Aspiring to become a Pokémon trainer

The afternoon sun in Miare was like melting caramel, lazily flowing down the cobblestone streets.

The dessert shop that Kareni mentioned is hidden deep in the arcade of the central square. Its signboard reads "Sucré Rêve" (Sugar Dream) in chocolate sauce, and the raspberry mousse cakes displayed in the window look like rubies.

"I heard that the bouillet here can puff up to the perfect height in three minutes."

Push open the glass door adorned with macaron patterns, and the wind chimes sway, producing a series of crystal-clear sounds.

Stepping into the inner room, the chandelier cast a warm glow on the wooden tabletop, and several Alcremie peeked out, cautiously handing over the menu.

"It seems that the desserts I bake are quite popular with this little guy."

A black-rimmed bowler hat covered her chestnut hair, a pink bow draped over the hem of her skirt, a pair of small leather boots, and a pair of black tights, making her walking figure both sweet and neat.

With her short, neatly trimmed hair and clear, cloud-like eyes, this young woman's gaze was now gentler and more resolute than when we first met.

"Serena, it's been a long time!"

The way his friend addressed him already revealed his identity. As for the reason for the teasing preface, it was because Zhenyi's ribbon had unknowingly become entangled in the handle of the display case.

Staring longingly at the spinning Bouffet Tower in the glass case, the little beast's eyes were filled with desire, and even its gradient feathers trembled with the Alcremie's movements.

"Koubu—!" it whimpered sweetly, gently tugging at Nanyin's sleeve with its antennae.

"No, Zhenyifa." The girl tapped its forehead helplessly. "We need to follow etiquette in the store. We'll eat after we've ordered."

"Pfft, it's okay. I own this dessert shop. The desserts inside are all novel attempts. It's actually a win for me to gain the approval of these kids."

Serena couldn't help but cover her mouth with a smile, took a star-shaped dessert from her apron bag, and handed it to the former.

"Give" means to give as a gift.

Zhenyi happily accepted it, then floated to a corner and began to happily nibble on it. Seeing this, Scorpion King tried to approach, but was blocked by Sylveon's tail.

"Buyi!" The little guy raised his head, his ribbons gracefully pointing to the sign on the wall that read "[Pokémon must eat with their trainers]", as if comparing himself to Winged.

Such words and actions earned him a scorpion beast's aggrieved grumbling.

Karuni skillfully chose a window seat, sunlight dancing through the stained glass on her silver-gray hair. "Serena is currently the most popular pastry chef in Miare City, her appointment list is booked for months to come."

"It's my good fortune that everyone is willing to give me this opportunity." Serena's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her fingertips were still covered in a little powdered sugar as she handed the menus to everyone.

"Nanyin, you can try this raspberry tart, which also contains Rose Redo's honey."

The waveguide transmitted her friend's excited heartbeat, and Nan Yin suddenly realized something: "So Sister Karuni specially chose today to pick me up from the airport..."

“Because Serena said she’s launching a limited edition today.” Miss Champion smiled like a triumphant cat, her fingertips tracing the seasonal specials section on the menu. “I’ve been eyeing this peach shortbread for ages.”

"Speaking of which, Serena, when you were training with Champion Wallace, did you receive any further messages from Ash?"

The conversation went on as above. At this point, Serena puffed up her cheeks and angrily distanced herself from the conversation.

"That guy," the girl said, gently stirring the cream in her cup with her stirrer, watching it slowly sink. "The last time we contacted each other was three months ago. He said something about 'finding an amazing Pokémon in Alola,' but the background of the video call was just Exeggutor's shadow; I couldn't even see any changes in him..."

She suddenly realized the complaint in her tone and hurriedly pushed the sugar jar to the center of the table. "Would you like some sugar? This honey was collected directly from the queen bee's hive!"

Before anyone knew it, Zhenyi had drifted back to the table, leaving a crescent-shaped bite mark on the small dessert. It gently touched Serena's burning cheek with its tentacles, eliciting a sigh with a milky fragrance in return.

“Hey,” Serena gently lifted the little beast’s hairband, coating its fur with sweet icing, “you also think that guy is going too far, don’t you?”

Tilting its head, the little guy blinked as if it understood, then floated back to Nan Yin's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek.

"Ash is always slow-witted, or perhaps, in his heart, Pokémon battles have always been his top priority, to the point that he sometimes ignores the feelings of others."

Karuni rested her chin on her hand, the silver spoon between her fingers tapping against the rim of her coffee cup with a tinkling sound.

"wood......"

It was a girl's soft muttering.

The whisper did not fade from the notice of others. Thinking about their past time together, Corinne's gaze toward her friend became increasingly complicated.

Nan Yin is not an open-minded, cheerful, and outgoing girl. She is calm and composed, and takes everything in stride. If she says nothing and expresses nothing, perhaps the emotions in her heart will never be responded to until the end of her journey.

Because neither of them is the one taking the initiative.

