Cheren's Ambition

When Yuga brought Cheren to the Forest Home Kindergarten, he noticed that it had changed significantly from before. The hardware facilities had been further improved, and the sound of children's laughter could often be heard from the yard.

Director Kawahara, who had been waiting at the entrance, was delighted to see Yuga arrive, her smile deepening the wrinkles around her eyes.

"Director Kawahara, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Yuga said apologetically.

"Please don't say that!" Director Kawahara shook her head immediately. "I'm just glad you could come. I'd wait as long as needed."

Though Director Kawahara was getting older, she looked younger recently, probably because she had fewer worries. Thanks to the ample funding from Verdanturf Town and strong support from all sectors of society, Forest Home no longer had to worry about the children's welfare. Without these concerns, Director Kawahara had naturally started smiling more.

As they say, a smile takes ten years off your life!

"Director Kawahara, let me introduce you. This is Cheren, whom I mentioned before. He'll be the temporary teacher I've arranged for the children."

After some polite exchanges, Yuga formally introduced Cheren to Director Kawahara. Yuga had informed Director Kawahara about Cheren becoming a teacher here long ago, and she had heard of Cheren. Today was their official meeting.

"Welcome, Teacher Cheren! The children are going to love you!" Director Kawahara said excitedly as she shook Cheren's hand.

"Um… hello. I'll do my best," Cheren stammered, a little uncomfortable with her enthusiasm.

"Alright! Let's not stand at the entrance. Let's go in and see the children!" Yuga quickly stepped in to ease Cheren's awkwardness. "I've brought some gifts for the kids too!"

Breloom, following closely behind Yuga and Cheren, proudly raised the large pile of bags in its arms.

"Thank you so much for your generosity!" Director Kawahara said gratefully.

Yuga often bought things for the children, either asking Strawberry from the Paradise Hotel or Ayaka and Kyoya from the shop to deliver them, so Director Kawahara was used to it and didn't refuse the gesture.

"Cheren also brought some gifts for the kids! We'll hand them out later," Yuga added.

Since it was his first time meeting the children at the orphanage, Cheren had also bought some gifts when he saw Yuga doing the same. It wasn't much for him, but it was a thoughtful gesture.

"Thank you, Teacher Cheren," Director Kawahara said, leading the two into the courtyard, genuinely appreciative.

Although the orphanage was better off now, they couldn't just buy things for the children at will, so Director Kawahara was truly grateful for Yuga and Cheren's kindness.

Yuga had always bought essential items for the children's daily needs and studies—nothing expensive, but always what the kids needed most.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Director Kawahara called out, "Children, Gym Leader Shimizu is here!"

In an instant, a group of children poured out from the house.

"Wow… it's really Gym Leader Shimizu!"

"Gym Leader Shimizu came to see us! This is amazing!"

"Gym Leader Shimizu, we haven't seen you in so long!"

…

Suddenly, Yuga was surrounded by excited children, all talking over one another, asking him various questions. Yuga found it a bit overwhelming to handle their enthusiasm.

Seeing how much the children adored Yuga, Cheren was astonished. He had always thought that Yuga, a renowned top-level Trainer, would be distant and untouchable, but here he was, interacting so naturally with the children!

Standing next to Cheren, Director Kawahara watched Yuga and the children with tears welling up in her eyes.

"If it weren't for Gym Leader Shimizu, our kids at Forest Home wouldn't even have enough to eat!"

Hearing this, Cheren was surprised. No wonder Yuga was so loved by everyone.

Noticing the surprise in Cheren's eyes, Director Kawahara explained with heartfelt emotion, "It's not just our Forest Home. The entire Verdanturf Town owes its development to Gym Leader Shimizu.

"Now, Verdanturf Town is thriving, with tourists coming year-round. But back when Gym Leader Shimizu first took over the gym, this was just a poor little town!"

Cheren had a very positive impression of Verdanturf Town. It was a beautiful place where the residents lived comfortably and peacefully, the environment was vibrant and full of life. He never expected that all of this was tied to Yuga.

He hadn't been in Verdanturf Town for long and hadn't yet fully understood the place.

