As the official competition offering a direct path to the Elite Four, ranked matches not only drew a huge number of participants, but also came with official benefits from the Divine Land Alliance starting at Great Ball Tier.
There were several kinds of benefits, which varied depending on one's rank.
First, ordinary purchases at all Pokémon Centers under the Pokémon League came with a 10% to 30% discount for Great Ball Tier, Ultra Ball Tier, and Master Ball Tier participants respectively.
Second, Ultra Ball Tier and Master Ball Tier participants could choose one Starter bred within the Pokémon League free of charge.
Third, those in the top 100 of Master Ball Tier would receive a late-blooming Pokémon provided by the Pokémon League—a Pseudo-Legendary. Each person only had one chance.
Beyond that, local provincial and municipal governments offered their own rewards and benefits to local participants, too numerous to list.
Overall, the first benefit was aimed more at the vast number of ordinary Trainers. Even a ten-percent discount meant that every product at all Pokémon Centers under the Pokémon League was sold at ninety percent of its original price.
The second and third benefits were olive branches extended by the Pokémon League to capable Trainers. Most Trainers would show the League's public officials some respect after receiving such gifts.
After defeating Chen Rui, Su Hao received a text notification on his phone informing him that he had advanced to Great Ball Tier.
His long, slender, well-defined fingers tapped open his verified personal information in the Pokémon League's official communication app, Piplup Messenger.
The information inside had already changed to:
Name: [Su Hao]
Age: [17]
Piplup ID: [114514]
Rank: [Great Ball Tier Rank 5]
Occupation: [Student]
After completing ten consecutive wins in Poké Ball Tier, his rank had automatically advanced to Great