Chapter 186: Cynthia Arrives

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Cynthia Arrives

"Alright."

"Come on out, Snover!"

The Pokémon Emma had newly caught was a Snover.

Snover was a small Pokémon with white and brown coloring. It wore what looked like a snow-white straw hat atop its head. The upper half of its body was covered in white, while the lower half was brown. Its short arms ended in tips resembling the fresh buds of pine trees.

When spring arrived, berries with a texture like popsicles would grow around Snover’s belly. They were a favorite treat of Galarian Darumaka.

"Snover~~"

The little Pokémon appeared before Sora.

It wasn’t very tall—just over a meter in height.

The moment it emerged, the temperature inside the cabin noticeably dropped.

That meant Emma’s Snover possessed the Snow Warning Ability.

Its level was still too low to summon an actual snowstorm indoors, however.

"Oh?"

"You’re quite a lively little one."

Sora crouched down.

Rather than being frightened by the unfamiliar person, Snover happily squinted its eyes and waved its tiny arms in greeting.

Smiling, Sora gently patted its head.

"Hello, Snover."

"I’m Sora."

"And from now on, I’m Emma’s teacher."

"Huh?"

Korrina cried out in surprise.

"Master!"

"You’re accepting Emma as your disciple?"

"I... I..."

Emma was completely flustered.

She had never expected happiness to come so suddenly.

From follower...

To assistant...

And now...

Disciple.

In the Pokémon world, the bond between master and disciple was incredibly close.

Calling them family wasn’t much of an exaggeration.

For Sora to address her as his disciple...

Meant Emma had truly become one of his own.

The thought filled her heart with warmth.

"...Am I really worthy?"

Sora simply smiled and gently ruffled her hair.

"From now on..."

"You’ll live together with me at Nebel Plateau."

"And we’ll build it into our home."

"Ah..."

As an orphan...

What Emma had always longed for...

Was simply a place to belong.

Now...

Sora had made that dream come true.

From this day onward...

She was no longer a child drifting through life alone.

She...

Finally had a home.

"Wah..."

Seeing tears welling up in Emma’s eyes...

Korrina immediately hugged her tightly and rubbed their cheeks together.

"That’s wonderful!"

"Emma is my junior sister now!"

The master’s family had grown.

What could be happier than that?

Korrina could already picture...

The three of them traveling the world together as master and disciples.

"May I examine this little one for a bit?"

"Snover?"

Emma looked toward her Pokémon, asking for its opinion.

"Snover~~"

Snover liked Sora’s aura very much.

It happily agreed.

Thus...

Sora carefully examined the little Pokémon.

Emma had already captured it...

And the two got along well.

There was no question of releasing it simply because of its talent.

To Sora...

Once you accepted a Pokémon as your partner...

You bore responsibility for it.

Examining Snover’s aptitude wasn’t to decide whether to keep it.

It was to determine its starting point...

So he could figure out how to help it grow stronger.

A truly outstanding Trainer...

Could nurture even weak—or imperfect—Pokémon...

Into partners capable of standing alongside the strongest.

"This child has fairly good potential."

It was a male Snover.

Despite that...

Its personality was exceptionally gentle.

As for talent...

If measured by Sora’s level system...

Even an ordinary Trainer could raise this Snover to around Level 50 with proper training.

And Level 50...

Wasn’t low at all.

Most Pokémon...

Even after challenging multiple regional Leagues...

Only reached the low forties.

A Level 50 Pokémon...

Had already stepped into the realm of Lords.

That alone was remarkable.

"Emma."

Sora said,

"I’ll design a training plan specifically suited for Snover."

Emma’s main role wasn’t becoming a professional Trainer.

She would be Sora’s future secretary.

Naturally...

She still needed to train her own Pokémon.

But whether she personally developed the training methods...

Didn’t really matter.

After all...

With Sora as her mentor...

She would at least have the foundation to become a Gym Leader-level Trainer someday.

"Snover~~"

At that moment...

Snover reached beneath the foliage growing around its body...

And picked several berries.

It distributed them to Sora...

Emma...

Korrina...

Even the Pokémon that had gathered around.

Sora thanked the little Pokémon before popping one into his mouth.

"Oh?"

His eyes immediately lit up.

"This tastes amazing."

"It’s like ice cream."

"Sweet and slightly tart."

"If Cynthia were here..."

"She’d absolutely love these."

"Cynthia?"

Korrina looked confused.

She hadn’t known Cynthia was coming.

After all...

That arrangement had been made aboard the cruise ship.

Emma hadn’t been present then, either.

Both girls looked at Sora curiously.

"Oh."

"I almost forgot to tell you."

Sora then explained his agreement with Cynthia...

And that she would arrive in Freezington tomorrow morning.

"W-What?!"

"Master!"

"Why are you only telling us something this important now?!"

"The Sinnoh Champion..."

Emma murmured in amazement.

"Master..."

"So you know not only Miss Diantha..."

"But Champions from other regions too?"

As expected of Master...

Now that she had officially become Sora’s disciple...

Emma had also begun calling him Master, just like Korrina.

Listening to two adorable girls address him that way...

Sora had to admit...

He quite enjoyed it.

"Cynthia isn’t just the Sinnoh Champion."

"She’s also a scholar of ancient mythology."

Sora smiled.

"So..."

"Now you understand why she’s coming, right?"

"Because of the legends here?"

Emma immediately thought of the legends surrounding the King of Bountiful Harvests...

The Crown Shrine...

And the giant ruins hidden beneath the mountains.

To a scholar like Cynthia...

The attraction of this place was simply irresistible.

Otherwise...

She never would’ve rushed over the moment Sora confirmed he’d discovered genuine mythological remains.

"W-What should we do?"

"She’s a Champion..."

"If we don’t make a good impression..."

"Wouldn’t that embarrass you, Master?"

"Ugh..."

"I’m still so weak..."

"What if she looks down on Master because of me..."

Tap!

Sora lightly chopped Korrina on the head with the side of his hand, stopping her increasingly ridiculous train of thought.

"What are you imagining?"

"Cynthia isn’t coming here as the Champion."

"She’s coming as an ordinary scholar traveling with friends."

People who had never met Cynthia often imagined her as a cold, distant beauty.

But anyone who actually got to know her...

Would quickly discover...

That beneath the Champion’s title...

She was simply an enthusiastic researcher with endless curiosity—

A slightly airheaded older sister...

Completely lacking the arrogance or pride one might expect from someone standing at the very top.

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