Director Kawahara's words sparked Cheren's curiosity, and he wanted to ask more. But just then, Yuga addressed the children, saying, "Today, I've brought Teacher Cheren, as I promised. Shall we all give him a warm welcome?"

"Yeah!!" the children answered in unison.

"Alright, let's give him a round of applause!"

With that, Yuga led the applause, and the children enthusiastically joined in, clapping loudly.

Following Yuga's cue, Cheren stepped forward and introduced himself to the children: "My name is Cheren, and from today onward, I will be your temporary Trainer teacher. I hope we can all get along well!"

The children were thrilled and cheerfully shouted, "Hello, Teacher Cheren!"

Cheren, moved by the children's enthusiasm, suddenly felt a surge of pride and responsibility that came with being a teacher.

After introducing Cheren to the children, Yuga turned to him and said, "The Pokémon for the children will be delivered soon. You'll have to keep an eye on them for a while."

Cheren humbly replied, "That's my duty. I'm grateful to Gym Leader Shimizu for thinking so much about it for me."

Yuga waved his hand and chuckled, "This is my responsibility. Since the League entrusted you to me, I have to take care of things properly."

As if on cue, right after Yuga finished speaking, a group of Pokémon led by Ursaring and Mightyena entered the courtyard of Forest Home.

These Pokémon were originally stray Pokémon, and Yuga had spent two days training them, mainly to ensure they wouldn't harm the children.

All the Pokémon chosen for the orphanage were in their basic forms. To convince them to come, Yuga had even paid them a working fee.

Though these Pokémon weren't particularly talented or powerful, they were more than adequate to serve as the children's first Pokémon, helping them learn about being a Trainer!

The arrival of the Pokémon brought great excitement to the children, and the courtyard quickly became lively. Seeing this, Yuga immediately shouted, "Quiet down, everyone! Line up and each choose a partner—no chaos allowed!"

Yuga's voice instantly calmed the children, and they obediently lined up in an orderly manner.

Once the children had chosen their Pokémon, Yuga turned to Director Kawahara and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. I'll be counting on you to take care of Cheren here."

Director Kawahara smiled and assured him, "Don't worry, I've got it covered."

After Yuga left, Cheren taught his first class to the children in the classroom that had already been prepared.

Since the children cherished this rare opportunity, they were well-behaved and listened attentively. For Cheren, teaching the kids for the first time turned out to be a great experience, and he felt more confident.

As the children were being introduced to Trainer knowledge for the first time, Cheren focused on the basics of being a Trainer and the relationship between Trainers and Pokémon. The content was easy for the children to understand.

After two classes, Cheren let the children take a break, giving them time to absorb what they had just learned.

Sitting behind the podium, Cheren watched the children discussing the knowledge they had just been taught, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Teacher Cheren, have some tea to soothe your throat," a soft voice suddenly sounded next to him.

Cheren turned to see a boy, around thirteen or fourteen years old, placing a cup of tea on the desk in front of him. The boy looked shy, his ears turning red, as if he wasn't used to interacting with strangers.

Seeing this young boy, Cheren asked curiously, "What's your name? Why didn't you join the class with everyone else?"

"My… my name is Shuuya," the boy stammered, "I don't want to be a Trainer…"

"Would you mind chatting with me for a bit?" Cheren asked, suddenly interested in learning more about the orphanage.

"Uh… sure," Shuuya agreed hesitantly.

Shuuya was actually the younger brother of Kano, an incense apprentice at Yuga's store, and no longer lived at the orphanage.

Kano and Seien had both started as incense apprentices at YoYo Day Care around the same time, learning incense-making from Lain and Yashushi. After Yashushi left, they both continued their training under Lain.

After such a long period of learning, both Kano and Seien were now able to make incense independently. The salary for an incense maker wasn't low, so Kano had become capable of supporting Shuuya on her own. She rented a house and took Shuuya out of the orphanage.

However, both siblings were deeply grateful for the orphanage's help. Since Kano was often too busy and hardly had time to return to Forest Home, Shuuya would frequently take time to go back, helping Director Kawahara with household chores and taking care of the children on behalf of himself and his sister.

