Ined

Guided by Roxanne, they soon arrived at the entrance of a luxurious aristocratic school, where Roxanne's students were eagerly waiting.

"Teacher Roxanne, you finally here!"

...

As soon as they arrived, a group of students surrounded them, looking somewhat anxious.

Roxanne quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, everyone! We had a little delay on the way."

"Oh, by the way, this is a friend of mine, the Verdanturf Town Gym Leader. He will be joining us today, so please welcome him!" After explaining the reason for the delay to the students, Roxanne introduced Yuga to them.

The school where Roxanne currently taught was called Rustboro City No. 5 Intermediate Trainer School, abbreviated as "No. 5. Middle School" It was a public school under the League, with a nature similar to the Trainer Schools in Verdanturf Town.

However, there were numerous Trainer Schools in Rustboro City, and there were several public intermediate Trainer Schools, which was why they had a numbering system like "No. 5." Unlike Verdanturf Town, which had the only Trainer School, Rustboro City had multiple options.

The world of Pokémon had three levels of Trainer Schools: elementary, intermediate, and advanced, with the goal of becoming a Trainer. Children under the age of ten typically received their education in elementary Trainer Schools and would graduate at the age of ten, provided they passed the assessment. After that, they would move on to intermediate Trainer Schools to continue their education.

(However, not all children chose to continue their education at intermediate Trainer Schools; some preferred to travel.)

The Trainer School in Verdanturf Town, being a combination of both elementary and intermediate education, was unique because of its small student population. It didn't distinguish between elementary and intermediate, while a comprehensive school like Tust was different.

As for advanced Trainer Schools, they were considered true institutions of higher learning for Trainers.

Compared to the elementary and intermediate Trainer Schools that existed in various cities and towns, advanced Trainer Schools were much rarer.

Not only did Verdanturf Town and its surrounding towns lack advanced Trainer Schools, but even the neighboring Mauville City had only one public institution of higher learning.

Children from neighboring towns who wished to continue their education after completing Intermediate Trainer School would have to go to Mauville City or, even further, to Rustboro City.

But in fact, few children in small towns like Verdanturf Town would choose to continue their education in an advanced Trainer School.

In the world of Pokémon, education in elementary was considered mandatory for Trainer children, while further education like Intermediate and advanced Trainer Schools was optional.

Compared to Intermediate Trainer Schools, learning in advanced Trainer Schools is more focused on academic education.

Most Trainers chose to end their education after graduate from intermediate Trainer School, opting to participate in various competitions, travel, gain experience, and work in careers related to a Trainer.

Therefore, only a small percentage of Trainers opted to continue their education in advanced schools.

The students in advanced Trainer Schools were often referred to as "Academic Trainers."

In the Rustboro City, known for its academically focused Trainer schools, there are numerous elementary and intermediate Trainer schools, as well as a competitive selection of advanced Trainer schools.

Tust is a privately funded comprehensive Trainer school that encompasses elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. The exchange taking place today is between the Tust intermediate trainer school and Roxanne's No. 5 Middle school.

Roxanne and a teacher from Tust's Intermediate Trainer School are good friends, and they decided to organize a private exchange for their students to improve together.

However, it seems that the principals of both schools got wind of this event, and what started as a private teacher-organized exchange has turned into a joint large-scale event between the two schools.

Nonetheless, the main organizers of this exchange are still Roxanne and her friend.

Roxanne's students are around the age of fourteen or fifteen, and upon hearing Roxanne's introduction, they started whispering to each other. Some even recognized Yuga and seemed quite interested in him as the Gym Leader and an Elite level Trainer.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Shimizu Yuga. Thank you for having me today."

After a brief introduction, Roxanne went to report to the gatekeeper at Tust.

Tust is a prestigious private school, and it doesn't allow easy access to outsiders. The security is strict, so Roxanne and her students need someone from inside to escort them in.

About four or five minutes later, a young woman in her twenties hurriedly arrived at the gate and waved to Roxanne from a distance.

"You finally... finally made it. If you had been any later, we might have been delayed."

The woman exchanged greetings with the gatekeeper and walked out of the school. She had small beads of sweat on her forehead because she had been in a hurry.

