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Let me level with you, I may have a slight case of dyscalculia, but basic math isn't a problem.
Nevertheless, I was taught to never be too overconfident, so I kinda need your help on this one.

Isn't 4 different than 5?
Five is the greater number, right?

So then, why o why do we have five trainers in the Elite 4?

Shouldn't they be called "Elite 5"?
It does sound better than "Elite 4+1 Part-time Champion".

And if the Champion is supposed to be this amazing trainer that defeated those Elites before us, shouldn't the weakest of them leave thus giving the name, Elite 4, its meaning?

Let me know what you guys think!

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Champion is separate from the Elite 4. Different rank, different perks, different relationship.
^^ Basically this.
Elite Four sounds a lot cooler than Eite Five. Originally (of course, this part is speculation, but it's practically already stated) thre were four  trainers of a league. The first person to beat them became the champion, and then the next person to take them on therefore had to defeat the champion.

The champion is seperate from the E4 to my understanding (as AWFY said).
Imagine the Champion's position as a throne about four steps high. Each step you climb is like beating a member of the Elite 4. Now after climbing these steps, you encounter this cat sitting on the throne. Moving it out would be like beating the previous champ.

Obviously the cat and the steps are different, no? Basically that meant the Elite 4 are more like a prerequisite to become champion, and the previous champ is a hurdle at the end.
Additionally, the champions' teams are a lot different. The best example is that the elite 4 always use 4 or 5 Pokemon each, the champion always uses 6. Starting gen 5, the elite 4 could be battled in any order, but the champion is always battled last.
Also, the E4 are all type-based (except Diamond/Pearl Flint and Bruno), while Champions are more diversified type-wise. Some do have major party "themes" (Iris and Lance have Dragons, Steven has three Steel-types), but some have very diverse teams (Blue, Cynthia).
I like that basically any user can just come in and answer using the information we just said in comments and have it be justifiable in reasoning.

coughcoughtotallynothintingthatsomeoneshouldbedoingthatnowcoughcough
Doctor Disco, the elite 4 always have type specialties, and Flint and Bruno aren't the only elite 4 members who stray from their specialties. Play FRLG and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Those were just examples. I chose Bruno for his Onix and Flint because, for some reason, in DP he had Steelix, Lopunny, and Drifblim. They seemed to be the biggest offenders. I know they all have specialties, just some of them don't stick to it very well XD
Agatha and Lance had it even worse than Bruno.
I was told that in Gen I, the champion was meant to be a surprise ending to the game (for those who didn't know it), hence the misleading title of the Elite Four.
Indigo has the best point.
Sooo, is someone going to post an answer with those info or should I just sum them up and write them down?
I don't think we should/can leave a question open if we have a defined answer.

2 Answers

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Hmmm, that's an interesting question, but here's my take on it, since the champion is never officially an elite 4 member, not to mention in the first Pokemon games, red and green, when you beat the last elite 4 member, lance, he states that after blue, or Gary, or whatever beat him, he officially became champion, no mention of a previous champion, meaning that the elite 4 originally didn't have a champion, otherwise there would have to have been someone after lance for Gary to fight, but since there wasn't, that means there was only 4 members originally, hence the name, elite 4. One more example, this time as to why the don't replace one of the elite 4 members with the champion to get keep the number to 4, well, inevitably, the elite 4 would be made out of 4 Pokemon champions which would be, let's face it, a bunch of 10 year olds, and while they would have enough skill as a Pokemon trainer, they simply wouldn't be mature enough, or old enough to run the elite 4, which is why they use 4 highly capable adults instead.

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Because the last one is not a member of elite 4 and after he is defeated by you you replace the champion therefor the name elite 4 name is suitable and elite 5 not

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