Recently, Shuuya had been thinking about finding a job. He was no longer a child and didn't want to keep relying on his sister to support him. He wanted to help bear some of the responsibilities and take care of her.

For this reason, becoming a Trainer was never on his radar. First, he was already past the age of ten, and second, becoming a Trainer wasn't something that could be accomplished quickly. He couldn't let his sister continue to bear the burden for an extended period.

Cheren and Shuuya talked for a long time. Through their conversation, Cheren learned that Shuuya's sister worked at YoYo Day Care, he learned more about Forest Home, and also heard a lot about Yuga.

Shuuya greatly admired and appreciated Yuga. It was Yuga who gave his sister a job and made sure that the children at Forest Home were well taken care of. When he spoke about Yuga, Shuuya became animated, forgetting his usual shyness around strangers.

Through Shuuya's words, Cheren began to see Yuga in a new light, different from the public rumors.

In the outside world, Yuga had many prestigious titles: a genius Trainer on par with Steven, Wallace, and Cynthia; a Hall of Fame Trainer in the Hoenn League; the disciple of a master-level Trainer; the mysterious Trainer who defeated Rayquaza. Any one of these titles was enough to make someone famous.

But these titles' significance was limited to just that—titles.

To the people of Verdanturf Town, however, Yuga was not just a respected Gym Leader but a hero who had transformed their once poor town into a prosperous tourist destination.

Whether it was promoting specialty agriculture in Verdanturf, selling specially bred Grass-type Pokémon from YoYo Day Care to local farmers at low prices, securing substantial investment and development from the Devon Corporation, gaining League support for town development policies, or introducing the Sunflora Generator that brought energy independence to Verdanturf—each and every one of these accomplishments was tied to Yuga.

It could be said that Verdanturf Town's success today was inseparably linked to Yuga's vital role.

These were things that would never be mentioned in the rumors from the outside world, nor could they be.

At that moment, Cheren felt a deep sense of admiration for Yuga—not just as a top-tier Trainer but as a Gym Leader worthy of genuine respect.

When Cheren had first received the notification from the League appointing him as the Gym Leader of Aspertia City, he had felt lost. Even up until today, he still doubted whether he was truly capable of fulfilling the role of a Gym Leader.

But after hearing Yuga's story, the image of what a Gym Leader should be suddenly became much fuller and more vivid in his mind.

Cheren thought a Gym Leader should be like Yuga—not only responsible for guiding rookie Trainers but also for driving the economic development of their region, ensuring that the people under their care could live prosperous, happy lives.

One day, I want to become a Gym Leader like Gym Leader Shimizu! Cheren silently vowed to himself. Even if I can't reach his level, I'll still make sure not to fall short!

If Yuga had known what Cheren was thinking at that moment, he would have burst out laughing.

He was nowhere near as noble as Cheren imagined. The reason he had pushed so hard for Verdanturf Town's development was purely for the sake of YoYo Day Care. Only if Verdanturf Town thrived could YoYo Day Care grow stronger, gain more fame, and attract more business.

For now, everything was going smoothly!

After finishing his conversation with Shuuya, Cheren asked, "Would you like to sit in on my lesson? It's quite interesting."

Having spoken with Cheren for a while, Shuuya was no longer as reserved, but he still stammered, "I think... I'll pass."

Hearing this, Cheren didn't push him.

The class resumed, and as Shuuya collected the teacups from the tables and left the room, he glanced back at the children in the classroom. A flicker of envy flashed in his eyes.

Meanwhile, aboard the submarine following Shep's family out to sea, the crew under the Black Leader suddenly felt a jolt. One of his subordinates rushed over in a panic and reported, "Leader, something's wrong! The submarine is ascending uncontrollably, and we can't stop it!"

The Black Leader bellowed angrily, "Useless fools! Go find out what's happening! What good are you?"

Soon, the cause was discovered, and the subordinate came back to report.

"Leader, our submarine is being pulled upward by a powerful psychic force! We don't know where it's coming from!"

"Idiots!" the Black Leader cursed again, then quickly ran toward the control room.

But it was already too late. Under the force of the immense psychic power, the entire submarine was dragged to the surface, followed by a violent explosion.

The submarine had been attacked!