"Let's not talk about that. We should hurry inside; we really shouldn't be late." Roxanne affectionately said as she held the woman's hand. They seemed quite familiar with each other.

It's safe to say that this woman is Roxanne's friend who teaches at Tust.

Guided by this teacher, Yuga and his group soon managed to enter the school grounds. Yuga, introduced by Roxanne, also got to know this teacher.

The teacher's name is Lila, and she has known Roxanne since childhood, making their relationship very close.

"I never expected that Roxanne knows Gym Leader Shimizu. It's such a lucky coincidence to have an Elite level Trainer like Gym Leader Shimizu participating in our exchange today!"

As Lila led the way, she excitedly spoke.

Although Lila hadn't met Yuga before, she was well aware of his reputation. Having an Elite level Trainer like Yuga attending a small exchange event was a rare and honorable occasion. This made her feel delighted and privileged.

Yuga modestly replied, "Teacher Lila, you're giving me too much credit. It's an honor to be part of your exchange event."

While Lila knew Yuga was being humble, hearing such respectful words from an Elite level Trainer about the exchange event she organized made her very happy. "Gym Leader Shimizu is very gracious with his words!"

Compared to Roxanne, Lila has a livelier personality and is more talkative. She chatted non-stop with Yuga on their way to Tust, and before they knew it, the group had crossed Tust's elementary school and entered the Intermediate Trainer School.

The venue for the exchange is the conference hall of Tust's Intermediate Trainer School. When Yuga and his group arrived, the hall was already filled with students from Tust's Intermediate Trainer School, and teachers from both schools had gathered as well.

Not all students had the opportunity to participate in this exchange. To uphold the reputation of both schools, only the elite students were selected to attend the event.

Because Roxanne and Lila were the main organizers of the exchange, they took care of other matters backstage once the students were settled. Yuga was left alone to sit with the students from No. 5 Middle School.

The students from No. 5 Middle School were quite interested in Yuga, the Gym Leader and Elite level Trainer. They enjoyed chatting with him and often shared interesting stories that had happened at their school.

Yuga had never attended a Trainer school, so he found these stories quite engaging. However, they didn't chat for long before the exchange event officially began.

First, the principal of Tust's Intermediate Trainer School delivered a speech, which was quite dry and consisted of the usual rhetoric about friendly cooperation and mutual progress between the schools.

However, the principal of the Intermediate Trainer School of Tust held a prominent position at such a prestigious school and was also a well-known Trainer himself. His senior was also a substitute Elite Four member.

He and his senior was learning under the same Teacher who was a retired Hoenn League Elite Four and in the same generation as Mr. Moore and was even older than Mr. Drake.

Of course, this former Elite Four member had passed away.

After the principal's speech, there were segments involving teachers from both schools sharing teaching experiences, students asking questions, and speeches from outstanding students.

The principal of No. 5 Middle School did not attend the event this time. Aside from Roxanne, only two other teachers from No. 5 Middle School were present, so they were at a disadvantage compared to Tust, who had home-field advantage.

While Yuga was nodding off in the audience, Lila suddenly woke him up. "Gym Leader Shimizu, please come with me. Our principal would like to see you."

Upon returning backstage, Lila reported Yuga's arrival to the principal, who considered it quite important. Yuga wasn't just a Gym Leader and a powerful Trainer; he was also a partner to Tust.

With Lila as the guide, Yuga was led to the backstage of the conference hall.

As soon as he saw Yuga, the principal warmly said, "The arrival of Gym Leader Shimizu has added a brilliant touch to our event. I've heard so much about you! Heard so much!"

"Principal Amuro, it's an honor to meet you," Yuga said as he shook hands with the Principal.

In fact, Yuga was more familiar with the Principal of Tust's advanced trainer school, Mr. Keihara, than this unfamiliar Principal Amuro.

Due to their business dealings, the two had met several times, and Mr. Keihara had been responsible for the business dealings with YoYo Day Care.

While Tust and YoYo Day Care initially dealt with high-end incense, their cooperation deepened over time, and starting this year, Tust began to replace its Pokéblock with products from YoYo Day Care.

