>>53181807In the anime it is handled differently, collecting the badges only gives you the right to participate in the league tournament along with other trainers, the winner is crowned champion of that league edition, not of the region, that is why Tobias or Alain are only league champions, but Cynthia and Diantha keep their titles.
To crown yourself champion, tournaments are held between the elite four and positions are promoted, while the champion must defend his/her title (Basically there is a classification), the defense of the title is not just any fight, it requires certain demands for the challenger, which is why even if luckily Paul or Ash beat Cynthia and Diantha in a fight in their friendly matches these would not have counted.
The exception to this was Alola as it was a newly started league, although even Ash after winning a tournament had to test himself against Kukui, someone who is champion level in games.
Now the serious question, let's say that thanks to Drayden and his influences he manages to give Iris a chance, did she have to beat the entire Unovan E4 or directly got a battle against Alder?
