The video continued playing.
Nighttime.
Raina lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Eevee was curled up beside her pillow, already fast asleep. Its tiny body gently rose and fell with each breath.
Raina turned onto her side and looked at the three small boxes on her bedside table—the Key Stone, Blastoisinite, and Gyaradosite.
She then pulled the blanket over her head and curled up beneath it.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Lily]: Is she nervous?
[Daisy]: Probably. She’ll be setting out soon, so it’s only natural for her to feel nervous.
[Violet]: Her father gave her so many valuable things too. That must place quite a bit of pressure on her.
[Brock]: I don’t think Asher gave her those things to place pressure on her. I think he wanted to give her confidence.
[Lorelei]: Brock is right. For a ten-year-old leaving home for the first time and facing an unknown journey, the trust and support of her parents will give her the greatest confidence.
[Bruno]: Exactly! This is inheritance! The older generation passes its strength to the younger generation, and the younger generation carries that strength into the wider world!
[Glacia]: That is the true path of a Trainer.
The video continued.
Early the next morning.
Outside the entrance to Cerulean Gym, Raina stood with a backpack over her shoulders and several Poké Balls attached to her waist.
Misty stood in front of her, while Asher stood beside Misty with one hand in his pocket and a camera in the other.
"Raina."
"Hmm?"
"Look over here."
Raina instinctively turned her head.
Click.
Asher lowered the camera, examined the screen, and smiled.
"This one is good."
"Dad! You took another picture without warning me!"
"I took it openly," Asher replied without changing his expression. "Recording the moment his daughter begins her journey is a father’s responsibility."
Raina opened her mouth to argue, but in the end, she merely let out a small "Hmph" and turned her head away.
Misty walked over and straightened Raina’s collar.
"Did you pack everything?"
"I did!"
"What about medicine?"
"I packed it."
"Pokémon food?"
"I packed that too."
"A change of clothes?"
"Mommy, you’ve already asked me three times."
Misty froze for a moment before smiling and gently ruffling Raina’s hair.
"Have I? I must have forgotten."
Raina did not move away. She quietly allowed her mother to stroke the top of her head.
"Mommy."
"Hmm?"
"I’ll call home often."
"...Okay."
"And we’ll have video calls all the time."
"Okay."
"I’ll come back to visit you often too."
"...Okay."
"Mommy, don’t cry."
"I’m not crying."
Misty turned her face away, her voice slightly muffled.
"The wind is just strong today."
Raina said nothing. She simply stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Misty.
"Thank you, Mommy."
Misty’s body stiffened briefly before slowly relaxing. She raised her arms and embraced her daughter’s shoulders.
"...Be careful on the road."
"I will."
"If you meet an opponent you can’t defeat, run away. Don’t always rush forward and put yourself in danger."
"I won’t."
"And..."
"Mommy."
"Hmm?"
Raina raised her head and looked into Misty’s eyes.
"I’ll come back," Raina said. "When I’ve become strong enough, I’ll return and challenge you."
Misty froze before smiling.
"All right. I’ll be waiting."
Asher walked over and crouched until he was at eye level with Raina.
He did not say much. He merely reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
"Go."
Raina nodded and turned around.
She took three steps before stopping.
Without turning back, she raised her right hand and waved.
"I’m leaving!"
Then she strode forward without looking back.
Asher and Misty continued watching as their daughter’s figure grew smaller and farther away.
They watched until Raina finally disappeared around the corner of the street.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Waaaaah! I’m crying..."
"The moment her mother’s eyes turned red, mine did too."
"So this is how a mother feels..."
"This family is so warm."
"So Raina was able to become a Water-type Elite Four member because she had a family like this supporting her."
"I can’t take it. I’m going to call my mother."
"Person above, do you know what time it is?"
"...I don’t care. My mother won’t be angry."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Brock]: ...Damn it. Something got into my eyes.
[Ash]: Brock, are you crying?
[Brock]: No. I’m just... a little moved.
[Gary]: You’re clearly crying.
[Brock]: ...Fine! I’m crying! So what? Am I not allowed to?!
[Delia]: Ash, your mother cried on the day you began your journey too.
[Ash]: Huh?! Really? Why didn’t I know?
[Delia]: Because you left without looking back, exactly like your father did back then.
[Ash]: ...
[Gary]: Inheritance truly is frightening.
[Ash]: Shut up, Gary!
[Lorelei]: Hehe. Still, that farewell reminded me of the day I left home.
[Bruno]: Oh? Even you cried, Lorelei?
[Lorelei]: Bruno, would you like to discover what it feels like to be frozen solid?
[Bruno]: ...I didn’t say anything.
[Professor Oak]: Ahem. Returning to the subject, Raina’s departure marks the official beginning of her path as a Trainer. The journey ahead will be where her true growth begins.
[Cynthia]: Professor Oak is right. From what we have seen, Asher’s upbringing has already given her an excellent foundation. However, once she leaves the protection of her parents, how far she travels will depend on her own abilities.
[Lance]: I look forward to it. A ten-year-old beginning her journey with Blastoise and Gyarados while also possessing the power of Mega Evolution... She is already capable of overwhelming almost every Trainer her age.
[Iris]: What I want to know is where Raina will go first! Kanto has so many cities. Which Gym will she challenge first?
[Lance]: Following the route most Trainers take, the closest destinations from Cerulean City should be either Vermilion City or Pewter City.
The video continued.
A wide road stretched between vast fields, with distant hills rising on either side.
Raina walked along the road with a backpack over her shoulders and three Poké Balls attached to her waist.
Eevee had not remained inside its ball. Instead, it walked beside her, its small body happily bounding through the grass.
Every so often, it cried out and chased the Rattata along the roadside.
"Eevee, don’t go too far!"
"Eevee—!"
Eevee leaped out of the grass with a leaf held proudly between its teeth and waved it in front of Raina.
Raina crouched, accepted the leaf, and smiled as she stroked its head.
"All right, I know you’re excited, but we need to keep moving."
"Eevee."
Eevee rubbed against her palm before obediently returning to her side.
Raina stood and looked up at the sky.
White clouds drifted across the blue expanse, and the sunlight was warm and clear.
She took a deep breath, the corners of her lips rising into a smile.
"All right! Onward to Pewter City!"
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Aaaaaah! So cute!"
"Eevee really is adorable. I want one too..."
"That child’s smile is so comforting."
"This is youth... Setting out on a journey at ten years old. What a wonderful age."
"How old are you, person above?"
"Twenty-eight."
"...You’re still young too."
"Youth is eternal!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[May]: So cute! Eevee already seems so close to her!
[Max]: May, were you like that when you first began traveling?
[May]: When I first set out... Well, I wasn’t very interested in becoming a Trainer at the beginning.
[Max]: Right. You wanted to become a Pokémon Coordinator.
[May]: Things are different now! Being a Trainer and being a Coordinator aren’t mutually exclusive!
[Wallace]: Exactly. Many people misunderstand Pokémon Contests and assume that only Coordinators can enter them. In reality, many powerful Trainers also participate in Contests as a way of improving their Pokémon’s showmanship and control.
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