Chapter 1048: Breloom and the Rookie Trainer Eiji

Not long after the in-depth conversation with Yuga, Breloom managed to overcome its anxious emotions. Yuga took it to observe Greninja during its training.

Like Breloom, Greninja also has indigo aptitude, but it had already reached the Elite Four level. Moreover, Greninja wasn't even one of Yuga's main Pokémon and didn't receive the most meticulous training from Yuga.

Yet, Greninja still broke through to the Elite Four level.

If someone were to ask Breloom who the most dedicated, hardworking, and diligent Pokémon in the Ecology Park is, Breloom would unhesitatingly answer, "Greninja."

Even if Yuga hadn't brought it to watch Greninja train, Breloom would still give the same answer, because it's the truth—a fact recognized by all the Pokémon in the Ecology Park.

Since Greninja joined the Ecology Park, it has maintained a daily routine of training and challenging other Pokémon, never changing this lifestyle. All the Pokémon have witnessed this, and there isn't a single strong Pokémon in the Ecology Park that hasn't accepted its challenges.

In almost an instant, Breloom understood that breaking through to the Elite Four level depends not on anything else, but on steady, solid progress and accumulation over time. It now realized how shallow it was to regret not being in the Flower Sea Garden when Florges broke through.

Afterward, Yuga even apologized to Breloom, admitting that he shouldn't have neglected it.

Breloom was astonished when Yuga apologized—it never expected Yuga to apologize, because it never felt neglected by Yuga, not even for a moment.

It will always remember the moment Yuga rescued it from those thugs in the alley. At that moment, Yuga appeared like a god descending from the heavens—so tall and majestic.

From that point on, Breloom became a Pokémon with a home, with a place it belonged. Those days of hunger and cold now seem like a distant dream, so far away.

The one who gave it this happy life was Yuga. How could such a great Yuga apologize to it?

If Yuga knew how Breloom saw him, he would undoubtedly say, "I'm really not as great as you think. You've got an eighteen-layer filter on me."

The day after the long talk with Breloom, Yuga noticed that Breloom had returned to normal, its anxiety completely gone, and it started training diligently every day.

Seeing Breloom settle down like this, Yuga nodded in satisfaction.

Now that Breloom was no longer rushing to break through to the Elite Four level, it began focusing on honing its battle techniques. As a Fighting-type Pokémon, the most important thing for Breloom to refine was its fighting skills.

So, Breloom started seeking advice on fighting techniques from other Pokémon. These included Fighting-types like Medicham, Pangoro, Gallade, Poliwrath, and Hakamo-o, as well as non-Fighting-types that were skilled in combat, such as Snorlax, Darmanitan, and Tsareena.

It didn't mind if the others were of a lower level than itself; it was learning their fighting techniques, which had nothing to do with levels. Sometimes, it would even suppress its own level to spar with them.

Although the others occasionally complained about how hard Breloom hit during sparring, they still sincerely helped it. Whenever Breloom had a question, they would explain it without holding back.

And so, a few months passed in the blink of an eye. Through daily practice, Breloom's fighting skills improved significantly. Although it hadn't yet broken through to the Elite Four level, its combat power had visibly increased.

During these months, Yuga observed all of Breloom's efforts. Sometimes, when Breloom was overexerting itself, Yuga would take it out of the Ecology Park to stroll around town or try some of the delicious food prepared by Audino.

After these few months, the year was coming to an end.

As time slowly approached the new year, this year felt a bit quieter since neither Luna, Rant, nor Sena and Ayato returned for the holidays, making it feel much less lively.

Luna's school had activities, and Rant had tasks from the Ranger Alliance, so they couldn't come back.

Sena and Ayato originally planned to return, but they were not in Hoenn at the moment, and something seemed to have happened on their way, causing a delay.

Speaking of Sena and Ayato, it seems they've gained some fame in the Sinnoh region. Even Yuga, who was far away in Hoenn, had heard a bit about it.

Last year, they didn't participate in any regional league tournaments but instead ventured around, honing themselves. At one point, they were inadvertently caught up in a major case.

With their help, the Sinnoh Investigation Bureau successfully resolved the case, earning them a bit of fame and bringing some renown to the Venderturf Gym.

