Aogaya, the orphanage in Petalburg City, seemed somewhat lonely after Torii left. The children seemed to have grown up suddenly. Torii's actions had more or less made them understand the current situation of Aogaya, to which Old Lady Oran could only sigh silently.

  "It's been so long. Where is Torii-niisan now..." Sitting on the eaves of the house, Rina looked up at the sky, her feelings for Torii not yet faded.

  "Hey, Rina, come down quickly! The top of the house is too dangerous!!" Under the house, a brown-haired Haruya shouted anxiously, causing Rina to make a few faces before reluctantly coming down slowly.

  "Why are you yelling?" Rina said with a pout, looking unhappy.

  "You..." Haruya shook his head helplessly, not knowing how to make Rina listen. Perhaps only Torii-niisan could do it.

  "Haruya-niisan... you're almost ten years old, are you also pnning to leave like Torii-niisan??" Looking at Haruya's indignant expression, which reminded Rina of Torii at the beginning, she suddenly said sadly.

  "This..." Rina's question stumped Haruya, leaving him stunned, not knowing how to answer.

  Besides Torii, Haruya was the oldest child here in Aogaya. He could more or less understand Torii's actions, but... Haruya cked the most basic confidence for traveling.

  "Is it really that easy...? I don't even have a Pokémon yet... Compared to Torii-niisan, I don't have his knowledge, nor does he have a Butterfree... and there's no guarantee of being a formal trainer..." After a moment of silence, the most basic self-esteem in his heart still made Haruya reveal an ugly smile: "Maybe..."

  Maybe it would be a year, maybe two years, maybe the legal age of ten where children could be independent, or maybe a few more years. Every child would face their own choice, and no one could escape it.

  Haruya, who admired Torii; Kota, who "carelessly" wanted to taste the cuisine of various pces; Koshiru, who longed to be a Coordinator; Akaya, who wanted to inherit Aogaya; Mumu, who dreamed of becoming a big star; and Rina, whose dream was to become an investigator who caught bad guys who harmed Pokémon.

  Everyone had their own pursuits, but Aogaya, their background, and other factors limited them, forcing them to face reality helplessly.

  "I really envy Torii-niisan..." Sighing in his heart, Haruya looked outside Aogaya.

  ............

  In another direction, Steport City.

  Inside a luxurious building.

  Master Suzu stroked his beard and opened the video phone, on which a message from Nurse Joy appeared.

  "Have you made a decision, little girl..." Master Suzu smiled. He knew that this student of his was unwilling to walk the path of most people in the family. With such talent, how could a Intermediate Breeder be her limit?

  Click~~ Click~~ Click~~

  A current passed through the video phone, the screen turned bck, and slowly turned white. Haruka's image appeared on it. Haruka, who had been recognized by her family, once again communicated with her teacher about her future direction.

  After talking for a long time, their topic slowly turned to Torii. Mentioning this young man, Master Suzu revealed a gratified smile.

  "That kid, his current situation is not bad. Maybe you can meet again in the future..."

  Half of the training time had passed, and so far everything seemed to be going smoothly. After all, Master Suzu hadn't received any news, which meant that Torii's performance was not bad.

  Master Suzu looked forward to it.

  How far could Torii, a newcomer with a humble background, go with Swablu in a month...?

  Had Swablu awakened the Dragon-type talent in his body...?

  ............

  Sootopolis City, Sootopolis Gym.

  Walce looked helplessly at Milotic, who had lost the ability to battle, and smiled bitterly.

  "I lost to you again, Steven."

  Opposite him, a silver-blue-haired youth smiled at Walce and said, "You have to work hard, you know."

  "Your strength has improved again, Steven..." Walce's teacher, Juan, who served as the referee for this friendly match, was also amazed by Steven's strength. Originally, he thought that his student's talent was terrifying enough, but he didn't expect that there would be someone better. Just like Steven, the son of the president of the Devon Corporation, came from a distinguished family, his strength was a cut above Walce's.

  "Are you already preparing to challenge that position? Steven." Looking at the young people with some emotion, Juan said, "It seems that the top position in the Hoenn region will be yours..."

  Whether it was Steven or Walce, in terms of strength and talent, they were both first-rate and powerful, and even Juan, a veteran trainer, had to admit it.

  The Hoenn region had two such excellent new-generation trainers, making Juan sigh with emotion.

  "Yes, the old man at home is urging me too much, but I'm not interested in these positions. If possible, I would rather travel around and collect some of my favorite stones..." Steven smiled awkwardly.

  "However... the Champion's seat is not so easy to sit on firmly... There are many talented trainers emerging now." At this time, Walce suddenly thought of something and said with a smile.

  "Oh?? Are you talking about the two little guys you mentioned st time?" Juan was a little curious.

  Steven, on the other hand, heard it for the first time and couldn't help but prick up his ears.

  "Yes... One who successfully passed the Intermediate Breeder exam at the age of ten, and one of them, after my investigation, came from an orphanage... You also know the difficulty of the Intermediate Breeder exam. For someone who is just old enough to become a new trainer, how difficult is it..." Walce smiled. He had made a lot of preparations to cope with the Intermediate Breeder exam. Although it was a temporary idea under Steven's suggestion, the biggest credit still went to his years of exposure and good educational environment.

  Steven was stunned when he heard this, "Ten years old, that is indeed very remarkable. Even with the masters that my family hired to teach me, I only passed the exam at the age of 12..."

  Ten years old, the lowest passing age in the history of breeders, naturally had its extraordinary points.

  "Interesting newcomers, looking forward to their growth..."

  With the Pokémon League's continued expansion to various regions, establishing branches in unknown new regions, increasing trainer benefits, greatly popurizing and promoting the League Conference, and reducing the burden of becoming a trainer, Adam, Steven, and Walce all seemed to see the scene in which outstanding trainers would continue to emerge in the next few years.

  Technology continued to develop, and living standards would also increase. Pokémon were called human friends, partners, and helpers, and would sooner or ter enter every family. Regardless of their background, becoming a trainer might no longer be an out-of-reach thing. Five years... ten years... twenty years... Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and even Unova would have the footprints of many trainers, with a hundred flowers blooming.