It could be said that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the relationship between Tust and YoYo Day Care would only grow closer, so Principal Amuro's warm welcome to Yuga was not surprising.

After exchanging pleasantries with Yuga, Principal Amuro suddenly suggested, "After the indoor exchange activities are over, we have an outdoor student exchange battle. Would Gym Leader Shimizu be willing to serve as our referee?"

"Of course, it would be my pleasure," Yuga thought for a moment and agreed to Principal Amuro's request. Since he was already there, being a referee was a simple task.

Principal Amuro was delighted, "Thank you so much, Gym Leader Shimizu!"

After the indoor exchange activities concluded, students from both schools, led by their teachers, headed to the training ground of Tust's Intermediate Trainer School.

The upcoming exchange battles would take place there, with referees including Principal Amuro, Gym Leader Roxanne, the head of training from Tust's Intermediate Trainer School, the head of training from No. 5 Middle School, and the surprise addition, Yuga.

Tust and No. 5 Middle School both had excellent teaching standards, and the students' performance in the exchange battles was outstanding. However, the elite training path followed by the students of Tust was slightly more impressive.

This was expected because Tust's students came from affluent families, paying substantial annual fees to attend the school. Tust's quality of education and resource investment justified these fees.

No. 5 Middle School, being a public school created by the League, had considerably fewer resources allocated to it. The League's purpose in founding schools like No. 5 Middle School was to provide a fair and equal opportunity for education to the masses, making them public facilities. However, no matter how much the League wanted to give, they couldn't provide as much as private institutions.

As expected, the champion of this exchange battle came from Tust's Intermediate Trainer School, and she was their top student, named Ined. She was fifteen years old. This exchange battle had rewards for the champion, an incense for three Pokémon last for six months.

It had to be said that for a small exchange match, this reward was quite generous. While incense might not be as precious as attribute gems, it was still a high-end luxury items, and a six-month supply of incense was undoubtedly valuable.

However, during the award presentation, the young girl named Ined refused the reward.

"Principal Amuro, may I exchange this reward for a different request?" Ined asked Principal Amuro when he tried to present the reward.

"Oh, do tell," Principal Amuro said with interest.

"I'd like to exchange it for an opportunity to battle Gym Leader Shimizu," Ined declared loudly.

Ined didn't care about the six-month supply of incense; her family was wealthy, and she didn't lack for money.

She valued a chance to battle a skilled trainer more than something she could easily obtain with money.

Meeting an Elite trainers like Gym Leader Shimizu were rare, and she didn't want to miss the opportunity today.

Tust's advanced trainer school did have an Elite Trainer as its Honorary Principal, but someone of that stature was not someone Ined, a mere Intermediate Trainer school top student, could easily approach.

"This..."

Principal Amuro felt quite embarassed with the request. He couldn't unilaterally decide that Gym Leader Shimizu would engage in a battle. The Gym Leader Shimizu is not from our school, so how can he fight against you when you say you want to fight with him?

Therefore, he turned to the referee's stand where Yuga was seated with troubled expression. He couldn't make a decision for Yuga by himself, and he didn't want to disappoint his student, so he sought Yuga's opinion.

Ined, at this point, also turned her gaze toward Yuga.

Seeing the determination in Ined's eyes, Yuga suddenly thought of Cynthia. This girl's demeanor bore a hint of similarity to Cynthia.

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly what made this girl reminiscent of Cynthia – they had completely different appearances and personalities. But in a single glance, Yuga felt a flicker of Cynthia's presence.

Although Cynthia gave off an aura of a warrior, she was a gentle and non-dominating person upon closer acquaintance.

Yet, from Ined's recent performance in the battle, Yuga could tell that she was strong-willed and competitive. Yuga saw her being competitive as a compliment – it was a characteristic that led to constant improvement.

"Very well, I accept your challenge," Yuga said with a smile. "If you manage to defeat me, you can have the six-month supply of incense as well. Principal Amuro, is this acceptable?"

Principal Amuro nodded quickly. "Of course."

Ined, overjoyed with Yuga's agreement, immediately stated, "I will do my best."