Not long after the new year, Venderturf Town slowly transitioned into spring. Spring is the most beautiful season in Venderturf Town, with the streets and alleys filled with blooming flowers and fluttering butterflies.

Because of this, spring is also the peak season for tourism in Venderturf Town.

Today was a slightly special day because a rookie trainer was coming to Yoyo Breeding House to receive his starter Pokémon.

That's right, not "purchase," but "receive."

Aren't rookie trainers supposed to receive their starter Pokémon from the Professor? Why would they come to Venderturf Town? It's a long story.

To make it short, originally, Yuga's place, as a Torchic breeding base, was supposed to regularly hand over Torchics to the League for the Professor, who would then give them to rookie trainers.

However, the Professor was busy today and couldn't meet with the rookie trainer, and the kid was eager to set out on his journey. So the Professor simply told the rookie trainer to go directly to Venderturf Town to receive his starter Pokémon.

Since it was the kid's first time coming to Venderturf Town, Yuga felt a bit uneasy and planned to go outside the town to meet him.

But as it happened, a challenger came to the Gym at that time, so Yuga thought of Breloom, who had trained all day yesterday without taking a break.

He called Breloom over, showed it the kid's photo, and said, "This is the one. Make sure you bring him back safely!"

"Kino!" Got it!

Breloom solemnly promised.

At the same time, just outside Venderturf Town, a ten-year-old boy was leisurely riding a bicycle when he received a call. The caller was none other than the Venderturf Gym Leader, Yuga Shimizu.

Yuga Shimizu, as a Gym Leader, was very famous among young trainers. The boy's sister was a fan of his, and upon learning that her brother was going to Venderturf Town to receive his starter Pokémon, she even asked him to get an autograph.

So, even before meeting him, the boy was full of curiosity about the Venderturf Gym Leader he was about to meet.

"I'm already outside Venderturf Town. Breloom, right? Okay, I got it."

After hanging up the phone, the boy, Eiji, continued riding his bike forward. Eiji was the boy's name, and he had just learned that a Breloom would be coming to pick him up.

What a strange Gym Leader, sending a Pokémon to pick someone up! The boy thought to himself.

But just as he was about to enter Venderturf Town, Eiji was suddenly blocked by three young men in their twenties. Each of the three had a Mightyena, a Nuzleaf, and a Spinda by their side.

Seeing the malicious expressions on the three men's faces, Eiji nervously asked, "What... what do you want?"

The young man in front had dyed blonde hair and a few freckles on his face. Though not ugly, he exuded a sleazy aura when he spoke.

He looked greedily at Eiji backpack and said, "Kid, hand over your backpack, or else… hmph…"

The Mightyena beside him growled at Eiji, baring its teeth menacingly as if ready to pounce and bite him at any moment.

Trainers who are eligible to receive a starter Pokémon from the Professor usually come from respectable families, likely affiliated with the League, and are generally well-off. So, when Eiji set out on his journey, his family equipped him with a decent space backpack.

Little did he expect to be targeted as soon as he arrived at Venderturf Town.

Reluctantly, Eiji touched his backpack, shrinking back.

Seeing this, another young man beside the blonde-haired youth, dissatisfied, said, "Oh? You're not willing? Nuzleaf, show him what we mean."

In response to his command, Nuzleaf immediately jumped forward, unleashing several Razor Leafs at Eiji bicycle. In the blink of an eye, the bike shattered into pieces, causing Eiji to fall to the ground.

The three young men didn't actually dare to harm anyone seriously. This wasn't their first time robbing someone outside Venderturf town; they always targeted people who looked "wealthy" but seemed incapable of defending themselves.

Since it's the peak tourist season in Venderturf Town, there were plenty of wealthy out-of-towners to choose from. The three had a knack for picking targets and never messed with anyone they couldn't handle, so they had successfully robbed several people without getting caught.

Their Pokémon were well-coordinated with them, always following their commands to intimidate but never actually harming anyone.

Because they never hurt anyone and were quick to escape, the Venderturf Town police had been unable to apprehend them.

"Hand it over!"

As Eiji lay on the ground in a sorry state, the youth with the Nosepass burst into laughter and yanked off Eiji's backpack.

