>>41581602In Let's Go they explain the Pokémon League didn't have a Champion to beat until now, before that you just had to get 8 badges and beat the Elite 4 and you would obtain the Pokemon League Champion title and fuck off, just like in Alola you just had to fight the 4 Kahunas in Mount Lanakila after complete the trials and you would become the Island Challenge Champion and fuck off (see Kahili). It's only the year Red starts his adventure (a little earlier than Brendan starts his own) that the Pokemon Leagues adopt the last Champion as part of the challenge so the next guy to ever beat the Elite 4 would become a Champion (Green/Trace in Kanto, Steven in Hoenn). Red/Chase reach the league too late so he has to beat the Elite Four and the last Champion (Green/Trace), but said Champion only had to beat the Elite 4.
Basically Green/Trace is the MC of Sun Moon, they arrived when the region was changing the challenge's norms so they only had to beat 4 trainers in the league to become champions, then they fought a challenger (Green fought Red, Elio fought Kukui/Hau). Only difference is that Elio kept his title intact while Green lost it to the first challenger.