"Serena, why don't you try going to Alora yourself and meet that 'blockhead'?"

She took a sip of the flower tea, waiting for the aroma to linger on her tongue, before finally speaking.

"If it were Xiao Zhi, he would definitely welcome your peers. Doing nothing is the stupidest thing to do."

She wasn't someone who liked to make connections; she was simply offering advice based on past regrets.

Due to the length of the story, the boy's companions will change in each region. If they travel together, then the boy will be a special case.

"Is this really a good idea? To come without prior notice?"

"Of course, instead of waiting in place, it's better to actively create encounters."

She flipped through the Pokémon Pokédex's flight information, comparing each flight with the previous one.

"There will be a flight to Mela Mela Island tomorrow."

"But--"

Karuni suddenly tapped the cup with her silver fork, and the Alcremie fairies responded by sprinkling sugar powder.

Amidst the swirling, sweet snow, the Kalos champion raised his phone. On the screen was Ash, dressed in a floral shirt, fighting with a bear in a peacock. In the background, a faint exclamation could be heard: "Serena's coming?!"

"Oops, I accidentally pressed the group send button." Karuni raised the corners of her lips, not hiding her deliberate attempt to smile.

"Waaah!"

Her ears turned red, and the girl's voice grew softer and softer, almost melting into the cake base with embarrassment, until a voice as gentle as the wind brushed past her ears.

"Serena, some encounters are worth traversing monsoons and ocean currents."

"Koboo!"

As she spoke, the ribbon in her hair swayed with the movement of her wings, brushing against the tip of Nan Yin's nose in the wind, carrying the warm scent of raspberries and caramel, and settling on her gentle and affectionate eyes.

That's how she met it.

Serena's eyelashes trembled slightly as she recalled the morning dew in Kanto, the sunset in Carlos, and those figures that suddenly appeared on television with Pikachu. The glass shop window reflected her slightly bright eyes—as if she had finally made up her mind to cross some invisible threshold.

"it is good."

She said this softly yet firmly.

The conversation ceased, but the crowd's thoughts had not yet dispersed.

Watching Nan Yindao and others offer their advice, Ke Erni couldn't help but bite her lower lip. Before she could react, the words in her heart had already slipped out.

"And what about us, Nanyin?"

Like a pause in the atmosphere, the trivial sounds all quieted down, and the white-haired girl looked back at her friend, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"No, I mean, where should we go next to continue our journey?"

An attempt to salvage the situation is like a distant stream of water, unable to extinguish the sparks that have already ignited.

Once upon a time, Nan Yin was also pondering the emotions that had accumulated in her heart. Now that the former had taken the initiative to point them out, her worries and considerations had completely disappeared.

Korne treats herself in a completely different way...

Thoughts swirled, but when the words reached my lips, they only amounted to a bland, ordinary facade.

She pointed out the next stop on the journey.

"The Galar region."

Chapter 235: A Narrative of Feelings and the Setting Sun (4.5k, take a look)

"The Galar region?" Korrina blinked, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the ends of her golden ponytail. "I heard that Dynamax battles are very popular there."

Nan Yin nodded slightly, but her hand continued to stroke the dessert. Eevee was licking the last bit of cream off the dessert with satisfaction, making a soft rustling sound.

"The omen from the Green Ridge City Astronomical Center is several months away. A short trip won't take up too much time. Before I truly take on responsibilities and stop for my family, I want to see the ends of the earth with it, them, and you—"

"Unique".

These are heartfelt words. As a butterfly from another world, Nan Yin loves this beautiful world and the pure and innocent spirits. She is happy to travel with them, to see all the beautiful things she once longed for, and to enjoy a peaceful life in her secluded corner.

It's just a difference in choices; it's all about experiencing sweetness first, then sweetness, and a smooth and peaceful journey. A pause is necessary, after all, everyone has an end, and these children are destined for a longer life. She will eventually have to make a home for each other, after losing her own care.

"Sounds like a great travel destination. Galar's desserts are very unique, especially Dynamax Alcremie..."

Karuni gracefully cut a small piece of peach shortbread, her demeanor elegant, yet the infatuation in her words was quite the opposite.

“Miss Karune, you’re thinking about desserts again.” Serena shook her head with a smile and pushed a freshly brewed cup of herbal tea in front of the champion. “But Nan Yin is right. If it’s for Pokémon battles, Galar is indeed the most popular region. Even Ash said that his next stop must be there.”

“Ah, it’s so good to be young, you can just go whenever you want. Unlike me, I’m always held back, and I can only use filming as an excuse to steal some time off.” She glanced meaningfully at Korney, who immediately turned her face away and pretended to be very interested in the dummy rats passing by outside the window.

However, the usually straightforward Zhenyi suddenly floated in front of Korni and gently touched her burning cheek with its tentacles.

"Koubu?" The little beast tilted its head, its gradient feathers shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight.

