>>42280499Is it? I'm pretty sure Blue is still the only rival to become champion, unless you count N as a rival.
But I sort of get what you mean. Back then, there wasn't even an expectation that there'd be a Champion after the Elite Four. And like Blue's dialogue implies, there was no indication of other Pokemon Leagues (making him the world's strongest), so the feeling of facing your rival at the absolute pinnacle of Pokemon training was only felt by kids who played Gen 1 first. Removed from the context of the rest of the series, it's definitely a very impactful moment.