Eiji glared at the three men in anger, but when he saw the three Pokémon by their side, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and not act rashly.

"Not bad."

The three men rummaged through Eiji's spatial backpack and nodded in satisfaction.

Eiji had planned to set out immediately after receiving his starter Pokémon in Venderturf, so he had brought everything he needed with him, including his money.

These three young men were not notorious bandits—they weren't after great riches, just a small haul that wouldn't bring them too much trouble.

Bang!

Just as the three men, feeling triumphant, were about to take the money they had stolen from Eiji and have a good time, a green figure suddenly descended from the sky. As the dust settled, a Breloom appeared, blocking their path.

Earlier, Yuka had heard Eiji mention over the phone that he had arrived outside Venderturf Town, so he urged Breloom to hurry up. The clever Breloom summoned a Flygon and flew to the town's outskirts.

Upon arriving, they witnessed the scene of Eiji's backpack being stolen.

The three young men were startled by the sudden appearance of Breloom, unconsciously taking two steps back. Then they heard a dragon's roar overhead.

Looking up at the Flygon circling in the sky, the three men's expressions changed. They didn't recognize Breloom, but they definitely recognized the Flygon.

There weren't many locals in Venderturf Town who didn't know about the Flygon from Yoyo's Breeding House. It was a town icon, either sleeping on the rooftop of the breeding house or patrolling the skies above.

Seeing the Breloom suddenly appear, Eiji immediately realized it was the one Master Shimizu had said would come to pick him up. In that moment, Breloom seemed like a divine hero sent from above.

Sensing that the situation was dire, the three young men turned to run, but before they could take more than two steps, the seeds Breloom spat out exploded at their feet, sending them flying.

The Pokémon accompanying the three young men were terrified. Breloom's presence was overwhelming. They had been fierce when intimidating Eiji, but that bravado was as flimsy as paper.

But seeing their trainers in trouble, the three Pokémon still bravely stood in front of Breloom.

However, at that moment, Breloom suddenly broke through its limits. Though it was only for a split second, its presence surged as soon as the three Pokémon stepped forward. The intense pressure caused all three Pokémon to faint on the spot.

Breloom, who had been about to act: ...

The trio waiting for their Pokémon to save them: ...

(ω) Only Eiji's eyes sparkled as he looked at Breloom. Years later, when Eiji recalled his first impression of a Pokémon Trainer, it was the tall and heroic image of Breloom descending from the sky to save him.

Although Eiji's parents were both Pokémon Trainers, they were often away on missions, so Eiji and his sister were raised by their grandparents. As a result, he didn't really feel connected to the idea of his parents being Trainers.

But at this moment, looking at Breloom before him, Eiji finally had a clear understanding of what it meant to be a Pokémon Trainer.

The three young men were sent to the police station by Flygon, while Eiji was taken back to Yoyo's Breeding House by Breloom, who was very uncomfortable with the way Eiji kept staring at him.

Just after seeing off a challenger, Yuka returned to see Breloom successfully bringing the new Trainer back and praised it with a smile, "Well done, well done."

Then he noticed something different about Breloom: "Have you broken through? Not bad, not bad." Yuka's tone wasn't surprised, just matter-of-fact. Breloom had hoped Yuka would praise him a bit more, but hearing Yuka's tone, he felt relieved instead.

After chatting with Eiji for a while, Yuka handed him the Torchic as promised. Eiji, who really liked the lively and adorable Torchic, became even more excited about the journey ahead as a Pokémon Trainer.

As he was about to leave, Eiji suddenly shyly asked Yuka, "Master Shimizu, could I have two autographs?" One was for his sister, and the other he had just decided to get for himself because it was from Breloom's Trainer.

Yuka was momentarily stunned as he looked at the paper and pen Eiji was holding out. This was the first time someone had asked him for an autograph. Am I a big star now? Yuka wondered, but why two?

Though puzzled, Yuka happily signed for Eiji.

Today was a day worth remembering! Yuka thought in a good mood.

Meanwhile, in White Town, a girl wearing a headscarf and a boy with a Pikachu were fatefully meeting outside Professor Birch's research lab.

(End of Chapter)