Every year in a region, the most talked-about matter among the Trainer community is a rookie winning the League Conference, or which Trainer has made a name for themselves in the Champion League.
Apart from that, there are other things that capture the attention of certain groups.
Grand Festival, and the rise of the newest Top Coordinator.
Among the hundreds of talented Coordinators who earned five Ribbons and stood out in Pokémon Contests, there is only one who emerges as best and strongest.
This year's Grand Festival in Hoenn attracted extra attention—not just because of the star-studded lineup of contestants, but because the final battle was between Hoenn's Super Rookie and the previous Top Coordinator from Sinnoh.
Now, whoever has any interest in Pokémon Contests, they're all talking about this match.
"Terrance has already received the Ribbon Cup at the ceremony. His name will be talked about in the Pokémon Contest scene for the years to come."
"Yeah, beating the Top Coordinator in his first Grand Festival was really surprising."
"The most amazing part was that final 'Bug Buzz' move, or else the outcome could have been uncertain."
"No way, with the Swarm state of Beautifly at the time, even without comprehending 'Bug Buzz,' the victory was practically guaranteed..."
In restaurants, plazas, on the streets... everywhere you could hear people discussing the final battle.
…
…
"Mr. Terrance, your Beautifly has recovered. Please receive it."
A Pokémon nurse handed the Poké Ball containing Beautifly, which had been resting after the match, back to Terrance, curiously eyeing the young Top Coordinator.
"Thank you."
Terrance didn't get a good rest after the Grand Festival closing ceremony celebration last night because he was too excited, and now he has a bit of a headache.
After receiving the Premier Ball and seeing the nurse off, Terrance yawned, stretched, and finally called out Beautifly.
"Beauti~flyyyy!" Beautifly flapped its wings and flew out, and seeing its joyful appearance, both Terrance and Beautifly could feel each other's happiness.
"Should we head back?" Terrance asked.
"Beauti~fly! Beauti~fly!" Beautifly nodded.
Almost three years had passed since he left the Old Green House... neither a long nor short time. Now that he had earned the title of Top Coordinator, Terrance had a clear idea of how to help the Old Green House out of its current situation.
…
…
Crown Academy.
The news of Terrance becoming the Top Coordinator had reached here last night as well.
Akon, who had been responsible for maintaining the contact between Gallade and Terrance, was invited by Teacher Teresa and Teacher Julian to discuss the news about Terrance.
"Akon, what is Terrance's stance on the academy's proposal?"
"Ah, you mean the academy's plan to establish a club? Last time when I contacted him to inform him about Gallade learning Slash, I mentioned it, but he didn't seem very interested," Akon replied.
Teacher Julian nodded. "That's for the best. He's not the kind of person who would stay in one place for long training sessions."
Akon was a bit puzzled. "Teacher Julian, why is the academy planning to establish a club? Is the academy's training system worse than that of a club?"
Teacher Julian snorted softly. "Who knows what those people are thinking, but there are differences. The academy's facilities are meant to serve many students, teachers, and researchers. When it's divided up, the resources each individual receives aren't that much. But a club operates differently—it pours a vast amount of resources into just a few people, so the results are much more obvious."
Akon nodded thoughtfully. Most students at the academy came from well-off backgrounds, unlike Terrance, whose background wasn't as fortunate. If the academy continued with its current education model, it would fall behind the times. For example, the Champion Academy in Kanto had already declined, splintering into various aristocratic schools and educational institutions, far less influential than it was a century ago.
"It seems that with various clubs making waves in the Champion League, Crown Academy doesn't want to be left behind, so they're testing the waters with the club system," Akon said. As someone from Kanto, and being from a wealthy family—though sent to Sinnoh due to being an illegitimate child—he had a clear understanding of these things, despite his simple nature.
Crown Academy, to avoid going down the same path of disintegration as the Champion Academy, planned to make a bold decision to form its own exclusive club.
In earlier years, academies looked down on clubs, but as clubs began to rise, the academy couldn't ignore the fact that they had a very effective training system.
"By the way, that kid Terrance has become a Top Coordinator, hasn't he? That's really impressive," Teresa said with a slight smile. During the long leave Terrance had taken, under the pretext of treating Ralts….he unexpectedly managed to secure the title of Hoenn's Top Coordinator, which surprised many people.
Contest Committee and Crown Academy had established a collaborative relationship. You could tell from the presence of Coordinator Class within the academy. There were mutually beneficial deals between the two sides, and in fact, some of the academy's students were even backed by investors from Pokémon Contests.
"Speaking of which, he should be returning soon. According to the normal academic progression, he's qualified to enter the Graduation Class. Besides, he already obtained his Junior Breeder license a while ago, so graduating is just a formality at this point," Teresa mused.
"Huh…" Akon said in surprise. "Terrance did mention to me that when he returns, he plans to apply for graduation."
Teachers Julian and Teresa looked shocked. "He's applying for graduation this year?"
"Yeah," Akon confirmed. "After graduation, Terrance seems to want to apply to establish a Gym using the academy's channels. At least, that's what he said. It's been a long time, and I thought he was joking, but maybe it's true."
A Gym?!
Both teachers were astonished. In this day and age, applying for a Gym wasn't extremely difficult, but it wasn't easy either. As a Crown Academy graduate, Terrance would have the means to apply for one, but it was just an opportunity.
Over the years, countless students had tried to apply for a Gym, but fewer than a handful had succeeded.
Crown Academy could only provide the gateway to obtain Gym Leader's qualification, but passing the League's evaluation would depend entirely on the student's abilities. Factors such as sense of responsibility, life experiences, strength, and many other aspects will also be evaluated.
Even after passing these evaluations and successfully establishing a Gym, there would still be regular inspections by the League. If their performance ratings were poor, or if they received too many complaints from Trainers, or if their passing rate didn't meet standards, the Gym license could be revoked at any time.
The three of them shook their heads, unsure of what Terrance was planning. He had just earned the title of Top Coordinator, already had a Breeder license, and now wanted to get involved in running a Gym?
What could he be planning?
"Still, if it's Terrance, the Gym evaluation probably won't be too difficult for him," Teresa thought of Gallade, which had left countless people perplexed and helpless, and felt an inexplicable confidence in Terrance.
(End of Volume 3)
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