Chapter 31: Future

The old orphanage in Fallarbor Town, Granny Oran, has felt somewhat lonely since Darren left. The children seemed to have grown up all of a sudden. Darren's departure made them understand the situation at the orphanage. Granny Oran could only sigh in silence.

"It's been so long already, where is Darren now..." Sitting on the roof, Lina looked up at the sky, still missing Darren.

"Hey, Lina, come down from there, it's too dangerous up on the roof!!" Underneath the house, brown haired Aki, shouted anxiously, causing Lina to make a face before reluctantly coming down.

"Why are you yelling?" Lina pouted, unhappy.

"You..." Helplessly shaking his head, Aki didn't know how to make Lina listen. Maybe only Darren could do that.

"Aki ...you're almost ten years old too, are you also planning to leave like Darren??" Seeing Aki's angry expression, Lina was reminded of Darren and felt a little sad.

"Well..." Lina's question stumped Aki, leaving him stunned and not knowing how to answer.

Apart from Darren, Aki was the oldest among the children in the orphanage. He could somewhat understand Darren's actions, but he lacked the basic confidence to go on a journey like him. "Is it really that easy...I don't even have a single Pokemon now... Compared to brother Darren, I don't have his knowledge nor his Beautifly...and I can't register to become an official trainer without any Pokédollar " After a moment of silence, but with his basic self-esteem still intact, Aki showed an ugly smile. "Maybe..."

Maybe it would be one year, maybe two years, maybe the age of ten when a child can legally live independently, or maybe a few more years. Every child would face their own choices, and no one could escape from that.

Everyone has their own pursuits, but their upbringing and other factors limit them, forcing them to face reality helplessly.

"I really envy Darren..." Sighing in his heart, Aki looked outside of the orphanage.

...

In another placed, in the city of Slateport.

Inside a luxurious building.

Master Shozo stroked his beard and opened his communicator. Willow had sent him a message.

"Have you made a decision yet, kid..." Master Shozo smiled. He knew that his student did not want to follow the path of most people in the family. With such talent, being an intermediate breeder would not be her limit.

ClickClickClick~~

The communicator buzzed with an electric current passing through it, and the screen turned black before slowly turning white. Willow's avatar appeared on the screen, as she once again discussed her future direction with her teacher, who had already gained approval from the family.

After talking for a while, the conversation gradually turned to Darren, and when this young man was mentioned, Master Shozo smiled with satisfaction.

"He's doing alright at the moment. Maybe in the future, you two can meet again..."

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

With each passing moment, Master Shozo's anticipation increased as he considered how much progress the inexperienced outsider could make with Swablu, despite their lowly origins.

Has Swablu awakened his Dragon-type talent yet?

...

In the city of Sootopolis, at the Sootopolis Gym.

Nicole looked helplessly at her fainted Milotic, wearing a bitter smile.

"I lost to you again, Wallace."

Across from her, a silver-blue-haired young man smiled at Nicole and said, "You need to work harder."

"Your strength has improved again, Wallace..." Adam, Nicole's master who acted as the referee for this friendly match, was also amazed at Wallace's strength. He originally thought that his disciple's talent was terrifying enough, but he didn't expect that there were always people who were beyond his expectations. Wallace, who came from an affluent family, was superior to Nicole in terms of strength.

"Are you already preparing to challenge for that position, Wallace?" Adam sighed while watching the young people and said, "It seems that the top spot in the Hoenn region will belong to you guys in the future..."

Both Wallace and Nicole are extremely strong in terms of strength and talent, even making Adam, an old trainer, have to admit their strength.

With two such outstanding new-generation trainers in the Hoenn region, Adam couldn't help but feel emotional.

"Yeah, my old man is urging me too much, but I'm not interested in those positions. If possible, I would prefer to travel around and collect some stones that I like..." Wallace smiled awkwardly.

"But... the Champion's seat is not easy won... There are many talented trainers emerging now." Suddenly, Nicole thought of something and smiled.

"Oh? Are you talking about those two little guys you mentioned last time?" Adam was curious.

Adam, on the other hand, heard it for the first time and couldn't help but lean in to listen.

"Yes...both of them passed the Junior Breeder Exam at the age of ten. Through my investigation, I found out that one of them was also an orphan...you know how difficult the Junior Breeder Exam is, especially for someone who has just become a new Trainer. It's really tough..." Wallace chuckled. He had prepared a lot to pass the Junior Breeder Exam, although it was an impromptu decision based on Juan's suggestion. But the biggest credit for this achievement was due to his years of training and good educational environment.

Adam was taken aback by what he heard. "Ten years old, that's really impressive. Back then, even with the help of a master hired by my family, I only passed the exam at the age of twelve..."

Ten years old, the youngest age for passing the Breeder Exam, and an orphan at that, it was indeed quite the extraordinary achievement.

"Interesting newbies, I'm looking forward to their growth..."

As the Pokemon League continued to expand to different regions, and establish branches in unknown areas, increase trainer benefits, promote the League Conference, and reduce the burden of becoming a trainer, there are more and more new scenes of talented trainers emerging in the recent years.

As technology continues to develop and living standards improve, Pokemon, friends, partners, and helpers of humans, will eventually enter every household. Becoming a trainer may no longer be an unattainable dream for the average citizen, regardless of background. In five years...ten years...twenty years...from Kanto to Hoenn, from Sinnoh to Unova and even the Kalos region, many trainers will leave their mark and compete for glory.