pave the way as to have Alder's presence give greater value to Cain's title as Champion and make it more recognized in the eyes of others.
"You people, honestly..." Alder shook his head. There was nothing he could do. He and Cain did not belong to the same era, and as the elder, if he were not shown respect, it would be easy for people to talk behind their backs.
"Hahahaha! Who would have thought that you would come too, Alder!"
Several more people appeared from one side, led by none other than Cain's old acquaintance, Professor Oak.
Why did it feel as if Professor Oak appeared everywhere? It always gave people the impression that, although he was a professor, he did not actually seem that busy and had quite a lot of free time.
"Professor Oak!"
Originally, Alder already had quite a high position in terms of seniority among those present, but who would have thought that someone with even greater seniority would arrive, so together with the others he respectfully greeted him.
"Cain, once all this is over, you have to explain this Mega Evolution thing to me properly. We've been working ourselves half to death for half a day, and in the end it may not even be worth as much as a single sentence from you," Professor Oak said, suddenly grabbing Cain without caring about anything else.
When Cain saw Professor Oak's gaze full of little stars, he immediately knew that this time it was not going to be so easy to refuse.
Without drawing attention, he withdrew his hand from Professor Oak's. Having a grown man grab his hand like that was a feeling that, honestly, he still could not quite accept.
"Ahem, all right. Once all this is over, we'll talk about it slowly," Cain replied, nodding again and again.
After saying that, Cain bid farewell to everyone, because the ceremony was about to begin!
"Next, let us welcome our Champion, Champion Drake! And also our First Elite Four! The Sandstorm Elite Four, Cain!!"
With the shout of the announcer, Cain and Drake, master and disciple, appeared together.
The two of them walked to the center of the stage amid thunderous cheers.
Have you ever felt what it is like to be welcomed by tens of thousands of people at the same time?
That feeling of being under the gaze of the entire crowd was undoubtedly something very special and deeply stirring.
"Kid... don't disappoint me," Drake said calmly beside Cain's ear as they walked.
Those sudden words left Cain momentarily stunned, but he quickly nodded.
Seeing his instinctive reaction, Drake did not say anything more. In the depths of his heart, he still trusted Cain very much, and he did not believe he would become what that person had said.
The Champion coronation ceremony organized by the Hoenn League was extremely complicated, but Cain had no alternative and could only follow along with it, because after all everything was for his own sake.
Under the gaze of everyone, a golden object that looked at once like both a trophy and a scepter passed from Drake's hands into Cain's.
That scepter was not any special object; it was only a symbol, something with purely ceremonial value.
However, on top of the scepter there was a Poké Ball. It was not a decoration, but a real Poké Ball.
And it was not an ordinary one, but a Master Ball!
Any Champion of any region, on the very day they become Champion, receives a Master Ball. It could be considered a token of gratitude or a reward for protecting a region as Champion.
The Master Ball was, up to that point, the highest-level Poké Ball that the Pokémon League could manufacture.
It was only that, because Cain had seen Poké Balls even more powerful, he felt that the Master Ball was not all that impressive. But in the eyes of the vast majority of people, a Master Ball was a treasure comparable to a pseudo-legendary hatchling!
After receiving the scepter, Cain raised it high.
"Champion!!!"
"Champion!!!"
"Champion!!!"
"Champion!!!"
"Champion Cain!!!"
"Champion Cain!!!"
"Champion Cain!!!"
"..."
The entire stadium erupted in cheers, congratulating Cain for taking up the position of Champion, and also congratulating the Hoenn region for now having a new and young protector.
Cain's strength was visible for all to see. The video that had gone viral on the internet, where he instantly defeated three high-ranking members of the Sacred Church, to this day was still being watched by huge numbers of people.
There were also quite a few "experts" on the internet who were gradually analyzing the strength of Cain's Pokémon at that time and what it meant to possess such power.
"In order to make the Champion position of our new Champion, Champion Cain, carry even more credibility, we have specially invited the current Champion of the Unova region, Champion Alder!"
"So that everyone may understand what kind of strength our Champion Cain possesses today!" After the ceremony ended, the announcer appeared again at the most opportune moment.
Upon hearing his words, the entire stadium once again roared with cheers.
"Champion Alder!! Champion Alder!!"
"Champion Alder!! Champion Alder!!"
"..."
After all, he was the current Champion of Unova, and Alder's feats were no secret in this era of developed networks; his popularity was also extremely high.
Moreover, at present there were quite a few trainers from Unova traveling through Hoenn, so the cries of welcome for Alder were only a little less than those Cain had received when he became Champion.
Amid the cheers of the audience, Alder gave a leap and came down from the side stands; with an agile flip, he appeared on the stage.
Alder traveled through the wild without using Flying-type Pokémon as mounts nor any means of transportation; he simply traveled together with his Pokémon.
He climbed steep cliffs by himself and crossed rushing rivers by his own strength, so his physical condition was quite outstanding. Although he could not be compared with certain experts in close combat, he was far more capable than ordinary people.
When Alder appeared, the entire stage opened from the center, and an enormous battlefield slowly rose up from below.
That was the place where Cain would have to battle against Alder.
(End of Chapter)