"The child said your heart is beating very fast."

Fairy-type Pokémon are born with the talent to perceive emotions, while Paradoxical Pokémon, which have never experienced the ways of the world, naturally do not know how to hide their emotions.

Korne jumped up, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "I...I need to go to the restroom!"

She left almost helplessly, ignoring even Lucario's protests after being caught in the ball.

The bathroom mirror reflected her flushed face. Korne turned on the tap, the cold water splashing over her burning palms. "Idiot..." she muttered to herself in the mirror, "So brave when I first invited you, why am I like this now..."

The girl in the mirror had messy blonde hair and her azure eyes were filled with panic. She remembered the first time she met Nan Yin on the tram. They were just strangers, but they had a chance encounter because of a kind act. When they met again, the white-haired figure was more confident and composed.

At first, their collaboration was just a casual thing, and Korni simply regarded him as a friend who was a formidable rival. However, in the process of getting along, the usually oblivious Korni would sometimes receive his secret help, and gradually she became somewhat dependent on him and enjoyed his care.

Through repeated incidents and clashes, she gradually slowed down and became overwhelmed, but Nan Yin never stopped striving for the highest peak. She went from being a partner to a occasional burden, a hindrance that needed to be relied upon.

The presence of Sylveon, Diancie, Magearna, and even Reshiram surrounding the white-haired girl gave her a greater sense of calm and elegance, making her shine like a star.

Yes, that's the kind of person Nan Yin is; nothing can frighten her, and nothing can make things difficult for her.

Even with the best efforts, one can never truly close the gap between oneself and others. The more effort one puts in, the more one feels the difference in talent; the more desperately one tries to catch up, the more one realizes the insurmountable chasm between them.

The light and heat that outsiders admire reveal their fangs at this distance, so dazzling that they blind the eye and so scorching that they dry up the heart.

Of course, jealousy, the most inappropriate emotion, would never appear in Korni. She would feel proud of others' praise of Nanyin and the evaluations left by others for their friends.

Because she was used to their relationship, she was grateful for the care she had received, and because Nanyin was the sun she longed for most.

The sun, however, is always something that can only be looked at but never reached, and it is not an unnecessary sense of inferiority. It's just that the white-haired girl never showed any feelings beyond friendship, so Korni was only deceiving herself, disguising this feeling as a longing based on friendship.

The sound of running water stopped abruptly. Korne leaned against the edge of the sink, water dripping from her reddened fingertips. A soft knock came from outside the door, a polite and pleasant inquiry unique to the Lord of Tianxi.

"Cornee, are you alright?"

Princess Diamond's voice made Korne sit up abruptly. She hurriedly wiped her face and realized that her eyelashes were already wet with water droplets.

"Of course it's alright!"

Raising her voice to explain, she pushed open the door, revealing Sylveon's adorable little face half-exposed in the mirror.

"Buyi?"

Hearing the call, she saw Nan Yin leaning against the door frame, her wispy hair floating around her shoulders like an elusive sunset.

“Your Lucario is causing a ruckus in its Poké Ball.” The girl handed over a slightly wobbly Ultra Ball. “It says it senses you’re upset.”

When Korrina took the Poké Ball, her fingers touched the other person's. Her friend's hands were always slightly cool, like jade bathed in moonlight. This realization suddenly made her nose sting—she had actually remembered such a small detail so clearly.

"It's okay, it's just that some water splashed in my eyes, it's just..." The blonde girl pressed the release button on the Poké Ball forcefully, "It just suddenly occurred to me that Galar is so far away, and the responsibilities of a Gym Leader..."

Lucario landed in a flash, its blue light still lingering, before it leaped into her arms. The bond between the Aura user and the trainer made the Pokémon immediately realize the truth, but it simply nuzzled Korrina's chin with its fur in silence.

The warm yellow light in the bathroom diffused into a fuzzy halo in the steam, making only the shadows cast by the light stand out and complement each other.

"Buy~"

Suddenly, Fairy Eevee wrapped a ribbon around Nan Yin's wrist, pulling her half a step closer to Korni. This action brought with it the lingering sweetness of raspberry tart and the girl's own confession.

"actually......"

“Just now, I did not give a reason for going to Galar.”

Suddenly, the hem of Diamond Princess's skirt shimmered with iridescent light. It winked mischievously at Lucario, and the two Pokémon tacitly withdrew from the bathroom, thoughtfully closing the door behind them with their psychic powers. Winged Fly tilted its head in confusion, and as Sylveon dragged it away with its tail, its tentacles still lingered on Nan Yin's hair.

The enclosed space suddenly became so quiet that the sound of flowing water could be heard. Ke'erni noticed that the tips of Nan Yin's ears were slightly pink, and this discovery made her heart beat a little faster—could the ever-composed Nan Yin also be nervous?

"Then, what's the reason?"

A sense of anticipation arose in my heart, for the words yet to be uttered, for the things I longed for.